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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

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Household Changes: Rangiku and Nnoitra

Rangiku hummed with pleasure as she walked, almost a skip, down the street with Tatsuki by her side and Tesra trailing after them. Ah Tesra�what a good boy he�d turned out to be. She had been surprised, and very pleased, to see him finally find a good woman. Knowing that he was doing his best to be a good mate to the one who had chosen him only increased her opinion of him. Rangiku couldn�t help but to sigh happily as she recalled all the conversations she�d forced him to join, although she took guilty pleasure in watching him blush mortified as she explained all the ways he could �please� his new mate/wife.

She had tried to convince the two to have a wedding, and while she probably could have strong-armed Tesra into it, Tatsuki was not that interested in going to all of the trouble of one, no matter how much Rangiku and Orihime whined and begged. In addition, neither one could convince the two to stop using protection and start planning a family.

Ah, children� that was why there were out and about today, after all. She was finally going to get to see Orihime�s baby boy, and from what she had heard he was the definition of �adorable.� Apparently he was already flying and giving his mother heart attacks. It would be nice to see how Jushiro was doing as well. She�d gotten wind of Aizen�s attack on the kind-hearted Taichou and if she�d had any space left in her heart to feel even more hatred for the former Taichou, she would have let herself add that much more to the growing pile stashed there.

She also missed the girls� old weekend training get-togethers. With Karin now running a Division and Orihime caring for her baby and helping out at the 4th, neither woman had any time to themselves, let alone time for training.

�At least Tatsuki-chan still comes by,� she thought gratefully.

Yes, Tesra Claiming Tatsuki was by far the best thing to have ever happened in the last few years, for both the loyal fraccion and the constantly imprisoned former Shinigami. True, she now had Nnoitra�s permission to participate in battles, but other than that she was still under house arrest, anklet chain and all. It had taken some wheedling, and a fair amount of bribery sex to get him to agree to at least let her take it off when she and Tatsuki trained together.

Thinking of the bribery sex she�d used to earn this afternoon escape, Rangiku began to contemplate something that had been nagging at her for a while. Nnoitra had been rather amorous lately and exceptionally considerate, almost as if he was trying to keep her happy. The behaviour was odd for him and it honestly left her feeling a bit lost, not knowing how to interpret it. She had questioned Tesra about the changes but he seemed just as confused about Nnoitra�s demeanour as she was. She highly doubted that he had suddenly fallen in love with her. That simply wasn�t the way he did things. She was property, his property, to please him whenever and however he wanted. Her feelings were not something that, in the past, he gave much though to, and yet now it seemed he suddenly cared about her.

She let her gaze wander over the stones in the walkway ahead and could hear Haineko purring lightly at the back of her mind. The cat absolutely hated the ankle chain and house arrest and complained about it frequently, commenting that they were absolutely NOT dogs! Rangiku gave her head a soft shake and continued on with her ponderings.

Well, maybe it wasn�t so much that Nnoitra cared, but at least he wanted her somewhat happy, which was one of the reasons he had agreed to let her go to this get-together when Tatsuki had asked him to allow Rangiku to attend. It was strange how he had relented when Tesra mentioned that the children would be there. He had hardly put up a fight at all after that and actually seemed pleased with the idea.

They reached the Estate and Rangiku abandoned her musings in favour of looking forward to seeing everyone. Tatsuki knocked twice before pushing the heavy gate open and entering. Some might have considered it rude, but they were expected and Karin had told them to just come in when they got there. The young woman would have known who they were the moment they came within the scope of her sight anyway.

They were apparently the last to arrive and Rangiku was honestly surprised to see that Nemu and Renji were also in attendance, more so the second than the first. Then, Renji turned and looked up at her as they entered and offered her a smile that actually touched his eyes and Rangiku�s mouth fell open.

His eyes no longer looked like dull glass, unfeeling and unseeing. Now they gazed back at her, filled with recognition and intelligence. The sight shocked her so much that for a second she stopped breathing.

�Hey, long time no see,� Renji greeted her with a grin and a wave of his hand.

She stood there, stunned, unable to answer as her eyes drank him in. His cocky grin, Zabimaru once more on his hip, his wild red hair somewhat controlled in a long messy tail that fell over his shoulders. She blinked a few more times, hoping that the person in front of her was real and hesitantly reached out with her own reiatsu to brush against his. It was contained, possibly by some sort of device or via his Claim, but still as strong and as tempestuous as she remembered.

�Renji?� she began, the fingertips of both hands going to her mouth, feeling tears pool at the corner of her eyes and her throat constrict, making it hard to get his name out.

�My name hasn�t changed, at least as far as� Oomph!!�

He never got to finish as she pulled him into a hug and held onto him tightly, fighting back sobs of relief and failing miserably. The right front of his uniform became damp with salt water as she cried. Rangiku had never, ever dreamed that his soul could be healed, never dared to believe he would be anything but a walking corpse for the rest of his life, and yet here he was, hale and healthy, as if the last nine years had never happened. At least she wasn�t the only one; Nanao�s lower lip looked as if it had only recently stopped quivering and Jushiro�s nose was suspiciously pink, as if he�d either had a cup of strong sake or had blown it, and since Rangiku couldn�t actually smell any sake lingering in the air�

�How�?�

�Rangiku-san,� Tesra hesitantly spoke up, his voice carrying a warning even as a sympathetic expression crossed his face.

�Right, I am sorry,� she forced himself to let him go and took several steps back, still sniffling. It would not be good for anyone if Nnoitra caught the scent of another male on her, especially one as powerful as Renji. But still�

Renji must have seen the thousands of unasked questions in her eyes, because he shook his head and she thought she saw his eyes flicker briefly in Tesra�s direction.

�I�ll tell you later. More importantly, are you alright?�

His voice held an edge sharp enough to cut to the bone as he asked this and his brown eyes grew hard as he held her at arm�s length. The redhead looked her up and down critically, as if searching for any sign she�d been physically harmed. �I�ve heard some things�� he began worriedly, and Rangiku detected several layers of worry underlying his words.

She�d have to try to find a way to reassure him that at least now, she wasn�t sporting any bruises. There was also something dark lurking in his tone as well and she had to wonder about the level of hostility there. She wished she was free to tell him everything that had happened, but now wasn�t the time to do so.

Instead, she settled for, �It is good to see you back to normal. I�ll fill you in later, alright?�

Renji gave her another look that said he didn�t quite believe her, but to her relief, he nodded his head as if to say he�d let it go for now and everyone found a place to sit.

With one shock out of the way, she turned her attention to Jushiro. He looked alright, almost like his normal self, still a bit pale and with a black eye patch covering the eye Aizen had ruined, although no scars were visible on his face. Even his reiatsu was starting to recover nicely, no doubt helped by the level of pampering Hana and Ajuga showered on him. Assured that he was safely on the mend, Rangiku focused on Orihime. Orihime�s son was curled up in her lap and eyeing the newcomers suspiciously and perhaps with a hint of fear. He was as cute as Tatsuki had claimed he was, especially with those bright green eyes of his, the color clearly inherited from his father.

�So, Nemu-san, how long does Szayel think your term will be?� Orihime asked Nemu with no small amount of curiosity.

�We currently anticipate a total of nine months,� Nemu answered with a light blush.

�Huh, the only one of us to run a normal course, and yet be the most abnormal one doing it,� Karin shook her head.

�I recall nothing strange while I carried Hana,� Nanao pointed out.

�Hana-chan isn�t half-Arrancar,� Tatsuki pointed out dryly. �There are bound to be some irregularities with each new pregnancy.�

�Nemu-chan, are you saying you are expecting?� Rangiku gasped. It appeared to be a day for revelations, and thankfully, delightful ones at that.

�Hai,� Nemu blushed again. �We�re very pleased about it!�

�With twins of all things,� Karin added with a shake of her head, tossing another surprise in Rangiku�s lap. �We were all a bit worried what the fallout would be like, since this is the first Shinigami/Arrancar success, but so far we haven�t heard of any negative outbreak. In fact,� Karin smiled, as if amused, �we have heard the opposite�.

�Really?� Rangiku asked, a little puzzled at the declaration.

Things had been unpleasant there for a bit after word got out that Karin had been knocked up. By the time Orihime-chan had become pregnant the general consensus among the Arrancar was that their human blood had played a large part in the successful conceptions, and that Shinigami/Arrancar children might not be possible after all.

�Szayel informed everyone that conception was more likely if the female was relaxed and stress-free. It also came to light that if there was too much of a power difference between the parents fertilization would be nearly impossible. If someone too powerful Claims someone too weak, the odds of conceiving children are reduced,� Nemu added matter-of-factly.

�Oh,� Rangiku mused, feeling some of her good mood drain away as her mind worked to process the information.

So maybe that was why Nnoitra was suddenly being so nice to her. He was more powerful than she, but not excessively, like most of the Arrancar were compared to their pets. If Szayel�s theory was correct� well, that would explain Nnoitra�s sudden interest in keeping her in a good mood. According to Nemu that might actually work. She honestly didn�t know how she felt about it, at least not anymore.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the cup of tea in her hand and she took a sip, keeping her eyes on the liquid within in an attempt to keep any of the others from reading the conflict in her eyes while she thought this through.

It was considerably less lonely now that Tatsuki had a free pass to visit her, and did so as frequently as she could. Since Tesra was so smitten with his new mate, that meant he spent even more time hanging around than he used to and she absolutely loved teasing the shy Arrancar. But a baby? Before the Winter War she never really considered herself �mother� material, prone to drinking and partying when she wasn�t on duty. Then again, those were two past-times that she�d been denied for a decade now and enforced domesticity had left its own mark on her in the ensuing years. If she still didn�t feel as if mothering was her calling, it wasn�t for lack of practice.

She also wasn�t sure how Nnoitra would be as a father, and yet, a part of her couldn�t help but to wonder. Grimmjow, one of the more reputably violent Arrancar in existence, had toned down considerably after the birth of his daughter. However, Rangiku, and a large number of other people, attributed half of his behaviour shift to Karin since the change in his attitude started shortly after the two began sleeping together. Grimmjow�s subsequent transformation was no guarantee that Nnoitra�s personality would improve upon becoming a parent though.

Did Nnoitra want children? If he did, did she want them? Rangiku had a hard time picturing the Fifth Espada cradling a newborn in his arms with a doting smile on his face, but�

Someone touched her arm and she looked up to see Tatsuki giving her a look that was a little too much like the one Renji had given her earlier. She quickly smiled reassuringly at the younger woman and gave herself an inward shake.

This was a party, for Kami�s sake, and she�d be damned if she was going to spend her hard-won free time with friends brooding about Nnoitra Gilga.

Gossip was shared, drinks and food were consumed, and Jushiro finally coaxed Diaemus out of his mother�s lap so everyone who hadn�t had the chance to meet him yet could get a good look at the boy. While everyone else was fussing over the child, Rangiku managed to get Renji to give her the short version of his return to normal. While she didn�t doubt his account of Orihime�s �rejection� of the damage to his soul, for the purpose of providing �babysitting services� to his master�s future children as well as providing extra muscle in the war against the Swarm, she knew him well enough to know that there were other things he�d deliberately left out.

He in turn asked her, point blank, whether Nnoitra was treating her well and again, she could hear the same threatening undercurrent in his question as before, something that hadn�t been there before Szayel had conducted his little experiment. Something wasn�t adding up, in Rangiku�s opinion, but as she didn�t want Tesra picking up on the mixture of menace and worry in Renji�s voice when he�d asked about Nnoitra, she hurriedly told the redhead that things were much, much better than when they�d last seen one another. It was, she realized, the truth and she found herself pondering that long after Renji had returned to Nemu�s side to at least try to act like a passable bodyguard.

Eventually, regrettably, the party wound down and everyone said their goodbyes. She waved farewell to Tesra and Tatsuki as their paths diverged before entering the house and glaring at the anklet chain innocently waiting for her on the floor by the door.

�Back to reality,� she thought sourly.

With a heavy sigh she latched it back onto the golden chain around her ankle and headed into the kitchen to start on supper. It had been a pleasant day and she found herself smiling in pleasure. Renji was thankfully whole again, Nemu was expecting twins of all things, and everyone seemed to be doing well. The worst part of being so isolated was that, aside from Tatsuki�s visits and the news she brought, Rangiku could rarely if ever confirm her friends� well-being with her own eyes. Today had put a number of her fears to rest.

She found herself daydreaming and humming softly as she worked on dinner, completely missing the sound of the front door opening. As a result, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of white-clad arms enfolded her and she let out a loud �eek� of surprise, nearly dropping the spatula in her hand.

�I take it you had a good day,� Nnoitra purred amused in her ear.

�It was a very good day. Thank you for permitting me to visit them,� she answered honestly and forced her body to relax in his grip. He didn�t seem the least bit angry that she hadn�t noticed him arriving home. In fact, he almost seemed to be in a playful move, unusual, but it did happen once or twice a year.

�Good,� he replied, nuzzling her neck and moving his hands up from her hips to give her breast a generous squeeze. �Mmm, is that the recipe Tesra�s bitch showed you?� he asked as he hungrily eyed the meal taking shape on the stove.

�It is,� she affirmed. �Granted, I can�t seem to make it as well as she can.�

�Doesn�t matter. I�m starving. I�ll be back after a shower.�

She nodded her head to indicate that she heard him as he moved away and up the stairs. By the time he was done showering dinner was ready and they ate in silence for some time before she finally found the odd tension in the kitchen just too uncomfortable anymore.

�How was your day?� she asked him hesitantly.

They didn�t share many conversations, let alone small talk, and he usually started the ones they did have. He gave her a brief, odd look and then shrugged.

�Boring. Szayel�s got his panties in a bunch over that stupid grid of his. Then again, if I was him, I can understand why,� he suddenly scowled, moving the rice around his plate rather than eating it.

Rangiku held her breath until she realized that his irritation wasn�t with the question itself or the meal, but with Szayel for some reason. Or rather, with something that concerned the scientist. She blinked as he picked up another piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

Well that was a strange answer. She knew a meeting had been called almost two weeks ago, and the results of that meeting had him in a strange mood for days. Whatever had happened at that meeting had left him very angry, but he hadn�t raised a finger against her. He declined, however, to talk about it and Tesra didn�t know what had happened either. She knew better than to pry, but her own curiosity got the better of her, especially since they seemed to be, of all things, on the topic Szayel.

�I learned Nemu-chan is expecting twins today,� she said slowly, since talking about Szayel brought her mind back to today�s earlier conversation. This led to her concerns about his change in attitude towards her.

�Yeah,� he grunted, poking at what little food was left on his plate as if it suddenly somehow offended him.

�Do� do you want children?� she asked softly, bracing herself for his answer.

�Fuck that,� he spat quickly, something that sounded strangely like resentment colouring his voice. �Brats are noisy, demanding and they take up too much damn time. Why the hell would I want one grabbing at me all day?� he demanded, although it did sound almost a tad defensive.

Then he paused and gave her an apprehensive, and if she didn�t know any better, almost fearful look. �Why, do you want kids?� he questioned her suspiciously. Rangiku swore she saw a sweat drop form on his forehead before she shook her head.

�No, not really� she answered after a moment with a faint smile, surprised as just how relieved she was by his answer. �I would be a terrible mother. I really don�t have the patience for crying, dirty diapers and midnight feedings.�

She looked down at her own, half-finished meal, toying with a bit of broccoli with her chopsticks.

�Besides, I spent a lot of time looking after Toshiro-kun when he was my Taichou, when he was younger and didn�t know what to do with all of the power he held. He was such a scared little boy when we discovered him. With all that, I figure I�ve done my time caring for youngsters.�

Rangiku waited for his reaction, for good or ill. He blinked at her, as if truly considering her words, and then he let out a breath of his own before taking another bite of food.

�Huh. So the little punk was like Tesra. Interesting.� he mumbled. �Well, guess that�s that then.�

A great deal of the tension in the room, much of it on her part, evaporated with his words, and Rangiku found that some of the tightness in her chest, engendered that afternoon by Nemu�s revelation about the factors surrounding successful Arrancar-Shinigami unions, was gone as well. It also gave her something to ponder.

So he wasn�t trying to get her pregnant by being nice to her. That meant that whatever the catalyst was that had seen fit to change his treatment towards her, a sneaky attempt at creating another hybrid wasn�t part of it. For some reason, that made her even happier than she�d been this afternoon, in the company of so many of her friends.

They finished the meal in companionable silence before he retreated to lounge on the couch. She set about cleaning up the dishes and pulling out a �cake� for dessert, another innovation of Tatsuki�s for which Nnoitra had developed a fondness, with a much lighter heart than before.

It was odd that he claimed to despise children, and yet had raised Tesra and was always accepting of Ajuga. Granted, she was also fond of other people�s children. Perhaps he did have a bit of a soft spot for children, not that she would ever dare to voice such a thought aloud, but it did bring a small smile to her lips. Apparently Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were not the only Espada to have changed over the years thanks to the adjusting of living in a domestic setting.

Babies crying, got to run.. Thank you all so much for the reviews, sorry I can�t respond to them at this time but motherhood keeps me busy. Know that I appreciate each one.
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Prize of Victory