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Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Punishments

Aizen was very unhappy. No, he thought, �unhappy� was far too mild a word to describe his state of mind. First, his wife had failed, again, to be in bed upon his arrival home, making it four times within the last week. He expected such to happen when a battle occurred, hence why two of those times had been acceptable and expected, but not on a calm night like this. To add to his displeasure, his staff had informed him that the reason the room that should have held his two toys was empty was because Gin had relapsed and Unohana had brought him back to the 4th. He might have been more upset that she had brought him down herself when they had servants capable of doing so, but the gate guards had informed him that she�d left two hours before she was expected to be in bed waiting for him, and that told him something else was going on. He was about to leave for the 4 Division for answers when a member from that Division came jogging up to the palace gates, panic written all his face.

�Kami-sama,� the Shinigami dropped to ground in proper bow of respect.

�Speak,� he ordered.

�I am here to inform you that Unohana-Taichou is in the middle of conducting major surgery on a critically injured patient. She apologizes for failing in her duty to serve you and is uncertain on how long it will take to stabilize the patient. She would also like to apologize for not informing you sooner, but she lost track of the time in the surgery room.�

Aizen was impressed that, while the subordinate was clearly shaking in fear, his voice was steady. He was not overly surprised as he�d seen even the most timid member of the 4th Division tend to the needs of members from the highly aggressive former 11th. That entire Division had gone down fighting, with the exception of three. One was now a prostitute for Barragan and the other two were running with the Escapees. The 4th Division remained alive, for the most part. He supposed there was a lesson in there for those who chose to look for one.

�I see. See to it that she rests and gets something to eat when she gets out of surgery,� he ordered.

�Hai, Kami-sama.�

�You are dismissed.�

He didn�t watch the man leave, but rather retired for dinner before taking his pleasure of the latest serving girl. It wasn�t until the next morning that he walked down to the 4th. Unohana had not returned home yet. That told him that the patient must have been in dire straits. He knew that Unohana would not risk his ire so soon after the last altercation as she cared far too much for Gin�s well-being. He expected to arrive at the 4th to find his wife had just gone to bed in her Division quarters.

He did not expect to walk into the middle of a budding fight.

Yammy was screaming at his wife, who held her ground and seemed to be losing what little of her patience she had left. Not that just anyone would be able to tell. She reeked of exhaustion, but again, that would have been apparent only to those who knew her well.

�Now this is not what I expected to walk in on this morning when I came to see how your night went, my dear,� he spoke up, drawing their attention.

Unohana bowed lightly and murmured a proper greeting. Yammy, wisely, had taken several steps away from his wife and seemed about to piss himself. Even someone like the Tenth knew better than to be so forward with his wife when he was standing there.

�Yammy, is there a good reason for raising your voice to my wife?� he asked. Of course, in Aizen�s mind such a reason did not exist, but it would be interesting to see what excuse the idiot could concoct.

�She won�t let me see my pet,� he grumbled like a spoiled child being denied a toy.

�Why is Byakuya here?� Aizen inquired, turning to his wife.

There hadn�t been a battle of any kind that day and by its nature, Senbonzakura usually kept the Kuchiki heir from injury. He suspected he knew the answer and Unohana�s reply confirmed it. He was impressed she was able to keep her voice steady as she answered him, despite her upset emotions and exhaustion. When she was done with her report, he let his expression do the talking for him and glared at Yammy.

�Did I, or did I not, specifically order you to keep your pet in functioning condition, Yammy?�Aizen prompted, hoping that a repetition of that order would jog the lout�s memory.

He had no such luck.

�He was disobeying!� Yammy protested, sounding a bit panicked.

�Are you saying he is no longer Claimed? Shall I have him executed?� he inquired, although he doubted that Byakuya�s Claim had fallen off. Of all of the �pets�, Byakuya�s Claim seemed to be refreshed on a weekly basis, if not more often.

�No!�

�Are you certain Yammy? Or are you just incompetent when it comes to using your Claim?�

Aizen tossed the challenge out there, to see what the Tenth would do. He knew how Claims worked. There was no way Byakuya could have ignored or disobeyed a direct order coming from Yammy. Yammy�s lack of tact and questionable intelligence made his orders often simple and concise. Ironically, that made it much harder for someone to squeak around them.

�I know how to use it.�

�Clearly not, if you cannot get your pet to obey a single command.�

�What command couldn�t Byakuya obey?� Unohana suddenly asked.

Aizen held back a sigh. He had been working up to that question. It was always best to get people on the defensive so they wouldn�t have time to concoct a lie. People trying to keep their hide, proverbial or otherwise, intact were frequently far more truthful than those that had the time to think up excuses. Fortunately, Yammy was about as mentally agile as a boulder and his answer took Aizen by surprise.

How had Yammy had ever gotten the idea he could speak to Senbonzakura? He planned on learning just that, but first he needed to get his wife calmed down and rested.

�Unohana�� he warned her before she could get more than a sentence of her upcoming rant up.

The fact she was even about to let loose verbally demonstrated just exhausted she was. Yammy must have really ladled on the abuse this time, and Aizen was not pleased about it or the effect it had on his wife.

�Come, Yammy, you and I need to have a little talk. Wait for me outside.�

Yammy�s brain finally registered that he was in deep trouble. �Y�yes, Kami-sama,� he stuttered, before making what amounted to a temporary escape

�You, my dear, will go into your office and rest,� he ordered. �Unless a battle occurs tonight or an emergency arises that only you can handle, I expect you in bed. You have already shirked your duties to me enough this week,� he warned her.

While he was not pleased that she had failed him twice in such a short amount of time, for her to be this exhausted indicated that Byakuya must have been very beaten up, and that angered him. It meant that Yammy had disobeyed his orders for his Espada to keep their pets in good enough condition to fight. Then Aizen remembered which of his Espada he had to deal with.

�Granted, it�s been some time since I issued that order. It�s been over 5 years now. I suppose the real wonder is that he obeyed for that long,� Aizen conceded.

�As you wish,� Unohana offered him a bow.

�Excellent. See to it that Byakuya recovers. Senbonzakura is a strong asset to the war and I would hate to lose that particular weapon right now.�

Byakuya�s Bankai was capable of holding entire quadrants of the field and that was a big asset giving the number of insects that threw themselves against them. Byakuya himself was also an accomplished soldier and one that didn�t need too much direction. Good, intelligent warriors were hard to find and if the war dragged on, and if Yammy couldn�t keep his hands to himself, well, Byakuya was a bigger asset than Yammy against the Swarm. Aizen considered the possibility of a transfer of ownership.

�Ulquiorra maybe,� he mused. �He still has a Claim spot free and is a prime example of loyalty. Perhaps Harribel would be interested in him too.�

He put the thought aside for the moment as Unohana assured him she would rest. He gently kissed her forehead before dismissing her. Then he went to deal with a problem he hadn�t expected to have to manage today.

Yammy was waiting for him by the gates to the 4th Division, and while he had regained a bit of colour, he still looked fearful. Aizen was pleased with that, at least. He indicated the Espada should follow him as they began to walk down the street towards his palace.

�Did I, or did I not, tell you that you were to keep your pet functional at all times?�

�Yes Kami-sama,� Yammy mumbled. �You did.�

�Then, why did you disobey me?� he asked, even though he had an idea about what the dolt would say.

Every Espada had an aspect and Yammy�s was that of rage. Once he started getting angry, the violence tended to escalate. If Byakuya had been unable to comply with a Claim enforced-order it definitely would have made Yammy angry, and the continuation of perceived defiance would only work the Tenth up that much more. In short, he could not be too upset with Yammy, much in the same way one ought not to be too upset over a spider eating a fly. It was simply their nature and no amount of beatings or positive reinforcement would change it. Any behavioural modification would prove temporary as well.

Yammy confirmed what he already knew, the Espada groping for words to try and explain himself and stumbling over his sentences. Aizen only paid him partial attention. Punishing Yammy wasn�t going to change anything in the long run, but it would take care of the issue in the short term. He continued to ignore Yammy�s whiny rambling as he pondered what he was going to do to make certain something like this didn�t happen again.

His first choice, physical torture, would have to be the primary method. His other methods, the first being mental, would be lost on Yammy while the second, rape, would be unpleasant for him. Yammy�s sheer ugliness decided that for him. A pity, because torture always turned him on and he was getting tired of the domestic help at the Palace. He was going to have to rotate the staff out again soon, and training a new round of servants would take time and resources.

Aizen�s mind drifted to the two male pieces of meat he enjoyed making squirm and whimper beneath him. Unfortunately, Gin was out of commission as he was in the 4th with pneumonia. His other favourite whipping boy, Szayel, had taken refuge behind Karin�s hakama and hadn�t done anything lately that demanded punishment. Granted, Aizen could always think up a reason. There was that bit of back talk when the Defence Net went down. Then he frowned irritably. He had also promised Karin and Grimmjow that they would deal out any punishments Szayel earned, and he was a god of his word.

Unless, of course, they were not here to mete that punishment out. That was always an option. A smile crossed his face at the thought and Yammy instantly stopped blabbering. It was amazing how a creature as large as Yammy could suddenly cringe and appear like a small frightened rabbit.

�Does distance affect what a Claimer feels coming from the one Claimed?� Aizen asked the Espada, his tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather.

�Yes,� Yammy answered hesitantly, obviously confused by the sudden change in topic.

�Good.�

His smile widened and Yammy actually began to shake in fear. Good, he loved the taste of fear. By now, they had reached the entrance to his Palace.

�Please be so kind as to escort my guest to the basement,� Aizen ordered the two guards at the gate.

�Basement? What�s down there?� Yammy asked. His brows knitted together as if his brain was pulling double duty trying to figure out what Aizen had arranged.

�You will find out soon enough. I would be very upset to hear you didn�t want to see it.�

Yammy wisely followed the two guards into the palace. Two more quickly took their place.

�Please send for Karin, Grimmjow and Starrk. I have a mission for them,� Aizen ordered one of the new set of guards to emerge from the gatehouse.

The Arrancar he selected saluted smartly before disappearing into a Sonido. Aizen continued back to his chambers. He had planned on doing this anyway, but Yammy�s fuck-up pushed the date forward a little bit. It would be better to kill two birds with one stone. He tracked Yammy�s reiatsu down to the basement and his smile darkened when he felt the spike of terror that raced through it. Even Yammy could recognize a torture chamber when he saw it.

Aizen sent out a wash of his reiatsu towards the Espada, freezing him in place and crushing him beneath his overwhelming power before Yammy could attempt to kill the guards escorting him to escape. It was far more satisfying tasting the terror, knowing that every minute his victim got to stare at the implements of pain that filled his playroom in the basement was another minute that terror intensified. Even someone with Yammy�s limited imagination could think up all sorts of horrible ways in which it could be used.

He felt himself getting hard from just a small taste of the fright coming from his private playroom and shifted a bit so he was more comfortable. Perhaps one of the servant girls would have to do for now, before he saw to Yammy�s punishment. First, he had to send out those he had summoned on their mission. Ironically, it was a real mission that would benefit his Empire and not just one to get them out from underfoot so he could indulge himself. It wasn�t as if he couldn�t just take what he wanted, as no one would truly be able to stop him, but it was far more satisfying to play these games, to manipulate people into taking the direction he desired. It made the spoils all the sweeter.

After a ten minute wait the three he had summoned arrived. Starrk looked half-asleep, Grimmjow looked annoyed and Karin looked weary.

�Ah, excellent,� he practically purred. �Thank you for coming so quickly. I have decided to initiate the next phase of the Portal Scarab Operation ahead of schedule. I trust you know what to do?� he asked.

All three gave varying forms of agreement and did a poor job of hiding their surprise. The initial plan had been to send them out next week. Ah well, so far Karin had failed to see the portals but had caught sight of the Swarm, which indicated that the portals created by the Swarm�s Scarabs were going up just out of her current range.

�I ask that you leave immediately after informing your charges. Karin, speak to my quartermaster on the way out and he will see to it that you are properly provisioned for the trip.�

�Hai, Kami-sama,� she bowed.

Karin looked like she wanted to argue or protest, but she clearly bit her tongue. Grimmjow also looked displeased, but an elbow into his side by his pet silenced him before he could protest. Aizen was highly amused, but kept it to himself. Starrk also appeared annoyed but he expected that, since anything that involved actual effort annoyed the male half of the Primera.

Aizen dismissed them and remained sitting regally while the three retreated from his presence. He waited until he felt them arrive at the quartermaster�s office before rising from his throne. With business out of the way, it was time for some pleasure. The only question was which servant girl he should summon to relieve his sexual tension on before heading to the basement. Perhaps the one that, in the right light and with her hair done up in that adorable little bun, reminded him of Hinamori-chan. He would need to give them some time to get some distance before he summoned Szayel.

�Tomorrow evening should suffice, as much as it will be annoying to have to wait. Still, a little bit of anticipation makes the meal tastier,� he couldn�t help but to think with a smirk.

When the summons to Aizen�s Palace came, Renji felt his heart leap into his throat. Apprehension fought it out with stone-cold fear for supremacy. His first worry was that the jig was up and that Aizen had learned that it was Nel, one of Yoruichi�s little band of Escapees, that held his Claim and not Szayel. Such information would probably lead to a swift, if he were lucky, execution. It would probably be a long, slow and painful one if Aizen discovered he�s been passing on information to her. He wasn�t the only one of course. Nel had let slip that Karin and Yoruichi shared the occasional correspondence, which took him by surprise. Then again, that little information exchange the two women had going was what had allowed Renji to fly under Aizen�s radar for the last five years, meeting in secret with one of the best things that had ever happened to him in this or any other Realm. What hadn�t taken him by surprise was learning that Yoruichi still dropped by the Kuchiki Estate a handful of times a year.

He wondered what the two talked about while she was there. It wasn�t as if she could have missed what his former Taichou had to endure at the brute�s hands.

The guards at the entrance to Aizen�s Palace let him pass without confrontation and a male servant met him on the other side of the elaborate gates. The silent young man led him into the Palace and Renji�s anxiety skyrocketed as they walked down a set of stairs. As they descended his nose picked up the metallic scent of blood and the stink of fear. Both scents grew stronger the farther down the stairs he walked. He could also hear the sound of someone spraying water, and, very faintly, whimpering.

The servant left him standing in front of a set of closed doors and scuttled quickly away without another word. Renji didn�t blame him. The iron-dark stench of freshly spilled blood was thick in the air, as were a slew of other scents that took him a moment to place. When he figured out what they were, he had to steel himself, lest he imitate the servant and flee. It had been some time since he�d had to survive on the wild streets of one of the worst Rukongai districts, but he would never forget the stale, and even fresh, smell of sweat, alcohol, blood and semen. The only thing missing was the sharp reek of cheap, plentiful sake spilled on the ground, soaking through clothing and puked up in back alleys.

Uncertain of what he was supposed to do, and wanting to run the longer he stayed there, he hesitantly knocked on the door. He didn�t have to wait long before someone bid him enter. He screwed up his courage, preparing for what might await him on the other side. Renji opened the heavy door and barely made it a step into the room before his blood ran cold.

He stood in a huge room that seemed to be a combination of torture chamber, throne room and BDSM-designed bedroom. His eyes took a second to adjust before he realized there was a large pool of red liquid under what looked like the prone figure of� Yammy Llargo. The Espada seemed to be unconscious and despite the horrific sight, Renji couldn�t help but feel like the bastard got a small taste of what he deserved. To Renji�s eye, no stranger to wounds having spent time in the 11th Division, it looked as if Yammy had been strung up there for a day or two and his back whipped until the flesh of it hung in tatters.

After what Renji had learned the bastard did to Byakuya, the punishment almost seemed too light, even as he felt disgust that anyone could do such a thing to another. The sound of water spraying he�d heard earlier came from Ichimaru Gin, looking very sick and definitely pale as he sprayed down that end of the room to wash the standing blood down a drain in the floor, pausing only to cough into the sleeve of his simple, white kimono. The hem was stained red with blood but it didn�t look like Aizen had hurt Gin, at least not lately.

Renji tore his eyes away from the mess in the corner, only to discover something worse on the other side of the room. He�d heard about things like this happening, Karin and Nemu had informed him repeatedly that it did, but this was the first time he�d ever witnessed it and he felt sick to his stomach.

Aizen was sitting in his throne, a dreamy, pleased smile on his lips as he brushed a hand through blood-matted, pink strands while the head attached to the hair bobbed between his legs. Renji hardly noticed the smile or Aizen at all, as he stared wide-eyed at the blood streaming down Szayel�s naked back and the white and red fluid staining his thighs. Dark, black-and-purple bruises formed on his rear, his back and his thighs and the whimpering he�d caught earlier came from the Espada, forced to take Aizen�s engorged length deep down his throat.

�Ah, Abarai, you have excellent timing. I am almost done here, but I fear your Master will be unable to walk home on his own.� The hand that had been stroking through Szayel�s bloodstained hair came down the side of Szayel�s face in a mockery of a comforting caress.

Renji was too horrified to speak, too shocked to breathe and probably would have raced forward to separate them had not some tactically detached part of his brain intervened and told his body to stay where it was if he wanted to walk away unscathed. By the time he got himself together, Aizen let out a pleased sigh before brushing Szayel off of his lap as if he was a speck of unwanted dirt.

Szayel fell to the floor with a whimper, gagging and curled up pathetically. Aizen rose to his feet, tucked himself away, fixed his hakama, and stepped over the quivering, bloody mess at his feet.

�Kindly escort your Master home,� Aizen smiled benignly at him before gazing down at the shivering body at his feet. �I trust you have learned your lesson?�

Szayel gave a nod of his head.

�Excellent. I will see you and your son tomorrow afternoon. I can�t wait to see what kind of projects Abisara-kun has been working on.�

With that, Aizen waltzed out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Renji quickly moved to Szayel�s side, his revulsion growing as he finally got a look at the damage done to the Espada�s front.

The two of them had reached a tentative truce over the years, but deep down Renji had still harboured some bitterness for the experiments, Szayel�s initial rape of his person when he�d first Claimed him, and the one terrible discovery, just three years ago that led to a failed attempt on his part to strangle the scientist. There were mitigating circumstances in each instance, but the resentment the redhead felt lingered, refusing to die on principle.

What little of the antipathy he still felt vanished as he surveyed the nightmarish mess Aizen had blithely made out of one of his own subordinates. In fact, it rolled over on its back and died a swift and certain death.

�Szayel,� he called hesitantly, not knowing where to start.

�Just take me home,� Szayel whispered, weakly.

�Sure.�

Renji looked around for Szayel�s clothes, but all he found was a pile of bloody tatters over by a bed like structure that still gleamed wetly from a recent spraying-down. Lacking anything else, Renji shrugged out of the top part of his uniform instead and wrapped his kosode around the quivering Arrancar. The redhead was taller and broader-shouldered than Szayel and it might cover the worst of things.

He had no idea what to say, so he kept his mouth shut, even as he noticed the tears streaming down Szayel�s face and the cum staining his lips. Belatedly, he realized the shaking was due to Szayel�s broken sobbing. His front was just as damaged as his back and blood oozed from the red welts that wrapped around Szayel�s wrist and ankles. Those wounds, Renji knew, came from struggling against restraints. There was even some purple bruising starting to show up around the corners of Szayel�s mouth, which meant that Aizen had gagged him at some point.

�Ya should get �im home,� Gin spoke up weakly, then turned away. �Do it quick, �fore Kami changes �is mind.�

�Yeah,� Renji agreed as he picked up his burden bridal style.

Szayel cried out softly in pain but there was nothing Renji could do about it. There didn�t seem to be a good way to carry him, as all of the best ways to carry an injured person, at least in Renji�s experience, would put undue pressure on Szayel�s wounded body. The best he could do was to get Szayel somewhere that could provide some treatment and fast.

He launched into Shunpo the moment he was clear of the Palace Gates, ignoring how much blood had already seeped through the uniform top and smeared his tattooed chest and arms. He felt sick to his stomach and held back the urge to hurl only through sheer will power. Szayel was not so lucky, but at least he managed to warn Renji so he had time to set Szayel down and hold onto him while he vomited into a planting of bushes. The shaking intensified after that and Renji had to hold onto his burden more tightly as he continued the headlong rush to get Szayel home.

�What kind of crazy, fucked- up person punishes one person for beating their subordinate into a bloody pulp, and then turns around and does the same thing to one of his?� Renji couldn�t help but to mutter in disgust.

If Szayel heard him, he didn�t answer.

Then he thought about what he�d originally intended to do today and the same cold that filled his veins sank to the pit of his stomach. Abisara and Vindula� there was no way in hell he would let his charges see their father looking like this. Renji almost came to a stop as he considered the implications of rushing into the Science and Research Building, Szayel�s home, with his burden. He could imagine the horrified expressions both youngsters would have, seeing their Otou-san looking like something a bear had mauled and reeking of blood, fear and sex.

He would never subject Vindula to that kind of thing again. Once was enough and he had been the one bearing most of the blood and wounds. He wouldn�t even take the chance.

Renji wasn�t all that great at sensing reiatsu, but he could often find the twins without too much trouble. Abisara was down in one of the invention research labs, a good distance away from the biological ones. Blessedly, Vindula was not there at all, most likely somewhere with Hana, Ajuga or Lilinette. Fortune was with him today, it would seem, even if the bitch had passed Szayel by completely.

He picked up the pace before either of the twins figured out he was back, rushing in through the front doors and towards one of the medical labs. The staff stared after him in surprise, but he paid them no mind other than to order the closest person in a lab coat to find Nemu and send her, by herself, to Laboratory 5, only to rectify that order when Szayel whimpered out �room.�

Renji didn�t question the decision and simply changed course to carry the Espada to the set of suites Szayel and his family used as their living quarters. Not that the one Renji had here was bad, but his small set of rooms was nowhere near this elegant. They were definitely better than the large, subterranean chamber he had temporarily lived in until the issue of his Claim had been addressed and far outweighed the little closet he�d apparently rested in during his �long sleep,� as he referred to the time that had passed while his soul had been shattered.

�Bathroom,� the scientist muttered thickly.

Renji nodded and helped Szayel into the bathroom, setting him down on the shower floor before reaching up and turning the taps on. Water sprayed down on them but he didn�t mind. He needed a rinse as well with the blood coating his chest and staining his hakama.

With deliberate gentleness, he slowly striped his sodden, bloodstained kosode from Szayel�s shivering body. His patient remained limp in his arms as Renji set about cleaning the bloody mess up. The water running down the drain ran bright red for some time and the once white washcloth quickly took on the same shade as Renji�s hair.

Nemu arrived ten minutes later, a look of worry on her normally stoic face. She silently joined them and pulled Szayel�s head into her lap, where she proceeded, gently, to wash the blood out of his hair. Renji reached up above their heads and passed her the bottles of shampoo and conditioner when she softly asked for it.

No further words were exchanged between the three and the only noise was the hiss of the shower running and the occasional gurgle from the drain. Renji silently continued to clean up blood, scrubbing the cuts clean and holding back a foul oath when he noticed that Szayel�s back hadn�t been lashed with a whip as he�d first assumed, but rather carved up with a knife, or some other sharp implement. The wounds formed kanji. Szayel flinched periodically in pain and the odd whimper escaped his throat, but otherwise he made no protest. When most of Szayel was cleaned up, Renji finally found himself hesitating. The last part of Szayel�s body that needed tending to was rather private.

Most of the shivering had finally ceased and Renji finally broke the silence.

�Do you want to finish cleaning up on your own?� he asked softly.

�Yes, I think I can manage the rest from here. Could you go make some tea, the one in the red jar on the top shelf in the back?� Szayel requested. His voice wavered a bit, but otherwise it seemed strong enough. �It contains a painkiller.�

�No problem,� Renji agreed, handing him the cloth and soap before disentangling himself from the pile of bodies the three of them had somehow managed to end up in.

He shed what was left of his uniform and tossed it in the hamper before drying off and wrapping one towel around his sodden hair and another around his waist so he wasn�t walking around naked. He completely ignored the heart-wrenching sob that broke out almost immediately after he closed the bathroom door behind him. There were some things, he knew, one man didn�t want another man to hear.

He leaned against the door for a moment with his eyes closed as the broken sobbing continued. Then, suddenly furious, he pushed off and stalked to the kitchen. His hands shook in anger as he set about getting water boiling and finding the correct tin of tea leaves.

Words failed him. That any creature could do such a thing to another, that any ruler could treat a subordinate in such a way� Renji simply didn�t understand what would prompt such a thing. He thought what he felt towards Aizen was the lowest form of loathing and hate a soul could muster, but he�d been terribly wrong about that. He spied a couple of bottles on the top shelf, kept well out of reach of curious children and pulled one down.

Renji forced the bile that lurked in the back of his throat down and poured a shot of sake to settle his nerves, then another. A third one beckoned, but he firmly put the bottle away before he could down the whole thing as he wanted to.

He�d been pretty pissed when Szayel had Claimed him, but the Seventh Espada had never put Renji through anything like what Aizen had just done to the scientist. In fact, now that he�d calmed down over the years and considered things, he realized that Szayel hadn�t exactly enjoyed it overly much either. It had always been quick and clinical, often with Szayel muttering about finding another way to Claim him and going on about how he was lucky he made a half-decent specimen. There was also the deal the Espada had made with Ishida Uryuu, to keep he and Nemu alive, something he�d only learned of a little over five years ago.

Of course, the Szayel from before the �long sleep� was infinitely different from the Szayel he�d encountered upon his restoration. They might as well not even be the same person, short of an unholy interest in all things scientific.

The water boiled, sending the kettle whistling and forcing Renji back to the task at hand. He set the tea to brewing and poured the rest of the water into a bowl with the cups to warm them. Digging through the fridge, he pulled out the hidden stash of fudge he knew Szayel kept from his children in a secret compartment in the back. Well, maybe from Vindula as Renji suspected Abisara would have easily found the hidden storage space and was unlikely to raid it, or at least, to gobble it all down in one setting.

He put the tray of tea, the warmed cups and the candy together before entering the living room. Nemu and Szayel were just exiting the bathroom and Renji could see the bandages tightly wrapped around Szayel�s chest through the thick, fluffy, pink bathrobe he�d thrown on.

�You must think me pathetic,� Szayel muttered brokenly as Nemu forced him to sit down on his usual place on the end of the couch.

�No,� Renji assured him. �What I am thinking right now is how sick of a fuck Aizen is,� he growled, finally allowing his anger to show. �I thought Karin and Grimmjow were supposed to administer any punishments.�

�They are not here,� Szayel pointed out, his expression bleak.

�Oh right.� He�d forgotten that Aizen had sent them out the previous morning. �I thought Aizen wanted to wait a while before sending Karin further a field!�

�I suspect that he wanted them out of the way.� Szayel spat hatefully. Now Renji felt his jaw drop a little

�You mean to tell me that Aizen deliberately sent them out early just so he could�� Renji forced himself to stop before he could say it.

�Torture and rape me,� Szayel finished for him, his shoulders slumped and his golden eyes dull. �Yes. That is exactly what I suspect happened. Yammy pissed him off and torture always turns Aizen on. You would have to have strange tastes to want to willingly fornicate with that pig-headed lump and since Gin is sick with pneumonia, he made up some excuse to summon me�� Szayel trailed off, his body beginning to shake once more and tears threatening the corner of his eyes. �I had forgotten how much this hurts,� he whimpered, trying to adjust his body into a more comfortable position.

Nemu poured him a cup of tea and Szayel accepted it with trembling hands.

Once again, Renji had no idea what to say. He felt helpless and feeling helpless made him uncomfortable. He could not believe that Aizen had stooped so low as to change plans regarding the defence of the city just so he could get a little tail. The only tiny bit of consolation he could get out of the whole fucked up affair was that Yammy had been decisively punished for hurting Byakuya so badly.

Szayel�s shakes came and went and he suffered at least two panic attacks. Nemu simply held him, whispering small, soft endearments to him as she gently rocked him and Renji began to feel like an intruder. Then he looked down and realized he was still half-naked. He latched onto that, as it was the one thing he could do something about at the moment.

�I am going to get a change of clothes. If you give me that card thing, I�ll take Abisara and Vindula out for dinner,� he offered.

�That would be appreciated,� Nemu replied, her green eyes full of gratitude.

She untangled herself from Szayel and dug up the card. Renji drained the last of his tea and accepted it. He locked the door on his way out and made his way back to his own room, startling a few of the staff members as he passed them, barefoot and clad only in terry cloth.

Renji didn�t have the time to indulge in what he wanted to do, which was to open himself up to the Claim that surrounded him and spend the afternoon taking comfort in Nel�s reiatsu. Since he wasn�t sure what she could feel on her end, given the distance, he settled on a minute or two, sitting on the edge of the bed, to send as much reassurance and as much love to his mate as he could, to let her know that whatever she might have picked up in the short time he�d been in Aizen�s little chamber of horrors had only been temporary and that he remained in one piece. Then, reluctantly, he got to his feet.

He pulled on one of the spare uniforms he kept in his closet, found his spare sandals and retrieved Abisara first. The boy was the closest one and, Renji grudgingly admitted, far better at sensing reiatsu and finding his twin than Renji. It took a bit of prying, but Renji pulled the young boy away from his circuitry project and sic�d him on Vindula�s scent. The promise of taiyaki acted as the perfect incentive.

They found her hanging out with Lilinette and Ajuga in one of the many larger parks in the 1st District. Apparently, they were teaching Vindula how to hunt deer as the population in this particular park was getting too large and too many trees were dying as the deer stripped off their layers of bark and ate them. The things were a good choice of prey for the young girl. He hadn�t exactly figured Vindula for a hunter. Nevertheless, whatever the older girls seemed to be into, Vindula wanted to try, even if she didn�t actually seem that into the idea of killing a deer. At least she wasn�t alone and a sitting duck for an unruly Numeros or an Espada with an eye for the naturally-born. Last year�s ruckus over her had left an impression on both children, but Vindula�s exuberance often won out over prudence. He hated it when the girl eluded him and he swore he was going to wake up with grey streaks in his long red mane from worrying over her.

They immediately forgave him for interrupting their hunting lesson when he informed them he was taking them all out for dinner. An argument briefly ensued as they discussed food options before they settled on a favourite place that served its patrons raw food on platters that they could cook on a grill in the center of the table. Considering what he knew of Ajuga�s food preferences, barbecue seemed like a good compromise.

�Renji, is everything alright?� Ajuga asked him in a low voice as Lilinette skipped ahead with the twins, playing an impromptu game of tag that made Renji think of another small girl he�d once known and her two brothers, chasing one another through endless hills of white sand. He turned to stare down at the young hybrid, shaking his head to rid him of the image.

�Hmm, what makes you think something�s wrong?�

�You have Szay�s card and,� her voice lowered further so he had to strain to hear her, �you smell like Szay�s blood and it also smells like you just took a shower. Plus, you�re a rotten liar.�

He didn�t dare answer verbally, so he gave a very small nod of his head. Ajuga frowned, but she was smart enough to remember the twins were within earshot, so she didn�t press for more information. Renji was glad because, in his mind, she was too young to be dealing with this shit, Arrancar child or not, nearly-grown or not.

Dinner went better than he expected. Ajuga let nothing slip that something was up and Abisara even unwound a little, finally acting like the little boy he really was. With some effort, Renji managed to place the horrifying event that had led to this pleasant evening into a corner of his mind that he told himself he�d deal with later, when he had more time and fewer responsibilities. After dinner, they even went to one of the parks with a playground.

He sat on the bench and watched, satisfied as the twins played in a carefree manner. Even Ajuga participated and the first small game of tag Lilinette started on the way to the restaurant quickly escalated as they raced around, under and over the playground equipment. Vindula was the one who ran up to him and grabbed his hand, tugging insistently and demanding he come play too. He resisted only as long as it took her to turn watery big eyes his way. He let out a mock sigh of defeat and rose from the bench to join in the game. She let out a squeal of delight and raced back to the rest of the fray. Briefly, her feet left the ground as she skipped and the next time it happened, he wings kept her airborne for a few more seconds. Renji stopped for a moment to stare.

Another milestone promptly slapped him in the face, even as he suddenly understood he was going to have to deal with this new, aerial aspect of his small, female charge. Renji prayed, as he watched Vindula flutter back to the game that the shocks were done for the day.

The sun was just starting to set when he ushered all of them back towards home, pausing only to grab some taiyaki for them as a treat and to pay Abisara back for locating his twin.

Ajuga and Lilinette peeled off as they passed the tree-lined street that would take them back to Jushiro�s Estate. Ajuga paused and shared a sad look with him before continuing on. He hoped that Nemu had been able to tend properly to Szayel and that Szayel had a chance to recover, or at least, recover enough that he would be able to put on a false front for his children.

There was something nagging at the back of his mind and unfortunately, it wasn�t until the children had been settled into bed and he�d returned to his own room that it hit him. Renji had to sift back through the nauseating details, but he thought he�d heard Aizen say something that he hoped he�d heard wrong. When the bastard�s precise words came back to him in a rush, he was on his feet, stalking purposefully towards the Division�s Library, to search yet again for any book that he thought might tell him how to open the portal Nel used to enter the small, Kido-created room where she refreshed his Claim every ten months. He�d been at this for the last five years but now�

�Excellent. I will see you and your son tomorrow afternoon then. I can�t wait to see what kind of projects Abisara has been working on.�

Today he�d seen the result of Aizen�s tender �attentions� towards Szayel. Renji would be boiled in oil, flayed alive and tossed through the Hell Gate naked before he would allow Aizen to show the same kind of �attention� towards Abisara. Szayel had been punished for something and that little bit the snake-in-Kami�s-clothing mentioned before leaving told Renji that whatever it was involved his son. If Szayel�s paternal instincts were telling him to keep Aizen away from the boy at all costs, Renji wasn�t going to argue.

The redhead�s pace down the hallway picked up. He�d been over and over the Library, looking for any information on higher levels of Kido, and barriers in particular� anything to figure out how to crack the one last obstacle in his path. However, Kido wasn�t his strongest suit and he couldn�t risk asking anyone for help. Worst of all, what Renji feared most was that he might be rapidly running out of time.

It has not been a good last little while. I have been very sick and my laptop died, trapping all of my work on it until I could get a new one and manage to get the equipment needed to both rescue everything off of my hard drive and get a writing program to open my files. I have had no motivation to write in a very long time /sob.
Next Chapter: Karin, Grimmjow and Starrk go camping and bug hunting. If I recall correctly, Karin flips out on Aizen at the end when they get back to the city.
This Weeks Question: How�s the weather at your home been? Here we have birds chirping, sun shinning, and flowers blooming.
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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