Starrk looked around, his heart beating rapidly - he couldn't hear Lilinette any more! 'Lilinette! Oy, Lilinette!!!'

Shunsui glanced at him, that cool, calm look still on his face, mixed with an expression that almost looked like ~pity~?

'You know... I didn't expect those wolves to come after my shadow. But, that same explosion helped me to understand your powers... Those wolves can only drag, what they bite, into the explosion. Finally, it's one on one!' Shunsui attacked, his blades clashing Starrk's and blue fragments of energy came glancing off, leaving an eerie glow before his face.

I'm alone...

A vision of Lilinette passed before his eyes - a memory of her wearing that brown cloak and looking right at him. They were in the Hueco Mundo desert - looking for companions.

Their blades clashed again and Shunsui suddenly dropped back and lunged at Starrk. 'Iro Oni: Haiiro!' Starrk's arm suddenly felt as if it had been cut through to the bone - which was strange, considering that it looked like a shallow wound.

Why do I have to fight someone so strong? I was always jealous of weak guys - our mere presence taxed their strength and souls, making them disappear.

Shunsui and Starrk continued to clash fiercely at each other, their blades whirling like instruments of death.

In our loneliness, we split our soul in two. I'm not sure who was the original - maybe it was neither of us. But that was the only way we could escape solitude. I was jealous of weak guys - if I were weak I could remain in a group. I want to become weak. If that's not possible, I want a comrade as strong as I am.

Shunsui slowed, he was panting and looked like her had used a lot of energy.

Thanks to Lilinette, he's moving a lot slower. And my wounds are nothing compared to his. But something's not right - when he cut me, it felt like it went deep enough to cut my arm

'What's wrong? Come on, say the colour you want to cut.'

Starrk looked at him.

Lilinette... I can still win this...

'Shiro!' Shunsui's back was hit and spray of blood left the wound. He panted and they continued to clash blades. Then, Shunsui threw his cloak into the air, right in front of Starrk's face.

'Iro Oni: Kuro!' Time froze, as Shunsui's blade cut deep into his Hollow Hole and blood spurted outwards. IT was over. Starrk seemed float in mid-air, as he recalled his memroies - the only ones worth remembering.

The girl looked at him. 'Do you have a name?'

He replied slowly. 'Starrk.' Then he thrust a cloak at her, and she covered her nakedness.

'What do we do now?'

'We can go anywhere, do anything you want.'

He recalled the first time he met that man - Aizen - he was sitting next the pile of his dead and gone comrades.

'You seem strong...' He remarked, looking at the man - who was ironically a Shinigami.

'As do you. Did you kill all those Hollows?'

Starrk looked at him - a look of resignment. 'They died from being in our presence - they weren't strong enough...'

The man simply stared, an odd look on his face, then it disappeared.

'Why don't join you join my comrades and I...? They are strong, too.'

This was the last memory he could think of before he finally fell. He watched Aizen, as he descended to the ground. He almost felt guilty - guilty he couldn't repay.

'Sorry, Lord Aizen. It seems I couldn't repay my debt to you...'

I'm not alone... I'm not alone... I'm not alone anymore...

His last thoughts were of Lilinette, the first tie they met and that smile she would flash at him - when he wasn't sleeping, or she wasn't annoyed with him, or playful - that one genuine smile.