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
- 49
- 50
- 51
Reprieves

This new game of Yammy�s wore him out mentally, rather than physically, and Ajuga�s loss had already battered his psychological defences. While her visits to the Kuchiki Manor for calligraphy lessons were infrequent, just the knowledge that she might show up on any given day offered him a bit of hope. In a way, a random �drop-in� from her was like finding a prettily wrapped surprise package on one�s doorstep.

In contrast, he knew to expect her at noon, on a mission to make sure Jushiro got his medicinal tea. He�d tried to push her away, for her own good, and the stubborn child always forced him into a one sided conversation anyway. It wasn�t as if he could talk back to her to warn her that continuing their teacher-student relationship might endanger her. Now she was gone and not likely to return. That one little spark of happiness left to him was gone. His mental shields against his captor�s perpetual abuse were now as flimsy as paper as a result.

�Oi, you ready for me pet?� Yammy demanded as the brute muscled his way into the bathhouse. His voice sounded heavily muffled due to the water filling Byakuya�s ears.

He was unable to speak, but that didn�t matter. Yammy could not read, but that didn�t mean that the creature hadn�t found another way for Byakuya to communicate.

�I am ready Master,� Senbonzakura spoke for him, the voice of his Zanpakuto also muffled against his submerged eardrums.

Senbonzakura knelt on a cushion in the corner with his head bowed, his armour gone and wearing nothing more than a kimono. Senbonzakura�s presence served another purpose other than to translate for him. Yammy had taken to coercion instead of using the Claim against him. If he hesitated or failed in whatever task Yammy wanted of him, the monster would force Senbonzakura to take Byakuya�s place beneath him. Byakuya never wanted Senbonzakura to suffer such a violation again. The first, and so far only, time Yammy had forced himself on the manifestation of his Zanpakuto his abuse had nearly destroyed his blade.

A meaty fist reached into the water and grasped him by the hair, which floated in the liquid around him. He braced his restrained body, anticipating the pain he felt in his scalp as the thuggish Arrancar finally reached down to hopefully end this round of insanity. Yammy had instructed the servants to chain him up in the pool in such a way that left only his face exposed to the air. It had been a harrowing hour as the water lapped at his face. If he shifted the wrong way, the bathwater might flood his mouth or nose.

Relief turned to horror as water filled his throat. Yammy�s hand pushed him down, not pulled him up as he had expected. He would have floundered, but the restraints kept his limbs immobile. A massive wave of panic rushed through him along with the water. Fortunately, Yammy didn�t hold him under the water for long before pulling him up. He choked and coughed up the water he�d unwillingly inhaled, but was otherwise all right.

Now that he was out of the bath, he could open his eyes, though there was anything he wanted to see. Yammy wasn�t a pleasant specimen to look at while he was clothed. Unclothed, the Arrancar was ugliness incarnate. Somehow, the trails left by the water trickling down his naked body made him look that much more disturbing.

�How may I please you, Master?� Senbonzakura said subserviently.

Even though he hadn�t actually thought the thought, during the course of this new incarnation of their �relationship� Yammy expected his �pet� to make such an inquiry, whether he was capable of speech or not. Subsequently, Senbonzakura was covering for him. Byakuya still caught the tiny catch in his Zanpakuto�s voice as he asked the question. It was the only outward sign of their combined distress and disgust with the situation.

Then again, Kuchiki Byakuya was almost at a point where he�d ceased to care if Yammy beat him to death. What did he have left to live for? His family? The majority of them had long since abandoned him to this fate. Only Rukia remained, his younger sister safely out of Aizen�s reach in the Living World, though he would rather never see her again if it meant she remained ignorant of what had become of him.

Just because he couldn�t speak didn�t mean he couldn�t hear, and he knew exactly how low his relatives� opinion of him was. His great-uncles, great-aunts and assorted cousins no longer saw him as someone fit to head the family, thanks to his status as a �pet�. There were whispered conversations, conducted in crisp, upper-class accents over tea, about removing him from his official position as the leader of the Kuchiki Clan. There was also the lack of an heir to consider and as Yammy�s fuck toy, he would never be able to produce a child, let alone find a respectable woman who would want to marry such damaged goods. If he so much as looked at a woman, Yammy would probably just devour her.

The sad part was that he agreed with the Clan elders. What kind of representative was he to the outside world? He was little more than Yammy Llargo�s whore, to use as the Espada saw fit. Between his Shinigami duties and what his �Master� forced him to do via the Claim upon him, he had very little time left to actually see to the family affairs, and even then, he needed assistance since he could no longer speak. He refused to give up the work he did with Ukitake Jushiro if he could help it and for now, that monster Aizen seemed to think his help was necessary. Those hours of paperwork were the only escape he had from the hellhole his home had become. Yammy had even managed to tarnish his room, everything in it ruined save for a single piece of artwork. Aside from the work of calligraphy given to him by a much-younger Ajuga, there was nothing left to engender any fond memories of the place, not even of his beloved Hisana.

He felt a pang in his chest as he recalled the destruction of the last bit of his late wife he had, Yammy heedlessly destroying her portrait. The lout�s smirk widened, mistaking the pain Byakuya unwillingly sent to him through the Claim as something else.

�Get to work pet,� Yammy commanded with a snarl, jerking Byakuya�s head up and positioning it before one of the parts of the brute�s anatomy he least wanted to see.

Trussed up like a hog for slaughter, the only thing holding him in place was Yammy�s meaty fist tangled in his hair. He briefly toyed with the idea of chopping all of his hair off so Yammy could no longer use it against him, but the thought of those fists engulfing his head and throat, cutting off his air supply, made him discard the idea just as quickly.

A knock on the door caught both of their attentions, more so because the Kuchiki Manor�s staff knew better than to interfere during Yammy�s �playtime.� Confirmation that the intruder wasn�t a servant occurred the moment the door to the bath slid open with a loud �BANG!�

�Yo!�

The interloper hadn�t even waited for permission, which to Byakuya could only mean one of two things... either he or she was suicidal, or a fellow Espada.

It turned out to be the latter. Nnoitra Gilga strode into the room as if he didn�t have a care in the world, the double-crescent blade of his Zanpakuto thrown casually over one shoulder. It barely cleared the doorframe. The Espada�s pet followed hesitantly in his wake, perhaps because she wanted to stay out of range of the weapon he carried. She at least had the decency to turn her suddenly horror filled gaze away once she realized they�d stumbled in on Yammy as he was about to rape his captive�s face. The Fifth�s fraccion and the human woman he�d Claimed trailed behind Matsumoto Rangiku. The first stood at attention behind the one he served, as if everything going on before him was normal while the second glared hatefully at Yammy. Byakuya had the feeling she only remained by her Mate�s side out of sheer willpower and a sense of self-preservation. Of course, there was also a good chance her mate�s Claim kept her where she was. If so, the Arrancar had a good grasp of the situation and knew better than to let her interfere.

�The fuck you want Nnoitra? Can�t you see I am busy?� Yammy snarled.

The other Espada sneered back, ignoring the Tenth�s outrage at the interruption.

�Aizen wants us all to attend some bullshit meeting, and since he didn�t want the messenger fried, he sent me to get your sorry ass,� Nnoitra snorted. �Ulquiorra�s missing brat fluttered in this morning.�

That instantly caught Byakuya�s attention, his desperation to hear more overriding any shame he might have felt over a former colleague and a human woman seeing him in such a position. If Diaemus had escaped, he would have news of Ajuga�s fate. Furthermore, the boy would know the location of the Swarm�s stronghold. If Aizen was half as clever as he bragged, it meant that the meeting would likely be a planning session for a direct assault on the Swarm�s base. He silently prayed Aizen would allow him to participate in such a campaign, not only to rescue Ajuga, but because going would give him a respite from Yammy�s abuse.

�Fuck,� Yammy snarled, tossing Byakuya away in frustration. Bound as he was, he helplessly sank beneath the pool�s surface. Worse, when he didn�t immediately surface to follow his Master out, Yammy began yanking on the Claim to force him to try to climb out of the bath. That in turn made him struggle and use up what oxygen he had stored in his body all the faster.

He felt the displacement of the bathwater around him as someone jumped in next to him. A pair of strong arms gathered him up and thankfully lifted his head out of the bath. Byakuya coughed and sputtered, gagging and hacking the moment his nose and mouth were free of the water. He could hear arguing in the background, but all that mattered to him was the blessed air his lungs took in as his rescuer dragged his body out of the pool and placed his tied form on the tiles. He felt a dry towel cover him and he looked up to see a frightfully worried Tesra hovering protectively over a very determined Tatsuki. She wasted little time unbuckling the restraints, but left the bands and their clips in place. Her hands clenched as she glared up at her mate, clearly wanting to remove them, only to see him shake his head and point his chin at Yammy�s broad back. Byakuya understood his hesitation. Interfering to save a pet�s life was one thing but any more than that might bring down a punishment on them, courtesy of Aizen�s edicts about fighting over the Claimed.

At least his limbs were free and the blood flowing to them once more. He rubbed his left arm with a water-wrinkled hand as the familiar sensation of pins and needles followed.

�Thank you.�

Senbonzakura, still on his cushion, had turned his face towards them, even as Byakuya clutched the towel around his naked and now shivering body.

�No problem,� the woman growled, shooting another baleful glance at his �Master�. If looks could kill, Tatsuki�s glare would have taken Yammy apart at the molecular level.

Rangiku appeared both disgusted and enraged as she took in what had almost happened to him. The former Fukutaichou did her best not to look at Senbonzakura�s servile pose, or Senbonzakura at all if she could help it. Instead, she kept her eyes on the now-empty pool. Some relief, probably that he was unharmed and a great deal of sadness at her inability to help, crept across her pretty features. Shinigami simply did not manifest their Zanpakuto in front of others. Such a thing was an unthinkable taboo, yet here they were. She�d probably figured out by now that he hadn�t done so voluntarily. Byakuya was doubly grateful she didn�t� know the particulars.

Meanwhile Nnoitra was busy berating Yammy for his stupidity. To Byakuya, it sounded more like taunting. There was no disgust or anger over Yammy�s treatment of his pet, but there was a great deal of contempt and incredulity in the tall Espada�s put-downs of the Tenth�s erroneous belief that someone chained up could swim or walk.

�Didja think he�d sprout fins and gills, you moron? Seriously, you�re about as bright as that sponge over there,� Nnoitra spat, jerking his thumb at a shelf on the wall, laden with bathing supplies. �Nah, I take that back. The sponge is smarter. Let me know what Aizen says when you go beggin� for another toy because yours drowned.�

Yammy let out a nasty snort and pulled his discarded clothes on as the two Espada traded insults.

�Oi Chicchai-Hime, get dressed already. You heard the fucking bug. We got a meeting to get to,� Yammy ordered him. Nnoitra curled a lip at the jab.

�That�s rich, coming from someone who�s all legs and no brain, centipede.�

Byakuya wasn�t about to argue with any command that put clothes on his nude body, even if he could refuse it. Now that he�d done what he came to do, Nnoitra led his pack away with a promise to see Yammy when he got to the meeting hall, if, as the Fifth said snidely in parting, the Tenth could find his way there.

�Get in here and get my pet fixed up,� Yammy snarled out to the household help as he finished tying his sash around his waist and pushed the door open. Byakuya kept from letting out a sigh of relief that he no longer had to look at the thug�s bare backside as he stalked out of the bath and disappeared down the hall.

The servants that were always hovering just out of sight swiftly entered to room to do as told, preparing him for public presentation. His hair would still be damp, but that was fine. He could live with it so long as he could flee this room and find out what had happened to Ajuga.

Aizen had decided to hold the emergency meeting, not in the usual meeting hall, as one would have expected, but rather in his personal garden. Their overlord had summoned every Espada, their fraccion and their pets to attend. The only exceptions seemed to be Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Karin, Orihime and Hana. Jushiro glanced around the gathering, taking note of those gathered on such short notice. Even Gin was here with Shinso at his waist, and while Jushiro didn�t see much of the ex-Taichou, the last time he had seen Shinso anywhere near Gin had been during the Winter War. What surprised him was that the summons had included everyone, including his houseguest. Soi Fon sat next to Nanao, and the poor woman kept tossing glances towards Ggio, who remained kneeling beside Barragan with his eyes staring dead ahead. The only sign of the former fraccion�s inner turmoil were the tight fists held at his sides and his stiff posture. If Jushiro was any judge, the Arrancar was doing everything he could to fight the Claim upon him.

�I don�t like this,� Jushiro muttered under his breath.

�It is odd,� he heard her agree with some apprehension.

Since Starrk had never technically Claimed her, Nanao had never attended one of these meetings before. The fact that she�d been included this time, as well as Soi Fon, led him to believe something serious was afoot. All of Aizen�s strongest warriors were here, save for the Sixth, the Fourth, their mates and young Hana. He had no explanation for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra�s absence.

If Starrk knew what was going on, the Espada kept his knowledge to himself. In fact, Jushiro swore his Master was sleeping, sprawled out on the small nest of pillows a few feet away. Lilinette sat pouting on one of the larger cushions, close enough to kick Starrk if she felt he needed it. From her irritated posture, the First�s smaller half was just in the dark as he about the purpose behind the gathering.

Aizen finally arrived and everyone quieted down and found their seats. The number of irked faces was larger than normal, as their leader had pulled them off their patrols and away from their duties. Yammy looked particularly pissed, glowering at everything.

�My dear Arrancar, I have wonderful news to deliver,� Aizen announced. His tone suggested he was about to bestow some magnanimous gift to the lot of them. Jushiro could do without the �benevolent ruler� routine. Apparently, the Tenth had the same opinion.

�Nothing you could say could possibly be more wonderful than what I was about ready to do to my pet when you had �stick bug� here interrupt me,� Yammy scowled, crossing his arms and pouting.

Most of the �pets� flinched at Yammy�s crude statement. He almost joined them in wincing, but his long years of training let him hide behind a carefully constructed mask of indifference. It didn�t do anything for the disgust he felt, however. He almost wished that Yammy would go too far with the man, if it meant that Aizen would allow Starrk to Claim the noble in the Tenth�s stead.

�Young Diaemus returned to us this morning. In doing so, he has brought back the location of the Swarm�s base in this Realm,� Aizen announced with a smile that looked as if it was genuine. Jushiro had no illusion that their sovereign cared about the boy. They�d searched for the Swarm�s base for nearly ten years during the spring months to no avail. If Ulquiorra�s son knew where to find it, of course Aizen would be eager to put an end to the attacks.

Murmurs erupted amongst those gathered, most of them excited. Diaemus�s return certainly would explain Ulquiorra and Orihime�s absence.

�What about Ajuga?� Mila Rose spoke up, asking the question that was on a large number of their minds.

�She remains a prisoner,� Aizen answered, holding his hand up to forestall any further questions, which everyone wisely heeded. �Grimmjow and Ulquiorra have already taken their pets north to scout ahead of the main attack force. Now that we know the general location of their outpost, we will wipe it out of existence. However, I do not wish to leave the city leaderless and defenceless, lest the Swarm launch an attack while my forces are marching to battle. As such, during our absence, Ukitake Jushiro and Ise Nanao will be in charge of the city.�

Most eyes shifted to look at the surprised young woman. Thankfully, she recovered quickly from the shock created by the proclamation. Jushiro was very glad he�d schooled his features in response to Yammy�s foul mouth. His mask covered up astonishment as well as revulsion.

�It would be an honour, Kami-sama. I will certainly do my best,� she said and bowed deeply.

�A good choice,� Starrk grunted softly, to which Jushiro silently agreed with. There were a few mild protests at putting some pet Shinigami in charge, but they died quickly with a single pulse of Aizen�s power.

�My Division is gathering provisions for the trip. We will leave first thing tomorrow morning. I have decided, after some deliberation, on those who will accompany me to help exterminate these troublesome insects.�

�Accompanying him�, Jushiro realized, meant that Aizen was actually going to leave the city and lead the expedition. Since usurping the Spirit King�s throne, Aizen hadn�t left the city once. In fact, he hardly traveled further than the 1^st Division. Granted, someone casually strolling down the Rukongai streets with his reiatsu levels would probably leave a trail of the dead and dying in his wake and the Realms were already off-balance as it was.

Their ruler started to call out the names of those he wanted with him. Szayel seemed less than pleased when his name was called, but stayed silent. His entire body radiated nervousness, probably at the thought of having to leave his Division. Jushiro didn�t blame him. The last time Karin and Grimmjow had been out of the city the scientist had ended up under Aizen. With both of them gone, there would be no one to prevent another �punishment� should the Seventh incur Aizen�s wrath again.

Unfortunately, such an outcome was inevitable when Aizen reeled off both Renji and Nemu�s names as participants in the war party along with their �Master�.

�FUCK THAT!� Renji roared, rising to his feet in protest.

�I must object, Kami-sama!� Szayel spoke out at the same time, although it was hard to hear him over the colourful obscenities coming out of Renji�s mouth.

All eyes flew towards the scientist in disbelief. Despite Renji�s violent outburst and the fact that as a pet and a slave such disrespect warranted an immediate punishment, Aizen turned his attention to Szayel instead of the redhead. The Seventh was too busy sending Renji a glare that at least got the other to shut his mouth and resume his seat, even if his entire posture radiated barely suppressed hostility, to notice that Aizen�s eyes were on him.

Jushiro didn�t like the way those eyes gleamed.

Renji letting his mouth and his temper get the better of him wasn�t anything out of the ordinary, but anyone who knew of the games that Aizen liked to play with Szayel had to question the Espada�s sanity for drawing Aizen�s attention his way by backing up his pet�s opinion. With Renji back under control, it was only now that Szayel seemed to realize he was in trouble. His face lost much of its color as he turned back and bowed deeply to Aizen.

�Please permit me to leave either Nemu or Abarai behind to tend to my children. I do not wish for them to be left unsurprised, and it would be foolish to bring them with us.�

Szayel�s concern for his children, though understandable, had overruled his common sense. Aizen did not like having his orders questioned, let alone questioned before an audience. Jushiro feared that Szayel would dig himself a deeper pit by continuing to talk, unable to stop as the worry for his children�s safety blinded him.

�Please, at least let me leave Nemu behind to monitor the Grid as well. It would be foolish to...�

�Szayel, sit down and be quiet before I tan your hide the way Karin informed me I should if you were to do something stupid while she was gone.�

Starrk�s bored voice wafted up from the pillows, but it was loud enough to cut through Szayel�s pleading. His interruption drew everyone�s attention towards the First�s corner of the garden. Jushiro included himself among those astonished that his Master chose to speak up. Then again, perhaps he should have foreseen this. Karin and Grimmjow were part of Starrk�s pack since they were living in his den, and as such, anything they owned belonged to Starrk and Lilinette as well. That included Szayel, his mate and his children and the hot-tempered idiot with the tattoos. Lilinette narrowed her one eye and gave Renji a dirty look for saying anything in the first place, while Starrk yawned and finished what he wanted to say.

�Nanao and Jushiro are more than capable of watching them and they can remain on the Estate while we are away. Your children will have adequate protection. Now pipe down.�

Szayel looked about ready to protest again, but suddenly thought better of it and sent a furtive glance at Aizen. �Kami-sama� gave the scientist a look that almost seemed to beg him to keep talking. The scientist wisely bit his lip and thanked Starrk for his generous offer.

Since no Espada ranked lower than Szayel, the meeting quickly wrapped up. Excited chatter rose up about the room as people started to discuss the mission or moan about having to stay behind. Jushiro decided to take his cue from Starrk and observe. It kept him from thinking too hard about the impending job of temporarily running the Seireitei.

Nnoitra seemed to be issuing orders to Rangiku and Tatsuki, the two pregnant women nodding at his words as they followed him out. Tesra looked almost sick, clearly not wanting to leave his mate behind with her friend but having little choice in the matter. Unohana would also remain in the city, as there were far too many pregnant women with Claims on their persons and hybrid children in their wombs. Their due dates fell all over the calendar thanks to the Arrancar sires� odd assortment of base animals and in some cases, an inability to determine the date of conception. Ironically, Aizen had not excused Harribel from the mission. She was still in the early stages of her pregnancy though and as such, would be quite capable of fighting. She and Toshiro were too effective at taking out large numbers of insects with their combined attacks to leave behind.

Jushiro had been surprised to find out she was expecting. Hana had filled him in on the reason her three sister fraccion had descended upon the Estate a few evenings after Ajuga and Diaemus�s abduction. Starrk had also informed him of the Third�s condition, primarily because he had agreed to take the child on as a fraccion to protect it. He couldn�t really blame Harribel for asking such a thing. The evidence of Barragan�s poor treatment of women currently resided in one of his many spare rooms and there had been the Second�s little attempt on Ajuga to consider. The baby, as a fraccion, would technically have a higher place in Starrk�s pack than he did. As Starrk�s pet, Jushiro was of the lowest rank in the immediate pack, what with Nanao being a fraccion and Karin mated to Grimmjow.

However, he guessed that Starrk might have agreed to the arrangement for other reasons. The male half of the First hadn�t shared those reasons with him, but Jushiro knew that with Ajuga and Hana nearly grown, there was a dearth of childish laughter around the Estate. He found he missed the days when the girls were young and into everything. Maybe he would ask Lilinette later if his suspicions were correct.

�You have any work to tend to before we go?� Starrk asked him, showing no signs of prying himself off the pillows.

�I do,� Jushiro admitted, dragging his brain away from his depressing analysis of the household pecking order and telling himself it didn�t matter. In reality, Starrk�s �enforcement� of the pack hierarchy was almost non-existent. Lilinette seemed to be the one to issue the reminders and thankfully, she was easily distracted with sweets, compliments and games.

�You are dismissed. Go do what you must. I have something on my plate I have to deal with shortly. I�ll see you at supper.�

Offering his Master a small bow due to Aizen�s presence, Jushiro left the meeting, his mind whirling with the thought that Aizen and his most powerful warriors were going to be gone from the city and what that might mean for those left in charge.

Szayel had made a terrible mistake and he knew it. The only thing he wanted to do now was to beat a hasty retreat, but the overwhelming power of Aizen�s reiatsu hovering over his shoulders warned him that doing so would result in falling flat on his face in front of the others. Karin and Grimmjow were gone and he had messed up, stupidly going so far as to challenge a direct order before witnesses. He had all but called Aizen an idiot for not letting Nemu stay behind to watch the Grid, even though they both knew almost anyone in his Division could handle such a menial task.

�Nemu, see that the twins are prepared for their stay at Starrk�s den,� he requested. His golden eyes held a different message for her, one he hoped she would understand. One that told her to get out of the way of the blow he knew was coming. He was down to damage control. He had to get everyone he could to safety, starting with the mother of his children. While she�d said nothing about her inclusion in the strike team, Szayel wouldn�t put it past Aizen to hurt her as a way of punishing him.

�Hai, Szayel-sama,� Nemu bowed and to Szayel�s relief, made her retreat. His eyes lit next on the seething redhead parked on the grass where his Mistress�s Claim forced him to kneel. He would dearly love to know the exact terms with which the former Third made Renji comply, but to all observers, Szayel still appeared in charge, and for that he was grateful. While he wished he could truly punish his supposed pet for being so stupid as to say anything in Aizen�s presence, he�d done the same, albeit not as loudly. He might fault the delivery, but not the motive.

�Abarai��

�Will remain here for the moment, as will you.�

Aizen�s smooth, authoritative voice interrupted his own and the scientist froze. The garden emptied as everyone left to perform his or her assigned duties. Szayel�s fear climbed higher as each person left the green enclosure, until it appeared that only he, his pet-in-name-only and Aizen remained.

�Szayel, my dear Szayel,� Aizen sighed. He clasped is hands together and shook his head. �Have you learned nothing over the years?�

He felt his mouth go dry and remained silent, knowing Aizen would turn any answer he gave against him. Instead, he bowed his head and looked down at his hands. Since Aizen expected them both to leave with the strike team in the morning, whatever punishment the two of them received would at least leave them able to move. That ruled out any overt brutality or the sort of drawn-out games that took place in the dungeon below the Palace. Why, oh why, he berated himself again, had he opened his mouth?

�Before we get to your punishment for calling my plans into question in front of your fellow Espada, let us first deal with your mutt.�

Aizen turned his gaze to Renji, who glared back with undisguised hate. His clenched his fists tight enough that his nails drew blood as they dug into his palms. The inked Shinigami looked like he was going to say something about the dog reference, but shut his mouth so hard that Szayel actually heard the redhead�s teeth �snap� together.

�I am impressed. You�ve managed to muzzle him far more efficiently than Kuchiki Byakuya ever did. I daresay you�ve almost trained him to behave better than you yourself do,� Aizen chuckled in amusement. Szayel didn�t share the sentiment. Neither, apparently, did Renji.

�Just get it over with already,� his �pet� grumbled, crossing his arms and looking away.

�It�s a pity. As is true for most mangy hounds, merely kicking you won�t stop you from growling,� Aizen noted, sounding almost philosophical. �No, I think we�ll have to try something a tad more� permanent this time around to ensure you keep any future opinions to yourself. Beatings and whippings don�t seem to have any effect.�

The description was apt enough. Szayel knew that from years of putting up with Renji, with or without his soul intact. He was a pain in the ass in either state. Even a Claim-enforced order hadn�t been adequate to keep Renji quiet when the redhead had something to say. Unfortunately, Szayel didn�t like the look Aizen gave the two of them and his smile sent shivers up Szayel�s spine. He knew what twisted desires lay behind it. Renji suddenly uncrossed his arms, wary now of the predator sizing him and his Master up as if contemplating the items on a menu. Szayel wanted to throttle the redhead� had he only now just realized what kind of danger he was in?

�Are you going to need Szayel for this, or can I give him his punishment as Karin directed me?�

All three pairs of eyes darted to the pile of pillows and the sleepy Espada still resting there. He�d seen Lilinette take off after Jushiro, so he�d assumed that the rest of the First had left as well. No one, not even Aizen by the way he suddenly adjusted his posture, realized Starrk had remained behind. Szayel blinked a few times as he realized what the First had said. What was that about Starrk administering his punishment? Then he remembered Starrk speaking up earlier about Karin giving him permission to mete out a �tanning� if he didn�t stop trying to convince Aizen to let Nemu stay behind with his cubs.

He wasn�t sure if he ought to feel hope or feel worried.

�And in what manner did Karin instruct you to punish him?� Aizen inquired, raising one eyebrow.

There was something strange about the way that their leader looked down upon one of his strongest Espada and something equally strange about the lack of fear in Starrk�s apathetic tone. If he didn�t know any better, he would say there was a standoff in progress. Starrk had already intervened on Szayel�s behalf once, dragging him out of Aizen�s playroom and confronting Aizen about the severity of Szayel�s punishment. That he might be doing so again, this time acting before Aizen could do his worst, made the �hope versus worry� argument going on in Szayel�s gut lean in the direction of �hope�.

�Something about �tanning his hide,�� Starrk answered with a sleepy yawn. �I assume she meant to give him a sound spanking as opposed to actually skinning him and processing his skin for a jacket. I made sure to clarify that though, before she left. Just in case.�

Szayel paled at both the idea of lying over Starrk�s lap and the image of his epidermis spread out on a tanning rack under the hot sun. Even Renji looked shocked, then ill and the Seventh decided he didn�t want to know whatever it was that Renji saw in his imagination.

�Perhaps, a compromise?�

Aizen leaned back in his chair, a thin smile on his face. He didn�t seem quite ready to concede that Szayel�s Mistress had found a way around letting Aizen do what he wanted as far as disciplining her pet. �For practicality�s sake, I will refrain from teaching this slum-bred mongrel,� and here Aizen flicked his eyes towards Renji, �his place until we return. As for you, Szayel��

Aizen�s smile widened and the bottom dropped out of Szayel�s stomach. Despite Starrk�s presence and his unspoken assurance that things wouldn�t get too out of hand, he felt a chill race down his spine.

The first rays of sunlight bounced off the inner walls of the Seireitei as those chosen by Aizen to head north gathered and accepted their bags of supplies. Jushiro saw that Szayel was walking a bit oddly and that Renji kept looking at his right hand and blushing. Something had clearly happened after Aizen had dismissed them. Starrk had lagged behind as well. The �something I need to deal with� his Master had mentioned suddenly made sense, but whatever had occurred, Starrk had kept the details to himself.

Aizen busied himself overseeing the preparation and those going were giving last minute instructions to those who were not. Yammy, surprisingly, was to stay behind, no doubt to keep the Numerous in line while the rest of the Espada and Kami were away. The hulking Espada didn�t seem too pleased with the decision since Aizen had ordered Byakuya to go. Now that Jushiro thought about it, only a few of the �pets� would accompany their Masters. Not all of the Espadas� fraccion were included either. Harribel�s girls weren�t going and Aizen had charged Sung Sun with the job of overseeing the Arrancar patrols since Yammy couldn�t be trusted, or bothered for that matter, to handle the task.

Jushiro turned his attention back towards Szayel�s family. Renji knelt before a tearful Vindula, assuring the little girl they would be back with Ajuga before she knew it. Behind her, Abisara nodded solemnly as he received instructions from his father and returned his mother�s embrace.

Having already received his orders from Aizen last night and Starrk this morning, Jushiro made his way over towards the twins who would be living with him for the next week or so. Vindula was excited and he had promised to let her tend to his woefully neglected gardens. With the renewed Swarm attacks, no one had had the time to see to them properly. The poor quality of the beds reminded him of his sisters, who he had hidden away in the Rukongai. He had toyed with the idea of visiting them, but he always feared that doing so might lead Aizen or his Arrancar to them. While they lacked power, their bloodlines might prove a tempting target for any Arrancar looking to replace a pet. He considered such a visit too dangerous, especially now that so many of the Arrancar-Shinigami matches had resulted in pregnancies.

�Are you two ready to visit the Estate?� he asked the twins.

�Yes,� Vindula replied, rubbing the tears out of her eyes with a wad of white cloth that she hastily tucked back into one of her dress pockets. Sniffling, she tried to smile up at Jushiro, though her wings drooped, indicating her real feelings.

The white-haired man gave her a gentle smile in return and thanked the heavens he�d remembered to restock his supply of lollipops. He had a feeling those tears would vanish the moment she saw the tulip gardens on the east side of the house, the violas that had re-seeded themselves in the adjacent lawn and a few strawberry-flavoured candies.

�That�s my brave girl,� Renji smiled at her affectionately and ruffled her hair, much to her protest. Then he turned stood up and faced Jushiro, intent on giving some last minute child-care tips. �The only thing I can think is to check on Abisara after you turn out their lights for the night. He likes to pretend that he�s asleep when he actually has half a dozen papers hidden under his pillow and a flashlight. I usually let him stay up an extra hour before taking his reading light for the night.�

�I always wondered why you took my flashlight at that point.�

Abisara blushed in embarrassment as he said this and Renji laughed, reaching down and making Abisara look at him by lifting his chin with one finger.

�I ain�t as dumb as people like to make me out to be,� Renji snorted. �You two behave for Ukitake-Taichou, okay?�

�You will bring Papa and Ajuga back, right?� Vindula pleaded. Renji pulled her into a quick hug and then stood back and favoured her with a cocky grin.

�Of course I will, but I doubt he needs me to watch his back. Your old man is plenty strong. He beat me, didn�t he?�

�Yeah, but he won�t be in his lab this time,� Abisara pointed out. Jushiro silently agreed with the boy. Szayel was an �indoors-only� sort of creature and he had no idea how the scientist would fare while roughing it in the great outdoors.

�I am right here you know,� Szayel sighed. �And why aren�t the two of you this concerned about your mother?�

�Mama is unbreakable. You said so yourself Papa,� Vindula answered innocently while her brother nodded and added, �That�s true. Grandfather made her to endure many different climate extremes, as well as battle conditions. Her poisons alone��

�Touché,� Szayel conceded, cutting his son off before he could list more of Nemu�s lethal accessories. Then he raised one pink eyebrow. �You�ve been reading that madman�s notes again, haven�t you Abisara? I thought I told you that if you wanted to go over them, you were to do it in my presence, so that I could explain the flaws in his logic,� he chided.

Abisara hung his head, but shrugged. �Yes, Tou-san.�

Jushiro understood the warning he heard in Szayel�s voice. He wasn�t sure that the word �Grandfather� really applied to the late head of the 12^th Division and he found the images that accompanied the thought of Kurotsuchi Mayuri in such a role deeply disturbing.

�We are leaving,� Aizen�s voice rose over the din, calling everyone�s attention to him.

With a last round of hugs, Jushiro hoisted Vindula onto his hip so she could wave at her departing family and her guardian as they departed through the Northern Gate. After a few minutes, the great stone slab lowered and the strike team was gone. While Jushiro hoped the war party could eliminate the Swarm�s stronghold in the Soul Society, getting Ajuga back, safe and sound, was far more important to him. He could only pray that Grimmjow and Karin�s group, having a twenty-four-hour head start and moving faster than the larger group of attackers, could get to her in time.

In the meantime, he and Nanao had a city to oversee and he was under no illusions about the state in which Aizen would expect it to be when he returned. Taking a deep breath, he decided that it would be best to escort the twins to the Estate and break open that bag of lollipops. Vindula and Abisara weren�t the only ones in need of some sweets.

This was the last thing she expected to see when she�d emerged from one of her hidden �short cuts� into the Soul Society and if she�d been in something other than her �traveling clothes�, she would have pinched herself. Instead, she watched the motley parade of departing Arrancar and a few of their captives from the limb of a concealing evergreen.

Aizen was leaving the city. Part of her wanted to retreat home and fetch her own little rag-tag band of survivors. With the usurping snake gone, there was no better time to try to retake the city. However, the practical strategist in her knew that such a victory would be short-lived. The inevitable battle upon Aizen�s return would cause untold casualties and cause greater damage to Realms already at the tipping point as far as the balance of souls. No, she told herself, it was much more important to find out the reason Aizen had seen fit to leave his well-guarded sanctuary for parts unknown, taking the majority of his powerhouses with him.

It was a good thing she was a master of stealth and speed, she thought as she leapt from her branch and followed at a discreet distance, taking great care to conceal her reiatsu as best she could. As far as she could tell, whatever was going on certainly warranted further investigation and it simply wouldn�t do to be caught spying.

Okay, they are heading Northward now. Got to say this weeks chapter of Bleach was pretty cool. Nice to see Rukia step it up finally and, hopefully, this will be the end of him and no return with new ability nonsense. It�s perfect just the way it is and it�s time to move to the next scene.

Here I was, all worried about my posts catching up, than I realized that this chapter is barely the halfway point of what�s been pre written. If anyone read my Real King story, and wants one hell of a good laugh, you need to check out the reviews some nut jobs, who clearly never even READ the story, left on fanfict. Feel free to report them if you want. I should warn you though, they put some pretty foul language in.

Before I forget to mention it again, yes Kain, the whole Vasto Lorde thing was a miss written sentence and I have gone back and adjusted it. Not sure how that slipped past me when I read through Black Fox�s work.

Lots of interesting books series you have sent back my way. Some I have never heard of. I can say I loved most of the Redwall books. Eventually it got repetitive though. They did do an amazing job on the Redwall cartoon, and the music, god the into music.

Rawthorne: I don�t think Bi-weekly means what you think it means. If I went back to Bi-weekly updates I think some of my readers might hunt me down and string me up, lol. When I do manage to finish off POV 2 and have everything edited up, I may revert to two updates a week, but that is a ways away yet.

Mudblood Malfoy: They are about two going on three months now.

This Weeks Question: Dear god it�s cold here, getting down to the -20�s at night and lets not forget that damn arctic outflow. How cold is it where you are?

Next Chapter: Karin and the rest continue North to find the Swarm�s base.
- 49
- 50
- 51
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

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