Author's Note: Well, this is gargantuan. Enjoy!

I can't believe I'm doing this. The newest teacher at Karakura town high school ran gloved fingers over his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on. Why is Aizen-sama asking this of me? Starrk slumped into his chair, sighing as he rested his elbows on the desk and set his chin in his hands.

Technically, he knew why he was doing this. He was the only Espada suitable for the role. Barragan was far too arrogant, Halibel was an awful teacher, Ulquiorra was already known to these people and Nnoitra and Grimmjow were absolutely out of the question. Aaroniero and Szayel were too insane while Zommari… might have worked. However, Aizen had thought the Primera was definitely the best choice.

So a few memory modifiers, a special gigai and kido spells later, he was the new English teacher at Karakura high. Starrk wondered if he had enough time to take a nap. Surely he did. Just a little… nap…

"Sensei?" Starrk woke with a blink to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder. Lifting his head he wiped away a bit of errant drool as he glanced around blearily. All of the seats had been empty just a second before but now they were filled with teenagers. Every single one was staring at him. And the one with bright orange hair he'd been briefed on had just shaken him awake.

"Ah." He collected his scattered wits, realizing his 'small' nap had not been so small. Whoops. Lilynette would be kicking him if she was there. "Thank you." He gave the young man a friendly smile. So this was Kurosaki Ichigo. He didn't smile back but Starrk really wasn't expecting it. "Mmm, right." He stood, moving around the desk and slumping a bit against the edge. Gloved hands caught the wood, holding him semi-upright. "My name is Coyote Starrk and I will be your new English teacher." He was using his real name. Why not? The shinigami hadn't heard of him yet. "I – unn…" He muffled a yawn with the back of his hand before continuing. "Am from Canada." Canuckistan? Mweheh. Although why that was so amusing to him was a mystery. "Anyway. Introductions are in order. We will go in order and you will tell me your names and one fact about yourself." Starrk was good with names. He was sure he'd know these youngsters soon.

Starrk patiently listened to all the introductions, noting names and faces. He took particular note of the spiritually aware ones. There were really quite a number of them, more than he'd expected. Then he got down to the business of the lesson. The students were all quite fluent, really, so he was introducing them to literature. With a twist.

"I, mm, like odd things. This is the first book you will read." He brought out a box and began passing around copies, ignoring the odd looks the students gave him. He knew why… they usually got books themselves. "It is not easy to find this here. I got them in a lot… Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi." He gazed at the book with a small smile. "You will not find it boring." There were many saloons and barroom brawls. "I will expect you to be read to the sixth chapter by next week." Not a difficult pace but they had other classes.

Time seemed to fly by as he engaged himself in the teaching. Always, Starrk had enjoyed such things… he'd taught Lilynette to read, so long ago. It felt like forever. In fact, hadn't it pretty much been forever? It was so hard to tell…

As the class was nearing its end, though, he gave them some final words.

"At the end of the class, I will give you my wit and wisdom. It may be wise, it may be funny or it might be just rather stupid, but I am the sensei so you will listen." Starrk heaved a heavy sigh. "Unlike my daughter." He said gloomily and there were a few laughs. "So my first piece of wisdom is… If ancient knowledge were any good, we would still know it. The pieces that survive have passed the test of time." Moving behind his desk he slumped into his seat before giving them a wave. "Class dismissed." And he yawned, widely, before resting his face on the desk. It was time for another nap. It would be shorter this time.

Really.

The next few months were extremely pleasant for Coyote Starrk.

He spent it teaching, reviewing various poems and small pieces while occasionally reviewing the book he'd chosen for the class to read. Some parents weren't too happy about that book. One set had even demanded a meeting with him where he'd pointed out it was extremely historical. That might not have been enough, but Szayel had whipped up some 'persuaders' for moments like that. When it was done, they were so happy they might have picked the book themselves.

He also assigned creative writing tasks, picking a genre and setting the children loose. Kami, it was fun, although he had to wade through quite a bit of terrible dross. Tapping a pen against his lips, he read the latest efforts of Kurosaki Ichigo. It wasn't bad but…

You have done an excellent job of portraying the struggle of a man against his inner demons. He chewed on the end of his pen for a moment before continuing. However, the battle lacked detail and simply defeating that demon in combat lacks something. Still, a very credible attempt and I enjoyed reading it. B+. He wrote out the exact percentage, which was eighty-three, in the corner.

"Starrk sensei?" He looked up in some surprise at the voice. This was a rest period and he was using it to mark, instead of taking his usual nap. Ishida Uryu was standing in the doorway to the classroom, looking tense and determined. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." Starrk said with mild surprise, putting the paper aside. He patiently waited for Ishida to speak, leaning back in his chair. The young Quincy was quick to get to the point.

"Do you offer special assignments for extra credit?" He asked and Starrk blinked.

"I, mm, had not planned on it." He didn't see why it would be necessary. And… "You have many classes and are doing well. Why would you feel the need?" That was bewildering. Why shoulder more work than necessary? The young man frowned, a hard expression on such a youthful face.

"I am not accustomed to such low marks. It threatens my average." He said stiffly and Starrk stared at him, truly taken aback.

"Low?" He echoed before shaking his head. "Is it not true that you are ranked against the others in your class?" He asked and Uryu nodded, still frowning. "Then you have nothing to fear. You are ranked high in my class." Third, to be precise. "I do not believe in perfection. I believe in striving towards it." The highest mark he'd given out so far was a ninety, for a very fine study of philosophy written by Inoue Orihime. Starrk had been most impressed.

"Then allow me to strive further." Ishida said and Starrk frowned, thinking as he tapped the desk in front of him with his fingers. He truly had no extra assignments he could give out. Or… wait.

"You plan to be a doctor someday?" He asked to confirm and the young man nodded, a touch puzzled. "Ah, one moment." Opening his desk he sorted through the papers before finding something. It was a book he had been reading for pleasure but… "If you read this book and write me a short report on the knowledge contained inside, I will add a full ten percent to your grade." That would easily make Ishida the top of his class. "It will not be an easy challenge." He warned as the boy brightened. Then he handed over the book and watched with a small smile as the Quincy opened it. The way his expression abruptly fell was amusing.

"…Is this Latin?" He asked and Starrk shook his head.

"Classical Greek." He qualified and saw Ishida swallow. "It is a difficult task, I know. But you have much time to do it. I give you until the end of the school year." That was quite a bit of time. "And it might prove useful to you. It is about both medicine and philosophy, a true classic." And it was always better to read the original, if you could. Translations often missed things. Ishida took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders.

"I will do this." He sounded very determined. Starrk was mildly amused. The boy left and he went back to his marking, doing two more papers before the next class filed in.

That night he went home to his small flat and was greeted by the most wonderful and annoying of things.

"Starrrrrk!" Lilynette was tackling him and he laughed, catching her in his arms. "I missed you, you asshole!"

"Language." He admonished her as the woman behind her looked pained. Her name was Maki and she was his housekeeper and live in nanny. The story he'd concocted to keep Lilynette out of school required it. "How have your lessons been coming?"

"Fine… you jerk." Lilynette sounded quite sullen and Starrk couldn't help but smile as he patted her on the head. Poor Lilynette was part of his disguise and she was being homeschooled by Maki and various tutors. They were working her hard, teaching her the things Starrk could not. He could count but did not know how to add well, let alone multiply and divide. Strange things with brackets were completely beyond him.

Supper that night was sea bream with baked sweet potato and sautéed Brussel sprouts. Lilynette complained but Starrk was stern and she ate both the vegetables and fish, not just the sweet potatoes. Then they retired to Lilynette's rooms for 'help with her studies.' In actuality, they were having a private discussion as Maki tidied up.

"So you learned anything yet?" Lilynette asked inquisitively and Starrk shrugged. "Starrk!"

"Mmm, Ishida Uryuu is a terrible overachiever." From the exasperated look on her face, that wasn't what Lilynette was looking for. "Kurosaki Ichigo and Yasutora Sado are both adequate but often less than creative. Inoue Orihime is interesting… when she is bad, she is awful, but sometimes she had great moments of brilliance. In group discussions she is quite flightly while Sado rarely participates. However, when he does it is always well thought out –"

"OI! No one cares about all that! Haven't you learned anything Aizen would give a shit about?" Lilynette demanded and Starrk sighed, settling down on her bed. "And stop lying in my bed you lazy bum!"

"Mmm… How would I have learned anything Aizen would give a shit about?" Starrk said rhetorically before answering himself. "They believe I am a spiritually blind teacher. All I have seen is their souls heading out the window, leaving those irritating mod souls in control of their bodies. Then I have to pretend to forget when they memory modify me." He sighed, dropping his chin into his hands. "I only wish I could forget. Trying to teach those monstrosities is an exercise in futility." The Chappy one, in particular, was a horrible trial. Starrk would always remember the time it tried to kiss him. She'd taken him completely by surprise, too, in front of the whole class. Thank kami the memory modifiers had worked on everyone else.

"Well geez! Why are we here anyway? This is dumb Starrk!" Lilynette said and he could only shrug helplessly.

"I don't really understand it myself. Although I am garnering much information on their personalities." That might very well be useful and he would definitely report it to Aizen. "I am also gaining their trust." Although how useful that would be was an open question. "We must assume Aizen knows what he's doing." He was brilliant, after all.

"Maybe he just wanted you out of Los Noches." Lilynette said, which made him pause. "After the, um, you know."

"…Ah. Perhaps." Starrk said slowly as he remembered the… incident. Getting drunk had been a terrible idea. Somehow, his reiatsu had slipped out of both his control and the hogyoku's dampening. Oddly enough, it had acted like an aphrodisiac to those who were very powerful. The party had degenerated into an orgy and while that had been… pleasant… discovering that his pulsing power had destroyed dozens of numeros and caused the rest to flee hadn't been great. Aizen had been more than a touch upset with him. "If that's the case, we can only work hard at redeeming ourselves."

"And stay away from the sake!" She said, which made him wince. He would never touch alcohol again. "Well, I guess I should go to bed."

"Yes, you should." Starrk agreed before prying himself off the bed. He was eager to find his own rest. He preferred pillows, but a bed would do in a pinch. Yawning, he went to his own room and quickly disrobed before collapsing into it.

Tomorrow would be another day.

"I swear, he's narcoleptic." Ah, the joys of possessing animal-like senses. Starrk did his best to pretend he couldn't hear the voices as he sipped his tea in the break room.

"He's so hot though!" …Ah, teenagers. "And he's not married. Oh Sayumi do you think – "

"I think you're crazy. And how could you make him stay awake long enough anyway?" This was making his head hurt. Starrk was tempted to take a nap but if he did that in the break room, he wouldn't make it back to the classroom and another teacher would end up waking him. Which explained his reputation for narcolepsy, actually. Rinsing out his cup of tea, he put his hands in his pockets and shuffled off to his class. It didn't take long for the students to assemble.

"Today, mm, we are having a discussion." He said as he leaned against the desk. "It will be about the nature of honor." This was a subject near and dear to his heart. Starrk had pondered the matter many, many times since Aizen had recruited him. "Firstly, we must define honor. Kurosaki Ichigo, would you like to begin?" That was how he held debates. He got the children to talk to each other, while occasionally asking a question or interjecting a comment to move the debate along. This method had the benefit of being effective and also saving him work.

Ichigo's start was a bit rough, but it was enough to get the class moving. Starrk listened patiently as they defined the attributes one could call honorable. Virtuous conduct, fidelity, respect to one's elders…

"Fidelity." Starrk spoke the word thoughtfully. "Faithfulness to the one who has your loyalty… tell me. Would you say that the way of the spy is an honorable one?" There were many frowns and blank looks so he amplified. "A spy must befriend his enemies to betray them, even as he maintains his faith to his true master. Is this an honorable thing to do?" He thought it was. Of course, he was rather biased.

"Yes, it is." Ishida said firmly and Starrk rested his chin in one hand as he propped his elbow up on his knee. He liked to change positions during his classes and he was sitting on the desk, now.

"Does everyone agree?" Of course some of them didn't and the debate was off and rolling again. Starrk was somewhat comforted that overall, everyone agreed that spying was indeed an honorable occupation. Then he posed another question.

"What of sacrifices for the greater good?" Starrk asked. This was another thing that was near and dear to his heart. He'd discussed it at length with Tosen. "If you must kill an innocent for a higher cause, is such a thing honorable?"

"What do you think, sensei?" That was from Tatsuki. She gazed at him with bright intelligence, turning his question around. Starrk hesitated a moment before dropping his gaze to his hands. To the spot whee his Espada tattoo would be, if the gigai were not hiding it.

"I think that sometimes, sacrifices are called for." He said after a moment before heaving a heavy sigh. "It is a cause for great regret, but sometimes the innocent must die for the greater good. Such sacrifices should be remembered." As I will remember all of you. Starrk's heart twisted a little at the thought. All these children, so young and bright and so much ahead of them… yet, this was for the greater good. He knew it was true.

That question, though, got more varied responses. Hard questions were asked, like how one could be certain it was for the greater good? How was that good determined and who determined it? Starrk listened, reflecting on the fact that he'd asked himself almost all of these things. In the end, though, he'd come to what he felt was the proper conclusion.

Finally, though, it was time to wrap things up. And that meant it was time to dispense his wisdom.

"This is a quote from a brilliant man… When you are chatting up a nice girl, an hour passes like a minute. When you are sitting on a hot coal, a minute passes like an hour. This is the definition of relativity." Starrk said seriously and there were laughs among the students. He smiled at the sound. "Class dismissed." They left, chatting about the discussion and Starrk yawned before settling in at his desk. He'd take a little… nap… just a little one.

Yes, just a little nap.

"You want what?" Starrk stared blankly at a large group of his best students. All the shinigami – although did Abarai want to be there? Judging from the way Kuchiki was gripping his arm, he didn't – and the human students. Sado, Orihime, Tatsuki, Ichigo… others who were not really spiritually aware…

"It's not fair that you've given only Uryu a chance at extra credit, sensei." Rukia said firmly and Starrk wondered if she was insane. She was a shinigami and this whole 'school' thing was a farce. Why would she volunteer for such work? Shinigami did not naturally know all languages and he doubted very much that she could read classical Greek!

"…Are you aware of the difficulty of the task I have given him?" He asked and there were plenty of vague looks, along with determined ones.

"It does not matter. We should all have a chance." Kuchiki said and there were murmurs of agreement from the others. Starrk rubbed his chin dubiously, than shrugged.

"If that is what you want, very well. I will need a week to procure more of the books." He'd have to go to Szayel for that, but the Octava would be good for it. Likely quite annoyed at him, but good for it. "And I will have to set some rules." If this was to be a class wide opportunity, he needed to think a bit harder about it. Because it was an insanely difficult assignment. Should he give partial credits for work not entirely completed? Yes, perhaps. "I will make an announcement on, hmm, next Friday." That would give Szayel enough time. "Now, please go. I must – eh?" Hitsugaya had just placed something in front of him. A box?

"A token of our esteem for you, Coyote sensei." The shinigami said with a small bow as Starrk looked at the box in bemusement. It was red and – oh!

"Tim bits?" How… Canadian! "You should not have… but where did you get them?" He actually had a very good idea. Ah, those doorways the shinigami used, they could go everywhere… but Toshiro lied most fluently.

"There was an international booth at the local festival. The Canadian embassy had some and I thought you might like them." He said and Starrk smiled as he opened the box and removed a piece of fried dough. Popping it into his mouth, he was nearly overwhelmed by sweet. He would have to save most of these for Lilynette, she would love them.

"That was extremely thoughtful. It has been so long since I've had these." He said with apparent sincerity. But he was a good liar too and he'd researched Canadian culture for his role. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome." He was so formal, but then, Hitsugaya was a taichou trapped in a child's body. Starrk sampled another donut as they left, listening as Renji spoke in a low tone to Rangiku.

"See? I told you you were imagining things…" Starrk frowned before checking his spiritual pressure. Surely nothing was leaking out? Perhaps they had caught a wisp of hollow energies. He should check on that when he went to ask Szayel for the books.

For now, though, he'd convinced them he was an authentic Canadian. All was well.

"Ow." Starrk muttered as he leaned against the edge of his desk. "Mmm… Now, many of you have harassed me for extra credit assignments. I honestly cannot understand this seeking out extra work." He sighed heavily as a few of his students laughed. "But since this is what you want…" He pulled out the box full of books. "There is one for everyone. The challenge I set is to read this book and compose a short report of the knowledge inside." He sensed everyone brightening at that. How cute. "It is written in classical Greek." And deflated. Amusing. "However, since so many of you want to participate, I have decided to make things a bit easier. You may work in groups of three. Also, I will give partial credit… if you can only finish a third of the book, for instance, I will mark whatever you can write about it and issue extra credit."

"Sensei?" Inoue raised a hand and he nodded to her. "What is this book?"

"I will not tell you." Starrk said easily. He had a reason for that… "It would make it too easy for you to find information online. I will tell you that the author is famous and this is considered a great text of both medicine and philosophy." That wouldn't be enough for them to find it, though. Or rather, they would find several different possibilities. Which one was correct? He wouldn't say. "Now…" He began passing out the books and many students declined, deciding the extra work wasn't worth it. To his amusement, Abarai took a book, looking like he'd much rather handle a dead rat. No doubt Kuchiki was forcing him to.

With that completed, Starrk got down to business. Today was more reviewing the book he'd assigned. They had gotten to a very interesting part and Starrk smiled as one boy managed to answer his question about how many people had died. What his name again? Keigo, yes. After that he followed with a new writing assignment… they were to write him something uplifting and spiritual. That was a bit vague so he specified it could be any genre, but he wanted something that addressed morality but in a positive way. He wondered what they would come up with. It was always so interesting to see.

Then came his words of wisdom for the day.

"Mmm, you may have noticed I am not sitting today… my words of wisdom are that if a feisty little girl says your stories are stupid and if you don't shut up, she will stab you in the butt with a fork… don't call her bluff." Starrk rubbed himself, remembering the incident. Lilynette could be such a trial. "Class dismissed." After the students left, Starrk shoved his hands in his pockets and went to the break room. Tea sounded good right now. He yawned behind his hand before grimacing.

At least the wound on the buttocks of his gigai was helping to keep him awake.

Starrk leaned back, half-closing his eyes as he watched the soccer practice.

Lilynette had been driving him crazy with her energy, as usual, and Maki had offered a creative solution… group activities of a physical nature. Starrk would never have thought of such a thing but it seemed like a great idea. She was certainly enjoying running around after the ball, although at first the rules had been a bit of a problem. It seemed tripping the competitors was not acceptable.

"Sensei?" Eh? That voice made him lift his head in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Kurosaki Ichigo was regarding him with a puzzled air and Starrk chuckled softly at the slightly rude question.

"Mmm, I could ask the same of you." He said easily, seeing a light blush touch the young man's cheeks as he realized the question could have been better phrased. "I am watching my daughter." He said, gesturing towards the soccer practice. "She is the albino." Lilynette's gigai gave her white hair and pink eyes. Ichigo looked at the game, spotting her easily.

"Oh, that's right. You mentioned you have a daughter." His pupil sat down beside him and Starrk didn't mind. Really, this was an opportunity to know him better. "…She looks about the same age as Karin and Yuzu, but they didn't mention her at all." Ichigo sounded dubious and Starrk sighed, glancing up at the sky.

"She is being homeschooled. Online courses and tutors." He said and Ichigo frowned at him. Starrk thought he was mildly offended.

"We have very good schools in Japan." He said and Starrk laughed softly.

"Yes, I know, that is the problem." He said lightly and saw the boy give him a confused look. "Mmm, I last worked as an English teacher in Macedonia." That had been picked because Starrk knew the place – how, he wasn't sure – and also the records were terrible. The odds that they could conclusively prove he had not been there were almost nil. "I knew the schools there were not good, but I didn't realize how bad they were until we came here. My Lilynette tested well in the subjects I taught her, but everything else she is three years behind." He sighed heavily. "I spoke with the teachers and we decided it was better to bring her up to her grade level before trying to enter her into the Japanese school system. Being placed with children three years younger…" There would have been havoc, although not the kind Ichigo could likely envision. The teenager relaxed a bit, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, I see." Starrk was amused as he realized Kurosaki had been feeling a bit of offense on behalf of his country. "What happened to her mother? If you don't mind me asking?" He said and Starrk leaned back on his elbows, feeling sleepy. The sun on his skin was quite pleasant.

"Mmm, we are divorced." Starrk said vaguely, watching Lilynette running up and down the field. He couldn't bring himself to feign grief, so he'd settled on that. "It was all a very long time ago. Lilynette can't remember her." That was certainly true. If Lilynette had ever had a mother in a prior life, she couldn't recall it. "I try my best, but I could be better." He admitted. Starrk sometimes regretted that he just couldn't civilize his other half. But as she liked to remind him, she was the Primera too. And that was hard to refute. When they became locked in contention, she could even attempt to turn his power against him. It was very unpleasant. "Ah, not again…" Lilynette had just gotten another foul? Was that the word? Anyway, she had been doing something unsporting. Ichigo chuckled at the sight.

"She's very competitive. Well, I should go see dad and Yuzu. It was nice to see you, Starrk sensei." The young man said politely and Starrk smiled and nodded. Then he closed his eyes, just enjoying the sun and the fresh air. It was chilly – winter would be coming very soon – but still nice.

With winter, his disguise would come to an end. He would enjoy this while he could.

Starrk sighed as he shuffled through the halls of Los Noches.

He was unhappy to be back. But like it or not, and he didn't particularly like it, it was time for the final battle. Inoue Orihime had been kidnapped and was waiting for Kurosaki Ichigo. Starrk felt a bit of grief at the thought. It was unlikely the boy could make it past both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

He'd considered going to see Orihime but finally discarded the idea. What could he say? I'm sorry, I'm actually a spy and always owed my loyalty to Aizen. I fully intend to kill your entire town and trust me when I say it is for the greater good. Starrk sighed to himself. The sacrifices would be remembered.

Rubbing his forehead, he went to his wing and settled into his cushions. He would take a nap. He would…

"GWAH!" The hand going down his throat was distressing, to say the least. "Gonna puke, gonna puke!" He gasped, thrashing as he struggled to control his gag reflex. "Lilynette?" That was the rudest awakening she'd given him in a long time. "Give me a break…" He slumped back into his cushions and yelped as she pounced on him.

"Get up Starrk! No more sleeping! Up, up, up!" Little fists pounded on his hierro and Starrk groaned as he roused himself. What was she – "Aaroniero's dead!"

"…What?" That fully roused him and he sought out the reiatsu in question. He was dismayed when he didn't find it.

"Yah, see?!" Lilynette stared down at him accusingly as Starrk rubbed his face with one hand.

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Starrk asked tiredly. He could barely detect a shinigami reiatsu in that area. From the condition of it, the owner might be dying. "Go to finish that person off?" It seemed pointless. In fact… "Lilynette, it's Rukia." He knew her reiatsu well. Lilynette just looked at him solemnly.

"Don't you care?" She asked and Starrk paused. Of course he cared. And yet… he knew Rukia as well as Aaroniero and frankly, he liked her quite a lot better. Besides…

"Aizen ordered us to remain in our wing." He reminded her and Lilynette scowled. "I know you might not think much of it, but those are his orders." Until he countermanded them, at least. "Would you like to take a nap?"

"No! Geez, you're hopeless! I'm leaving!" Starrk sighed and slumped back on his cushions, staring at the ceiling as Lilynette stomped out. He felt badly about disappointing her, although Aaroniero himself was not someone he would miss. And it did bother him, that he was staying here when an Espada had fallen. Sighing to himself, Starrk flung an arm over his eyes and tried to sleep. For once it didn't come easily but he finally managed to nod off.

Aizen's summons woke him and he immediately got up to find out what his master needed of him. Finding that Aizen wanted him to fetch Orihime and deliver her back to Ulquiorra was disconcerting. But he swallowed his distaste – they were already going to massacre a town, what did hostages matter? – and set out to take care of the problem.

When he appeared in front of Orihime and Ichigo, they were both equally shocked. Inoue came to a stop in front of him, her grey eyes wide as she looked up at him.

"…Sensei…?" She whispered and Starrk sighed as he touched her shoulder.

"My apologies." He said briefly before gripping her more firmly. He looked up as Kurosaki got over his shock.

"STARRK!" Tired grey eyes met furious, betrayed brown. Starrk felt a small pang but didn't let it stop him as he flashed away in his signature sonido. He was gone when the blows landed.

"Sensei, why?" Orihime was near tears now, as he brought her to Ulquiorra. Starrk sighed, rubbing his forehead before flinching away as her fingers found his mask fragment. He didn't know what to say to her. How could he apologize for betraying their trust?

"Aizen assigned him to spy upon you as your 'teacher'." Ulquiorra's monotone was actually a relief. It absolved him of explaining. Orihime put a hand over her mouth, staring at him with wide grey eyes. Starrk could only shrug.

"The way of the spy is an honorable one." He said gravely and she teared up again.

"But I liked you…" Her voice was almost inaudible. Then Ulquiorra's reiatsu washed over them both and Starrk frowned as Inoue flinched at the force of it.

"You have completed Aizen-kami's task. Please leave." Starrk grimaced internally but nodded, accepting the dismissal. He needed to get ready to go to Karakura town anyway. Leaving the room, he tried to ignore the feel of Orihime's accusing gaze on his back.

It was painful, but this was the right thing to do.

Starrk fought with a determination that was tinged with desperation. As blue reishi blades clashed against black and curved ones, he sought for Lilynette. But he couldn't find her. She was silent within him, not the usual buzz against his thoughts.

Then the white fabric flashed in front of him and he slashed it only to realize his opponent was not there. Starrk clenched his teeth as he tried to react fast enough but he knew he couldn't. He knew he –

CLANG! The sound of metal on metal made his eyes go wide, as he looked down at the blade that had saved his life. It was pure black, thin and familiar. He'd seen it in Los Noches. As well as the black coat…

"Ichigo?" Taichou-san seemed every bit as surprised as Starrk by the intervention. He swallowed, blinking his single eye as he felt the sweat on his face, the metallic taste of adrenaline in his mouth. Kami, he'd come so close there. But why had Ichigo saved him? Then Kurosaki was turning towards him and Starrk swallowed again at the look on his face.

"Sensei, why?" Ichigo's gaze rested on the hole in his chest but then he seemed to ignore it, meeting Starrk's gaze. "I know you're one of them but don't you know what he's doing here?" Kurosaki said and Starrk bit his lower lip. Yes, of course he knew. "I know you're not like Ulquiorra or Grimmjow. You know it's wrong! How can you do this?" He demanded and Starrk took a deep breath. It was an honest question that deserved a good answer.

"It is necessary sacrifices for the greater good." He said steadily as Ichigo stared at him, his eyes boring into him as if trying to see into his soul. "I have thought long and hard about this. You cannot convince me otherwise." He'd taken information from multiple sources to come to his conclusions. "Aizen will lead us to new and better things. I am his samurai and I – " Starrk stopped as pain raced through him, his side? Blood welled up in his throat and he turned his head, expecting to see one of the half-hollows (but no, he could sense their reiatsu on the ground, watching) and then felt absolute shock as he saw the person who had just stabbed him in the chest.

"Ah, Starrk." Aizen's voice was soft and amused as Starrk stared, his mind still trying to comprehend what had just happened. "You are so gullible and naïve. You are not a samurai. You are merely a tool, to be disposed of when you have done your work." What? The blade slid out of his body and Starrk reached up, clutching the wound as he coughed up blood. The pain of his body was nothing compared to the pain of his heart. "And that time has come."

"Aizen… sama…?" Starrk rasped as he reached out, his gloved hand covered in his own blood. His vision wavered as Aizen vanished and Starrk could no longer hold his grip. He felt himself falling and vaguely realized the reason his vision was so blurry was the tears. He was… crying… when was the last time he had cried? He could not remember. But he had never… felt like this… before…

Arms caught him and Starrk felt the flow of wind slow, as he tried to blink away the tears. Who was helping him? Surely not taichou-san. Ichigo? His vision finally cleared as he was settled on the broken stone of false Karakura town with a small thump.

"I'll kill him for this. That bastard will pay!" Ichigo's passionate voice reached his ears and while he knew the boy meant well, the promise rang hollow to him. Vengeance was meaningless. Nothing could replace the hope that had been so cruelly torn away…

Earnestly wishing he would never awaken, the Primera Espada faded into unconsciousness.

Unfortunately, fate was not so kind.

The healing taichou found him in the ruins and gave Starrk enough healing to preserve his life. Later, he would wonder why, but at the time he was in no condition to protest. Nor could he stop them when they pulled him out of the rubble and placed a restraint on him, before allowing Orihime to heal him. That finally woke him, beneath her golden shield, but he said nothing. What was there to say?

He remained mute, not even answering the healer's questions, before he was transported to the Fourth. He lay on a bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondered why life was tormenting him so. Yearning and lonely, he reached for Lilynette, but he could not find her. She was gone, part of his soul collection again, and that loss hurt him more than anything.

It was a week before he was pried out of that bed. Starrk shuffled slowly, the weight of chains an anchor as he walked to his appointed destination. Even if he'd been inclined to move more quickly, the ankle cuffs he was wearing would have prevented it. The shinigami were taking no chances with their hollow prisoner.

Stark vaguely realized he was in some kind of interrogation room, but paid it no attention as a hand on his shoulder forced him onto a cushion. He just stared at the wooden table in front of him, not truly seeing the battered wood. His mind was almost blank.

Then a voice interrupted his reverie and it was familiar enough to garner his attention. Lifting his head, Starrk looked at the man seated across from him. Taichou-san was wearing his pink kimono again, although beneath it he wore only his hakama and many bandages. Aizen must have done that. Starrk knew he'd delivered no slashes and the burns from his cero would likely be aggravated by bandages.

"Espada-san?" That made him blink and Starrk realized he'd missed what taichou-san was saying. Although…

"Do not call me that." He said tiredly. He did not wish to be reminded of his rank. Taichou-san hesitated and Starrk saw a surprising expression of discomfort on his face.

"I… forgive me. What is your name?" He asked and Starrk blinked at him. He'd introduced himself – "I am afraid I've forgotten."

"…Coyote Starrk." Starrk said after a moment. He was sure that forgetfulness had been deliberate. It was easier to kill someone if you did not acknowledge them as a person. Speaking of which. "And what is your name, taichou-san?" He asked as their eyes met. "I regret to admit I have the same problem." He said lightly and saw the understanding on the other man's face before he smiled, reaching for his tea.

"Kyoraku Shunsui, at your service." He said lightly before speaking more seriously. "Starrk-san, can you please tell me why you followed Aizen?" Shunsui asked and Starrk swallowed, looking at the table. That question was touching his great pain. Did he want to talk about it? Oddly enough, the answer was yes.

"Lilynette and I were the Espada of Loneliness, taichou-san." Starrk said softly before taking a shaky breath. Lilynette… no, he would not be distracted. "Aizen called us that because when he found us, we were surrounded by the corpses of the dead. We were natural arrancar, the only true arrancar to exist." Shunsui blinked at him and Starrk wondered if he understood what that implied. "No one could come near us without dying. Aizen was the first. And so we followed him, to no longer be alone." At first, that had been enough.

"There's more though, isn't there?" Shunsui prompted him as he paused and Starrk swallowed before nodding.

"Yes. Aizen never taught me to read. I… remembered, as I looked at books." Lilynette had stolen some for him and as he'd looked at the pages, the knowledge had come back. "I read the words and things kept coming back. I remembered other tongues. I remembered… places and people long gone." He could remember a brilliant sun and the ocean, things he should never have seen. "And I wondered why shinigami would turn against their own. So… I spoke to Tosen about it. He told me about laws and the injustices of Soul Society. As he spoke, I remembered laws. I remembered how they are broken… and he gave me books to read. I read them and I saw what he meant… we could make things better. But I could not decide if it was worth the price." Starrk felt a nagging ache as he said that. The train of his logic had taken so long to reach its conclusion.

"The next one I spoke to was Gin. He had no interest in such things and laughed at me, so I changed my tactics. I asked him about his childhood. He told me of the Rukongai and how he had nearly starved to death." Starrk paused, looking at the man across from him. Could he understand? "I was horrified. Gin saw that and laughed and said it was the way shinigami rid themselves of the inconvenient powers… I had never heard of something so cruel." Shunsui lifted his eyebrows and Starrk looked at him tiredly. "You do not understand… I know shinigami are different, but for hollows hunger defines what we are. When we starve we suffer unbelievable torment before we regress, losing our intellect, our memories, everything we are. A hollow starving another hollow to regression is simply not done. It is not even taboo, it is simply unthinkable." No hollow would do that to another. Even the cruelest would torture and kill and even half-starve, but force another into regression? Never. "When he told me that I thought… we could stop this. When Aizen is kami we could make sure those children have food to eat." Starrk looked at his hands for a moment, remembering how passionate he had felt about that.

"Is there anything else, Starrk-san?" Shunsui's tone was gentle and Starrk swallowed before nodding.

"Yes. After Gin, I spoke to Aizen. He… painted word pictures for me. He told me about the Seireitei, about things I could barely remember… canals and fountains and shops… about safe dens we could have. Places we could raise our children without worrying they would be devoured." Starrk heard his own voice shaking and was going to continue, but Shunsui interrupted.

"Wait, hollows can have children?" He sounded shocked. Starrk waved it away.

"Of course we can." Why did he seem so taken aback by that? "It does not matter… Aizen said we could, could have all these things. Arrancar are non-evolving, we don't need to feed… he said we could be more than just monsters haunting the endless wastes." Starrk could hear his voice shaking again but he needed to get this out. "And I… I wanted that. So much. And why should we be condemned to wander, lost and alone…? I knew the cost of what we were doing but I thought it was worth the price." He had to cover his face with a hand to hide the wetness in his eyes. Kami, how this hurt.

"I see. What do you think now, Starrk-san?" Shunsui asked and Starrk swallowed, rubbing his face as he tried to control himself. He did not want to cry in front of this man. In front of anyone.

"I think I was a fool." He said with soul deep regret. "I think Tosen was also a fool. Aizen's dreams were only for Aizen." He saw that now, so clearly. "I was used… the only one to see clearly was Gin." If only Gin had been willing to tell him more. But he'd been wise not to, with the dangerous nature of his plans. "I am sorry." He whispered before looking down at the table. Then a hand encircled his forearm and Starrk looked up into grey eyes. They were compassionate.

"It isn't your fault." Shunsui said and Starrk wanted to believe him, but couldn't. Who else would be to blame? "Aizen lied to you, just as he lied to everyone. He deceived the Gotei 13 for centuries. Please, do not judge yourself too harshly."

"…" Starrk bowed his head. "Yet, I still decided…" He whispered. He'd decided the sacrifice of Karakua town was justified, would lead to better things for the arrancar and shinigami. It had been… arrogant of him. "Taichou-san, can you do something for me?" He lifted his head as that hand left his arm. Shunsui said nothing, just looking at him inquiringly. "If – If it is permitted, can I finish this year as an English teacher in Karakura town?" Shunsui's expression was closed, Starrk could not tell what he was thinking. "I have set them a difficult assignment, no other teacher could mark it." That was certainly true, they wouldn't even know the author of the book. "I wish to fulfil my obligations." Starrk looked back down at the table. If they granted his request, he would have to face his punishment after the year was over. Would he be executed? Starrk wondered wearily if he should hope for that. Then perhaps he could see Lilynette again.

"We'll consider it, Starrk-san." Shunsui said politely but Starrk didn't have high hopes. Sighing to himself, he allowed the guards to escort him back out. Not that there was anything else he could do.

His life was in their hands.

Starrk rubbed his chest as he entered the classroom. His steps had a bit more life in them than they had for some time.

To his surprise, his request to complete the year in Karakura town had been granted. Now he was in a gigai, although different from the one Szayel had used. He could not exit it and his reiatsu was completely unusable. That was fine, though. He hadn't expected anything else.

"Sensei!" Turning he blinked at the two girls in front of him. They were twins and his students but not spiritually aware. "We're so sorry for your loss." One of them said, her eyes wide and brimming with compassion. Starrk swallowed as he remembered… a cover story had been needed, given how long he'd been recovering from his wounds. So they had combined truth with fiction and said his 'daughter' had died.

"We made you cookies." The other, more diffident of the twins offered him a small plate. Starrk blinked before smiling at them both, taking the plate.

"Thank you. I appreciate it, very much." He said sincerely. It was nice to feel that someone cared. Even if they had no idea of the truth of his loss… he didn't much care for sweets but Starrk thought he would have at least one, to remember his Lilynette.

All throughout the day, students came to him to express their sympathy. Although he caught a few glares from those who knew better. And when classes were finished, they too had something to say.

"You don't deserve the sympathy you are getting, arrancar." Ishida's tone was harsh and Starrk sighed, leaning against the wall. "Why are you here?"

"I am fulfilling my obligations." He said tiredly. Then he gave the Quincy a small smile. "If I were not here all your work would go to waste. After all, what other teacher is fluent in classical Greek?" From the taken aback expression on Uryu's face, he hadn't thought about that. "And I am certain you have been working most diligently. It would be tragic."

"Oh! And we don't know the name of the book! You're right, a new teacher would just scrap the assignment!" Orihime said, as if she'd suddenly had a revelation. "But… Starrk… sensei? Did your daughter really die?" She asked and Starrk winced.

"Of course not! Hollows can't have children." Ishida said and Starrk almost corrected him before thinking better of it. Glancing at Ichigo and Sado, he saw that one was scowling while the other was just looking at him. He could never tell what that boy was thinking.

"Lilynette was my fraccion, as dear to me as a daughter. She died in the conflict." He said, closing his eyes for a moment as he leaned against the wall. "I understand that this is awkward. But I am fulfilling my obligations to you. When this is done, I will take the punishment for my crimes in Soul Society." He still hadn't been informed what that would be, but Starrk assumed it was likely execution. They'd tried to kill Kuchiki for less, after all. And he was a hollow on top of it.

"They're not going to kill you, are they?" Kurosaki Ichigo sounded concerned and Starrk blinked at him, honestly surprised. Nor was he the only one… Ishida and Inoue were also giving their classmate strange looks.

"Most likely they will." He said it peacefully and saw the stricken look on the boy's face. "It is less than I deserve." He truly believed that. What he actually deserved was likely a stint with that monster of theirs… Kurotsuchi? Yes, that was his name. Starrk infinitely preferred a clean death but didn't think he'd earned it. Ichigo seemed very unhappy at the thought. "Why does this bother you?" He had to ask. Ichigo bit his lip for a moment before responding.

"I saw your face when Aizen said those things to you… you really believed in him, didn't you?" He said and Starrk flinched as the memory ran through his mind. He raised a hand, covering his forehead for a moment. Kami, how that hurt.

"Yes, I did." He admitted before taking a deep breath and dropping his hand. "But that excuses nothing. I will finish the school year and take my punishment. Please, do not worry about it." He didn't want them to spend any emotion on him. Starrk certainly didn't want them to try to save him. Although fortunately, Ichigo couldn't… his powers were rapidly decaying. And Starrk couldn't see the others putting together some insane rescue mission.

"We will see." That was Sado and Starrk wondered what the comment meant. But then the big teenager was reminding the others of the time and he never had a chance to ask. Putting his hands in his pockets, Starrk watched them go. Then he looked at the desk. He still had cookies. Smiling, he walked over and picked one up before taking a bite. Chocolate chip, Lilynette would have loved them. If only she was here… but he would do his best to go on without her.

Starrk would not let her sacrifice be in vain.

Starrk finished inputting the grades into the computer before stretching.

As he'd expected, Ishida Uryu was now top of the class. He'd written an excellent review of the book Starrk had assigned, particularly about the philosophical half. He'd had some interesting things to say about the medical portion, too, particularly about how little some things had changed. Much of the advice given was still applicable.

The other spiritually aware children in the class were all ranked highly, aside from Keigo. That boy seemed to treasure his low ranking, which baffled Starrk nearly as much as seeking extra work. But it hardly mattered. Leaning back in his chair, he glanced out the window. Surely someone would be coming for him soon –

"Starrk-san!" Ah, there he was. Starrk glanced at the door, seeing a rather familiar head of brown hair and the rather scruffy beard. Although the long sleeved shirt and jeans the man was wearing were actually a bit more reputable than his usual garb. It certainly stood out less. Oddly enough, Shunsui was smiling. "I was hoping to find you here."

"Where else would I be, Kyoraku-san?" Starrk asked rhetorically. Shunsui's smile seemed to warm.

"Well, personally, I would be out getting drunk." …Why? Shunsui chuckled at his evident bewilderment. "Ah, nevermind! But I have an offer for you, Starrk-san."

"An offer?" That made him pay attention. "What sort of offer?" This was peculiar. Starrk couldn't imagine what the authorities of Soul Society had in mind. Or was this something taichou-san had cooked up? But that made no sense at all. Shunsui glanced around before grabbing a chair and pulling it up to the desk, sitting across from him.

"We've been watching you teach, Starrk-san. You seem to be rather good at it." He said seriously and Starrk just stared at him, bewildered. Shunsui's smile became a bit rueful then. "Were you aware that most recruits from the Rukongai cannot read?" He asked and Starrk blinked at the thought. That hadn't occurred to him and he'd never asked Gin about the literacy levels. And didn't most plus souls forget, when they passed over? Did many of them forget how to read? "If you're willing to accept, Starrk-san, you will be given a new limiter and place at the Academy as an instructor." Shunsui said and Starrk felt cushioned with disbelief. A teacher? In the Seireitei? Him? "And you can make the world a better place, in this small way." That made his breath catch in his throat. He could teach those who didn't know how to read?

"I…" Starrk swallowed before managing to speak. "If that is what you wish, I would be honored to accept." He said, feeling something lighten in his chest. He loved to teach. It wasn't the changes he'd hoped for, but that had likely been impossible. Shunsui was right, this was something worthwhile that he could do. Shunsui suddenly smiled before reaching out to slap his shoulder, to Starrk's surprise.

"Excellent! Well, you should get packed. We'll arrange to make everyone thing you've gone back to that strange place you came from. What was it again? Macedonia?" Shunsui said cheerfully and Starrk found himself chivvied out by the shinigami taichou. He went willingly enough, wondering if this was all a strange dream and he would soon wake up. But saying goodbye to everyone was real enough, and the relief he saw when they were told of his 'sentence' was also very real. Soon Shunsui was taking him through the senkaimon and Starrk couldn't wait to truly see Soul Society for the first time.

Starrk had no idea what the future held in store for him but he was eager to find out.