Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility.

I chose the former and have seen no reason to change.

-Frank.

Barragan Louisenbairn. The very embodiment of death itself howled in anger at his impending demise. He had so much left to do. A kingdom to rebuild, a world to conquer and a lust for revenge to appease. He'd been humiliated once already, he would not tolerate a second stain against his legacy.

"AIZEN!" The God-King of Hueco Mundo roared as he used the last of his strength to hurl his axe at the man who ruined everything, the man who took his kingdom, lead his men into a hopeless slaughter, and most importantly treated him. Barragan Louisenbairn! As a tool! To be thrown away once their purpose was complete.

The axe spun through the air towards the man set on usurping the Spirit-King. Aizen slowly turned, to smirk at the dying Vasto Lord, looking at the axe as if it was a speck of dust in the wind. Aizen's grin widened as the axe turned to ash before coming near him.

Barragan gave one last roar as his skull started to decay, cursing Aizen and his foolish quest for power before the second Espada finally died. Starkk was the only one who seemed to care for his passing as he watched the golden crown of his former comrade fall to the ground, disappearing from sight.

"Farewell Barragan... a word for the second Espada, Lord Aizen?" Starkk tipped his head in respect at the former king, sending a lazy glance at his current boss who only chuckled and turned back to the fight as if the man didn't exist in the first place.

Starkk lay on a snow-white floor, arms spread out as he gazed up at a similarly colored sky. He was dead. He could still feel a phantom pain from the Captain's final strike. Death wasn't a prospect he minded to terribly, but he couldn't help but think he'd have chosen oblivion to solitude.

"Even in death you are a layabout. How fitting, to disappoint in one life and carry those standards over to the next. Still, it is almost comforting to know that some things remain faithful even in death."

It was a hauntingly familiar voice. One he heard screaming in rage mere minutes before his own demise. Rolling his head to the side, Starkk had to blink at the image before him. It was Barragan, only one person could look that arrogant while scowling in annoyance but not. The mustache had been wiped away, along with many if not all of the man's wrinkles. He was still rather short, even from Starkk's prone position, but he didn't have the hunched shoulders of age and was looking rather thin. His hair was still bone white, so it must have been natural

"Death certainly did you a favor." Starkk drawled, still not ready to get up off the floor to further examine the de-aged Barragan, or anything for that matter.

Barragan simply snorted in disgust. "Hardly. As much as I abhor the form given to me by Aizen, I still carried the mark of respect. I showed my age, which was boast itself for great I was compared to the lesser insects. Now? I look as childish and insignificant as the pretender king Grimmjaw. Nor do you look any better."

Starkk blinked, raising his left hand to his face to look at the familiar '1' tattoo. His hand certainly seemed small. This observation lead to further questions, and with a groan he finally stood up.

It was true. While he had stood nearly a head taller than Barragan in life, the two were merely inches in difference now.

Blowing out a huff, Starkk could only sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "So, now what?" He and Barragan never spent much time together, usually existing in the meeting rooms or when either was bored they may have met for a chess game or two, they would hardly call each other friends, but companions was close enough for now. Still, Starkk would bow to Barragan's authority if not to save himself the trouble of making choices himself.

"We walk. There must be something in this damned wasteland, and if we have to take an eternity to find it, we shall." Barragan straightened up, his fur-lined coat looking far more regal and appropriate on a younger figure. Starkk could only shake his head, but fell in step behind the teen-aged Segunda. Not that he was much better. He may not have had the vast millennia behind him that the God-King had, but Starkk was no spring chicken, his age getting closer four digits with each passing as well.

So the pair walked. Time became meaningless to them as they took step after step, holding the thin line on the horizon in their gaze. There were no words passed between the two, neither needing to break the silence as they walked. They didn't talk about the meaning of their surroundings, or the fact that both of them, the two strongest Hollows to ever grace Hueco Mundo had both been felled within the same day.

Starkk took heart in the fact they hadn't ran into Harribel, which meant she was probably still alive. Barragan took heart in the fact they hadn't ran into Harribel as well, it meant someone with at least some sense would be running his kingdom, even if they had a moral compass that was skewed beyond belief.

"You know. I hardly though that it would take this long, but I suppose I should step in."

Neither Espada reacted with words to the sudden statement, instead each fired off a Cero in the direction of the voice. Whatever could sneak up on one of them, not to mention both of them was not to be messed with.

"Rather rude of you. I simply wished to thank you." The voice said, again from behind them. Starkk and Barragan both turned, one ready to parlay with the voice, and the other ready to wipe whoever was speaking from existence if need be.

"Good day." A figure bowed it's head to the pair. The figure seemed to shimmer in place, facial structure, body and other aspects of itself seeming to shift and change before them, as Barragan and Starkk stared.

Barragan got his bearings back first, the figure's appearance all he needed to figure out exactly what was going on. "Soul King. An honor I never asked for, nor wanted was finally meeting you. What do you want?" He demanded.

Starkk blinked at the name, any attempts to get a better look at the Soul King met with the same hazy effect as before.

"I came to give you a reward, among other things." That caught their interest, and before Barragan could ask what, a rift seemed to appear in the white void before them. "The knowledge of your comrades fates." Barragan snorted at that, as if he gave a damn. "And a choice to be given after. If you wish of course. I am perfectly willing to send you along to reincarnation, if that is what you so desire." The figure's gaze seemed to shift to Starkk for this part.

The offer was tempting, to erase his lonesome past and start over with the ultimate blank slate, but he also wanted to hear the offer first. "Would I still be able to choose reincarnation after presented with the choice?"

"But of course."

"Then I would like to know their fates."

"Hpmh." Barragan sighed. "Let us get this show over with so I can know what options I would be presented with. And do remember, if not to my liking, I may decide to see which one of us is the superior deity."

"Only you Barragan, only you.." Starkk mumbled as the two stood to watch the remains of the battle, the Soul King seeming to laugh off the threat.

Both watched Aizen's betrayal, and Harribel getting cut down with mixed emotions. One's suspicions being confirmed and the other's trust being broken. Starkk let out a sigh of relief as the Tres was healed by the human girl. Nothing could have prepared him for Barragan's reaction to Aizen's capture and imprisonment.

"At the hands of a human!" The very air seemed to quake at Barragan's unrestrained spiritual pressure, surpassed only by the man's laughter. "AIZEN, YOU HILARIOUS FOOL! I TOLD YOU! I WARNED YOU! I WOULD GET MY REVENGE! NOT EVEN BY MY OWN HAND ARE YOU STRUCK DOWN, BUT BY THAT OF SOME FILTHY HALF-BREED! I TOLD YOU! I AM THE ONLY ABSOLUTE! I STILL YET LIVE, BUT YOU SHALL NOW FEEL THE PAIN AND SUFFERANCE OF A LIFE OF ILLUSIONS AND RESTRAINT! I TOLD YOU I WOULD HAVE MY REVENGE! HOW COMICAL! HOW AMAZINGLY COMICAL!"

Starkk and the Soul King could only stand by and watch as Barragan cackled to himself, driven by a madness Starkk would never wish upon even his greatest enemies, until finally, with a throat wheezing from over exertion, the dark-skinned teen stopped, coughing quietly as he leaned forward to catch his breath.

"Soul King. For that alone, if we are to fight. I shall make your death a respectable one." Barragan said, straightening himself out after his outburst. His scowl was gone, replaced with an almost bored smirk. The closest Starkk had ever seen the man to looking happy.

"Why thank you. Though I am more curious if you wish to hear my proposition."

Barragan waved a hand for the figure to continue as Starkk nodded, still trying to sort out his feelings for Aizen's capture, deciding that the bastard deserved it, if he planned on killing them for not living up to his expectations.

"Barragan Lousenbairn, King of Hueco Mundo. And Coyote Starkk, the Primera Espada. I offer you the gift of life renewed. A life for conquest. A life to find companions. In a place to do with as you see fit. Or, you may rejoin the cycle. To be wiped clean and have fate decide your place."

"To live or to die you mean. Hpmh, a stupid a choice as any. The first, Soul King. Aizen could not break me, the blasted shinigami couldn't kill me and neither shall you. Let me see what this 'life renewed' has to offer as my latest kingdom. Hueco Mundo was growing tedious, and maybe Harribel could learn a thing or two from leading an actual kingdom, instead of a roaming group of cowards."

The Soul King nodded before turning to Starkk with it's ever shifting eyes.

With a sigh, Starkk relented, meeting Barragan's eye for a moment. Words unsaid passed between them, of grudging respect on both parts before Starkk finally spoke. "As tempting as it is, it seems almost cruel to leave Barragan to an unsuspecting world. If he would have me. I shall join him."

"Finally willing to learn how to be a proper Hollow? I suppose an old dog can learn a new trick." Barragan chuckled quietly.

"They say it is warning sign talk about oneself in such a reprimanding tone. The mind is the first to go." Starkk responded as the Soul King gave one final nod.

"A warning to both of you." It said, cutting off the banter between the two former Espada. "You have both noticed the change in your appearance? There is a reason for this."

"Beyond being an insult?"

"Apologies if it offends, I simply thought it would be easier for you to fit in if you appeared the same age. School's generally only allow students of a certain age after all."

Starkk brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head, the Soul King's plan starting to become clearer with each second. Unfortunately, any questions he could have had were dismissed as Barragan spoke up again.

"Irrelevant, let us get on with this. I have a world to conquer."

"As you wish. And to both of you, good luck." The Soul King bowed, and before Starkk could protest, his vision went dark.

An: So, I'm re-writing the story. One because I was always kinda bummed at myself for a) cutting this thing short, b) messing up Barragan's character with the latest chapter. So let's pretend that didn't happen. Instead we are doing this. I'm putting Starkk in with Barragan because it really won't effect the balance. Barragan could already one-shot anything in the Rosario verse, so a second one doesn't matter. And I kinda wanted to explore the relationship between those two. Other changes include the re-addition of Tsukune, hopefully to act as a foil for the pair.

Anyways, this and Demons of the Mist will probably be the only stories I work on consistently, with this story going up when I can't seem to get Demon's working and vice versa. So, as usual, comments, concerns and the like will be welcome.