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Prize of Victory	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 87205 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this snippet

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Visitor

By late winter Aizen�s amusement at the Swarm�s never-ending invasion had run out, along with his patience. The Palace staff tried to do their work as invisibly as possible and to tread lightly to avoid invoking Kami-sama�s wrath. His temper had been short and he took out his anger and frustration with the lack of progress at stopping the Swarm out on those who had the bad luck to catch his eye or who failed somehow in their daily tasks.

While the exterior of the Palace looked as it always had, inside the atmosphere had changed to one where servants gave each other passing looks in the halls, to assure one another that they still lived and had all their limbs. There was one, however, who did not seem to notice the change in Aizen�s treatment of the Palace staff. Rather, as he�d operated under the same conditions for the last eight years, it seemed to him that the staff was now subject to a small taste of what he�d endured for so long now. He hoped that living in fear on a minute-to-minute basis changed their perspective regarding the tenuousness of their own positions in �Kami-sama�s� worldview.

Gin winced as he put too much pressure on his injured wrist as he scrubbed the floor of Unohana�s bedroom. It had never healed properly since no one had been permitted to tend to it. He honestly wasn�t sure what had hurt more, the actually shattering of bone or the short cry of anguish he had heard from Shinso as the Zanpakuto had been forced to harm its master the one time they had been permitted near each other since their forced seperation.

The alarm was still blaring off in the distance and had been going for some time now. It had been going off regularly every three days now and he really hoped they would stop leaving it on during battle. It was a rather loud and awful noise. Granted it got one�s attention, which is what it was suppose to do, but he was fairly certain that the troops would much rather fight without the annoying sound ringing in their ears, especially the Arrancar endowed with sharper hearing.

Gin sighed and dipped the rag in the bucket of hot water, the heat momentarily soothing to his damaged wrist, before wringing it out with his good hand and returning his attention to the floor.

He did not want to give Aizen any reason to find imperfection in his work. His back still twitched in pain from the lashing he had been giving yesterday for the specs of dust Aizen had found under the bed.

He felt anger boil up at the man who had taken everything from him. His only friend, the respect of his Division, his dignity, his freedom, Shinso�

�What you doing?� a small voice asked from behind him.

Gin froze, rage instantly forgotten as he turned a startled gaze to the little girl staring curiously at him.

Not four feet away sitting on her haunches like an ally cat was Ajuga. She watched him with her head cocked to the side, as if trying to understand what he was doing with the rag and the bucket. It was just like the time in the garden. He hadn�t felt her presence until she spoke to him. Gin blinked and he briefly wondered if he hadn�t lost his mind to the point of hallucinating.

His sense of self-preservation clicked into place even as his brain scrambled to catch up. With closed eyes and the soft smile he was famous for, he turned to face her fully.

�What are you doing up here, Ajuga-chan?� he questioned pleasantly. �And more importantly, how did you get up here undetected?�

It was a valid question. The Palace was heavily guarded. No one should have been able to get in or out. Aizen would be furious if he learned his guards were so incompetent as to let a mere child get past them. In fact, he�d bet money he didn�t have that if Aizen did find out his guards had missed her that there would be a few job openings in the morning at all of the gates.

�Everyone is busy. Hime-neesan is helping the hurt people, Szay is busy with his pictures, and even Bya-san isn�t home!� she pouted. �Tsuki-neesan, Tes-niisan, Mama and Papa are all fighting. I wanted to go too but Mama said I am too little still, that the bugs would swallow me whole.� Ajuga sniffed at that, as if affronted by the very idea. �No bug eat me. I am too good a hunter!�

She dropped low, tail lashing from side to side, crouching like a panther and raced about in a circle three times before stopping to sit before him proudly.

�So you are,� he agreed with a soft laugh. �Why come here though?�

�Well, Bya-san isn�t here to play in his garden, so I was hoping to play in yours again,� she looked up at him hopefully.

�I am sorry, Ajuga-chan, but I need to finish washing the floor or Kami-sama will get mad with me.�

�Oh,� she looked crest fallen. �What about after the floor?� she questioned hopefully.

�Well, after the floor I do have the water the plants outside,� he replied, making a disappointed face.

�And they are in the garden,� Ajuga chirped happily. �See? I can help!�

Suddenly she was right in front of him. She scowled at the water briefly before snatching the rag from his hand and quickly set about finishing the floor with an energy he only wished he still had.

�Ajuga-chan, no, please stop,� he whispered to her frantically, trying to get her to put the rag down.

If Aizen were to catch this his punishment would be very severe. No one was to help him complete his chores. The few who had tried in the past had disappeared and he hadn�t been able to walk for a week after Aizen had finished caning his legs.

�I faster. I am not hurt like you!� she declared over one shoulder.

His good hand cradled the injured one at her response, his reaction involuntary. He had thought about pleading to have it fixed, but admittedly feared the response, especially with Aizen in such a foul mood right now. Likely the result would be his other wrist being shattered or worse, the wounded hand removed so it �wouldn�t bother him anymore.�

�There,� Ajuga smiled proudly. �We go to the garden now?� she questioned hopefully.

Her work was well done, and not a trace of her reiatsu remained. She definitely knew how to cloak her presence, and despite himself he felt relief and appreciation that the task was done.

A part of him wanted to chase the girl out before she could be discovered; another part was just pleased to have company for a change, any company. Other than Unohana and Aizen, none of the Palace staff were permitted to talk to him without Kami�s permission.

�Hai, we can go to the garden, but no one can see you. You are not supposed to be here. Aizen-kami might be mad to find out you snuck in,� he warned.

�Easy,� she assured him. �No one but Mama can find me when I hide,� she boasted.

She followed around behind him as they went down the stairs that led to Unohana�s private garden. No sooner where they on the grass than Ajuga was gone, darting into the bushes without a trace.

Shaking his head in amazement, he went about gathering water from the well so he could start the laborious task of watering the large garden. Once in a while he would spot Ajuga, chasing a butterfly or stalking a mouse, but otherwise it was as if she wasn�t there.

It got to the point that he honestly began to suspect that he�d finally cracked, lost his mind and was now seeing things, until a small bundle of energy suddenly sat in front of him on the edge of the well.

He let out yelp and dropped the rope in surprise. Ajuga shot a hand out and caught it sheepishly apologizing for scaring him before she helped him pull the bucket over the edge.

�Why do you use the well?� she asked, staring at the stone rim of the thing as if puzzled.

�Because Aizen-kami said I have to,� he explained. Really, did the child do nothing but ask questions all day?

�Oh.�

She looked down into the depths of the well before shuddering and chasing after him while he hauled the bucket to the next patch of plants.

�Doesn�t he know a hose is faster?�

�He does, but Aizen-kami likes it done this way.�

�I wonder if it�s training?� Ajuga suddenly pondered out loud.

He looked at her in surprise.

�Papa sometimes makes me do funny things. He says doing them makes me stronger,� Ajuga explained, scratching absently behind one ear.

�It can be,� he admitted. �But no, Aizen-kami makes me do this as punishment.�

�What did you do?� she questioned innocently.

He felt a spike of pain and loss and he had no idea how to go about answering that question. How did one explain to a child the things that had occurred over the years? Did one even try? Ajuga was much too young to need to learn his sad story. After a few minutes of consideration, he finally settled on something that would sum up the reason without being too specific.

�I failed a very important mission,�

�Oh,� she said, and looked to the side. �Mama says forgiveness is important. That�s why when I do something bad she doesn�t stay mad long.�

Gin couldn�t help it� he laughed hysterically at that statement. Aizen forgiving him was about as likely as the sun falling from the sky. One did not forgive betrayal, but he doubted the girl even knew, let alone understood, what betrayal was.

She looked up at him in astonishment as his laughter died away with a strangled sound, and despite himself he suddenly felt worn out and very, very resentful. Grimmjow had betrayed Aizen several times, or at least gone against his explicit orders over the years, and yet the Espada remained unpunished and free to roam at will.

Granted, the Sexta Espada had never tried to kill Aizen like Gin had, but still� it left a bitter taste in Gin�s mouth to realize he was the only one who had been singled out to endure this torture for this long. And here was that very Espada�s child, looking up at him with Grimmjow�s big blue eyes as if she didn�t have a care in the world.

He was about to say something when Ajuga�s blue eyes went wide and she suddenly disappeared. Gin, still holding the water bucket, blinked at the spot where the child had been standing before he felt a warning stab of fear clutch at his spine.

Turning about, he noticed Aizen approaching, a frown on his face. Gulping nervously, he forced his usual smile and offered Kami-sama a bow as he came within arm�s length.

�Aizen-kami, what brings you out here?� he asked, trying to keep his tone as pleasant as possible.

Then Aizen smiled and Gin felt terror spread through his body. Bad things often happened when Aizen wore THAT smile. He quickly ran through everything he had done today and couldn�t for the life of him find a thing that he had done to warrant earning a punishment.

Well, he could think of one thing and he prayed the girl had managed to escape before Aizen noticed her. It was hard to say because he�d forgotten that Aizen could see, as he put it, �everything under the blue sky�. But Aizen�s next words led him to believe, incredibly, that his tormentor had no idea Ajuga had been there at all.

�I require your assistance in a motivational endeavour,� Aizen replied, and that crocodile smile widened just a fraction.

Gin�s heart sank somewhere near his stomach on its way to his knees. Yet he sensed that Aizen�s anger wasn�t actually directed towards him, but rather, someone else.

�It seemed to work so well last time, I thought a refresher might do him some good.�

At that, Gin knew exactly who Aizen was talking about. Only one other had ever been punished alongside him. Gin felt sick to his stomach at the thought of being forced to go through something like that again while wondering what Szayel could have possibly done to offend Aizen this time.

�But first, let me see your hand.�

It took a moment for the order to register, and slowly Gin held out his injured wrist. He let out a cry of pain and nearly went to his knees as his wrist was re-broken, the poorly-healed joints snapping and popping, before Aizen adjusted the bones into their proper places and the agony was replaced by soothing healing energy.

�There,� Aizen dropped the wrist. �Do your task efficiently and I might not see fit to re-break it after,� Aizen offered him a warm smile. �After all, I wouldn�t want you to have too much time on your hands again,� he smirked before leaving.

Gin cradled his healed wrist, finally pain-free, while watching Aizen stride away. He wasn�t sure what emotion he felt more of at the moment, disgust, relief or overwhelming terror at what he knew was coming. He also felt the urge to vomit rising along with his panic.

The urge was quickly quashed and fear won out as he quickly recalled that Ajuga had been here just moments before.

�Ajuga-chan?� he called softly, voice cracking. When had his mouth and throat run dry?

Had she witnessed Aizen breaking his wrist? Any resentment he might have felt towards her had vanished. That little exchange was something no little girl should have to see at her age and he hoped that the obscure conversation would have been gibberish to her as well.

The child had bolted before Aizen had arrived. Come to think of it, even during their conversation Gin couldn�t sense Aizen�s presence, so how had the child known the other was on his way here? Had she seen him coming? She had been facing the doorway�

�He smells bad,� Ajuga declared.

Gin jumped and yelped a second time before turning his attention to little girl hiding beneath one of the spreading evergreen bushes.

�Worse than Yammy,� she added, sneezing. �And Yammy stinks bad!�

In another lifetime, he might have found that little bit of information hilarious and would have brought her persimmons and ice cream to reward her for making such an astute and comical observation. He�d done so for another girl, a little older than this one, long ago. Then he shook himself a little, banishing the image of a slight creature with gray eyes and outrageously red-gold hair, until that memory faded and big blue eyes, black hair and a swishing tail replaced it.

�Oh?� he questioned. �And what do I smell like?� he couldn�t help but to question curiously.

Ajuga gave the matter some thought, as if looking for words and took several clear sniffs of the air.

�Sadness,� she finally answered. �Just like Bya-san but way stronger.�

�I see,� he responded.

�I must look like one hundred miles of rough road if she says I smell worse than what�s left of that pitiful cross-dresser,� he flinched inwardly.

Not that the cross dressing part was Byakuya�s doing or choice, but did the former Shinigami have to actually look good in the damn clothing? Gin was positive no one else, other than possibly Yumichicka, could pull off dressing like a girl and still make it look both good and natural.

�Not like Ulqui-san. He smells like food!� she giggled suddenly.

The sounds of the alarm finally shut off, indicating the battle was over. Ajuga�s ears perked up and she looked off into the distance. Gin guessed at what she seemed to be eagerly searching for easily enough.

�You should probably go. Your parents will be worried if you are missing,� he suggested.

�Oh, right,� she agreed. �Bye bye!�

Gin watched her wave as she darted away, then stopped and turned around. �I�ll visit again �kay?� she called back.

She was gone before he could tell her it was a very bad idea and it would be best if she stayed away from the Palace altogether. The small, lonely part of him was pleased she had left before he could agree to a repeat visit. The other part was glad she was gone before the true horror show could start.

Thinking about what he would have to participate in soon, he buried his face in his hands in despair, the water bucket falling to the ground, splashing its contents over his bare feet.

　

　

For those of you who have not read the latest Chapter of the Real King, all I can say is, yes Codry, you are right. I learned on October 19^th that I am, indeed, pregnant. While I still have a large amount of work pre written, I fear I may catch up to it, especially since I am down under the weather so much to keep writing.

Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed. The reason Tesra refreshes his Claim on Tatsuki so often is because, in her own words, it�s the best sex out there and she asks him to do it. Ajuga can smell the scent of intercourse and in her little mind that ties into Claiming.

Until next week, and a hopefully settled stomach.
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Prize of Victory