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Prize of Victory	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 87205 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 8
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2^nd Division

　

When it was clear Jushiro-san was going to be out of commission for a while, Karin knew someone was going to have to step up to lead the 2^nd Division. If her estimate was correct, the Taichou would require at least a month of hospitalization, if not more, before he would be able to go back to the Estate to finish recuperating.

As it stood, the Division was currently minus several seated officers, including a Fukutaichou. At first she had suggested Nanao move over since their Division was one of the most stable and use to following Karin, but Nanao had declined and pointed out that Karin would be the better option.

Their Division had come a long way with Karin�s training and the 2^nd could definitely benefit from it. With so few seated officers, the 2^nd Division�s training regimen was strained, and in wartime, combat and strategy training were essential.

Karin had mulled the problem over while sitting beside Jushiro-san�s bed while the girls remained by his side working on their Kanji. Hana�s was a right royal mess, but Ajuga�s was coming along rather beautifully.

She had no doubt she could get the 2^nd Division into shape, but only as long as they listened and respected her. Some knew her from the Kido lessons she had participated in years ago, but other than that she had no well-known Shinigami to back her like she had going into the 5^th.

She needed a strong second, someone who knew how to actually run a Division. The administrative stuff could only be ignored so long, and looking over at the pale, still-unconscious and fragile seeming Jushiro, Karin knew it would be months before he could return at full power.

The problem was, there were only two people she really knew not assigned to a Division already that could possibly help her. One was Rangiku, the other Byakuya. Both had Masters that she doubted would be willing to give up their pets.

She had approached Nnoitra and Rangiku first, figuring if anyone would be willing to let their �pet� join a Division, it would be the Fifth Espada. Surprisingly, it had been Rangiku who had declined the offer, saying administrative work was really not her forté. But, if Karin couldn�t find anyone she would at least try and help when time permitted.

With Rangiku out of the running, Karin spent two days debating how to approach Yammy before giving up and deciding it was best to go one up. With that, she marched determinedly over to Aizen�s office.

The door was wide open like last time, almost inviting her in. The moment her eyes fell upon him she found her nails digging into her palms as anger unexpectedly tore through her. This was the son of a bitch who had not only massacred nearly everyone she had loved, but had also tortured Szayel to the point the scientist had tried to kill himself. The fear she once had when approaching him was replaced by a concentrated dose of rage.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before knocking politely on the side panel. She was far more level-headed than her nii-san. Charging in and challenging Kami would only get her and her friends either hurt or killed. Besides, she was here to solve a problem and losing her temper now would ensure that the issue she had to deal with would remain unresolved.

Aizen raised his gaze to meet her and offered her a smile.

�Karin-chan, this is a pleasant surprise! Please, come in and have a seat,� he said pleasantly as he gestured to the chair across from him.

She bowed, entered the room, and sat as directed while he set his brush aside and moved the document he had been working on out of the way.

�What can I do for you today?� he questioned as he took out a spare mug and poured her a cup of tea from the pot beside him.

�It is in regards to the 2^nd Division,� she answered, deciding to get right to the point.

�Ah. How is Jushiro doing? My wife reports his health was not very good.�

�He�s still unconscious and it�s apparent that if and when he wakes up, he�ll still be incredibly weak. He�s been ill for a very long time and he�s been pushing himself to handle too much with too little help. Even with the medicines from the Living World, all estimates indicate that it will be a good month before he should even think about getting out of bed and another after that before attempting anything remotely strenuous,� she replied sadly. �Getting him back into shape is going to take a very long time, perhaps months.�

Aizen took her verbal report, and leaned forward, folding his fingers as if in thought. He did not, however, break eye contact with her.

�I see. I take it you have come to a solution of sorts?�

She nodded her head and took a deep breath to steady herself before she spoke again.

�I talked it out with Nanao-Taichou, she talked to Toshiro-Taichou as well, and we came to the conclusion that I would be the best to move over temporarily. The 3^rd Division is still missing a lot of seated officers, including its Fukutaichou, and Unohana-Taichou is needed at the 4^th.�

�It sounds like you all have it worked out. Are you here to inform me of your decision?� he questioned.

�No, actually,� she bit her lip before steeling her back and daring to match his gaze with her own, �I am here to request that you order Yammy to let me have Byakuya-san�s assistance.�

Aizen raised an eyebrow at that and she swore that his mouth quirked upwards in a smile, as if the idea entertained him immensely. For some reason that irritated her all the more and that small indignant spark helped her find the resolve to make him listen to her.

�The 2^nd Division�s troops don�t know me and I have had very little time to learn the administrative aspect of running a Shinigami Division. I asked Rangiku-san first, but she declined, saying she was not a good choice for such an undertaking. Byakuya-san is the only other person I know who has the experience and ability to handle the administrative end,� she concluded.

She hadn�t broken eye contact once during her little speech, letting him know how serious she was.

�It could be two or more months before Jushiro-Taichou is able to return to the field and that is too long to leave a team leaderless,� she pressed. �That�s especially true now.�

Aizen leaned back into his chair and broke the eye contact as he took a sip of his tea as if considering her request. Karin had to hold back a sigh of relief. Gazing into his eyes left one deeply unnerved, if not sweating anxiously. She took a sip of her own tea to help ease her nerves.

�I made it clear that those with pets could do with them as they please and that I would not interfere with their nature,� he finally spoke.

�I think the defence of this city and the proper running of its military force is more important than a little bit of bruised pride,� she countered crisply.

�Indeed,� he agreed, taking another sip of his tea. �Is there a reason you wish Byakuya instead of Soi Fon?� he questioned.

�Who?� she asked, pleased that she didn�t need to feign the confusion in her voice. �Byakuya-san is the only former Taichou that I am familiar with that is not already attached to a Division. I believe we can work effectively together.�

�I will speak to Yammy about it. Is there anything else?� he questioned.

Karin bit her lip, but in the end her inherent Kurosaki need to right wrongs and avenge the weak overpowered her better judgment to keep her mouth shut about the other issue that was killing her.

�I would be happy if you could find less violent ways to punish Szayel-san,� she stated.

She felt his reiatsu rise dangerously and the look of amusement on his face temporarily darkened. Karin felt her chest tighten with fear, but she stubbornly pushed it aside in favour of pressing her case.

�It is an inconvenience to have to find a new babysitter for Ajuga-chan and Hana-chan every time I need to stitch him back together. If you do not interfere with other Claims, why do you interfere with this one?� she challenged him.

�A subordinate must be reminded of his place when he, or she,� Aizen added in an obvious threatening manner, �steps out of line.�

�I can understand that. Keeping that in mind, can you leave any punishments you may feel Szayel-san deserves to my Mate? At least then we can be prepared for the emotional backlashes racing through the Claim, instead of it interrupting what we are doing,� she snapped in irritation.

She felt his anger morph into actual surprise at her request. Moments passed and then he truly smiled in unfeigned amusement as he caught on to what she was implying.

�Of course, I had forgotten about that feedback,� he murmured, almost to himself, a thoughtful look crossing his face. �I hadn�t considered that there might be some backlash.�

�At least he isn�t pissed,� she thought with relief, but he hadn�t exactly conceding to her request to leave Szayel alone.

�Anything else, Karin-chan?� he questioned in a deceptively mild voice.

�No,� she answered.

She wanted to push the issue, but felt that she had pushed him far enough. Aizen was not above harming her should the mood to do so strike him. Unlike her brother, she could tell when she was treading on thin ice.

�In that case, you are dismissed. I understand there is a lot of work to be done at the 2^nd, so I would suggest you get to it.�

�Of course, Aizen-kami,� she stood and bowed respectfully before retreating.

She made her way to her own Division first, making sure the training schedules were all up to date and leaving her orders with the third and fourth seats about the schedules before she and Nanao walked over to the 2^nd Division.

It wasn�t necessarily in chaos since Jushiro ran a pretty tight schedule and kept everything well organized, but there were small signs here and there that the situation would deteriorate without a steady had to keep the few seated officers from being utterly overwhelmed.

�Ise-Taichou, Karin-Fukutaicho, what can we do for you?� The Division�s fourth seat asked as they walked into the office.

�Karin is here to take over until Ukitake-Taichou can return to duty. You will assist her in any way you can,� Nanao ordered.

�Hai!� the man said and saluted.

�Good luck,� Nanao offered her. �Let me know if we can help out at all.�

�Thanks,� she returned.

Nanao walked out the door to return to her own Division while Karin turned her attention to the man.

�Have the entire Division gather in the main courtyard tomorrow morning, I wish to address them. For now, show me what you are doing.�

�Hai,� he said again and sat back down, grabbing several of the forms in one of two boxes on the desk and a brush.

Karin pulled up a chair beside him and listened while he explained the purpose of the forms he was working on. After about five minutes she desperately prayed Aizen would relent to her request, because if not, she had a feeling the resounding headache forming behind her eyes was going to become a permanent addition.

　

　

　

�Mama,� Ajuga chirped at her happily as Karin entered the hospital room.

To her pleasure Jushiro was fully awake, his bed positioned so he was in a semi-upright position with Hana and Ajuga on either side. She swore neither girl had left his side since he had been admitted.

Lilinette was currently absent and Starrk appeared to be sleeping in one of the room�s shabby-looking chairs.

�Hey brats! Hi Jushiro-san, good to see you are awake! Are you feeling any better?� Karin asked as she picked up his chart and glanced through it.

He gave his head a small nod and offered her a tired smile. She still insisted he not speak to give his lungs and throat a much-needed rest. The amount of blood they had to pump out and the damage she had seen in his X-rays had her beyond worried. For a while there she was scared they were going to lose him.

Pleased with what she saw in his charts she set them back into place before checking his IV. Until he was doing better he wouldn�t be permitted food or liquids other than what nutrition he could absorb via the IV drips until they were sure they wouldn�t have to put him under again. She bent down to check the collection bag secured to a small recessed drawer under the bed and made another note to have a nurse stop by to change out the bag for a fresh one in about an hour.

�You are definitely looking better. I was worried for a moment you might have caught hypothermia since we found you under a spray of ice cold water.�

�Look what we drew,� Ajuga held up her picture happily while Hana showed her own.

�Nicely done, dears,� Karin smiled at them.

�And look, the nurse let us hang some of them up to keep �take-ji happy,� Hana pointed to the pictures tapped haphazardly to the wall.

�Wonderful! How is your homework coming along?� Karin asked.

�It�s all done,� Hana pointed to the pile of papers.

Since both girls refused to leave Jushiro�s side, Hana�s sensei had been bringing the work to the girls. Apparently the moment the man had seen Ajuga�s kanji he had instantly found his second star pupil.

�Have you two eaten yet?� Karin asked.

�No,� both girls answered sheepishly.

�Starrk-san, I know you are awake. Would you please take the girls to the cafeteria to grab something to eat? I am afraid I need to talk shop with Jushiro-san,� she requested.

Starrk sighed and opened his eyes.

�You girls want to go to the taiyaki booth just down the street?� he asked, opening one eye.

�Yes,� both girls shouted at once and then Ajuga�s stomach had the temerity to gurgle with hunger.

Sighing, Starrk stood up and the two girls followed the First Espada out of the room. He did, thankfully, have the presence of mind to close the door on his way out, leaving the two of them alone.

Jushiro looked worriedly at her and Karin offered him a reassuring smile.

�We were not sure when you were going to wake up so between Toshiro, Nanao-san and I we sort of made some decisions for your Division.�

She saw him relax slightly at that.

�We decided I would take over for now since our Division is in the best shape. I talked to Aizen-kami about getting some administrative help from one of the other former Taichou and I think the conversation went well. At least�� she cast her eyes upwards, ��I think it went well. I mean, I�m still here to talk about it. Is there anything I should know about before I step in?� she asked.

He seemed to consider the question before writing several things out on his notepad. Karin read through his concerns, most of it reports that needed to be done as quickly as possible in order of importance, before confirming she had no questions.

A knock on the door startled them before it opened to admit a member from the 1^st division.

�My apologies for the intrusion, Ukitake-Taichou, Kurosaki-Fukutaichou, but I have two letters here for you from Aizen-kami.�

�Thank you,� Karin smiled as she accepted the letters.

The man bowed and left as quickly as he�d come. Karin returned to the bed and quickly read the one addressed to her with a smile before handing it to Jushiro so he could read it. Once done, his eyes darted up to her in surprise. The second letter was addressed to the Kuchiki elders.

�I do have a personal request,� Karin answered his unspoken question. �I love you Jushiro-san, like the father mine never really was...�

She swore there were tears threatening his eyes at that statement, ��so please don�t take this the wrong way, but if it takes just a little longer for you to recover, I don�t think anyone is going to object,� she smiled at him.

He laughed, and instantly regretted it as he started to cough. Karin moved in and rubbed his back soothingly until the hacking that shook his frame subsided.

�Hey, no killing yourself now,� she scolded. �I said take longer to recover, not get sicker. I think I know where Hana-chan gets her mischief from now, and it isn�t Lilinette-chan.�

He rumbled softly at that and shook his head. Karin helped him sit back comfortably again before noting the time and picking up his board to write down the vitals.

�You mean it? You think of me as a father figure?� he wrote out as she put his board away again.

�Of course,� she said, a little incredulously. �How could I not when you and Nanao-san have been here for me all this time. I honestly think Hana-chan and Ajuga-chan really do think you are their grandfather,� she replied with a laugh. �Well, you and Starrk-san both.�

He smiled happily at that.

�And I know,� Karin continued, �that if anything were to happen to me or Grimmjow, you and the others wouldn�t hesitate to take Ajuga-chan in as your own,�

She swore he blushed slightly as he gave a nod of his head in agreement.

�You should sleep some more. Get some rest before the rug rats come back. That, by the way, is an order.�

He chuckled as she lowered him back a little and tucked him in more firmly.

�No more pushing yourself,� she warned. �Do you mind the girls staying here?�

He shook his head in the definite negative.

�Their company is greatly appreciated,� he wrote out.

�Alright, then I am going to go deliver this letter. Rest well, Jushiro-san.�

He offered her a faint smile and closed his eyes, relaxing back into the warmth of his bed. Karin turned most of the lights off before retreating, heading to the Kuchiki Estate.

She wished Grimmjow wasn�t out on the field patrolling. She would have felt much better having him by her side when she went to confront Yammy. Just because she had a letter from Aizen-kami ordering him to give up his pet to her didn�t mean he was going to without a fight.

�I swear, this is that sick bastard�s way of punishing me for my little outburst earlier,� she grouched inwardly.

She stopped by at the Estate to dig out the old letter Byakuya had given her ages ago, the one inviting her onto his Estate at any time, so she wouldn�t have any potential problems with the guards before heading out.

She was met by two guards at the front gate as she handed her letter over to them. They read it before offering her a bow and inviting her in. A servant waited for her on the other side.

�Karin-san, how may I assist you today?� the woman asked politely.

�I need to speak to Byakuya-san and I have a letter for the Kuchiki elders from Aizen-kami,� she answered politely.

�Byakuya-sama is currently engaged with another endeavour. If you would please follow me I can direct you to the Grand Council.�

�Lead the way,� she agreed. �Engaged? I can see him alone near the back of the mansion,� she mused. �How long do you figure Byakuya-san will be?� she questioned.

�I am afraid I do not know,� her guide answered.

Karin followed the servant in silence for a while until they reached a rather impressive looking building. The woman knocked on the door and spoke quietly to the guards on the other side. The guards on this side eyed her dubiously, but otherwise remained still as statues.

�They will see you now,� her guide commented, stepping to the side and permitting her to enter the room.

There were several people sitting on rather expensive cushions, three on a raised platform and five to either side. She walked up to them and bowed politely.

�Dear Kami, half of these people look like they should have one, if not both, feet in the grave,� she couldn�t help but to think.

�You have a letter for us from Kami-sama?� the female elder in the centre of the raised platform spoke first.

�I do,� she held up the letter and walked up to the woman, holding it out.

The woman looked at her displeased with what was apparently a lapse in protocol and made no motion to take it. Karin was all for being polite, but she wasn�t up for playing noble games. She had better things to do than waste her valuable time playing with these fussy, geriatric snobs.

�You can take this letter and read it, or I will simply leave and tell Aizen-kami you were too good to take it,� Karin threatened. �I will not put up with this kind of crap from great-grandparents such as you,� she snapped irritably.

Several eyes widen in shock and a few gasps of outrage reached her ears. Karin could have cared less what they thought at the moment and proceeded to tell them so.

�I am not your kin; I am not even a Shinigami. I am Grimmjow-sama�s mate, one of Kami-sama�s elite warriors. As far as I am concerned, in this Hollow Conquered World, it is you who should be bowing to me,� she snapped.

�Mate?� one of the men from the left side of the room asked.

�Hollows take mates,� she retorted, turned her attention towards him. �As the mother of his heir, I am his mate,� she turned her attention back to the front. �Now, are you going to take this letter or not? I have other business to attend to.�

Finally the elder woman took the letter from her hand. Karin instantly turned about and made an attempt to march out.

�Oi,� several people rose their voice in protest and she gave them a dark look over her shoulder

�I told you, I. Am. Busy. Today. I am already aware of the contents of that letter and it does not concern me nearly as much as it concerns you. Now if you will excuse me, I have business with Kuchiki-sama.�

She faced them again, gave them a deep bow just to mock the lot of them, and turned on her heel. When she got to the door, rather than pushing on it, she used her sudden anger to kick the massive doors open with ease.

�Ah, Karin-san?� her escort cried in surprise as she stalked out of the audience chamber, before the woman stumbled after her, trying to catch up.

�I need to speak to Byakuya-san,� she said as she traced his reiatsu and started to march towards it.

To her displeasure she realized he had not only moved locations, but was no longer alone. Yammy was clearly with him.

�Well, at least I can talk to them both at the same time,� she sighed as she made her way through the house towards them.

�Wait, Karin-san, please!! They are not to be disturbed! Yammy-sama wishes to be left alone,� her escort cried frantically after her.

Many other guards tried to stop her, frantically begging her to stop. She ignored them, at least until she reached the last door separating her from her targets. She froze as the sound of water splashing was nearly drowned out by the sound of Yammy�s harsh, lustful moans.

Karin, to her dismay, also heard the sounds of someone in utter agony.

Shock was the first emotion she felt before rage quickly took over. Without wasting a second, Karin kicked the door open and stomped into the hot spring to the horrified cries of the others.

Unlike her though, they cowered outside of the spring. The sight that met her eyes burned its way into her unwilling brain and she clenched her fists until her knuckles were white and her hands shook.

At first all she could see was Yammy as he rutted against what appeared to be the edge of the pool; water splashing at his rough and quick movements. Quickly enough though she spotted Byakuya, pinned against the edge of the pool with his damp hair down and covering most of his face.

Yammy�s face was scrunched up in a disgusting parody of pleasure while what little she could see of Byakuya�s through his hair was clenched in obvious anguish. His hands dug into the sand around the pool trying to find purchase lest he be driven into the water to drown.

Her vision went from white to red as she witnessed firsthand the violence, a rape that not a single member of his family seemed to care enough about to try to stop.

�What the fuck?!!!� she roared, instantly gaining the attention of the two.

Yammy snapped his gaze to her with a snarl of anger while Byakuya�s startled eyes displayed horror and humiliation before he quickly forced masked calm upon his features, even if there was still signs of obvious pain.

�What in the hell you doing here, wench,� Yammy demanded, stopping his assault but not withdrawing from his victim.

�I have immediate orders from Kami-sama,� she snarled back, mouth twisted into a sneer.

�He can wait,� Yammy snarled. �Now get out while I finish with my precious Chicchai Hime,�

Yammy grabbed Byakuya�s chin and forced his head slightly to the side so he could lick up the side of Byakuya�s face. Karin felt her nails dig deeper into her palms, until she was sure the moisture there was drops of her own blood. She could see the look of clear disgust that cross Byakuya�s face as Yammy let his chin go. She knew that Byakuya had absolutely no desire to be beneath Yammy. The Claim was still shining brightly to her eyes, so she also knew this was not a simple case of reasserting dominance.

To her further horror, Yammy actually continued his rape right in front of her, as if she wasn�t even there. He let out a rather loud groan of pleasure that was clearly meant to antagonize her and humiliate his victim.

Karin knew things like this happened throughout the city. It was truly no different than a city in the Living realm, but she had never actually borne witness to it. Never had it truly been brought home to her like it was at this moment.

�Maybe you wish to join us,� Yammy suddenly smirked at her, not pausing in his violent trusts at all. �Maybe your eggs will be more receptive than the ones the Elders have been supplying. You graced that piece of trash Grimmjow with a child, after all.�

If there was a level of rage beyond blind fury, Karin arrived at it with those words. She was so incensed she couldn�t even see anymore. Like the time she fought Nnoitra, her vision went black. She had no memory of what occurred next

When her vision phased in again, she thought that only a minute or two must have passed. She was now standing in the hot spring, but with Yammy now standing before her. He had a several marks all over his body and her fist and feet were smarting. But that wasn�t what surprised her.

Yammy�s fist was several inches from her face, caught in the vice like grip of her mate, who was busy snarling in rage, wrath radiating from his bristling, Resurrection form.

As her senses slowly returned to her as she realized the hot spring had been utterly destroyed. Wooden splinters littered the soaked ground all about them and the rocks had all been shattered. She looked around and spotted Byakuya off to the side, a thin yukata pulled around his body and being tended to by a rather nervous attendant. That was about all the time she had to notice anything before she felt her legs give way beneath her. The wood, the rocks, the water and the observers to the destruction began to whirl around her, the images looking to her as if she were being sucked down a drain.

�Karin!� she heard Grimmjow cry out shortly before everything went black again.

This time when she came to she was resting in a bed at home. Karin blinked in confusion, wondering how she got there until she recalled what little she remembered of the incident. Her body ached slightly in a �used muscles� sort of way and she noticed her hand had been wrapped up, but other than feeling exhausted, she seemed to be fine.

She sat up slowly, wishing desperately that she could recall what happened. She could recall everything up to what she had witnessed, recalled a feeling of utter fury, and then nothing.

�What happened?� she questioned softly aloud.

�You went psycho bitch on that bastard,� Grimmjow answered as he entered the room.

She turned her attention his way, noticing that he seemed to be caught somewhere between trying to scowl at her in anger and smirking in pride. It left his face with a rather interesting look and before she could stop herself, she began laughing hysterically.

　

　

　

Probably the last update until after Christmas. So busy right now.
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Prize of Victory