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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
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Midnight Confessions

Grimmjow paced about the large estate, feeling trapped behind invisible walls. He couldn�t get any sleep. His mind and body refused to rest after the first night of being here, when the after-effects of the adrenaline rush wore off and he crashed for nearly half of a day. A headache had been waiting for him when he awoke.

He had checked constantly down the Claim over the last two days, but the emotions he got from Karin were faint, thanks to the distance between them. He had felt the odd jolt of love hit him a time or two, no doubt a message from her to him that she was fine. However, those were feeble and they hardly helped calm his nerves. Yoruichi�s surveillance run hadn�t yielded much information on Karin�s condition, although he felt both satisfied and relieved knowing that Starrk was now wholly on their side, as were Harribel and Ulquiorra. The Fourth would be pissed when he learned Aizen would most likely kill his son and force himself on Orihime should the usurper ever learn that Ajuga had taken Diaemus as her Consort. His parents were now part of the Royal Family, like it or not, and that came with a few built-in hazards. The bastard would probably kill Ulquiorra as well, to keep the bat from making a fuss or competing with him for the Throne.

�Which puts a target on my ass as well,� he grunted angrily. �Or worse, he�ll keep me around, caged in the basement to keep Karin in line.�

His foot kicked a half-rotten apple, fallen from one of the fruit trees around him in the previous year, off of the path and farther out into the orchard�s grass. Instead of shivering at the thought, he continued on his sulky march through the blooming branches. Running back to the Seireitei now would just get him killed, or worse, captured. The last thing he wanted was for Aizen to use him as a tool to break Karin�s spirit.

�How come you didn�t sit on the stupid Throne?� he asked his equally dour companion. It had been something that had been bothering him since the shit storm had started. If Karin was of Royal Blood, than so was Ichigo, and unlike Karin, the Hybrid was strong enough to fend Aizen off.

�You can thank the Hollow soul residing inside of me. Apparently, I�m not good enough for the Throne,� came Ichigo�s waspish answer. �Besides, if I had, Aizen would have just created another Ouken using a different city. He would have slaughtered even more people to get back into the Royal Realm and �deal� with me. Once he�d killed me, because of that damned gem, he�d have still gone after Karin, just like he�s doing now and you would have had zero warning when he did so.�

Like him, Ichigo couldn�t sleep, and when they had cross paths at the wide double doors leading to the gardens, they had started walking together down a well-worn path that the human knew very well, if his ease at navigating it in the dark was any indication of the number of sleepless nights he�d spent treading it.

�Ajuga is part Hollow,� he growled, not liking how logical Ichigo�s explanation for his inaction sounded, nor how likely such a scenario was.

�Yes, but her soul is still her soul. I have more than one soul in my body, sometimes three if you count Zangetsu. In fact, you could almost say I have two fathers. Shiba Isshin,� he said, his voice sounding pained, �and my Hollow.�

With that question answered, Grimmjow began to dwell on his missing mate and his helplessness to do anything for her. He had never felt so weak in his entire life, not even when he had first met Aizen as an Adjuchas. The renegade Shinigami had all but forced him to become an Arrancar. Refusal was unheard of, mostly because no one heard from those who refused Aizen�s �gift� ever again. No Hollow would turn his or her back on more power, but the chains that came with it were more than he liked.

�How the fuck did you manage this shit for fifteen years?� he growled in frustration, barely restraining the urge to punch one of the tree trunks. Ichigo bared his teeth in Grimmjow�s direction, before turning his eyes back to the path.

�I thought they were dead for the first five of them. I mourned them, had their names put on the family marker along with our parents� names. Then Yoruichi stumbled across someone that she thought was an older version of my sister while she was in the Seireitei conducting reconnaissance and watched your �den� for a few days to make certain she was right about the two girls living there� along with the Arrancar holding them.�

The human shoved his hands deeper into his pants� pockets and hunched his shoulders.

�She told me they were unharmed when she broke the news that my sisters were alive,� Ichigo continued, then gave him the mother of all dirty looks. �Hell, I didn�t find out you and Karin were� involved with one another until Yuzu told me on the day I rescued her.�

�That was a good day.� Grimmjow couldn�t help but grin slightly at the memory of Karin picking him over Ichigo. Ichigo�s scowl deepened. Karin hadn�t had any nice things to say to her brother that day. Looking at the human male, the Espada suddenly had the urge to try to explain the �why� of Karin�s choice, perhaps because, for better or worse, Ichigo was now his brother-in-law. They also had a common goal: to rescue Karin and kill Aizen. Like it or not, they were pack, though only time would tell if the temporary state of détente between them would hold. Hell, he thought, if the two of them managed to make it back to the house without going at one another again, it would be an achievement.

�She was pregnant by then,� Grimmjow confessed, scratching his scalp and his unruly powder blue hair with his nails.

Ichigo blinked at him.

�Huh?�

�That day in the park, when she chose me over you� she was already pregnant. She was going to tell the others, but our battle interrupted it. She was upset about chasing you away, got real upset about it actually. It hurt her, but she didn�t want you sticking around and getting into deep shit, so she told you to get lost. That and she didn�t want to raise her child alone. She said that no one should ever be denied a parent if possible and it wouldn�t be fair to keep my cub from me.

�You know,� he paused, unable to believe that he was going to confess something so personal to his former enemy, �I was actually afraid, terrified really, that she was going to go with you. Just the thought that I would never get to see my child�� he found himself unwilling, and unable, to continue that vein of thought.

Ichigo remained silent beside him for some time, digesting that information, before his shoulders slumped even further and he stared at the ground. When he finally spoke, it was with some grudging respect, to Grimmjow�s surprise.

�She was right, you know. Everything she said that day was true, even the harsh things she had to say to me. Yuzu... has no real life here. Ryuuken paid for her education via private tutors so no one would know she never finished school, and she seems happy being a trophy wife and entertaining high profile political figures. Nevertheless, she missed her family. I couldn�t stick around, since Aizen�s actively hunting us and we had to stay on the move. Her marriage, while I wouldn�t say it�s �loveless,� just isn�t all that romantic of a union. All of her friends from school died when Aizen made the Ouken and she lost out on five years. The Living World� well, things move pretty quickly here and if you don�t keep up, people start to pick up on the fact that you don�t quite fit in. There is no one here that would understand what she has been through, or who we are, or what she has seen and can see.�

Grimmjow watched as Ichigo reached out and placed his palm on the trunk of one of the apple trees, his fingers moving over the rough bark. The man�s expression was troubled and contrite.

�Man, I can�t believe I am telling you this, but I regret taking her some days. Yuzu has told me, on numerous occasion, how well you took care of them, protected them when I couldn�t. At least over there she wasn�t on the run for several years, living in dumps and dives before Ryuuken took her in and married her. In the Seireitei, she had real friends, not the fake faces she has here,� Ichigo sighed, looking back towards the large mansion that served as his sister�s home. �These last few months have been the longest I�ve spent in her company since she got married, thanks to Nel�s pregnancy, but aside from the staff and Ryuuken, she has almost no one. I guess, what I mean to say is, thanks Grimmjow, for keeping them safe when� I couldn�t. I failed everyone, but especially them.�

The Espada didn�t answer, feeling embarrassed and oddly pleased at having received such acknowledgement from Ichigo. Looking at the grown man beside him, he couldn�t help but to notice that this Ichigo was definitely not the one he remembered and once hated. The cocky attitude he once had was gone, replaced by the brooding of a man who had tasted a very bitter, very devastating defeat and had paid very dearly for it.

To Grimmjow, it almost felt like a travesty, as if something had gone terribly wrong with the universe. Kurosaki ought to be in his face, willing to scrap for as long as it took to win. Where was the kid who thought he could bowl over anything that got in his way, who wanted to protect everyone and everything, single-handedly?

He cracked his knuckles, shaking out the tension in his arms and shoving his hands in his pockets, mimicking Ichigo�s posture as he tried to think of what to say next.

�So�you and the runt huh? She is a lot stronger than I remember, although I must confess I never paid her much mind once I pushed her out of the way to take you on.�

Ichigo�s brown eyes, pupils gone large in the darkness, narrowed as he probably remembered exactly how Grimmjow had �shoved� her aside when the two had first encountered one another. Apparently, he decided not to pursue any hostilities, such as cutting his �brother-in-law� in half with his Getsuga Tensho. Instead, he looked up at the night sky.

�Yeah. It just sort of happened, although, no one was really surprised. I never really thought about it until I was performing a konso on an older woman, out in Osaka, who thought we were a couple. That was� four or five years ago, I think. She�d been a disembodied Plus for a couple of days and there were a few Hollows sniffing around looking for a meal. Rukia took care of those while I sent her on her way.�

�Oh?�

The man smiled faintly, still not looking at Grimmjow, but out at the starlight, as if fondly remembering the encounter.

�She said to me, once she found out that Rukia and I were just good friends, that �the best thing she ever did, was to marry her best friend.� It got us both kind of thinking, and things just sort of fell into place after that. We made it official about two years ago, courtesy of the paperwork we filed with the Tokyo city registrar�s office. It�s easy to hide the evidence in the bureaucracy of a large metropolitan area.�

Grimmjow thought over the stacks of redundant paperwork he�d seen Karin, Jushiro and Nanao drag home on occasion and had to agree with the man.

�Before we have children, however, we want to get Byakuya�s blessing. Mostly because I don�t want him to use Senbonzakura to slit my throat. Not that we haven�t consummated our marriage, several times over. It�s just the principle of the thing.�

The Espada bit down on his lip before he could point out that after everything Yammy had put the noble through, the last thing on Byakuya�s mind, if there was anything left of it, would be Ichigo and Rukia�s marital status. Ajuga was terribly worried over her childhood friend and kanji teacher. Grimmjow wasn�t certain he ought to tell Ichigo that the man was all but broken, or to keep quiet about the Kuchiki Heir�s state for now. The more he picked up on Ichigo�s body language, the more his instincts told him to keep his mouth closed. There was also the thankfully short fight that afternoon to rehash.

�Your wife has a vicious left hook.�

Ichigo�s faint smile faded and he shook his head, closing his eyes as if a sudden headache had jumped him from behind one of the trees.

�She was mad about what Szayel did to Renji. Personally, I think she should have been able to get a few more throws in, but Yoruichi insists on letting him live. Rukia�s sort of upset right now. I don�t think she understands how that idiot could have forgiven him.�

Grimmjow turned and shrugged, taking a few steps down the path and pulling a few stray apple blooms from his hair, as well as brushing some of the strays from his jacket.

�Don�t look at me. I ain�t Red�s keeper. I do know Abarai tried to kill him a few years ago, before Karin stopped him. Can�t say I didn�t think Szayel deserved a beating then too, but they worked it out, kind of, and what they didn�t work out, Red and I worked out with a few sparring sessions.�

The human followed him, not quite done with the topic of the Seventh Espada.

�Do you think Szayel will be able to make any sense of Kisuke�s research notes? There has to be a way to rid Aizen of that stupid jewel!� Ichigo fumed, airing what was apparently an old frustration aloud. Grimmjow shrugged, truly not knowing.

�If anyone can figure out what this Kisuke scribbled down, he can. Whether there�s anything valuable in it or not� well, that�s a different story.�

They ambled the darkened orchard path carefully, before Ichigo broke the silence again, bringing up a topic that made Grimmjow wish they were still talking about Abarai�s nine-year �nap.�

�Yuzu told me Karin sold herself to you to keep her safe,� Ichigo commented, a hint of steel in his voice.

�Huh? First, you thank me for taking care of them and then you ask me this? Damn� make up your mind, Strawberry!� Grimmjow growled to himself, and then growled at his mate�s brother.

�I don�t do rape, and I mean that from a human�s perspective, not just a hollow�s,� he snarled. �I would have courted her properly, but Karin was right, Yuzu just looked like a good, quick fuck to me at the time. She�s still quite a dish, if you ask me.�

Ichigo�s eye twitched dangerously at the comment about his sister. If it wasn�t for the fact that they still had bruises and aches from their first fight two days ago, Grimmjow might have had yet another tussle on his hands. Hachi had refused to heal either of them, telling them that �pain is an excellent teacher.� The Sixth would have left it there and been more than thrilled to chase away his sorrow with another mindless battle. Instead, he forced himself to do the civilized thing and keep talking.

�Look, I never forced Karin. Had she really not wanted it, or me, I would have let her off the hook, but she seemed to enjoy it. After a while, I was the one doing the asking and by then we�d managed to Claim each other. Never thought I�d be lucky enough to have something like that, with someone like her.�

Grimmjow let out sigh and stopped walking, leaning back against one of the flowering trees. Ichigo leaned against the tree opposite him so they faced one another.

�Fuck me sideways, I love the damn bitch,� he cursed. �I won�t lie to you Kurosaki. It was a major turn on knowing your sister came willingly to my bed. Then when I learned she was pregnant� do you know how rare Hollow cubs are?� he asked.

�I have an idea,� Ichigo muttered. �Nel brought it up frequently when she found out she was carrying Renji�s child. Probably because I wanted to tear him limb from limb for getting her pregnant,� he added grumpily.

�Yeah, well it took about a week for it to sink in when she told me, and even then there are times I just stare at Ajuga and go, holy fuck that�s mine! That was the best day of my life, even if those three fuck-faces made a go for her and Yuzu. You should have seen the mess she made of Blonde!� he chuckled, then paused. �Fuck, forget that�you should have seen the mess she made of Nnoitra!�

�You mean stick boy?� Ichigo asked curiously. �The bastard that tried to do you in after our battle in Hueco Mundo? The one Kenpachi almost finished off before being drawn away by the prospect of more battles?�

Grimmjow curled his lip hatefully, not wanting to recall that particular part of their fight. He didn�t exactly blame Nnoitra for making a move. It was what Hollows generally did and Nnoitra had a tendency to act solely on his instincts. If either Nnoitra or Ichigo hadn�t done him in, he would have had the dishonour of the bloody Exequias offing him, which would have been an incredibly pathetic way to go. At least Nnoitra was a higher ranked Espada.

�Yeah him. She gave him a bloody nose when he tried to force her to go with him and Szayel to Szayel�s den for a mandatory exam. Poor bastard was pouting for weeks after getting his face bashed in by a human girl.�

Ichigo smirked back at him, and then heaved another sigh. His voice took on an odd tone, one that Grimmjow couldn�t quite place.

�You really love her?� he asked

�Yeah,� he answered, looking up at the stars overhead. �And I failed her...�

God it hurt, admitting that. Who knew having a woman in his life could cause such pain? Was this what Ichigo had felt when he had believed that his sisters were dead? If so, the substitute Shinigami was tougher than Grimmjow thought. If he knew Karin had died, and had he not had Ajuga with him, he doubted he would have the strength to keep moving forward. Alternatively, he would have thrown himself against Aizen and welcomed death while doing as much damage as he could.

Ajuga. There was a safer, less problematic conversation topic. Grimmjow latched on to the subject of his daughter and tossed it Ichigo�s way.

�So what do you think about your niece?�

�She�s a lot like her mother,� Ichigo answered, almost hesitating and Grimmjow figured he might have made a mistake about discussing his daughter with the human. Still, Ichigo�s observation was accurate and Grimmjow couldn�t help laughing.

�Yeah, well I can see plenty of you in her too,� Ichigo grumbled, �and I am not just talking about her looks.�

Ichigo probably meant the latter as some kind of dig at him. If he had, Grimmjow was about to set him straight. Pride dripped from every word out of the Espada�s mouth.

�I can take the credit for her hunting skills, no problem. You should have seen her as a cub!� He couldn�t help but grin widely at the memories. When Ichigo looked at him, confused, he decided to share. �One day, while taking her for a walk in one of the many parks, she showed off her skills and brought us rabbits for dinner. While Karin doesn�t mind her hunting, she takes exception to Ajuga coming back with dead things in her mouth.�

Ichigo�s eye twitched at the story and he gave Grimmjow a look of disgust. The blue-haired Arrancar shrugged at his reaction, chalking it up to the other being a weak-stomached human who wouldn�t know the joys of a freshly caught rabbit if the bunny did a dance on his face and wriggled a skinned leg at him.

�Anyhow, Karin told me that if Ajuga managed to bring back a deer, I was carrying it back, which lead to a bit of foreplay�� He rolled his eyes as Ichigo sent him a dark glare, ��but before things could get steamy, damn if Ajuga didn�t come back dragging a bloody deer�

Ichigo shook his head, as if trying to dispel the image of the girl he�d just met yesterday pulling home a kill much larger than she was. Grimmjow surmised that bringing home prey wasn�t something that little human girls did on a regular basis.

Since Yoruichi and Hachi had quarantined Ajuga and Diaemus until they could get a handle on their new abilities, and spend some time rebalancing the Realms, neither man had seen much of the children. Yoruichi argued that the last thing they needed was the distraction of a family fight weighing on them. The Escapees� leader had promised Grimmjow that taking a few days to acclimate to their new responsibilities would be a good thing. In that amount of time, the two would learn enough via �on the job training� to ensure that any outside stimulation wouldn�t affect their performances. Until then, she�d warned, it would be best to leave them alone to sort things out.

He pushed off from the tree he leaned against, and Ichigo did the same. Together they continued on their late night trek, swapping stories about how life had been for them. He did most of the talking, as Ichigo seemed content to listen to stories of his niece. It helped only a little to ease the strain between them and their shared pain regarding Karin. However, it was better than doing nothing and sparring was out of the question, at least for the moment.

�Word of advice, Grimmjow�� Ichigo murmured as they neared the house, having completed the circuitous route around the Ishida Estate�s grounds.

�Yeah?�

�Don�t tell one of those stories about Ajuga and the rabbits around my wife.�

�Why not?�

�She has a thing for rabbits.�

�So do I, they�re tasty.�

�Just keep it to yourself. You�ll live longer. Trust me.�

Huge hugs and loves to everyone that took the time to review. I wasn�t going to give it away just yet, but Kain, you were the only one to guess the right Omeada : ), and your question will be answered in a later chapter. Not going to go looking for which one, but it is addressed. As far as I can tell, there are no plot holes and every question will have an answer, just not always right away.

Next Chapter: We see a bit of Ichigo and Rukia and how life goes for them on a somewhat daily basis.

This Weeks Question: With all the new Reboot movies come out, how to you feel about them? Better? Worse? Should never be touched? I, myself, am very hard pressed to find a reboot that is better than the original, and frequently believe they should be left alone. The first Stat Trek movie is one of the few I can think of that did a damn good job, but don�t get me started on the shitfest that was it�s sequel.
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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