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Prize of Victory	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 87207 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this snippet

Chapter List
- 76
- 77
- 78
Humiliations

　

Orihime entered Jushiro�s room to see Hana and Ajuga sitting at a small table in the corner, busily eating breakfast while the white-haired Shinigami sat up in bed watching them before her entrance drew his attention.

�Good morning,� she greeted him with a smile.

He nodded his head in greeting and held up one of the cardboard papers the girls had made for him with the kanji for �Good Morning� scrawled on it. Ajuga had taken her lessons to heart and before anyone could have a chance at stopping her, the girl had started making hold up signs for him so he wouldn�t have to write all the time.

�How are you feeling?� she asked warmly, coming up beside him.

�Well.�

�That�s good,� she held up a tray with a steaming cup that she had been carrying. �I spoke to Karin-chan and she said if you promise to drink it really slowly you can have a cup of mint tea. She said it should help soothe your throat.�

He looked at her in surprise before trying to sit up some more. Orihime set the bottle down and assisted him, mindful of the IV lines, before handing the cup over. He took it gingerly and cradled it in his hands before taking a small, slow sip.

It had been over a week since he had been permitted to consume anything other than the occasional sip of water. The tea did feel wonderful on his raw throat, but he found he only had they strength to drink about half of the cup.

�How much longer is Unohana-san going to keep you here?� Orihime asked.

�2 weeks.� He held up the two separate signs.

�And then �take-ji gets to come home and we can take care of him there!� Ajuga announced excitedly.

�You have both been doing such a good job of it too,� Orihime offered the beaming girls a warm smile.

�Ne, �hime-neechan, can�t you heal the damage?� Hana asked suddenly, looking at her squarely.

�I� I don�t really know,� she said and blinked in surprise. �Tuberculosis is different from an injury. See, an injury is damage done to you while tuberculosis is actually caused a bacteria. There are little bad things inside of Ukitake-san that are eating his lungs,� she explained.

�But, shouldn�t you be able to heal the damage the bacteria have already done, even if you can�t get rid of the bacteria themselves?� Hana questioned smartly.

Both adults looked at the girl in astonishment, as if she�d just announced that the sky had turned green.

�I� I might be able to,� Orihime admitted.

�Try it, try it!� Ajuga urged her excitedly.

Neither girl had ever gotten to see Orihime�s healing technique before.

�I suppose it wouldn�t hurt to try, if you are willing Ukitake-san,� Orihime looked at him.

He gave a firm nod of his head.

�Alright, here we go. Ayame, Shuno, Soten Kisshun,� she called.

The two fairies flew in a circle around her before flying over Jushiro. The golden healing shell fell about him while the two girls gasped in pleasant surprise.

�Amazing,� Hana whispered.

�It�s pretty,� Ajuga commented. �How does it feel �take-ji?� Ajuga asked.

Jushiro had never felt so light in his life as the calming, healing energies slowly penetrated his body and his damaged, scarred lungs. The pain in his chest weakened briefly before he found himself twisting to the side and puking up a large amount of red-tinted fluid.

All three women gasped and the shield faltered.

�It�s okay,� Ayame was quick to assure everyone.

�The dead tissue needs to come up,� Shuno added.

�Don�t stop,� Jushiro begged weakly shortly before throwing up some more red tainted mucus.

It was torturous to watch, but Orihime steeled herself and the shield glowed with renewed determination. Hana ducked out of the room to grab a nurse while Ajuga jumped up and down excitedly outside of the shield and called encouragement.

Finally, after several minutes of half-torture, half sunshine-like warmth, the last of the dead tissue was expelled from his mouth and all that was left was the soothing energy from the healing as strength trickled back into his body.

Unohana had arrived by this point, but Jushiro hardly noticed as he fell weakly back into the bed, completely drained.

�You can come in now,� Unohana ordered.

Two nurses stepped into the room, wheeling in a new bed and with a bit of work they managed to get him out of the now fluid-soaked bed and onto the new stretcher. Orihime and the girls briefly left while the nurses worked at getting him out of the bed, cleaned up, and into new clothing. They also moved him to a new room so that the one he�d occupied until now could be sanitized.

Once all the fuss was finally over they were permitted to move in again while the nurses retreated. Unohana remained as she checked over Jushiro.

�How is he?� Ajuga asked worriedly.

�Fine, he�s physically exhausted and he should get some rest,� Unohana said, smiling warmly at the girls. �What did you do Orihime-san?�

�It was Hana-chan�s idea,� she said and gestured towards the little girl. �She suggested that even if I couldn�t kill the bacteria, I could at least heal the damage the bacteria did over the years,� Orihime answered.

�I see. An interesting idea. It seems to have worked. However, we are going to keep the antibiotics going, to make sure we kill the bacteria. We don�t want them growing resistant by stopping that part of the treatment too early.�

Unohana turned to Ukitake, who lay back against the pillows and directed her next words at him. �With your newly healed body, your immune system should have a chance at tackling this properly and perhaps with the right treatment we might be able to finally defeat this thing,� Unohana said, as if to reassure him.

�I hope so,� Jushiro smiled back faintly and closed his eyes. He was extremely weak after having coughed up several mouthfuls of dead tissue and lots of fluid.

�Get some sleep. Can I trust you two girls to watch him?� Unohana asked Ajuga and Hana sweetly.

�Hai,� Both girls saluted the older woman, standing up straight.

The adults chuckled as the girls descended on him again, making sure he was comfortable and ordering him to sleep. He gave them a tired smile and let them tuck him all in over again before finally letting himself give in to his battle with exhaustion.

�Do you really think there is a chance we could cure his tuberculosis?� Orihime asked hopefully.

�I have looked at the information Karin-san gave me and as long as he doesn�t have MDR-TB we might be able to clear him up,� she answered truthfully. �But it takes anywhere from six to twenty-four months. I must say, the advances humans have made in the last hundred years or so in medicine astound me,� she confessed. �I had no idea any of these medications were available until Karin-san practically ordered the 4^th�s officers to get them for her in my absence.�

�What if he does have this MDR version?� Orihime asked softly. Unohana raised an eyebrow, but then gave the younger woman a comforting smile and a pat on the shoulder.

�Then I am afraid we may need Szayel-san�s help. According to Karin-san at that point we need to use what she called �Chemotherapy�.�

Orihime gasped in surprise before Unohana could continue.

�I take it you know what that treatment entails,� Unohana surmised.

�Yeah� It�s when you use radiation and lose all your hair, which would be sad because Jushiro-san has such beautiful hair. Maybe we could cut it off before hand and make a wig of it for him,� she said softly, so as not to wake the sleeping Shinigami. �It�s certainly long enough.�

Unohana blinked a little at Orihime�s meandering train of thought, especially when it wasn�t much of an explanation. Unohana put her finger to her lips, gave a glance at Jushiro and ushered Orihime out of the room, letting the door close behind them.

�I am afraid that we do not have such �radiation� equipment here and Szayel-san would have to build the machine from scratch. He seemed rather interested in it when Karin-san talked about it earlier.�

�I bet.�

�On another subject, while you are here Orihime-san and while we have a few moments of spare time, would you mind if I check how your pregnancy is progressing?�

�No, not at all,� Orihime said happily, resting a hand on her stomach, noting the small, growing bulge. �Has anyone else come forward yet?� she asked curiously.

�No, but strangely enough, Szayel-san has been pressing for the other Arrancar to be more �caring� towards their charges. We had a long talk when Karin found out she was expecting about what was and wasn�t healthy for a pregnant woman,� Unohana commented as she led Orihime to one of the many examination rooms. �Apparently, stress is an inhibiting factor when it comes to conceiving. The less stress, the better.�

Unlike Szayel�s lab, the 4th division didn�t have much in the way of diagnostic equipment. Almost everything was done with Kido. Apparently, using medical-based Kido had always been the preferred method of treating illnesses and injuries beyond the scope of basic first aid.

�Would you lie down please?� Unohana requested.

Orihime lay down and tried to get comfortable. Unohana�s warm hands touched her stomach and Orihime giggled softly as the energy penetrated her body before holding still for the older woman.

�How does it look?� she asked after a minute or so.

�Everything seems to be just fine and healthy,� Unohana reported as she let her spells die off.

�That�s good. I can�t wait for the baby to get here. Do you think it will look like Ulquiorra�s Resurrection the way Ajuga-chan looks sort of like Grimmjow-san�s?� she asked.

�Perhaps� Ajuga-chan is the first of her kind, so we really don�t have any idea about what the next child will look like.�

A knock on the door brought both women�s attention to the worried-looking nurse at the entrance.

�Excuse my intrusion Unohana-Taichou, but Grimmjow-sama is here with Karin-Fukutaichou and he demands to see you,� the nurse reported.

�What�s wrong?� Orihime asked wordily before Unohana could.

�He wouldn�t say. Karin-Fukutaichou appears to be unharmed, but she is clearly unconscious.�

�Oh dear,� Unohana sighed and helped a worried-looking Orihime up. �What in the world has she done to herself this time?�

　

　

To say Yammy was in a bad mood would be a severe understatement. But even though Byakuya knew he was probably going to be in a world of pain from Yammy�s �attentions�, not to mention the utter humiliation of being seen by Karin in such a way, he couldn�t help the little thrill of pleasure he had gotten out of watching her pound her fists into the Espada.

Her reiatsu had gone completely wild and while Yammy was a very powerful opponent, it was a power that was slow to build. She had gotten the jump on him and managed to kick him about a bit before he had time to react.

Once Yammy had gotten angry enough that his power had built to be on par with hers, Byakuya truthfully expected that she was going to be in a world of trouble, and there was nothing he could do about it but watch.

The destruction admittedly left him slightly stunned. In all of the years Yammy had been abusing him it was Karin, of all people, who came to his defence. His own family be damned; they had thrown him to the wolves and coated him in blood for good measure.

Byakuya clutched the yukata one of the attendants had thankfully draped over him to his body. His back, rear and stomach were killing him. He remained where he was until long after Grimmjow had suddenly appeared and retrieved Karin.

Yammy was clearly pissed and turned his attention back to him.

He shooed his attendant away before the poor man could be caught up in the coming storm. The servant hesitated for just a second before bowing and quickly leaving. Byakuya forced himself to stand up as Yammy marched up to him.

It was hard to do with his lower body in agony but he managed. He braced himself for the expected hit and wasn�t disappointed as Yammy�s rage-fuelled backhand clipped the side of his face.

In his mind he heard Senbonzakura scream in righteous anger and beg to be used against the brute that dare to hurt him. As much as his desires matched his Zanpakuto�s, Yammy own Claim-enforced orders prevented him from doing so.

�What does it say?� Yammy snarled, holding out the crumpled piece of paper Karin had dropped during the short round of combat.

Byakuya looked at it in surprise as he quickly read what it said, his eyes going wide in shock.

�Hime,� Yammy growled warningly.

Byakuya looked up at him in surprise, and once again lamented Yammy�s lack of intelligence. How was he supposed to read it to Yammy when he couldn�t speak, thanks to the idiot�s own orders years ago?

Yammy raised his hand again with the clear intent to hit him again. Byakuya quickly tapped his throat and Yammy paused, his fist halfway through the swing.

�Fuck. Of course�� he grunted irritably. �Oi, aide, get over here!�

One of the attendants that always hovered just out of sight approached them cautiously.

�Read that,� Yammy snapped, pointing at the letter in Byakuya�s hand

Byakuya duly turned the letter over to the servant. The aide took it gingerly and looked at it briefly before reading it aloud.

�By Kami-sama�s orders, Kuchiki Byakuya is to report to the 2^nd Division offices to assist with the administrative work in running the Division alongside Kurosaki Karin-Fukutaichou until such time that Ukitake Jushiro-Taichou is able to return to work,� the aide read, voice quavering a little as Yammy�s visage darkened with growing anger. Byakuya found he simply did not care at that moment what the brute thought.

He still could not believe it. Here was a chance to finally escape from the bastard for several hours a day, to do something other than sit around looking pretty until Yammy decided to use him. Finally, he could recapture a little bit of his pride and honour.

�This shit for real?!!!� Yammy demanded of the servant with an ugly snarl.

�It appears so, Yammy-sama,� the attendant stammered, backing up until his back hit something solid and holding the letter in front of him as if it were some kind of shield. �This is Kami-sama�s seal.�

�Get dressed,� Yammy turned and roared at him, startling Byakuya back to the present.

It was an order he was pleased to follow as he returned to his chambers, doing his best not to limp on the way, or at least keep it to a minimum. Servants were already waiting for him with a healing slave for his back and stomach to numb the pain and one of the many expensive kimono sets ready.

For the first time that Byakuya could recall, he actually wanted the servants to hurry up so that they might meet up with Aizen. If the contents of the letter were true, he could finally take a bit of his soul back.

Once he was fully dressed in the many layers of the kimono, he placed Senbonzakura through the obi and met up with Yammy by the front gates. In the time it took to change it seemed Yammy had calmed down slightly and cleaned himself up, but not by much.

For the first time ever since his slavery began, his steps felt light and the mortification of Karin witnessing his dishonour was but a small buzz of displeasure at the back of his mind.

That feeling of elation only rose when they finally met up with Aizen and it was confirmed that the order was to stand. As he dressed that next morning to report to the 2^nd Division the fact that he had been forced to spend the entire night in his Master�s bed pleasing him couldn�t put a damper on the elation of finally moving forward once more, no matter how temporary it might be.

　

　

It was too soon. He hadn�t done anything wrong, so why had Aizen summoned him? Maybe Aizen just wanted some information on a report. Yes that was it. That had to be it. He hadn�t done anything wrong or failed in anything recently.

How Szayel wished he had his Zanpakuto with him, but Karin had yet to return it. Hadn�t he earned her trust yet? Hadn�t he proven that he wasn�t going to kill himself? Yes, he had a moment of weakness, but who wouldn�t after going through that? Besides, he hadn�t actually been trying to kill himself. If he had, he would have succeeded.

All he had been doing was trying to escape from the memories through a greater pain. To feel something other than the disgusting and painful feeling of Aizen in his body. To see a colour other than soft brown.

He finally made it to the throne room and he forced himself to stand up and compose himself. Aizen was like any other predator, one that fed off of fear. He could hear voices from the room and his fear turned to curiosity, despite himself.

It sounded like that idiot Yammy was throwing yet another temper tantrum in there. Curiosity was truly any scientist�s weak point and his fear quickly drained away as he tried to listen into the conversation.

Apparently Aizen needed Yammy�s pet for something and the imbecile wasn�t taking it well. Szayel truly wanted to eavesdrop some more, but he had been summoned and he did not want to find a reason for Aizen to punish him for being late. Besides, by the sound of the conversation Yammy had barged in and was not here for an appointment.

Hesitating only briefly, for he really had no desire to draw Aizen�s attention unduly, Szayel raised his hand and knocked on the door.

�Enter,� Aizen ordered.

Szayel did as ordered, waltzing into the room to bow elegantly before Kami. Yammy was not alone; he�d apparently dragged his pet with him. While Szayel was definitely into women, despite the many lewd jokes about his rather girlish appearance that others made behind his back, he did have an appreciation for fashion and he had to admit Yammy�s pet look positively gorgeous in that rather expensive ensemble. He briefly wondered how Nemu would look wearing something like that if her hair was let down out of its braid and felt a slight stab of lust at that thought.

Come to think of it, he wasn�t sure he had ever seen her with her hair down and made a mental note to fix that little problem. Then he gave himself a mental slap and refocused his attention to Aizen.

�You summoned me Kami-sama?� he asked, pleased his voice didn�t quake and that he sounded normal.

�Yes I did. This discussion is at an end Yammy. Your pet will report for work until I say otherwise. Is that clear? You know how much chaos in my empire displeases me,� Aizen said deliberately, as if explaining things to a particularly slow-witted child. Then he smiled in a way that Szayel was all too familiar with, one that promised a universe of agony if he was disobeyed.

That smile came with an oppressive dose of reiatsu that would have made Szayel fall face-first to the floor had it been directed at him. Yammy�s pet probably only remained standing due to the stiffness and high quality of the silk garments he wore. Yammy, for his part, looked as if someone much larger and meaner than he was, if that was possible, had pissed in his morning tea and shoved his face in it. And all the while, Aizen-kami simply stood there, the picture of nonchalance, as if he�d just swatted a particularly annoying fly.

�Hai, Kami-sama�� Yammy stuttered, still looking petulant. However, not even someone as foolish and pig-headed as Yammy could ignore that threat. With a sullen bow, the other Espada and his pet retreated.

�And Yammy,� Aizen called just before the other left the room. �I would be very displeased to find out you took your frustrations out on your pet. Until his task is done I will need him in full functioning order.�

�Hai, Kami-sama,� Yammy snarled.

The two exited and the sound of the door echoing as it closed with a �slam� sounded far too much like a death knell to Szayel. Despite himself, the scientist could not force himself to raise his eyes from the floor to look towards Aizen and he felt a slight trembling take over his body now that he was alone with him.

Would Aizen force him to mate with him again? Would he be punished as a reminder of who was Kami despite the fact he had committed no crimes.

�My dear Szayel, do you know why I summoned you here today?� Aizen asked.

�Ile, Kami-sama,� he answered honestly, his voice shaking only slightly.

�I had a rather interesting chat with Karin. It would seem that you have a severe lack of control over your emotions, and that lack of control kept her and her mate awake during our little session.�

He felt mortified at this and his fear only increased.

�She did bring up a rather interesting argument about my own Claiming laws. I must admit when they were made the unique situation you find yourself in was never considered. Since I am such a lenient ruler, I decided it would be prudent to address your particular case.�

�Kami-sama?� Szayel asked.

His mouth was almost too dry to say anything and he had to swallow a few times.

�You have three options before you Szayel, and you will be permitted to choose only one. When I am done explaining them to you, the only words out of your mouth will be the choice you pick for yourself. If you say any other words I will make the choice for you. Am I clear?� Aizen demanded.

Szayel nodded his head in understanding, wisely biting his lip.

Aizen almost seemed disappointed that he hadn�t fallen for the trap, but nonetheless started to list the options.

�Option A. You will continue to be one of my Espada and accept all punishment for your crimes from me as I see fit.�

�The fate I already suffer from and hardly a change to my life,� he thought bitterly.

�Option B. You will be stripped of your rank as one of my Espada, and you will be demoted to a position in rank below every other Arrancar in my army. You will still be permitted to keep ownership of and run your lab and all punishments will be meted out by Grimmjow�s hand when I order it.�

�A slightly better fate,� he admitted reluctantly while he waited for the third option.

�Option C. You may maintain your rank as one of my Espada, but it will become public knowledge that you are the direct property of the human girl Karin. You will speak to her with full honour, you will tell everyone yourself that she is your Master, and any punishments will be dealt out to you by her.�

Szayel�s brain actually froze for a second on that option. Was Aizen serious? Of course Aizen didn�t know that Karin was his real owner. Everyone knew by now he had been Claimed and most had been informed that Grimmjow had been the one to do it and why it had happened.

�C,� he answered without hesitation. �It would not be a far stretch for Grimmjow to order me to treat his mate as such. In all truth, other than openly admitting to Karin being my Master, this fate truly is a step up from reality.�

His choice actually seemed to surprise Aizen, but it was a surprise that was quickly covered.

�I see. Very well. That is the fate you have chosen. At tomorrow�s meeting, you will stand before your brothers and sisters and inform them yourself that you have submitted yourself to the girl as her loyal fraccion.�

Szayel gulped, but nodded his head. He hadn�t expected Aizen to force him to make a public humiliation of himself before all the other Arrancar, but it was too late to back out now. No doubt there was going to be a large number of attempts to take his place, if not his life. He would definitely need his Zanpakuto back now and to beef up security at the lab. If he was truly so pathetic as to submit himself to a human woman, did he honestly have the power to be an Espada? Life was definitely going to be going to be Hell soon and thanks to Karin�s direct, Claim-enforced orders, he couldn�t leave any evidence lying around anymore.

�You are dismissed for now. I will see you tomorrow at the meeting� Aizen ordered, and smiled warmly at him.

�Hai, Kami-sama,� he bowed and retreated, grateful that he was leaving that office intact this time, yet chagrined at what his future might be. Still, considering what might have happened, Szayel felt like a mouse that had just escaped a particularly nasty serpent with all limbs intact.

　

　

　

Karin winced as she stretched. Her body was nothing more than one big dull ache and she was exhausted from burning through her reiatsu, but otherwise she felt fine. She would probably feel better if the resulting argument about her foolishly fighting Yammy hadn�t ended in a wonderful evening of �make up� sex.

In fact, with Ajuga and Hana living at the 4th Division to watch over Jushiro, Starrk and Lilinette out on constant missions, and Nanao spending the night in the 5^th Division offices when she wasn�t checking up on Jushiro, they had the entire Estate to themselves.

Karin frowned when she realized that it was rather early in the morning and Grimmjow was not by her side. Strange. Usually she had to fight him off of her in the mornings. She sought him out and quickly found him at the main entrance, with Szayel apparently.

�That�s odd. I wonder what brings him here this early?� she wondered as she pulled a yukata on.

She was getting a sense of distress from Szayel and annoyance from her mate. She shared in Grimmjow�s annoyance. It was way too early to be awake. She went into the kitchen put a pot of water on the stove to make a batch of the strongest tea they had.

Grimmjow and Szayel arrived a few minutes after.

�My apologies for disturbing you so early, Karin-sama,� the scientist bowed.

�This had better be good,� she sighed tiredly. �And stop with the �sama� crap already, please.�

Normally he would tease her about it, but this time his lips drew into a thin line and Karin straightened up. This did not bode well. Grimmjow must have also picked up on the odd behaviour and the two of them shared a worried look.

�What is it?� Karin asked worried. �Is he having an anxiety attack related to his rape or did Aizen do something else to him while I was out of it?�

�Aizen-kami summoned me to speak to him last night about� some options since Claiming Laws for my case don�t truly exist.�

�I knew Aizen was behind this somehow,� she groaned inwardly.

�So what were the options?� Grimmjow demanded, running his fingers through his hair.

Sighing, Szayel explained all three of the options that Aizen had presented to him.

�I took option C since it is the truth�� he admitted ��for the most part.�

�I fail to see how this is depressing news,� Karin pointed out as she poured all three of them a cup of the now brewed tea and took a long, bracing sip of it.

�Aizen-kami is going to call a meeting of all the Arrancar today, where I am to stand before everyone and inform them I am submitting myself to be your fraccion,� he said painfully, his eyes clenched shut and the grip on his mug of tea so tight she feared he was going to shatter it.

To her surprise, Grimmjow let out a taunting laugh. �Man, sucks to be you, genius.�

Szayel flashed furious eyes at Grimmjow, but didn�t make a comeback, instead staring into his tea as if he could find an answer to all of his problems in the bottom of the cup.

�Every damn bastard is going to be trying to off you now for your position if you can�t even raise your head to a human woman,� Grimmjow continued to laugh.

His laugh was cut short as Karin punched him in the ribs, hard, with a reiatsu-infused fist. Szayel�s eyes actually widened at the violence and his mouth hung open for a moment before he shut it with a �click�.

�This human woman can kick most of the Arrancars� asses, might I point out. Or do you think I am so weak as not to deserve respect?� she demanded angrily.

Grimmjow, for his part, looked as if he�d accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake and had it turn on him. Szayel was further amazed as he put up both hands in what seemed to be self-defence and winced.

�I��

�Think before you speak, lest you dig yourself a deeper hole,� Karin snapped before her mate could get two words out.

�I know better than that, but the rank and file Arrancar don�t know you and that is what they will think,� Grimmjow said grudgingly, rubbing his side gingerly.

�All arguments aside, can I please have my Zanpakuto back, Karin-sama?� Szayel begged.

�You won�t try to kill yourself again?� she challenged.

Szayel looked upwards as if to ask for either help or patience, then waved her concerns away as if they were utterly misplaced.

�With all the position-hungry bastards who are about to come after me, killing myself is the least of my concerns.�

Karin sighed, then nodded and took a sip of her tea as she considered the dilemma. Now that she thought about it, she knew both of the Espada at the table were right. The other Arrancar were going to see Szayel as weak for submitting to a human, and the weak were fair game. There was only one thing Hollows of any level respected, and that was power.

�What time do you think this meeting will get out?� she asked, brow furrowed as she formulated a plan.

�Why?� both of them asked, confused, and then looked at one another.

�Just answer the question,� she insisted, and Szayel threw up his hands with no small amount of frustration, holding his head in his hands as if he had a headache.

�It�s one of Aizen�s meetings. It could last three hours, or it could last twenty minutes.� Grimmjow grumbled in annoyance, before the scientist could say anything.

�Summon me the moment he dismisses you,� she ordered Szayel. �I�ll keep an eye on you all day. When the meeting adjourns, both of you pulse your reiatsu three times.�

Szayel nodded in understanding, Grimmjow just looked at her with his arms crossed, clearly demanding an explanation. Karin sighed, knowing her mate wouldn�t let it go until she fully explained her plan.

�Theoretically, what is the one thing all Hollows respect?� she asked him.

�Power,� he admitted.

�Right� the only Arrancar I know that are more powerful than me are the Espada. I can take the rest of them easily. If I pound a few heads in proving that point, it might get them talking more about me and less about you,� she explained.

Szayel gave her a sceptical look while Grimmjow shook his head disapprovingly.

�You are drained from kicking Yammy�s ass yesterday. You are in no shape to be picking fights,� Grimmjow protested.

Karin cursed. He did have her there. Why the hell couldn�t Aizen have waited a week before pulling this shit? There had to be another option to get the heat off of Szayel�s back.

She needed him to be able to focus on his research on the Royal Family and into her blood. They needed him as a kingdom to find out about the accursed Swarm. Making him waste his valuable time watching his back at all hours of the day and night was simply unacceptable.

Then the answer came to her and she almost laughed at the simplicity of it. She just had to make sure that her assumptions about Hollow mating claims were correct.

�Aizen�s law forbids the harming of another�s fraccion, correct?� she asked the two of them.

�Yes,� Szayel admitted. �But you are not an Espada,� he pointed out.

�No. But does joint ownership exist in the Hollow world? Like, if Grimmjow owns something, is it also considered mine?� she inquired.

�Of course,� Grimmjow snorted. �This is our den with our daughter and our food,�

�And our fraccion?� she interrupted, giving her mate a significant look.

Now both of them stared back at her in surprise, to her relief and inner satisfaction.

�After the meeting we make it quite clear that I am your mate, and that you gave Szayel to me as a mate�s gift. Would that work at keeping the others off your back?� she questioned.

�Karin-sama, you truly are the genius at this table,� Szayel said, his compliment accompanied with a smile. �And I feel ashamed of myself for not thinking of the idea first. It�s first rate subterfuge, more so because almost all of it is true.�

Karin nodded and Grimmjow gave her his usual shrug, meaning he saw no reason not handle it this way, nor did he object to the �lie�.

�Well, let�s just chalk it up to the stress,� Karin replied. �Agreed?�

�If that is your wish, Karin-sama,� he said obsequiously as possible and bowed to her, leaving her staring at the top of his pink-haired head.

Karin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

�Why do I get the feeling you are suddenly, actually going to start enjoying this and are going to use this to torment me to no end?� she moaned.

�Karin-sama, I am hurt you would think I would stoop so low,� Szayel said in a pained voice.

She rolled her eyes at that and cast another glance at her mate, who looked as if he was attempting to suppress a long bout of raucous laughter.

�I�ll bet. Keep it up and I just might have to give you another spanking, and this time it will be as you come out of the meeting.�

Grimmjow gave up and broke down into hysterical guffaws while Szayel suddenly seemed completely mortified. Karin just took another sip of her tea.

　

　

Merry Christmas you all, and I hope you all got some epic loot.

If you recall Yammy told Byakuya and Kenpachi that his power was slower to build, the angrier he got the stronger he got. The first time he fought Ichigo came damn near to bitch slapping him. Since anger was the last thing on his emotional list when Karin confronted him, she managed to get the jump on him. Of course in a prolonged fight she would stand no chance.

I am hopping to have the next chapter of The Real King out soon, hopefully before the end of the week. See you all next chapter.
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Prize of Victory