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
- 62
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Esteemed Inmates

Karin watched Aizen leave before turning her attention back to the twins. Vindula seemed happy while Abisara looked as if he�d been placed, head-first, into a guillotine with the blade already digging into his neck. Karin eyed the food suspiciously, even though she was hungry. She wouldn�t put it past Aizen to hand the children poisoned food to knock her out, using them as a means to an end. Once unconscious, he would have no problems sealing her, and once sealed she was done.

�The food is safe, we all ate it earlier and Vindula-chan put the plate together from the leftovers herself. I don�t know about the tea though,� Abisara declared, as if reading her mind.

She gave him a weak smile, not expecting that the boy would so easily read her concerns regarding the possibility of drugging, though from his body language, he certainly wasn�t happy to be here.

�Of course the food is fine! Why wouldn�t it be?� Vindula asked her brother with a little frown on her pretty face.

�Aizen likes to pull pranks at times.� The lie slipped a little too easily off Karin�s tongue as she sat down to eat, but she still refused to touch the tea.

�Can we go to the gardens after you eat Karin-san, please?� Vindula begged. Her big, bright eyes spoke of a waning amount of patience, as did her squirming.

�Of course,� Karin agreed, and not just for the girl�s sake. She wanted to get a feel for her surroundings and see if there were any escape routes for the twins to take if the need arose.

She ate about a third of the food on the plate and then set it aside before leading her charges down the short stairs to the grass. Vindula was gone in a flutter of wings, darting towards the nearest batch of flowers and letting out a giggle as she gently caressed one.

�Abisara-kun, I need specimen envelopes!� His sister held her hand out expectantly.

�Where do you expect me to get some if we can�t leave?� Abisara asked with some frustration. �It�s not like I can wave my hand and make them appear out of thin air.�

�Oh, that�s right,� Vindula frowned, looking back at the flowers unhappily.

Karin walked up to the girl and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. �It�s fine Vindula-chan. I�m certain that we can ask Gin to find some for you to use.�

�You think so?�

�Why don�t we ask him?�

At the suggestion, Vindula ran back up the short flight of stairs and called for them to hurry up and that they had to find Gin right away. Abisara shook his head and sighed, but followed in his sister�s wake. Karin took up the rear as they walked down the hall to Unohana�s room. Gin looked up from his place scrubbing the floor as they entered and offered them a faint smile, although Karin could tell it was forced.

�Ah, Vindula-chan, Abisara-kun, Karin-sama, wha c�n I do for ya?� he inquired, pausing and sitting back on his heels.

�Do you have anything I can use to collect flowers for pressing?� Vindula asked hopefully. �Kami-sama said I could take samples of the flowers I want seeds from in the fall!�

�There should be the impl�ments tha gardener uses ta gath�er tha seeds ev�ry year, out in tha shed,� he answered. �Ya can use �em.�

�Where is the shed?� she demanded. Her wings fluttered fast enough to blow the curtains that hung around Unohana�s bed. Mercifully, the slave had already thought to change the sheets.

�In tha back, out there, pas� tha doors.� Gin gestured out of the double doors that led to Unohana�s private garden.

Vindula was quick to fly off towards the shed, buzzing in excitement. Karin let her go, but kept an eye on her. As much as she hated to admit it, no one would bother the child here in the middle of Aizen�s domain. Besides, it would give her a chance to talk to Abisara privately. Szayel�s son was not as naive as his sister and she could tell that the boy was both terrified of his situation here and desperate to know what had happened to his family.

�Abisara-kun, can I speak ta ya?� Gin asked. His voice was soft and he had a very unhappy, somewhat resigned expression on his face.

�Not much I can do to stop you,� Abisara murmured before Gin could say anything, guessing what the man wanted to tell him. The boy tried and failed to fight back tears before falling down to sit on the floor and hug his knees to his chest like the child he truly was.

�I am not stupid,� he sniffled. �I know how he looks at me, what he�s done to �Tou-san, even though he and Ji-ji tried to hide it from us.� Tears trickled down Abisara�s face and he viciously rubbed them away with back of his forearm. Karin kneeled down beside him and pulled the poor boy into a hug, letting him soak the front of her yukata as he sobbed. He was far too young to have to deal with shit like this, and she shot a hopeless look towards Gin.

Gin returned it and his sigh matched hers. There was little they could do for the boy save give him what support they could and distract Aizen from any interest he might have in the child.

�What happened up North?� Abisara suddenly pleaded. �Why did they leave us here?�

While both of the adults had agreed not to say a word to the twins, a shared look between them revealed the futility of doing so. Karin sighed and pulled Abisara into her lap. She didn�t tell him everything, only the basics as to why Renji and his parents had to flee and leave him and Vindula behind. At the very least, she tried to convince him that there had been no other options and that none of the adults in their lives had wanted to abandon them.

He shook in her arms and stiffened in horror when she confessed her lineage to him. He pulled away from her at that point, just enough so they could look eye to eye. His green eyes, far more expressive and open than his mother�s, stared at her in shock at her proclamation.

�O-tou-san knew?� he whispered. �But he took your blood lots of times. I saw him.�

�Yeah, he knew, Abisara-kun. He kept it a secret.�

�Then... there is no hope at all of Aizen-kami forgiving him, is there?� Abisara asked brokenly.

�No, I am afraid not.� Karin gave him a squeeze and pulled him back against her chest, rubbing his back soothingly in the same way she�d once done for Ajuga

�She�s dead,� he mumbled into the front of her yukata and sniffed.

His statement took Karin aback. As far as she knew, no one was dead, even if she wished certain people were and there were no women on that list.

�Who died?� she asked softly, sitting him back so that she could look at him.

�Mushi,� he hiccupped, shivering some more. �When Aizen came to collect me I was with her. I don�t know why, but she liked me, and it was relaxing being with her while you were all gone. She... she tried to protect me. Mushi tried to stop Aizen from taking me. He killed her, sliced her clean in half, and all I did was stand there and watch,� he all but sobbed the confession. �She�s dead because of me.�

Karin felt a flash of grief for the Scarab, for she had grown fond of Mushi, followed by a flare of rage at Aizen, but she put the grief and anger aside for the moment and let Abisara cry into her chest. He�d been holding this in for an entire day now, she realized as she smoothed back his hair and rocked him back and forth. Gin remained silent beside them, but his face softened a little as he took in the scope of the little boy�s distress.

�Shh, it�s okay Abisara-kun,� she crooned. �We can�t bring her back, and she died doing the right thing. I will do my best to make sure nothing happens to you two, but in order for me to do that, I need you to obey Aizen, even if you don�t want to, even though you are afraid. I need you to be strong, for both yours and Vindula-chan�s sake. Do you think you can do that for me?�

Abisara slowly nodded and wiped the rest of his tears away, scowling at the snot that clung to his clothing as he did so. He was a strong child, and smart. Karin knew he could get through this and if Aizen did look at the children the wrong way, well, a glance at Gin suggested the man would help her get them out, even if it landed them both in Aizen�s playroom for the rest of their lives. She would sacrifice her own safety and surrender herself to Aizen�s amusement if she thought, for even a second, that the twins were in any real danger from anything other than Aizen�s petty mind games.

�Why don�t you go wash your face and then go help Vindula-chan pick her flowers? It will make her happy,� Karin suggested, rising to her feet and pulling him up with her.

Abisara disappeared through the door leading to the bathing chamber. He emerged shortly after, his face and his jacked clean and then made his way across the room and out the balcony doors to join his sister in the garden.

�Aizen won�t rape him, will he?� she asked Gin once the boy was gone, her voice croaking over the horrid question.

�Not �til he�s older at least.�

Gin sounded sure in his answer though his voice sounded dispirited. �Na ev�n Yammy�d stan� for that,� he amended. �Ev�n tha worst o� the Hollows have s�m sta�nards.�

She found a bit of relief at the understanding that they had some time yet before they had to worry about that particular fear. With the Throne gone and having been deliberately draining his powers in an attempt to get his seed to take inside Unohana�s body, Aizen was much weaker now, and he would not want to risk a confrontation with his Espada. Aizen was too intelligent not to realize that he was in danger of losing the loyalty of several of his followers and their fraccion, even as he�d secured the loyalty of the Numeros. He had led them to this ripe land and had given them access to the pets they now possessed. Thus, most of them, especially the males with pregnant females, credited their upcoming, highly sought after, and �legendary� if one asked them about the subject, offspring to him. They would gladly go to war for Aizen and just as gladly take the place of any of the Espada.

�Do you need any help with the chores?�

�Na, an� please d�nt do �em. Aizen�ll punish me if ya do.�

Karin didn�t like it, but she gave in, as Gin knew his boundaries far better than she did. She left the conversation there, letting Gin get back to his chores while she rejoined the children in the garden. Vindula and Abisara were pollinating and gathering several of the seeds from the flowers that had bloomed already. Content to watch, Karin found a spot in the shade and settled down on the grass. Despite the dire situation she found herself in, she couldn�t help but to smile as she watched Vindula take the lead and direct her brother. Normally Abisara found his sister exasperating, but not today. Today he let her direct him in the task they were doing.

At noon Gin brought them food, and even joined them sitting on the grass for a sort if picnic, much to Vindula�s delight. He returned to his chores shortly afterwards and Karin got the twins to show her their new room. It was next to Unohana�s and was built to be the royal couple�s nursery where as her room was probably originally designed to belong to the elder child, or second child she supposed as Aizen planned on murdering his firstborn.

Despite the lack of use since its construction, the nursery was well-stocked with all kinds of toys for an assortment of ages and the three spent most of the afternoon playing various games. Even Abisara put his �mature� side away and didn�t resist as Vindula led them in game after game. It was getting later in the evening when Gin entered their room and ushered them all into the bathing chamber to get cleaned up for dinner.

Since he�d dragged the twins along, Karin thankfully didn�t have Gin trying to wash her. Instead, the man helped groom Abisara and Karin couldn�t help but wonder if the order to do so had come from Aizen. Gin treated the boy to the full procedure, including a pedicure, manicure and every other little treatment meant to bring out perfection. Karin wasn�t as experienced as Gin in each treatment, but she was unable to deny Vindula�s big soulful eyes. The bath turned into a mini spa treatment for the two as Gin directed her in how to go about performing each task, which turned out to be helpful. Vindula had dirt beneath her fingernails, but snatched her hands back when she tried to scrub beneath them. Instead, Vindula asked if she could do it herself, using the nail brush far more gingerly than usual for some reason.

Unohana joined them halfway through, the poor woman exhausted from her own day at work. Apparently, she�d seen every one of the pregnant Shinigami and Arrancar females. It was good to hear that Rangiku, Tatsuki and Soi Fon were all doing well.

They managed to get the children washed, dried and dressed in neat, expensive kimono with just enough time to get dressed themselves and everyone hustled down to the dining hall where Aizen awaited them. There were no servants in the room but the table was already set with dinner waiting for them, and Karin�s mouth watered, despite her reluctance to eat. Obviously, Aizen wanted her presence to remain a complete secret, even from the staff, and had the food delivered before having the servants removed.

�Forgive us in making you wait, Kami-sama,� Unohana bowed to her husband, the rest of them following suit.

�You are excused. I expected such a delay considering the addition details that required been seen to.� He gestured towards the table, a soft smile on his face as his eyes roved over them all, seemingly satisfied with what he saw.

Karin and Unohana took the seats to either side of him, setting the twins further away. Vindula was excited to sit next to Unohana, and after thanking Aizen for letting her gather seeds, quickly regaled Unohana with praise of her garden while they tucked into dinner. Unohana seemed more than pleased to enjoy Vindula�s bright conversation.

�And how was your day, Abisara-kun?� Aizen asked the silent boy.

�It was fine. Vindula-chan, Karin-san and I played games and I helped Vindula-chan gather her seeds,� he answered, looking towards Aizen�s chest to let the man know he was paying attention.

The tyrant smiled again at the polite answer, before he looked at Karin expectantly. She silently applauded Abisara for giving her report.

�The twins were well behaved and lunch was satisfactory. We stayed in the Royal Suite and its gardens, as per your request.�

The human woman looked him dead in the eye as she did so, half to let him know she was telling the truth and half as a show of strength, to let him know he hadn�t intimidated her.

�Excellent,� he purred. She got the impression he wasn�t so much in favour of her reply as much as he was complimenting her on her steely resolve. �And how was your day, my darling wife? I trust the exams went well?� he asked.

�Yes. The Claimed females are as healthy as can be and there are no signs of abuse on them. Most of the respective Masters are quite excited about becoming fathers, with a few exceptions such as Nnoitra-san. As for the Arrancar females, they report an increase in appetite and moodiness, as expected of any pregnant woman. I asked that they bring in their male pets so that I could make sure they were equipped to handle their expectant mistresses. Other than a few mood swing-related bruises, which are not uncommon even in a pure Shinigami relationship based on love, the Arrancar females treat their respective male pets well and generally keep them informed as to what to expect in the coming months. Those Claimed males� feelings are somewhat mixed on the subject.�

As loathsome as she found Aizen�s presence, Karin listened carefully, her curiosity piqued at the report.

�Most of the men are indifferent towards the situation, while a few are thrilled and some are terrified, not so much of their mistresses but of becoming fathers. It�s a common reaction for men who find themselves first-time fathers. As for the Claimed females, most are thrilled and excited at the prospect of having a child, as you know how rare they are even among Shinigami. Considering how well the hybrid children we already have turned out, there is only marginal concern in regards to �giving birth to monsters� as opposed to any hysteria. We�ve eliminated most of the foreseeable unknowns already and thanks to the data we�ve collected over the last decade, we now know what to expect.

�Of course, some are afraid of being first-time mothers, the mysteries of labour, and of their Masters returning to a semi-abusive state after the child is born. I�m not gravely concerned about the last issue, for the three Arrancar fathers we have on record have shown dramatic shifts in their personalities and a clear desire to raise their children, and one of them had a well-documented record as far as his violent tendencies. Even Rangiku-san commented today that, despite his lack of interest in his upcoming children, Nnoitra-sama has scaled back his intake of alcohol and is ending �poker night� sooner than he used to in order to make sure both women get their rest. I would not be surprised if he ends the weekly gathering altogether as Rangiku�s due date draws near.�

Unohana paused in her report, either to give Aizen time to digest it or because she was hesitant to bring up more detailed information in front of the children.

�I bet Abisara-kun could run the equipment to see the babies and all of those other tests until Papa gets back,� Vindula vouched happily into the short silence. �He helps all the time,� she added.

�I am sure he could,� Aizen smiled at the little girl, who beamed back at him. �How are the due dates looking?�

�Soi Fon-san is due in four weeks or so, but that is only an estimate, as the due dates do not really have an exact science behind them thanks to the uniqueness of the Arrancar bloodlines involved. Her child appears fully developed, so she could conceivably go into labour at any minute. As each hybrid child is different, and their mask fragments can cause possible complications, I have informed my Division to fetch me should any issues arise with any of the pregnant woman, as well as to get me for each labour. Do you wish me to direct them otherwise?� she asked, but Karin could tell it was only as a courtesy. Aizen could say what he wanted, but if there was an emergency, Unohana would be the one to handle it, and damn the consequences.

�Potentially annoying, but acceptable,� he said and waited for her to continue.

�After that, I believe Rangiku-san and Tatsuki-san are the next ones due, very close to each other actually, sometime around mid-May to early June.�

�When is Harribel due?� Aizen asked, frowning into his bowl of miso.

�Not for some time. As her base animal is a blue shark, I suspect her pregnancy will go a full nine months,� Unohana paused and sent Abisara a smile. �Actually, since her pregnancy is so unique, and no one knows the equipment here better than him, I would like for Abisara-kun to assist me with monitoring her pregnancy,� she requested.

Abisara looked up hopefully. He had been following all of the pregnancies alongside his father, thanks to the sensors he�d created and which Szayel had adapted for use with the ultrasound. His interests ran more towards machines and less towards biology, but it would get him out from under Aizen�s thumb for a while each day. Harribel�s case was also the most challenging and would require a great deal of oversight. Karin could see that the thought of continuing his father�s research for him while he was in exile excited the child.

�I will consider it,� Aizen offered, which meant his decision could go either way.

They finished dinner shortly after the conversation, Vindula trying, and failing, to hide a yawn as the long day caught up to her.

�If you will excuse us, Aizen-kami, I would like to get the twins to bed, considering they are under my care.� Karin said this and rose from the table as she did so, thus suggesting she was not asking his permission at all, but rather telling him what she was doing out of a sense of politeness. There was that gleam in his eye as she stared him down, daring him to stop her.

�Of course. I would be pleased if you would join my wife and me afterwards for tea in my chambers.�

It was a command veiled as a request and she thought about her response, and which way she should go with it. She was incredibly tempted to say �no� and firmly tell him off but she also knew that it wouldn�t be wise to decline what many would consider a great honour.

�Then I will meet the two of you shortly,� she told him. Had it just been him, she would have refused, but Unohana�s presence made it less personal. �Abisara-kun, Vindula-chan, come on,� she urged and gestured for them to lead the way back to their rooms.

Both children bowed and bade Aizen and Unohana �good night� as Karin ushered them out of the dining room and back to the large bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their hands.

Abisara and Vindula changed into their respective sleeping yukata and Karin tucked them both into bed before turning the lanterns down low and retreating to her own room. She found some books on one of the shelves, but the subjects were dry and none of them appealed to her. She could see Unohana, Aizen and Gin in Unohana�s room and she pointedly looked away. With nothing to amuse herself with in her room, she stepped out onto the balcony instead to watch the sun set and the stars come out. Her alarm went off sometime later as Gin entered her room.

�Karin-sama?� he called, not seeing her right away in the dark room for she hadn�t bothered to turn the lanterns up as night fell.

�Over here, Gin,� she called.

He joined her on the balcony and she tried not to stare at the fresh bruise she could see forming on his collar bone.

�I am ta dress ya in som�ing more fittin,�� he declared. She snorted in response. �Fitting� could mean any number of things.

�That depends on what it is.�

�Just a sleeping yukata,� he assured her.

That meant bedtime clothing. She could accept that. With a nod, she followed him back inside and stood still while he changed her kimono out for a yukata and then got her to sit so he could brush out and re-braid her hair. She found it oddly soothing as he ran the bristles of the brush over her scalp and his deft fingers wove the strands together once more. Her hair was wavy now since it had spent the day braided after being wet.

�Do you know what Aizen wants?� she asked, hoping to have some idea of the conversation before walking into a potential trap.

��M�fraid not.�

�Oh well,� she decided, �it was worth a shot.� She�d find out soon enough what the bastard had in mind.

By the time Gin finished with her hair, Unohana and Aizen had retreated to Aizen�s personal chambers. She had no desire to see either of them, but when Gin stepped away from her, she forced herself to rise and walk to the hallway first, refusing to use the joint door that connected her room to Aizen�s. Gin didn�t join her and headed in a different direction to get the tea and refreshments. She knocked on the door and only entered after Aizen called that she could. She would not act familiar with him in any way, for it would only encourage him to hound her more.

Aizen�s quarters were astoundingly opulent, and she did her best not to look around her in awe. She instead joined Unohana and Aizen at the small table surrounded by sitting pillows. Both wore the same house yukata as she did, which didn�t put her at ease, but the fact that neither of them were naked made her feel better. Her eyes did go to the single glass of light blue liquid that sat next to his wife�s teacup.

�Please, drink this,� Unohana requested, passing the glass over.

�What is it?� Karin eyed it suspiciously, in the same way she would look at a questionable piece of beef at the market.

�It will increase your fertility and assist in the removal of any birth control hormones in your body,� Unohana answered in her usual, soft voice.

Karin frowned and still didn�t touch the glass, her eyes going to Aizen challengingly. He watched her intently, waiting to see what she would do.

�No offence, Unohana-san, but how do I know you are telling the truth, or at least, are not omitting anything?�

If the healer found the question disrespectful, the woman did not show it.

�Are you calling my wife a liar, Karin?� Aizen asked with just a hint of ire.

�We all know what you desire out of me and I wouldn�t put it past you to drug me to get what you want.�

Her retort, delivered with as much distrust as she felt, made the tyrant�s smile fade somewhat and she was glad to see some of his humour vanish too, since she didn�t find any of this remotely funny.

�I see� an understandable fear. However, I assure you that I never lie, nor would my wife out of professionalism. The drink contains exactly what she says: a compound that will promote ovulation and rid your body of any hormonal birth control you might be using. Normally, it would take a month for your body to rid itself of such, but this will shorten that timeframe substantially. You can drink it on your own, or I will have Gin force it down your throat. You could, of course, stop him by throwing a Claim up...� Aizen trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Throwing a Claim up on Gin would prevent her from tossing one on Aizen that would be strong enough for her to use against him. He would be on her in a flash if that happened.

�Would it ease your fears if I drank some first?� Unohana interjected, trying to diffuse the situation before it could get out of hand.

�Not really. You could have consumed an antidote already,� Karin pointed out, glaring at the cup before her. �The only way I could trust you would be if you were Claimed and I specifically heard the order for you to tell the truth. I am sorry Aizen, but I refuse to drink this.�

She pushed the cup away with one finger. He frowned as she did so and Karin waited for the explosion to happen. Instead, he sat back and seemed to consider something before letting out a sigh. Then he shook his head, apparently putting whatever he�d come up with on some mental back burner in favour of a different tactic.

�Karin, you will drink this or I will have Gin wake up Abisara-kun and have him drink it for you to show you it is harmless.�

She glared at him, trying to gauge how seriously she should take the threat. If the mixture in the glass were harmless, it would cause no physical harm to the child. However, being dragged from his bed to drink an unknown potion that Karin refused to touch would terrify the poor boy. The threat itself served to drive home the fact that Aizen could do anything to the twins and there was little she could do to stop him. He could even deny her the ability to see them and comfort them in this trying time.

�I promised Szayel I would take care of them,� she reminded herself. �Just fertility boosters and hormone balancers?� she asked the woman at the table, looking her in the eye.

�Those are the only things in the mixture. I would drink it quickly, however.�

Unohana picked up the glass, taking a mouthful of it before handing it over. When nothing happened to the Shinigami, Karin reluctantly took the glass and finished it in a few gulps. The reason behind the warning was immediately clear and the young woman grimaced at the chalky texture and taste.

Gin arrived shortly after with a pot of tea and a tray of snacks. She waited to see both Aizen and Unohana drink the tea before daring to take a sip herself to wash down the aftertaste. In addition, she made sure to wait until they both chosen a bite from the tray before doing so herself. While Aizen could have had the drink and food poisoned while making his wife and himself consume any antidotes, she doubted he would go through that much effort so early in the game. She felt no different from the medicine and hoped that Unohana had been truthful about it. Karin had the feeling that the woman could tell the most outrageous lies and get away with it, thanks to that professional mask she perpetually wore.

�My wife assures me that your blood is indeed Royal, and strongly so.� Aizen commented.

Karin didn�t bother to respond, taking another bite of her red bean paste-filled mochi.

�Something Szayel said to me has come back to my mind, and perhaps you know the answer,� Aizen asked and leaned forward eagerly. �How much Royal Blood does Hana have in her veins?�

Karin felt her throat constrict around the candy at the question and had to force herself to swallow a mouthful of tea to wash it down. Setting her cup down, she looked directly at him.

�Almost none. She has so little that Szayel�s equipment barely registered it as anything more than a minor anomaly. It didn�t even give the equipment a hiccup,� she answered, slightly relieved she could do so truthfully. However, it wouldn�t do to give Aizen any bright ideas about sending out a �retrieval� squad to hunt down Nanao�s daughter. Thus, she added, �My blood, on the other hand, continually blew up the testing equipment.�

Aizen laced his fingers together and leaned forward, resting his chin on his intertwined hands as he appeared to contemplate something.

�I thought as much. With such a weak connection, not to mention her strength, it is not worth wasting resources to bring her in,� he sighed, leaning back on his cushions. �If I can�t get my wife pregnant, there would be no chance with the late Kyoraku Shunsui�s child,� he chuckled, although he was the only one who found it amusing.

Both women let out breaths they hadn�t even realized they were holding.

�It has been a long day, and tomorrow is going to be longer still. Good night Karin, I look forward to sharing your bed,� he said and smiled benevolently at her.

She recognized a dismissal when she heard one, and this was one she wasn�t going to ignore, for to do so would imply she was interested in him. Rising, she bowed, more to Unohana than to her �husband� and left, once more going through the hallway instead of the faster route through the connecting doors. Double checking her Kido net, she crawled into bed. She was just about asleep when the alarm triggered, jerking her back to wakefulness and she summoning a barrier around herself reflexively.

Her eyes shot towards the balcony, where she caught the tail end of a white yukata disappearing. Scowling in annoyance at the game, she settled back down to bed, although sleep was harder to come by, and it only got harder as the night wore on. Every time she was about to nod off, or had just fallen asleep the alarm triggered, jerking her awake. By the fifth time, she wanted to curse Aizen aloud for his tricks, but refused to indulge in something so childish.

The next day was a long one, as she had gotten no sleep for over thirty hours and Aizen seemed rather pleased with himself. It was very hard not to snap at Gin, especially when she saw the dark shadows under the slave�s eyes, indicating a lack of sleep on his part as well. Unlike her though, Gin had chores he had to do all day and would need what little energy his malnourished body could get. Vindula left with Aizen in the morning, presumably to visit Jushiro as Aizen had promised, while Abisara accompanied Unohana to work so they could talk about the pregnancies and the equipment his father had left behind. Karin tried to catch up on sleep, but every time she tried to nod off, the alarm triggered.

�GIN!� she raged in annoyance, nearly throwing her book at him.

�Sorry, Karin-sama.� His reply did sound contrite, and she forced herself to calm down before sighing, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.

�He ordered you to do this, didn�t he?�

�Hai,� he admitted. �He�ll know if ya get some rest an�...� Gin trailed off, hanging his head.

�Let me guess, you�ve an order to slip a suppression device on me if you get the chance, right?�

Gin sighed and nodded his head, briefly showing her the silver bracelet he had tucked into his yukata�s sleeve.

�That son of a bitch,� she snapped as she glared at the item and then at him. �Go back to your chores, Gin. I will try and force myself to stay awake. I wouldn�t want him whipping your ass because you fail to get them done on time.�

He sent her a look of relief and left. Scowling, Karin tried to find something to entertain herself with to keep herself awake. She might be able to catch a catnap when the three where busy in Unohana�s chambers later that night.

�So he plans on wearing me down via sleep deprivation? I�ll give him that one. It�s clever and hardly harmful in the short term,� she said aloud.

Karin could retool the net to ignore Gin, but the moment she did that would be the moment Gin would have to seal her reiatsu, and she didn�t want to ask the man to ignore an order that would get him horribly raped and tortured should he agree to her request.

However, what she truly disliked was that somehow, Aizen had figured out a way to turn her own creation against her. She�d have to think of another way of keeping him at bay soon, before she was out of options altogether.

Yay for Aizen�s mind games.

Next Chapter: Knights of the Round Table, where we go back to the living realm.

This Weeks Question: If you could master one skill in the world, what would it be? I wish I could draw, because than I could do artwork to go with my stories.
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2