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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
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Childish

�Well, what have you learned so far, my Seventh?� Aizen asked Szayel.

The two of them stood before the large Plexiglas window, gazing down at the Scarab. It slept soundly, curled up contently in a corner. After being led into the cell it hadn�t tried to escape once, which made the Espada put in charge of the thing more uneasy than it should have. Almost all creatures kept in cages made at least one attempt to gain their freedom. This wasn�t exactly what Szayel would consider �normal� animal behaviour.

�It appears to possess a dog-like intelligence. It knows when feeding time comes around and it gets excited just before the doors open.�

�It acts as if it�s domesticated. I see. What are you feeding it?�

Then again, some aspects of the Scarab, like its much smaller cousins, remained disgustingly typical.

�Cattle, horse, oxen and other such animal dung collected from farms outside of the city, almost 100 pounds of it a day,� Szayel replied and barely repressed a shudder.

Aizen raised an eyebrow at that answer. Szayel didn�t blame him. It was getting tedious tracking that much animal waste in, not to mention the smell it created.

�I�ve also had to greatly increase the oxygen levels in the room. This is the first chance my Division has had to study a live subject. We�ve discovered that they have higher oxygen requirements than we expected. This means that it is very unlikely they have a base here in Soul Society. The percentage of oxygen in the Seireitei�s atmosphere isn�t conducive for long-term support. It�s my belief that, frankly, they would die of oxygen deprivation if left in this environment for too long. I would give the smaller members of the Swarm a week before that happened.

�Like all insects, they are very fastidious in their grooming. This one spends at least six hours, per day, cleaning itself. We noticed from the beginning that it dislikes Hollows immensely and it will attack any I send in with the meals. Their tolerance of Shinigami is hit-or-miss. With the permission of their �masters�, my staff discovered that they have a keen interest in humans. Unfortunately, the humans we do have access to lack the strength to carry 100lbs of excrement into the cage on their shoulders, although, I believe they are just saying that because they don�t want to touch the feed.�

That pulled a faint smile out of Aizen, and it was one Szayel nervously matched. Karin gave him an emphatic �NO!� when he had asked her to do so and had then informed him she would not permit him to ask the other girls to do so either. It really was a pity, Szayel thought, that his mistress was so squeamish about a few tons of cow pies.

�We also discovered that if we send Karin or Tatsuki in first, the specimen focuses on them and Nemu can get the bags of feed in without trouble,� Szayel continued. �I haven�t had much chance to study how they work yet, but we�ve found that the creature�s wings give off some sort of low level energy signature. It�s not reiatsu, but something else. We have yet to isolate its exact energy type.�

Szayel continued with his report, relating to Aizen everything he�d learned so far, while holding back a few important bits of information: that it was Karin who had snagged the creature�s interest, not Tatsuki and that it recognized and responded to her immediately, displaying a childlike obedience. One night, he�d even wondered if Karin couldn�t get it to fly through a flaming hoop.

He�d discarded the idea when he remembered that the level of oxygen in the chamber, exposed to any sort of flame, plus the methane from the feed, would equal an explosion and flames the likes of which had probably died out with the late Soutaichou.

Still, it was such a tempting thought.

�How long will it take to discover how their portals work?� Aizen inquired.

�It�s hard to say. We need to identify and understand the properties of the energy source they use first. There could be a sort of positive/negative orientation to them as well and it may take two differently �charged� Scarabs to create a portal. The need for another with the same charge is also possible but less likely, as any charge they might create would be much weaker and more easily disturbed, and thus less stable.�

He had become almost comfortable during the long conversation. When Aizen wanted to torment him, he usually did so in the �playroom� in the Palace�s basement. When he showed up here, it was generally all about business. In addition, as much as it sickened him to entertain the thought, let alone acknowledge it, he felt safer knowing that Karin was back. Aizen�s amusement with her might have shifted to annoyance after the little altercation last week, however. He certainly hoped not, as she was the only reason he was not underneath Aizen every week for the smallest imagined slight. He couldn�t help but feel a certain amount of disgust with himself. It was outrageous that an Espada such as he found himself reduced to cowering in a human woman�s shadow.

�Continue with your research and inform me the moment you learn what sort of energy the Swarm is using. I trust it won�t take you too long.� The confident smile Aizen gave him didn�t offer friendly encouragement to do his best. Instead, it promised him pain should he take too long in cracking the creature�s secrets.

�Of course, Kami-sama. Unless you wish otherwise, I will focus exclusively on this project. My team should be able to deal with placing the last of the depth sounders unsupervised. Unlike the Defence Net poles, their positions do not have to be precisely laid out.�

�So be it.�

With that, Aizen turned and walked out, leaving Szayel alone in the lab attached to the holding cell. He let out a long sigh of relief as the sound of the door sealing faded. He was finally alone with his thoughts and in one piece. After a meeting with Aizen, he tended to count that as at least a �pass�.

The meeting had gone well, and despite his ingrained fear of his ruler, he had to admit he was excited to show off his knowledge. They had learned a lot about how the Swarm functioned from Specimen S4-01 or �Mushi� as Karin had nicknamed the darned thing. He wasn�t happy about the appellation. It meant she was going to get attached to the damnable thing and any hope he had of convincing her to conduct some of the experiments he needed to, ones he knew she would morally object to, had pretty much flown out the window.

Still, he had to admit even he had grown grudgingly fond of Mushi over the last few days. For a bug, (he or she, Szayel hadn�t determine the thing�s gender yet) it had been a willing participant. Mushi was completely obsessed with Karin and acted like an excitable puppy when she appeared, chittering rapidly away whenever it saw the young woman and Szayel knew, without a shadow of doubt, Mushi was speaking in the Swarm�s language. He had Nemu working on whether or not they could translate the sounds into something meaningful but Mushi only �spoke� when Karin was there.

Since no one knew when Aizen was going to stop by, and as Karin was busy with her own duties, she hadn�t been able to spend much time assisting Szayel in his research. It was so frustrating to him. If they could translate and recreate the language, they might be able to communicate with the Swarm, or at least determine their battle plans.

Of course, that could also turn into a double-edged sword. If Aizen learned why the Swarm had a vested interest in Karin, Szayel foresaw a veritable shit storm of trouble headed their way. He did not want to even begin to consider what �Kami-sama� would do to him should Aizen learn that he had been withholding such a tidbit from him, especially as it was information he�d possessed since before Karin had ensnared him with her Claim. It would make what he�d done to Szayel thus far, for minor infractions, look like a walk in the park on a sunny day.

Shivering, he forced those thoughts away and concentrated on mentally designing a machine to help him pinpoint the variety of energy Mushi�s wings radiated. As extensive as the combined collection of equipment of Kurotsuchi and his own labs in Las Noches were, nothing he had on hand seemed to be able to read it properly. Once he knew that they could at least start making scanning devices to pick up that energy signature, he could begin designing a better early warning system. If the defenders could engage the Swarm hundreds of kilometers away from the city, they would also be able to use attacks with greater power without worrying about annihilating entire sections of the city and massacring thousands of souls. Not that any of the Arrancar, including Szayel, really gave a damn about the citizens living that far away from the protection of the city, but if too many were to suddenly disappear it would give the precarious balance the Realms had achieved a very violent shove in the wrong direction. Who knew, if they managed to get the front lines far enough away, Aizen himself might even be able to step in, and that would definitely cut the battles shorter.

His hands flexed on the window glass, leaving faint marks as evidence of both his excitement over the possibilities the knowledge the bug below could offer up, as well as his distress about the latest of Aizen�s unspoken threats. Szayel heard someone entering the key to the door from the other side and sighed. He would much rather concentrate on the former than the latter, since there was almost nothing he could do about his �leader�.

�Szayel-sama, the first of the corpses are arriving,� Nemu reported as she entered the room.

�Excellent,� he clapped in excitement. �Are they in good shape?�

�They�re acceptable,� she answered. �There�s the usual short term degradation, but once within a preservative field, they should last long enough to dissect.�

�Wonderful! I was worried Grimmjow might have shredded his targets and rendered them useless for my research. Pick one out and have it brought to Dissection Room A. Let�s find out what the insides of these things look like.�

�As you wish,� she responded and smiled at him. He found his mood lifted with the corners of her mouth.

Today looked to be a good day. He couldn�t wait to see what secrets lurked within one of those specimens, especially with regard to the wings. If he was lucky, he might even be able to capture some of the residual radiation on them to determine what kind of relationship the various Scarabs had to one another when it came to portal creation. He might also discover a way to determine their genders, if any, and he could finally put a label on Mushi as far as the creature�s sex. Such data was crucial when it came to courting a target. The more Karin could make Mushi co-operate, the faster his research would go.

Ulquiorra was pleased, although only those that knew him very well would know. He appeared stoic as ever on the outside. On the inside, he was impressed with how far Diaemus had come. Love was still a slightly frightening, almost alien concept to him, but he knew there were two things he definitely loved.

The first was Orihime, and that had been a very rocky road indeed. He still had no idea how he had managed to get her to forgive all of his transgressions over the five years he�d forced himself upon her. It had taken some work on both their parts, but he understood now what he had done to her from her point of view, and it astonished him that she had ever absolved and accepted him. Women were strange. Grimmjow had once told him that human women were quick to forgive, if one could bend or even let go of one�s pride long enough to apologize, preferably with a fair amount of bribery and begging. However, Grimmjow had also warned him that, more often than not, they were the ones capable of holding a grudge until time itself had ceased to exist and they would make every millisecond of that eternity utter hell for the one who slighted them.

Thus, Ulquiorra bent, folded and swallowed his pride and apologized as best he could to Orihime. In return, Orihime had quickly changed. The transformation from an unhappy, broken piece of property into the loving woman who made his formerly isolated and joyless life truly worth living was miraculous, not to mention� rewarding. As much as he despised Grimmjow, and though he would never admit it to the other�s face, he could not deny that when it came to women, his fellow Espada was truly �the king.�

The second thing he loved was his son, a prime example of what an Arrancar ought to be, and who lived up to all of Ulquiorra�s expectations�. most of the time. There was only one other Arrancar child Diaemus�s age, and that was Ajuga. Ulquiorra didn�t hate Ajuga, or despise her for that matter. As Hollows went, she was an impressive girl growing into her power, who displayed all of the trappings of loyalty. She would make someone a powerful mate someday.

No, what Ulquiorra�s issues with involved her carefree manner, a frame of mind that frequently got herself, Hana and Diaemus into trouble. With the Defence Net down, he could almost guarantee that trouble would find them more often as well. Ajuga, like her father, craved the hunt. Neither Ajuga nor Diaemus had an assigned unit yet so when the squads did engage the Swarm, they both went where they liked, although they usually ended up fighting close to where Hana�s superiors deployed the Shinigami girl.

�Perhaps it is time to assign them to a proper Arrancar unit,� he thought.

It wasn�t that he was displeased that the children partook in the battles. In fact, he was very happy that Diaemus had stepped up without any prompting. The real problem was that rogues, under the leadership of no one but themselves, could be dangerous in a battle. They could ruin traps laid for the enemy simply because they did not know one had been set. They could trigger a trap around the ones setting it, or fall into a trap they didn�t know existed. As much as he admired his son�s initiative, as the boy�s father he needed to take a firm stand with regard to his child�s actions.

�You called for me Otou-san?� Diaemus asked, landing gracefully before him.

His son had become adept at using his wings and he�d become a master of the air currents in recent years. Unfortunately, now wasn�t the time to dwell on his son�s accomplishments. Diaemus had a new set of skills to learn.

�I did,� he agreed, putting the thought of unit assignment behind him for the moment. �Come,� he ordered.

Diaemus didn�t question his father�s command and followed him as he launched into a Sonido. He led his son to a clearing that had come to mean something to him, the very one Grimmjow and he had created. Whenever he found himself in need of a place to do some serious thinking, or unravel a problem, he inevitably ended up in this place. Diaemus touched down beside him and patiently waited for him to explain why they were here.

�It is time that you learned how to use some of the attacks of your heritage, and use them properly.�

He did a good job of hiding it, but Ulquiorra could tell that his son was excited at the prospect. So far, all of the training father and son had done had involved hand-to- hand attacks and defensive moves on both the ground and in the air. Ajuga had joined them for a few lessons, just as Diaemus had joined Ajuga and Grimmjow during their training sessions. Ever since the altercation in this very clearing, Grimmjow and he had come to a sort of understanding, a weary acceptance of each other. He silently applauded Karin for turning the insufferable Sexta into a tolerable, semi-productive Espada who had learned not to jump on and at everything that he disliked. Yes, Grimmjow had gone from being pure trash to an adequate warrior who proved useful during a skirmish. Ulquiorra certainly hadn�t thought it possible, but time and a mate with a brain had apparently worked wonders.

�First, you shall learn how to use a basic Cero. Once you have mastered that, we will move on to a Bala and, if you can learn and demonstrate that to my satisfaction, the Grand Ray Cero.�

Diaemus gave a nod of his head that betrayed only a little of his eagerness. He did well in keeping his emotions under control, lest an enemy use his emotions against him one day. That pleased the boy�s father even more, as it was a hard lesson that many had never overcome. A warrior with a cool head and an unreadable face was far more likely to win, even against a far-stronger opponent.

�Very well. Pay attention.�

Diaemus proceeded to emulate a sponge for the afternoon, soaking up the information as Ulquiorra walked him through the reiatsu manipulation required to produce a basic Cero. His son was not impulsive and had a large amount of patience, so the exercise in creating the small ball of energy in his hand and dismissing it repeatedly didn�t frustrate him. When Ulquiorra was finally satisfied with the composition, he permitted his son to try firing one at a tree stump.

The formation was perfect, the Cero at the correct strength he�d requested, and the target was only a little off, hitting the ground several feet to the left and behind the trunk. Undaunted, Diaemus charged up another small one and fired again, adjusting his aim. This time it just nicked the top of the stump and impacted a tree, splintering the trunk slightly. Adjusting one more time, Diaemus hit his target dead on.

�Excellent,� Ulquiorra said, and while an observer might have thought it understated, the praise was genuine.

Diaemus allowed himself a small smile, absorbing the paternal approval and lined up another shot. Right now Ulquiorra was more concerned with his son learning how to aim properly, rather than adding the component of power to the equation. Power would come later. A well-placed Cero was preferable during a conflict than sending off a large Cero that failed to hit their target. As the old proverb went, �friendly fire isn�t.� He did not want to hear about his son accidentally killing or harming his own forces because he couldn�t aim a Cero accurately. Most Shinigami couldn�t take one without either dying or being seriously injured. The militia forces fighting alongside them from the Rukongai definitely didn�t stand a chance and in a war of this magnitude, they really didn�t want the locals trying to stab them in the back if they decided that the Cero wielder was more of a danger than the Swarm.

�When you have learned to hit the target every time, we will work on power. When you have brought your power up to an acceptable level, we will work on learning Bala.�

Diaemus nodded and lined up another shot at the trunk, a look of determination and concentration flashing over his features. The sun was setting before they returned to the den. Ulquiorra was delighted with his son�s progress and if Diaemus could replicate the results of this training session, he would allow the child to work on slowly adding some power to them.

They found Orihime humming happily away in the kitchen when they made it home, the house smelling like a not-too-outlandishly-seasoned supper.

�Welcome home,� she greeted them cheerfully.

�Good evening,� he returned her greeting, as did Diaemus. They had both learned it was far better to acknowledge the pointless salutations or she would make things exceedingly uncomfortable for them.

�Supper is almost ready. I was hoping I could invite Tatsuki-chan, Karin-chan and their families over for a shared meal sometime soon, barring a battle, of course,� she asked, looked at him hopefully. �It�s been so long since I�ve been able to visit with the other ladies and I can�t even recall the last time we all had dinner together.�

�In the spring, when Kami-sama held his usual dinner party,� Diaemus answered dutifully.

�See, it was such a long time ago!�

To Ulquiorra�s dismay, the amount of hope in her eyes increased exponentially.

He had no problems with Tatsuki or Karin or even Tesra, who would probably spend the entire meal in a semi-terrified state. Grimmjow and Ajuga, on the other hand� Well, Ajuga could actually be well-behaved when in the company of others, and he had just been thinking a little earlier that Grimmjow�s manners had improved somewhat. He still didn�t really understand the humans� need to socialize, but for her he could put up with it for one night. Besides, when he made her happy she tended to reward him with that thing she had learned to do to him with her tongue. He could feel himself getting aroused just thinking about it, all the while doing his best not to wonder where she had learned such a thing. He suspected that it was after one of her infrequent visits with Rangiku. He�d never really understood Nnoitra�s fascination with the tall, well-endowed woman, but if she kept sharing information like that with his mate�

�Very well,� he agreed to her request, pulling his mind back from a precipice that he didn�t want to throw himself over in the presence of his son.

Orihime decided, instead, to give him a shove.

�Yes!� she practically squealed, throwing herself into his arms and planting a deep kiss on his lips.

He didn�t know if the brief look of disgust that crossed Diaemus�s face was from his mother�s affectionate antics, or from the thought of having Ajuga over for dinner. It might have been a little bit of both. Either way, learning to deal with situations that he found unpleasant would do his son some good. Kami knew he�d definitely had to learn that particular skill over the years, considering the majority of his comrades.

�Well, let�s sit down and eat dinner,� she announced cheerfully, handing her son three plates from the cupboard. When Diaemus went to finish setting the table, she leaned into him, to whisper in his ear, �And I got a lil� something special planned for dessert.�

He felt his groin tightening at her whispered promise. He also wondered, briefly, at what point he began letting someone lead him around by something other than cold logic. Looking at Orihime, he decided he didn�t care. When she handed him a stack of bowls and went to the stove to dish up dinner into the serving bowls, Ulquiorra took them to the dining room. There he met his son�s appalled green eyes.

�Otou-san?�

�Yes Diaemus?�

�Pease keep it down tonight. Oka-san can be � exuberant. And loud.�

The look on Diaemus� face spoke of suffering endured mixed with disgust.

�You will understand better when it comes time to find a mate of your own,� he explained.

Diaemus made another face.

�I doubt that will be anytime soon. The options around here are severely limited and there are far more important things to think upon and do than to find some� female to hang off of my wings.�

�You are young yet. I do not doubt you will find an acceptable mate when such a time arises.�

Diaemus made a non-committal noise that might have indicated agreement, but Ulquiorra could tell his son only did so to appease him. His son was young yet, not even a decade old. It would probably be a good century before he would be ready to look for an acceptable woman to bear his offspring. Nevertheless, his son was approaching the age where he could start casting Claims of his own. He might even be the target of a Claim himself, though in Ulquiorra�s opinion that danger was much farther down the list of things to worry about. While he doubted anyone would be stupid enough to do so, and doubted even more that Diaemus would be interested in casting any of his own, it was probably time to have that �talk�. Briefly, he wondered if Grimmjow had ever worked up the courage to have a similar discussion with Ajuga. Taking someone on as a �pet� was a huge responsibility. It was not something to do frivolously. He also didn�t want to think about how Orihime would react to their son casting a Claim, given the methods used to cast them. She would probably have a fit if she knew, or even just thought, about their son having sex.

�Are you coming?� Orihime asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

�I am,� he assured her. �As I hope to be later tonight.�

Orihime sent him a surprised look over her shoulder, for he seldom, if ever, spoke in such an explicit manner. Still, the blush that cutely dusted her checks was well worth it, even if Diaemus gave him a look of revulsion as he walked past his father to get to the table.

Ulquiorra took his accustomed seat and happy that tonight�s fare was a normal dinner of chicken and rice. The times she�d forgotten about that little rule had been� excruciating? Nauseating? Repellent? There had to be a word appropriate enough for what he felt, looking at her preferred concoctions, but he hadn�t found it yet. He could have used the Claim to enforce that culinary rule, but they had agreed when she had accepted becoming his mate that he would not use the power he had over her for something as trivial as dinner. He had agreed to let her be her own woman and in exchange, she agreed not to inadvertently poison him.
However, Ulquiorra refused to think about how their entire relationship had only become possible due to Grimmjow�s influence. Nothing, after all, was one hundred percent perfect.

Life has been pretty busy lately. Thank you Kain and Kath for taking the time to review. I must be doing it right if you think that Nnoitra is abusive, because that is exactly what I want to reader to feel about that relationship. I also personally agree that parents should put forth a united front and not argue in front of their children. There had to be some �off thing� in that relationship for I didn�t want it 100% lovey dovey perfect, the world isn�t like that, and that was on area of strife I felt fit Grimmjow perfectly.
Next Chapter: Oh, right, umm, Byakuya wakes up and Yammy finally manages to break him, and not by raping him either, but by doing something far more devastating. I do believe it�s the last time such a dark scene will exists for poor Byakuya.
This Weeks Question: Who is all following the Manga at this point? I just had a crazy ass theory last Chapter that would be mind boggling if it was right.
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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