Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 102
- 103
- 104
Large portions of this chapter was written by Black Fox.

Failings

Yoruichi had told Unohana that she was going to see Kuchiki Byakuya after dumping her former Fukutaichou in the poor healer�s lap, but her feet propelled her down a different corridor. It wasn�t exactly a lie; she�d find the noble eventually, but there was someone else she needed to locate first and as the minutes rolled by, her unease grew stronger.

�Maybe she�s out there at the Palace, taking care of the banishments. That would be like her, to want to see a job to the end�� she told herself.

If Yoruichi kept repeating it in her head, she reasoned, it might be true.

Still, she did her best to project her usual breezy confidence as she moved through the 4th Division, returning the salutations of those who recognized her and were delighted to see she was still alive. A few of them stopped her and exchanged pleasantries, but she tried to keep their exchanges brief, or if they were long-standing members of the 4th Division or of the Onmitsukidō, she would ask after Soi Fon.

None of them had an answer for her and her worry ballooned until it had a new name: dread. She finally arrived at the room number Unohana mentioned and carefully pushed the door open to find it housing two sleeping patients, three hovering adults with tear stains on their eyes, and one infant contently feeding from a bottle, completely oblivious to the depressing atmosphere around her. Yoruichi�s eyes fell on the heavily bandaged man lying on a wheeled gurney on the closest side of the room to the door and she struggled to keep from gasping.

�What in the hell could have happened to him?�

Ayasegawa Yumichika�s face was barely visible under the wrapping. Tubes busy delivering oxygen and maybe some kind of nourishment disappeared beneath them in the direction of his nose and throat. There might have been more bandages but she couldn�t see what lay beneath the blankets someone had tucked around him. Equipment beeped steadily as it monitored his condition and two IV lines fed directly into veins in the crook of his arm. One was full of what she presumed was a mixture of saline and antibiotics to fight off infection, while the other held bright red liquid. It flowed through a machine in a loop before returning the stuff to his body. Yoruichi guessed it was his blood. She didn�t know the machine�s purpose or why Yumichika needed it and she wasn�t about to ask just yet.

Rangiku slept on the room�s other horizontal surface, this one in a real hospital bed with a proper mattress. A cast encased the blonde�s left foot, suspended from a metal pole attached to the bed frame. A tensor bandage adorned her other ankle. There were no machines or monitors attached to her and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Yoruichi could see a few scrapes and bruises to her pretty face and to her exposed forearms but otherwise, the former Fukutaichou fine, if extremely pregnant.

�Kami, she makes Nel look svelte in comparison!�

At that point, the two coherent adults in the room turned her way and the third, an Arrancar who looked as if he was still in the grip of shock, lifted his head. None of them would know her, even though she knew their identities through her gathered intelligence and her own careful spying over the years. Tesra Lindocruz stepped away from Tatsuki�s side to confront her and keep her from coming any further into the room. He�d probably taken point because Ggio Vega had his hands full. She tried to get a better look at the little girl without making it look as if she was interested in the infant, to keep them from deeming her a danger.

�Damn pack dynamics. Good thing Nel warned us about this,� she thought, even as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up.

Why wasn�t Soi Fon here, with the rest of them?

The dread in her stomach morphed into a full blown alarm bell.

�Good evening,� Yoruichi said and put a smile on her face. She also casually leaned against the door frame, trying to appear as harmless as possible. She had not come here to fight, but to get information. She should have known the men would be apprehensive with wounded pack-mates, though that didn�t explain why the healers here had made the two packs share one room. The arrangement Ggio had made with the other Arrancar concerning his child�s welfare wasn�t enough of a bond to explain the cooperation and lack of hostility between the two separate households.

�What can we do for you?� Tesra asked, resting his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, but not drawing it yet. She held up both hands, palms outward, to show she intended no harm.

�I�m looking for my old protégé, and I was hoping that you knew where she�d gone. I don�t suppose you can tell me where I can find Soi Fon?� she inquired as carefully as she could.

The words were scarcely out of her mouth when Tatsuki�s face crumpled. The human woman turned away, fiercely rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve in a bid to keep from crying openly.

�Were you in charge of this mess? The Swarm trapped us out there and this is the result!� she snarled, gesturing towards Rangiku�s bed. �We were trapped! Did you even think about the civilians when you planned this? Tell Ichigo� tell that jerk I have few things to say to him!�

Tesra immediately put his arms around his angry mate and tried to calm her before she woke the injured woman next to her. Helplessness and sorrow warred for prominence on his features, though he kept a wary eye on Yoruichi, lest she try something.

Before she could answer the human�s furious accusation, Ggio�s expression became a morass of grief at the mention of his mate�s name. He ducked his head and curled protectively around the infant in her arms.

The alarms that had tried to warn her of what she might find fell silent, replaced by an icy knot that expanded until she could no longer feel her insides at all. It was a good thing she was still using the doorjamb to keep herself upright, because she no longer felt her legs up to the task of standing.

Two of the people with whom Soi Fon had suffered for years were in this room, one gravely injured and the other huddled miserably next to him, holding the child she�d gone to ridiculous lengths to protect.

Yoruichi�s heart clenched and she felt her pulse falter as further denial became useless.

The only way Soi Fon wouldn�t be here was if she hadn�t made it out of whatever battle she�d been involved with alive.

�You must be Shihoin Yoruichi,� Ggio spoke up, his voice little more than a ragged whisper when he spoke her name. She nodded and buried any doubts that she might have had about whether the Arrancar had truly loved her former subordinate.

Somehow, she managed to find her voice, though it sounded tinny and thin to her ears.

�I am. Please, what happened to my little Bee?�

The part of her trained by the Onmitsukidō over a century prior distanced itself from the horrid knowledge. It waited to hear the details, like any commander that needed data to know how to proceed would do. It told her that death was an inevitable consequence of any conflict, whether an active combatant or the collateral damage of a civilian taken out by mistake. She knew this, it murmured to her, and it was just as true now as it had been when she�d been in charge of the 2nd Division.

It told her to �analyze now and cry later�, once she discovered where, in the chain of events, things had gone wrong. Tesra returned to Tatsuki�s side now that it was clear she wasn�t a direct threat, but his hand remained on the hilt of his blade. Tatsuki held Tesra�s hand as Ggio, related the events in a broken voice, his words occasionally interrupted by a choked-off sob.

Yoruichi gripped the doorframe tighter when he informed her of not just one death, but two. Sarugaki Hiyori had orders to neutralize any of the Numeros she found, with the idea that the majority of those with familial obligations and better reputations wouldn�t be on the field, or would be stuck in the farthest reaches of the Rukongai. It was a simple, straightforward job Yoruichi had felt the Vizard would relish and as long as she followed her commander�s orders, relatively foolproof.

Sorrow for the loss of one of the Escapees warred with her rising anger at the skinny brat�s disastrous actions. Hiyori had barrelled ahead without waiting for backup, ignored Yoruichi�s warnings about taking on any of the Espada alone and rushed in to confront the goddamned Second Espada, without thinking.

As much as she�d cared for the argumentative bitch� her anger won out and in the privacy of her head, she called the dead Vizard every ugly name in the book.

Hearing about the painful manner in which Soi Fon had died almost broke her. That stoic, reasoning portion of her soul tried to console her, telling her she should be proud; her little Bee�s final actions had spared both Yumichika�s and Ggio�s lives. As a result, Avispona would not grow up an orphan. She still had one parent to look after her, and from the way that the Arrancar held his daughter close, she wouldn�t lack for anything.

When Ggio finished his story, Yoruichi closed her eyes, doing her best to keep her breathing even.

She�d been with the Generals, trying to keep the damage to the Seireitei to a minimum and the Swarm�s leaders appraised of the Shinigami side of things. Unfortunately, they�d only had a few Soul Phones to work with and with Soi Fon�s disability, she wouldn�t have been able to use one to ask for help. According to Ggio, Hiyori�s device had been unusable by the time she�d confronted the Second.

Gods� after all this time and all this hard work� why did this feel like a defeat, rather than the victory it really was?

She hadn�t been able to save Kisuke and she hadn�t saved Soi Fon, despite all of her planning, including the poison she�d delivered to her protégé in the hopes it would ensure Barragan died. Her rational side reminded her she�d kept the rest of the Escapees alive and out of Aizen�s clutches for fifteen years. That was no insignificant feat when one considered some of the individuals fate had entrusted to her.

It reminded her she was only one woman, that she couldn�t control everything, which, by the logic of its argument, meant she was fallible.

At that point, she mentally turned on an invisible heel and told the Taichou in her to fuck off. She politely thanked Ggio in a voice that cracked, for letting her know what had transpired. Then she excused herself before she lost it completely. With luck, she�d find two things she needed the most: a bottle of sake and a quiet place to let herself fall apart.

It took some wandering around, partly because it was hard to tell one corridor from another while rubbing tears out of one�s eyes, but she eventually procured both. The cafeteria of the 4th Division had a few smaller tables, one of which fit neatly into the darkened, northern corner of the large room. She�d also purloined six bottles of mid-grade sake from the pantry with the cooks none the wiser. It was always better to ask for forgiveness than permission under such circumstances. Anyone who saw her and her grim, heartbroken expression might have the decency to extend the former.

Yoruichi was on her fourth bottle of booze when one pale hand clamped down on her wrist and its twin plucked the half-empty container from her hand. The theft made her turn her tear-stained face upward. She intended to tell whoever had dared take away her sake to fuck him or herself with the nearest scalpel, but the expletive died when she saw the face of the interloper. He dangled the bottle just out of her reach, the way she�d done to him when she�d been his sempai and he�d been a hot-tempered brat in an Academy uniform.

The tables had apparently turned, and she supposed there was some justice involved there too. Here was someone else she�d been unable to free from his abuser. The only difference was that he was still alive, if not exactly whole.

He wore an ill-fitting uniform, one that was too short in the sleeves and in the length of the hakama, but the 6th Division haori he�d tossed over it helped disguise the fact he�d had to borrow the ensemble from someone who wasn�t quite as tall as he was. It was certainly better than whatever appalling leather contraption Yammy had probably forced him to wear of late.

�Yo, Byakuya! Will Abarai be okay?�

Her question was slurred, but Byakuya nodded in answer, which meant he�d understood her. Then he shocked her by putting the mouth of her sake bottle to his lips. He swallowed several times, sans a cup or any consideration for hygiene, before he handed it back to her.

It was shameless behaviour for a nobleman, since they weren�t exactly alone in the cafeteria. Then again, if Yoruichi took into account all of the humiliations, public and otherwise, that he�d endured while shackled to Yammy, what was one more? From the greedy way he�d drunk what for him would have been substandard liquor in the old days, she also guessed that he didn�t care if word made it back to his family about the act.

She glared at the bottle before setting it aside.

�Bet you were shocked to see how far Rukia-chan has come, eh?�

Her quest to have a private breakdown thwarted, Yoruichi decided to turn the topic towards something a little lighter. The pride she saw in his gray eyes spoke volumes.

They had worked hard with the young woman to get her to advance. Yoruichi had even pulled out that old dummy of Kisuke�s, the one she�d forced Ichigo to use to attain Getsuga Tenshou. Rukia, with a fully realized Bankai, was a force to be reckoned with now. Her Zanpakuto�s second release wasn�t one she could use in close combat, but then, close combat was Ichigo�s thing and he could pick up where she left off. The two made one hell of a team.

Byakuya pulled out a chalkboard from his inner white kosode and a bag, from which he took a stick of chalk. Then he wrote out his response, handing it over to her when he was finished. Yoruichi read his answer, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter with a few sniffles interspersed with her guffaws. Byakuya frowned while she fought to regain her composure.

He�d merely written that he was �pleased she�d attained such a formidable Bankai.� Maybe she�d had more to drink than she realized, but it was the sheer understatement of it, having seen its true power in action not four hours ago, that struck her as funny.

Her fingers traced the lip of the bottle. As the weight of what had happened today reasserted itself, her laughter turned bitter and quickly died. There had been more changes as far as the younger Kuchiki was concerned than just her relationship with Sode no Shirayuki.

�She�ll be pissed at me for breaking it to you first, but better that you lop my head off than allow your brother-in-law to do it. I don�t have much to live for anymore anyway.� She half-hoped he would kill her when he heard what she had to say, if only to end the pain she felt. �It�s Kurosaki Rukia now, not Kuchiki. Ichigo married her a couple of years ago, in the Living World. She wore a gigai to get the license, but she has the signed paperwork, like a proper Kuchiki.�

Byakuya hardly looked surprised, but he did sigh before writing out a new dusty message, the chalk clicking on the slate�s hard surface.

�I noticed the gold band, and suspected as much. I will still make the necessary threats, as required of an elder brother, though I will curtail the worst of them. Considering his Royal lineage, I can hardly protest that his social status is too �low� for her. Truthfully, their union is a huge honour for the Kuchiki Clan, one I�m not certain it deserves.�

Did she detect some friction between Byakuya and his straight-laced family? His normally perfect kanji seemed a little too crisply written for there not to be something wrong. With the exception of old Ginrei and Byakuya�s soft-hearted father, Yoruichi had never thought all that highly of the rest of his protocol-obsessed relatives. She�d bet that there was a storm brewing and if she was very lucky, she�d be there to witness it break.

�How are you doing?� she asked him seriously, looking him over. �Unohana gave me an update, but...�

The tip of Byakuya�s stick of chalk rested against the chalkboard for a moment before he committed his thoughts to its surface, as if he was trying to find a diplomatic way of phrasing things.

�It will take time,� she read when he handed her his slate. �Yammy was a brute in every sense of the word. I fear my reputation will take longer to heal than my body or soul.�

The fact he was willing to admit as much, at least to her, was a good sign. She doubted anyone other than Unohana could have dragged such out of him. As long as he was willing to concede that he needed help, she could give it. She owed it to him to listen if he ever chose to talk. There were few others who would understand the burdens those who were born into noble houses carried or the oppressive expectations.

�Well, I am always here if ya need someone to vent to, and I promise I won�t even tease you about your apparel,� she chuckled, wishing she felt half the mirth she was trying to project for his sake. Reaching down and opening the fifth bottle, she placed it on the table and used the tip of her finger to push it in the other noble�s direction. Picking up the one they�d shared, she raised it and tried to dredge up some cheer for the both of them.

�Here�s to the death of tyrants, brutes and rat bastards! May they rot forever behind Hell�s Gate!�

Byakuya took his bottle and lifted it, partaking in the toast with her. They drank deeply before slamming the bottles down on the tabletop. The noise was such that a few heads turned their way, but when it didn�t happen twice, the onlookers went back to their own meals and conversations. The mess hall had begun to fill as medics took breaks or came off their shifts. Soon it would be too crowded for her purposes.

�Promise me one thing, Byakuya.�

He regarded her patiently as Yoruichi gathered the three bottles of sake still containing liquid, corked them and tucked them back into her vest.

�When you go back to Rukia and Renji�s room, don�t tear into Ichigo until I can stand by and watch,� she snickered.

Byakuya inclined his head, something she took to mean he would do as she asked, and his lips twitched. Then he rose from the table and bowed before continuing on his journey towards the cafeteria�s food line, which had evidently been his original destination. More guilt assailed her as she watched him walk away. There were old injuries beneath that too-small uniform from the way he moved no matter how hard he tried to hide them.

�Another failure. I am so sorry Byakuya-bo, for everything you�ve suffered.�

Shoving her chair away from the table, she stood up, intent on finding another place to drink until she either passed out or drowned the pain in her heart.

Rangiku awoke in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar, darkened room. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she recognized the utilitarian décor as being that of one of the 4th Division�s hospital rooms. Oh� yes, that was right. She�d been injured and trundled off to the 4th Division. The last thing she�d seen had been water everywhere, blue sky and her former Taichou holding her as if she was something that would break if he let go.

A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her it was twelve past one in the morning. She stared up at the ceiling, her brain still foggy from the pain medication and let the memories of what happened the day before trickle back into her head and sort themselves into an understandable narrative. Rangiku groaned softly and moved her arm up to cover her eyes with the back of her hand.

�Kami, what a nightmare! It�s a miracle we�re alive.�

That she was alert at this hour was a surprise. She ought to have been blissfully out of it for longer. Something had woken her up, and it wasn�t her roommate. Yumichika was still unresponsive on his side of the room. No one had told her exactly what had befallen him earlier when one of the 4th Division�s staff woke her up long enough to get her to eat some rice porridge and drink some broth, but from her vantage point and the bandages she could see, whatever it was had been terrible.

Nevertheless, there was one thing she remembered vividly and no amount of drugs could erase it from her gray matter.

�Heroism� and �self-sacrifice� were two words that no one, not even Nnoitra himself, would have ever used to describe the now dead Fifth Espada. If anyone had told her before yesterday morning that Nnoitra would die protecting her, she would have called him or her crazy. Nnoitra did things for Nnoitra�s benefit and for no one else.

It made so little sense for him to put himself in harm�s way, for a woman he regarded as little more than property and for children he claimed weren�t his to raise. That he�d shielded her when he could have shrugged and kept fighting Kenpachi� Why? Why had he done it? Rangiku lay there and pondered the Arrancar who had kept her literally chained for fifteen years, forcing her into his bed and anywhere else he felt like fucking her with little regard for her feelings or her desires.

Did she hate him? She certainly had at the beginning, but as the years had crawled by, she�d had to let go of some of the loathing, for her own sanity. Instead, she�d grown resigned and had accepted the slights, the restrictions, the discipline in exchange for a few moments of happiness now and then and a few instances of largess on his part. Things had slowly improved, at a glacial pace, but they�d certainly never had what Tatsuki and Tesra enjoyed. At its best, their relationship, if one could call it that, was a matter of transactions, most of which involved keeping Nnoitra happy. If she occasionally received an evening of sexual gratification of a new kimono in exchange, she�d grown to count it as a bonus in a mostly-housebound life.

If she knew she hadn�t loved him, he�d known it as well, thanks to the Claim and that had gone both ways. Nnoitra Gilga had never loved her, of that she was certain, which was why his intercession on her behalf, at the cost of his life, dumbfounded her. Dying for something one cared about� that she could understand. At this point, Rangiku supposed that she�d never really know the answer.

Nor was she certain of how she felt about his death, which greatly disturbed her.

She was free. There would be no more appeasing and placating him, no more tiptoeing around his bad moods or trying to deflect his anger with sex or meek obedience. She was free of his inexplicable hatred for all things female and his constant put-downs. Best of all, she was free of that stupid, denigrating chain he made her wear. Even though her ankle was in a cast, she could feel its absence. The healers had likely had to cut the strip of gold off in order to set the bone. All of this made her feel a joy that under any other circumstances would have made her giddy enough to dance.

At the same time, she couldn�t help feeling sadness. He had saved her life after all and while Tesra and Tatsuki had seen to the majority of her needs, he�d still protected her from the attentions of the other Arrancar. Had he not Claimed her, Aizen would have had no qualms about executing her, or maybe he would have given her to Yammy or Barragan as a plaything, a fate worse than bending her back for Nnoitra.

If she was really going to be honest, she�d enjoyed Nnoitra�s skilled, wicked tongue. She�d never felt anything like it and probably wouldn�t again. The only bad thing was that it belonged to a possessive, misogynistic jerk.

Her children would never know their father, and she felt torn about that, because that also meant they might not pick up all of the things she�d disliked about his attitudes and his treatment of others. What they�d inherit from him she couldn�t say, but they�d never know him and would therefore never miss him. Of all of them, Tesra was probably the most devastated and if anything, she felt sad for the loyal fraccion.

�I�m so sorry Ran.�

She almost jumped at the muted, sad voice that came out of nowhere. It didn�t belong to Yumichika, since she hadn�t heard any stirring from the other bed. It took a moment, but her eyes eventually settled on the figure of a man in the shadows near the doorway. At first, she had a hard time recognizing him but there was only one person still living who had used that nickname with her.

�Gin?�

Sure enough, her childhood friend stepped into the dim light that seeped in from beneath the window curtains, courtesy of the lanterns outside. Rangiku didn�t think it was possible for him to look as bad as when she�d seen him last but she�d been wrong. If anything, he seemed worse, all scarred skin and too-prominent bones and not enough meat on the latter. He wore Shinso on his hip, but his Zanpakuto, as short as it was, seemed as if it would tip him to the side. The thin white yukata he wore was the only thing between him and the elements and its ragged hem told Rangiku that the garment might not last another two weeks of wear. The only real thing that had changed was his hair; it was short again, roughly shoulder length and just as ragged as his clothing. She suspected that he�d used Shinso to cut it himself.

�Non o� it should �ave ever �appened. I should o� stopped �im. I shoulda killed �im when I had th� chance.�

She wasn�t certain if he was talking about Aizen, Nnoitra or both.

�It doesn�t matter now,� she whispered back, forcing herself to sit up a bit so she could see him better. With her leg suspended and her midsection stretched with pregnancy, it wasn�t easy.

�It�ll a�ways matter. Th� scars�ll fade, but they won� go away. Nuthin�ll change th� fact I failed ya.�

He�d said something similar once, long ago. A spike of fear lanced her heart upon hearing it again. She�d known him since they were children and she could read his intent between the lines.

�Don�t you dare leave Gin,� she snarled at him. �I swear I will kill you if you leave me again!� Tears began to leak from the corner of her eyes. �Enough people have left already! Hinamori-chan, Hisagi-kun, Kira-kun��

He flinched at that one as she ticked off the names of those who hadn�t survived either the war or the Arrancar occupation, but she was upset enough not to care. �Don�t leave me too! Not now, not after everything we have been through! Haven�t you learned that bad things happen every time you run away?�

Rangiku wasn�t certain if it was an accusation or a plea.

�I got ta,� he whispered, hanging his head. �I ain�t no man no more. Couldn�t even save tha woman I love. I couldn� save �er from Aizen or th� mantis �e made.�

His confession hardly surprised her, nor did it shock her that it had taken over a century to admit it. She�d always known it and sometimes she wondered if what he really feared were the entanglements that came with such an emotion. However, now that the reasons for his initial abandonment were gone, there was no reason for him to flee into the night.

He covered his eyes with one emaciated hand.

�Ran� I�ve done things... terrible things� things ya�d hate me for if ya knew th�extent o� �em. I ain�t fit ta touch ya, at least, not �til I can work out a way ta make it right, startin� wi� my own head. It ain�t safe ta be around me. D�ya understan� now?�

It was his turn to plead and when he dropped his hand, she saw the haunted way in which he looked at her. The shame and disgust she saw in his eyes made her clench her fists in the bedclothes.

�Ya got good people ta watch ya,� he went on, �better�n I ever could be ta ya. Real friends.�

�Don�t say that! Don�t you dare use that as an excuse! If you have to think things through, then I won�t begrudge you the time. You�re right� I don�t know half of what Aizen did to you. But if you go, to try and deal with this on your own instead of getting the help that is right here, swear to me you will come back,� she demanded.

Rangiku wept in earnest now and wrapped her arms around her ample bosom as the tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were screwed shut, so she didn�t see Gin walk up to the side of her bed. He rested a hand that looked too fragile carry a sword on the top of her head and she looked up through a veil of saltwater to see a ghost of a smile on his thin, pale lips.

�No promises, Ran-chan,� he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead, �but �member, for every time I�ve left, I�ve a�ways come back.�

He took a step back and before she could say anything more, the door opened and closed behind him. Gin had vanished as silently as he�d arrived, as if he really were some kind of spectre.

She�d always seen more of his back than his front, even when they�d both been officers and serving under the Soutaichou. Why had she expected anything different from him now? It was true that he also had a habit of reappearing at oddest times, but in spite of his assertion, Rangiku didn�t think Gin would be back for a long while.

�Why do you always have to leave when you know I can�t follow?� she whispered the question into the air of a nearly empty room.

Neither the darkness, nor her sleeping companion answered, though a second, less wraithlike visitor soon opened the door and turned up the light.

�Oh. You are awake! Are you okay? You�re crying��

Ggio Vega, showing no sign that he�d seen Gin leave the room, sat down in what was fast becoming his usual spot.

�Yeah, I guess so.� She brushed the tears away, trying to make it seem as if they weren�t important. As a distraction, she asked, �Did Tesra-kun take Tatsuki-chan home?�

�Yes, but only after they had a meeting with Grimmjow, Karin and Ichigo. Those three are meeting with all of the Arrancar. Karin�s breaking all of the Claims, by decree. She only has so much strength left at this point, but since they trust that Tesra won�t steal Tatsuki away in the night, their Claim will stay for now, as will those still on everyone who lost a Master during the battle,� Ggio reported as he sat back down in his place next to Yumichika. �He�s down to one Claim again, but Tesra seemed fine with that.�

�So yours and mine will remain?�

�Until they wear off, yeah.�

Leaning back against the pillows, Rangiku gave it some thought and knew that leaving those Claims alone probably didn�t matter. She tried to remember if there were any orders Nnoitra had given her that might prove to be a problem, but couldn�t think of any. He�d rarely given her verbal commands that had involved anything other than pleasing him. A tentative nudge of her reiatsu against the layer that contained it proved it was weakening fast. Like Gin�s yukata, it might not last long.

What would it be like, she considered, not to wake up in the morning and feel that extra energy weighing her down?

�Damn good, that�s how!� Haineko savagely growled. �That cursed cage will finally be gone!�

Surprised at the clarity of her Zanpakuto�s response, she looked over to see her sheathed Zanpakuto sitting on the sword stand on the wall, next to Ggio and Yumichika�s weapons. Noticing where her eyes went, the tiger supplied an explanation.

�Tesra brought your blade here earlier. They�ve taken Avispona with them for now too. A hospital is no place for a little girl if she doesn�t need to be here and she�ll sleep easier in her crib. Tesra offered to let me stay at their place until I can figure out what I am going to do. I� don�t want to go back to the Kyoraku Estate and I doubt the staff would welcome me after how Barragan treated them. I guess I could go to the 5th Division and make use of the Fukutaichou�s quarters. I think Karin-san used the room to store all of the supplies for the matches the Divisions used to hold, but I�m not wild about using a soccer ball as a pillow.�

�That was nice of Tesra and Tatsuki. I am surprised you let them take her. I�m also surprised that Tesra isn�t standing vigil, now that Nnoitra is dead and I am carrying his only legacy.�

�Tatsuki convinced him to go. She said you�d be safe here and that they needed to get Avispona to bed. I really didn�t want to let her go, but it�s for the best.�

Ggio looked down at his clasped hands with reddened eyes and Rangiku realized she wasn�t the only one unable to smother her unhappiness.

�I almost went with them, but Yumichika has done so much for me over the years� I couldn�t just let him lie here alone. He�s the only pack I have left. He may be sleeping, but I�ll bet the silly peacock knows I�m here, supporting him. It�s all I can do for him.�

�How is he?� she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Ggio�s face fell further and moved to Yumichika�s bandaged head.

�Not well. The acid burned half of his face and a small portion of one arm. Unohana-sama thinks it�s going to scar badly, but there is little she can do about it. It destroyed his eye and they removed what was left of it. He was in surgery for about an hour. Unfortunately, they needed Orihime to take care of injuries worse than his are. She looked pretty worn out during my interview and I think Ulquiorra-sama was the one who stopped her from seeing any more patients. Like Karin, she simply doesn�t have any more strength left at this point to help anyone. It will take a few days, minimum, to get a fraction of it back. Even then she�ll probably be dealing with people who have bigger problems than Yumi.�

Rangiku could see where he was coming from and his disappointment at Yumichika�s place on the list given the damage he�d taken, but she also knew Orihime. The human woman would work herself to death if others weren�t looking out for her. She was such a selfless person. Yumichika would be lucky if Orihime got to him before the damage imprinted on his soul and became irreversible.

�At least I know Gin is still alive. All Ggio has left now is Avispona and Yumichika, and there is no telling if Yumichika will be all right. He was always so proud of his appearance after all.�

�You should get some more sleep. Unohana-sama mentioned that you could go home tomorrow after a few tests and a checkup, provided you stay off of your feet. Tesra probably won�t let you get out of bed for the remainder of your pregnancy, the way he was fretting.�

�I think you�re right,� she agreed. The thought of being bedbound didn�t bother her as much as she thought it would, considering how terrible she�d felt yesterday morning. The idea of someone waiting on her while she relaxed in bed was pleasant. It would also give her plenty of time to figure out what their little household was going to have to do to generate an income worthy of living in the First District.

Home.

Her mind went to the house Nnoitra had taken over, not her old room at the defunct 10th Division. She could barely remember her old quarters. Rangiku hadn�t done much within its walls other than sleep and the items she�d kept there to personalize it, trinkets and posters she�d brought back from the Living World, were probably long gone.

The house was a different story. It was a home now, full of memories of time spent with Tatsuki as they giggled and did things together, or teased Tesra about this and that and watched the fraccion blush. She even had a few fond memories of Nnoitra, such as when he approved of a new meal that she had cooked all by herself. Compliments from him about something other than her body were rare.

The original owners of her current abode were dead, so it wasn�t as if she expected anyone to show up to evict them. There were plenty of plusses to staying there: it had a fenced yard, there was room enough in the nursery for four babies and as the children grew, they could always put together something akin to bunk beds. However, could she live there with all of the memories the place contained?

Not every memory she had of the place was good. Could she sleep alone in the bed she�d shared with Nnoitra for fifteen years without jumping every time someone stood in the doorway?

�Your brain is percolating on too many painkillers. Let it go for now,� Haineko grumbled, then added, �besides, you can always throw the bed out and get a new one, or better yet, turn the master bedroom into a den for the lil� ones. There are going to be three after all and maybe four if that tiger hangs around long enough.�

If she closed her eyes, she could almost see the manifestation of her blade, the grey feline on her back with her paws in the air and her tail swishing back and forth.

�What have I always told you? New clothes, new shoes, a new bed� it�s all the same thing. Sometimes, the only thing one needs to change one�s perspective is a new coat of paint.�

Rangiku couldn�t decide if it was a good idea on Haineko�s part or if it was just the drugs talking, but it mattered little. Tomorrow would be a new day and she could worry about what kind of PTSD-laden effects Nnoitra�s ownership had had on her later.

�At least I have good people to help me through it. Maybe Gin was right�.

Her eyes settled on Ggio as he tilted his head back and did his best to fall asleep sitting.

�Sleep,� Haineko soothed again. �It won�t be just the two of them. That delightfully pushy human friend of yours wouldn�t allow it.�

That was true as well. Tatsuki�s hero complex rivaled the one Karin kept tucked under her belt. Maybe it was a human thing.

Ushōda Hachigen tilted his head back and regarded the darkened rooftop two stories up with a leaden heart.

�I�m getting too old for this sort of thing,� he sighed to himself.

�And too fat for it!� a surly voice added. The Vizard�s moustache twitched in annoyance.

�There�s no need for insults and for your information, I wasn�t referring to the climb. I was referring to what comes afterwards.�

�Then spare me the headache and stop being everyone�s babysitter. She�s a big girl. She�ll get through this, like she does everything else.�

�You forget what Urahara Kisuke�s death did to her. I�d rather not have a repeat of that.�

His Hollow sulked at the reminder and Hachi felt gratified at the creature�s concession.

�People die in battles. What the fuck did she expect, ponies and rainbows and no casualties? Shit! You�re handling this better and you�re a complete marshmallow.�

�This isn�t about me. I agree, she�ll rebound but until that happens, I feel obligated to keep her from pickling herself to the detriment of the rest of us.�

�Don�t say I didn�t warn you. You know what she�s like when she�s soused.�

�I�ll take that under advisement.�

�Fine. Good luck, fatso!�

There were times that Hachi fancied that his Hollow the equivalent of an obnoxious relative, twice removed, who had unexpectedly descended upon him and stayed long past his welcome. That didn�t mean that its observations weren�t valid. In this case, it was correct in that the next half hour wasn�t going to be pretty. A brief chant, a few short hops and his feet landed on red roof tiles. He�d tried to keep his step light, but not too light, lest he spook the woman he sought. The minimum he could expect from doing so would be a sake bottle aimed at his head. It was dark enough so that even someone as gifted with barriers as he might not have time to deflect it.

�Whooze�er?�

The muzzily spoken question wafted to him from a shadow cast by a nearby tree branch. Hachi clapped his hands together and bowed respectfully.

�Shihoin-sama, it�s me.�

�Izzat you, Hachi-kun? Why�r ya here?�

�To make certain you�re all right.�

Once his eyes adjusted, he was able to see Yoruichi�s hunched over figure perched haphazardly on the roof�s apex. She�d drawn her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. An open bottle of sake dangled from the fingertips of her left hand, its glossy ceramic exterior just like all of the other discarded bottles on the trail he�d followed to find her.

�M�not all right.�

�So I see.�

Her eyes were open and stared blearily ahead. Hachi was tempted to wave his large hand in front of her nose, to see what her reaction would be if he intruded on her personal space, but decided against it, as he valued his fingers and his life.

�Do you mind if I sit?�

�Do wha�ever ya like, Hachi-kun. �M stayin� right here.�

That was probably a blessing. In her present state, the Goddess of Flash was unfit to walk a straight line, let alone attempt Shunpo across the Seireitei�s rooftops, many of which were now gone or badly compromised. Hachi gingerly took a seat and shifted his bulk to and fro, until he found a way of balancing his hefty frame that ensured he wouldn�t roll off in either direction.

She said nothing while he found his equilibrium and eventually, his gaze wandered out across the wreckage. The sight and sounds of a place he�d once considered �home� left him conflicted. He�d never expected to return to the seat of the Gotei 13. Aizen�s betrayal, condemnation by Central 46 and a century in hiding had forced Hachi to give up the life he�d had before his Hollow-fication. It had also revealed to him the true extent of the organization�s deeply ingrained flaws and its many, many blind spots.

The nostalgia was a surprise, but he thought that might be because the place had changed so little in his absence. Here and there, patches of moonlight illuminated rooftops and walls, whole and broken, before clouds obscured them. Much of it was just as he remembered and he found it depressing. The Living World had moved on. This place was a relic, in more ways than its appearance.

�The view is quite nice, though I will admit that I�m astonished. One hundred and some-odd years have passed and I would wager you hard money that I could still find my way to my old suite in the Kido Corp.�

Yoruichi remained silent and as long minutes passed, the lack of conversation began to weigh on Hachi. When she brought the bottle to her lips and he heard her swallow, he considered saying something about alcohol poisoning and the risk of falling off the roof.

��M sorry, Hachi-kun. �M sorry �bout Hiyori-chan. I fucked up.�

The whispered apology, laced with regret and despair, hung in the cool night air. Hachi drew in a deep breath, feeling his suit�s seams creak with the effort and let it out slowly, before he replied.

�I will admit that, in the last several hours, I�ve wondered what would have happened if I�d insisted that Hiyori guard I and Hana, instead of participating in the invasion itself. There are a great many �what if�s� there and if I know you, you�re running them through your head right now.�

He heard fabric shift in the darkness as she turned her head to look across the roof at him.

�You an� Hana�ya both did� great,� she murmured. A miserable swallowing sound to his left told him that he didn�t have much time before Yoruichi polished off the bottle.

�Because Hana-chan�s intellect is such that memorization is easy for her. However, she�s young and needed to be in the right frame of mind. The hostility between Hiyori and my new pupil would have compromised her concentration, which in turn would have negatively affected the spell. Hiyori�s mouth would have doomed it. We both know that.�

�I shoulda tol� her t�stay wi� Nel�n protect th� Ishida Estate. She woulda done it.�

�Grudgingly� but that would have been a poor allotment of available resources. After consulting with Unohana-Taichou, I have a tally of the Arrancar Hiyori-chan purified. Between the time that she took her position and her decision to engage the Second Espada, she kept at least four of the Numeros from interfering with those who left to neutralize the threat those Espada hostile to our cause posed. We can�t ignore her contribution.�

�Are ya so eager t�make �scuzes, Hachi?�

That was all the warning he received before the bottle he�d anticipated earlier flew at him. He�d been uneasy since he�d sat down, so it wasn�t terribly hard to lean back and let it sail past his nose, trailing the dregs. A few moments later, he heard it land, but not break, when it hit a bush in the courtyard below.

His sense of smell told him that he would need to launder his booze-splattered suit. Yoruichi clenched her fists, rounding on him in anger he knew wasn�t entirely for him.

�I wuz in fuckin� CHARGE, Hachi! I�m �sponsible fer wha she did! Hiyori...�

�Hiyori had orders, orders that she ignored. She made a mistake, Shihoin-san, and she paid for that mistake with her life. Had she done what she was supposed to do, she might have lived and by association, so would your former student.�

Hachi was quite proud of the fact that he did not raise his voice, nor did he grab her by the shoulders to shake some sense into her, though he was sorely tempted.

�You did what you could. Not even Yamamoto Soutaichou could predict every manoeuvre his troops might undertake. I reiterate: I must shoulder some of the blame for Hiyori�s actions and their consequences. I should have spent more time with her during the last few weeks. While I don�t regret the days it took to develop the barrier spell with Hana-chan, I could have spared an hour or two for Hiyori. Better yet, I could have taken precautions years ago, to head off the changes I saw in her disposition after the War.�

He sighed and clasped his hands together, resting his bent elbows on his pudgy thighs.

�Shinji was the one who usually kept the harsher parts of her personality from showing themselves. I think losing him was truly the last straw. I�m afraid that she and I did not share the same bond they did, though I did try my best to fill in for him.�

�Sh� looked up t�you� I saw it plen�y a�times,� Yoruichi slurred, staring down into her now-empty hands. Her assertion didn�t exactly make him feel any better, but he thought that it was nice that she tried.

�Not in the same way. Maybe she felt I�d abandoned her too and that she had nothing left to lose when she chose to fight the Second. I often told her that her temper was her greatest weakness.�

That was the truth; he�d warned Hiyori plenty of times over the last century that her short fuse and her willingness to bite at the bait an enemy dangled in front of her would prove detrimental. Hachi had hoped that her near-death experience during the Winter War would have given her reason to change, to rethink how and when she lashed out.

It wasn�t to be. The obliteration of their comrades had done irreparable harm to her psyche. Even though they�d ostensibly found another kind of �home� with the refugees from the Seireitei and in Nel and Ichigo�s cases, Hueco Mundo and the Living World, it wasn�t the same as being surrounded by others with the same affliction. The desire for vengeance and a deep-seated hatred for anything associated with Aizen had eaten away at her, until it was all she lived for and all she wanted. He�d by lying if he said he hadn�t despaired over it.

�There are times that I thought,� he said ruefully, �that subconsciously, she wanted the �losing� to end, one way or another.�

�Nel�z gonna be upset.�

�Undoubtedly, but that shouldn�t be your concern right now.�

�An� whapraytell wouldat be?�

Hachi figured he wouldn�t get a better chance to tell her what she needed to hear. He was also out of arm�s reach and the woman was out of ammunition, making for ideal conditions.

�First, I need to tender my apologies to you, Shihoin-san. Had I been more observant and less distracted, my fellow Vizard might not have taken the actions that inadvertently led to the death of your former subordinate. Second, as your advisor� and I believe Nel-chan would agree with me on this, I insist that you stop this self-flagellation. It�s unbecoming of a leader.�

�Gods, Hachi� you doan geddit, do ya? How many chances doesa� person get t�fail? Why aren�tcha flayin� me alive? I doan deserve an �I�m sorry� from you� or fr�m anyone. Kisuke, the Vizard, Isshin� and now Hiyori and��

Yoruichi�s voice trailed off, unable to say Soi Fon�s name. As she�d recited the litany, he realized that the agony he heard in it wasn�t just for the two they�d lost from their little group today, but for everyone she felt she�d let down since the Winter War... or perhaps further back. He reached up and pressed his chubby fingers against his forehead, shaking it back and forth. How long had she been holding this in, pretending that everything was fine for the benefit of the rest of the Escapees? Evidently, he�d misjudged the severity of her distress by a wide margin.

�How would Tessai-Taichou have handled this?� he wondered and then immediately filled in the blank. His superior had been a �no nonsense� sort of fellow and would have allowed only so much recrimination before setting an offender straight. Hachi would be doing her a disservice if he did anything less. He fixed his stern gaze on his commander and despite the danger of tumbling, folded his arms across his chest.

�Drinking yourself to death won�t bring any of them back. It never does. What I believe that you�re overlooking is that we won today, thanks to your leadership and your former 3rd Seat�s diligence, as well as the efforts of everyone who fulfilled their part in the strategy the two of you and Grantz-san devised. I�d hardly call that a failure.�

Hachi let his tone grow sharper as he uttered his next words and watched the slumped form in the shadows stiffen. Now was not the time for a patient, understanding delivery of the truth.

�Berate yourself tonight if you must, but I you need to stop drinking, at least until sunrise. You�re a seasoned warrior, not a raw recruit and you must act as such now. I don�t think that it would do for the denizens of the Seireitei to see the princess of the Shihoin family face down in puddle of her own vomit. Otherwise, I will be forced to take drastic measures.�

Hachi�s fingers moved of their own accord, making a figure he could use to create a six-sided barrier at a moment�s notice. A silence so thick he could cut and spread it on toast filled the space between the two Shinigami, but he didn�t relent or let his expression soften. He�d said his piece and sat back to wait for her reaction.

It didn�t take long to get one.

The sobbing started quietly enough, though it grew in volume and severity as the woman next to him finally began to let out some of the immense sorrow she�d kept stuffed away and hidden under a lackadaisical facade. Carefully, so as not to disturb a very necessary process, Hachi scooted over until her leg touched his. A shoulder pat wasn�t going to do the job this time. She paused only briefly when he gingerly put one large arm around her shoulder and allowed her to cry anew into his suit lapel.

She needed to remember that she had friends as well as responsibilities. He let her bawl for a while, to purge enough of her suppressed guilt and her anguish, until he felt it was time to interrupt, if only for practical purposes.

�I�m sure she�d be quite put out if you wept for too long. We Shinigami, unlike humans or the Hollows they spawn know that any death on this side of the Dangai leads to life in the Living World. It may seem like a platitude, but she would not have been able to make that journey if she didn�t have faith in your ability to take care of what she treasured the most.�

�Yer talking about her daughter� and Vega��

�Quite so. At the risk of sounding trite, if you feel you�ve failed your subordinate, then you might want to spend some time in the future spoiling the little miss and looking out for her. She�ll need a tie to her late mother, someone who knew Soi Fon-Taichou well. I cannot think of a better candidate.�

The phrase �shameless flatterer� was all Yoruichi managed to croak out before she began crying anew, overwhelmed by another wave of emotion. Hachi�s suit jacket was soon soaked. In an attempt to keep from having to take it off and wring it out, he reached up with his free hand and tugged a handkerchief from one of its inner pockets. Thrusting it at Yoruichi, he made certain she took it and blew her nose in a very unladylike manner.

�Aside from making certain you hadn�t died of alcohol poisoning, I came to inform you that I�ll be leaving for the Living World in�� and here he checked his wristwatch, �an hour. Had I not found you, I would have left a message for you with Unohana-Taichou.�

His commander rubbed at her bloodshot eyes and asked for an explanation.

�It�s temporary. I�ll be back in the morning, if Ishida-san clears Nel-chan for travel by Senkaimon. I need to explain to her why she�ll have to relinquish her Claim on Renji and tell her that we won. It wouldn�t be fair to keep her in the dark. I also need to inform Yuzu-chan�s husband that his wife has received an invitation to her in-laws� manor for a few days. Her diplomatic skills will come in handy and I believe her twin would love to have a chance to spend time with her.�

The suspicious frown she gave him turned accusatory.

�You used guilt to manipulate her into�takin� a vacation, dintcha? Yer a weasel, Hachi-kun. A big, green, shiny, mani� mannypul� sneaky weasel.�

�I�m afraid I don�t know what you�re talking about, Shihoin-san.�

�Shur ya don�t� weasel��

�You�re mistaking me with Ishida-san. I must say, I certainly didn�t expect our host to involve himself, let alone his wife in this. He told none of us about it before we left.�

Yoruichi dragged the back of her hand across her mouth.

�Guess I�m not th� only one feelin guilty. Yer right, �m getting� too old for this,� she said and he hoped she meant her habit of pursuing inebriation as a coping strategy. Hachi made a noise that signaled his approval and forced his drunken companion to sit up straighter. She appeared dreadful, but he�d worked with worse.

�Is there anything you think we�ll need while I�m gone? If so, I�ll retrieve it. I don�t want to take too long, since we�ll need all hands tomorrow to deal with what I expect will be a very busy day.�

She leaned against him once more and after a minute or two of silence punctuated only be a few more sniffles, she gave him a strange order.

�Find th� priest at th� hillside temple, th� old guy� and tell�em �thanks fer th� prayer�. I jus� wish it�d worked a li�l better, ya know?�

Hachi squeezed her shoulders once more and smiled, though he knew she couldn�t see it with her head buried in her arms. His hand patted her long, purple ponytail.

�If prayers worked as advertised,� he told her sadly, �we wouldn�t really need them, now would we?�
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2