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
- 48
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Location

Karin hated paperwork with a passion. However, she didn�t mind this form too much. She found it amusing that the inter-division soccer tournament she started all those years ago was still going strong. She was also grateful for the distraction. These mundane events helped keep her sane, even as worry ate away at her. The organization of the tournament was hard and she had to work at staying focused. At least she knew Ajuga was alive and she hoped that her daughter�s captors would take care of her. For the first time ever, she thought she understood how Ichigo must have felt.

She and Yuzu had been the prisoners of the man who had tried, repeatedly, to kill her brother. While the analogy wasn�t perfect, it was close enough to make her feel uncomfortable and even a little guilty. She�d endured less than two weeks of this and she knew her daughter was alive, if injured. Ichigo had had to deal with the uncertainty about his sisters fates, and their welfare for much longer.

�Makes me look like a damned hypocrite,� she grumbled to herself. The first thing she was going to do when she saw Yoruichi again was to make sure the feline passed an apology from her to her brother.

She decided that the schedules looked good. Barring another Swarm attack, they�d hold the tournaments as scheduled. The only thing left to do was distribute them to the various Divisions. Normally, she would hand that task off to one of her seated officers, but she really didn�t feel like sitting in the office today. She was growing increasingly antsy as each day passed and Yoruichi failed to appear. Part of that she attributed to worry for her daughter but time wasn�t on her side in this matter when it came to their plans for Aizen. She really did not want to wait until late summer to try to garner help from the Escapees. While she was sure Ajuga and Diaemus were safe, every day her daughter was away filled her heart with more and more dread. Worse, Grimmjow was so out of it that they hadn�t had sex once since the Swarm took her daughter. His resulting lack of libido told her that his mind was truly elsewhere and that he was just as worried as she was. Karin didn�t think her mate had ever gone this long without attempting to drag her into bed.

�I am going to drop off these forms,� she informed Nanao with a sigh and stood up. Her Taichou blinked up at her from behind at least six stacks of receipts and what Karin suspected were the latest budget reports.

�Alright. When you get back we should go over the budget reports for field equipment.�

Karin scowled, her fears confirmed. She absolutely loathed budget reports, but at least she now understood them thanks to the classes she�d taken at the Academy during the five years that the Defence Net had kept the Swarm at bay. Who knew the majority of a Shinigami�s existence involved this much accounting? Karin certainly hadn�t before she�d enrolled.

�Then I�ll bring back two bottles of sake as well,� she groaned.

Nanao offered her a little chuckle and waved her off. Gathering her papers, and the ones from the �out� boxes that others would normally deliver, she left the office. Karin decided that her first stop ought to be the 4^th Division, as it was the closest.

The day promised to be beautiful. The sun shone brightly and from its position, it was roughly ten in the morning. Karin lamented the absence of �real� clocks in this dimension. There weren�t many of them and most of those were in the 4^th Division or the Science and Research building. She reminded herself to ask Abisara to make her a watch when the boy wasn�t busy finishing the reiatsu sensors, but for now she just pulled down her shades, confirming it was 9:54. Leave it to Szayel, she thought, to design a pair of sunglasses with more features than a bloody computer.

She had just arrived at the gates of the 4^th Division when she spotted Hana. The girl carried a large stack of papers in her arms, peering over the top of them to see where she was going. Karin guessed that Toshiro had sent her out to deliver the 3^rd Division�s set of reports. Judging by the height of the stack, she had also decided to stop by the 4^th Division first. For some reason, Nanao�s daughter seemed to be in a hurry, breathlessly coming to a stop before she realized Karin was there. They greeted each other warmly and walked into the 4^th Division together.

A bizarre scene greeted them on the other side of the doors. One corner of Hana�s mouth turned up as she surveyed the lobby and those in it, which led Karin to believe that the young woman had been expecting to see this and had chosen the 4^th Division as her first stop for this very reason.

A Shinigami she recognized as Unohana�s Fukutaichou sat in flustered silence behind the lobby�s main desk with a brush poised in one hand over an open notebook. On the other side of the counter stood all three of Harribel�s fraccion, two of whom looked extremely cranky. The third hid her expression behind one of her sleeves in a demure gesture. From the way her eyes sparkled with barely-disguised humour, she apparently found something funny about the exchange currently taking place. Karin failed to see what that was, from the tension in the lobby. When Hana said nothing to the three Arrancar, but chose instead to tiptoe to a secluded spot to watch the drama unfold, Karin could only follow suit. Hana favoured Karin with a sidelong look. Karin had no idea what was going on, but followed Hana out of curiosity.

�What�s so hard to comprehend, dipshit? We�re sorry and we�re here to help, so let us help already!� Apache snapped. She placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward, getting up in the man�s face as much as the counter would allow. Karin thought she saw Iemura-san, or Imara-san� for the life of her she couldn�t remember his family name� retreat as far as the backrest of his chair would allow.

�Can it Apache. You�re scaring the poor guy,� Mila Rose grunted, her arms crossed over her chest.

�He should be scared,� Apache sniffed, finally backing away from the blonde officer�s pale face and tossing her head. The third Arrancar, silent up until now, rolled her eyes at the display.

�Don�t mind her. She�s just upset that we have to be here at all.�

Sung Sun�s apology for her sister�s behaviour sounded more like a pointed barb aimed at Mila Rose.

�We�re sorry for nearly creaming your subordinate when he came to do the blood tests on us,� Mila Rose grumbled, her scowl nearly identical to Apache�s frown. �Harribel-sama told us that we have to help out for a few days to make up for it.�

Karin�s eyebrows shot up at the explanation. When she turned her head to look at Hana, she discovered the 3^rd Division�s Seventh Seat biting her lower lip in an effort to keep from laughing aloud and dropping her stack of forms.

�Ah, I see,� their victim said more confidently, adjusting his glasses as he did so. �I will convey your contrition to 8^th Seat Harunobu-san as well as Unohana-Taichou when next I see her.�

Karin had seen Szayel do the same thing sometimes, when he wasn�t using the gesture in a feeble effort to look good. Maybe playing with one�s spectacles was a �man with glasses thing.� She had never seen anyone with sunglasses do it before though, and she certainly didn�t fiddle with the pair she wore to dampen her �sight� around those with an inordinate amount of spiritual pressure, such as Aizen and Starrk. Nanao wore corrective lenses of course, but when her Taichou touched the frames of her glasses, it usually preceded another helping of paperwork. Entire squads of Shinigami tensed in anticipation of orders when they saw her reach towards her face, as it meant Ise-Taichou was about to get serious. Of course, Karin�s pair spent more time on her forehead than on her face, unlike Nanao. She just wished there was a way to turn her sight off, or at least moderate it without having to rely on eyewear.

�Do you have any medical skills or experience?� Iemura-Fukutaichou asked in a much more professional tone. The two louder women�s faces flushed with embarrassment at the question. They each muttered �no� while Sung Sun gently shook her head.

�Hmm. That will limit your options.�

Karin swore there was a glint in the man�s eyes as he informed them that the only chores that they could help with involved cleaning or supply sorting. Their faces turned red at that and Karin waited for the next round of fireworks.

�What, you think a woman�s only good for cleaning?� Apache demanded sharply. Mila Rose bared her teeth and turned her head away, crossing her arms over her chest and uttering an affronted �hmph� sound. Sung Sun�s shoulders slumped a little and disappointment took the place of the glee in her lavender eyes.

Surprisingly, the man actually sighed at the accusation. Putting down his brush, he reached up and pulled his glasses off, folding them neatly and setting them to the side. Then he clasped his hands, fingers laced together and looked the three women in the eye.

�Ladies, the fact that you are women has nothing to do with it. I would assign you tasks more fitting to women of your rank and power if I could, but you do not have the proper training to assist with patients. This is a medical policy, not a judgment of your strength.�

He sounded very matter-of-fact about the situation and Karin had to give him kudos for not cowering. The Trés Bestias had their violent reputations for a reason. She heard Hana snort, the sound barely audible as Iemura went on.

�That being said, we have a great many things to do on a daily basis, as our Division is also responsible for resupplying those Shinigami out in the field. What I can do is give you a list of the chores that need completing today and on the days that the three of you are here. You may pick the ones you wish to complete. Doing so will free up someone with healing skills to see to the wounded.�

Leaning forward, the man reached up and rubbed his forehead. When he looked back at the three women, Karin detected some relief in both his voice and his earnest expression.

�Frankly, ladies, the Swarm�s latest round of invasion attempts have sorely taxed our healers. Any help the three of you can provide in a support capacity will be greatly appreciated, I assure you.�

His no-nonsense delivery and the expression of gratitude seemed to mollify Apache and Mila Rose. Karin silently applauded his tact as he retrieved his sunglasses and plopped them back over the bridge of his nose. Then he started writing out a list of jobs, carefully explaining what the tasks involved, where they needed to go and who could further direct them. He paid special attention to the tasks he felt might suit each woman. By the time Iemura-Fukutaichou finished, nerves had been soothed and tempers assuaged. Karin silently applauded him. The man knew what he was doing when it came to delegating and placating egos.

Karin was surprised this man wasn�t Claimed, considering the strength of the reiatsu that she saw when she looked at him through her lenses. It simmered, much like a pot deliberately turned down to a low heat to keep it from boiling over. When she stopped and pondered the potential reasons why the Arrancar had let someone of his rank alone, she realized that none of the 4^th Division healers had �Masters� or �Mistresses.� That startled her, but when she thought about it further, the fact he was free made more sense.

Power and fighting skill seemed to be a key quality the Arrancar looked for in a pet. The lack of Claims could be because the 4^th Division�s membership had the lowest combat strength of the remaining forces. Self-preservation might also be a factor. Karin doubted that any of the Arrancar wanted to anger Kami�s wife. The woman had a blinding amount of carefully banked power at her disposal. Karin was willing to bet hard money that the only Arrancar strong enough to Claim Unohana was Starrk and she doubted the lazy Primera would want to fight such an opponent in the first place.

Her imagination conjured up an image of Unohana-Taichou, Jushiro and Coyote Starrk gathered around the low table in Jushiro�s room, complete with cups of hot tea and a half-finished game of shoji. Karin promptly took a mental hammer and shattered it in an attempt to drive it from her head.

Papers in hand, the three fraccion walked off in the direction he�d indicated, muttering as they looked at the lists of available tasks, though Sung Sun paused to cast a brief, speculative look over her shoulder at the man behind the desk. Once they were out of earshot Hana finally let a snicker escape and grinned widely at the entertainment that her fellow fraccion had unwittingly provided. Karin also noticed that the blonde man keenly watched the three Arrancar retreat down the hall before he shook his head and turned his attention towards them.

�Ah, Hana-chan! Are you here to see your friend?� he asked as Hana approached the counter. The teenager gave him a blank look in return.

�Friend?�

Iemura-Fukutaichou nodded and held up what appeared to be a patient check-in roster.

�I believe his name is Diaemus. Ulquiorra-sama brought him in about an hour ago. While she officially signed him in about half-an-hour ago, I am not sure if Unohana-Taichou has�.�

Karin didn�t catch the rest of the conversation. The moment he�d uttered Diaemus�s name she�s frantically scanned the Division for his reiatsu. She spotted Orihime�s instead, the woman�s power far brighter than that of her son. Dumping the paperwork in her arms on the desk, she took off running, Hana hard on her heels. It took a few minutes of dashing down more than one twisting corridor before she found the right door. Orihime looked up at them in surprise when they burst into the room. The woman held a damp, pink-stained cloth a few inches over the boy�s face, as if she�d been wiping it. Diaemus lay on the bed with an IV in his arm, unconscious and far too pale for Karin�s liking. A bowl of bloodied wash water sat on the top of a metal tray in Orihime�s lap.

Karin moved quickly to Orihime�s side and the two women shared an embrace, both of them barely holding back tears. Judging by her puffy red eyes, Orihime had already done her share of crying this morning.

�He hasn�t woken up yet.�

Orihime told her this before she could start with the inquiries.

Instead, Karin asked, �Where is Ulquiorra?�

�He went to report in and he should be back soon. Right now, we don�t know anything, but Unohana-san said he should wake up soon.� Biting her lip and sniffing, she added, �He�s suffering from exhaustion. Ulquiorra thinks, from how he fell, that he�s been flying for days! He�s covered in dried sweat and Ulquiorra had to ��

�He�ll be okay,� Karin assured her and hugged her before Orihime could get worked up again. Hana dropped her reports on the top of the cabinet. Then she bent over Diaemus and carefully placed a hand on his forehead.

�The blood?� Hana inquired, staring at the swath of drying, red-brown fluid on Diaemus�s chest and face that Orihime hadn�t cleaned away yet. Karin and Hana both froze when Orihime elaborated on Ulquiorra�s �solution� to their son�s lack of reiatsu. The teenager immediately backed up and crossed her arms over her chest, reaching up to rub her forehead. Karin swore the girl actually glared down at her childhood friend with a mixture of incredulity and anger.

�He couldn�t have ridden the slip stream non-stop� not for days� the older woman thought she heard Hana murmur. At that moment, Hana looked very much like her mother.

Karin wondered if the Swarm might have tossed him out, since he lacked any Royal Blood. They would know nothing until Diaemus awoke. Hana changed the red tinted water as Orihime continued to wipe her son�s torso clean. While his skin was easy to clean, his feathery fur would require at least a soaking and possibly more than one shower to rid it of the dried blood, dirt and layers of caked-on sweat.

They sat in silence for several minutes, each of them lost in their own thoughts with the only sound that of drops of water falling back into the bowl and wet cloth on skin as Orihime worked. When she dropped the cloth back into the bowl, swishing it back and forth to clean it, they almost missed the faint sound of a ragged breath escaping a pair of wind-burned lips.

�Mother?� a voice whispered, causing all of them to jump in shock. Then they jumped again when the door opened, letting in Ulquiorra, Grimmjow and Aizen.

�Diaemus, how are you feeling?� Orihime demanded, hastily placing the tray and bowl on the floor and, pulling her son into a hug that had him struggling weakly to escape, since he was in the presence of both his father and their ruler.

�Tired,� he confessed and then added �awful.�

Everyone but the young man on the bed shuffled about in the suddenly crowded room. Karin ended up on Grimmjow�s lap in one of the chairs, Hana leaned against the cabinet, Aizen stood by the door, Ulquiorra took a spot behind Orihime�s chair and Orihime remained seated next to her son. Karin was glad that someone had thought to open the window, as the small room would have overheated quickly. While she wasn�t pleased to find herself in close quarters with Aizen, she told herself she should have expected a visit from the bastard once Ulquiorra went to check back in at the 1^st Division.

�You seem concerned enough about the boy now, you snake,� she thought, trying to keep the hate she felt for him off her face. Keeping her temper under control took more effort, especially when Aizen looked down at the boy on the bed and gave him a curtly worded order.

�Report.�

Giving Aizen his attention, Diaemus began to relate the story, starting with the three of them stumbling onto the patrol and their original plan to capture the General for interrogation. Aizen nodded as Diaemus� story matched Hana�s with regard to the events. He went on, describing what little he could of the cell, the freezing temperatures and the lack of food.

The longer Diaemus spoke about the conditions, the angrier Karin became. Evidently, Mushi�s definition of �fine� and her own differed greatly. The next time she saw �Zee� there would be hell to pay.

�We could find no means to escape the room, not injured as we were. Then Ajuga suggested a tactic that she thought might let at least one of us escape.� Diaemus paused and swallowed nervously, glancing their way briefly before returning his attention to Aizen and continuing his report. �She believed that my superior speed and regeneration would give me the best chance to break out and make it back here. I could then return with help. Unfortunately, since they were unknowingly starving us and my wings were unusable, the only way to get the power I would need involved feeding on Ajuga.�

Karin felt her mate go stiff behind her and she had to grasp the arms wrapped around her to hold him still, to allow Diaemus the time needed to finish what he had to say. If her mate killed him, there would be no way to find out their daughter�s location and she wanted to avoid a fight between her Mate and Ulquiorra at all costs.

Diaemus� voice, usually as confident and calm as his father, trembled as he continued.

�Ajuga bared her throat and ordered me to feed from her. In fact, she demanded that I do it. She pointed out that getting the location of the Swarm�s base back home was more important than one life. If we did nothing, we would both starve to death, or become so hungry that we would turn on each other anyway. It was best to make a rational decision while we could before we became too drained or delirious to do anything.�

He leaned into his mother�s grasp as he forced himself to say the next words.

�So.... I did it. I sank my fangs into her throat and fed off her. I�I�m sorry. My memories are somewhat blurry about that. When my strength returned, I was able to blast my way out of the cell using a Cero and escape before the Swarm responded.�

Diaemus broke eye contact with Aizen and stared down at his hands, which had gripped and twisted the blanket covering his legs.

�I was lucky. I got out sometime during the night and I was able to use the stars to figure out which way I needed to go. I flew as fast as I could, not stopping, not resting, using whatever air currents I could to make it home faster.

�I don�t even know if she is still alive,� he finished, his voice and his body quaking. Diaemus sounded miserable and he�d given up any pretence of trying to save face in front of the other Arrancar near his bedside, or their overlord.

Grimmjow clutched her tightly, but Karin hardly noticed. All she could see was a vision of Ajuga laying on a frost covered stone floor, blood pooling out around her and her neck savaged.

�They wouldn�t let her die. They need her. This was the best thing they could have done, and now we can rescue her,� Karin thought repeatedly, trying to bring her own sudden rush of emotions under control. It was difficult to do with the potent mix of anger and despair she could feel from Grimmjow through her Claim. She tried to get a hold of herself, knowing that things could spiral out of control for the both of them if she didn�t do something to rein in her negativity. She didn�t need Grimmjow giving in to his instincts and tearing Diaemus apart for leaving their daughter behind.

Karin took a long, deep breath and kept doing that until she could think rationally about the situation. As much as she hated to admit it, Diaemus had done the right thing, probably the best thing under the circumstances.

�How many days have passed since you escaped from the Swarm�s base?�

Aizen�s coolly spoken question, aimed at the young man, cut through her attempt at self-discipline.

�I don�t know. How long have I been unconscious?� Diaemus asked.

�Only a few hours,� Orihime answered.

�Then�four days ago,� he answered. �Today would have been day five��

The sound of rustling paper surprised the listeners. Hana had turned away and had begun flipping over the reports she�d brought with her to the room, their blank backsides visible. Then she searched through the cabinet�s drawers before letting out a cry of triumph. Karin saw she�d found a pen and a clipboard, probably left behind by a staff member.

�Starting percentage of power?� Hana suddenly demanded, taking one of the undelivered reports and putting the pen to paper. She unknowingly interrupted Aizen before he could ask another question.

�Seventy two,� Diaemus said, as if used to this kind of thing from her.

�First direction, wind resistance and time?�

�South west, 10%, two hours fifteen minutes,� he replied, under control once more as both teenagers fell into a familiar pattern of behaviour.

She peppered him with questions, Diaemus did his best to give her information and Hana�s arithmetic slowly filled the backs of the reports, removing one report when she�d filled the pages and transferring the results to the next set. Whatever displeasure Aizen might have felt over Hana�s intrusion into his interrogation turned into intrigue as numbers and letters appeared on any blank piece of paper Hana could find. The young woman muttered under her breath, working through a series of calculations. After she went back over each of the figures, looking for any errors she might have made, she lifted her head and demanded a map.

Since he was closest to the door, Aizen slid it open, ordering a passing 4^th Division subordinate to fetch the largest map of Soul Society available. Then she began rooting through the cabinet drawers again, looking for something. Not ten minutes later, the map arrived, borne in by a very nervous-looking Szayel. They map was large and since there was nowhere else to spread it, it ended up draped over the bed, covering half of Diaemus as they did so.

�Ah-ha!�

Hana fished a measuring tape from one of the lower cabinet drawers, a triumphant grin on her face. She whirled around, stalked to the bedside and read the map�s scale legend. Unrolling the tightly wound tape, she found a number and set it against the map. When she had the tape arranged to her liking, the girl tapped one fingertip at the large lake near the border of the map.

�Here! This is where their base is!�

�Are you sure?� Grimmjow demanded with a growl, eyeing the spot at which she pointed.

�Of course I am sure. My math is never wrong, right Szay?�

She handed the pile of papers over to the frazzled scientist. Glancing through the pages of letters, numbers and lines, Szayel quickly went over the map, murmuring as he did so. His body finally began to relax, despite Aizen�s presence, as the mental exercise distracted him. After several minutes, he confirmed the location of the Swarm�s base, or at least, that Hana�s computations had, based on Diaemus�s input, narrowed down the search area considerably.

�I�d say there is a .012 percent margin of error as to the exact location. However, if we take that point and apply a radius of perhaps ten kilometres in each direction, I believe that young Hana is correct. The location of the Swarm�s outpost must be within that perimeter.�

�Good, let�s go,� Grimmjow demanded, rising to his feet and forcing Karin off his lap. When she elbowed him, he added a reluctant �Good job kids,� as he marched towards the door, only to pull up short as Aizen remained firmly in front of it.

�Get out of my way,� he warned, eyeing Aizen as if his ruler were no more of an obstacle than the door itself.

�Calm down, Grimmjow,� Aizen ordered sternly. �I will not have you rush off and ruin any chance we might have to surprise the enemy.�

�You mean we are really going to go after Ajuga?� Orihime asked with a surprised look on her face.

Karin felt a surge of hope herself. She had never expected that Aizen would authorize a rescue operation. It was an almost prohibitively long way to travel on foot, even for an Espada. No wonder the Swarm used Portals to get the majority of their army closer to the city. Szayel�s research indicated that most of the Swarm would have suffocated in the thinner, oxygen air if they had to travel that far. If they�d located their base any closer, Aizen would have found and destroyed it by now.

�Taking out this base will give us a large tactical advantage. I will call a meeting and we shall discuss the best way to rid the Seireitei of the threat these insects present.�

So his focus wasn�t on a rescue, but a much larger attack, she thought with some anger. Karin ground her teeth together. Of course, he wouldn�t care whether Ajuga was still alive, or still in the Swarm�s hands. All he cared about was destroying the Swarm�s stronghold. She should have expected this response from him, from a pragmatic point of view, but hearing him dismiss the possibility that her child had survived made her want to reach out and strangle him.

�Do what you want. I am getting my daughter back,� Grimmjow snarled, making for the door again�

Grimmjow�s response didn�t surprised Ulquiorra, and yet he felt no resentment towards the Sixth for acting so childishly. His earlier musings on those he respected versus those he no longer felt deserved his regard came back to him. Had this occurred four years ago, he would have scoffed at the fool. Now, that troublesome, seditious voice in his head wanted to cheer the other onward. If Ajuga had been the one to escape instead of Diaemus, nothing would stop him from going after his son. The difference was that he would plan and work with whatever resources he could get. Grimmjow was more of a �see it and do it� sort of creature, even if the �do it� portion seemed likely to get him into deep trouble with his superiors.

He supposed it was time, yet again, to step in before anything ugly could happen in the overcrowded hospital room.

�Grimmjow,� Ulquiorra stated before the stubborn idiot got himself into trouble. �Rushing out without foresight is the path to ruin. Ill-thought-out actions will not save Ajuga.�

For a moment Grimmjow looked like he was about to argue, but the irate Arrancar paused and looked at his mate, a shadow falling over his face. Ulquiorra hadn�t meant to hit a nerve, but something had definitely happened that involved failed planning. It had also included Karin judging from the scowl on her face.

Whatever had happened had nothing to do with him. Instead, he turned his cool green eyes towards Aizen.

�Kami-sama, do we have permission to scout ahead and mark the trail? Diaemus flew the entire distance, but if you intend to bring a large force to bear against the Swarm, those warriors will have to travel on foot. There may be obstacles in the way, such as geographic features that may prove to be impediments, or Swarm patrols whose routes need to be marked. As you are well aware, the Sexta will run off ahead of any troop formation that includes him. We might as well put his impulses to be the first into any fray to good use,� Ulquiorra pointed out bluntly.

�Indeed,� Aizen agreed, eyeing Grimmjow, who let out a �che� noise and glared at the wall. �Very well. Sending a scouting party is a reasonable course of action.�

�I�m going too,� Karin proclaimed.

�As am I,� Orihime spoke up.

�Me too,� Hana added.

�You are not coming�� Karin began, ready to tell the girl that doing so was ludicrous considering how recently she�d recovered from her own injuries. Maybe her sister fraccion had rubbed off on Hana in the short time she�d been a part-time member of Harribel�s pack, because she held up one hand to stop the human woman.

�I can keep us on track with the map and make calculated adjustments to the possible position of the base as we go. Diaemus may be able to guide everyone during the day, but I doubt he would recognize much of the landscape from his travels at night, and this map may not be entirely accurate, especially if it�s a few decades out of date. Rivers change and forested areas can shift over time. Can any of the rest of you accurately read a map?�

�Quite well actually,� Szayel sniffed, and Hana blushed as she realized she�d offended the scientist. �However, since I suspect your question was directed towards those that would be going on this excursion, I would say that the silence speaks for itself.�

�Fine, you can come,� Grimmjow grudgingly conceded. �But if you can�t keep up I will leave you behind.�

�Fair enough,� Hana agreed.

Karin looked like she was about to argue some more, but then just sighed and seemingly gave up, muttering something under her breath that Ulquiorra didn�t catch, but could guess at.

�We will leave once we have gathered some supplies and Unohana-sama and Szayel clear Diaemus for duty,� Ulquiorra said. �The sooner we leave, the sooner you�ll have an accurately marked trail for the main force.�

�Yes, proper supplies,� Karin said emphatically, eyeing Grimmjow. Ulquiorra again got the sense there was a tale in there somewhere, a theory that the Sixth confirmed by cringing at the glare his mate sent him.

�Alright, I get it already! But this time, I don�t want to be sharing a tent with anyone else,� he declared.

There was certainly a story he was missing here. Perhaps he would hear about it some other time, or he could just ask Orihime. She probably knew about the incident in question. After all, the human women rarely kept secrets from one another. Of course, as it involved Grimmjow, he might be better of not knowing.

He also wondered when he�d come to consider Grimmjow as someone worth keeping from harm, even harm caused by opening his mouth at the wrong time and in front of the wrong people. Perhaps, the Espada considered, he�d come to care at the same time he�d grown concerned for Grimmjow�s daughter.

Ajuga had possibly made the ultimate sacrifice so that his son could survive. If there were a chance that she was still alive, he would help Grimmjow get her back. He owed the girl his son�s life. A debt was a debt and Ulquiorra would pay this one gladly.

Huge hugs and loves for the reviews, and welcome new readers to the chaos. I don�t have a list of alerts or anything, but I update every Wednesday unless something happens. I see the Doctor tomorrow, and will hopefully have an answer as to why I have had been feeling sick for just shy of 3 weeks now.

Next Chapter: Aizen puts together his strike force to go after the Swarm�s base.

This Week�s Question: What is your favourite book or novel series? Old(er) school for me would be the Herald of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. Newer would be the Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland.
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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