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
- 63
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- 65
Nights of the Round Table

In theory, sequestering oneself with a beautiful woman one loved wholeheartedly, in the equivalent of a plush, Living World hotel room and doing all sorts of wonderfully erotic things to her and with her during the course of a few days ought to be easy. She�d kissed Renji awake a few hours after their mutual nap and they�d made some headway on acting out at least ten pages of the manga he�d inadvertently opened during lunch. Her pregnancy meant that he�d had to be creative with regard to a few of the pictured positions, but he was nothing if not resourceful and she�d cried out his name several times before he shuddered to an exquisite finish within her.

The light outside the window eventually waned and turned the walls a peachy orange before purple shadows began creeping towards the bed, but he stayed true to the concept of �denning� and wouldn�t let her up until she was a disheveled, well-fucked mess beneath him. Renji�s legs felt watery when he went to pull on the borrowed, slightly-too-small yukata, in response to a hesitant knock on the bedroom door around the dinner hour. The servant had come back, this time with a neatly tied bundle of black cloth that turned out to be his mended and laundered uniform, as well as another heaping tray of food and tea. Riruka-san said little this time, save that her Mistress, Ishida Yuzu, would like to see the two of them at some point tomorrow.

He�d looked back at the woman on the bed, her turquoise-colored hair in disarray, sprawled among the white sheets with her eyes closed and toes curled and wondered if he could put off the request for another day without seeming like a complete ingrate. The redhead wanted to keep Nel to himself as he got to know her again and learned about all of the new and fascinating ways her body had changed since autumn. Things like how her breasts had become twice as sensitive as before and how lovely her skin felt as he rubbed oil covered hands over her belly, a suggestion that her physician and host had made to her to minimize the stretch marks later. He�d done that after they�d taken a second shower and eaten, which led to him declaring her �dessert� and devouring her, beginning with nibbling on her ankles and ending with her thighs pressing against his ears as his fingers and tongue leisurely dipped into her in the same way he�d lick honey from the bowl of a spoon.

Nel whimpered when she came. He�d made a show of cleaning his fingers with his tongue and informed her he wanted a second serving of �sweets�, then helped himself to her again, until her hips began grinding against his busy mouth in an effort to find some relief. Renji drank her second orgasm down, the tip of his tongue teasing the muscles of her twitching opening while the pads of his fingers tormented her clit. Then his mate surprised him with a trick of her own, telling him in a ragged whisper that �if he got to have an after-supper treat, so did she.� Her Claim on him coerced him to lie back against the headboard and watch helplessly as she crawled between his legs and treated his cock like one of the lollipops that Ukitake kept in his desk drawer.

After she�d reduced him to a boneless, moaning, shivering heap and swallowed every spurt, Renji decided that he�d never be able to look at another one of those candies again without wanting her on her knees in front of him. He might not even be able to look at Ukitake�s desk, for that matter. She�d turned off the lamp next to the bed after that and let sleep have at them. Her breath against his inked skin slowly helped tame his heartbeat, and they burrowed under the covers a second time, seeking each other�s warmth and rest.

When next he woke, the room was dark, save for six squares of silvery light on the floor. Outside, he could see the movement of tree branches in the wind. The room�s air was heavy with the scent of their joining and letting the breeze in couldn�t hurt. He eased himself out of the bed, walked naked to the window and cracked it open, taking a breath of apple blossom perfume as it wafted in from the orchard. Nel didn�t stir and her breathing remained deep and even.

Sleep for him, however, remained elusive. He�d grown accustomed to getting by on five hours of it a night and despite submitting to his mate�s Claim and several rounds of sex that should have drained him completely, his body hadn�t gotten the memo that he could afford to catch some extra slumber. Finally, he decided that, denning or no denning, he needed to at least take the tray and the dirty dishes downstairs. Leaving them in the hallway overnight seemed crass and he didn�t think the staff would be on duty this late, if the clock on the night table were accurate. Therefore, he fished around for the garment he�d worn briefly during dinner, pulled it on and piled the dishes onto the tray as quietly as he could.

It would be wonderful to pretend that there was nothing outside of the bedroom door, that the danger Aizen posed didn�t exist and that he could keep her there and pleasure her, and vice versa, for at least a week before they rejoined the rest of the motley crew downstairs. However, Riruka�s goodwill wasn�t something he wanted to test for much longer and he�d been a step-and-fetch-it lackey for too long to know not to expect another full day of room service without angering the maid.

Renji pulled the covers over Nel�s bare shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he left to try to find the kitchen. Traipsing barefoot through someone else�s very large house in the wee hours of the morning wasn�t ideal, but he could at least bring back a midnight snack for her, as well as some tea. He made it all the way down to the foyer before he found he faced the same choice he�d had earlier in the day. Sighing, he decided to go through the doors on the right.

That turned out to be the correct direction, if his interpretation of the function of the rooms on this side of the mansion was correct. All he had to go by was the furniture, but when he saw what appeared to be a nicely decorated dining room with a table meant to seat a large number of guests, he figured he was on the right track. Sliding through the room, he came to a second doorway, which led to what he would later learn was a �butler�s pantry,� a space that resembled a hallway complete with counters, a cooktop, two sinks and cabinets full of expensive glassware.

It came complete with a butler as well.

For one brief, crazy instant, he thought he was looking at his Taichou, if Kuchiki Byakuya deigned to wear Western-style clothing and cut his hair. Renji stood transfixed as the man, in his early thirties, looked up from his book and regarded the Shinigami with surprise before his composure returned.

�Ah� I- I�m sorry. Please excuse me. I was looking for �� he started to say, before the tray of dirty dishes disappeared from his hands and reappeared on the counter. Renji hadn�t even seen the man put his book down. When he looked back at the butler, the other regarded him in much the same way that the maid had done in the hall upstairs, with an added amount of shrewdness and thankfully, less antagonism.

�I can see my wife was right. Am I addressing Abarai-san?�

�Yes?� Renji ventured, hoping he hadn�t managed to tick off yet another member of the Ishida household. The butler�s brown eyes slid to the tray and it was only then that Renji saw the faint scar above his left eyebrow, partly hidden by his bangs.

�Hm. A guest should not have to trouble him or herself with tasks such as this. Did no one show you the intercom system?�

There was an intercom system here? No, no one had informed him that there was such a system in the house. Renji�s confusion must have been apparent, because the man in the middle of the pantry sighed and launched into what sounded like a prepared speech.

�Between the hours of six in the morning and ten in the evening, if you need anything while in your room, you can press the button next to the speaker, just above your room�s main light switch and make your request to the staff member on duty. That includes the removal of any used dishes or laundry. Between the hours of ten in the evening and six in the morning, one of four rotating staff members will be on-call to assist you. I am the one taking tonight�s shift.�

Renji blinked at the man�s crisp, well-rehearsed delivery and tried to remember if there was such a device in Nel�s room. He�d had other things to think about, as well as taste and touch, from the moment he�d walked into the bedroom. When he got back, he�d have to check.

�That being said, our current roster of guests agreed to help with any outside chores for the duration of their stay. If you wish to make a similar arrangement with my employers, please let me know. We�ve been subject to some very damaging weather this past winter. Assistance would be appreciated,� the butler concluded.

He wasn�t certain if that was a request or not, so Renji settled on �strongly worded hint.� Then again, he had no idea how long it would be before Szayel and Yoruichi came up with a plan that would hold water for retrieving Karin and the children.

�Uh� ah, okay�� he stammered, before he realized he had no idea to whom he was speaking. The dark-haired man bowed at the waist, the picture of gentility.

�Vindula would be all over this one,� Renji decided, before he shoved the image away lest it trigger his unhappiness about leaving the children.

�My name is Tsukishima Shūkurō, major-domo of the Ishida Estate. You�ve already met my wife, Tsukishima Riruka.�

�Uh oh.�

�Yeah, about that,� Renji said, making a face. �I�m really sorry that I��

Tsukishima-san held up a hand.

�Apologies are unnecessary. Our Master informed us of the situation later in the day and that we were to give you and your fiancée some �space,� for the time being. I believe that I speak for the rest of the staff when I say that we very much like Odelschwanck-san and we are pleased to make your acquaintance. She speaks quite well of you, on a daily basis and I will be frank, the separation has been hard on her. As long as she is happy you will have our support.�

�Meaning that if she isn�t, there will be hell to pay.�

He heard the unspoken, roundabout warning and inclined his head to indicate he understood the message. For some reason, he got the same, unsettled feeling around the butler that he did about the magenta-haired domestic, that there was more to them than met the eye and that he�d best tread carefully in their presence. Then again, they had a Quincy as an employer and for all he knew, the two could have crosses and bows of their own up their respective sleeves. Renji didn�t fancy a backside full of arrows and didn�t want to provide them with an excuse to give him one.

�Would it be possible for me to take a tray up to her? A snack for her and maybe some tea?�

The butler finally favored him with a compassionate look.

�I have something I think will make Odelschwanck-san happy. The Mistress made them earlier in the day and given you and your companions� sudden arrival she must have had a premonition, because she baked a double batch. Satisfying late night cravings is par for the course when caring for a pregnant woman. I have two sons of my own and I remain in one piece, so I speak from experience.�

It was an unexpected and somewhat candid revelation. When he reached for a teakettle to place on the cooktop built into the counter on the other side of the galley, Renji opened his mouth, only to find the same hand as before held up.

�Please leave the preparations to me. I�ll inform you when it�s ready.�

�Abarai, is that you?�

The voice, raised enough to penetrate the door on the opposite end of the pantry, startled him. The butler tucked a few strands of his black hair behind one ear and stepped aside to let Renji pass. The Shinigami put his hand on the knob and began to turn it, then hesitated and looked back at Tsukishima-san. After speaking with him, the differences were glaringly apparent, but the initial resemblance to his Taichou had been both uncanny and unnerving.

�Is there a problem, Abarai-san?�

�No, I�m sorry. You just� you look a great deal like someone I know.�

Tsukishima�s cool, deferential demeanour gave way to an enigmatic smile and he gave Renji a strange look from hooded eyes. The hand not holding the kettle moved to rest on the cover of the book he�d been reading.

�You would be surprised at how many times people tell me that.�

Getting the distinct impression that the butler had just dismissed him and feeling uneasy about remaining around the man in such a small space, Renji decided that the best thing he could do would be to let him go about his business. The redhead pivoted and quickly opened the door.

�Oh! Abarai-san!�

The maple, granite and stainless steel kitchen, for that was where the door led, was a large, airy place, Western in every detail. It was spacious enough to accommodate at least three chefs, a few assistants and still had enough room left over for a generously sized circular table and chairs. Three of those chairs had occupants, and when he saw the women, he instinctively clutched at the front of his yukata to try to keep it closed.

�Renji!�

Rukia sat up straighter in her chair, her indigo eyes blinking as he stepped onto the cold tile. Yuzu paused in the middle of pouring tea into Rukia�s cup and Shihoin Yoruichi�s eyes flickered over him briefly, before she resumed staring absently out of the darkened window above the sink.

�Hi. I came down to get something to eat, actually.�

From the women�s mode of dress, house kimonos over pairs of pajamas and slippers, he surmised that he�d intruded upon some sort of late-night �girl� talk.

�I see,� said Yuzu. She set the teapot down and began to move towards the butler�s pantry when Renji frantically waved the hand not holding his yukata closed to deter her.

�I already met Tsukishima-san. He�s making something for me to take back up to Nel. I wanted to ask, if it�s not too much trouble, if we could have tomorrow to just stay up there. I think the time will do us some good, all things considered.�

The blonde appeared taken aback by the request, but after a moment or two, sat down and smiled sympathetically.

�Of course! How silly of me. Take all the time you two need. I�ll let the staff know to bring you both your meals for the next day and you can join the rest of us when you�re ready. If anything serious happens, we�ll fetch you.�

Feeling a burst of gratitude towards the human woman, Renji faced Yoruichi and squared his shoulders. Wincing, he bowed as low as he could without the bottom half of the yukata giving way and revealing more of him than was either appropriate or wise, lest Yoruichi kick him there. He probably deserved it, for what he�d snarled at her.

�I deeply regret my words earlier today and��

�Yesterday,� she interjected and he stopped.

�Huh?�

�I said, yesterday. It�s two-thirty in the morning. You called me a �lying bitch� yesterday, not today,� she muttered and he wondered if kneeling while he apologized would have been better. His yukata might not stay closed if that was what she wanted, so he hoped not.

�Yeah� about that. I�m� well, there�s no excuse for what I said. I just had no idea��

Renji heard her mirthless rasp of a laugh, interrupting him again. This time he looked up to find her pouring herself another cup of sake from the bottle in front of her. The faint flush of her cheeks and the amount of resignation he saw in her eyes as she studied the contents of the cup she swirled told him this wasn�t the first bottle she�d consumed this evening.

�Can it, Abarai. The good doctor took the time at lunch to call us all idiots, save for Yuzu-chan here, for not saying anything to you about it. We should have stopped you once we realized you�d gotten the wrong impression. I should have known you�d do something hare-brained like running off to find her.�

He scowled at that, but before he could say or do anything in his defense, Yoruichi tossed back the sake and snorted, rubbing the bottom of her nose with one finger. Her golden eyes a bit brighter with the infusion of fresh alcohol.

�Besides, you didn�t call me anything I haven�t called myself at one point or another in the last fifteen years. Sit,� she told him, motioning him towards an empty chair. While he hadn�t planned to join them, he gingerly pulled out the seat and perched on the edge of it. Another draught of sake filled the cup and Yoruichi raised it in his direction.

�Congratulations, Abarai. I mean it. Maybe with you here, she won�t have such a difficult time in the next few months� and I�m sorry I wasn�t able to warn you about it. Something came up.�

�So Nel told me.�

Renji became aware of warmth rising directly in front of him and looked down to see that Yuzu had pushed a cup of tea in front of him. The lady of the house and Rukia also raised their teacups, though they seemed a bit wary of Yoruichi. Renji speculated on just how long she�d been drinking, and then remembered, from his time with Urahara, that her tolerance for alcohol was the stuff of legends. The four of them drank to the health of his future son. Thankfully, the tea was of good quality and went down smoothly.

�I�m sorry.�

He looked over to find Rukia hunched over her teacup, Yuzu�s hand on her slender shoulders.

�I�m so sorry Renji. I�m so, so sorry��

�Rukia?�

�There was an altercation after lunch,� Yoruichi informed him, her tone matter-of-fact and poured herself yet another cup of sake from the bottle. She picked the bottle up, shook it and frowned at the lack of sloshing, indicating its emptiness. �Drat. I really hope Hiyori hurries up with that supply run.�

�What? There was another fight?� he exclaimed, his eyes on Rukia�s miserable face. Yoruichi tossed her head, curled her lip and Renji thought that perhaps he hadn�t exactly interrupted any girl talk as much as he�d interrupted a brewing argument.

�Kuchiki-dono here decided to try a sneak attack on your �Master-in-name-only.� Got in a couple of great shots before I pulled her off him. His mate just missed hitting her with whatever was in that syringe. Embedded it in the bannister instead.�

�That freak deserves to die for what he did to him!� Rukia shot back, glaring at Yoruichi in much the same way Renji had done in the orchard. He knew that look, had seen it a thousand times when she�d faced off against a larger, tougher opponent, whether it was an Inuzuri merchant, a Hollow or one of the bullies that made a habit of waiting for Ichigo on the other side of the teenager�s high school campus walls. In addition, her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she�d been crying earlier. Yoruichi answer was a stern glower aimed solely at the other noblewoman.

�We need that �freak� alive, Kuchiki-dono! Put your anger aside for a few seconds and use your head!�

Renji watched as Rukia bared her teeth right back, with an expression that would have looked more at home on Kenpachi. It unnerved him, especially when he figured out what Yoruichi had referred to and why his childhood friend seemed about ready to tear Szayel apart.

Regrettably, Yoruichi was correct in that Szayel Apporo Grantz was their best chance of getting rid of Aizen and of retrieving the twins and Karin unscathed. Before things could escalate, he quickly scooted his chair over a few spaces and placed his hand on Rukia�s forearm, squeezing it.

�Hey� Hey! Stop it, right now!�

She was clearly upset with the fact that Szayel was not only here, but that she couldn�t inflict the beating she wanted to bestow on the Espada. While Renji was flattered that she would go so far as to let her anger at the Arrancar prompt a couple of punches to Szayel�s face, their current reality dictated that he put an end to any further retaliation.

�Renji, what he did to you, it�s inexcusable! I�ll never forgive him!� she seethed.

�I haven�t forgiven him entirely either, but this isn�t the way to handle it!�

He hoped the severity with which he said this was enough to convince her to leave well enough alone. The fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo had been bad enough, but he hadn�t thought about the potential for other resentments that might come to a full boil after simmering for so long. Renji took a deep breath and faced her head on, the way he would if he were dealing with one of the twins after a long day.

�Rukia, you�re tired. Go find your husband and get some rest. We�ll talk later, when Nel and I finish this �denning� business. No killing Szayel and no turning Sode no Shirayuki on him, okay? I promised the kids I�d bring their father back to them alive and I won�t have you making a liar of me.�

Rukia stared at him, as if he had started speaking in some strange foreign tongue, before lowering her eyes and finishing off the last of her tea. He hadn�t had a chance to speak with her in his rush to find Nel, and he wanted to tell her so many things. However, he had to get her to see he was serious about her abandoning any ideas of making an ice cube of the Seventh. She didn�t look at him as she pushed away from the table, stood up and bowed to Yuzu.

�Thanks for the tea, Yuzu-chan,� she said, her voice subdued. �I�ll catch a cat-nap, since I have sentry duty in the morning.�

�Hiyori�s due back soon,� Yoruichi mentioned and her eyes narrowed as she regarded the empty sake bottle. �No freezing her until I pull the booze out of the truck.�

�I won�t, no matter how irritating she is.�

With that, Rukia left the kitchen, pushing open a different door and letting it shut behind her. Renji watched her departure with a sinking heart, knowing he�d somehow hurt her with his request for her to back off and to leave Szayel be. He also wondered how many others had made death threats against the Espada now that he was, technically, on enemy territory. If Rukia was this upset and Grimmjow ready to lynch him for Karin ordering Szayel to leave her behind and drugging him�

Then he remembered that there was another individual here who would have more than enough motivation to put a few arrows in Szayel�s back. He left off worrying about Rukia and instead opened his mouth to ask Yuzu if her husband had any plans to obliterate the Arrancar. Yuzu smiled half-heartedly, as if anticipating his next question and took a sip of tea.

�Your mate told us what really happened to Uryuu-kun, before Ryuuken�s foray into Los Noches. While Grantz-san might have unintentionally contributed to Uryuu-kun�s death, he also killed the one who murdered him. It doesn�t entirely erase his culpability, but my husband isn�t going to pursue a course of revenge against the Espada, or against his mate. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was the one responsible for the deaths of my husband�s son, as well as Uryuu�s grandfather, and no other. While he�s not happy about the presence of two high powered Hollows roaming the property, it�s preferable when one thinks about the alternatives.�

�That�s very� pragmatic of him,� Renji considered and scrubbed his face with one hand. That the Quincy would show such restraint relieved him. �I�m not certain Szayel would do the same if the shoe were on the other foot. Wait, no� I�ve seen the footage. He didn�t spare Kurotsuchi at all.�

It also heartened him to know that Uryuu�s father had drawn a line between Nel and her fellow Espada. Yuzu had said �two� after all and he didn�t think it was necessarily because his mate was naturally born as opposed to �evolved�.

�So, where is �here,� if I�m allowed to ask?�

Yuzu and Yoruichi shared a glance before the blond answered.

�You�re at the Ishida Estate, and in the heart of the last Quincy fortress in the Living World. The current building dates to the early twentieth century, well before the war. The Ishida family has had a presence in this region for millennia. Before they built the mansion, there were other structures, even a castle during the Warring States Period. It was one of the few buildings in the area to survive the fire bombings during the war, and the orchard and the gardens helped feed the residents of Karakura in the hard times afterwards. Those who built it made it nearly impregnable against a Shinigami incursion and Hachi-san has done his best to add an additional layer of obfuscation to the property since he arrived. This place is, for all intents and purposes, invisible,� she explained. �I�m certain that you noticed that you can touch and interact with things here without the benefit of a gigai, correct?�

Renji glanced down at the cup he held and tapped it with a finger. Thinking back, he also realized that he�d had to pull the front door open to enter the house, and that all of the material things in Nel�s room were tangible, in the same way they would have been if he was standing the middle of the Soul Society.

�Yeah� I don�t get it. Why is that?�

Yoruichi favored him with a grin that held little humor as she picked up the sake bottle and swung it back and forth, the neck held between two of her fingers.

�Energy is matter and matter is energy when it comes to the Quincies, but normally, it�s hard to transition one to the other in the Living World without heat or cold, unless you�re in a spot like this. Once you cross into a Quincy stronghold, it�s really all the same thing. Go outside of the boundaries however, and you�ll need a gigai to interact with anything, same as any other Shinigami. If you do leave this Estate, which I don�t recommend,� Yoruichi warned him, her golden eyes narrowing, �you�ll feel the difference once you�re past Hachi�s shields and the Estate�s protective barriers.�

�How protected can this place be when we got in with a Garganta?� he pointed out. The noble�s grin widened, showing some teeth this time.

�I gave Nemu-chan the coordinates. I also gave her the passkey for Hachi�s shields once I figured out that Karin was going to stay behind to destroy Szayel�s device. Without it, we�d have been dumped off-property and I hate having to wait for people to open doors for me.�

�Oh,� was all Renji could say, until his eyes fell on the door to the butler�s pantry.

�About your staff� are they Quincies too?�

Yuzu followed where his gaze had gone and shook her head.

�No. They�re� well, my husband hired both of them after everyone in Karakura� after the worst happened. Neither of them were in the city at the time and they came back to find their friends and family gone. He gave each of them a job and they married a few years later. That was before I married Ryuuken of course,� she amended hastily. �They live in the majordomo�s quarters just past the pond. I�m certain that you�ll run into their boys, Ginjou-kun and Moe-kun, while you�re here. Both of them are aware of my husband�s status, and his ancestry, and they�re very loyal to him for helping them.�

The redhead gave the kitchen a thoughtful once-over. Somehow, when he�d read about the Quincy-Shinigami Wars, the image he�d developed of a typical Quincy �fortress� didn�t include maple cabinetry and wainscoting. Then again, he�d never expected to meet a live one in the form of Ishida Uryuu either, and considering how the previous day had unfolded, he wouldn�t be shocked to see a unicorn walk through the back door.

Yoruichi�s sake-roughened voice drew him out of his musing and he saw her put the bottle down on the table with a decisive �thump.�

�Well, Yuzu-chan, I have some planning to do before I leave for the Seireitei and a lot of work ahead of me. I have to figure out how to take the latest wrench out of the works and throw the gears into fast forward, now that the timetable�s changed. Think you can keep my little band of troublemakers from killing the pink nerd before I get back?�

Yuzu sighed deeply.

�If I have to, I�ll resort to using the whisk.�

The noblewoman winced and clucked her tongue.

�Ye-gads. Kami help them if you bring out the cast iron,� she said dryly and stood up. Renji saw the pupils of her eyes waver in size, and he revised his opinion on how drunk she actually was, from �possibly� to �definitely.� Then she leaned across the table to peer closely at him, letting him smell exactly how much rice wine she�d put away.

�You look as if you�ve been shagged absolutely rotten, Abarai. Good show! Poor Nel�s been pining for you and for whatever it was you did to her when you last met in October. I wouldn�t keep her waiting much longer if I were you. Oh, and now that Szayel knows about the baby, he�s hot to trot about getting a chance to run new ultrasounds on your mate. That pink barnacle all but clung to Ishida-san�s leg, begging him, and I quote, �scientist-to-physician,� if he could examine our dear Nel. I think Ryuuken shook the leech off and told him he was asking the wrong person. Fair warning, I�d plan on a visit from him tomorrow. Make him grovel a bit before you say �yes,� ne?�

She winked at him before he could get over his shock at her brazen words. An equally scandalized sound crawled out of Yuzu�s mouth, before Yoruichi made her exit, strolling out of the same door Rukia had taken earlier, with an airy wave.

�Hey, now wait a minute!� he called after her, but she was gone before he could finish the sentence and a quiet tenor, coming from the direction of the pantry, made him turn in his chair and push his hair out of his eyes. The butler was back, a covered tray in his hands, complete with an expectant expression.

�I�ve your tea, sir, and something for Odelschwanck-san. Would you like me to bring it up?�

�Uhm,� was as far as he got before he noticed he was out of the chair, his feet were moving and that he wasn�t the one in charge of where they were going. His body, not quite under his control, made a beeline for the pantry, as it was the only route he�d taken to get here and therefore, the only one he knew when it came to returning to Nel�s �den�. Yuzu gasped as he threw her an �I�m really sorry about this� look over his shoulder, spat a hank of hair out of his mouth and made a grab for the tray as he dashed past the startled servant. Tsukishima-san deftly stepped to the side as Renji managed to get both hands on the platter and keep it balanced.

�NoneedIhavetobegoingnowIappreciatethis�� he rattled out, before Nel�s Claim forcibly dragged him through the house, back the way he�d come, tea and midnight snacks in hand. Blessedly, he encountered no one else on the way upstairs, as he might not have had the dexterity to avoid a collision. Renji reached the door to Nel�s room and thanked the stars that he�d learned to open doors one-handed while carrying large baskets of laundry, boxes of equipment, pails of cleaning supplies and other unwieldy things. Otherwise, there was a good chance the Claim would have propelled him through the door in a literal fashion.

Nel sat up in bed, her expression angry and her eyes accusing as he closed the door with his foot. The lamplight in the room cast ominous shadows across her mask, making her platinum eyes gleam beneath her bangs.

�You left.�

�Crap. Busted.�

�I went to get us something. No one told me about the intercom.�

�You left, Renji.�

Warning bells went off in the masculine, reptilian part of his brain responsible for self-preservation and he quickly set the tray down on top of the bureau.

�I didn�t want you to get hungry.�

All of this was true, but she was still glaring at him, clutching at the sheets that bunched around her hips and heavy belly and Renji suddenly understood the terror he�d seen on the faces of a few of the male Shinigami who�d found themselves attached to a pregnant Arrancar.

�Why do you have Rukia�s scent on your hand?�

Renji could only hope that whatever it was that Tsukishima had packed for him would be enough to mollify an expectant mate who had woken up alone in their bed.

�I brought you this,� he said with a hint of desperation as he pulled the cover from the tray and cringed, holding it out to her in the hopes she wouldn�t inflict any damage on him.

�Oh! Yuzu-chan made cookies!�

The abrupt change in her voice nearly gave him whiplash as she appeared next to him and made a pleased sound as two of the cookies on the plate next to the teapot disappeared. Renji opened one eye to discover that she�d closed hers while blissfully chewing, a smear of chocolate at the side of her mouth� and just like that, her dark mood evaporated.

He silently thanked Tsukishima-san for his insight, and for, quite possibly, saving his life. Renji considered that his son had inherited his sweet tooth, as well as his childhood appetite, from the way his mate eyed the plate. Letting her in on the brief conversation he�d had with the three women in the kitchen as he poured two cups of tea, he reached out and tucked a messy strand of her hair behind her ear, before resting his hand on her shoulder.

�I bought us another day to den up. Since Nemu-chan was always hungry, especially in her last few months, I thought you might be too and I didn�t think you wanted to wake up to dirty dishes. Szayel usually brought her late-night food personally, so��

�I love chocolate!� Nel exclaimed, once she�d finished swallowing the second cookie. �Yuzu-chan is such a good cook and it�s so much better than eating the things we did at the safe-houses. Cup ramen and tinned, convenience store sandwiches aren�t really my favorites.�

Renji had a different opinion of street food, but he agreed with her on its scant nutritional value. Another wave of gratitude washed over him for the fact Nel was here, in the most secure place in Japan, instead of hiding in a run-down warehouse or a deserted apartment building. He handed her one of the cups and she sipped at it, the scent of the tea rising with the steam to mingle with the sweet smell of the cookies on the tray. On impulse, he leaned down when she lowered the cup and his tongue swiped the corner of her mouth, lapping up the chocolate there, taking her by surprise.

�Nel, I wanted to ask if you�d consider something.�

�Consider what?�

�When I talked to Ishida-san today, he said he�d never run across something like this. I know that you don�t like Szayel very much�� Renji began and sighed, knowing that she might take what he was about to propose the wrong way. �As much as I despise some of the things he�s done, I�ve never seen him be anything but cordial to those who were carrying hybrid children.�

His mate�s mood sobered, though she didn�t look angry with him any longer. Maybe there was something in the cookies other than chocolate, or perhaps chocolate itself served as some sort of magical placating substance, because she looked down at the cup in her hands and correctly guessed what he wanted.

�He wants to get his hands on me, on us.�

Renji quickly pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

�Yoruichi gave me a heads-up downstairs. We can expect him to try to ask you tomorrow, if he screws up enough courage. Your doctor left it up to you. I will also say, in his defence, that Szayel probably knows more about hybrid pregnancies than Ishida-san does and as much as I respect Uryuu�s father��

��you�d rather have someone with some experience take a look at me. You know what Szayel�s like, Renji.�

�I know that I won�t let him be in the same room alone with you and I�m certain Ishida-san will want to �observe� him too. Neither he nor I will allow any funny business when it comes to you or our son,� he vowed. �I trust Szayel to at least deal with us fairly, if only out of scientific curiosity. Will you allow it?�

Nel leaned against him and he threaded his fingers through her long hair, gently working the tangles from it. As much as he would have liked to tell Szayel to go hang himself with his sash, all he knew of his future child was that they were having a boy. He hadn�t even seen the sonograms and at the very least, Szayel would know if there was something amiss once he ran the necessary tests.

�I�m more concerned with your health, Nel. Every hybrid pregnancy is different. The twins came out fine and nothing went wrong when Orihime-chan gave birth to her son, but Karin told me there were complications with Ajuga, thanks to her mask. It�s just to make certain things go smoothly, considering what we�re up against.�

His fingers gently reached down and brought her chin up, letting her see his earnestness.

�If he tries anything,� Renji declared confidently, �I�ll feed him to Zabimaru. What the baboon doesn�t digest, the snake will finish off.�

That earned him a faint smile and when he dangled another cookie in front of her, she snatched it and chewed it while he finished off the rest of his tea and licked a few crumbs from her bottom lip when she�d finished it.

�I�ll go if you�re there at all times. No leaving!� she snapped. Her Claim tightened a bit, but now that the chocolate had done its work, there was no urgency to it. Renji chose to take it as a reminder that she didn�t like waking up alone.

�No leaving,� he promised. �To prove it, I think I�m going to make certain that you won�t have to do without skin-to-skin contact for the next day.�

The wolfish grin he gave her added a lovely blush to her cheeks, and in the semi-darkness, made the maple-seed mark over her nose nearly disappear as the two shades of pink approached one another in hue. If a portion of the lust that suddenly seized him got through to her, so much the better.

�You went downstairs like that?�

Nel finally took in his appearance, his messy loose hair and the yukata stretched a bit too tightly across his shoulders and frowned. The redhead laughed softly as he reached up to run his thumb across her cheek. There was no going back to bed now, with two cups of caffeine in his system and a beautiful woman this close to him, as naked as the day she was born.

�Yup.�

�What will the others think?�

�That I belong to you and that you�ve repeatedly had me all evening. Yoruichi gave me some good advice though. Once you�ve eaten, I intend to follow it. We don�t have to go anywhere for another whole day and night, if you don�t want to. Szayel can wait until we�re done.�

�And I know just how to spend that time,� he inwardly grinned, while she made short work of the rest of the tray�s contents. When the plate was empty, Renji kissed her again, catching her off-guard. The combination of tea, chocolate and the grassy-clover, lemony perfume that clung to her hair had its usual effect on him and he unleashed a full rush of both desire and love in her direction.

�I� I really liked page eighty-eight,� she murmured weakly against his mouth as Renji pulled her back towards the bed. It took a moment for him to remember the page, but he felt his own cheeks flare when it and the position, came back to him.

�Oh, yes, that one. I think we can revisit that page at least once more before morning,� he decided as he untied his yukata. It fell to the floor and he promptly forgot about it in favour of pushing her thighs apart and making her moan.

The world could stay on the other side of the door for now. Renji would deal with Rukia�s dark mood, Szayel�s scientific wheedling and the rest of it later.

They�d been given a reprieve of twenty-four hours and he wasn�t about to waste another second of it.

Another chapter done by the wonderful Black Fox.

Next Week: We see what Starrk and Lilinette think of how things are progressing.
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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