Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
Views: 56255 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 58
- 59
- 60
As with all Renji/Nel chapters, this one is brought to you by Black Fox. She takes full credit for this Doozy of a chapter.

Like Father, Like Son

�This has to be a nightmare.�

In the space of less than one horrible hour, Renji had lost two of the three things he cherished most in this or any other Realm. If the looks on the faces of those who spent the majority of their time with her were indicative of Nel�s wellbeing, something was dreadfully wrong with the third. As he dashed up the steps leading to what he presumed was the front door, he decided he�d also had enough bullshit for one day.

Yanking open the heavy wooden door, he barrelled through the entrance and found himself in the middle of a Western-style foyer, replete with polished wooden floors so shiny that the sunlight filtering in from the half-moon window above the door temporarily blinded him. A wide staircase of equally-polished oak, or maybe maple, lay before him, leading to the second floor. Two sets of double doors flanked him and he guessed that those led to other areas of the manor. The stairway was what he needed, if what the grown woman who claimed to be Yuzu had said was right.

Why would Nel need a doctor? Is she sick? Was she hurt? Did they run into a patrol? Was there an accident?

The Swarm had made incursions here in the Living World too. She was an Espada and while she couldn�t help the Shinigami on this side of the Dangai with the thankless task of trying to keep the Realms balanced via purifying souls, she could fight the Swarm itself. He�d seen what the beetles could do with a well-aimed spray of acid and Renji cringed at the idea that she�d taken damage from something like that.

�East wing� east wing�� he found himself muttering and decided that it really didn�t matter. He�d just open every bloody room in the place until he found her. Using Shunpo, he took the stairs four at a time, until he reached the upper landing, only to face a choice between two corridors. He also badly startled someone dressed in a maid�s outfit, her arms laden with a stack of towels. The fact she could see him, without a gigai didn�t really register until he�d moved directly in front of her. Her magenta-colored pigtails bounced as she drew back in alarm at the sight of him.

�Who�?� she shrieked, almost losing her grip on the clean laundry she carried. Renji growled but he was past the point of caring what anyone, living or not, thought.

�Nel Tu Odelschwanck. Tell me where she is. Now!� he demanded, sounding more menacing than he intended. She took a step back, taking in the sword at his side, the bug guts smearing his torn uniform and his generally filthy state, but to his surprise, she shook her head and fixed him with a defiant glare. She also held the towels before her like a white, fluffy shield, as if she could ward off his disreputable appearance with them alone.

�I�ll not tell you anything if you�re going to hurt Odelschwanck-san, Shinigami!�

Confusion replaced the anger on his features as she transferred the terrycloth to one hand. She made a fist with the other, which she shook at him. Before Renji could react, she�d pointed one finger less than an inch from his nose, forcing him to look cross-eyed at it. There was something menacing about the way she held that digit out that made him want to back away.

�And who are you to be gallivanting around the Master�s house like this? Your manners are deplorable, and you reek to high heaven! I should drag you out to the garden and turn the hose on you like the unwashed dog you��

A door about midway down the left hallway had opened while the hired help had been busy dressing him down and a distinctly male voice interrupted her tongue-lashing.

�That will be enough, Riruka-chan. Please, finish what you were doing. I will deal with this.�

Both of them turned to see a man with silver hair, wearing an expensive gray suit and a white lab coat over it, emerge from one of the rooms. He had both a doctor�s bag and a slightly irritated expression on his person, closing the door behind him with a sigh. Narrow blue eyes regarded the maid and Renji from behind a pair of spectacles, which he reached up and adjusted.

The maid immediately gave the gentleman a bow from the waist, her attitude going from outraged to deferential in less than a second.

�Yes, sir.�

�Once you�ve completed restocking the guest rooms, I�m sure my wife will need help with the luncheon preparations. I fear we have another round of unexpected guests on our hands.�

�Of course, sir!�

Giving Renji a disdainful sniff and a dirty look, she pivoted on her heel and flounced off down the opposite hallway, her long pigtails swishing behind her as she muttered something about �the nerve of some people.� The woman even managed to make the �click� of the doors to the opposite wing settling back into place sound affronted. Renji decided to dismiss the angry maid and closed the distance between himself and the man he presumed to be both Yuzu�s husband and Nel�s physician. However, when he reached for the door handle, he found that the good doctor had clamped his free hand down on Renji�s wrist, preventing him from opening it.

For a man who, at close range, looked as if he was rapidly closing in on his sixth decade, his grip was surprisingly strong. His expression was also as cold as the brief bath Renji had taken over two days ago.

�Might I inquire what business you have with Odelschwanck-san, Shinigami?�

Renji, at the end of his rope and desperate for an answer, pulled his hand away and reached for Zabimaru�s hilt, determined to force his way through the door if he had to, doctor or no doctor.

The next thing he knew, a flash of silver and blue fell from the man�s wrist and something he hadn�t seen in fifteen years materialized out of thin air, as close to his nose as the maid�s fingertip had been and burning a thousand times brighter. He could even hear the sizzle of the air where the collected reishi of the shaft and the white bow came together, the tip of the bolt aimed at his throat.

Renji backed away and his fingers dropped to his side as he stared at the weapon in the doctor�s right hand. It had taken shape so quickly, and the man hadn�t even dropped the bag.

�A Quincy� a real Quincy�� he repeated over and over in his head, not quite believing what he was seeing.

�I�� he stammered, his brain going in all sort of strange directions as he stared at what could possibly be his imminent death, �I�m� I�m Nel�s mate. I�m Abarai Renji��

One of the doctor�s pale eyebrows went up a fraction of an inch, but the arrow never wavered.

�I see,� he said quietly. �I would suggest that you abandon all ideas of talking with your �mate� until we�ve had a chance to engage in what I hope will be a polite and violence-free conversation. You and I have a few personal things to discuss, Abarai-san and I would prefer to keep our discourse civilized.�

With no other options, Renji nodded weakly. He�d seen, first hand, what those bolts could do. Eventually, the physician let go of his bow and the reishi dissolved as quickly as his fingers had summoned it. Shinigami and Quincy regarded one another for a long moment before the silver-haired man set his bag down and reached up to pluck his glasses from his nose. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a monogrammed handkerchief from it and gave each lens a quick rub. Renji watched this small gesture, knowing he�d seen it before but unable to place it. He knew it wasn�t from having to watch Szayel constantly fiddling with his cracked mask and Abisara thankfully hadn�t developed the habit.

The thought of Szayel and Abisara, juxtaposed with the living Quincy before him, sent his train of thought barrelling down a track he�d forgotten existed.

�You� were you the one who invaded Los Noches?�

He blurted the question out without really thinking, but Nel had mentioned that the Quincy she�d helped was �intimidating� and it was an accurate description of the man in front of him. The doctor gave Renji a measured look that seemed to size Renji up and find him somehow wanting. Then he carefully folded the handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket, the corner sticking up at a perfect, ninety-degree angle.

�I find �invaded� to be a loaded term. I prefer �liberated.� In either case, I merely retrieved family property� my son�s things, to be precise.�

Renji mentally replayed what the physician said a few times before the words truly registered.

�Son?�

�His son�s things?�

Reaching into his suit pocket, the older man retrieved a business card from a thin, silver case and presented it to Renji, who took it without ever letting his eyes leave the physician�s face. Fingers trembling, he held the bit of cardstock, but he didn�t need to read it to know the identity of the man standing before him.

�This is Uryuu�s father.�

�Oh, shit� I was right. That load of baloney I told Aizen was fucking right all along��

He refrained from saying any of that, only now seeing the resemblance the older man bore to the teenager he�d once called a comrade.

�How� how did� I mean, Aizen killed everyone in Karakura and the hospital that Uryuu said belonged to his father was there��

The Quincy, one Ishida Ryuuken, M.D. if the name on the card was real, folded his arms across his chest, his stance conveying his distaste.

�I, and the patients who were under my care at the time, are alive today because I wasn�t foolish enough to put my faith in Urahara Kisuke�s assertions that a fifteen-year-old boy, no matter how gifted, had the wherewithal to stop your renegade Taichou from creating the O-ken. As the hospital administrator, I ordered the evacuation of patients to medical facilities well outside the boundaries indicated by the late Urahara-san. I then closed the hospital with the excuse of �mold mitigation� and �suggested� to my staff that they follow our patients to their new, temporary facilities to provide assistance. Despite these efforts, I still lost several excellent people who chose not to heed my warning and remained in Karakura.�

Those blue eyes grew even chillier and his tone more scathing.

�In addition, unlike Urahara Kisuke, I�m not a fan of gambling with other people�s lives.�

Then he turned his head to look out of one of the many windows lining the hallway, the noon light reflecting briefly on the lenses of his glasses and hiding his eyes from view.

�Now, as to my business with you...�

Renji�s breathing became a hair shallower at that. This human had had enough power to march into one of the Seventh Espada�s most secure storage facilities, had smashed through any and all obstacles he�d found and had made off with priceless Quincy weaponry without being detected. That same human stood between him and Nel, with no sign of getting out of the way and he would have to remain where he was, if he didn�t want to end up a pincushion.

�Several years ago, I discovered that someone had carved my son�s name on our family grave marker. A closer inspection revealed that the same person responsible for the etching had interred a container of ashes in the family plot. It took a few months before I could arrange some time with Lady Shihoin to discuss the issue, but when I broached the topic, she told me of the spy her little band of refugees had set up within the Seireitei. They also told me that said spy had made a bargain with the Espada who had cached my son�s body. I believe that it was �servitude in exchange for an honourable burial?��

Suddenly, his mouth and throat seemed far too dry and Renji swallowed a few times. The conversation he and Szayel once had in that conference room had occurred so long ago and they�d made that agreement with such hostility� So much had changed in the intervening years that he�d nearly forgotten what kind of a risk he�d been asking Szayel to take. At the time, he hadn�t given much thought to what might happen if Aizen had gotten wind of their deal. Then again, Uryuu had deserved a proper laying-to-rest, at least physically.

Seeing Renji�s faint, shaky nod, the elder Ishida let out a breath and closed his eyes. Then, he lowered his arms to his sides and the last Quincy proceeded to give the Shinigami a deep, respectful bow.

�Abarai Renji, I thank you for what you have done for my family and for my son�s honour. In addition, I ask that you accept my apology for the consequences you suffered due to my actions in Hueco Mundo.�

He thought of the scars marring his back, the raised red lines a testament to his success in redirecting Aizen�s vengeful attentions. He also thought back to the sound of Uryuu�s last words, spoken in excruciating pain and with unbreakable pride. Renji wanted to stop the physician, to open his mouth and tell him that Ishida Ryuuken owed him nothing, when the other picked up where he�d left off, sounding rueful.

�I find myself in the unwelcome position of, yet again, being indebted to a Shinigami. As such, please accept the care I have given Odelschwanck-san for the last several months as well as the care I will continue to provide my patient in the future, as a way of repaying you.�

�Months? She�s been ailing for months?� Renji ground his teeth together. He would kill Yoruichi for lying to his face, for telling him the woman he loved was fine when she�d needed a doctor�s care all this time. He�d throttle her in whatever form she happened to be wearing once he could spare the time.

�I must warn you� I�m aware of her link with you as well as what that link entails. I suggest that you keep your emotions steady while you�re around her. I will not tolerate you distressing a patient of mine and causing her complications. I have grown fond of the young lady, despite her �interesting heritage.� If she suffers in your presence, I will remove you, not only from her room, but also from this house and from the grounds. Continue to be a problem while you are under my roof, Shinigami, and I will set both the hounds and/or the head of my domestic staff, Riruka-san, upon you. You can decide which of those you ought to fear more. Are we clear?�

�Y� yes� please� please tell me what�s wrong! Was she hurt and if she was, how badly? Is she sick? Is there anything I can do� please� just�?� he pleaded. A strange look passed over Ishida-san�s face as he took in the extent of Renji�s despair, his dishevelled and grungy appearance and once again, he reached up and rubbed his forehead.

�Let me guess� none of the others Odelschwanck-san calls friends have said anything to you, have they?�

�No, they��

The irritated expression was back, and had deepened into vexation.

�Idiots. It seems they�re bound and determined to obey Odelschwanck-san�s request to the letter then, no matter what sort of awkwardness doing so creates. Under normal circumstances, I would agree with them, but I can hardly call your appearance here today �normal,� can I?�

Renji wasn�t sure if that was an actual question or a rhetorical one. Instead, he looked at the door. Nel was on the other side of it and he would make any promise, do anything he had to, to be able to open it.

�I understand, sir,� he whispered. �Whatever it is� I�ll do what I can for her.�

The Quincy gazed at him for another few moments before he seemed to make up his mind about something. Reaching down, he retrieved his bag and checked the clasp, then tucked the cross beneath the cuff of his sleeve. Brushing an invisible speck of dirt from his lab coat, he looked back up at Renji and then shifted weary eyes to a point somewhere in the hall behind the Shinigami.

�I believe you, Abarai-san. Oh, and if I may offer a word of advice?�

Bitterness tinged the man�s voice as he squared his shoulders.

�I made many mistakes when I was younger, particularly with regard to my son. I was not the best of fathers, and I failed�Uryuu� in more ways than one. My last words to him, after I restored his Quincy powers, were orders to refrain from having anything to do with anyone associated with the Shinigami. I regret returning them to him, but at the time��

��he was proud of his talents, of who he was, of what he was,� Renji interjected.

The doctor�s sharp gaze cut into him, but the Quincy said nothing and Renji took that as a sign he wouldn�t get an arrow through the face if he finished what he had to say.

�The truth is, sir, he made a bargain with another and it�s the only reason I�m standing here. The bargain I made was to pay Uryuu back. He saved two lives by doing so and he was a proud Quincy until the end. I was honoured to know him, Ishida-san, despite our differences, and I was honoured to fight alongside him.�

This time it was Renji dipping his head and bending his back. When he straightened, he found the man�s eyes had softened, or at least, they were no longer as stony as they had been.

�I was never �not� proud of him, Abarai-san,� Ishida Ryuuken told him quietly. �However, instilling pride is not a father�s only obligation. Please try to remember that.�

Ishida Ryuuken gave another small bow and stepped around him, eyes straight ahead. A whiff of cigarette smoke made his nose twitch as the Quincy retreated, leaving Renji bewildered. When the physician turned and began to make his way down the staircase to the first floor, the Shinigami let out a deep breath and tried to figure out why Uryuu�s father, a cold, reserved individual from what Uryuu had told him, would share something so personal with a man he�d just met and a Shinigami to boot.

�Obligation?�

At that point, he received a nudge from Zabimaru, jolting him and reminding him that there were no longer any obstacles between him and the door handle. Spinning around, he reached for it, twisted the thing and pulled it open, trying not to wrench it from its hinges in his eagerness.

The light in this room was far more subdued than the bright, sunlit hallway, but there was enough of it to let him see the woman sitting on the Western-style bed, her back to the headboard. Someone had given her a white yukata five sizes too large for her, the cloth puddled around her body. She looked up as he paused in the doorway, his arm braced against the frame. He saw a mixture of joy and abject fear blossom in her eyes and then she wordlessly lifted both arms up, the collar of the oversized garment slipping from one shoulder, in invitation. Two seconds later, he was in them, crawling onto the bed and into her embrace. Renji hadn�t seen her since October, when he�d handed her his report and dragged out their parting kiss for as long as he dared, only sending her back through the cube�s sliding door after he�d frantically taken her a third time and her nails had left shallow, moon-shaped marks on his backside.

�Nel� love� what happened?� he started in, failing to keep the panic he felt from showing.

She tilted her head up and he was suddenly struck dumb as she kissed him thoroughly, keeping his mouth too busy for speech. She didn�t seem to care that he looked as if he�d just wandered in from a war zone, or that he hadn�t seen soap and water in days. Her hands went to his hair and she pulled her fingers through the tangled, scarlet mess, lightly running her nails over his scalp in a gesture she�d used in the past to soothe him, before they came to rest on his shoulders. Eventually, he had to break away to breathe properly, leaving him dazed.

�I should ask you that,� she replied softly, fear in her words. �Why are you here and why� why are Szayel and Grimmjow here? Who are the others? Something terrible has happened, hasn�t it? Ishida-san told me to stay in here until he could find out why he had visitors and why��

Renji cupped her face, running his thumbs across the mark that spanned her nose and then brought his forehead to rest against hers, interrupting her with a short press of his lips against hers, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent.

�I�ll tell you, but you have to tell me why you�re sick! Is there anything I can do? If there is, name it!� he begged. �I� I had to leave the twins behind. Nel, I can�t lose you too��

He felt her fingers tighten in his uniform for a moment, clutching the fabric, and then her left hand reached for his right, pulling it gently from her cheek. Renji�s eyes opened to find her looking at him with a somewhat chagrined expression. Bringing his hand down to the voluminous folds of the yukata that surrounded her, she sat up and slid his hand beneath the band of fabric that served to trim the front edged of it, presumably to hold her by the waist�

�only to have him discover that she no longer had one. Instead, his fingers crept over her much larger, swollen belly, the warm, smooth skin stretched taut beneath the palm of his hand.

Later, he would declare that both his brain and his lungs took that opportunity to completely shut down, pack their bags and bid him a fond farewell with a promise to write if they found work. His other hand, however, chose to help its twin push open the concealing folds to reveal Nel�s very large, very pregnant midsection. Renji could only stare at it, at her, dumbfounded. Eventually, her fingers moved to cover his, at around the same time his vision began to go a bit gray around the edges.

�Renji-kun� Breathe!�

Perhaps, he thought, the universe could forgive him for gaping blankly at the sight. He�d gone from the equivalent of a forced march at dawn, directly in the middle of a pitched battle, had a shape-shifting noble order him into the Royal Realm by using her claws on him and had been commanded to defect without being able to go back to save his young charges. He�d been frightened out of his wits at the idea that there was something wrong with his mate. He�d just had a Quincy�s lethal arrow aimed at his heart. This day had been far too eventful for his liking, it was barely noon and he wanted to crawl beneath the bed he was sitting on and hide for a few hours, in the dark. He�d at least stay until the world started making sense again, or until the emotional rollercoaster he�d been on came to a stop.

The order to breathe, on the other hand, was Claim-enforced and suddenly his lungs were back. He gulped air until he was panting, the rush of oxygen dispelling the fog that had filled his head. The other thing that brought his attention back into sharp focus was a �thump� of something hitting his right palm and the simultaneous gasp Nel gave as she pressed his hand over it.

�Oh!� she exclaimed, sounding as if whatever was going on in there involved a game of futsal. It certainly felt like it, he decided, as a second kick or elbowing followed the first, which elicited another gasp, but Renji wasn�t sure if Nel or he had been the one to make it.

�How�?� he managed to croak and found her frowning at him.

�I would think that would be obvious, Renji. You were there after all.�

She reached up and tentatively touched his cheek, her pretty, platinum coloured eyes taking in his still-stunned expression.

�Are you angry?�

�Huh?� he asked with all of the keen intelligence of a steamed turnip.

�Are you� not happy about� this�?� Nel asked.

In answer, he removed his hands from her bare belly and surged forward, pushing her down against the pillows. This time he kissed her forcefully, hungrily, desperately, tracing her jawline with his fingertips, ghosting them down her neck and her exposed collarbone before fumbling for one of her hands and clasping it tightly.

�No� no� I�m not angry. Why would I be angry? Amazed and terrified maybe, but not angry,� he told her.

When she let out a long breath and relaxed back against the bedding, he knew then that he wasn�t the only one engulfed in worries. Stretching out next to her, he propped himself up on the hand that wasn�t holding hers.

�Okay, so � when did you find out?�

She blushed and looked away.

�The first week in December. Hiyori-chan and Yachiru-chan made dinner one night and it was all I could do to keep it down. I began to get nauseous at strange times, and yet, I was always hungry and tired. A few weeks later, I fainted and Yoruichi-san told me that she was taking me to Ishida-san, to see what was wrong. When he told me I was pregnant, I didn�t know what to do. We were in Tokyo, in Shibuya and we�d only been in that particular safe house for a week or two. We�d moved around often, up until that point, but that hiding spot is small. Yuzu-chan, once she found out, ordered her husband to let us stay here, for as long as I�d need a doctor. There isn�t anyone else we could go to and he did help Ichigo when he needed that surgery three years ago.�

�Surgery?�

�Oh, yes. His appendix almost ruptured. He was fine in the morning, but by nightfall, he was on the floor, curled up and in pain. Ichigo-kun needed a real doctor, not Kido, so we brought him here. Ishida-san said he�d perform the surgery, but he asked for payment in return.�

Renji frowned and then remembered the last time they�d spoken about her part in what happened in Los Noches. He�d been a bit distracted, as he�d been balls-deep in her at the time.

�So�you helped him get his son�s things back by opening a Garganta into Hueco Mundo for him.�

�In exchange for taking out Ichigo�s appendix, yes.�

�Well, that makes sense�, he thought and sighed. �It would beat going to a hospital and having Aizen track them down that way.�

�Renji-kun, I did try to get word to you. Yoruichi said she was going to make another run to the Seireitei, to talk to Karin-chan. She took Hiyori-chan with her, because she also had other things she needed to do that night and Hiyori-chan knew some of the people on the list you gave us, from before Central 46 exiled her. She and Yoruichi-san were going to stay with them for a day and try to get in touch with Kukaku-sama and Yoruichi would have let Karin know to tell you that��

��that we�re having a child,� Renji finished, reaching out and returning his hand to her stomach. He pushed all of his other cares to the side. He could deal with them later and Ishida Ryuuken�s stern warning, to keep his emotions under control while he was with her, suddenly seemed of utmost importance. �But, I never got the message.�

Nel reached up and chose that moment to slide his headband from around his head and to undo the tie holding his hopelessly snarled hair in its topknot. The familiar ritual between them made him scoot closer, to let her trace the black lines on his forehead with her fingers while she finished her explanation.

�That�s because they never made it to the Ukitake Estate. They accidentally ran into the First that night and Hiyori and Lilinette got into a fight. Then Hana showed up and things got really ugly and Yoruichi decided that it would be best to abandon the mission and leave before anyone else could find out they were there.�

His mind raced over exactly how many ways that little expedition could have blown up in the two women�s faces and his stomach did somersaults at the idea of what might have happened had Starrk been of a mind to capture the two. Had Starrk simply let them go? He�d have to ask Hana later what had happened.

�That was too big of a risk, Nel!�

�But you deserved to at least know!� she countered and then closed her eyes, nibbling her bottom lip. �After that, Yoruichi decided that she needed to avoid going to the Seireitei for a while. She�d used that route more than enough times and she said that while it wasn�t all that hard to hide from the Second Espada, Starrk and Lilinette are a different story.�

Gently letting his fingers trace circles on a small patch of her skin and frowning, he also admitted it might have been risky for another reason, one that had nothing to do with Arrancar patrols. If that message had gotten to him, he wasn�t sure what he would have done. It was one thing to know that if circumstances allowed, she would come back in time to refresh his Claim. It would have been something else entirely if he�d known she had to deal with the pregnancy on her own. While he�d been taking care of Szayel�s cubs as if they were his, Nel would have had to struggle through the vagaries of a hybrid pregnancy without him. The knowledge would have torn him in two, between staying, to keep up with the work of gathering information for Yoruichi as well as protecting and caring for the twins and trying to find a way to get to the Living World, to his mate and his unborn child.

It was ironic, he considered, how things had worked out. He also thought, a bit regretfully, that he owed Shihoin Yoruichi more than just a standard apology. Nel must have felt the conflict within him, because she pushed up a little and caught his lips in another kiss that managed to devolve into something on the outskirts of decent. When he groaned her name and pulled away, she nipped him on his scruffy chin.

�Why did you think I was ill?� she asked and he rubbed the back of his neck, almost embarrassed now.

�Ah, you see� well, everyone kind of clammed up when I asked where you were and they wouldn�t explain what was going on. Then Ichigo�s little sister said you were with her husband the doctor...�

Another understanding look crossed her face, along with a little bit of guilt.

�Well� I did tell them that, after the failed attempt to get the message to you, I would be the one to tell you, the next time I saw you. I just don�t know if the portal would have allowed me to bring him with me.�

Renji blinked and then scrambled up, until he leaned over her, shocked that she would ever consider such a thing.

�Taking a baby through the Dangai? Nel, that�s crazy! No! I� wait� him? You mean��

He could feel his eyes going wider by the second as she nodded and the Quincy physician�s parting words slammed into him. He�d heard Szayel make similar, if less veiled comments to a number of other Arrancar who had trooped into the Science and Research Division in the last two weeks. Renji hadn�t thought that he would number among them.

�Ishida-san did a lot of tests, mostly because this is the first hybrid pregnancy he�s ever seen. He said we�re having a boy and he thinks I�m due in mid-May, but he can�t be certain. Did� did you want it to be a surprise?�

The redhead rolled his eyes at that, but took the opportunity to kiss her again.

�Trust me, Nel, it�s a surprise,� he told her and then returned his hand to the spot where he�d first felt his child, his son, kick. �Is he healthy? Have you had any complications?�

She shook her head, strands of her turquoise hair whispering against the cotton of the pillowcases.

�He is, and so far, I don�t think so, other than the nausea that comes and goes and the endless trips to the bathroom. The pictures Ishida-san took, with the machine in the laboratory downstairs are�� she trailed off, as if looking for the right words to describe their child. �Unusual.�

Now it was Renji�s turn to smile. He took Nel�s hand and laced their fingers together before returning both to the side of her belly and stroking the skin there with his thumb.

�Ajuga and Diaemus look a bit like their fathers� Resurreccións,� he said, trying to sound reassuring. �I�m sure it�s the same thing. Heaven help the kid if he takes after Zabimaru though. Abisara and Vindula��

The news of his impending son had temporarily pushed everything else aside, but as he said their names, picturing the small boy that was almost an identical copy of Szayel and his innocent little sister he found that his tongue wouldn�t work and his throat refused to make a sound. Gripping her hand even tighter, Renji lowered his head. Shame and a sense of helplessness chased away the happiness at finding nothing wrong with his mate that two more months wouldn�t cure.

�I just left them� Aizen won�t waste any time getting his hands on them, if the Numeros don�t do that first,� he castigated himself, hating the fact he hadn�t been able to disobey Karin�s orders. That damned Garganta-creating device had been something he was supposed to use to get the twins to safety, not use to save himself. He understood that, on a rational level if hadn�t done what Karin told him, Aizen would have slaughtered everyone in the Throne room. Nevertheless, he�d made pledges to those children, like promising to protect them and to bring their mother and father home from the battle. What kind of future could he promise his own son if he couldn�t keep the commitments he�d already made?

Nel�s free hand tilted his chin up, forcing him to look at her with misery-filled eyes.

�It�s your turn now, Renji. You�re dirty, exhausted, your uniform is torn up and I want to know why. Why are there two Espada here? Why are you here, when you should be in the Seireitei?�

Feeling lower than the soles his tabi, Renji told her what he knew, beginning with Ajuga�s abduction and ending with the mad dash from the Royal Realm to what tuned out to be the Ishida family manor. Nel listened intently, growing more concerned the longer he spoke. When he was done, she smoothed back his hair, pulled him against her, in as much as her belly would allow, and threw her bare leg over his.

�Oh, Renji, are you still beating yourself up over things that aren�t your fault? If you want to be angry,� she said softly, �be angry with me. It�s my Claim that made you obey Karin� but I�m glad that it did. Otherwise��

�Otherwise,� Renji silently completed her sentence in his head, �I�d be nothing but a corpse on the marble floor of the Spirit King�s Throne room.�

�How many times, fool, must I remind you that a dead hand cannot strike a vengeful blow?�

�The ape�ssss right,� he heard the second half of his Zanpakuto hiss at him. Startled, Renji realized that his sword had shifted and the hilt now lay against his ichor-smeared stomach, the wrappings in contact with his skin. Even sheathed, Zabimaru felt it necessary to kick him. �Ssstop with the sssniveling!�

�With whom did you leave them?� Nel asked and Renji wrenched his attention back to her.

�Starrk and Ukitake-Taichou. Starrk�s been� I suppose �stepping up� would be a good way of putting it. He considers Grimmjow and Karin �pack members.� He intervened when Aizen got his hands on Szayel the last time. He was the only one I could think go to when Szayel didn�t come back from the Palace.�

Nel blinked in surprise, and then her expression turned thoughtful. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on the side of his mouth and stroked his cheek.

�If Starrk has them, they�re as safe as they can be. My impression of the Primera, when I was an Espada, was that he was very sleepy� and very, very lonely. If he considers Szayel and his family �his,� then he won�t let anything happen to them.� She added the next bit reluctantly, �I supposed that if there was anyone stronger than myself who stood a chance of Claiming me, I�d object to Starrk the least.�

Renji frowned, not liking the idea of Starrk anywhere near Nel. She must have sensed the uneasy jealousy coming from him, because she tapped his forehead with a fingertip and changed the subject.

�You helped raise them, right?�

�Yes, but��

�You�ve taught them what you could, about staying safe?�

Had he? He wasn�t sure if two children, who had few real defences other than their Hierros and a working knowledge of some of the more toxic and dangerous experiments going on the lower laboratories, would be able to elude the more aggressive Numeros, let alone fiends like Barragan or Aizen. Last spring�s run-in with the two Numeros in the park had taught him that much. He�d done his best, but they were still far too young and without Renji by their side to act as a shield, they were as good as Claim bait.

�I don�t know. That�s the worst part, not knowing. If I could, I�d go back and get them, Nel. I�d find a way� mmph!�

This time, the kiss she used to cut him off was insistent, included far more tongue and reminded him of just how many months it had been since he�d last held her. By the time she was done, his heart rate had doubled.

�Now you know what it was like for me to leave you in the Seireitei, for months on end,� she whispered. �I had to trust that you�d be able to take care of yourself, until we met again. You�ve no idea how hard it was to walk away from you.�

The confession surprised him, as did the comparison.

�I�m not a child, Nel. I�m a trained Shinigami��

��and under Aizen�s scrutiny, because of Szayel,� she shot back and Renji soon found he was on all fours, hovering over her while she twined her arms around his neck, gazing up at him earnestly, almost imploringly. Not sure if he�d done so because she�d given him a silent Claim-backed command, he stared down at her pretty face, framed by waves of her outlandishly coloured hair. �I need you here now. Staying behind would have led to your death. You can�t go back and I� we need you with us!�

He�d never before heard her beg like this but she�d probably also received every violent emotion going through him the moment he�d set foot in the orchard. She had to know how much he wanted to return to the Seireitei for the children versus having to stay here until they and the rest of the Escapees could figure out what to do about this new, unfortunate development. She was asking him to make a choice, a nearly impossible one, between obligations, one long-standing and the other an unexpected discovery.

What floored him was that Nel wasn�t trying to force him to stay via the link between them. She was asking. As she had every time she�d cast her reiatsu around him, she would let him make the decision on his own.

Renji closed his eyes and that�s when Ishida Ryuuken�s words came back to haunt him a second time.

He knew Szayel and Nemu, probably better than anyone else save for Karin. The two would come up with some plan to get to their cubs and hopefully, to Karin. If Aizen did find a way around Starrk, it would be to use the twins as bait for both Szayel, and probably for him as well. The sonofabitch would need them alive and well to play that game.

Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly made his decision. Renji pulled back and brought Nel with him, until they both sat upright in the middle of a somewhat rumpled and stained bed, thanks to the ichor and the dirt he and his uniform sported. Her once-white yukata wasn�t much better. He slid one hand up to her hip and the other he let rest on her distended abdomen.

�May, huh? That�s not far off. �

She slowly nodded and he let himself smile once again before descending on her lips like a man dying of thirst. Gods, she tasted good and he would have happily kept at it when a thought occurred to him. He let his eyes travel to the six squares the sunshine made on the floor and noted that they�d moved a bit since he�d stormed through the door.

�I think� I think I�ve actually been in this room for more than an hour,� he declared, then found himself grinning down at her. The significance of that wasn�t lost on the woman in his arms, as she smiled back and he couldn�t help adding, �Do you think we should try for another?�

Finally, she seemed to notice just what sad shape he was in, because her nose wrinkled.

�You smell terrible. How long has it been since you�ve had a proper bath?�

When he had to put some real thought into that, she carefully moved off of the bed, its linens by now a lost cause and stood up, bringing him with her. The ridiculously outsized robe threatened to fall from her, despite the tie wrapped around her and he frowned as she tried to keep it on by tugging the collar.

�Who in the world gave that to you?� he asked, eyeing it critically.

�Oh, Hachi-kun let me borrow one of his, since none of the other girls have anything that will fit me anymore� not that they would have fit anyway. For some reason, breakfast didn�t agree with me and mine is in the laundry.�

In one move, Renji undid the tie and the nearly useless circus tent of a thing was a puddle of white fabric around her calves. One of her hands went to cover her breasts, but he caught her wrist and moved it away, wanting to see her fully in the early afternoon light. The only garment left on her was an obscenely skimpy pair of lacy white underwear. He�d never seen her wear anything like them, but then, when they�d met in the past, underwear hadn�t been a part of her wardrobe and would only have served as a distraction and a waste of time. The Shinigami�s fingers eased them down over her legs to join the yukata.

�Unbelievable,� he murmured in awe, taking in the sight of her smooth skin, the blush that coloured her cheeks and the way she�d filled out to accommodate their growing son. �Kami, you�re beautiful.�

Her blush deepened, to a lovely magenta.

�I�m also a mess. You got me dirty.�

It sounded more like a seductive come-on than an accusation. Renji decided to plead guilty anyway.

�Is there somewhere we can wash up?�

Nel stepped over the robe, her bare feet making no sound on the wood floor and began to divest him of the clothing he�d worn for almost a week, until he was nearly as naked as she was. She even placed Zabimaru reverently on the top of the dresser, where Gamuza rested on a small stand. There was that hunger again as she let her eyes roam over him, padding back to where he stood.

�This room has a bath, through there,� she replied, indicating a door along the far wall that he�d taken for a closet. �It�s just a shower though.�

He didn�t care. Any activity that involved soap, hot water and Nel sounded like a small slice of heaven. Grabbing her hand, he tugged her towards what he hoped would be another hour of uninterrupted time with her, only to hear a knock on the door to the hallway. Then a voice that sounded suspiciously like the ill-tempered maid he encountered on the landing called out.

�Odelschwanck-san? Are you all right? That barbarian hasn�t done anything to you, has he? Are you��

One of Nel�s eyebrows went up and she looked at Renji.

�I might have met her on the way up,� he offered in explanation. Considering his state of mind at the time, he left his mate to draw her own conclusions about the encounter. She gave him a wry look, which told him that she guessed correctly as to how that had turned out.

�I�m fine, Riruka-chan. Uhm� I may need some new bed linens and some clothes.�

The pause on the other side of the door went on just a little too long, before the maid spoke again.

�Lunch has been ready for a while now. Shall I bring a tray up, and some tea?�

�Oh yes! That would be wonderful! Can you bring enough for me and my��

�Husband,� Renji suddenly said, making Nel turn around and look at him with huge eyes.

�What?�

�What was that, Odelschwanck-san?�

�I��

Renji looked to the door and then raised his voice to address the woman on the other side of it.

�Riruka-san, I apologize for earlier. I�m sure my wife-to-be is starving after her exam and I�m afraid we�ll both need a change of clothing. Can you please bring us something to eat and some tea and change the linens on the bed while we clean up? I would deeply appreciate it, and Nel would as well.�

Nel continued to gape at him and Renji began to wonder if maybe he�d jumped the gun, but he held her gaze and her hands until he heard Riruka say, �Very well sir. I�ll be back with the linens and clothes in five and your meal in��

�Give us half-an-hour, please!�

Nel had finally found her voice, though it sounded somewhat shocked and a bit high-pitched at the end.

�Certainly, Odelschwanck-san.�

The carpet runner in the hallway and the door muffled the maid�s footsteps as she made her retreat.

�Husband?�

Renji stepped away from the remains of his kosode and hakama, quickly removed his fundoshi and took several steps backwards towards the bathroom, her hand in his.

�If you�ll have me.�

�But we�re already mates, Renji!�

�True and if it�s safe for you to do so, I want you to Claim me again. Right now. Just let me get the water running first.�

�Then why�?�

Renji reached behind him, clawed around for the door handle and yanked the door open to find a decently appointed, if utilitarian-looking guest bath complete with a window done in glass brick to afford the user privacy. He could see various soaps, toiletries and thankfully, several scrub brushes on a wooden teak shelf, with a bench made from the same wood along the back wall. Someone had put a vase full of cut tulips and daffodils on the sink, and the towels hanging on the rod were clean, but he was interested in the wide showerhead that came down from the ceiling. Once Nel was over the threshold, he kicked the door closed with his foot and made sure the lock worked.

�I�ll tell you why.�

The redhead reached the controls and cranked the handle to the left, managing to turn on a miniature rainstorm in the process. Putting one hand under the spray, he waited until the water was hot and the room began to fill with steam, and then dialled it back a bit. With a grimace, he also saw a thin layer of grey wash away where the spray hit his skin. Renji swiped a bottle of what he hoped was shampoo from the shelf and popped the cap.

�Because you�ve been protecting me all this time with your Claim. When this is over, when we�ve gutted that bastard and all those who support him, when it�s safe for Ajuga-chan to do whatever it is the Spirit King has to do to fix things��

He grabbed Nel�s hand and stepped under the warm downpour, bringing her with him over the rapidly heating tiles. Reaching up, he quickly scrubbed the green and grey smudges from his face and arms, and washed several days� worth of nastiness from his tangled hair. Then he reached out and ran his fingers through his mate�s long, wavy tresses, entranced as her turquoise locks turned to a rich teal with a decent soaking. He also found his eyes riveted to the drops of water that clung to her full lower lip, as if begging him to lick them away.

��I want to protect you, and our son, by giving you my name. I�m not sure how it will all shake out, but our cub,� he said, tracing his fingers over Nel�s belly, �will not lack for a father who�s willing to kill anything or anyone who looks at him in the wrong way. Just like your Claim has kept Aizen and the other Arrancar off my back, my name will make anyone who questions your right to be there, or with me, think twice about opening his or her mouth.�

Nel looked away and he took the opportunity to pluck a bar of soap from its spot next to the bottles and a square of terry cloth. Working up two handfuls of suds, he began to scrub some of the more stubborn gunk from his chest and forearms, until the water coming off of him was no longer dingy and the only black things on his body were the tattoos and a few purplish bruises.

�Is that the only reason?� Her tone was subdued and Renji wondered if she thought he was only asking this out of expediency. He snorted and let her feel all of the pent-up longing he�d felt since autumn.

�Hell no!� he responded and turned her around, so that he was pressed against her back and his arms circled her. He pushed her hair away from the nape of her neck and kissed the wet skin where her neck and her shoulder met. Doing so made her arch, and her bottom pushed against him in a way that made him forget, for a few seconds, what he was going to say.

�I told you. No more waiting, Nel. No more stolen hours behind a Kido barrier. No more hiding. Your Claim is on me, and I belong to you��

Renji ran his tongue along the shell of her ear as he said this and hugged her closer, until the heat he could feel had nothing to do with the water and steam around them.

�� and if you take my name, you�ll belong to me in turn. You�re already in my inner world, Nel. There�s no part of me that you don�t own. The Claim exists to let the rest of the Arrancar know I�m yours. A wedding��

Nel lifted both her arms, reaching up to slip her fingers into his red mane, working out a few of the worst tangles and letting her head fall back against his collarbone. His hands found her breasts and she breathed out a long ragged, pleading sigh that sounded suspiciously like his name.

��will let the gods know you�re mine. Marry me, Nel. Please.�

The Espada in his grasp squirmed around, her body slippery with suds, until she faced him. That lead to a great deal of back and forth with tongues and lips and an occasional nip, which in turn led to Renji sitting against a tiled wall, robbed of the ability to think of anything else but the soapy girl in his lap. One of her hands moved a bit lower and he ground his teeth together as she found what she wanted and worked him relentlessly with her fingers. Then, rising on her knees, she brought the head of his cock into contact with her warm, wet sex and ever so slowly sank down on his length. He clutched her hips, trying to control her descent, not knowing if he would hurt her if they went too fast, or if she expended too much energy in recasting her Claim. When she was flush with him, leaning back against his bent legs to accommodate her swollen midsection, her lashes fluttered and she sighed deeply.

It had been months� how had he survived without this, without her, for so long? How in Kami�s name had he let her go in the first place?

�Oh� yeessss�� she whispered as she tossed her head back and closed her eyes.

With the slick tiles, he wasn�t able to get much leverage, but she didn�t seem to need it. Placing her fingertips on his shoulders, she began to move in a leisurely, riding motion. He let her control the pace of their coupling, content to watch her and touch as much of her as he could. Her reiatsu snaked its way around him, taking its time as well and he almost wondered why their joining didn�t have the wild, chaotic urgency to it that it usually did, before he remembered that as of today, there would be no cruel crimson walls flashing and no limit to how long they could enjoy themselves.

The thought almost tipped him over the edge, and he gripped her bottom, making her pause as he collected himself before his body could shame him. That�s when he realized she�d been chanting something in his ear.

�Yes� yes� yes�� she whimpered and Renji sucked in his breath.

�Yes?�

�Yes! I�ll be Abarai Nel if you want,� he heard her sob.

Renji slid his hands to what remained of her waist. After a few deep gulps of steam-laden air, he lifted Nel and let her sink again. She shivered, rolling her hips repeatedly, her motions speeding up as the minutes passed, causing a tight coil of pleasure to form in his loins. He pulled her as close as her abdomen would allow and forced her mouth open with his greedy tongue, letting the first trickle of her reiatsu make its way down his throat, until he guzzled it by the mouthful. The delicious sensation grew sharper and he became dimly aware that her thighs, on either side of his hips, had started to tremble.

His right hand slipped along the crease of her thigh and his knuckles brushed the skin below her belly, before seeking out that one little spot with his fingers. Nel almost lurched off of his lap when he found it and gently stroked it each time she descended. Her legs began to shake in earnest and in turn, he sped up the strokes, drinking in her power as he suddenly pressed down on that little bit of flesh.

�Abarai Nel. I like� the sound�of that�� he growled into her open mouth, before he lost the battle against cumming too quickly. Fortunately, her control was just as fragile as his was. The stream of reiatsu became a torrent and then a flood as she wrenched a piece of him away when she climaxed. The silky flesh around his clenched rhythmically, the tremors beginning with the head of his shaft and traveling along his length until every muscle surrounding him seemed bent on milking him dry.

�Oh, shit! Nel!� he shouted back as he flooded her in turn. For a moment, Renji�s vision failed him and even the sound of the shower dwindled in his ears. He was helpless to do anything but release hot, sticky white surges of cum into her already perfect, caressing heat as she re-Claimed him. His tongue stroked hers and his roving hands rubbed her belly, where her body cradled and protected their son.

In turn, Renji vowed, he�d do everything he could to safeguard them, including sending Zabimaru through Aizen�s skull if that was what it took. Eventually, his breathing came back to normal. It was only then that he realized that some of the droplets on his shoulders were saltwater. Turning his head to the side, he brushed a water-darkened curl from her face and saw tears leaking from the corner of her right eye.

�Nel?� he whispered, suddenly aghast. �Did I hurt you? Kami, I did, didn�t I?�

The woman in his lap shook her head.

�Don�t go. Don�t leave again. Don�t� throw your life away by challenging Aizen��

She sounded nothing like the calm collected woman who had prevented him from doing anything stupid and suicidal, and more like a frightened girl. Stunned, he faced her, and found her eyes were brimming, their platinum color gone gold in the light filtering in from the window. Renji brushed the tears away with his knuckles. He also traced the spiral ram�s horn of her mask, letting his fingers move across the scar on the left side.

�Nel, beautiful� I can�t make that promise. We�re going to have to try to take out that bastard, before he gets to Ajuga-chan or manages to get an Heir. If we don�t, there won�t be anywhere in the Seireitei, Hueco Mundo or the Living World where we can hide from him. I�ll have to go with them, because running scared is no way for a boy to grow up. Trust me.�

Renji carefully disentangled himself from her, slipping from her in a rush of wetness and rose on shaky legs. He got her to her feet, and offered her his arm, so that she had something to lean on to prevent slipping on the tiles. The shower spray had lost much of its heat and he made sure he rinsed them both thoroughly before he turned off the water. Taking a towel, slightly damp from all the steam, he wrapped it around Nel before she could take a chill. Too many things had happened today over which he�d had no control. His mate�s� no, his future wife�s health, he decided, would not be one of them. She allowed him to pat her hair dry and then looked up at him as he grabbed the next towel in the stack on the shelf. It was probably a good thing that the steam from the shower had fogged the mirror. He�d had little sleep, not enough food and had used his Bankai without reserve for at least part of that morning�s battle. A rub of his hand across his jaw told him he also needed a shave. Nel gave him a tired look and suddenly, the idea of a nap in that ridiculously large bed sounded much better than trying to address every problem he knew they would face in the near future.

He toweled his hair, knowing he�d have to keep the mess braided if their hosts didn�t have a tie and silenced his new fiancée with a kiss and all of the reassurance that he could send to her with the refreshed Claim. Then a thought occurred to him, and with it, a possible way of taking her mind off of the battles that would soon be on their doorstep. If he was going to be someone�s mate, he told himself, he�d better start acting like one.

�Nel, we never got to den up. I think we should do that now. You,� he said gently, watching as the steam began to dissipate, �and me. It�s not as if I�ll have anything to wear that will fit me until I can get my uniform washed and if I can sweet-talk the maid into feeding us occasionally, at least for the next day or so� what do you say?�

She regarded him with wide eyes, pondering the idea and when she nodded, he kissed her again, this time with a bite to her lower lip. Nel had explained the purpose of doing this the last time they�d met, as a way to maximize the chances of a cub. They might be going about doing things in the wrong order, but if it satisfied some need within her as an Arrancar, he�d happily spend the next day or two letting her wear him, instead of that too-large yukata. Doing so just might begin to make up for all of the times he�d had to watch her disappear through a darkened doorway and the bed in the room outside was a far better one than the shabby, uncomfortable one they�d had to make do with in the basement of the Science and Research Division.

Renji cracked the door open, not wanting to give Riruka the maid either a free show or a heart attack. To his surprise, he found someone had already changed the bed and placed a stack of clean towels on the dresser next to their weapons. A large covered tray and a teapot and two cups sat on a small table next to the window. When he went to inspect it, he found several plates of mochi, two large bowls of miso and vegetables, what smelled like grilled chicken and an entire container of sour pickled radishes. There was quite a bit of food there, but she was eating for two and he hadn�t had a decent, sit-down meal that didn�t involve the feeding of children in a very long time. When he looked quizzically down at the fare, Nel, leaning in the doorway to the bath, gave him a tiny smile.

�I�ve been craving sour things. Yuzu-chan makes her own from what she grows in the garden. I could eat them all day!�

It took less than ten minutes to empty the tray and another five to drain the teapot of its contents. Nel ate as if someone had starved her for weeks and with a little guilt, Renji assumed his son was the culprit. When she�d polished off the pickles and her portion, he handed her the remainder of his mochi and told her to finish. With his own hunger appeased, he took a moment to examine the elegant, European-style room and its furnishings. In a sunny corner sat a pot full of green grass and wildflowers breaking through the soil. He grinned, recognizing it as the gift he�d given her during their third stolen hour, grown to twice its original size. Then his eyes fell on a low bookshelf, filled with all sorts of books. Getting up, he took in the names on the spines. He recognized few of them, with most written in foreign languages. Then he spied a long row of volumes in kanji he could read and bent down to snatch one. It turned out not to be a book, but a collection of manga. Back in the days when he�d been an occasional visitor to Ichigo Kurosaki�s house, he�d seen a few on the kid�s desk, along with his schoolbooks. Renji flipped open the cover and expected to find giant robots, samurai or schoolgirls who could turn into cats with wings, tutus and magic wands.

There were schoolgirls aplenty, but they certainly weren�t morphing into cats. The redhead knew his cheeks had flared as red as his hair as he flipped the pages and discovered new and previously unknown ways of employing a human tongue, as well as other body parts. Considering what they�d just been doing in the shower, he felt a bit proud that he could still blush at pornography. Nel coughed and he turned to her, snapping the book shut, only to discover her face was just as flushed as his was and that she was trying to hide behind her teacup.

�They aren�t really mine,� she tried to explain, fiddling with the edge of the towel wrapped around her body. �When Yoruichi came to me and asked if I would Claim you, I agreed, but it had been so long since my mother had talked to me about things and my father always used such flowery language when he spoke about Claiming. I wasn�t entirely sure if what I was going to do was right and I had no experience at all.� Nel looked almost shamefaced at the admission. �So I asked Hiyori and she said that she knew of something that would help. She left and came back a few hours later with all of those books and declared that if I read them, I�d know exactly what to do, and that I�d better hurry up. I believe they belonged to someone named Lisa, one of the Vizards who died during the War and that Hiyori dug them out from where her friend hid them, in their old safe house. I�m sorry, Renji, I know that they�re not� I mean, Papa would have them vile trash. I just� I didn�t want to accidentally hurt you.�

Renji listened, having a hard time believing that he owed all of the best experiences of his life to someone�s nearly forgotten smut stash. Nevertheless, when she started to sound distressed about him finding out, he drew her out of the chair and hugged her close.

�We�ve been together for over three whole hours now. We should add a fourth, don�t you think? C�mon.�

He swiftly picked up the empty dishes, teapot and cups, and once he was certain no one was in the hallway, placed them outside of the door and locked it. Then he gestured for his mate to hand him her towel and he hung it over the bathroom doorknob. He wasn�t going to remain awake for long and neither was Nel. Whoever had made the bed had done them the courtesy of turning it down and Renji drew her to it. She sank down into the mattress with a grateful sigh and he followed, laying with his back to the door and spooning around her protectively. His mate relaxed against him and he buried his nose in her damp hair, before moving his hand to rest on her stomach.

�Nel, don�t be ashamed. In fact,� he murmured suggestively into her ear, �since we�re going to be here for a while, I think we should give page forty-seven a try later. Maybe work our way through to the last chapter if you�re up to it.�

Shock and exhaustion laced her response in equal measure.

�Renji!�

He remained undaunted.

�White sheets instead of sand, Nel, but it�ll be the same. Everyone�s going to know we belong to one another by tomorrow evening. I�ll make sure of that.�

She mumbled her response, the words sleepy and her voice worn and he had no idea what she�d uttered, but it hardly mattered. Renji pulled the covers over them both and let himself drift off, hoping that he would still be in this bedroom when he woke up. One of his worst nightmares had come to life today and he didn�t think he could stand it if the last few hours turned out to be nothing but a vanished dream.

Yeah, most of you guessed it. Now, who guessed that Ryuuken was still alive, let alone that he would be married to Yuzu? There will be more details on that situation in later chapters detailing the why and all that stuff.

So, make sure you are all in a secure location where no one can hear you squeal.

You secured?

Sound proof room?

Nel isn�t the only one who is pregnant.
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56255 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2