Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

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
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Despair: The Domino Starts to Fall

It might be easier to concentrate on finding a way of getting their child back if he didn�t have to feel wave after wave of terror and heartache hitting him in the gut.

�This is getting us nowhere and I�m on the verge of a migraine ��

From the second they�d received the news about Ajuga�s abduction, Karin had bombarded him with grief, pain and outright panic. Grimmjow had never felt anything quite like it from her before, and that included the time she had chosen him over her brother nearly a decade ago. While knowing that the Swarm had taken their daughter was devastating, he wasn�t quite so sure that the event warranted quite this much drama on her part. While he was just as pissed and worried as she, the tempestuous emotions coming off of Karin were so strong that he swore his mate was in the middle of some kind of mental melt-down. To make matters worse, Karin wasn�t the only one panicking.

Szayel frantically typed away on his computer�s many keyboards, desperately trying to find any trace of a signal from Ajuga�s bracelet. From all of the lip-biting and the frowning, he wasn�t having much luck. It wasn�t as if the bracelet had come off. They would have recovered it when they�d scoured the site where the children�s confrontation with the General occurred. Instead, it seemed as if the Swarm had carried the bracelet, along with Ajuga, out of range of Szayel�s sensors or destroyed it. Only beetle acid would have been able to dissolve the thing and since Hana�s report stated that she�d seen the two taken into an underground tunnel, the more likely scenario involved long distances and equipment with a limited range.

Grimmjow, given his nature, also approached the situation as a trained hunter. Why capture something one planned on killing? Transporting a dead body was much easier than taking live prey and transporting it. Hana�s story told him whatever the Swarm wanted with them probably didn�t involve killing either of the children. That meant that they were looking at one of two possibilities: the small patrol force was now very far away or, worse, the Swarm had taken them to their home world via one of the portals.

He didn�t like pondering the second. As of right now, they had no way of getting there and no knowledge of how to do so. The bug in Szayel�s basement was next to useless without another bug and Grimmjow wasn�t of the opinion that getting a second specimen would help him bring the kids back.

Aizen, the bastard, hadn�t appeared very concerned over the loss of the two children. Of course, he was curious to know why the Swarm had seen fit to take them. Hana had told Aizen that the General they had fought seemed interested in the fact that Hollows could breed. �Kami� had accepted the answer and dismissed the lot of them. Only after they had left Aizen�s chambers and the Palace grounds did Hana grudgingly admit to the assembled adults the real reason the Swarm had taken Ajuga. The General had learned that Ajuga was Karin�s child when she had introduced herself, as was the custom when two intelligent opponents fought. If anything, his mate�s face had gone as white as the Hueco Mundo sands when she heard that. Toshiro and Harribel had identical confused expressions, unsure why something like that would matter, and Ulquiorra had been too busy trying to calm down the �princess� to react much to it.

Once Hana had passed on what she knew, her mistress and her Taichou had hustled her off to the 4^th Division for some badly-needed patching. He had to give it to Nanao�s brat: she�d been in rough shape when Harribel�s fraccion had discovered her and she�d still managed to make it back to a point close enough to the city for another patrol to find her. She�d also managed to make a coherent report with a head injury. On the other hand, he didn�t think she�d be too happy when her mother found out that the three of them had tried to take on a superior force without backup. As much as he hated to admit it, his daughter and her friends had chosen a target too strong for them to handle on their own this time.

Aizen had ever so graciously permitted Szayel to put his own research on hold for twenty-four hours to give them time to try to locate the kids, but that was it. In Kami`s own words, �the loss of two warriors does not warrant diverting precious resources from their current allocation,� regardless of the fact that the missing �warriors� were his Espada�s cubs. Grimmjow suspected Aizen had only given them that grace period because he knew they were furious with him over the his recent mistreatment of Karin`s pet. Grimmjow found the gesture somewhat lacking as far as apologies went.

�Damn it!� Szayel cursed, slamming his fists down on the keyboard, making the screen let out a noise of protest. �I�ve tried every long-range sensor we have in place, every system we set up and I can�t locate a signal. I�ve got nothing!�

The frustrated scientist slumped in his chair, hand on his forehead and his posture radiating defeat. They had been at it for the last fifteen hours. Grimmjow had tried to get Karin to try to sleep or to eat something, to no avail. Barring that, he tried to get her to explain why there was so much guilt coming at him from their Claim and why she kept mumbling about how the whole thing being her fault. His mate seemed imprisoned in a cage of self-inflicted remorse, self-loathing and despair and he was at a loss as to how to break her out of it. Between the aggravation and the negative emotions, he could feel a headache the size of Los Noches coming on. Just this once, he almost wished that he and Karin had a controlling Claim instead so he could order her to get hold of herself.

Szayel glanced sadly their way, anxiety, fear and regret smeared across his features. Grimmjow let out a slew of violent curses as his mind connected the dots between �mistress� and �pet.� Prying Karin off of him, he stomped over to Szayel and slapped him hard across the face.

Szayel yelped in surprise and shook his head, looking up at Grimmjow in a mixture of gratitude and annoyance while he rubbed his cheek. Turning about, and praying this wouldn�t end with him sleeping on the porch for the rest of his life, the Sixth Espada gave Karin the same treatment, although he kept the �blow� on the light side, as she lacked Szayel�s Hierro.

�You, stop feeding her your panic!� he snapped at Szayel, �And you, calm down and act like the tough-ass bitch I know I mated.� Grimmjow added a growl for good measure.

Szayel visibly closed his eyes and took several deep breaths while Karin did the same, slipping into Jinzen. Some days he really cursed the Claim Karin had on Szayel, especially during the times they both went to pieces and Szayel�s emotions fed hers. It served no purpose other than to drive pins into Grimmjow�s head.

Finally, both of them managed to let go of enough of their mutual agitation to take the backwash Grimmjow suffered down to a dull roar. It wasn�t as if Grimmjow didn�t understand why they were so damned upset. If the Swarm put Ajuga on the Throne, the figurative and literal cat would be out of the bag. Now that the Swarm had Ajuga as a captive, there was a good chance that whoever was in charge of the insects would attempt to do just that.

�All of this is my fault,� Karin whispered yet again and her mate decided to put a stop to the pity-party before it started again.

�How, exactly, is this your fault?� Grimmjow growled, looking her in the eye. He hoped his tone made it clear to her he wasn�t going to stand for anything less than full disclosure.

Haltingly, Karin told Grimmjow and Szayel about the meeting with General �Zee,� how she had asked Mushi to get him to meet in secret with her and how she had insisted on the Swarm getting her family name right. If she hadn�t done any of that, the kids wouldn�t have come across Zee and his squad and Ajuga�s family name would have meant nothing. Grimmjow felt the headache creep a little closer to fully manifesting. The guilt and the self-loathing made sense now. Surprisingly, he felt a bit of pleasure about how she had insisted the Swarm use his moniker over �Kurosaki.� Then he told his ego to get lost. He had bigger things to deal with.

�At least you learned their range is farther than we could have possibly imagined. You also managed to broker us a few more days between Swarm attacks,� Szayel reminded her. He appeared to be scrounging around for something to make Karin feel better. Privately, Grimmjow thought the pink freak needed to scrounge a little harder, as Karin wiped at her reddened eyes.

�That�s assuming they honour it now that they have Ajuga,� Karin countered brokenly.

�They might. Ajuga is still a Hollow, and the Swarm has made it clear that they despise us. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that they would hold her as collateral to make sure you go through with your offer of accepting the Throne. I think that they�ll only put her on the Throne as a last resort,� Szayel said as calmly as he could.

Karin seemed to think about it for a moment before deflating. The worry was still there but the panic was gone. Nor was she caught up in a downward spiral of sorrow and penitence and self-hatred. Briefly, Grimmjow wondered how Ulquiorra was doing, considering Orihime was a much bigger mental case than Karin upon finding out about Diaemus and if Karin was this bad, self-blame aside, Orihime had to be a serious mess about now.

He was worried for Ajuga as well of course, but he knew his daughter was strong, that she could take care of herself, even with a broken arm, as Hana had reported. He doubted the Swarm would harm his daughter, not after everything he had learned. No, the real danger to his family would be if the Swarm grew impatient and put Ajuga on the Throne, revealing their secret to Aizen. No one had any illusions about what Aizen would do the moment he learned of Karin�s heritage, let alone to the others who had helped to keep her secret, unless if they somehow managed to convince him they were in the dark about it.

Covering for Szayel would be a waste of time. Aizen was well aware that Szayel had samples of Karin�s blood, taken long before Szayel�s mask cracked, forcing Grimmjow to pretend to have Claimed him. There was no excuse anyone could come up with that would satisfy Aizen, and even if they did, Aizen wouldn�t care. The motherfucker would use the incident as an excuse to cage the pet he�d been chasing for decades, permanently. Szayel would spend the rest of his life under Aizen at Kami�s leisure and no one could truly protest the result. Traitors had no rights. He also didn�t want to think about what Aizen would do to Szayel�s mate, his children or their guardian.

Grimmjow supposed it was a testament to how much he had changed over the years when he realized those thoughts infuriated him. There�d been a time when he�d failed to give a fuck about anyone, not even his own pack. Then Kurosaki had entered his life, and through the human boy, he had met Karin, the woman who had slowly transformed him. She�d done so completely and he�d never felt it happening, until this moment, when the idea of Szayel and his family suffering in Aizen�s �playroom� made him want to empty his stomach into the nearest wastebasket. Szayel had gone through hell and still kept his mouth shut about information that would have bought him his freedom from Aizen�s molestations. Even when the Seventh had been tortured and raped, his first concern had been for Ajuga.

Grimmjow hated debts, and he would be damned if he would owe any to Szayel Apporo Grantz. He just wasn�t sure how he would go about paying what Szayel had already tallied on his daughter�s behalf.

Fortunately, Szayel�s expression changed and Grimmjow got the feeling the other Espada was about to let him know how he might fix this little imbalance.

�Before we talk about anything else, we should make sure we will not be overheard. This way,� Szayel ordered, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair. Grimmjow helped Karin to her feet and they followed the other Espada from the room.

The scientist led them down several flights of stairs and down a long series of hallways to an unfamiliar �room� that looked more like a cavern with a tile floor. His mate seemed to recognize it and acted as if she knew why Szayel had chosen this particular place for a discussion. Szayel carefully secured the room before they made themselves as comfortable as they could with the limited furnishings. The only furniture appeared to be, for some reason, a metal-framed bed with a bare mattress and pillow and a few less-than-comfortable chairs near the room�s security system console. Since Karin and Szayel seemed reluctant to use the bed for sitting purposes, Grimmjow dragged both chairs over to the larger piece of furniture and parked himself on the mattress, ignoring the inexplicably disturbed looks on their faces.

�Now then, Karin-sama, what is your plan for killing Aizen?� Szayel asked seriously.

Grimmjow felt a flutter in his chest as the other Espada gave voice to his own unspoken desires. He�d dreamed of killing Aizen for a long time, and now Szayel had finally grown the balls to address the situation everyone else seemed too whipped to bring up. The fact that Szayel was looking at his mate while he asked the question made Grimmjow stare at her as well.

When he sensed the turmoil in her fade to a mixture of determination and acceptance, he felt nothing but pride. There was the woman he�d mated and it was about damned time she showed up.

�This is what I have worked out, but everything is so�� she paused, clearly trying to think of the word she wanted and not having much luck.

�Just start from the beginning,� Grimmjow prodded, wanting to hear what she�d come up with so far.

Karin gave them the bare bones of the idea for a rebellion that had heretofore only existed in her imagination. For their part, they listened in silence and Grimmjow couldn�t help the surge of anticipation and adrenaline that coursed through him. Just the idea of sinking his claws into Aizen, of getting the opportunity to deliver some payback gave him goose bumps, even if his mate�s plan called for sharing the battle with others, including Kurosaki if they could pull everything together.

Szayel seemed more sceptical, but then, his job description involved analysis and risk assessment. When Karin finished, he adjusted his mask fragment and sighed.

�It�s going to be tricky to coordinate, and we all know that the more complicated a plan, the more likely it is that at least one part of it will break down. But,� he paused and nibbled on his lip for a moment, clearly deep in thought, �I think it might work. Assuming you don�t see Yoruichi first, we can get Abarai to pass on the message to Nel��

�Wait, wait� you mean your �pet� is in contact with�� Grimmjow began, holding up his hands to interrupt the scientist, and stopped when he noticed the mood had changed considerably.

Szayel gave Karin a strange look complete with one raised eyebrow and Karin�s hand shot up to rub her forehead while she grimaced. The strange mixture of incredulity, irritation and embarrassment he received from the two of them made no sense whatsoever. At least, he thought it didn�t until Karin gave him another guilty look that had nothing to do with Ajuga.

�Uhm� about that� Abarai� well, Renji really isn�t Szayel�s �pet,�� Karin replied and looked at Szayel for some assistance. The pink-haired Espada glared at her in return.

�I can�t believe you didn�t tell him about this! Unbelievable!�

If anything, his mate looked even more chagrined than she had a moment ago.

�I meant to, I did, but things kept coming up! That and I thought it would be better if fewer people knew.�

�Oh, for the love of�� Szayel threw his hands up in the air in total exasperation, Grimmjow leaned forward and let out a menacing growl, getting their collective attention.

�Red�s got a Claim on him brighter than fireworks at noon and the guy can�t lie for shit. If you,� he pointed at Szayel �didn�t Claim him, who did?�

Karin and Szayel gave each other a nervous glance, looking much the same way Ajuga and Hana had as children when they�d been caught bending the truth to get out of a punishment.

�Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck�� Szayel answered, cringing a bit. �She holds his Claim.�

All of a sudden, Grimmjow wished he had a case of sake and a bottle of aspirin handy, because the headache he�d been trying to keep at bay was back.

�I�d like an explanation, before we go any farther with this. Just so we�re all on the same fucking page, alright?� he demanded through gritted teeth.

Fifteen minutes later, Grimmjow found himself at a kind of crossroads. He could choose to be pissed that his mate hadn�t shared something as important as consorting with the Escapees from him. He could also choose between anger, that Szayel hadn�t seen fit to inform him of the fact that one of his �pets� was a loose cannon, and being tickled as shit that his mate and Szayel�s collective household had managed to keep the truth about Renji�s Claim hidden from everyone, including the all-seeing Aizen, for over five fucking years! Then he gave it some more thought and when he remembered the morning following an all-night clash between himself and the redhead, he decided on the third option and gave in to riotous, half-hysterical laughter.

�Goddammit! That�s what he meant! I thought he was talking about Harribel! I even ordered him to tell me the truth and he still managed to fool me!� The Sixth guffawed, cackling until his sides began to hurt and tears formed at the corners of his eyes. �Shit, that�s fucking hilarious! I take it back. Red�s a stone-cold sneaky bastard.�

�I�m glad you�re amused. I can assure you that the situation tests my sense of humour every ten months,� Szayel retorted dryly. �Abarai remains ignorant of Karin�s bloodline, thankfully, though if you feel you can trust him with this information��

�You trust him with your flesh and blood,� Grimmjow shot back, all traces of mirth gone. �That�s enough of an endorsement for me at this point. He put himself under one of Aizen�s whips to keep your son and daughter safe, with no connection at all to you. I�d say tell him. Damn, he had me going there about being in love with the Third! Didn�t think he meant Nelliel, though.�

Szayel got a queasy look on his face, turning a little green and Karin�s eyes grew a bit bigger. If anything, the revelation had taken her mind off of their daughter�s abduction for a few minutes and for that, Grimmjow was grateful.

�I had no idea. I mean, I knew she was powerful, from the strength of the Claim I saw around him, but� I had no idea she was once the Third. What happened? Why is Harribel the Third Espada, and not her?�

Grimmjow scratched his head, noticed that Szayel was suddenly and intently studying his shoes then shrugged and leaned back on the mattress, propping himself up with his arms.

�You know how Nnoitra is about females. He cracked her mask in a fight, like Szayel. She lost her adult form and her place in Aizen�s Army. She�d hooked up with your brother in Hueco Mundo and she�s been with him ever since. Someone fixed her mask and she was back to normal, last time I ran into her.�

Meanwhile, Szayel had his head in his hands, muttering something about Abarai in love being the equivalent of a tap-dancing walrus, in that the idea was deeply disturbing and might constitute a violation of natural laws. Grimmjow gave him a sardonic look and snorted derisively.

�Get over it, Szayel. As far as I�m concerned, Red can do her six ways to Sunday as long as he�s willing to do what we need him to do. From what I can see, we�re not gonna have a problem there.�

Szayel, obviously repulsed, made a face, while Karin actually blushed and looked away.

�Perhaps you wouldn�t be so unruffled about this if you realized what you were sitting on,� the other Espada sniffed distastefully. �If it�s one thing for which I�m grateful, it�s that both the Kido barrier Shihoin-san provided and this room�s shielding are mercifully soundproof.�

When understanding dawned, Grimmjow immediately took his hands off of the mattress, rubbing them on his uniform.

�Well, that explains the scent,� he grouched and leaned forward. �Look, as interesting as this is, we have an assassination to arrange and we�ve just lost the luxury of taking our time to put something together. I�d try Yoruichi first, Karin, since it will be months before the former Third drops by to see Red, right?�

Szayel nodded, clearly relieved at the change in topic and rubbed his hands together.

�I don�t think we can wait until late summer, Grimmjow. That being said, as much as there are times I�d like to drown him, I will admit that in the last few days, I�ve considered giving Abarai the means to escape this Realm with my children, if things go badly with Aizen. I have no Claim on him. Aizen could not use me to hunt him down,� he told them reluctantly, his golden eyes troubled and pain-filled. �I doubt Nemu would leave my side unless I forced her to go with him, but he could easily take Abisara and Vindula to safety.�

Both Grimmjow and Karin remained silent as he declared this and the Sixth frowned at the scientist.

�Sounds like you�ve given this some serious thought.�

�Better I send the twins away, in the care of someone I trust, than let my son end up in Aizen�s dungeon. I see that less as a potential problem than I do an inevitable one.�

Grimmjow was off the mattress in flash, staring down at the Seventh with an expression of horror plastered on his ashen face. �You can�t be serious! That fucker hasn�t�?�

Szayel, in turn, gave him the bleakest, most hopeless look he�d ever seen on anyone�s mug. It was the sort of thing one would see on the face of a condemned man forced to watch his executioner tie the noose by which he�d hang.

�He�s using my children against me, Grimmjow, to force me to do his bidding and my son won�t be five years old forever. I will do whatever it takes to get them out of harm�s way.�

A hand reached out and grabbed Grimmjow�s forearm. He looked down to see Karin staring back up at him. Reluctantly, the blue-eyed Espada sat back down and filled his lungs with air, letting it out slowly.

�Language, Grimmjow�� he heard his mate say quietly, with little hint of the usual wrathful tone that usually accompanied the warning. He could tell she was trying to rein in her emotions until they could get this done, so he waited until Szayel had pulled himself back together and resumed speaking.

�I have a device that will open an unregistered Garganta. No one will be able to track it and the team I sent to Hueco Mundo to retrieve it from my storage facility arrived back late last night. It�s in pieces in Lab 12. I intend to strip its working components down to only the necessary parts in the next day or two and make it portable and hopefully, concealable. I�d originally intended to give it to Abarai with instructions to get my son and daughter to the Living World and equip them all with reiatsu suppressors in the event Aizen decides to make me a full-time occupant of the Palace.�

Szayel clasped his hands together and squared his shoulders.

�However, if we�re going to do this, I believe it might be better to employ it as a means to get not only the children, but all of the other non-combatants we care about out of the Soul Society and to a secure location. Even if we pull Aizen out into the forest there is no guarantee he won�t come back to the city to try and use them as hostages against us.�

�So, you agree with this?� Karin asked nervously. �You�re both ready to take him out?�

�Fuck Aizen,� Grimmjow smirked, letting her know that he was fine with killing Aizen.

�I believe I�ve had quite enough of his� attentions,� Szayel added, shivering slightly. �As for the other Espada, you are right about Barragan. He�s been looking for a weakness he can use against Aizen for years. He wants his throne back. However, I�m not sure we wouldn�t be trading one problematic ruler for another in that regard. I�m not certain about Ulquiorra and Harribel. I know how Harribel feels about women and children and if she learned what Aizen planned for Abisara and how he threatened Vindula,� Szayel paused here, took several deep breaths and forced himself past the fear he felt for his twins lest it affect Karin, �then she may be more willing to help. At least, she might not hinder us and she�d keep her fraccion and herself out of our way. I think we can truly get her on our side if we let her know about Ajuga and Hana�s genetic inheritance and the threat Aizen poses to them. She has become very fond of the two girls and isn�t one to run about blabbing secrets, especially ones that would put her charges in danger.�

�I really don�t like so many people knowing, especially her loud-mouthed fraccion,� Karin said and nervously worried her lower lip with her teeth.

Grimmjow had to agree with her. While he trusted Harribel herself, Harribel�s fraccion were as discreet as a hornet�s nest shoved down a hakama. None of them knew when to keep their traps shut and it was Grimmjow�s opinion that without Harribel�s protection, they would have made one enemy too many while in Hueco Mundo.

Harribel was a different story. Just getting that woman to talk at times was a chore. Prying information out of her was next to impossible. If she had a weakness, it was her girls, and Ajuga and Hana fell under that category. He didn�t like the idea of others knowing about such a dangerous secret. It was a wonder the entire world didn�t know about it yet with that loud-mouthed, pig-tailed brat running around with Kurosaki. Now that the Swarm had Ajuga, the secret was on a very short timer anyway. Still, if it was anyone he felt he could trust with such knowledge, it was Harribel.

�I think we can tell her,� he said and then sighed. �Szayel is right, can�t believe I just said that.� He muttered the second part under his breath. �We can trust Harribel and learning about this just may endear her to our side when the lines are drawn.�

�And having her on our side effectively takes her pet out of the conflict. Toshiro is a powerful Shinigami, one I wouldn�t want to face. I�m not sure about Ulquiorra. His loyalty and obedience to Aizen are near absolute. Then there�s Starrk. Would he be willing to join us?� Szayel asked.

�Starrk is getting pissy too, or at least, Lilinette is, especially after Aizen tried to blind their pet. He wasn�t too happy when he learned what Aizen�s been doing to you either and I think he actually lost his temper when he found out that Aizen had been planning to harm Abisara, even if it was just to get in your pants. It�s kinda hard to tell with that guy. I get the impression that if you want to know what the First �feels,� you have to talk to Lilinette.� Grimmjow answered. �I�ll ask Starrk and see what he thinks of the whole idea, but I�m willing to bet Lilinette will be all for it and she�ll goad him into acting.�

�I�ll speak with Harribel. Once I tell her about how Aizen threatened my children,� and here Szayel shivered again, �I am sure she will support us. Karin-sama, do I have your permission to tell her about your birthright?� Szayel looked at Karin, as the Claim-backed instructions she�d given him required her acquiescence for him to reveal the knowledge.

Grimmjow could feel her indecision, the need to keep her and her family safe warring with the need to enlist badly-needed help. If Harribel betrayed them, Karin would be under Aizen faster than any of them, even Starrk, could hope to prevent. Grimmjow knew Aizen would probably kill him as well, as there was no way in hell he would allow that to happen to his mate.

�Alright,� she finally relented. �You can tell the Third and only the Third, about my bloodline. You are to make certain that no one can overhear you when you do and only if you are one-hundred-and-ten-percent positive that she won�t tell another soul, not even Toshiro.�

He saw Szayel wince a little as Karin placed an inordinate amount of pressure on the Claim to ensure he obeyed. The resulting discomfort almost made Grimmjow feel sorry for Szayel. Almost. The power behind that command meant that Szayel would only broach the subject if Harribel was alone and sympathetic to their cause and the only people better at reading others than Szayel was were Starrk and Aizen.

�What about Nnoitra? Do you think he will fight against us or stand with us?� Karin asked hesitantly.

Grimmjow had to sit back and consider that. The Fifth, to him, was a wild card. While he wasn�t fond of the guy, it would be better to have him on their side than not. His memories of Santa Teresa weren�t positive, particularly the ones involving that little personal cluster-fuck that went down after he�d lost to Kurosaki. The idea of working with the Aspect of Despair gave him hives, but if he could put his distaste for Nnoitra aside, the jackass might actually be of use. Szayel, apparently, thought so too.

�Nnoitra won�t be an issue if the Swarm attacks when this goes down. He will be too busy swatting bugs to care that there�s an ambush going on behind him. His focus has always been on battle and proving himself. The Throne�s occupant won�t matter to him,� Szayel answered.

Karin made a face at that, but nodded in agreement. Then his mate got a faraway look in her eyes and her next words were sombre.

�As difficult as taking out Aizen will be, I�m worried more about the aftermath,� she confessed. �We�re going to have a lot of leaderless Arrancar with Claims on a significant portion of the population, the ones with better-than-average reiatsu. Yammy is going to be a big problem. He has Kuchiki-san and he�ll use him against us. The other problem would be the utter chaos as those Arrancar abandon the laws Aizen put in place. Some would scatter, taking their Claims with them while still others might go after more people now that Aizen is no longer around to rein them in.�

Of course, she would worry about that. He was concerned about that as well, but not as much as someone in her sandals might be. While he disagreed with how many of the Arrancar treated their pets, the point was that they had earned the right to them. He knew better than to bring that up with her of course, but he could at least assuage one of her worries.

�Yammy is a walking corpse. Ajuga has him in her line of sight and like hell I am letting my daughter go after him alone,� he promised her, a growl deep in his throat. �I might even get Red to help me. I don�t think he�d turn down the opportunity.�

�Karin-sama does have a point. Any Arrancar who side with Aizen will throw their pets at us as well, willing or not. Kuchiki Byakuya would be a powerful foe. However, if the Swarm upholds their end of the bargain, the bugs will keep most of the Arrancar and their pets busy. Assuming the Swarm can keep the rest of the army diverted, we should have time to deal with Aizen. The Numeros will follow the Espadas� orders, out of habit. After we kill Aizen, provided we can keep that knowledge hidden for a while. The Espada can summon each of them to the Palace on an individual basis and deal with them piecemeal afterwards.�

When Karin seemed about to protest, Szayel leaned forward and put his matter-of-fact face on, the one he used when ladling out unpleasant truths.

�Karin-sama, I know you want to see everyone freed, but do recall that most Arrancar see their pets as just that, pets and toys that they have earned. We cannot order them to give up what they see as their rightful property. If we did, we would be embroiled in a conflict with our own insurrection within a matter of days, if not hours. I would remind you that not all �pets� might want to be freed. Your friend Tatsuki comes to mind.�

�Neither Tatsuki, nor Tesra consider her a �pet�. She�s his mate, just like Grimmjow is mine,� she replied a little testily. Grimmjow�s eyebrow went up another notch, and he would have said something but Szayel beat him to it.

�I hate to point this out, but their sentiments for one another aside, Tatsuki cannot reciprocate a Mating Claim. Ergo, by Arrancar law, she is technically his property. You are the only one Claimed after the War�s end with the ability to cast a Claim of your own. You might prove to be the exception as far as our laws, but none of the others qualifies. I also fear that arrangements such as the one Tatsuki and Tesra share constitute a minority of the existing Claims.�

�Karin, Szayel�s right on this one. Let�s worry about ridding ourselves of Aizen for now and we�ll deal with that issue later.�

He felt her apprehension at the idea, but after a few moments, she nodded solemnly. Grimmjow was actually happy Szayel had opened up that particular can of worms and not him. He knew Nnoitra wouldn�t give up his pet and, even if they got Barragan on their side, he doubted they would convince the self-proclaimed king of Hueco Mundo to give up Yumichika, let alone Ggio. The majority of pets would be stuck in their current roles. It would be up to the Espada to force some kind of order on the inevitable turmoil afterwards. If the Escapees took the considerable power they had at their disposal, as well as that of a newly-freed Unohana-Taichou and Ichimaru Gin, and used it as a counterbalance to the Espada�s authority, they could get the lower ranks to fall in line.

�Look, we lure Aizen out of his spider hole, get him out in the woods and then the Swarm and those willing to join us in lopping off his head will ambush him while the rest of the Swarm keeps our forces busy. We get the kids and anyone Aizen might use as a hostage out beforehand, get Kurosaki and his buddies to help out and we�re in business,� he summarized.

�So, we have a rough plan then?� Karin asked, lacing and unlacing her fingers together, her gray eyes fixed on them both.

�I believe that covers it for now,� Szayel indicated. Grimmjow gave his mate a grin. She reciprocated, though her smile was a bit on the wan side.

However, her mood had improved with the discussion, if the emotions he felt through their bond were any indication and for that, he was grateful. She was relieved and he briefly wondered how long she had been stewing over this. Grimmjow felt better as well, now that they had a plan of attack. It was about damned time that the Espada got off their asses and did something about the motherfucker who had the nerve to impose his will on Hueco Mundo�s elite without following his own rules and if things went the way they ought to, they had a good shot at pulling off the assassination of the millennium.

Grimmjow also acknowledged that there would be a few side benefits to putting Aizen down like a rabid dog. One of them involved squaring off with Kurosaki, especially after the hybrid learned that he had mated with Karin. The Sixth had to keep from rubbing his hands together in gleeful anticipation of the moment he laid eyes on the guy and saw his face when he told the orange-haired kid.

�Of course, we still need to decide on one last thing: which of us will make the attempt to talk to Ulquiorra, because I truly do not want to have to fight him if the Fourth disagrees with our blueprint for the future,� Szayel hesitantly inquired. Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

�How did Szayel ever manage to weasel his way into an Espada�s seat, with that kind of timid attitude?�

�I�ll talk to him,� Grimmjow volunteered before his brain registered the fact his lips were moving. Once the words were out of his mouth, he realized he�d just offered to risk Murcielago taking his head off for treason and slapped his forehead.

�Probably by asking others to do the difficult work for him.�

He was unaccustomed to feeling loss, yet right now, loss pulled at him, and not all of it came from Orihime. Long ago, he�d had nothing he cared for that he could recall. Then he met Orihime and over time, she showed him what it meant to have real ties to another being. Not long after, from a Hollow�s perspective, she graced him with a son. Before that, he was sure he had a grasp of �love� as a theoretical concept, an intellectual appreciation of the state. However, when he had seen her holding their child, he understood that his previous awareness of the emotion had been only academic. The �love� he�d experienced from that moment on was visceral, enough to light him from within with its presence alone. It was a living thing and the longer it dwelled inside of him, the more �alive� he became as its host.

Now that child was gone, taken from him and nothing he�d ever experienced in his existence to date measured up to this loss for sheer agony. He�d experienced loneliness, hunger, despair� but never loss. That didn�t surprise him. Feeling loss required that one have someone they cherished, something valuable to lose in the first place and there had been no one before Orihime. He put Aizen in the same category as all of the others who were not his mate and his child; while the loss of one of those might sting for a time, it was not the insurmountable feeling of deprivation caused by the lack of their presence. Now one of the two people he loved was gone and the remaining one was inconsolable.

Ulquiorra was woefully unprepared to deal with either of these things.

Orihime�s face was red from sobbing and he hadn�t been able to get her to eat anything since Aizen had delivered the news about their son�s abduction. He had managed to get her to take a few sips of water, but that was it. As a human, she needed more nourishment than that. The Fourth couldn�t help but to think back on the old days, when Aizen had thrust her upon him as an unwanted responsibility, when he had to threaten her to get her to eat. He had no desire to return to such tactics, but if she didn�t start seeing to her physical needs�

�Orihime, you must eat,� he ordered, offering her a spoonful of miso soup from the bowl in his hand.

She didn�t even acknowledge him. Instead, she continued to sob, to rock back and forth and bombard him with deep despair. It reminded Ulquiorra of the �emotion� that had been his only companion during the days he�d lived in the white-bone forests of Hueco Mundo, before Aizen had found him and offered him a purpose. Wincing inwardly, he made a conscious effort to discard that comparison as soon as it came to him, for she had been right yesterday. Aizen was not the man he once was. His leader�s �offer� of a day to try to track down his child and no more than that had engendered another emotion that he hadn�t felt in a great while, not since the day he�d taken on Kurosaki Ichigo and won.

He found it strange that the desire to ravage something, to destroy it down to its very spirit particles kept such good company with the loss eating away at him. It also did little to help him figure out how to deal with his distraught mate.

Nothing he did seemed to get through to her and Ulquiorra was at his wit�s end. She needed to eat. If she didn�t do so soon, he would face a choice: force her to eat using the Claim, or to take her to the 4^th Division and have Unohana-Taichou deal with her. Neither appealed to him. He found himself reluctant to do the first as he felt it would be a betrayal of her trust, even if he had vowed to only use the Claim for such purposes if absolutely necessary. The second was tempting. Unohana-Taichou had a way of getting through to even the most truculent of patients, even if it involved placing an IV into his mate�s arm to deliver needed nutrients and fluids. If Kami�s wife told a person to eat, there was no fuss, no protests. The 4^th Division was packed full of patients, however and he had no idea if Unohana would have time to deal with such a problem when there were greater injuries that required her care.

Ulquiorra refused to lose the only other person who had ever meant anything to him over something as petty as self-neglect, not after losing his son. The bitterness of that seemed to seep under his tongue, into his lungs and his joints, until every part of the Fourth Espada ached. He had no illusions when it came to the search the Seventh and Grimmjow�s mate tried to conduct, not when all of Szayel�s scientific resources failed to find the Swarm�s breeding grounds after ten years of hunting.

A knock on the front door drew his attention and Orihime jumped, momentarily startled out of her near-catatonic condition. He didn�t need to answer it to know that it was her human friend Tatsuki and her mate. Rising, he set the bowl of untouched soup down and moved to open the door while Orihime remained curled up in a ball of misery on the couch.

He�d had no luck drawing her out of her current state. If anyone could help get through to his mate, perhaps it would be Tatsuki.

He had no idea how Tatsuki had known something was up, but he suspected Harribel�s fraccion had played a part in that. Those girls had a tendency to spread gossip as far and as wide as they could. He�d learned at the meeting that one of them had run across Hana while the wounded girl was on her way back to the city. Hana had probably reported to Harribel and Toshiro first. Her fellow fraccion had most likely been listening in before her mistress and her Taichou had taken the young Shinigami to report what she knew directly to Aizen. News like this would travel fast and was, presumably, all over the city by now.

�Ulquiorra-san. May I come in?� Tatsuki asked respectfully from her spot on the porch.

He stepped to the side without uttering a word, opening the door wider in lieu of a spoken invitation. Tatsuki didn�t need any further prompting and rushed to Orihime�s side, moving swiftly despite her pregnancy. Tesra remained hovering outside uncertainly.

�I will see to it she is kept safe. Return to your charge,� the Fourth told the nervous father-to-be.

�Thank you, Ulquiorra-sama.�

Tesra bowed before disappearing to resume guarding Nnoitra�s pregnant pet.

Closing the door, he turned to see both women with their arms around one another on the couch, Tatsuki making small, soothing noises in an effort to comfort her friend. Within minutes of her arrival, Tatsuki managed to get Orihime to take sips of water from the glass he had been trying to entice her to drink from for several hours. He was pleased at that. On any other day, he might be jealous that some human woman had succeeded where he had failed, but all he felt was relief that Orihime was finally responding to outside stimuli and taking needed nourishment. With his mate in Tatsuki�s reliable hands, he finally had the time to deal with his own emotional needs.

He sought out Grimmjow�s reiatsu without questioning why he did so. He was surprised to discover the Espada heading his way, minus his mate. Throwing his �feelers� out a little wider, it took him a moment to determine that Karin was still at the Science and Research building. She must have been helping Szayel try and find the cubs, a task for which Grimmjow was ill suited.

To Ulquiorra, it didn�t matter. The one he wanted to see was on his way.

Making sure he had Murcielago tucked securely into his belt, he nodded once to Tatsuki as he slipped out of the door. While he�d promised Tesra his mate would be fine in his care, Ulquiorra doubted anyone would be foolish enough to try anything while Tatsuki remained at his den. If Tatsuki had known that Orihime would be in such straits, the rest of the Arrancar would probably give both he and his territory a wide berth, not wanting to risk his wrath right now. The lone exception to that rule wasn�t far away and Ulquiorra moved to intercept him.

He met Grimmjow one block away. His fellow Espada looked like someone had kicked him in the tail, hard and repeatedly. Grimmjow was obviously having a difficult time with his daughter�s abduction and it made Ulquiorra feel slightly better to know that he wasn�t the only Arrancar adversely affected by the loss of his offspring.

�Grimmjow,� he hailed the other, his own voice sounding leaden.

�Yo. Want to work some of this frustration out?� Grimmjow asked, his voice lacking its usual enthusiasm. The other�s troubled expression mirrored Ulquiorra�s feelings, even if his countenance did not. �I feel like shredding something.�

�I think that would be prudent,� he agreed easily, having had the same thought himself. The Sixth nodded and turned on his heel, striking out in a familiar direction.

They wasted no time on further speech. Instead, the clearing they had created ages ago, their children�s training ground, became their battlefield again, only this time they began the session in their respective Resurreccións. Grimmjow went after him with all the rage and frustration of a devastated father and Ulquiorra was shocked to find that he had a hard time keeping up. To counter Grimmjow�s ferocious attacks, the Fourth made a decision and switched to his second, winged form. If Grimmjow was surprised to see it, he said nothing and continued his vicious strikes. In his secondary state, Ulquiorra gained an aerial advantage, but that didn�t stop the Sixth from doing everything in his power to bring his black-winged body to the ground. The Fourth considered his secondary release�s appearance, with its black wings, fur and tail, the embodiment of despair and Grimmjow seemed determined to tear it to shreds with those malevolent claws of his.

When had Grimmjow become so strong? Ulquiorra suspected that, with the kind of power he was using now, the Sixth could take out the Fifth Espada with ease if the two were to fight for the higher-ranking position. Perhaps it had something to do with having a family and something to defend� or maybe he had grown stronger with each battle, as the years of conflict with the Swarm stretched on. Maybe he was well and truly pissed. Whatever the reason, Ulquiorra found the development pleased him. Grimmjow�s increased strength meant Ulquiorra wouldn�t have to hold back while taking the other Espada on, allowing him to burn off the rage he harboured towards the Swarm, for the loss of his precious son.

By the time the fight petered out, the clearing was nothing more than a moonscape of pitted, scarred earth, the craters reaching down to bedrock in some places. The old tree stumps and fallen logs were long gone. They had reduced the new vegetation that had gamely tried to make a go of it in the warmth of an early spring to cinders, the scorched ground smoking in the wake of so many Ceros and Balas. If there had been any living creatures nearby when the fight had started, they�d long since fled or flown for their lives.

Ulquiorra guessed that it was high time they wrapped things up if the training area�s condition was any indication of the fight�s progress. Both of them were out of breath, in Grimmjow�s case, panting heavily and on the verge of exhaustion.

�Feeling any better?� Grimmjow asked, once he�d managed to wrestle his breathing back under control. The Sixth sat on the remains of what was once a sizeable boulder, now just a blackened pile of granite chunks.

�Slightly,� he admitted, and dissolved both of his released states, sheathing Murcielago and trying very hard not to seem as if he was grateful for the reprieve from Grimmjow�s attempts to skewer him with one of Pantera�s forms.

�Yeah, I still feel like shit too� Grimmjow agreed, hanging his head and closing his eyes. After a moment, Ulquiorra joined him on the rock pile, sitting a few feet away and staring off into the distance. The stone beneath his fingers was still warm from absorbing the energy one too many Ceros. The Fourth wasn�t entirely sure which one of them had demolished it. Instead, Ulquiorra sat forward and folded his arms over his bent knees, then addressed the other. It seemed like the polite thing to do.

�This pain� it is not something I ever thought I would feel.�

The Sixth curled his lip, giving Ulquiorra a half-snarl.

�Tell me about it. Fuck this damn bullshit! Who knew having a brat came with such attachments?� Grimmjow growled.

Silence descended on them, broken only by the faint rustle of the breeze blowing through the branches of the intact trees on the circumference of the ring of destruction.

�Do you miss it sometimes?� Grimmjow suddenly asked, deflating a little.

�Miss what?�

Ulquiorra�s response held plenty of confusion. Thankfully, the other Espada provided a timely answer.

�The world before Aizen. Back when the only thing that mattered was hunting the white sands under a crescent moon and not getting eaten. You know, when things were a whole lot simpler.�

The question was surprisingly profound, coming from someone like Grimmjow, and he had to take a few minutes to ponder it. Did he miss his old, uncomplicated existence? The answer came far more quickly than he expected. Still, he waited for what he deemed an appropriate amount of time before speaking.

�No. Orihime was not part of that world, and in that world, I was alone. The hatred of those who might have been companions, or perhaps even fraccion, and their fear of me as a Vasto Lorde, kept me isolated. With regard to my prior existence in Hueco Mundo, there was little to �miss�.�

Ulquiorra went from gazing at the horizon to contemplating the rocky ground before him, aware that Grimmjow had turned to look at him.

�As displeasing and as� painful� as it is to lose my son, I have better memories of this last decade in the Soul Society, than in all of my previous decades in Hueco Mundo combined,� he confessed. �I would not go back to the nothingness of that time.�

�Yeah, me too,� Grimmjow agreed. �Our brats are strong. I know they will find a way to escape. The Swarm doesn�t know whom they are messing with. Give them a week, and I bet those damn bugs will come crawling to us on their bellies, begging us to take those two back.� he chuckled.

The mental image of Ajuga and Diaemus perpetrating the kind of chaotic destruction they did here in the Soul Society, the two raining down all kinds of holy hell on the Swarm brought a rare smirk to Ulquiorra�s mouth. His son was intelligent and capable. Grimmjow�s daughter was tough and cunning. Grimmjow was right. If there were a way to escape the Swarm�s clutches, Ajuga and Diaemus would find it and as much as he hated to admit it, those two worked well together.

Between the sparring session and the vision of his son and Ajuga causing widespread mayhem on the Swarm�s home turf, the Fourth Espada found he felt much better. Perhaps the Swarm had made a critical, tactical error in taking the two. Besides, as he had told himself repeatedly, if the Swarm wanted to kill them, they would never have taken them alive.

They sat there for a while as the sun made its way westward, each keeping their own counsel and Ulquiorra considered returning to his den, to see what kind of progress Tatsuki had made with his mate. They�d been at this for a few hours, enough time for Orihime�s more �grounded� friend to get through to her fellow human.

He was about to stand and leave Grimmjow to whatever business the other had to do today, when the Sixth leaned back on the slab of rough stone and let out deep breath. The fleeting grin he�d seen on the other�s face was gone and in its place was a harsh scowl. For some reason, Ulquiorra didn�t think that it was due to Ajuga and Diaemus�s abduction. A moment later, Grimmjow turned those electric-blue eyes towards him and for the third time in less than forty-eight hours, Ulquiorra had the feeling he was about to hear something incredibly unpleasant and just as unavoidable.

�We have to talk about something else, Ulquiorra��

Hugs and loves for the reviews. Things are rolling now.

I never really looked too hard at the conversation between Szayel, Karin and the others about claiming and child birth because A) it was honestly just a filler conversation to give them something to talk about on their way to the Science and Research building that would make sense, and B) It�s not true. I should point out, however, that miscarriages are hard on the body, and since it an sometimes be months before a Claim is recast, and the hybrid pregnancies can be short, it would be very unpleasant, and traumatic, to go to the bathroom and lay a fetus at any stage of development.

As for other woman asking to be Claimed for protection, one or two others may have if they got to know an Arrancar that didn�t have a pet. There are honestly not many that are still pet free.

Next Chapter: Oh yes, next Chapter *snicker. Soul Society is hit by an unexpected epidemic.
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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