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
- 68
- 69
- 70
Double update, make sure you read the previous chapter.

Howling Coyote

Starrk did not like this, not one bit. If he had any lingering doubts about the wisdom of removing Aizen from power, the events of the meeting had laid them to rest. Moreover, he found himself in a terrible situation, with regard to the vow he�d made to keep Kyoraku Shunsui�s family and his best friend safe.

Thanks to Aizen�s edict, he would be forced to rape the man�s mate, Hana�s mother. Aizen�s callous disregard for the differences in their respective reiatsu strengths only added to his fury. Worse, to even dare to suggest that he let some Numeros mount her in his place� the order left him speechless. It was probably a good thing that Lilinette had not been there, for his more vibrant half would have had no problems telling Aizen exactly what they both thought of the idea. He would also have to thank Harribel for speaking up before he could, thus keeping him alive, for Aizen would have cut him down where he stood if he�d given voice to his outrage.

�When was the last time I had this much energy or this great an urge to tear out someone�s throat?� he wondered, before trying to keep his reiatsu in check lest he harm those they passed in the street. The evening crowd parted before them anyway, sensing the ire of the predator in their midst, even if they weren�t its target.

Jushiro and Nanao followed behind him as he led them back to the Estate. The two of them quietly discussed each of the Arrancar that had chosen their top officers. The general consensus was that they had more or less ended up with decent Masters and that eased some of their concerns, though not all of them. At least Aizen had taken steps to insure that this round of Claiming wouldn�t be the horrific free-for-all the first had been.

Their hushed conversation died when the three made it to the front porch.

�Starrk!! Starrk!!�

�Oh no��

Lilinette flung the door open and he saw that she was wearing one of the aprons kept on a hook near the kitchen door. A quick glance at the girl�s face made him wish he hadn�t come home, especially when she latched on to his arm and all but dragged him into the foyer.

�Starrk! It�s almost dinner time and we have plans to make! What did that jerk want anyway and why did that stupid meeting take so long? Was it about the Swarm again or did he��

�Lilinette, I�� he started, when Jushiro drew his other, smaller half away.

�Lilinette-sama, I think you and I should have a talk. Have you started dinner yet?�

�Not really, I mean, I have the rice cooking but��

His �pet� didn�t let her finish. Instead, he turned towards Starrk and put two fingers on Lilinette�s mouth, his eyes begging for the First�s male half to allow him to handle this, or at least deliver the bad news. Starrk couldn�t summon up the courage to tell her what he�d have to do to one of their pack members and found he couldn�t lift his eyes from the floorboards.

Lilinette�s eager expression faded as she took in the three sombre faces above her.

�Something bad�s happened, hasn�t it? Starrk? Starrk, answer me, dammit!�

�Lilinette, go with Jushiro and get something for dinner for the both of you. He�ll tell you what�s going on after you�ve eaten. You�re to stay with him at all times, do you understand?�

Starrk put enough force behind the last part to make Lilinette freeze in her tracks. She clutched at her apron with white knuckles until Nanao heaved a sigh and moved forward to place a comforting hand on the girl�s other shoulder.

�Lilinette, Starrk and I have a few things we need to work out between us. That�s all. Jushiro, you can explain things to her out near the Zen garden, near your study. Stay close, because I might need you, depending on how we choose to handle this. If Starrk and I don�t call for you in half an hour,� she told the child and then bit her lip, the only sign she showed that she wasn�t entirely comfortable with the conversation, �then I want you and Jushiro to go get some take out from one of the night markets and eat without us.�

When an angry Lilinette looked as if she would protest, Nanao�s eyes narrowed.

�I agree with Starrk-sama. You need to stay with Jushiro. He�s had a difficult day. I also need you to make certain he takes his evening medicine while Starrk and I handle this. He�s been a bit lax about it of late.�

The switch from �patient and motherly� to �commanding and decisive� took less than two seconds and Lilinette quailed beneath Nanao�s authoritative stance. The girl looked back and forth between Starrk and Jushiro, her suspicion plain to see. Once again, Jushiro rode to his rescue.

�It�s nothing to do with our plans, I promise,� he swore to the smaller Arrancar and held up both hands. �Nanao�s right. It�s been a very trying day.�

That, if anything, was an understatement. Jushiro gave Starrk a sad look and then looked worriedly at Nanao. He could feel the older Shinigami�s dread as a palpable thing, like sludge seeping through the Claim between them and didn�t blame the other in the slightest.

�You are much stronger than you used to be,� Jushiro said in turn to Nanao, as if to reassure the woman and possibly himself that the outcome of what their Master had to do wouldn�t end up costing the woman her life. His cryptic phrasing also didn�t hurt; the last thing they needed was Lilinette doing something foolish.

�I know. Thank you Jushiro.�

She gave the white haired man a weak smile before she faced Starrk, her chin lifted resolutely. �Shall we go to my room? I will make us both a cup of tea,� she offered, and then added, for Lilinette�s benefit �as well as put the cooked rice away. It will make a good breakfast.�

That took him by surprise, and even more so that she was inviting him to her bedchamber. Granted, his room was one of the places he refreshed Jushiro�s Claim, the other being the man�s own room or one of the more private gardens if the night was nice. Perhaps she didn�t want to be reminded of the act he and Jushiro had to perform in order to keep the other alive and relatively unharmed.

He nodded, not quite trusting his voice not to betray the depths of his fear and his self-loathing to Lilinette. Jushiro made some mention to the small Arrancar of a new bag of sweets he�d obtained two days ago and herded his upset female half away towards his study. Meanwhile, Nanao retreated to the kitchen to put the rice away before leading him to her own suite and set about making them tea. He hovered uncertainly by the small kitchenette table, feeling torn about what he was about to do.

With Jushiro it was business; as pleasurable as it was at the time, neither man truly wanted the other in that way. With her� well, she was the mother of one of the greatest lights in his life. She had forgiven him in time for Shunsui�s death and never treated him as anything but a welcome guest at first, and then later like� well, he would almost say like a brother, save that he had little to go on as far as comparisons to a sibling. Nanao had encouraged her daughter to interact with him, even though she could have raised the child to both hate and fear him for his role in her father�s death. She ensured that he showed up at every family dinner if he could and actively made him a part of her and her daughter�s life. He felt like he was poaching in on territory that was not his.

Starrk blinked as she set the cup of steaming tea before him. He hadn�t realized he�d zoned out that long already, his mind whirling about in a hateful spiral for what he was about to do to her.

Instead of picking up the cup, he buried his face in his hands.

�You might not survive this,� he whispered brokenly. �It�s hard on Jushiro, and he is much stronger than you are now.�

�True,� Nanao agreed, a bit too calmly. �Nevertheless, consider our plans, would you really trust me to a Numeros? A single command from a new �master� and I could be forced to spill everything.�

Starrk scrubbed his face and rested his forehead on his clasped hands, hunched over while he digested her reasoning. What bothered him about it was that she was, as usual, quite right. Nanao knew too much to be given to anyone outside of their small circle of conspirators. Ulquiorra wouldn�t touch Nanao on principle. Harribel had already chosen her three Claims and Harribel�s fraccion were too flighty and would be interested in the more carnal aspects of having a pet. He simply couldn�t see Nanao wanting that much sex, if the rumours were accurate. How that white-haired youth Harribel had taken had survived the Trés Bestias and their mistress, Starrk would never know.

�Lad must be made of cast iron��

�Besides,� she continued and offered him a conciliatory smile. �I think I know of a way to bring your power down a bit. Well, three ways, actually, but one is a bit faster and much safer than the others.�

He looked up at her, confused at first, before he took in her patient expression and let her proceed.

�Our first option is for you and Jushiro to hack at each other for a bit while I sit here comfortably and enjoy my tea, until you burn through enough reiatsu to put you at an acceptable level to Claim me.�

He frowned, not particularly liking that one. It required too much exertion on his part, though he supposed that was the whole point of it, and there was considerable risk to Jushiro in going all out against his friend. He�d do it if he had to, but he wanted to hear her other ideas first. She must have sensed his hesitation, because she immediately went to his next choice.

�You can make use of Lilinette,� she replied, taking a sip of her tea and encouraging him to do the same. Starrk gingerly picked up his teacup, the heat from the ceramic seeping into his fingers. �Enter into your Resurrección and transfer most of your reiatsu to her.�

That one had potential, especially if he summoned his Cero-powered wolf pack and spread his reiatsu from wolf to wolf. It would spread Lilinette�s soul out too, but it was unlikely all of her would find trouble sniffing around the Estate. The Achilles heel of that particular plan lay in the ones that would go off, probably damaging the buildings, the walls and everyone nearby when she put her nose in something she shouldn�t. Sparring with Jushiro actually sounded better when he thought of Los Lobos� wolves detonating in the Estate�s gardens.

�What is the last option?�

�A partial seal on your reiatsu. Basically, it�s a modified Kido seal that regulates how much reiatsu one can draw upon,� she answered, and he understood that this was the choice that she had deemed the safest. �We typically use them on less powerful prisoners, but it might just be enough to �soften the blow.� It�s a version of the limiters placed on high-ranking Shinigami assigned to missions in the Living World, to cut their spiritual pressure by a certain percentage, though the old 12^th Division placed and controlled them. This would be something powered by my reiatsu, without the backing of an entire Division�s tracking system.�

�Now we�re getting somewhere,� he thought as he considered the last plan. Of the three, this seemed the most feasible, though how effective it would be remained to be seen.

�You can create one?�

�I believe so,� she answered, then paused. �I know how it works and how to created one, but I have never personally used such a spell before. Soi Fon, on the other hand, would most likely know more about it, as it�s a spell that those in the former 2^nd Division�s punishment force would employ on a regular basis. The problem with getting her to cast it, however...�

��would be her lack of speech. She can�t cast what she can�t chant.�

Nanao would have to be the one to perform the Kido, as he had no guarantee that Jushiro knew the spell and his friend would have his hands full with Lilinette. He chewed on the information. The more he gnawed at it, the more he liked it, if only because it was the only option that didn�t involve some kind of fighting. Nanao was a Kido expert and he had no desire to summon Soi Fon back to the house. The pregnant woman had left yesterday and was only now settling into Harribel�s household.

This plan also appealed to him because it would give Nanao a bit of power in the upcoming event, and might make her feel less like a victim, even though they both knew that what they were about to do could be the end of her.

�I trust you to do so. Do you need anything from me?� he asked.

�No, just your wrist so I can place it.�

Starrk offered her his arm without protest. Nanao gently took it and nonsensical poetry spouted from her mouth while her fingers contorted in weird and un-natural ways. After five minutes of hard concentration and tricky linguistics, she finished her chant. A bright yellow band of symbols he didn�t recognize flared to life, circling his wrist and he felt as if a dam had been placed on his power.

�You could break it if you really tried,� she stated, though she appeared satisfied with the results, before taking another sip of her tea.

He, on the other hand, stared down at it dubiously, inspecting it by looking at it from different angles. It seemed so fragile and the Espada knew that if he tested it at all, he�d probably destroy it and undo all her hard work. Maybe this was why Aizen had never bothered to use such a thing on Unohana. He said nothing about it though, as his observations would just create unnecessary stress for her. The experience would be stressful enough for her without worrying about him shattering the seal.

The overwhelming urge to put her at ease was back so he scrounged around for something, anything helpful he could say to her, as well as make conversation to fill the tense space between them.

�You have been exposed to my reiatsu for some time. Maybe, as with all of those pregnant women, your body will have adapted to my power by now, and as such it should be able to handle a Claim better than it would have fifteen years ago. While it�s still difficult for Jushiro, I�ve found that I no longer need to worry about harming him.�

When she turned the cup around and around in her hands, not saying anything, Starrk tried a different approach, which involved giving her a compliment he should have provided years ago. �I know you could have attained your Bankai by now, if you hadn�t hobbled your own progress in an attempt to get around Aizen�s laws.�

It almost sounded like an accusation, and he wanted to kick himself the moment it was out of his mouth.

�Was I that transparent?� she asked quietly and Starrk smacked his forehead. Then she smiled, as if she found something funny.

�Well, now I won�t have to keep holding back. I will finally be able to train forward. She will be very happy about that at least.� Nanao�s eyes flickered to her Zanpakuto, on its stand on the dresser.

His fraccion seemed oddly calm about this, he noted, but she was a Taichou, even if she didn�t have Bankai, and grace under pressure was something all leaders needed. Mothers probably needed a healthy dose of it as well, and Hana, Lilinette and Ajuga had certainly tested everyone�s patience over the years, sometimes on a daily basis. Nanao always managed to stay composed, despite the overwhelming desire to burst into laughter, even in the most trying, most ridiculous circumstances. The time the three got the idea to bake Jushiro a cake came to mind. The result involved sugar and flour getting everywhere, coating every surface in the kitchen and all three girls from head to toe, although it was harder to see on Ajuga�s white fur. Nanao had been the lone adult with the presence of mind to march each child into the middle of the garden and douse each in turn with a bucket of water, keeping calm amid the whining and yowling, unaffected by pleas for mercy. Her response had been quick, efficient and resulted in two clean cubs and an Arrancar brat that ought to have known better.

Briefly he wondered what it would be like to have children of his own. What would Nanao look like if she were actually happy while pregnant instead of grieving? Karin had glowed, as did Tatsuki and Rangiku the few times he had seen them, though the latter seemed more happy that she was pregnant than the one who had made her so. The few smiles Jushiro had coaxed out of Nanao while she�d carried her dead lover�s daughter had made her sparkle, before the gloomy shroud she�d worn for years afterward snuffed them out.

The image his mind conjured stayed a moment, and then fled as he took in the woman sitting next to him at the table, reality trumping any fleeting fantasy he might have. Disgust at himself, disgust at Aizen�s latest ploy, rage at his failure to follow through with his promise washed over him again� the calming tea in his cup could dispel none of it. He did not want to do this, just as he hadn�t wanted to Claim Jushiro each year when the bond between them began to fade. Starrk had once accepted a collar from a white-garbed man who had promised him and Lilinette companionship and the ability to walk among others. That same collar now threatened to choke him, cutting into his throat and suffocating him after forcing him to harm the ones he�d come to care for, to cherish, all on the orders of that same man.

No self-respecting wolf should or would stand for it.

Nanao finished her cup of tea and rose, presumably to get more. Instead she set her cup in the sink, rinsed out the pot and turned to face him. There was a bit of anxiety in her eyes, but she covered it well as she regarded him from behind her glasses.

�My room is this way,� she announced, and without further preamble, turned her back on him and left the kitchen.

It felt like swimming through molasses as he forced himself to rise and follow her, barely hearing the scrape of the chair against the kitchen tiles. Like the rest of her suite, her room was immaculate, as neatly organized and tidy as she was. He watched while standing in the open doorway, slightly transfixed, as she took her glasses off, folded the sides, and set them on a night table beside her futon. Her hairclip was next, freeing the dark waves of her hair, with their blue-black highlights, to fall down her back. Nanao massaged her scalp, tilting her head back as she raked her fingers several times through her hair and worked out a few tangles in her dimly-lit room. When she moved to open the doors to the small garden on the opposite side of the room, he took a step inside and slid the door closed.

Without turning to face him, she let her Taichou�s haori slide from her shoulders, folded it neatly, and set it aside atop a box she probably used for storing her workday clothing. The rest of her uniform followed and Starrk got the feeling he was witnessing a bedtime ritual. He barely registered her nudity until she turned to face him, looking like a completely different woman without her glasses, her hair down, and minus a single stitch of clothing. His eyes didn�t wander, and instead settled on her eyes, for once unguarded by glass. She�d set aside her shields, the prim armour she usually wore to deflect notice gone along with her spectacles and shifted her weight from one foot to another.

It was a sight that presumed only Shunsui had ever seen. She was showing it to him now and he felt like a complete heel, a rogue of the lowest order, a cheap mongrel...

�Starrk, are you going to undress?� she asked.

Her words pushed him into reluctant movement and he slowly followed her example, folding his own uniform and staring at the clothing in his hand when he was as naked as she was, wondering where to put them. Dropping them on the floor in her quarters like he did in his chamber seemed wrong. She calmly came up to him and took them from him, setting his clothes next to her own neat pile on the chest, solving his dilemma.

Nanao took one of his hands, and led him to her bed. How odd was it, he thought, that he was going to be the one to take her, to possibly kill her, and yet she was the one leading? It was a good thing he didn�t share a telepathic link with Lilinette the way the Shinigami did with their Zanpakuto. The girl would either be laughing hysterically at him by now, much the way she had when she had told a stunned Ulquiorra that Ajuga had dominated Diaemus, or calling him all kinds of terrible things at the top of her lungs.

Orihime, at least, had been thrilled with the news, squealing in utter delight, but Ulquiorra had been rendered speechless by the fact that not only had Ajuga laid Claim to his son, but that the act had made the two of them nobility. The thought his son had been bested and taken by Ajuga had been too much for the Fourth. Starrk had taken pity on his fellow Espada and finally informed him that the incident had come about by a series of well-timed accidents and that no actual Claims been cast, although the Consort bond was apparently very much like a mating Claim that never faded. The two were stuck with each other until death. The addendum didn�t seem to mollify Ulquiorra, but then, sometimes it was hard to tell with the Espada..

His shins hit the edge of the futon and he looked down at her as she kneeled on the bed, staring up at him expectantly. Of course she wouldn�t know the actual procedure for a Claim, only that it involved sex.

�Do you want this?� he asked her, almost as much out of habit as well as his need to hear a positive answer.

�Yes Starrk. I�m no virgin. I�ve had a man before,� she reminded him with perhaps a touch of amusement, �and while I would not say I am in love with you, I don�t find you unattractive. I know the laws and I know you picked me. I have had ten years to prepare for this night. When I made Taichou I expected Aizen to demand this, despite my lack of a Bankai. I have long since made peace with doing this� with you.�

She reached out and let the fingers of her right hand travel from a spot below the hole in his chest, to just above his navel, leaving a trail of sensation that forced him to inhale sharply. Nanao�s expression turned thoughtful as she saw the goose-bumps form under her fingertips.

�You are a good man Starrk, and while I miss Shunsui, he�s gone and the wound from his loss has long since healed over. I knew him for over a hundred years, and I will never forget him, but he would be very displeased if I chose to live in the past, frozen like a bug in amber, rather than moving on. He was all about living life to the fullest, after all.�

In some things, she was wiser than he was. With a nod of his head, he kneeled down before her on the edge of the futon, finally letting his eyes drift down her body. There were a few faint stretch marks from her pregnancy with Hana, and his mind once again generated an image of her, her belly round with his child and smiling down at him as he put his ear to her midsection, before he shook his head. Her breasts were perhaps not as high as they�d been when he�d first laid eyes on her, but they were fuller and for some reason he had the urge to cup one and taste a nipple, to see if it was sweet on his tongue like the chocolate it resembled.

Otherwise everything about her was fit, as expected of a military officer. Starrk had to swallow a few times before he remembered he was supposed to be making this easier on her, rather than leering. He did find his voice, but not the courage to look her in the eye while he gave her the needed information.

�When casting a partial Claim, it is traditionally done from behind. It is not uncommon to also� prepare the one being Claimed,� he offered hesitantly, certain she would take that as him going too far, but he wasn�t willing to deny her the option if she wanted it. Unprepared sex would hurt, and he had no desire to cause her pain.

A dusting of pink emerged on her cheeks as she understood what he was trying to say. In response, Nanao reached for the handle on the drawer of her nightstand. Opening it, she pulled out a bottle of lubricant. There were a few other objects in the drawer, but he didn�t get a chance to see them before she shut it. Starrk was a little surprised she had lube next to her bed, but decided that it was her room and therefore her business.

She scooted back on the coverlet until she was fully seated on her futon and popped the cap before pouring a generous amount of the cream within onto her fingers. She then closed her eyes, spread her legs and prepared her body for his entry. The show certainly helped Starrk overcome a few of his reservations and he felt a sizeable amount of blood rush south at the sight of her fingers stroking her exposed nether lips and clitoris before two of them sank into her entrance, moving slowly in and out and spreading the cream that would ease his passage into her.

It didn�t take her long to prepare herself and it took him a minute to realize that she�d opened her deep blue eyes, looking up at him and waiting for further instruction.

He swallowed to wet his suddenly dry throat, and wondered if someone had accidentally turned the heat up in the room, because he felt a droplet of sweat trickle down from his temple, to splash on his collarbone. It was far too warm, despite the open garden door and for some reason, he had to fight to keep his eyes on hers and not let them wander back to the glistening folds between her widely parted thighs.

�You can lie on your stomach, or get onto your hands and knees, whichever you find most comfortable,� he whispered hoarsely. �Only mates take each other face to face, and I would not presume as much.�

Nanao offered him one last reassuring smile, before handing him the bottle of cream and rolling onto her stomach. She stacked her two pillows under her hips to help support her weight while he spread the same amount of cream he�d seen her use on his shaft. This stuff was far different from the plain silicon-based lube he used to keep from harming Jushiro. His entire cock suddenly felt warmer, thicker, the skin alight with a sensation that made him want friction enough to quench it.

The Espada almost dropped the lube, managing to get the cap back on with slick fingers and then grasped her hips as he moved on to the bed behind her, the mattress giving way beneath his knees. He�d only ever had sex with Jushiro before, but he wasn�t so naive as to not know what went where. With one hand he steadied himself and with the other he placed the head of his cock at her wet entrance, both of them slick with the stimulating lube. Much as he did with Jushiro, he entered her slowly, rocking back and forth and working his way carefully into her tight heat. Unlike Jushiro, he couldn�t read her emotions so he didn�t know if he was hurting her or not. He had to look for visual cues as to how she was doing. Her shoulders seemed relaxed, as were the hot, velvety walls encasing him as he sank deeper inside of her. It also seemed easier to slide in and took considerably less work.

Then a noise that wasn�t quite a giggle reached his ears. He stopped half- in-and-half-out of her channel as she laughed quietly, her head resting on her folded arms and her shoulders shaking lightly in mirth.

�I am not such a weak woman that you need to worry about breaking me,� he heard her say, her tone a bit dry. �This isn�t anal sex. A vagina is built to take a man�s length without taking damage, if she�s ready for him. You don�t have to be so careful.�

Kami, she was lecturing him about sex while he half buried inside of her! Starrk couldn�t help it. He let out a laugh of his own. To his surprise, she looked over her shoulder at him lowering her lashes in such a way that made him tighten his grip on her hips. The entire situation suddenly seemed absurd. She was clearly waiting to take him in, showed no signs of stress and yet he was the one panicking. He would have thought that it should have been the other way around. Just like that, most of the stress suddenly fled the room.

Well, if she was ready for him...

He pulled all but the head of his cock out, and then thrust back in, burying himself completely within her tight, moist heat. He also sent a controlled shot of his reiatsu into her body. She immediately gasped as pleasure raced through her, arching her back as he bottomed out inside of her. Unlike Jushiro, she didn�t bother trying to smother her pleasure. If anything, she almost seemed desperate for more of it, and she let him know as much when she involuntarily tightened around him and pressed back against him, clutching the sheets.

For a second, all Starrk saw was stars.

The seal around his wrist held, regulating how much reiatsu he could get past the dam and into her, but it wouldn�t hold forever and the margins on it were much too thin. The amount he�d given her was still far more than most other Shinigami could handle and he didn�t want to chance it breaking. He�d been right; she had gotten stronger over the years and he knew at that point that she could accept more from him before he�d have to complete the Claim. Starrk hoped he could do so quickly, before he pumped too much into her and passed the line between �not enough� and �too much� reiatsu.

A different voice in his head wanted to howl triumphantly at how perfectly her body cradled his, how good it felt to have her flesh surrounding him, and her surprisingly lovely form wriggling beneath him, the tilt of her hips encouraging him.

This was unlike all of the other times he�d had sex. He had to copulate with Jushiro out of necessity and had to work to get his body aroused enough to recast the Claim each time. It was far different being with a woman, especially one that wanted him as deep within her as he could get. The gasps she made as he filled her with his reiatsu and massaged her insides with his straining shaft sent a flush of pride through him and far more blood to the organ pleasing her.

Her body was softer and smaller against his, her pale skin smoother and her sighs were like music in his ears. Starrk quickened his thrusts. Long-neglected instincts emerged as the musky scent of her arousal, the cream and the act itself filled his nose, making his mouth water and kindled a whine in the back of his throat. Nanao rocked back against him, encouraging every push with a needy moan, her inner walls squeezing him each time the head of his cock brushed against her cervix.

The Espada knew he was nearly there when one of his hands left her hip to skim along the tense quivering muscles of her lower belly, seeking the wetness where their bodies came together and letting his fingers find the center of her pleasure. He stroked the cream-swollen bud in time with each pulse of reiatsu into her slender frame. Her moans intensified, turning into pleasured cries as that one little action dragged them both towards the point of no return.

Her body brimmed with his power and with the last of his self-control Starrk realized that he couldn�t risk forcing any more of it into her, that he had to finish creating the bond now. He didn�t even recall brushing her dark hair to the side and nuzzling the back of her slender neck with his lips. The next thing he knew he�d buried his canines in the juncture between her neck and her shoulder. The Espada gulped mouthfuls of their combined reiatsu along with her blood. The mixture of his power mixed with hers and the sweet red liquid that carried it encouraged him to drain more and more of it.

The wet clenching heat in which he was buried suddenly became far tighter and he heard her scream something aloud as she came, propelled there by both his bite and by the fingers that continued to play with her throbbing clitoris.

Starrk�s brain, in turn, filled with multicoloured fireworks that exploded all at once as he reached completion, grinding into the woman below him as if his life depended on it. He pumped surge after surge of semen into her body and felt the emotions from his newest acquisition slowly trickle in as he completed the Claim, swallowing enough of her reiatsu to forge the connection.

As he finally came down from his high, the last spurt of his seed heating her depths, he realized his teeth were still embedded in her neck. He slowly pulled away and licked the wound apologetically, again out of instinct. His mind and his reason slowly returned as the blissfulness he�d grabbed receded, a state he had never attained after taking Jushiro.

He eventually pulled away from her, wincing at the squelching sound as his softening shaft fell from her. A trickle of white fluid escaped her entrance to dribble down the inside of her thigh. Nanao moved shakily to push the pillows she had placed under her hips out of the way and lay down fully on her stomach, panting lightly. The naked Shinigami shivered a few times, getting used to the new power entrapping her own. They were both soaked in sweat and her hair was completely disarrayed, wild strands snaking across her bare shoulders and the coverlet.

Staring down at her blearily, Starrk had to admit he found the sight of Ise Nanao, thoroughly dishevelled, her unbound hair in disarray and her form limp and boneless on the rumpled bedding incredibly appealing. Knowing he was the cause of it was, unfortunately, a double edged sword.

His recovery came complete with a serving of despondence at what he�d just done, at his betrayal of Kyoraku Shunsui�s trust. She was Claimed and belonged to him now. He�d taken a woman he�d vowed to protect at all costs, even from himself if necessary. Worse, he�d enjoyed doing it, almost losing his sanity while he�d had her beneath him.

�He made me promise to Claim her if I was able,� he reminded himself in a vain effort to make himself feel less like a ravaging brute. It didn�t work very well.

Starrk braced himself for the onslaught of negative emotions as she regained a bit of composure, her breathing hard and her frame still trembling from the aftershocks. He expected to be hit by remorse and morbidity, maybe even anger, shock or hatred for him at taking away her freedom.

What he hadn�t expected was utter exhaustion mingled with languid contentment, as well as the last, toe-curling waves of the pleasure he�d wrung from her.

�Nanao?� he began, concerned but not quite ready to move just yet. Even keeping some of his power in check, Claiming was still an exhausting ride and he�d been trying to keep things in check for the sake of the seal.

�Oh, Kami� it was everything they said it was,� she breathed wistfully, sounding awestruck and not-at-all upset. �No wonder Karin and Grimmjow get so vocal! Are you alright?�

A shot of worry, not for herself, but for him, flowed through the newly-minted Claim, surprising him with its intensity.

�Yes,� he confessed, drawing closer to her and brushing her hair away from her face so that he could see her better.

��kay,� she murmured, before she hauled her body up, pulled back the covers and indicated that he should join her as she slid between the cotton sheets. Then she pulled the bedding over them both and nestled against his warmth. �Shower morning, sleep now,� she practically purred into his chest.

Starrk stared down at her as she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out, not entirely certain about what had just occurred, but willing to treat it as a �win� anyway. He could always go for more sleep. Nanao would likely come to her senses in the morning, realize she�d just had frenzied sex with the man that had murdered her mate and probably bombard him with grief and self-loathing. But for now it was nice to bask in the muted contentment she fed him even if it was weak thanks to the newness of the bond. Her emotions were completely different from what he was currently getting from Jushiro. The older Shinigami had veered from gut wrenching concern to relief now that it was over and Nanao had clearly come out of their encounter alive.

Adjusting the blankets around them, he hesitantly wrapped an arm around the woman he�d just Claimed. She had started to shiver as the sweat from their activities cooled in the evening breeze, and he would be a very poor male if he let her take a chill. It didn�t take long to fall asleep himself, spooned up behind her as a bulwark against the cold.

When he woke the next morning it was to an empty bed, but he could hear, faintly, someone puttering about in the kitchenette attached to her suite. Rolling over on to his back, he stared at the ceiling in an attempt to get his bearings. He then looked at the clock on the nightstand and if the time on it was correct, they�d slept for well over twelve hours. In addition, they�d missed a meal and were in danger of skipping another.

As he had last night, Starrk rubbed his face with the palms of both hands and steeled himself for the rush of remorse and reproach he expected from his fraccion-turned-pet. Instead, what he got was a sort of delicious satisfaction, some concern aimed squarely at her officers with a bit of worry for her daughter and Karin thrown into the mix.

Moreover, the satisfaction seemed to go hand in hand with more than a few sparks of desire as she mulled over what they�d done while she beat eggs for a breakfast of omelettes.

Her emotional state left him both confused and stupidly pleased and unsure whether he really ought to take credit for it. Starrk also knew he wasn�t going to get any answers by lying in bed, though he now had the means to make her come to him if he chose. That idea left him cold. There was a folded towel next to his clothes and he took that as a hint to take a hot shower, which was fine when he realized that her shower smelled strongly of the scented soap and shampoo she used, which made him want to linger in it long past the point where the water went cold, breathing in steam that smelled like her hair.

By the time he made it to the kitchen, dressed in his uniform, Nanao had breakfast underway and the kitchen table set for two. A cup of strong, steaming tea awaited him. She was already dressed for the day and her hair was damp from her own shower, carefully pinned in its usual style.

�Good morning,� she said. Her greeting was smooth and unhurried as she poured herself a cup of the same tea.

�Good morning,� he replied awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. His sheepish, hangdog expression earned him a burst of exasperation as well as some amusement, as her eyes twinkled behind her glasses when she turned around to face him.

�It was sex, Starrk. Necessary, wonderful and memorable sex. I don�t think anyone else will ever be able to satisfy me like that again,� she sighed and began ladling miso into bowls and placing rolled omelettes onto a large platter before covering it. Nanao brought the meal to the table, along with some of the reheated rice that Lilinette had started the night before. Starrk�s stomach reminded him that he hadn�t eaten since yesterday, letting out a growl loud enough that he swore the neighbours could hear it. She stared at his midsection before giving him a look that made him immediately sit down and sit up straight.

�You sound as if you would not be opposed to doing it again,� he commented, taking two omelettes for himself and bringing his bowl of miso to his lips before he realized what he�d said.

Starrk froze in mid-slurp, as did she, her teacup halfway to her mouth. Starrk proceeded to berate himself, wondering if his blood sugar was low enough for his brain to short-circuit. Nanao, to his surprise, smiled at him before joining him at the table, picking the chair next to him rather than the spot across from him. He received no sense of hunger from her, so he assumed that she�d already eaten in an attempt to at least try to be on time for her shift.

�You�re right. I would like to do that again,� she conceded, and Starrk�s stomach suddenly seemed filled with butterflies, along with half of a bowl of soup when Nanao went on. �As I told you last night, it�s been fifteen years and I�ve long since come to terms with Shunsui�s death. Should I resign myself to a life of abstinence, or remain faithful to a man�s memory, letting go of any hope of finding happiness with anyone else?�

�I am sure most would say �no,�� he responded, trying not to choke on the remainder of his soup.

�They would be right. Shunsui was a good man, and I loved him, despite his drinking and his shiftlessness, but he�s gone and it has been far too long to think about�this�� and here she gestured, to indicate she meant what they�d shared last night, �as a rebound.�

Starrk wasn�t certain what a �rebound� was, but decided it didn�t matter and didn�t ask for clarification. On a related note, he was more than happy to make sure the word �abstinence� ceased to be part of her vocabulary, especially the portion of his anatomy that stirred between his legs as he recalled how she�d removed her uniform last night.

�Down. Focus on what she�s saying,� he silently snapped at the libido he�d been unaware he�d owned until the evening prior.

�Didn�t you once say that he asked you to Claim me?�

She took another long sip of tea, the question hanging between them. When he nodded, she reached up and adjusted her glasses, looking at him over the tops of the frames.

�He knew your Aspect was Loneliness, did he not?�

�Yeah. I told him before we fought, before we had to fight. Had I not� Aizen would not have hesitated to cut me down.�

Starrk quickly realized where she was going with this, and it made him pause in mid-bite. Nanao gave voice to his unspoken suspicions.

�It occurred to me, while we were walking home last evening, that he might have foreseen this. I�had a very lonely childhood,� she confessed, her dark eyes looking down at the steaming tea in her cup. �No one likes it when a youngster is considerably brighter than they are, children or adults. I had no friends or family, save for one, and she disappeared during a mission when I was still little. If it weren�t for Shunsui,� she said the man�s name with a tinge of sadness, �I would have spent my entire life tucked away in some lonely library row, surrounded by the resentments of others. I definitely wouldn�t have had his encouragement. The fact he believed in me drove me to become who I am today, at least, at first.�

He let her continue, content to hear whether or not she�d come to the same conclusions he had. Another person�s similar assessment would make his justification of Claiming her feel less like he�d taken advantage of her, in light of Aizen�s most recent orders.

Nanao let out a deep breath, keeping him from dwelling on that. There would be enough time later today to ponder Aizen�s motives while they waited to hear back from Yoruichi.

�Shunsui was always too smart for his own good, when he bothered to stop drinking and slacking and apply his intellect to a problem. Perhaps he saw two birds of a feather, and you know how those end up flocking together. Did he really seem like a man that would let two people with the same issues wallow in their loneliness for a lifetime and not try to find a solution, even if it was the last thing he did?�

Starrk swallowed the last of his second omelette and gazed at his reflection on his empty plate. No, Kyoraku Shunsui most certainly didn�t seem like that kind of a man. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was entirely possible that Shunsui had engineered this outcome, once he knew he wouldn�t leave the battlefield alive. Maybe he�d known that his �Nanao-chan� and the reluctant warrior he�d fought would find some common ground if Starrk kept his word long enough. Now that he�d literally done what the man had asked, the idea that he�d betrayed Shunsui faded somewhat, in favour of feeling as if he�d finally fulfilled the dying man�s wish.

The woman sitting next to him drained her teacup and stood, laying a hand on his arm and leaning forward in a partial bow that brought her within reach.

�I need to go to work,� she informed him, her voice dropping a bit lower. �Once you�re done with breakfast, you should go and tell Jushiro and Lilinette we are both fine. I also won�t have you beating yourself up about any of this. What�s done is done and I definitely enjoyed myself last night. It was nice to have someone see me as something other than someone�s mother, or superior officer, for a change.�

Her fingers brushed his chin and before he knew it, she�d pressed her mouth against his. The kiss startled him and he felt her tongue slide across his lower lip, seeking entrance. The sensation was so new, so strange that yet again, he let her lead as what started out as quite a gentle thing deepened into something surprisingly substantial.

Nanao tasted of minted toothpaste and tea and she smelled of the soap she�d used that morning. Below that, the scent of blood where he�d bitten her mingled with her unique fragrance. He was dimly aware of the fingertips of the same hand she�d used to surprise him running along his cheekbone, the touch going straight to a region of his body that ought to have been tuckered out by now. When she pulled her lips away from his, he found his hands had started to reach for her of their own accord.

It was the first kiss he�d ever received, from anyone.

Coyote Starrk found he wanted more of those.

Many, many more.

When he opened his dazed slate-blue eyes, he found her smiling knowingly down at him. Starrk also noticed the faint blush on her cheeks and he discovered he quite liked knowing that what she�d just done to him had affected her too. She backed away, drawing her usual cool exterior around her like a cloak and turned on her heel, though she paused in the doorway leading out of her suite and looked back over her shoulder at him as he fumbled for his wits.

�Now finish your breakfast before it gets cold. I look forward to continuing this discussion later this evening, when you can show me what you mean by �preparation.� Cream and toys have their limitations after all.�

Then she was gone, leaving him to gape at the door to the hallway long after he�d heard the main doors leading to the courtyard slide close.

�Toys?� his brain finally registered, still working on bringing his heartbeat back under control in the wake of what her mouth had done to his only moments before.

In less than the space of a day, every perception he�d had of Ise Nanao, of the woman he�d shared a house with for sixteen years, had been turned on its head and shattered. Starrk would never be able to look at her again in the same way and found he was glad of that. He closed his eyes and concentrated on what he was getting from her.

Giddy exhilaration, apprehension, a bit of modesty-derived embarrassment and a very strong desire to repeat what they�d done as soon as possible. As calm as she had been on the outside this morning, it seemed that she was reeling a bit from last night, as well as their conversation this morning. The jumble of emotions rooted him in his seat as he tried to sort them out and differentiate them from Jushiro�s, who was only now just waking up, courtesy of his smaller half trying to shake him until he opened his eyes.

In fact, she didn�t go to work straightaway, but rather towards Nnoitra�s house, or perhaps more accurately, Rangiku and Tatsuki. The closer she got, the more her excitement and embarrassment grew, but it didn�t cause her steps to falter in the least.

It must be some sort of �females-only� thing, to compare notes when it came to what he�d come to understand were �juicy details.� The pride he�d felt at reducing her to the mess she�d been last night flared again in his chest as he knew she�d give a positive recounting to the other women. Arrancar females were quite territorial, unless they belonged to the same pack, but apparently, all Shinigami females belonged to the same pack and freely communicated with one another about every little thing. That was good to know; anger one and he�d likely have all of them clamouring for his head. Starrk considered it a form of forewarning.

Unfortunately, that left him with the task of calming down Jushiro. The poor man was awash in strong emotions and Starrk sighed before running his hand through his hair. It would probably be for the best to get that awkward conversation out of the way, and he wondered just how much he ought to tell his friend. He�d never had this sort of conversation before, not with Lilinette and in reality, he and Jushiro tended to skirt around the issue of his Claim on the man unless there was a need to bring it up.

Starrk also thought of the treason they were planning. If Yoruichi�s band of rebels came up with the means to defeat and eradicate the tyrant, he would no longer have to force an unwanted bond on someone who had become a trusted friend. If Nanao wanted, he would let her Claim go as well. It was only fair, though he hoped he could convince her otherwise, starting later on tonight.

If Aizen had thought to make Starrk and his pack suffer with yesterday�s orders, his plan had backfired, and then some. The theft of the twins, the lies, the harassment of Szayel, and Karin�s imprisonment were more than enough to give Starrk motivation to remind Aizen exactly why Barragan had never attempted to subjugate him and Lilinette. This latest outrage had proved fatal to any remaining sense of allegiance he might have had. Finally, the image he�d conjured last night of Nanao, sitting in one of the gardens with her hair unbound, a smile on her face and a pup in her belly was the nail in its coffin.

He had a sense of purpose now, to see that outcome as something more than a daydream, provided it was something she wanted as well. There was some faint worry about what Hana might think, but from what Yoruichi had told him, the girl was just fine and might even be happy about the development. Nanao had raised a sharp child. On the other hand, he wondered: what would Jushiro say to him, knowing Nanao had invited him back to her bed tonight? He took his plate and bowl to the sink, fortified himself with another cup of tea and went to retrieve his other half before she started jumping up and down on Jushiro�s futon.

�Well,� Starrk supposed, �I�m about to find out. I just hope he doesn�t throw the shoji set at me. There are far too many pieces in it for me to dodge all of them.�

When I first started writing POV 5 years ago (recall I had a large amount written before posting) I was ADAMENT that I was not going to put Starrk and Nanao together, 100% against it. However, as years past, and as I studied Shunsui more, I have a feeling that he would actually desire and manipulate the very outcome that occurs in this chapter.

Huge hugs to everyone that took the time to review. As always, it means a lot to me.

Next Chapter: We see how Ajuga has been handling things.

This Weeks Question: With summer on the way, many people must be making plans. What is your favourite summer past time? Mine is camping and fishing. I love fishing.
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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