Coyote Starrk was resting in the abandoned library when she came in. First he got annoyed.

Why? Because the library was his nap spot. No one came to the library for anything but to bother him because he was always here, napping. So when he faintly heard the door open, he nearly whimpered because he was on the cusp of entering dreamland and this was like jerking off but cumming in the last moment. He knew it was rather crude to compare the two but it worked.

He groaned a little as he rolled to the side, blinking his eyes open to see who came in and why. He had expected Lilynette because there was no other Arrancar that could get near him without feeling uncomfortable. And it wasn't like the Espada were friends with each other. He was civil with them, but he wasn't invited to any tea parties.

It was not his counterpart, Lilynette, in the library.

It was la Reina.

His eyes snapped open and he was wide awake. Why would la Reina be here? La Reina has never entered the library because she had her own up in her rooms. Why would she be here?

Agito didn't even bother to look at him, probably not even noticing his presence. She was plucking books left and right, bringing them all to the table in the middle of the room and flip through them quickly to only fetch some more books. She had such a hard look of concentration, it was breathtaking to see. Not many people saw la Reina and thought her to be a true, thinking woman. A woman of intelligence, and cunning. But he knew. A few others did too but never has he seen a look of pure brilliance at work.

When all of her books and scrolls were on the tables, she started flipping through them all, tracing through references, muttering to herself and planning what she needed to plan. He watched silently for a while because this was such a treat.

La Reina was always in her rooms unless she was called for by Aizen-sama. Even if she were in the Queen's Court, a public place Aizen had encouraged her to frequent so that Espada and Arrancars can 'enjoy her,' many avoid her entire wing like the plague. Her ire was not something one would ever want to face.

But now she was outside willingly in Starrk's presence.

Agito was still muttering, running a frustrated hand through her now short hair.

"What troubles you, mi Reina?" Starrk asked, unsure why he was revealing himself. Agito stilled and wasn't it interesting how there was a sharp drop of reiatsu in the area that betrayed her jolt of surprise.

"Do you really wish to concern yourself with me?" she asked, voice deep and steady.

"You think too hard," he said slowly standing out of his comfortable cushions before ambling over, scratching his scalp to get rid of the fog his mind settles into when he's tired. He glanced over at the spread before her and was understandably startled to see so many ancient texts spread out before her.

Her reference choices were very, very deliberate. There were many books of old Shinigami histories, prophecies, and mythologies. A few were more of human histories, prophecies, and mythologies. Even fewer books were those of Hollow mythologies. In the middle of the chaos was a blank sheet of paper with notes references books by title, chapter, and verse. It seemed all rather chaotic and rather insane.

"Why code your words?" he asked, "There is no need to hide here."

"The very walls breathe," she said, "All windows have their eyes. The ground we walk on is treacherous. I wouldn't even trust the air in suspicion they would betray my secrets."

"There are no spies here," he said. She finally looked up at him, acknowledging his presence beside her. She looked around the room before straightening up.

"The walls here are different..." she muttered, her brows drawing together in confusion. "They are ... ruined?" When she looked to him for answers, he felt a little flattered that she would immediately give him the credit of destroying Aizen's eyes and ears.

"Before this was a library, I soaked the room," he explained and she understood. Coyote Starrk had a huge amount of reiatsu, often pouring out of him with no conscious effort. To others it was suffocating. It would stand to reason that Coyote had simply released his power and fried the layer of security built within the walls. It was probably the only safe room within Las Noches from Aizen's all knowing power.

"A rare gift," she said, "And Aizen has allowed this?"

"Aizen-sama has other worries to concern himself over," he said and a half wicked grin curled at the edge of her mouth.

"You mean to say he has other traitorous beings within the castle worth watching," she said, "I'll be sure to avoid this library as much as possible after I leave."

"Must you?"

"Yes," she said confessing, "I am one of the other traitorous beings. In fact, the most outstanding."

"You're not loyal to him?" Starrk asked. This was news to him. Sure, Aizen and his Reina always had a tension around them, like two different but poisonous snakes intertwined and threatening to bite or kiss the other. He had dismissed this behavior believing it was just their relationship. But now her revelation was opening his eyes.

"Will you kill me if I told you no?" Coyote had to think about it. He was indebted to Aizen-sama, the one who broke his isolation and brought him to a place where he could be near others. Sure, he didn't like to play with the other Espada but this new nearness to others was a treat compared to the cold, echoing loneliness of the Hueco Mundo desert, no other hollow being able to stand in his presence at a mile radius.

Starrk was loyal to the crown because without it, he would have nothing. And Agito, Reina de las Noches, hated it. If he were more zealous with his loyalty to Aizen, he would have immediately went to kill her. But he was wise from his years of solitude, inner contemplation a rather cruel master, and he knew that he didn't know her story.

He couldn't fault hatred with no evidence.

"No," he said. She nodded her head. He asked, "Why not?"

"Why should I be?" she said, "Think of me, Starrk, whatever could I want that I don't already have? I have power, strength, and companionship. Whatever could I ever want that he could give me? How is it ever his to give?"

"Are you not lonely?" he asked. Agito's reiatsu was at his level, if not higher. There was no way of knowing but between the strong it was universally known that strength and power was a lonely burden to bare. It was a relief to meet someone who carried the same weigh on their shoulders.

"Yes," she admitted, "I still am."

"You have Ulquiorra, Gin, and Grimmjow," Starrk said, "How are you still lonely?"

"Ulquiorra worships me," she said, "It is the loneliest feeling I've ever felt. To be exalted but not seen. Gin loves the idea of me, like a precious toy. Grimmjow hates me now because I showed a side of me uglier than what he wanted to believe.

"I am surrounded by people beneath me. I just want someone to stand by my side."

And he understood. Even with Lilynette, he was lonely. She was his counterpart, a desperate measure to drive away the silence the original Vasto Lorde that they were was trapped in. The Espada that surrounded him wasn't beneath him as she would suggest, but they were incompatible. Aizen and his Shinigami's were closer but they distanced themselves. One out of a racist subconscious, another out of a god complex where he didn't play nice with 'peasants', and the other because they don't play nice at all.

With Agito, he thought she didn't want anyone else than what she already seemed to have. She had Ulquiorra's complete and utter devotion, Grimmjow's respect and spitfire, and she played just as hard as Gin in their game of pleasantries. But now that belief as changed with the truth.

"Would you take me?"

A rather raw expression came upon her face, one of a pleasant surprise and incredulity. It made all the hardness gained from years of command fall away. She gave a short laugh, a little outburst she quickly stifled with a hand over her mouth. Agito stared at him.

"What?" she couldn't help but ask, disbelieving of exactly what she was hearing.

"Would you allow me to stand by your side?" he asked, "I want to, you know. I've wanted to for a while. But you have never wanted me."

"You say that as if you love me," she said, her eyes turning into hard diamond, her guard rising so high no one could ever hope to take it down. Too many people have used love as a reason for abuse.

"I don't know you enough for something like that," Starrk said, "But a connection goes both ways. To be equals, we must both want the same thing." And they did. Agito wanted someone as an equal and Starrk wanted a friend he didn't have to look down or up to.

"Not sure if I can accept, Starrk," she said, soft and vulnerable, not hard edged and trying to break him. "I play war games with Aizen. I am Reina de Las Noches and do not believe the crown is a sign of respect, the title is nothing more than a noose around my neck. If he were to ask me, I can and will not only torture you, but I will brutalize your counterpart, Lilynette."

Before he could control himself, a sharp spike of his reiatsu pulsed in the room in warning. Agito gave a grim smile.

"Why?" he asked. Why would you follow orders so faithfully, traitor?

"You have your other half, I have mine. Mine just happens to be dangling at the edge of Aizen's whim," she said, revealing a weakness to him that has never been there before.

"Blackmail," Starrk said, finally understanding. Agito didn't feel loyal to the King of Hueco Mundo because she was here by blackmail. No loyalty could be forged from that. He thought deeper critically and said, "He wouldn't harm them. He needs you. To harm them would be to enact civil war."

"Civil war?" she questioned, "Do I really incite the loyalty of the Arrancars to bear arms against their first master?"

"You are Reina."

She scoffed, "An empty title, a mockery of what he has made me. Even with those who I know favor me, I know there's more who don't. It would be a fruitless rebellion."

Starrk couldn't help himself but growl and the sound startled Agito into paying very close attention. It was like his inner hollow was rising to the surface and for an Espada of Starrk's caliber to show that much teeth was something to take note of.

"Eres nuestra Reina," he growled, spanish dancing on his tongue like smooth bourbon, "Aizen gave you the crown but we chose to accept it. You are our Queen, Agito, we would not have anyone else."

"Why?" she asked, so very confused. She thought she was delusional, further verified from other sources that thoughts of the Espada and Arrancar special respect for her went beyond that of forced dominance.

Coyote was annoyed that Agito would dare take lightly the high esteem they all had for her. Segunda hasn't even questioned her right to hollow royalty. Tres was more than happy to finally have a female of authority in Aizen's sausage fest of power. Cuatro might not have shown a single emotion since the first announcement of Agito's promotion but the spike of his reiatsu after the meeting was telling and it might be Starrk's imagination but he looked to have a little skip in his step everytime he passed him by. Even Quinto, the bastard, didn't dare challenge the decision. Sure, he hated it with every fiber in his sexist body but he couldn't dare to press claim against her after she so thoroughly roasted his outer skin so many years ago.

Former-Sexta, was undeniably happy, keeping his emotions smoothed until Agito had come home giving orders for a genocide of thousands. Then did he start laughing with joy. He honored his new Reina with blood and sacrifice. Current-Sexta had no opinion of the proclaimed Reina. Given time, they would learn. Septimo, Octavo, and Noveno approved but showed nothing not having enough heart to really care. Decimo, the one and only Espada who dared questioned Aizen's decision was thoroughly punished by the new Reina with the approval and satisfaction of every hollow at the table.

With only being herself Agito had gained the approval of nearly every single Espada. They not only accepted her as Reina, but they often thought it was an unpreventable.

Destiny.

"Why?" he asked, "Because you're a hollow born in Soul Society. Because you have instincts, behaviors, and thoughts that reflect so much of us, we forget to care that you are a Shinigami. But now..." He took a sniff at her scent, her reiatsu swirling around being drawn in and out of her skin.

"Now you don't smell like a Shinigami," he said, "So we made you ours."

"Yours?" she asked. Agito was testing his words because specific words meant specific things and everyone tends to reveal what they truly want.

"Not mine," Starrk denied, "Ours. You are Reina. You have the world and the world has you. We claimed you as ours."

He told nothing but the truth and Agito could tell. Despite all of her past hangups about people believing to own her, she was ... rather touched that she was claimed by a whole and not by one.

She shouldn't even be thinking like this. Hueco Mundo was never meant to be anything more than a cold place with no sun, no hope, no love and yet here she was with warmth in her heart. Soul Society was supposed to be her home. But she didn't recognise it anymore.

Now she quite liked the cold. It was as dark as she.

"I think," she said after a moment of silent contemplation, "I need some help understanding hollow culture. Would you teach me?"

"If you would have me at your side," he said, unaware that in the different world, it would sound like he was asking to be King. But here and now, they knew what it really meant.

"I'm known for breaking the hearts of those I'm close too..." she warned but her body language was saying something different. She looked relaxed, relaxed in a way Starrk had never seen before. She was all loose limbs and soft curves, if she were handwriting, she would be a scrawl of loops with no end. Accepting.

He stepped closer to her and she let him. He raised a hand to her face and she let him. When he cupped her face in his palm, thumb caressing her sharp cheekbone, not only did she let him but she leaned into the touch, pressing a kiss to the hollow of his wrist.

He felt a spark igniting on his nerves and a warmth settling at his breastbone. He smiled.

"It's a good thing I don't have one," he teased and she laughed the most carefree laugh she could give.

"It's good to make a friend."

~~~

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