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
- 69
- 70
- 71
Changes and Plans

Ajuga shivered, too much sweat pouring from her body. A pained whimper escaped her lips. She was in agony, or rather, the off-kilter Realms were in pain and she felt all of it. She wanted to use her newfound senses to find her mother, but there were too many distractions, too much work to do and she couldn�t spare the energy when she needed to use it elsewhere. Yoruichi was right, the imbalance was worse than anyone had suspected, almost past the point of saving and she had to set each Realm back in its proper place before every plane of existence descended into the chaos from which the current structure had once emerged.

It was hard work, and harder still to see if she�d done it correctly. There were so many Realms, so many lives. Ajuga now knew every human in the Living World, every Hollow in Hueco Mundo, every condemned soul in hell, every person in Soul Society, regardless of race. She could see the march of souls as they moved from the Living World, to the Seireitei and back again. She even knew the individuals that comprised the Swarm, and a large number of other sub-Realms that catered to the afterlives of the animals that existed alongside humans in the Living World and the Soul Society. She knew now why the spirits of trillions of dead animals, even the extinct ones, hadn�t overrun the Soul Society, as thousands of species had their own version of �Heaven� and Soul Society was something of a way station for them.

She moaned as the Realms shifted again, and she latched on to them with her will alone, trying to move them back into place. It would have been easier if she knew what �correct� was in the first place. All she had to work with was what felt �right� and �wrong.� Yoruichi had told her to trust her instincts, and that was what she was doing. Fortunately, she seemed to be good at it. Ajuga had no idea how long she had been at this, but she was almost done. The Realms were almost stable again, and once everything clicked back into place, the majority of the pain ought to end, according to Yoruichi.

Of course, Yoruichi could also be blowing smoke, in which case Ajuga was going to skin herself a cat and have the noble for breakfast� or maybe lunch or dinner, since she wasn�t certain if it was day or night out.

�Ajuga,� a soft voice whispered and a hand brushed her sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes.

�D-mus.�

Her anchor reacted to her slurred words by clutching her closer to his body, grounding her in reality and reminding her of where she was in the vastness of Creation. With an effort that made all of the nerve endings in her body burn, she managed to push and pull different Realms in a few different directions and a �ting� of �rightness� rang through her, like a chord struck on a gigantic tuning fork. The Realms were still a mess, but she felt she could afford to take a break. Her pain shrank as things settled. It diminished again when Diaemus took some of the burden from her shoulders onto his.

This was another reason for a Consort, she�d discovered. A partner was necessary to help keep the ruler sane while he or she dealt with the Realms. She needed all of it when she was working, but when it came time to rest, Diaemus took a large portion of the weight from her, easing her mind, body and spirit. He did it without asking, without question. He also did it with an ease that made her slightly jealous. He�d always been more organized than she was, more diligent and those qualities served him well in his new role.

Exhausted, she slumped in his arms, sighing as his scent rose into her nose. She had never noticed how he smelled before, other than their first, ill-fated meeting in which she�d mistaken him for a snack. Of course, the time they�d spent together in that cell probably counted, but they�d been more concerned with freezing to death than sweating there. She found she liked his scent and the feel of his feathery fur against the bare skin of her arms.

�Once you rest, we should bathe,� he commented, sounding just as tired as she was.

�You saying I smell bad?� she grumbled into his chest.

�I�m saying that Yoruichi-san thinks we should emerge long enough to eat dinner with the others, to let them know we�re still alive. In addition, our mingled scents might displease your father more than he already is,� he replied and now she could hear the nervousness in his voice

�Oh, yeah, good point,� she chuckled weakly.

Ajuga slowly peeled away from him, staggering as she got to her feet. The girl looked down and grimaced. Diaemus was right, she did smell, and he looked little better. Bearing the weight of the worlds was hell on the mind and the body.

�No wonder Aizen was getting pissy. I can�t imagine feeling like this for years upon years, and he had no one to help balance it,� she thought sourly. �Then again, it�s his own fault for taking something that wasn�t supposed to be his in the first place. Serves that bastard right!�

What really angered her was that Aizen was stronger than she was, even now. Unfortunately, he lacked the ability to handle the Realms, able to see but not touch them. It must have been very frustrating to have all that power at his fingertips but be unable to wield it. Not that it excused him of his wrongdoing. He had tormented Szayel and others long before he�d ended up in the role of the Spirit King, but knowing what came attached to that job at least explained a few of his bad moods to her.

�Ajuga,� Diaemus called, reaching out and shaking her shoulder.

�Sorry, just thinking. Come on, let�s clean up,� she declared, and made for the bathroom attached to the bedroom Yoruichi had flung them into before giving them what instructions she could.

�Together?� he asked, surprised she�d suggest such a thing. Ajuga gritted her teeth in exasperation and rounded on her Consort.

�Why not? I am basically naked already, and so are you,� she pointed out. �It�s no different than standing in the rain together, and faster, unless you know of a way to molt all those feathers of yours and for me to slip out of my fur?� She raised one dark eyebrow as she gave him another practical reason for not taking turns under the water. �Besides, we might miss dinner, and I don�t know about you, but I am starving.�

He sighed, choosing not to argue with her after such an ordeal and joined her in the large shower. Ajuga had to give it to her aunt and uncle, they certainly had a nice den. It almost put Ukitake�s Estate to shame, although a large part of that was due to the fact this one had staff to maintain it. She�d also never seen a Western-style mansion before and the way the builders had fashioned it seemed exotic and very ornate. There was so much more furniture to have to worry about, as well as more rugs, more drapes, more detailing. Both were quite beautiful, in their own way.

Ajuga was also ashamed to admit it, but had she seen this place as a cub, all of those ornate rugs, drapes and decorations would have ended up as shredded toys� especially the ones with the tassels.

Showering took some time. Fur and feathers took longer to wash and dry than bare skin and neither of them wanted to leave trails of water in their wake. A blow dryer that Diaemus found in the cabinet under the bathroom sink helped, but the lingering steam and the dryer�s hot air resulted in a kind of fluffiness that no amount of brushing her fur or patting down Diaemus� feathers could subdue. In the end, they gave up and emerged from the room to face the jeers that no doubt awaited them. She just hoped that food would accompany the mockery. It didn�t take them long to reach the dining room, since the layout of the mansion was much different from the maze-like Ukitake Estate. Everyone was there but Szayel and Nemu.

�Holy hell, what happened to you two?� she heard Hana snicker, trying to cover her mouth with her hand to quench it and failing. �You both look like you stuck a claw into an electrical socket!�

�Blow dryer,� Ajuga answered, moving towards the table. �Do you have any idea how hard it is to wash this much fur? I think I am shedding too, losing my winter coat,� she mused, looking down at her legs. Her tail curled up, resembling nothing more than a white bristle-brush and she looked at it irritably.

�Parts of you do look more like a Persian than a panther, your Majesty. It will settle down eventually. I�m�familiar with such struggles� or I was, when I was younger.�

The softly spoken, diplomatic observation, as well as the use of her formal title drew Ajuga�s attention to Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, sitting at the table a few place settings down from her uncle Ryuuken and her Aunt Yuzu. Abarai Renji sat next to her, filling another plate to place before his mate. The hybrid girl took in the woman�s long, wavy turquoise hair, generous curves and gleaming eyes, and wondered if she was referring to the tresses spilling from beneath her mask or something else.

�So that�s what she looks like! Wow, she�s pretty� and she certainly has Renji wrapped around her finger. Vindula-chan has some competition now.�

The pregnant ex-Espada flushed as Renji returned to his seat, smiling happily at him as he moved his chair closer. The redhead appeared thrilled with the idea of fatherhood, with getting to spend real time with Nel and seemed hell bent on making up for the time he�d missed since she�d found out she was carrying his offspring.

�That�s good to know,� she replied and for some reason, she was glad Nel was there, with the rest of the Escapees. Her name and face weren�t on any of the �Wanted� posters and the girl wondered if Aizen knew one of his creations had gone rogue on him. Ajuga suspected that she�d very much like the other female if she had a chance to talk with her privately. There was something about her that reminded Ajuga of Harribel and it wasn�t that the two women had occupied the same ranking.

Her father and uncle immediately glanced Ajuga�s way and she had a feeling that she still looked awful, despite her shower, by the way both men�s eyes narrowed. Odd that she had met her uncle only briefly so far, and yet he�d become surprisingly protective. Her father�s eyes slid from her to land on Diaemus and his look got darker. She hadn�t realized how close they had been standing until just now, but she refused to let her Papa intimidate her into moving away from him. In fact, Diaemus rested a hand on her shoulder and met her father�s gaze evenly.

�Good evening, Ajuga-chan, Diaemus-kun, please sit down so we can eat,� Yuzu ordered with a wide smile.

�Thank you, Oba-chan.� Ajuga bowed slightly to her aunt.

�It�s so nice to have you all here for dinner. Will you be joining us from now on Renji-san, Nel-chan?� Yuzu asked the couple, whom Ajuga suspected had their hands clasped below the table.

�Of course, Yuzu-chan! We�re sorry about the denning up, but we needed the time together,� Nel explained and smiled sweetly at her hostess. Ajuga�s nose informed her that the two had done almost nothing over the last seventy-two hours but partake of one another, with breaks for the application of soap, water and food. Anyone who was stupid enough to miss the fact that they belonged together deserved to get their tail kicked into the next prefecture.

�I understand and it�s no problem,� Yuzu assured her, taking in the two of them a bit wistfully.

�Is Nemu-san dragging Szay out of whatever basement he crawled into?� Ajuga asked, taking her seat at the table across from her father, Diaemus sitting down beside her.

�I doubt she could,� Renji snorted. �Don�t worry, we�ll bring them something to eat after dinner and I am sure Nemu will see to it that he doesn�t work himself to death. I�ve seen him work for longer stretches than this.�

Nemu was good at doing that. She had taken care of the Espada for the last fifteen years after all and knew how to get him to pay attention to his health. Of course, unlike most of his other projects, this one had a hard, unforgiving deadline. Karin�s Claim would not last forever, and unless Nel or Grimmjow picked it up, he would quickly regress back into a child and be of little help to them. As there was no one else who stood a chance of deciphering Kisuke�s notes, they had to keep Szayel as a fully reasoning adult if they were to succeed.

�Actually, Nemu is dragging him out of the lab as we speak and they should be here soon.� Yoruichi appeared in the doorway, easily taking the chair next to Hachi and stifling a yawn. �Now that Ajuga and Diaemus can breathe a little, and you two have surfaced, we can finally go over everything I learned and get planning. So let�s start with the checklist. Hachi and Hana are making excellent headway with the shield needed to keep the poor Plus souls from frying once we get the party started. Aizen has lost quite a bit of power, thanks to Ajuga. Speaking of which, how goes the balancing act?�

�It�s awful,� Ajuga grimaced, her ears going flat against her head. Her miserable expression earned her worried looks from everyone at the table. �It just� it hurts, because it�s been left to fester for so long. I move one thing, another piece shifts the wrong way, I have to go after that piece to get it back into the right place� and all the while, it feels like someone�s peeling my skin off and clawing me. I finally got it to where I can let it go for a little while. Nothing�s moving right now, but it won�t stay that way until it�s fixed entirely.�

Diaemus put his arm around her shoulders and she gratefully leaned into it, for both the pain mitigation it provided as well as the sympathy. Her Papa bristled a bit, but a tandem-warning glare from her Uncle Ichigo and her Aunt Rukia had him hunched back in his seat.

Szayel and Nemu arrived before she could say more. If Ajuga thought she and Diaemus looked bad, they had nothing on the cloud hanging over Szayel�s head. The Espada hadn�t slept at all, probably since the last night of the forced march. The heavy, dark circles under his eyes, visible through his cracked glasses didn�t help matters.

�Oh, Szayel-san,� Yuzu sighed, looking at him. �Sit down and eat. Afterwards, you and your mate will break for a nap.�

For a moment it almost looked like he was going to protest, but Yuzu just smiled at him and tapped the spoon in her hand ominously against her plate, serving herself some steamed vegetables and making her point at the same time. All of the men, even the giant Kenpachi, slowly leaned away from the table.

�I will do that,� he promised meekly, all but collapsing into a chair.

�I knew you would see reason.� Yuzu beamed at him, the shadow of promised violence evaporating. �As you were saying, Ajuga-chan?�

�They are not perfectly balanced yet, but they are not about to collapse either. The Realms should hold for now and I can focus on other things, like trying to find Mama and the twins to make sure they�re safe.�

Szayel glanced at her hopefully, before Yoruichi took over once more.

�I had a lovely visit with some select Espada on my latest trip. Aizen is holding Karin at the Palace. Gin managed to get that much out to Starrk�s household, but Aizen is cloaking her presence with his Zanpakuto. He�s also holding the twins there, but so far, they seem to be fine. Jushiro told me that he saw both Vindula and Abisara yesterday. Vindula visited him before I arrived and he reported she was as cheerful as ever, if a little sad. He saw Abisara as he was returning to the Palace with Unohana. Jushiro thinks he is working with the 4^th Division�s Taichou, something about assisting with monitoring the pregnant women.�

�Pregnant women?� Hachi asked curiously.

�It�s a plague, I tell you,� Szayel perked up, but only slightly. �Before we left for the North, we had twenty-one confirmed pregnancies, all with varying due dates. So far we believe that the population has adjusted to the higher reiatsu levels of their Arrancar Claim holders, and on top of that, it would seem that our population�s mixed couples have much higher rates of fertility than couples that consist of two Shinigami and two Arrancar.�

�Well, that explains how you managed to knock Nel-chan up in only a half dozen times,� Hiyori told a flustered Renji before she gave him a wide grin with more fang than Ajuga thought necessary. Her other aunt, Rukia, gave the pig-tailed Vizard a sharp frown before sighing and trying to get the conversation back on track.

�Alright, but the difference in reiatsu levels between Karin and Grimmjow is far greater than between these two. How did she get pregnant so fast?�

�Her Royal blood,� Yoruichi answered, taking a stuffed chicken breast from the serving dish in front of her and eyeing it critically, before taking another. �Obviously, those of Royal decent are often exceedingly powerful, and it would make continuing those bloodlines difficult if they couldn�t get their partners pregnant, or become pregnant themselves. Combine her increased Royal fertility with your theory of �opposites� attracting, and it should almost be more surprising she wasn�t pregnant the first night she shared Grimmjow�s bed.�

�We figured human blood was a factor as well, increasing it even further,� Szayel added, while Ichigo gave the other Espada a dirty look. �This is why Orihime conceived faster than the others. She was already acclimated to high levels of reiatsu, probably because she spent all that time in Hueco Mundo before the War and because she was around a number of high-powered Arrancar, specifically Ulquiorra Cifer.�

�How many of the Arrancar are pregnant?� Ryuuken interjected, before Szayel could get going on his favourite topic, even as exhausted as he was. Nemu poured her mate a glass of something that smelled as if the chef had sweetened it with honey or sugar and filled a plate for the worn out scientist.

�Five of the twenty-one women last I counted, but more may have emerged in our absence from the city. Harribel is one of them.�

The Quincy seemed to ponder this as he pushed a forkful of chicken and vegetables around his plate.

�So that will be four fewer Arrancar we need to worry over. Are any of the pregnant women due soon?�

�Only Soi Fon. Rangiku and Tatsuki�s due dates aren�t for several months, and do not think for a second that pregnancy would slow an Arrancar female down,� Szayel cautioned. �If anything, they get more aggressive towards outsiders, to deter others from coming near them.�

This was news to Ajuga and she warily regarded Nel from under her lashes. The former Third certainly didn�t look aggressive, if the way she cuddled up to Renji at the dinner table was any indication of her state of mind, but Harribel had mentioned never to take a pregnant Arrancar lightly.

�Tatsuki�s pregnant?� Ichigo sputtered, his fingers clutching his drinking glass.

�Yes, it was her pregnancy that suggested to us that humans were far more fertile than Shinigami. She informed me that she conceived almost immediately, once she and her mate stopped using protection,� Szayel replied.

�They planned for the child then,� Ryuuken commented. Yuzu, just as surprised as her older brother, reacted far differently, appearing overjoyed at the news.

�That is wonderful!� she gushed. �Who�s the father? Do I know him?�

�Tesra. The brat who used you as a mop after Nnoitra finished with you,� Grimmjow answered, looking at Ichigo as he did so.

�I see,� Ichigo�s expression grew angrier and Ajuga suddenly feared that the Quincy doctor would be picking shards of glass out of her uncle�s hands before the dessert course.

�Leave it. The kid�s got a good head on his shoulders. Besides, she asked him to Claim her. Woman�s got him wrapped so far around her finger he needs her hands to do anything,� Grimmjow chuckled. �And you heard him right. They planned for and wanted the upcoming cub.�

�It�s true,� Renji agreed, putting whatever fears her uncle had to rest. �I was in the room when they did the ultrasound to confirm it. She was beyond thrilled, and yeah, she�s got Tesra eating out of the palm of her hand. He�s like a puppy on a leash with her. Seriously, I have never seen anyone so devoted.�

Ichigo still looked unhappy, but he got over it quickly once his wife pinched him and gave him the same sort of look Ajuga had seen her mother give her father when she expected him to act like an adult. Yoruichi cleared her throat and steered the conversation in a safer direction.

�Soi Fon is going to co-ordinate everything with my contacts on the other side since she knows them and they know her. Starrk is confident that when we are ready to move, we will have he and Lilinette, Harribel and Ulquiorra on our side, especially once he tells the Fourth Espada that he and his mate are now of Royal blood, since Diaemus here said yes to Ajuga�s request.�

Diaemus blanched as he realized what that meant. If Aizen figured out what had happened, he would imprison Orihime and would probably have to kill Ulquiorra to take her into custody. Ajuga felt for Diaemus, understanding his fear better than anyone else in the room did, for she was already in that particular boat. Aizen already knew about her mother, but unlike Karin, Orihime had no defences that would work against the usurper if he chose to force himself on her.

�Aizen doesn�t know that Ajuga choose a Consort when she assumed the Throne, so we can count ourselves lucky,� Yoruichi said before moving forward with her report. �Starrk�s not certain what Barragan will do once things go down, at least not until one side or the other looks as if they�re going to come out on top, and as long as we get Nnoitra interested in a battle, he will stay out of the way.� Yoruichi announced.

�I can deal with him,� Kenpachi spoke up with a wide, somewhat crazy grin and patted the ragged-looking blade tucked into his belt. �I got that bug�s battle right here.�

�Yeah, he was fun to play with, wasn�t he Ken-chan?�

Yachiru�s bright smile made her adoptive father�s bloodthirsty statement seem even creepier.

�Damn right, and I bet he�s gotten stronger too,� Kenpachi agreed. �I hope he�ll put up a decent fight� would hate to get all riled up for nothin�.�

�What about Yammy?� Nel asked, before the Shinigami sitting next to her shifted in his chair and balled his fists on either side of his plate.

�He�s mine,� Renji growled resolutely. �I�ve a score to settle with that one.�

Nel looked as if she wanted to argue with him. Then she paused, before resignation clouded her lovely features. The former Third reached up and gently tucked a long strand of her mate�s hair out of the way so that she could whisper something in his ear. Ajuga saw him place his hand over hers.

�There are still the Numeros and those they have Claimed,� Hachi reminded them, tapping his fingers together before he picked up his roll and began to butter it.

�My contacts will set up several diversions, to spread out the Numeros and get them to investigate, but I don�t think it will be enough,� Yoruichi sighed. �The Shinigami will be the ones investigating. As Jushiro said, it�s almost a pity the Swarm no longer has any reason to remain,� Yoruichi sighed.

�Maybe not,� Hana spoke up and regarded Ajuga and Diaemus. �That General you keep running into, Zee, said the Swarm was just as worried about the balance of the Realms as we were, right?�

�Yes, he was pretty upset with me for not �sitting on the chair� as he called it. It was the only thing he seemed to care about, but after seeing the mess Aizen�s made...�

Ajuga broke eye contact with Hana, staring down at her empty plate and feeling a bit guilty. She�d tried to do the best she could with the Swarm�s Realm and if things were out of whack with the Realms belonging to the humans, the �heaven� governed by the Swarm�s Queen was in utter shambles, barely holding itself together. Zee�s rage at her, at her mother and at Aizen seemed justified, now that she knew the extent of the damage the General�s Realm had sustained. Her friend�s next words echoed Ajuga�s unhappy observations.

�As long as Aizen lives, there will be no peace. We already know the Swarm hates him and wants him dead. We also know the Swarm is keyed into and can recognize the Spirit King, or in this case, the Spirit Queen. I say we have a summit.�

�You propose that we contact the Swarm, and get them to attack the city one more time, on a date of our choosing,� Diaemus concluded, finishing off Hana�s proposal the way he usually did when the three of them worked out their plans.

�Exactly,� Hana said and grinned at her friends. �I bet we can even find a way to get them into the Seireitei so they can attack from the inside.�

Renji and Szayel sat up straighter and looked at one another, then at Nemu, who placidly ate her rice, but before either one of them could do more than gape at one another and open their mouths, Hiyori, who had remained silent and spent most of the meal eating and glaring hatefully at Hana for some odd reason, spoke up.

�Che, you are fucking retarded!� the pig-tailed Vizard snorted. �What are you going to do? Are ya going to find some dumb Locust that�s still fluttering around and go �buzz buzz� to its face and hope it understands?�

Hana favoured Hiyori with a disdainful sniff in response.

�They are of a Hive-mind, and they understand us just fine. We have communicated with them several times. But then, I guess someone with your limited intelligence is barely capable of conversation in the first place.�

Hiyori�s face went red in rage and Ajuga stared at her normally calm friend. It wasn�t like Hana to be so rude and aggressive. Obviously, something had happened between the two while she�d been busy and it hadn�t been good.

�There are those almost humanoid ones with the top knots, the ones who spoke with a rather buzzing accent,� Hachi pointed out, frowning at his newfound apprentice for rising to the bait. He then shot a warning look at Hiyori, who ignored her fellow Vizard.

�Those are the Generals,� Diaemus informed him.

�Zee is one of them,� Ajuga added, �and he doesn�t speak with the buzz. He�s also fast enough to escape Papa.�

Grimmjow made a face at the comparison and Ichigo seemed surprised at that, but otherwise said nothing, even though Rukia and Renji both looked as if they wanted to rib her father a bit over that revelation.

�Incapable of speech!� Hiyori screeched and jumped up, almost throwing her chair out of the way. She ignored Ajuga�s father and uncle and forced everyone to stare at her, afraid she was going to launch herself across the dinner table at Hana. �I�ll show you speech, you fucking traitorous bitch from��

�Sarugaki Hiyori!� Yuzu barked, the blonde woman standing up just as quickly and leaning forward to confront the Vizard. The entire table, save for her husband, jumped in their seats. �I have told you before to watch your language and respect the sanctity of my home. I will not tell you again. You can keep your temper in check, or you may leave. Please decide.�

Hiyori cringed and slowly sank back into her chair with a mumbled �yes Ishida-san�, while Ajuga�s aunt turned towards Hana, who hung her head.

�And you should know better than to throw an insult at the dinner table, Ise Hana.�

Yuzu frowned at the young Shinigami, who appeared immediately repentant. �I know your mother and I know she and Jushiro-san taught you better manners. You�re also a representative of your Division. Please act like the officer you are.�

�Sorry Yuzu-san. You are correct, it was unbecoming of me.� Hana apologized with a bow, before she sat down, doing a good job of not looking in Hiyori�s direction.

�So you can communicate with the Swarm?� Rukia inquired of her niece-by-marriage, leaning forward and bringing the conversation back on topic. The hybrid girl had never heard Kuchiki Byakuya speak, but she imagined that he must sound a great deal like his younger sister. There wasn�t much of a family resemblance, but her Aunt Rukia held herself in the same, authoritative way she�d seen Byakuya act when she�d stolen onto the Kuchiki Estate as a child for a visit or for a calligraphy lesson.

�Yes, Mama did it using Mushi, a Portal Scarab, so we know that the Swarm, while not being able to speak, can understand us just fine.�

�You have a pet Portal Scarab?� Yoruichi seemed very surprised about that and Ajuga shrugged.

�Mushi? Yeah, Papa and Starrk-ji brought her back after a mission,� Ajuga confessed. �They�re keeping her in a pen in one of the larger storage facilities.�

�Was a pain getting her back to the city too,� Grimmjow snarked before a wicked grin stretched across his face and he turned to look at her uncle and laughed, �Your sister makes for great bug bait� damn thing followed us all the way home!�

Ichigo scowled and cuffed her father on the back of his head to stop him from laughing, but all that accomplished was a �you hit like a girl� taunt and more sniggering, this time involving most of the rest of the table. Ryuuken was the sole exception; the Quincy kept working on his meal, letting the emotions of the others wash around him in the same way water would flow around a large rock dropped in the center of a river. Ajuga had no idea what made a Quincy different from other humans, but the first thing she�d noticed was that they didn�t seem equipped with a sense of humour.

�Let�s take it out back after dinner and we�ll just see who hits like a girl!� Ichigo snapped at her Papa, ignoring the thin-lipped looks his wife, Yoruichi and Hiyori sent his way as he challenged the Espada to a duel. She wasn�t certain if her uncle realized he was already hip-deep in the grave he was digging for himself, but he didn�t seem to care.

�Ha, you are on, Shinigami,� Grimmjow responded and gave her uncle a show of fang. �Just don�t whine like a baby when I kick your ass, again.�

�If anyone�s ass is going to be kicked, it�ll be yours!�

�He really hasn�t changed that much has he?� Renji asked Rukia, leaning over to see the petite Shinigami.

�Not as much as I would have liked and it isn�t for lack of trying,� her small aunt sighed. �Oi, Ichigo, are you going to eat that?� She didn�t wait for answer before she snitched a bite of broccoli from his plate with her chopsticks and gamely popped it in her mouth.

�Hey, that�s mine!� Ichigo rounded on his wife, who blinked up at her husband innocently with her big, indigo eyes.

�That looks like fun!� Grimmjow grinned and plucked a piece of chicken off of Ichigo�s plate as well.

�What the hell!� her uncle shouted, finding himself beset by sneak thieves on both sides.

�Well, you seem to be doing more growling than eating,� Rukia declared and grabbed a bit of rice before Ajuga�s uncle could pull his plate out of range of her chopsticks, only to have Grimmjow help himself to another piece of chicken.

�Yoruichi-san?�

The Shihoin heir, finishing off her vegetables, turned her golden gaze on Diaemus as he addressed her. Ajuga realized that she was still very hungry and that somehow, food had materialized on her plate while she�d been engrossed in the various conversations around the table. Diaemus had a fork poised in his hand, leaning over his half-devoured meal and figured he�d obtained dinner for the both of them.

Ajuga knew she had to be truly tired if she couldn�t remember to eat, but Hana�s idea of using the Swarm dogged her and while the older members of her extended family and her father bickered, she considered its merits. She really didn�t want to deal with Zee or his troops. The girl had seen more than enough of the General during her captivity. If she did what she was supposed to do and fixed the Realms, maybe she could get him to agree to one last raid on the Seireitei, but doing so was a long shot. She had no idea how to contact him either, or get his attention and the usual method, bleeding, didn�t appeal to her much.

�Yes?�

�This Consort bond� it is breakable, right?� he inquired and for some reason, his question rankled Ajuga.

�Death is your only way out,� Yoruichi told him and took a large bite from what had to be her third dinner roll.

�I see. That�s something to think about.� Diaemus sighed.

�Why?� Ajuga asked him suspiciously.

�I am trying to decide if death is preferable to being related to your family,� he commented.

She felt her eye twitch, although she wasn�t certain if it was because of his comment, the fact she was starting to agree with him, or the state of her besieged uncle as he tried to fend off his wife, brother-in-law, and now Yachiru too, from stealing food from his plate, an endeavour seemingly doomed to failure.

�Papa, you know what Mama�s going to do to you when she finds out you behaved like a child at the dinner table,� Ajuga reminded him. Grimmjow froze as a look of mortification and terror descended on the Espada. Rukia laughed at his change in expression and Yuzu finally reined in Yachiru with an offer of dessert.

�You are whipped, aren�t you?� Ichigo asked, before yelping as his wife discreetly smacked his knuckles with the flat of her butter knife and made the assault look elegant.

�Yup, she�s definitely Bya-san�s little sister,� Ajuga decided, picking up her chopsticks and tending to the gaping hole that had formed in her stomach over the last few days.

The motley group spent the rest of the meal discussing the news that Yoruichi had brought back yesterday, but there wasn�t much that they could do until she made another foray into the Soul Society. Szayel hadn�t managed to learn anything truly useful yet and that was the real brake on any progress. Urahara Kisuke�s salvaged notes were, according to the frustrated Espada, �an unorganized disaster.� If the late exiled Taichou had used any kind of filing system, it had died with him or hadn�t existed in the first place. Ajuga had no idea what a �pile of inky foolscap scrawled with the stream-of-consciousness ravings of a loon too in love with abbreviations to know what was good for him� looked like, but Szayel had apparently been trying to wade through it since he�d arrived.

One thing Ajuga couldn�t ignore was whatever was going on between Hana and Hiyori. Despite Yuzu�s warning, the two took to sniping at each other every chance they got. It wasn�t like Hana to act like that. Upon closer inspection, she noticed how tired Hana seemed, fuelling her crankiness. Evidently, Szayel wasn�t the only one hard at work.

�What has she been up to while I was busy?� Ajuga wondered and she grew concerned for her friend. �What has that massive Vizard been teaching her? Is making a barrier that much work?�

When her aunt Yuzu rose, disappeared and returned from the kitchen with a tray of small cakes covered in fresh strawberries, Renji finally spoke up and said that he and Nel had an announcement. Grimmjow immediately interrupted the redhead and dryly asked something along the lines of �let me guess, you�re having a baby,� before Nel had given her father a cool look. Ajuga swore that her Papa began calculating the distance from his chair to the door to the butler�s pantry, when Renji looked at his mate and informed the table that he and Nel would be getting married as soon as they could. That led to a lot of �congratulations� around the table and a few toasts, with Nel flushing prettily as her mate pressed a kiss to her cheek. To Ajuga it seemed like a waste of time. They were obviously mated, but this was a Shinigami thing, so she nodded along with the rest and tried to wheedle whatever chicken was left from her Aunt Yuzu in lieu of sweets.

After dinner, two of the staff members entered to clear the table, prompting an evacuation of the dining room. Ajuga had never had servants of any kind; everyone had taken turns at washing dishes at the Estate, save for Starrk and he was only excused because he had a tendency to fall asleep at the sink. It felt strange to leave the work for someone else to do, but at the moment, Ajuga was tired enough to let Diaemus grab her elbow and drag her away. The lot of them followed Ryuuken down a flight of stairs concealed by a door that appeared to be part of one of the hallway walls. Those led to a large, shielded training room somewhere under the mansion. The only ones missing were Szayel and Nemu. The Espada�s mate had ushered the flagging Espada upstairs to their room to obey Yuzu�s order to sleep. Hachi finally finished healing her uncle and her father of the remainder of their bruises and cuts, but gave them a stern warning about going too far with their bout.

�No Resurreccións and no masks. The shielding on this room is not as strong as you might believe and I will not allow Ushōda-san to waste his energy making it so,� Ryuuken cautioned sternly. �Break anything, and you will be the ones doing the repair work.�

Both men looked at him in annoyance, but reluctantly agreed on the principle that it was his house and therefore he could set the rules, and neither man wanted to pull an arrow out of his body.

�Ready for another round, Shinigami?� Grimmjow taunted.

Her uncle sneered in return.

�Faugh! You�re just upset that I can kick your ass with my eyes closed!�

�Get him Ichi-chan!� Yachiru cheered happily, waving her small hands at him.

�I get to take on the winner!� Kenpachi called out after his daughter.

�Ready?�

Renji asked Ichigo this, acting as the �start-man� for the match.

Ichigo nodded and adjusted his grip on Zangetsu�s hilt.

�Are you ready?� Renji asked Grimmjow, who showed nearly all of his teeth while he looked his opponent up and down.

�Bring it, wuss!�

�Fight!� Renji shouted, leaping backwards and using Shunpo to land next to Nel, pulling his future wife into a tight hug as they settled at a safe distance to watch the fight.

It started with a bang and the violence only went up from there. The two men went at each other, increasing their speeds with each minute, until their movements appeared blurred. Most of the cheering came from Kenpachi and Yachiru, but Nel, Rukia and Renji threw in some shouted encouragement, as did Ajuga and Hana. Yoruichi spent her time critiquing their techniques, while labelling their speeds �absolutely pathetic, the work of rank amateurs and Academy dropouts.�

�Damn it Yoruichi, I know how to fight!� Ichigo shouted back at her, diverting his attention from the battle for a fraction of a second. He brought Zangetsu down in a diagonal movement aimed at Grimmjow�s midsection at the same time the Espada brought Pantera up to block it�

It was a second that ended in disaster.

Everyone stared in shock as Grimmjow�s reiatsu suddenly plunged to nothing in the blink of an eye. Pantera fell from the Arrancar�s nerveless fingers, clattering across the floor. Zangetsu connected squarely with the Sixth�s torso, sending a scarlet fountain spraying across the room�s white tiles.

Absolute silence fell on the chamber, only broken a few seconds later when Ichigo cried, �What happened?� His hand froze on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, not daring to withdraw it lest he make the bleeding worse. �Grimmjow! GRIMMJOW!�

His rival didn�t, or couldn�t, answer. The Sixth was completely unresponsive, even as blood continued to gush from the wound to pool around the two combatants. Ajuga stared at her father in horror, too stunned to shriek. She had never seen him injured and no one seemed to have any idea as to what had just occurred.

�SHIT!� Ichigo cursed, grabbed the catatonic Espada with his free arm before he could hit the ground and shunpo�ed them to Hachi�s side. The Vizard, already chanting, surrounded the damaged Arrancar within a golden box that looked suspiciously like the shield that Diaemus� mother used to �reject� things like broken bones and deep cuts, after Ajuga�s uncle extracted his blade. Ajuga scampered towards them, intent on getting to her father, only to have Diaemus pull her back when Ryuuken strode over to survey the damage.

Confusion ensued among the rest of them. The blow should have been easy to dodge or deflect and yet Grimmjow had stood there and taken it. Ichigo�s Zanpakuto had dug deeply into his side, severing muscle but not quite going deep enough to hit any major organs. The hybrid girl had no idea why her father had gone limp, nor why he his reiatsu was almost nonexistent.

�Karin,� Nel breathed, her soft voice cutting through the rising clamour. �Oh no, no, no!�

�What about Karin? What does she have to do with this?�

Ichigo whirled around to face the only other Espada in the room as she pressed her hand to her lips in dismay. Renji tightened his arms around Nel and she looked as if she wanted to cry as she provided an explanation.

�She drained him, most likely in self-defence. It�s a reflex for a fully mated pair of Hollows,� Nel explained, and left it at that. She had no need to go further.

Ajuga�s legs suddenly felt as if they no longer wanted to keep her upright and she was only dimly aware of Hana shouting at her as she sank into a crouch, not wanting to believe it but unable to refute the evident that lay in a stupor behind Hachi�s healing shield.

Had it only been a few months ago that Harribel had told her of this, on the edge of that frozen lake? It was one thing to hear about such a frightening side effect of a mutual Claim, but to see it, to know that her mother had done this in a bid to save herself...

Somewhere above her Diaemus was speaking worriedly with a suddenly sober Yoruichi, while Hana shook her shoulder to get Ajuga to look at her. Meanwhile, the collective mood in the underground chamber plummeted from gleefulness into despair. There was only one reason why Karin would panic enough to drain her mate, and none of them wanted to say it aloud.

�We should tend to his wounds first. The rest can wait.�

Ryuuken seemed to be the only one still collected enough to make any sort of decision, which he proceeded to do. �Get him to bed. Hachi, I�d like your assistance upstairs, please. The rest of you should go about your business and leave us to tend to him. Crowding us won�t help. We�ll inform you when we�re done.�

No one thought to disobey the Quincy�s grim directive, and the collected refugees gave the two men the room they needed. Rukia immediately hauled Ajuga�s white-faced uncle away to wash the blood from him. Renji gently drew Nel back up the stairs, encouraging her to take an after-dinner walk with him. Kenpachi stared down at Grimmjow�s limp form, and then turned on his heel. He hoisted Yachiru onto his shoulder and then looked at Hiyori to indicate she should follow. For once, the skinny, mouthy woman did as ordered.

Ajuga wanted to stay put, to see if her father would be all right in the hands of these two men, but Diaemus, Hana and Yoruichi all got a grip on her and pulled her to her feet. The struggle was brief, as she was too tired to fend off all the three of them. She knew she wasn�t thinking clearly and that her body needed sleep, but as her two friends and her newfound mentor hustled her out of the training room, she decided that she would try to use the Throne�s powers to try to determine her mother�s state, as it was the only thing she could do under the circumstances.

�I�m the damned Spirit Queen and I still can�t help her. What good is this power if I can�t stop that bastard with it?�

.

�Yuzu-chan��

Ishida Ryuuken pulled on a pair of latex gloves and looked expectantly at his wife as he moved his patient�s jacket aside to reveal the full extent of the wound. Hachi�s barrier had put a �stop� on all of the bleeding, acting as a full-body tourniquet and it would be best to get this stitched up quickly. Thankfully, he was out, so there was no need to have to calculate a dose of anaesthesia. His young wife walked up to him with a medical kit in hand.

�Right here,� she declared as he removed his arms from the confines of the Kido wall, quickly passing him the first of the tools he would need, which were a bottle of disinfectant and several gauze pads. While everyone else had panicked, Yuzu had gone for the kit, and he gave her a brief, thankful look for keeping her head. She was the best assistant he had ever trained, a wonderful cook and could make an excellent cup of coffee as well.

�I could heal him,� Hachi declared, his fingers twitching as if ex-Kido Corps Fukutaichou wanted to make the hand signs and recite the spell.

The physician shook his silver head and regarded the Vizard through his lenses, before plunging his hands, the bottle and gauze back into the barrier to get started. The day that a sufficiently trained Quincy couldn�t waltz through a Shinigami�s Kido would be the day that Ryuuken ate the silver cross he kept at his wrist.

�No, save your energy. Just keep this thing up and let me proceed while you�ve suspended his biological processes. This is nothing that stitches, bandages, and a few nights of uninterrupted sleep won�t cure. He also has his regenerative abilities on which to fall back. Mark my words. This one will be cursing Kurosaki in the morning, with gusto.�

�He used to be much worse,� Yuzu interjected, and then regarded the unconscious Arrancar sadly. �I always knew he loved Karin-chan, but I never realized how much until now.�

Ryuuken set to work, cleaning, stitching and dressing the deep gash. When the physician finished, Hachi dissolved the Kido and made certain Grimmjow was breathing properly. Then he picked their patient up and took him back to his room, while the Quincy trod to the closest powder room and washed his hands after stripping the gloves, tossing them in the waste bin. He�d done what he could for Grimmjow�s body, but there was little he could do for what truly ailed the Hollow. It was unlikely that anything but Aizen�s death and Karin�s rescue would help the Arrancar�s soul and his reiatsu would have to come back on its own.

If anyone ought to know, it would be him. The loss of Katagiri, his first and truly only wife, still caused piercing chest pains at times and there were no words in any language strong enough to describe the agony of losing his son. He�d lost his parents and Masaki-chan and his current roster of questionably sane houseguests was the result of not wanting to fail the last of his former betrothed�s children. He�d done what he could for Ichigo and Yuzu, and Masaki�s granddaughter had certainly left him at a loss for words upon first meeting her.

The archer stared at his reflection, before reaching towards the wall and turning out the light and exiting the small room.

Only Karin remained as an unfulfilled obligation� and Ishida Ryuuken was a man of his word.

I am thoroughly pleased you all loved the last double update so much. Quick update here on my Lunch Break. As usual, huge hugs to those that took the time to review.

Next Chapter: I�ll leave it up to you to guess /shifty eyes looking towards the bunker.
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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