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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

Chapter List
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Tesra�s History

　

Tatsuki sighed in pure bliss as the wonderful treat slid down her throat. Trust Tesra to make the best tasting homemade ice cream ever. Across from her, Rangiku looked ready to melt into the floor in happiness. The only one who didn�t seem to appreciate the desert was Nnoitra, who took two bites of his before passing it over to a rather ecstatic Rangiku.

The four of them getting together for dinner was becoming a regular occurrence. A small sparkle of life and good humour had returned to Rangiku�s eyes with the addition of some badly needed companionship and contact with the outside world. In addition, Nnoitra had begun to loosen his grip on the woman.

The permission to join them in their visit to Byakuya�s Estate was just the beginning. He took her out to dinner at least once a week now, and he wasn�t taking her to dives either. While the establishments they frequented weren�t exactly five-star restaurants, they did serve good food and good sake with a middle-of-the-road, cozy atmosphere.

So far, despite her own strong attitudes, Nnoitra didn�t seem to mind her at all and Tatsuki found herself growing somewhat comfortable around him. She was still a little wary, as he did have a bit of a temper, but there were always blatant warning signs of potential trouble when he got annoyed and Tesra could read him like a book.

They didn�t stay long after dessert and Tatsuki found herself walking home feeling as light as a feather. For the first time since she�d come to the Seireitei, she was at peace.

Tesra walked quietly beside her. They didn�t engage in small talk often, and she had never been a fan of needless babble to fill a void in conversation. It was a chilly night and she felt herself rubbing her arms.

Hesitantly, Tesra reached out and put his arm around her lightly, one could even say tentatively. Tatsuki smiled softly and leaned into his body, accepting the warmth he was silently offering.

It was funny. Not so long ago she would have busted anyone�s chops who thought she was weak and needed help, but she never got that vibe from him. She knew he would �offer his jacket� to anyone who might actually need it.

�I definitely chose right when I chose him,� she thought wistfully. �Who would have figured I would actually find someone I felt was right for me? Damn you Orihime-chan, you are right, I am starting to fall for him,� she thought ruefully.

While she was certain that she didn�t want kids yet, she knew if Tesra asked her to bear him children she would probably say yes. She had never been good with lovey-dovey words, but there had to be some way to let him know she accepted him without having to sift through and put together all of those awkward phrases that lovers supposedly told one another into something that didn�t sound sappy and mawkish.

She hardly noticed that they had arrived home, only coming back to reality when he removed his arm from her shoulders so she could get her shoes off. She settled onto the couch while he went into the kitchen to make their evening tea.

She grabbed one of the books from the side table and flipped it open, but she didn�t even stare at the page. Instead she was thinking.

She couldn�t deny it anymore. She had spent enough time with Tesra now to know she could see spending the rest of her life with him. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that Karin already had a child and that her best friend was expecting as well.

�I must be getting child envy. I wonder if Rangiku-chan feels the same way,� she mused, half amused, half annoyed, making a mental note to ask the older woman during their next gossip session.

There had been absolutely no pressure from Tesra to push the relationship any farther. He seemed more than happy to take what she was willing to give and never demanded more from her. In fact, each of his touches was always cautious, as if he was asking for permission to do so with each bit of personal contact.

And yet there were times she wished he would be a bit more forward. For once in her life she actually wanted to be the one wearing the skirt, which was a damn strange feeling. No, maybe that wasn�t it.

�Perhaps, for once, I have found someone I trust enough to take control of the situation,� she mused.

She nearly jumped in surprise at the clinking of a tea cup on the table before her. Had he already managed to make a full pot of tea or had she been wool-gathering for a while?

�I didn�t mean to startle you,� he apologised.

�Don�t worry about it,� she replied, smiling at him. He sat down on the other end of the couch and cradled a cup of his own tea.

Words were never Tatsuki�s strong point. She was more of a woman of action. So how to let him know she had fully accepted him? She dwelled on it for a moment, taking a sip of her tea.

She finally actually looked at the page she was supposed to be reading. It seemed she had grabbed one of those blasted romance novels Rangiku had loaned her and had flipped to one of the �juicy� scenes.

She sighed, rolled her eyes and dropped the book back onto the table. Seriously, why had she agreed to borrow such a thing? Then again, saying �no� to Rangiku wasn�t easy. The woman seemed starved for someone to talk about things like this with and she�d pressed the book on Tatsuki as she�d left the other day.

Her glare turned into one of contemplation as an idea came to her. There was a way she could let him know she was his without needing words, a way that was pure action. Feeling emboldened, she turned her gaze to him.

He was reading a book as well, cup of tea in hand and taking odd sips after turning a page. She wouldn�t say Tesra was devastatingly handsome, but he was definitely good-looking, far easier on the eyes and senses in her opinion than any of the other male Espada.

Besides, every �hot� guy she had ever known tended to be an arrogant ass. She could definitely see waking up to his face for a long time. And despite her adamant desire not to be a mother now, she couldn�t help but to think he would sire good- looking offspring.

�I�ve gone and lost my mind�� she thought, slightly amused and a little giddy��to be contemplating this.�

Her scrutiny seemed to draw his attention, because he put his book down and turned to face her, a look of confusion on his face.

�What is it?� he questioned.

�Nothing,� she smiled.

She crawled across the couch towards him. His own cup of tea quickly found the coffee table while his book hit the floor as she crawled into his lap to kiss him gently on the forehead just above his mask fragments.

She straddled his hips and started to pull down the zipper on his trench coat, brushing it aside to reveal his toned chest. Unlike the other Arrancar she had seen, Tesra didn�t have a hole. She always wondered why.

She traced her hands over his heart, where the majority of hollows had their holes. The flesh was smooth and toned.

�Why do you not have a hole?� she asked curiously.

His body stiffened beneath her and he turned his gaze to the side.

�Tesra?�

He didn�t answer right away, and when he did he hesitated, as if he wasn�t sure what her reaction to his answer might be.

�I am a Born Hollow,� he admitted reluctantly.

She looked at him shocked and then frowned.

�Oh. I thought that Born Hollows are pretty damn rare.�

�We are,� he agreed slowly.

�Well, that�s kind of cool,� she pronounced with a smirk.

He shot his gaze back to her in surprise.

�The fact I was never human does not bother you?�

�Why should it? I have long since discarded any thoughts of normalcy around here,� she said with a shrug of her shoulders. �Are you the only natural born one to be turned into an Arrancar?�

Tesra looked away, appearing to give that some thought.

�I don�t know,� he admitted. �I believe Ggio was also naturally born, but I am not sure.�

The name didn�t ring any bells. She might have recognized him if she saw him, but otherwise she had no idea who he was talking about.

�Shouldn�t being naturally born be a huge chick draw?� she asked. �I seem to remember someone mentioning something about the belief that Born Hollows are more fertile?�

�It does make one a larger target, which is one of the reasons I tend to hide it,� he admitted. �Even another male would be interested if only for the sake of holding onto me for any potential daughters,�

His was clearly getting uncomfortable with the conversation and Tatsuki debated on digging for more interesting information, since he seemed to be in a talkative mood, or letting the subject drop. She decided to change the subject.

�I remember you said something about being Nnoitra�s fraccion the moment you changed. What prompted you to choose to serve him?�

A look of brief pain crossed his face and again, he looked to the side. Tatsuki could have slapped herself. Apparently she had brought up another painful subject, which was strange because she had never seen such devotion as the one he had for his master.

�If you don�t want to talk about it, I understand,� she offered hastily.

He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms about her, pulling her fully into his grasp so she rested against his chest.

�I have never told anyone about it. The only one who knows my history is Nnoitra-sama,� he confessed.

�I would like to hear it if you are willing to share,� she whispered softly, almost afraid that if she spoke too loudly he would spook like a frightened hare.

�There is not much to say,� he confessed softly. �A stronger Adjuchas came along shortly after I was born and defeated my father, but didn�t quite have the strength to dominate my mother without both of them dying, or at least leaving each other too wounded to survive. She offered to submit to him so long as the Adjuchas agreed to spare my life. Since my father had just been defeated, their mating Claim hadn�t dispersed yet so he couldn�t fully Claim her. I think he agreed with the intent of biding his time.�

Tesra paused in the story and his grip tightened on her momentarily. She remained silent while he composed himself.

�My mother was no fool. She kept a sharp eye on him even as she submitted to him. He made no secret that the moment he could end my life he would. He came close. During a more difficult hunt, my Mother was heavily wounded.

�Unable to defend me and with the former Mating Claim more or less abolished, he started to hunt me down with the intent of ending my life so she would end up in heat again.�

Tatsuki nodded her head. Many animal species were similar; from bears to lions to rabbits. It still made her feel a bit sick to think a creature capable of rational thought could intentionally slaughter a child.

�He almost had me, but my Mother found some last inner strength and interrupted the attack, countering with one of her own. That attack killed her and it left him severely weakened.� Tesra finished saying this, his voice falling to a whisper.

They sat in silence for a moment and the arms holding her trembled slightly and held her tighter.

�He was furious and went after me again, rather to kill or Claim I don�t know. I did the only thing I could, I ran, and he chased. The wounds slowed him down enough that I was able to stay ahead, but I was losing strength fast and he was furious he had lost his chance at a mate.

�I tripped over a broken branch and he was on top of me before I could even begin to recover, pinning me down. He was screaming at me, but I was too terrified to understand what he was saying.

��Oh, what is this? Are you truly so weak you hunt runts for food?� �

�The other voice took us both by surprise. They were the first words I had ever heard Nnoitra-sama speak. Both of us looked up and there he was. I remember the conversation perfectly.

��What do you want?� he had snarled.

��I was looking for a good fight, but all I found was some weakling preying on a rat, you are hardly worth my time.� Nnoitra-sama had responded.

��Weakling? You are hardly larger than a rat yourself. Die!!�

�He dropped me and charged at Nnoitra-sama. I never saw the move that finished him, but I will always remember his howl of pain as he collapsed in a spray of blood. I was too terrified to move.

�Eventually Nnoitra-sama walked up to me. I remember cowering in terror, thinking my life was about to be extinguished, but the blow never came.

��Che, you�re not even worth eating. Eh? What the hell?� Nnoitra had questioned before picking me up by the scruff of my neck. �You smell different, rat.�

�He had paused to get my scent. I expected to die right after, but he tossed me to the ground instead. I bounced twice before landing on my chest.

��Natural born, never figured I would see one of your kind.� Nnoitra-sama said with an intrigued voice. �Your mother must be around here somewhere right?� he had demanded with a lecherous smirk.

�I was too terrified to speak and the pain of her loss was too new. He had demanded I answer and when all I could do was whimper under the pressure of his presence, he scoffed and started back tracking the trail of my run.

�After a moment I forced myself up and started stumbling back as well, following in his footsteps in an effort to get back to my mother�s body. I found him scowling over her corpse.

�He did something I never would have expected; he actually buried her body in the sand. When he was finished, he moved on without another word. Alone, I would perish in days, maybe even hours.

�He had killed the one who killed my mother, and even gave her a burial instead of consuming what was left of her body. I had nothing left and death was all that awaited me alone. When he started walking, I tumbled after. He never said anything about it, never tried to chase me away nor did he defend his kills from me. I haven�t stopped following him since,� he finished.

They sat in silence for some time as she absorbed the story. She had a hard time seeing Nnoitra as the kind of person who would avenge a child, let alone adopt one, but apparently that was exactly what had happened.

�I see. Well, I guess we both have one thing in common,� she said and smiled bitterly.

�What is that?� he asked.

�Both our parents were murdered by Hollows,� she answered.

He stared at her in shock, before shaking his head in disbelief.

She turned about in his lap and kissed him softly. There was the faintest trace of tears in his eyes from reliving what had to be a rather emotional event. She kissed them away and returned to her previous task of undressing him.

She let her hands play over his skin. After a moment he started to return the favour, working her own clothing off to reveal her skin. She felt a kind of desperation from him that she had never sensed before.

He stood up and she wrapped her legs around his waist to maintain her position in his arms. The tea was completely forgotten as he carried her to their bedroom and laid her down on the futon.

They discarded the rest of their clothing and tossed it haphazardly aside as they both sought to drown painful memories with the pleasure of each other�s company. His hands grasped her hips and her own shot down to cover his.

His eyes shot to hers in shock.

�I would like to look into your eyes, if you are willing to look into mine,� she offered softly. �I am no Arrancar, I don�t have a fraction of the power you do, but if you will have me, I am yours,� she whispered.

She removed her hands from his, leaving the choice to him.

�For the record though, I still don�t want kids anytime soon.�

He actually chuckled softly, and removed his hands from her hips.

�This is what you want?� he questioned.

�If it wasn�t I wouldn�t have offered,� she assured him.

�You know what you are offering me?� he questioned again.

�I know,� she assured him. �I cannot return the power you have, I am afraid, but that doesn�t seem to be stopping Orihime-chan and Ulquiorra,� she smirked at him. �And I understand the importance of keeping the Claim active,� she purred. �Not that I mind that in the least��

�It is customary to Claim each other when accepting a mate�s position,� he commented.

�No argument from me,� she smirked in anticipation.

He gave a nod of his head before positioning himself above her. She drew his head in for a kiss before spreading her legs in invitation. The kiss broke as he accepted the invitation and thrust into her, both with his body and his reiatsu.

It was different, so very different, seeing the lust and pleasure in his eyes as he took her. It was far more personal and she felt more than just her body flutter in pleasure as his very being invaded her body.

There was a frantic edge to their lovemaking this time. It was as if he was scared that if he let up for a second she would escape, leaving him alone once more. Even had he not confessed that she was his first and only partner, she would have known in this instant that another had never held this place with him.

She found herself screaming his name when their mutual climax came, even as he whispered hers softly in her ear. They lay on the sofa afterwards in a tangle of limbs, comfortable silence between them before both drifted off into a warm, pleasant sleep.

　

　

When Tatsuki woke up the next morning, it was to Tesra placing a tray full of food and a pot of tea before her. She looked up at him in surprise with a hint of pleasure. One would be a fool to say no to his cooking.

�Oh, thank you,� she said enthusiastically, sitting up and eagerly pulling the tray onto her lap. He settled down behind her, pulling her into his embrace so her back rested against his bare chest.

She felt a blush of embarrassment cross her face as he settled her more comfortably between his legs. She felt a little silly being the only one naked. Briefly she wondered if he was wearing anything under his hakama or if it was the only thing he had thrown on this morning to cook in.

�So, is this a Hollow Mating Tradition as well?� she questioned curiously.

�No,� he confessed. �Honestly, other than the exchange of Claims face to face, mating rituals change from sub-species to sub-species,� he explained before offering her a bit of omelette.

She accepted the bite of food, feeling slightly silly and giddy all at the same time. It definitely left her stomach doing odd little happy flip flops. She felt a blush coming on and she swore she could feel him giving the slightest hint of a smirk behind her.

She supposed she would let him accept this Victory; after all, it was very rare that he could get one on her.

�So, have the Arrancar started their own mating traditions yet?� she questioned once she had swallowed.

�Other than the basic one of taking our mates face-to-face, there seems to be a growing trend to take mates outside of our species,� he answered.

�Oh really?� she questioned.

�Yes,� he answered, feeding her another bite of food. �So far, it would appear that 100% of outside mating Claims seem to be with human females.�

She nearly choked on her food as she whipped her head around to face him in shock.

�What about Rangiku-chan and Nnoitra?� she asked between mouthfuls.

�I would love to see them as a mated couple, but they remain Claimed and Claimer,� he sighed sadly. �I almost forgot to mention, you are entitled to my name now, if you desire it,�

�Tatsuki Lindocruz,� she tried. �I like it,� she admitted with a soft smile. �It kind of just rolls off the tongue.�

�There is one other thing,� he said slowly, sounding a little apprehensive. �Matsumoto-san is rather familiar with human customs. When she heard about our relationship, she dragged me aside and gave me a rather long and detailed lecture on human customs. The other day, with Nnoitra-sama�s permission, she took me to the marketplace� literally by the ear.�

Tatsuki felt her heart suddenly stop as she processed what she was saying.

�I honestly thought I would hold on to this a lot longer. I never expected that you would actually be the one to, what was the term Matsumoto-san used�� he faltered.

�Propose,� she provided, feeling rather short of breath.

�Yes, that is the word. In any case, she suggested I get one of these at least,� he said, moving one of the napkins aside to reveal the very simple gold ring. �The ones Matsumoto-san tried to convince me you would like were rather garish and would just catch on things while fighting.�

He was rambling, but she hardly noticed. Her eyes were on the simple, golden band on the table. Hesitantly, she picked it up. It was rather heavy, so heavy she half suspected it was intended for a man, not a woman.

Not even Karin or Orihime had rings. In fact, Orihime had JUST been informed she was entitled to Ulquiorra�s name and as far as she knew Grimmjow had never told Karin about that little fact. Granted, neither Ulquiorra nor Grimmjow had anyone in their lives that would drill �human customs� into their head freely the way Rangiku clearly did for Tesra.

Tatsuki suspected that even if they did, Ulquiorra would disregard it as irrelevant and Grimmjow was too proud of his race to worry about following any human customs he deemed inconvenient or bothersome. Still, maybe she should talk to them both the way Rangiku clearly had talked to Tesra.

Slowly, she reached down and grasped his hand, bringing it up and setting the ring in it. She felt him stiffen behind her.

�Please, if you would, it is tradition for the man to put it on,� she said with a rather shaky voice.

She felt him relax behind her as she offered him the right hand.

�I would be pleased,� he whispered softly.

She watched in a rather surreal state as he slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Somehow, the simple, golden band looked perfect, as if it had always been intended for her hand.

�Did you get one for yourself?� she asked.

She felt him nod and he pulled out the identical, if slightly larger, ring.

�May I?� she questioned.

He deposited it in her hand and she returned the favour, slipping it over his fourth finger.

She fought back tears of joy before setting the tray to the side, turning about and throwing herself into his arms, their meal completely forgotten as she just held him tightly.

�Damn you Orihime-chan, damn you for seeing it from the bloody start,� she cursed half-heartedly. �And thank you too, Rangiku-chan,� she added.

　

　

I am so pleased everyone got a strong emotional reaction to the last chapter, hopefully this one pulled a few heartstrings as well. This is another one of those chapters that just kind of worked it�s way in. As I was studying pictures of Tesra I realized that yeah, he has no hole. In his reserreccion he is pretty much naked and there is no sign of a hole anywhere, so I decided to make him true born.

Next chapter will be a bit of a time skip. I need to get Ajuga older, Orihime�s kid born, and a bunch of other things need to get done before everything comes to a conclusion. Seeing as how this story is currently on page 1055 with no end still in sight, I do feel the need to push things forwards or this is never going to end, lol. Perhaps, once the full thing is finished and posted, I might take the time to add some more flushing, but this monster is almost looking to be 200 chapters as it is, if not more.

/love you all and hopefully see you next week. I also hope to have another chapter of the real king done soon, but no promises. I also got to write up a one shot as a reward for a contest on Deviant Art so I got to get working on that as well.
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Prize of Victory