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
- 29
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Claiming Disaster

Karin awoke to the sound of someone pounding his or her fist on the front door of the Estate. She sat up in confusion, for it was well past midnight and too late for a visit from anyone that they knew. Fishing around in her head, she tried to remember if anyone had latched the gate. Maybe Hana was home early, but if that was the case, why was she knocking? The girl had a key. She could see Grimmjow already on his way towards the door, his irritation at the unexpected wake-up call apparent, both in the seething state of his reiatsu and with what came to her through their bond. No doubt, his enhanced senses had picked up the disturbance long before her human ones had registered the visitors at all. Whoever was on the other side of the door had better have a good reason for calling this late at night� no, she winced and looked at the clock on the small table in the corner of their room, this early in the morning.

She cast her sight out in order to take a look at whoever it was that was about to incur the Sixth Espada�s wrath. Tatsuki and Tesra were very easy to recognize, but it took her a moment to identify the other reiatsu signature. Surprisingly, it belonged to Soi Fon. Karin had little contact with the woman normally, which explained why she hadn�t recognized who it was right away.

What in the Hell was going on that the three of them were here this late at night? From the agitated state of their collective reiatsu, she knew that this wasn�t going to be a social call. Then she took a closer look. Tatsuki�s reiatsu seemed a bit �off� in addition to being upset. She had never noticed it before thanks to the glasses, but without them on she could see the coils of reiatsu centered in the lower belly of each woman, the size and amount of reiatsu in Soi Fon�s more prominent and larger than Tatsuki�s. In Karin�s mind, there could only be one cause for the coils: her human friend was pregnant. However, she doubted that Tatsuki�s pregnancy would cause them to drop in on the Estate, especially with Soi Fon of all people by their side.

There were two pregnant women on their doorstep, one human and one Shinigami and suddenly, Karin decided that letting her mate answer the door alone might be a mistake. She didn�t want them hurt, after all.

Thus, Karin crawled out of bed, pulled a yukata on and sprinted towards the main door, just in time to see Grimmjow answer it with a half-snarl, which died on his lips as he saw who was just beyond the threshold.

�Can we come in? We weren�t sure where to come with this problem and��

Tesra�s voice betrayed just how unhappy, afraid and worried he was.

�Is your Espada not seeing visitors at this hour?� Grimmjow growled at the fraccion, one eye half shut and running a hand through mussed, blue hair.

�I�m sorry, Grimmjow-sama, but this� this isn�t really something he would be inclined to deal with. Considering our conversation at the� dinner party earlier this month��

Her mate�s eyebrows rose up at this, and then he leaned back and turned to look at her as she stood in the shadows, giving her a �well, what now?� face. Surprise now warred with the grumpiness as far as his expression, with surprise winning out after a few seconds.

Karin�s eyes narrowed in what she hoped he would understand was an order to �let them come in or else no sex for a week.� He apparently got the non-verbal warning, as he sighed and opened the door wider for them to enter.

�Bring them to our private sitting room. I�ll make some tea and see if Lilinette left any snacks in the kitchen,� Karin told him quietly.

She turned on her heel and hurried back to the suite of rooms that served their family, to the small kitchen just off the small gathering area. A few minutes later, she heard her mate usher the other three into the room and Grimmjow lit a few of the lamps to alleviate the gloom. Pulling down the teapot, cups and a half-full package of assorted cookies that one of Nanao�s Division members brought back from the Living World a few weeks ago, she hastily put together something to serve their guests. People showing up at this hour rarely had good news to deliver and she had a sickening feeling that whatever had driven Tesra here, and not to his own Espada, was not going to be something resolved quickly.

�Mother?�

Ajuga wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and lashing her tail sleepily, appearing as rumpled as her father had been. No doubt she�d heard the commotion Karin had caused in the kitchen, as well as the sound of strangers in the house and popped into her parents� quarters to see what was going on.

�It�s Tatsuki with Tesra and Soi Fon. Your father is making them comfortable in the sitting room. Why don�t you go back to bed? If it�s something I can share, I�ll tell you about it in the morning,� Karin suggested, arranging the cookies on a small square plate.

�Alright.�

Ajuga returned to her room, yawning wide enough for her mother to see her sharp fangs, without an argument.

Karin doubted her daughter would go back to sleep, but at least Ajuga was out of the way. Something told her that Soi Fon would be more comfortable without a large audience. Even from here, Karin could feel Soi Fon�s anguish. Her reiatsu was in such disarray that even someone completely inept at reading energy patterns would know she was in a great deal of emotional pain. This kind of stress could be hazardous to the baby and the first thing she vowed to do was calm the expecting mother down as much as possible.

Once she�d poured boiling water over the loose tea in the bottom of the teapot and hauled the refreshments into the sitting room, she had to take a mental step back and reassess that last thought. She hadn�t seen Soi Fon physically until now and she was possibly even more distraught than her reiatsu had indicated. She was to the point of actual tears, some still falling and her face was red and puffy, as if she had been sobbing for some time. The small, dark-haired woman had curled into as tight a ball as her growing, pregnancy-distended belly would allow. She was also much too thin for someone this far along in a pregnancy. The one wrist she could see, clutching her bare calf looked too bony and her half-starved state told Karin that what Tatsuki had originally told her at the little afternoon get-together was true: Barragan had been using any method that wouldn�t dirty his own hands to kill the former Taichou and her baby.

Abuse, food deprivation and now whatever had brought them to Starrk�s den� Karin wasn�t sure she�d be able to calm the poor Shinigami down at all.

�Don�t worry about calming her down. Right now, just get her fed and find out why they�re here. One thing at a time,� she told herself.

Tatsuki was little better. Instead of misery, her human friend radiated white-hot rage. Karin knew her well enough to tell she was royally pissed. If Soi Fon expressed her suffering by crawling into a defensive position, Tatsuki�s took the form of pacing. She moved back and forth, bristling like a mother tiger whose cubs were threatened. Knowing that Tatsuki and Tesra had planned to adopt Soi Fon�s child, that might very well be the case, Karin realized.

Of the three, Tesra seemed the most composed, but that wasn�t saying much, considering the state of the women in his company. The fraccion seemed more shell-shocked and horrified, as if he was having some trouble understanding something. The one-eyed Arrancar took up a spot near the door, resting his shoulders against the wall in a posture reminiscent of a guard and an unassuming coat tree, as if he was trying to be both protective and to stay out of the way of the three females.

Grimmjow had taken his usual seat in the armchair, surveying the assembly with a �well, isn�t this just wonderful� expression and took the cup of tea that Karin gave him after she�d poured the first round.

�You three are up late,� she said as she handed out cups to their guests. She was glad she�d had an adequate supply of the herbs for Aizen�s tea recipe, the one that helped calm nerves, because all three of their visitors needed it. Handing out that tea recipe was, perhaps, the only good Aizen had ever done anyone. She must have been staring at Tatsuki�s midsection because the other woman spoke first.

�Yes, I am, and we know.�

Tatsuki looked straight at Karin, standing still long enough to make that announcement, managing a small, apologetic smile before she started pacing again. �There�s no need to go into details now though. I can tell you about it later.�

�Ah, good, congratulations to you both,� Karin replied, and smiled at her friend as she sat down on the same couch as Soi Fon. Part of her wanted to pull the woman into a comforting hug, but her better judgment told her to give the woman a small amount of space for now.

�Know what?� Grimmjow demanded with a grunt, leaning forward in the chair and growing visibly edgy, like he was ready to make an escape from what was, clearly, going to be �emotional female stuff.�

�That Tesra and I are going to have a baby.�

Tatsuki said this with another smile, but this time, she kept moving, as if the motion helped her focus. �Rangiku is pregnant as well. According to Szayel, our due dates are pretty close together.�

The blue-haired Espada nearly spit his tea back into his cup and his eyes took on the dimensions of dinner plates.

�Nnoitra as a father, that I can�t wait to see,� Grimmjow laughed. It sounded like more of a raucous series of barks, which trailed off as Karin gave him a sharp glance. Then he shrugged and tilted his head back to look at the only other male in the room. �Granted, he did a half decent job with you, runt,� he conceded, giving Tesra a nod.

�Ah, thank you. He may not believe it yet, but I believe Nnoitra-sama will be a good parent. It might just take some time for him� to get used to the idea.�

�That is good news, but I doubt that you came all this way at this time of night to tell me you and Rangiku are expecting. What happened?� Karin asked, deeply concerned.

With that simple question, Soi Fon began to cry anew and wrapped a hand protectively over her stomach and Tatsuki bared her teeth, her face twisted into an expression so utterly demonic that Karin drew back in alarm, her brown eyes widening in alarm.

�Barragan has made it impossible for Ggio to reinstate his Claim on Soi Fon, and in about three months the Claim will fade to nothing. That�s assuming that she doesn�t accidentally break it herself during combat,� the other human seethed. A glance at Tesra, whose own countenance seemed on the stormy side, confirmed it.

�How?� Karin probed, even though she feared she already knew the answer and Tatsuki�s words only confirmed what she�d suspected as the entire sordid story became known.

�I can just never get enough of this,� Ggio whispered happily, as his hands rested on Soi Fon�s stomach, feeling his child kick.

They sat together in one of the gardens with Soi Fon nestled in his lap so his arms encircled her and his hands rested palms down on her swollen abdomen. It had become a favourite position of his since the child starting kicking. There was a time Soi Fon might have resented any male holding her in his arms in such a proprietary manner, would have struggled against him, but now, contentment was all he could feel coming from her, adding to the bliss in his own heart.

He should have noticed Barragan�s return. He had never before failed to greet his Espada�s at the door when he got home, as Barragan ordered him to do when they�d first taken over this grand Estate. However, Ggio was so lost in the feel of the warm body pressed against his and the strong thumping against his palms by his own child that he completely missed the fact that the Second had returned, unannounced and unexpected.

�Ggio,� Barragan snarled as the self-proclaimed monarch marched furiously into the garden with a subdued and, as usual, stunning-looking Yumichika trailing behind him.

Startled, Ggio scrambled up from behind Soi Fon, leapt to his feet and whirled to face the wrathful, grizzled visage of his master. Then he prostrated himself, grovelling on his knees before the one he served.

�Barragan-sama, I��

�Silence,� Barragan commanded with an ugly grunt.

Ggio snapped his mouth shut and remained in his subservient position. He could feel Soi Fon watching the exchange worriedly.

�It would seem your loyalty isn�t what it used to be, boy!� Barragan stated, his grouchy voice dripping with venom as he looked over the last of his fraccion.

�No! Never, Your Majesty!� he quickly denied.

�I said silence,� Barragan ordered again, louder this time. �I find it disgusting that this concubine is more loyal and serves me better than one of my own men!� Barragan continued and folded his arms across his chest, hoary white eyebrows knitted in a frown above his aged face.

Ggio bit his lip to stop the protest he wanted to make. It would only make things worse if he tried to defend himself.

�You have failed in your duty to attend me as ordered, and without any reasonable excuse. You know the penalty for such negligence!�

Numbly, he nodded his head.

�Good, get the materials required and meet me in my throne room to receive your punishment.�

�Yes, Barragan-sama, as His Majesty desires,� he said brokenly.

He didn�t dare move until after Barragan had stormed out of the garden. Soi Fon looked at him worriedly from where she was still sitting on the grass, one hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto. Even though they both knew she wouldn�t have been able to do anything against Barragan, not in her condition, old habits had a tendency to die hard.

�I�ll be alright,� he tried to reassure her. �You should get some rest, and something to eat. I think there are still some leftovers in my quarters from dinner. Go and eat that, before he can summon you.�

Soi Fon reluctantly nodded. He helped her to her feet before they both hurried on their way. Barragan was not a man to keep waiting. The staff that served them on the Estate Barragan had Claimed as his kingdom avoided him completely as he walked into the storeroom just off from the large banquette hall that Barragan had turned into a throne room. This small room once held chairs and tables, mats and linens meant for the former owners� guests. These days, it held implements for both torture and pleasure.

He looked at the wall full of items that could deliver either, depending on the wielder, before reluctantly making his way down to the end of the wall. The things on this end of the room could only deliver pain and lots of it. While his transgression warranted something from the middle of the wall, he prayed that selecting something from this end, something that would cause unbearable agony would at least mollify Barragan enough to leave Soi Fon alone. He couldn�t bear the thought of her harmed for his mistake.

Ggio had only ever seen this weapon used once, against a servant who had tried to assassinate Barragan. Some of the servants say they can still hear the ghostly screams of the unfortunate soul echoing down the hallway on moonless nights. He�d even shivered when he�d heard the sounds the dying servant made and this was back when he still believed in and worshipped the Second Espada.

Despite his decision, his hands still trembled as he took the innocent-looking black stick from the wall and entered the throne room. Barragan was already sitting there with Yumichika kneeling on a pillow, like a beautiful statue, to the Espada�s right. Barragan grunted when he noticed the weapon Ggio had chosen for his punishment, but said nothing of it nor gave any indication as to whether Ggio�s choice appeased him, angered him or amused him.

Ggio knelt before the Espada and awaited further commands, presenting the weapon before him.

�Strip, you laggard!� Barragan ordered sharply.

He understood that to mean he had to disrobe completely. That definitely was not a good sign. Still, with an �As you command, Majesty� he obeyed and returned to his kneeling position, head bowed as he awaited his punishment for failing in his duty. He only knew Yumichika had moved because he heard the rustling of expensive fabric. Delicate fingers came into view and wrapped themselves around the handle of the black rod.

�I�m so sorry,� Yumichika whispered to him.

Ggio gave the slightest nod of his head. Yumichika might be the one causing the pain, but Barragan�s will moved the pretty man�s hands, quite against the other�s wishes. The black stick rested against his back, feeling cool to his flushed skin, shortly before searing agony ripped through his body. Tiny sparks flew from the device, inflicting far more suffering than he had expected. Every pain receptor and every nerve ending the little sparks touched flared to unholy life. He didn�t, couldn�t hold back his screams. Ggio knew Barragan wanted to hear them and he would do anything to keep that attention on him and away from Soi Fon.

He had no idea how long the torture lasted. His body was soaked in sweat from the adrenaline rush caused by the abuse. He�d curled up in a ball, muscles seizing and twitching as the little black rod tapped various places along his body. The rod left behind raised, red welts that throbbed. The worst had to be his groin and the inside of his mouth. That last one had made him see stars and he briefly lost consciousness. Gradually, the minutes between shocks had increased. He knew the brief time-outs weren�t due to any mercy on Barragan�s part. Barragan timed them so that Ggio could �appreciate� the next wave of pain. This went on for what felt like hours, long after the sun had set and the sky beyond the windows had gone black. His throat was raw with screaming, reduced to whimpering each time the rod touched him.

This was, by far, the foulest thing Barragan had ever done to him. Ggio could not remember any punishment lasting for this long, nor could he recall any of his previous companions taking this kind of torment when they�d failed in some task.

He was so lost in misery that he, at first, didn�t feel the black rod probing his entrance until Yumichika forced it past the ring of muscle. He froze and turned tear streaked eyes towards his Master. No amount of self-control could stop them from squeezing out.

Barragan�s face remained unmoved by his fraccion�s state and Ggio knew better than to plead for lenience or attempt to escape the feeling of the rod tunnelling into him. The next wave of pain literally blinded him. All he could see was a negative image of the veins in his eyelids, white on black, as the electrical shock went straight up his spine and he lost control of his limbs. It took minutes for his vision to return and he honestly thought he might have blacked out for longer. When his mind cleared enough to realize what was going on around him the rod fired again, slamming him back into darkness and agony. This time when his vision cleared Ggio found himself on his belly, spread-eagled on the floor as his nervous system tried to recover from his near electrocution. The static that had filled his ears slowly dissipated and he heard Barragan�s heavy, plodding footfalls as the Second strode up to his helpless form.

�Whom do you serve?� Barragan demanded angrily and nudged him in.

�His Royal Majesty, Barragan-sama,� Ggio forced out, his voice quivering in agony.

�Who holds your unquestionable loyalty?�

Ggio opened his mouth to answer again, but paused when he noticed the look in his Espada�s eyes. To give the answer Barragan wanted would be to lie. Barragan was no longer the center of his world. Instead, all of his regard, all of his energy focused on his soon-to-be child and the woman who carried it. Tears streamed down his face as he hung his head in shame, remaining silent. Opening his mouth now would only result in a falsehood that might condemn the two that had replaced Barragan in his heart and might doom them all.

�Che!� Barragan sneered. �Clean yourself up and then return. Perhaps it is time that I remind you exactly who your master is!�

It was so very difficult to force his body to move properly, under his own power, let alone get to his feet and stagger out of the throne room. He eventually, using the wall as a support, made it to his quarters. Once there, he discovered two large buckets waiting for him, one full of steaming water, the other empty, as well as two servants who wouldn�t meet his eyes. He silently stepped into the empty one, remaining as still as possible as two servants quickly cleaned him, ridding him of the sweat and stink that drenched his body. Once finished, they quickly helped him into a simple black yukata and he slowly returned to the throne room, limping all the way.

Soi Fon was there now, kneeling on the floor. Seeing her there, Ggio felt a stab of fear as he approached the throne and bowed beside her. Yumichika once again sat, as still as a stone statue on the pillow beside the massive chair, but Ggio could tell the ex-Shinigami was on edge, as if afraid to take a breath. Yumichika wasn�t the center of Barragan�s attention, however. Instead, the elderly Espada glared down on Ggio and Soi Fon, as if trying to figure out the best way to squash a bug.

�Don�t bother trying to lie to me. Don�t even bother speaking! I�m not ignorant. You�re no longer loyal to me. I let you have her as a present, for being the only one of my fraccion to survive, as a reward for your steadfastness. I see I made a grave error in doing so. Instead of remaining devoted, you�ve take up with this bitch and the whelp she carries in her disgusting womb. That makes you the worst sort of traitor Ggio, and there are repercussions for that kind of treachery! Get your worthless, snivelling hide over here!�

Trembling, Ggio rose and approached his master.

�Show me that you belong to me, and I may spare her life after Aizen is done with her,� Barragan commanded.

Nodding, Ggio set about pulling Barragan�s erection free of his uniform and wrapped his mouth around it. It was thick and his mouth still trembled with the aftershocks from his �session� with the black rod. It didn�t help that his mouth was dry, he was still in a great deal of pain and, this close to the Espada�s flesh, he could taste an undercurrent of the rot that made up the Second�s power. He had to work to keep himself from gagging, or worse, vomiting in his master�s lap, as his insides didn�t seem to want to cooperate.

�Enough,� Barragan ordered barely three minutes later, a look of disgust on his face. �Finish the job properly.�

Ggio let the flesh slide from his mouth and climbed into Barragan�s lap, averting his gaze as one hand grasped the rod of flesh, wet with his own saliva and with the other, balanced himself. He was completely unprepared. With the addition of the pain racing over and in his body from the horrid device, Ggio just knew this would hurt more than anything he had experienced so far.

Regardless, with his mate and child�s fate on the line, he forced his body down on Barragan�s length, whimpering at the intrusion into his abused channel. He wanted to pause, to give his poor torn hole a chance to adjust, but he knew better than to do that. He didn�t stop until his ass was flush with Barragan�s thighs, his blood already starting to stain the lower half of Barragan�s white uniform.

Abruptly, Barragan grasped his thighs, taking him by complete surprise and that was when his entire world ended.

The Second stood up and twisted him around, his shaft remaining inside of Ggio, before bearing him to the ground. A hand grasped his head and forced him to look at Soi Fon while he remained on his hands and knees with his Espada�s greater weight on top of him.

�Take a good look at her, boy! Get an eyeful now! Thanks to her, you are no longer worthy to serve as one of my fraccion!� Barragan growled, shortly before thrusting into Ggio�s body. �You can blame her for your fate! She�s the one that forced me to take these measures!�

Along with Barragan�s cock, to his great horror, came a flood of both reiatsu and dreadful, unwanted pleasure.

�Wait, Barragan-sama!� he cried out in a rasping voice, to no avail.

For the first time ever, Ggio struggled against the Espada he had served almost his entire Arrancar life. It was utterly pointless, as he had nowhere near the strength to fight back against the Second on a good day, let alone after enduring such mistreatment.

Soi Fon�s eyes widened as she grasped what Barragan was doing to him and she tried to get to her feet, her hand going to Suzumebachi�s hilt. Ggio knew that if she did, if she tried to interfere, Barragan would use it as an excuse to kill her, no matter what Aizen had decreed. An Espada whose slave rebelled or attacked them was free to kill the slave if they wished, since it would indicate the Claim had worn away.

Maybe, that was what Barragan had planned all along and this was just the perfect excuse to kill Soi Fon without repercussions from Aizen.

With what little power he had left, he kept her on her knees, her hands empty and placed before her. Ggio�s eyes pleading for her to understand why he couldn�t allow her to attack the Espada currently assaulting him. Unfortunately, that meant that all she could do was watch in horror, tears streaming down her face as Barragan Claimed him, making it impossible to recast any further Claims of his own, leaving her vulnerable the moment his previously-cast Claim ran out. Considering the difference in their strength, she would be lucky to give birth before that happened.

It didn�t take long, and he let out a choking sob. The Claim forced his body to climax as Barragan finished with him, the Espada�s sharp teeth biting viciously into his neck to complete the binding. Then the weight was gone from his back and he collapsed to the floor, Soi Fon by his side in an instant.

�I�ll give you an hour to discard the slut wherever you see fit, and then you will have no further dealings with her, nor will you speak to me about her,� Barragan commanded sternly.

He felt the Claim tighten painfully around him, forcing him to nod his head in agreement with the Espada�s wishes.

�Be thankful I even gave you that. I�ll expect you to show sufficient gratitude when I return tomorrow, �pet!� Now get the filthy cunt out of my sight!�

Despite the exhaustion caused by the Claim, Ggio had only one thing on his mind: to get Soi Fon and his child to safety. His world narrowed to that one task, above all others and there was only one person he could think of that he could trust.

�We have to move quickly!� Yumichika declared, scrambling up from the pillow in a flurry of expensive silk, helping Soi Fon to her feet first. �Can you think of a safe place?�

�Just one,� Ggio confessed and between Yumichika and Soi Fon, they managed to get him upright, dressed and walking in a somewhat straight line, even if he was dizzy and his vision kept wavering at odd moments, a side effect, he thought, of the black rod�s application and the energy drain from the Claim.

He had one hour remaining to spend with her, to try and convey all he could to her before he would never be able to speak to her again, unless Barragan had a sudden change of heart. Ggio almost wept again at that. Most Arrancar lacked such an organ. Expecting the Aspect of Old Age to change his mind, after all of this, was to hope for the impossible.

It almost took them the full hour, thanks to his dicey condition, to get her to the only place he could think of that would take her in, especially now. He barely had time to hold her one more time, to kiss her with as much passion as he could, before the Claim forced him to turn his back on her. It wrenched him around and forced him to put one foot in front of the other, to abandon her on the same doorstep where he�d gone begging for his child�s life a few weeks before. Yumichika, under no such order, chose to remain behind, to explain what had happened to the sleepy couple they had awoken so late at night.

Ggio felt like his entire world had just ended, as if he was suffocating. The iron-strong chains of Barragan�s Claim strangled him into obedience when all he wanted to do was run back to her side and hold onto her forever.

He returned to his quarters, or tried to return to his rooms. Instead, the servants nervously directed him to the kennel that had been Soi Fon�s home for the last 15 years. It would seem that Barragan had decided to continue his �discipline.� He didn�t care, the place smelled strongly of her. That alone was more of a comfort to him than his own rooms would have been.

The next morning Barragan summoned Ggio to the throne room, where the Second officially stripped him of all of his status, declaring him nothing more than a �pet� to be used for his own amusement. He was to wear nothing more than the black yukata unless directed otherwise. He was to take Soi Fon� place in the household and handle all of the �duties� she had performed when not performing the duties Aizen had assigned them.

When he returned to the kennel after his meeting with Barragan, he was horrified to see the servants had thoroughly cleaned it out and lined it with nothing more than fresh straw. Every bit of her scent was gone, erased as if it had never been there at all. The last little bit of comfort left to him was gone, no doubt on the Second�s orders.

�Ggio!� Yumichika called to him as the Arrancar stared at the kennel with eyes that didn�t really see it, or the straw or anything else for that matter. The ex-Shinigami hurried up to stand beside him and looked down at the kennel too. �I know you can�t ask, but Tatsuki informed me that, for now, Karin managed to get Starrk and Jushiro to agree to let her stay at the Ukitake family Estate. Tatsuki and Tesra are going to remain as close to her as they can. For now, at least, she�s all right. I also know that she�s had the first proper meal in a long while, courtesy of Karin and Nanao. I�ll try to follow her discreetly, for as long as I am capable of doing so, and I�ve asked the others to continue to pass on information should I also receive orders to cease communications.�

The knowledge sent a flood of relief through him. He�d been right to seek help from the two. Tears filled his eyes when he heard that she�d finally gotten some real food in her, after months of enforced neglect and he wiped them away with the back of one welted hand. It was small comfort and he nodded, the best he could do to thank Yumichika for the information, considering Barragan�s orders regarding his mate.

�Tesra also told me that Grimmjow� well let�s just say the Sixth is a little �miffed� at what the Second�s done. I�m sure the news will get out now, about what he pulled. Setting up a powerful warrior for execution, for petty personal reasons, in a time of war,� and the former Shinigami shook his head, �It�s as if he�s asking Aizen for a reprimand.�

Yumichika sighed and frowned, then looked up at the sky overhead.

�This is truly an ugly situation.�

�That, my friend, is an understatement,� Ggio mentally replied, depression and anguish settling in for a long, unwelcome stay.

Nothing mattered without her. He could feel the tremendous amount of grief coming from Soi Fon and he desperately clutched at that one last connection he had with her before it could fade, even if her sorrow only served to fuel his. Once it was gone, once his Claim fell away, she would be gone forever, possibly even executed unless she could find someone to take over her Claim. Ggio strongly suspected that his master would make sure none of the others would take her, leaving her to Aizen�s nonexistent mercies. Barragan would probably force him to watch the proceedings, silent and helpless.

The elegant hand that touched his shoulder startled him temporarily out of the downward spiral his thoughts took.

�It�s not much, but I did manage to salvage this. I think it would do you more good than her right now.�

As he said this, Yumichika pulled a long piece of fabric from somewhere in his elaborate kimono and handed it over to him. Ggio took it with trembling fingers.

He recognized the scarf, the one he had bought her years ago during the courtship ritual. The cream-colored silk was a little worn in spots, but for the most part still intact, embroidered all over with a clever pattern of hornets. It still had her scent and he snatched it from Yumichika hands, pulling in a deep breath to catch as much of her as he could. He wanted to hold onto it, to bury his face in it, but he knew better than to allow anyone to catch him with it in his possession. Barragan had taken everything he owned, denying him not only his rank but any personal things as well. Not even the kennel and the yukata were his, but his master�s to bestow or rescind as the Espada saw fit.

Instead, Ggio crawled quickly into the kennel and hid it deep within the straw that was to be his bedding until Barragan decided otherwise. Then he promptly fell down into said straw, emotionally, physically and in all other ways spent, and folded in on himself, shutting everything else out.

Yumichika left for an unknown amount of time, two hours perhaps, before he returned with a towel and a resolute look on his face. Ggio hadn�t moved an inch and the ex-Shinigami, seeing this, cursed softly. Then he reached down, found one of Ggio�s bare ankles and hauled the Arrancar out with a surprising amount of brute force. He barely registered the fact that the effeminate man had the strength to do so. Yumichika went nose-to-nose with him, and then that nose twitched and wrinkled in distaste.

�Come on, let�s get you cleaned up and wash this repulsive stink off your body. You still have blood and cum on your thighs, and I�m not going to get started on the state of your hair. She would slap you silly for letting yourself stay like this for so long!� Yumichika insisted, before dropping his voice lower. �We will work something out, I know we will. For now, we must focus on the few things which we do have some control over. Right now, that means a bath!�

�What difference will it make?� Ggio muttered, voice and eyes dull, but did let Yumichika haul him towards one of the bathing houses meant for the servants� use.

�Not much, but anything helps,� Yumichika answered. His words were honest and there was more than just determination behind them.

It took a moment before Ggio realized that Yumichika spoke from experience. No doubt what the short Arrancar felt now was similar to how Yumichika must have felt when he had first been Claimed, right after the slaughter of so many of his comrades. What�s more, he�d had to deal with it on his own, even if he insisted his background gave him the skills to cope with Barragan�s use of his body. Yumichika had barely known Soi Fon back then, the two having exchanged maybe a dozen words during their Shinigami careers. They had not been friends then; the difference in their ranks within the Gotei 13 had been too large and as a result, both had faced the path their futures had taken alone, tormented by two Arrancar at the time.

At least Ggio wasn�t exactly alone in this. He only faced one �master,� not two and he had a fellow Claimed captive to share the burden, if nothing else. Yumichika would be there by his side, helping him cope with the nightmarish turn his life had suddenly taken.

He also had something else to spur him on.

Ggio had never felt anything like this, at least on his part. Nevertheless, he recognized its flavour, having spent years with the taste of the acid emotion in his mouth, courtesy of his Claim on Soi Fon. He wasn�t entirely sure if it sprang from him, or if he was feeling what she felt, but in the end, he decided that it didn�t matter.

If nothing else, he could keep going on the hatred that Barragan had kindled within him over the last twenty-four hours. He could keep it carefully banked and learn from his fellow prisoner how to keep it hidden, until the day he would put it to use.

�Sure, let�s go,� he agreed tiredly, straightening up a bit and following alongside the pretty, dark-haired man, rather than forcing the other to lug him any further.

He did need to clean himself up. He was a mess, compounded by the fact that everything on him had dried overnight. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he realized his entire body still ached from the lingering effects of the rod Barragan had forced Yumichika to use on him. His insides hadn�t recovered either and a day later, continued to ooze some blood. He needed to get that tended to as well. Thankfully, Yumichika would see to as much of that as he could. The rest would have to heal on its own.

�That�s what I want to hear,� the other said and offered him an encouraging smile as they stumbled towards the bath.

He had at least one friend who would assist him through this trying time and for now, his mate and unborn child were arguably safer than they had been while under Barragan�s roof.

At this point, he�d take what comfort he could.

Why am I so evil? Well, if anyone needs me I will be in my bunker. I don�t think this thing has ever seen so much use, and here I had promised part 2 was not going to be as dark�.

Kain: Patience. No more info on that request.

Next Chapter: Tatsuki breaks the news of her pregnancy to Orihime.

This Weeks Question: What is your favourite chip dip? The only one I like is Herb and Spice by Philly.
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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