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Prize of Victory	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 87205 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this snippet

Chapter List
- 99
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Note: two chapters have been uploaded, you may need to skip back one.

Endangered Species

Szayel continued to stare at the monitor, moving the probe about in all directions to get the best possible image he could of the cocoons. The sensor wouldn�t let him penetrate the outer coverings to see what his young looked like on the inside and he was weighing the pros and cons of trying a more intrusive method to see them as his frustration grew.

�Pros and cons aside, I�m limited by that stupid Ethics Code,� he sneered the words to himself. �Karin-sama is forcing me to adhere to it. The damned thing makes any intrusive studies impossible. All that�s left is speculation. Or worse, fantasizing,� he finished the thought with a pout.

�How do they look, Szayel-sama?� Nemu asked anxiously.

�They look like a shell, albeit a strong one. I cannot see inside as of yet,� he answered truthfully and with more than a little regret.

�I see,� she frowned. �That�s disappointing. I was hoping to see them as well.�

Szayel sighed and gently removed the probe from her stomach. He had been anticipating a much more informative session, but whatever shields his young had created around themselves had proven an effective and admirable defence. He could hardly wait for them to be born. Unfortunately, without the ability to see past the barriers they�d spun around themselves, he couldn�t even establish a delivery date.

�Szayel-sama, if we are done here I wish to return to Renji-san�s side so that I may assist him in processing the memories and data of the last ten years.�

He scowled at that, his mood darkening a little as he thought about the red-headed Shinigami he was forced to continue pretending belonged to him. Being forced to keep anyone beneath his roof with the potential to harm him rubbed him the wrong way.

Granted, perhaps Nel had done him a favour as Renji wasn�t exactly his �type� either and the old frustration at being thwarted by Nemu�s �father� in that regard resurfaced briefly. If he was honest with himself, after everything Aizen had put him through, the thought of having any form of sex with a male made him sick to his stomach. Even the option to be the one on �top� left him a little queasy, all thanks to that little escapade he had been forced to go through with Gin. And despite Renji�s abrasive attitude towards him, he was very protective of Nemu and so far showed nothing but excited interest in the prospect of Nemu�s children. Apparently those from Rukongai took family very serious and blood wasn�t even a considering factor.

�Do you wish me to remain here, Szayel-sama?� Nemu inquired when he didn�t immediately answer, breaking him out of his thoughts.

�No, you might as well return to the idiot,� Szayel waved her away and helped her off of the table. She adjusted her clothing and bowed to him.

�As you wish,� she said as she left him alone in the monitor room.

Szayel watched her leave before sighing and turning his attention to the equipment, cleaning it up and returning it to its rightful place.

The problem that Renji posed had only been half-solved, as far as Szayel was concerned. Karin had decided that Renji needed to act as if he were still brain dead and for some reason, Renji had agreed with her. That made him suspicious. He hadn�t been able to see what had transpired inside that admittedly artful Kido creation, though Karin assured him that she could �see� the Claim shining brightly. He hadn�t been able to hear anything either, but his attention had been focused on monitoring the shield around the room. Now the only thing he needed to worry about was whether Renji could imitate something as mindless as a table or a test tube, at least until Karin deemed it safe for him to �return to normal� in public.

Szayel, a little unkindly, didn�t think Renji would have too hard a time of that. Thankfully, Nemu had suggested outfitting Renji with one of the suppression bracelets, so his reiatsu wouldn�t give him away. Now if the dolt could just keep from scowling every time he turned around.

�Once a half-wit,� he groused inwardly, �always a half-wit.�

It didn�t help that the redhead took any chance he could to toss a nasty remark his way in private. Such a lack of gratitude genuinely angered Szayel. Here he�d given Orihime permission to heal the jackass in the hope that he might earn his keep for a change and this was the thanks he received. Things would have been far, far different if he�d only managed to reach Ishida in time, before Kurotsuchi had killed the young man to spite him. He hadn�t known the extent to which the former 12th Division�s Taichou had been monitoring the boy. Szayel might have been more careful, had he been privy to that little bit of knowledge and it was at times like this that he deeply regretted his mistake.

He could have had two intelligent assistants that were far more to his liking in form, temperament and outlook, instead of just Nemu. He could have dumped Renji off on Yammy and been spared the fight to Claim and keep the idiot from doing something stupid on a daily basis, like trying to take on Aizen-Kami barehanded. He had half-a-mind to march Renji over to the former Kuchiki Estate to let him see the fate he�d avoided when Szayel had decided to at least see to what Uryuu-chan might have wanted with regards to his companion, but didn�t dare at present.

�This is what I get for being charitable,� he thought irritably.

He supposed he ought to be thankful for the fact that Renji seemed to accept Nemu�s friendship without holding their relationship against her. If nothing else, it would make him an effective bodyguard for her, and by extension, their young, Claim or no Claim. What truly had him worried was whether or not the former Third would suddenly decide that he was fair game. He hadn�t really known Nel very well and in hindsight, helping Nnoitra rid himself of a rival in order to move up in standing seemed to have backfired on him, badly. Oh, he�d gained quite a lot in the short-term, but sometimes Szayel wondered, staring at the now-empty monitor, if perhaps he�d failed in predicting some of the long-term consequences of his actions. Actions such as leaving Nel alive, for example; they reeked of unfinished business coming back to bite him.

It was, therefore, a little ironic that someone with the power to destroy him over unfinished business chose that moment to intrude upon him.

�Ah, busy at work I see. That is good to see. How is my Defence Net coming along? It should be ready soon despite the latest set of disturbances and setbacks, yes? I did extend the deadline after all at your request.�

Szayel felt his entire body stiffen in terror as Aizen�s voice cut through his musings, his voice flowing over the Espada like ice water. The Defence Net! He had completely forgotten about the project with everything that had been going on with Nemu�s pregnancy and Renji�s returned soul, even after having the deadline extended.

He swallowed dryly and turned to face Aizen, already knowing that Aizen was well aware that he hadn�t even looked at the grid in days, despite the very painful, very public reminder Karin had been forced to give him. He swore he felt the scars in his back sting as he faced what appeared to be a completely benign Aizen. He was not fooled in the least. From his expression and his stance, Aizen clearly expected him to have a good reason for the delays. Fortunately, he was alone in the lab at the moment. He didn�t want Nemu anywhere near here if he could help it. The last thing he wanted was to involve the mother of his children in any punishment that Aizen might choose to dish out.

�Aizen-Kami!� Szayel prostrated himself before him, nearly scraping his forehead on the floor in doing so. �Forgive me, but personal business distracted me from my assigned duties.� A thousand lies and excuses had ran through his mind, but he was not so foolish as to even attempt to be untruthful to Kami. Aizen had a tenancy to see through such follies and he most certainly did not want to compound any forthcoming punishment.

Aizen�s pleasant smile thinned into a frown as he pressed his lips together in displeasure and his eyes narrowed. His reiatsu rose just enough to bear down on the grovelling Arrancar before him and Szayel barely kept from flinching.

�You, above all others, should know how I feel about chaos in my Empire, Szayel,� Aizen stated coldly. �Neither Grimmjow nor Ulquiorra permitted their offspring to distract them from their duties, and given Grimmjow�s well known distaste for my command that is saying something. Must I terminate one or both your own to keep you on track?�

His blood ran cold at the thought of losing his young before they even had a chance to be born.

�N...No�please, Aizen-Kami,� he stammered. �I am sorry Aizen-Kami! However, Nemu�s pregnancy is far different from Karin-sama�s or Orihime�s. It isn�t progressing in the same manner.�

A moment of oppressive silence passed, in which Szayel swore he could hear his non-existent heart thudding in his chest.

�How different?� Aizen asked. The hint of curiosity in his voice failed to soften the menace it contained.

�I am not a mammal-based Arrancar like Grimmjow or Ulquiorra, so my offspring are forming differently than Ajuga-chan and Diaemus-kun. Mine seem to be encased in some sort of chrysalis inside of her uterus, the hard shells of which prevent me from seeing what lies within. I�ve tried every sensor in the laboratory in an attempt to discover how they�re developing, in order to determine a delivery date and to see if any complications could occur as a result of their masks. In addition, unlike Ajuga-chan and Diaemus-kun, my children�s mother isn�t a human. As this is the first successful Shinigami-Arrancar conception, I�ve been trying to gather enough data to��

The man before him raised his hand to cut off his explanation and Szayel bit down on his tongue before he could say anything else. Quiet settled over the room once more as Aizen digested his words.

�Intriguing. Summon your pets. I wish to see what you�re describing for myself,� he commanded.

Szayel nearly fainted from fear and kept himself from sinking belly-first along the tiled floor through sheer willpower. Would Nel�s Claim-induced orders keep that numbskull Renji from opening his mouth in front of Aizen? He reminded himself that, unlike Karin, Aizen couldn�t sense the presence of a Claim, nor determine who had cast it. He hoped that if Renji�s acting skills weren�t up to snuff and Aizen did notice the redhead had regained his wits, Szayel could come up with a hurried excuse for his �pet�s� sudden cognizance and ill-temper without stuttering.

�Of course, Aizen-Kami.� He forced himself up off of the ground and bowed deeply. Turning quickly to one of the consoles, he flipped a few switches and brought up the lab�s P.A. system. Speaking into the microphone, he said:

�Nemu, Aizen-Kami wished to study your pregnancy�s progress. Bring the deadbeat and come up here at once.�

�Hai, Szayel-sama,� Nemu�s voice responded, sounding as dutiful as ever.

Szayel tried to stand still and confident, but he was too nervous and found himself wringing his hands behind his back. Hopefully Aizen would chalk his nervousness up to the fear of punishment for failing in keeping up with the grid and not because he was hiding a ridiculous number of secrets from his superior.

Nemu and Renji both arrived a few minutes later and he eyed the redhead warily. So far Renji, sans Zanpakuto, was doing an excellent impression of his former self, keeping his eyes on the ground. Once he�d entered the room, Nemu pointed him in a direction and he shuffled over to a corner where he remained standing in an apparent imitation of a filing cabinet.

Szayel was familiar enough with the pre-experimentation Renji�s personality to know the Shinigami kept his eyes down to hide the blazing anger he felt for Aizen and moved stiffly to keep himself from doing something rash and stupid, like trying to strangle Kami in the middle of the lab. Thankfully, he was also wearing the silver bracelet around his wrist, which kept his reiatsu damped down to a constant level. Otherwise, no matter what his expression, Aizen would have at least detected the wild fluctuations of reiatsu radiating from his �pet� along with his emotions.

Nemu showed no signs of discomfort, disobedience, or shame as she stripped and climbed back onto the examination table. With trembling hands Szayel once more moved the ultrasound over, pulling up the image of the two chrysalises inside of her.

Aizen watched the screen with apparent interest before letting off a slight �hmm�.

�Enough, I see what you mean. It is intriguing, but hardly what I would call worrisome enough to neglect your duties. You have a dozen assistants that could easily handle a task such as this. I am not��

�Szay, Szay, Szay, look what I found, look what I found!!!�

Not even noticing she had interrupted Aizen, Ajuga bolted into the room with a wide smile of pleasure and triumph on her face as she ran up to the stunned Arrancar. Szayel�s horrified gaze quickly turned back to Aizen in fear that Kami would not react kindly to Ajuga�s rather rude interruption.

�See, I found one!! You said to show you at once if I found one and I did!� Ajuga chirped happily as she practically vibrate in place.

�Hey, I spotted it first!� Hana added as the young girl came into the room a moment later. �You just managed to capture it because you�re faster,� the girl complained, then stopped as she realized that Szayel wasn�t the only person in the room. �Oh, good afternoon, Aizen-Kami.� Hana said and bowed politely to him the moment she saw him. �Good afternoon, Nemu-chan!� she added

Ajuga finally seemed to notice Aizen as well and mumbled her own �good afternoon Aizen-Kami� before completely ignoring him once more to show Szayel her prize.

Slowly, Ajuga opened her hands to reveal what appeared to be a simple, greyish brown mouse with spiky fur. Despite her excited and whirlwind-like entrance, the creature appeared to be completely unharmed, which given her interest in hunting and consuming her kills was rather impressive. The mouse, for its part, looked a little glassy-eyed, as if it had gone beyond fear of being eaten and was simply waiting for the killing blow to land. Szayel, given his current situation, could sympathize with it.

Szayel blinked in surprise as Ajuga proudly handed it over. He was in far too much emotional turmoil to do anything more than obediently take the trembling creature from Ajuga.

�It doesn�t smell like the other mice I hunt, so it has to be one right? Because Hana-chan says it is and she remembers these things better than I do,� Ajuga continued excited.

�Ajuga-chan, it is rude to interrupt adults when they are conversing,� Aizen finally spoke up.

�But this is important! It is one, right Szay?� Ajuga pressed him, apparently not wanting her discovery to be diminished in importance in any way.

�I�. yes it is,� the scientist noted, studding the innocent-looking creature in his hands. The part of himself that wasn�t immediately concerned with Aizen punishing the lot of them right here and now was honestly shocked that the girls had found such a critically endangered species in the CITY of all places.

He had no idea that giving them a book full of endangered species and then sending them off to �go find them� so they would get out from under his feet would actually yield a success.

Ajuga puffed out with pride for a moment before she finally seemed to notice the darker mood in the room. Szayel should have been far more excited about their discovery, but he seemed very worried and very distracted.

�Szay, what�s wrong?� Ajuga asked curiously as she took her discovery back from him.

�I am sorry Ajuga-chan, but now is not a good time, and Aizen-Kami is right, it is rude to interrupt others when they are speaking.�

�Oh,� she looked crestfallen and looked at Aizen for a minute before looking back to him. �Are you in trouble?� she suddenly asked worriedly.

�I�� he really didn�t want the children to worry about him but Karin had made certain he couldn�t lie to her family.

�Yes, Szayel is in trouble,� Aizen spoke up, saving him from trying to find a linguistic �out� for himself.

�Oh,� Ajuga looked really crestfallen and upset now.

�Maybe we should go, Ajuga-chan,� Hana suggested warily. The older girl had a much better �read� on things than Ajuga and reached out to tug on the younger girl�s elbow.

�What did he do?� Ajuga asked Aizen directly, shocking Szayel with both her audacity as well as what seemed to be a complete lack of regard for her own safety.

�He lied to me,� Aizen explained simply.

�Oh�.. Does this mean I should go get Mama so she can punish him again?�

�What do you know of such things?� Aizen asked coolly.

Ajuga didn�t seem to notice his change of tone although Hana was slowly adopting a panicked look on her face that matched the feeling in his gut. It would appear that, unlike Ajuga, her Shinigami bred friend was far more in tuned to the danger Aizen represented.

�Oh, well the last time Szay lied to Mama she gave him a spanking, just like what I get when I do bad things,� Ajuga replied helpfully, still completely oblivious to the situation.

Szayel felt his entire face turn red, mortified, as Ajuga announced his shame to the entire room, and he swore he heard Renji give off a nearly-inaudible snort in the corner. Surprisingly, the mood in the room suddenly lightened a little as Aizen raised one of his eyebrows at the child�s suggestion and the corner of his mouth turned up as well.

�Oh?� Aizen asked in clearly amused at the idea. �Is that so?�

�Uh huh. No one can lie to Mama without her knowing,� Ajuga declared.

�Indeed. Very well, Ajuga-chan, I�d like you and Hana-chan to fetch your mother for me. After all, it is bad to lie and lying should be punished, right?� Aizen said with an amused gleam in his eye.

�Yep,� Ajuga agreed.

She handed Szayel the extremely rare Muennink Spiny Rat that she had miraculously managed to capture before she and Hana hustled from the room, presumably to find Karin. Szayel stood there stunned, hardly even noticing the creature in his hand as it relaxed, finally out of sight of the feline predator that had so-recently held it.

Was this a better fate than what Aizen had originally planned? It was hard to tell but he supposed receiving a spanking was far better than being violently raped again or Aizen torturing Nemu and making him watch, or worst of all, having his children�s lives extinguished. His mind latched onto that last thought and he knew his first act had to be removing them from any potential danger. Thankfully, Ajuga had handed him the perfect excuse.

�Nemu, catalogue and store this creature in an appropriate lab habitat. Make sure it�s given the appropriate food and water. Take �useless� over there with you,� he ordered. The last thing he needed was for Renji to witness this humiliation. He didn�t trust that the idiot wouldn�t double over laughing during the proceedings.

�Of course, Szayel-sama,� Nemu got off the table, re-dressed and bowed to both Szayel and Aizen.

She carefully took the rare creature from him and exited the room, Renji silently shuffling after her in the same, listless manner. Aizen hadn�t paid any attention to the deadbeat, and Szayel counted himself lucky in that regard.

This left him alone in uncomfortable silence with Aizen, a silence that he was honestly too nervous to break. They didn�t have to wait long for Karin to arrive, an irritated frown on her face and sans the kids, for which he was grateful.

�Ah Karin-chan,� Aizen smiled at her.

�Aizen-Kami,� she returned the greeting. �In what way has Szayel angered you this time? Ajuga mentioned something about lying?� she asked apprehensively, then gave Szayel a �what excuse did you give him now?� look.

�Indeed. He did promise the Defence Grid would be up by this time, and yet he has clearly been neglecting his duties.�

Karin listened and then made a �hmmm� sound, as if pondering Aizen�s accusation.

�As I recall this is a joint venture with all the Divisions. I know my own has been having issues with positioning the poles according to the specific GPS co-ordinates due to the lay of the land. Some of the intended positions have required drilling through rock to get them aligned properly and Toshiro informed me his Division is having problems with the swampy terrain in their sector. They�ve had to pour concrete and wait for the stuff to dry to keep the poles from falling over in the muck. They�ve also had to clear trees and vegetation from several of the locations to keep the sightline between poles clear. Is your division not having similar issues?� she questioned curiously.

Aizen actually stared at her in mild astonishment and Szayel was equally surprised that she was so well-appraised of the problematic issues surrounding the grid. Setting something like this up in Hueco Mundo would have been easy, as they only thing he�d ever had to contend with was rock and sand, both easily dealt with. The variation of terrain in the Seireitei, however, was something he hadn�t really planned on when he�d come up with the plans for the defence net.

�I suppose that Szayel should have done a better job surveying the grid line and made adjustments with regard to the potential for complications as far as his intended completion date. Maybe a spanking would be a fitting punishment for such a slip-up,� she mused aloud, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling as if considering the merits of turning Szayel�s hindquarters red. �After all, I am sure you know just how reliable the information coming from your subordinates can be at times, especially from those who have no real experience with surveying work, as opposed to, say, performing konso.�

�Indeed,� Aizen agreed with a hint of reluctance in his voice.

His expression had gone from coldly appraising to one that indicated Karin was clearly entertaining him. Szayel prayed that she could continue to do so without shedding any of his blood in the process.

Karin turned her attention back to him and he felt his mouth go dry when he realized that yes, he was going to have to lay half-naked over her lap while she swatted his rear in front of Aizen! Calming himself, he told himself that it could be worse, much, much worse. At least it wasn�t a public display as his whipping had been. But, he protested inwardly, being whipped was �manly,� while being spanked by a human girl was the very definition of humiliation!

�Szayel, get your mistress a comfortable stool and a cane of some sort. I wouldn�t want her to hurt her hand on your Hierro,� Aizen ordered with a smile.

He shivered as he did as ordered, setting the stool down and offering her one of the wooden pointer sticks he used during presentations. She snapped it in half over her shin to make it easier to wield before sitting down.

Szayel bit his lip and gave a pleading stare towards Aizen, but he was offered nothing more than a raised eyebrow that simply said �well?� With shaking hands he untied the belt to his hakama. The garment pooled at his feet. His underclothes followed a moment later. The Espada hesitated once more before laying himself out across her lap and closed his eyes in a vain attempt to mitigate his embarrassment.

�How many did he earn?� Karin asked. Szayel thought she sounded a little too bored, less emotional than usual, which told him she was trying to remain nonchalant about what she was about to do.

�Two for each failed pole,� Aizen answered firmly.

He stiffened in shock. There were several thousand poles in the line. It surrounded the city after all, and there were at least a few hundred left to be set by the various Divisions. He felt Karin stiffened as well at the implication.

�Szayel, exactly how many poles are there to still go up?� the young woman asked apprehensively.

�Two hundred and forty one,� he answered, trying to keep his voice steady even as he felt horrified at receiving nearly 500 smacks.

�I don�t think my wrist is strong enough to deliver that many,� Karin indicated, her voice sounding almost regretful, as if she was sorry her joint might not be up to the job.

�I can always take over if you feel you cannot do it,� Aizen offered.

Karin�s posture didn�t exactly relax, if anything it stiffened in shared horror at the thought of Aizen being the one to bring his godly strength down upon his rear, but then he felt the tip of the pointer tap his shoulder lightly a few times, as if she was contemplating something.

�There�s no need to stoop so low, Aizen-Kami. You shouldn�t have to dirty your hands. The pillars that are left, those are the ones that need to be placed in the most troublesome spots, am I right?�

Szayel realized where she was going with this and silently prayed she�d be successful.

�Y�Yes, that�s right.�

�Aizen-Kami, since we can�t really determine which poles might be a problem until they�re all in the ground and Szayel can perform a test of the grid, would a strike for every one that hasn�t been completed yet be an acceptable substitute?�

�I will keep count for you,� Aizen smirked at them. �If I feel you aren�t putting your strength into it, I won�t count the strike. You may begin,� Aizen commanded, with a casual wave of his hand.

He couldn�t help the surprised yelp that was torn from his throat as the wooden stick, infused with Karin�s reiatsu, landed heavily on his rear. She was apparently taking Aizen�s threat to heart.

He lost count quickly as the pain started to cloud his mind and his back started to ache from lying over her lap. Aizen let Karin pause ever fifty strikes to rest and massage her hand, which also allowed time for the really painful stinging to die down again so he could fully appreciate the next fifty blows.

By the time all of the smacks had been delivered, the skin and flesh of his lower back and rear were in agony. No doubt his skin was turning interesting shades of black and blue and he couldn�t help but wonder, once again, why everyone seemed to have an unholy obsession with his ass? At least, he thought, his skin was intact this time.

�If the defence grid isn�t up soon, you will both receive a punishment that will make this look like one of your daughter�s games,� Aizen informed Karin, ignoring Szayel�s still prostrate form.

He felt Karin tense under him.

�Why am I included in this?� she demanded sharply.

�For failing to keep your pet in line, of course,� Aizen smirked at her before turning on his heel and leaving. Neither of them moved until long after the door had closed behind him.

He could feel Karin trembling but he had a feeling it was more in rage than in fear.

�Fucker,� she muttered before tossing the now splintered wooden shaft aside. �Szayel, can you get off of my lap now? My legs are numb and your back has got to be killing you,� she said, sounding both concerned and apologetic.

�Give me a minute,� he responded through gritted teeth.

Slowly, he managed to drag himself and his battered hind end off of Karin and collapse onto the floor at her feet, lying on his side to spare his abused rear. He heard the door open and a moment later Nemu was by his side. He could feel how upset and worried she was for him, her distress practically radiating off of her in waves. He might have found it sweet that she cared that much if he wasn�t in such pain.

�Wow, he really did get her to spank you!� Renji laughed, and almost instantly regretted it.

�Now is not the time, you ass!� Karin turned and snapped at him, taking Renji by surprise. �Nemu, how fast can we get that fucking grid of his up and running?� she demanded with a snarl. Nemu looked over her shoulder as she helped Szayel into his clothing, not an easy task when the latter was still in a prone position.

�A week if there are no further delays,� Nemu answered honestly ��or if we aren�t interrupted by another attack.�

�Alright, get to work on that ASAP. Aizen�s patience as far as this project goes has run out. Next time he won�t limit his punishment to Szayel, nor will it just involve a spanking. I shudder to think what would have happened had it not been for Ajuga-chan and Hana-chan�s interference.�

She was right, of course, and Szayel tried to force himself up only to have Karin place her hand on his shoulder and hold him down.

�Don�t move just yet,� Karin ordered him sternly, then snapped her fingers and glared at the redhead. �Renji, listen carefully. Nemu needs to go out into the field and get this grid back on track. You need to go with her, since in her current shape she is weakened and anyone else shadowing her would be suspicious.�

The look on her face made Renji swallow anything he might have said to refute her and he simply nodded instead. Either that or Nel�s Claim-induced order to obey Karin in all things had suddenly kicked in. Szayel didn�t care at this point which of Renji�s �controls� were in play, only that the dolt was listening to Karin.

�I�m going to make this incredibly simple for you to understand. I don�t care what kind of bullshit went on between you and Szayel. It�s in the past now and I can assure you any sins he may have committed against you he has paid for tenfold. You can thank Aizen for that.

�As far as everyone is concerned, Szayel still has you Claimed. This means you must follow his orders without complaint or hesitation. No more pouting, no more bitching, no more muscle-flexing, got it? Last time I checked, you�d passed your second birthday, so stop acting like a child. Am I clear?� Karin demanded sharply, almost snarling at the taller Shinigami.

�Yeah, I got it, I don�t like it but I got it,� Renji growled in annoyance, but at least he looked somewhat abashed and embarrassed that he had, indeed, been acting like a spoiled child. Karin had used her �displeased mother tone� that would often leave even her mate scrambling to do her bidding.

�Good. Get to work. The sooner the better. I don�t want Aizen to have another reason to go after Szayel, myself or Kami-help-me,� she lowered her voice to a very angry-sounding whisper ��have him decide to go after the children to make his point.�

Nemu paled at that and Renji�s eyes grew a little wider as Karin voiced Szayel�s worst fears out loud. His pet turned to him, and for once her normally placid face had an expression of horror on it. He bit his lip, then looked down, nodding his head, silently confirming the threat Aizen had made earlier.

Renji seemed stunned and Szayel spared him an irritated glare before taking Nemu�s hand in his own. Was it so incomprehensible to the moron that Aizen would use any means necessary to get what he wanted, no matter how petty that desire might be? Tearing his golden eyes away from the redhead, he refocused on Nemu and he gave another soft nod of his head to indicate she should do as Karin ordered. Nemu gave his hand a squeeze, got to her feet and with a small bow to Karin, left with a disgruntled-yet-stunned Renji trailing after her.

�One of these days, you have got to stop getting into trouble. I swear, you are more work than Ajuga-chan,� Karin sighed at him, rubbing her forehead.

�I can�t help it if everyone is jealous of my perfection,� he responded, a little weaker than he would have liked.

�Right, perfection,� Karin rolled her eyes at him and swatted his now-covered rear lightly, getting a sharp yelp of pain from him.

Not much left to go. Thank you to the few who took the time to review. I am off and running again. My son doesn�t leave me much free time I am afraid.
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Prize of Victory