Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 76
- 77
- 78
Labour

Soi Fon had been less than pleased when she learned of Aizen�s new ruling. The rebels truly had their work cut out for them as they had to find a way to deal with yet another set of Claimed Shinigami. She supposed it was a small mercy for their side that the public display helped to clarify which officer �belonged� to which Arrancar and the auction had resulted in a few helpful surprises.

With one brilliant move, Sung Sun had all but granted them access to the 4^th Division�s resources by taking Iemura Yasochika, who as of yet remained blissfully ignorant of the impending coup d' état. Moreover, Harribel and her fraccion had discussed the idea of bringing Unohana onboard. She was un-Claimed, at least in the traditional sense, so her actions were her own. She was incredibly powerful, smart and Soi Fon could only guess at how much the woman loathed her so-called �husband.� The former Taichou�s inner tactician suggested to her that the leash with which he kept Unohana in line involved the other healers. Soi Fon had proposed removing the hostages altogether by assigning as many as they could duties far afield, on what she hoped would be Aizen�s day of reckoning, and it would be a fantastic bit of misdirection if Unohana were the one to issue the order. No one would suspect a thing, until the 4^th failed to show up in its support capacity and by then it would be too late.

At the moment, she was busy cursing Aizen to the deepest pits of Hell for an altogether different reason. When Harribel had informed her she would be going back to work as the newly reinstated 6^th Division�s acting Fukutaichou, under Byakuya, she had initially thought the Espada was joking. Unfortunately, the joke was on her. Harribel had shown her the paperwork making her new appointment official, so here she was, standing across from a man who was just as mute, if not more so, than she was. Soi Fon had no idea how they were supposed to lead a Division with anything close to efficiency.

Why had Aizen done this? Both Shinigami hands and kosode sleeves sported a heavy coating of white chalk dust as they wrote back and forth to each other and their new subordinates. Well, her sleeves were worse than Byakuya�s as the noble had those convenient flash cards Ajuga and Hana had made for him. Using chalkboards was time consuming, messy and irritating, three things that someone with her penchant for neatness found particularly infuriating.

What the hell had Aizen been thinking, ordering her back to work in her state? What was his real motive for doing something so hare-brained? Soi Fon suspected that he�d lost whatever marbles he had left roaming around in his cranium after Ajuga had taken the Throne away from him and that she could expect more idiotic decisions from him in the future.

�Of course, those who keep making stupid decisions don�t tend to live long. We can only hope he makes the right kind of wrong move and be ready to exploit it.�

Presently, the two of them were inspecting the grounds, making note of the things that still needed addressing, assigning quarters and going through the list of Claimed Shinigami to decide who they wanted as their seated officers.

Aizen�s most recent proclamation worked slightly in their favour. Once all of the officers had been Claimed, Aizen required that all of his Arrancar register their �pets� with the 1^st Division, be they Shinigami or civilian. Unbeknownst to Aizen, that edict made her clandestine �counting the Claimed� job far easier than she�d expected it to be. No one thought anything of it when Soi Fon had requested that list, under the guise of restarting the 6^th Division, supposedly for the purpose of choosing seated officers. In addition, it was also not uncommon to sneak a few officers or other candidates from one Division to fill in temporary gaps in another Division�s roster. Thus, she had handed the list off to Mila Rose�s brand-new blond girlfriend. Toshiro�s 3^rd Seat, conveniently on loan, sat at a recently cleaned desk, her brush working furiously on paperwork. She was there, ostensibly, to help them and help them she did, by copying the entire list of Claimed souls multiple times. Once she got those copies into the right hands, the rebels on this side of the Dangai could try to get the affected officers out of the way when the time came.

The list wasn�t perfect, as the second round of Claims had yet to take place, but the 4^th Division would likely have an accounting of the next batch of captives afterward. She�d be able to obtain any new names from Iemura, especially if Sung Sun batted her lashes at him. The more complete the list, the better off everyone would be, especially if they could make certain those with Claims were well out of the way first.

�Perhaps we could sedate them all,� she mused. �Slip something into the morning tea at breakfast, or maybe even the evening sake to knock them all out. It would get them out of the combat zone. I am sure we could get Iemura to dose every pregnant woman with a sedative and claim it�s an injection of vitamins.�

The fatal drawback to that plan was that Unohana would likely skin the conspirators alive if they even thought about drugging a pregnant woman. Iemura probably wouldn�t go for anything like that either. The man shared his superior officer�s stalwart principles. No, they would just have to go with the decoy plan and hope it kept the Divisions busy until they could kill Aizen and the Espada on their side could line the Arrancar up to deal with them one at a time before they bolted and took their pets with them.

Harribel, Starrk and Ulquiorra would have their hands full, keeping the Numeros in line and chaos from spreading. The last thing the rebels needed was for the Arrancar to go on Claiming sprees, or attempt to carve out territories for themselves throughout the Seireitei. She knew Barragan wouldn�t hesitate to take Aizen�s place at the Palace. She, for one, didn�t want such a scenario to play out, but there would inevitably be problems. All of the political training she�d acquired in her youth, in preparation for serving the Shihoin Clan�s heir, stated that the most devastating point in any revolution usually occurred after the overthrow of a tyrant.

There was also the other side of the equation, one she never would have considered before Ggio had melted her heart. With Aizen dead, those Shinigami who remained free might be more than willing to attack the less numerous Arrancar, even those who had helped with the overthrow. Some of the Claimed, such as Nemu and Tatsuki, had fallen in love with their Arrancar partners and had started loving families with them, while others remained locked in a hated master-slave arrangement. The whole thing could quickly dissolve into a bloody civil war if they didn�t impose some sort of order immediately following the coup.

An impatient tap on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see an annoyed Byakuya, holding out his chalkboard towards her with his latest written message on it. She read it before responding with her own written message, just as frustrated as he was about the inadequacies of their means of communication. Soi Fon blew a strand of hair out of her eyes with an exasperated �huff� out of the side of her mouth. This was beyond stupid. She had half a mind to teach him the Onmitsukidō�s sign language just to make working together easier, but she refrained from doing so for good reason. She didn�t want the rank and file seeing it and mentioning it in a report that might find its way to Aizen. The fewer people that knew the hand signs, the better. Personally, she was just happy that the majority of the old 2^nd Division had been able to cut and run like the good shinobi they were, or had killed themselves to avoid having a Claim inflicted upon them. Death, in most cases, would have been preferable to capture. How many times had she wished she had died over the years while living under Barragan�s heel?

The rest of the day passed in in increasing discomfort. The vague twinges she�d felt since that morning had increased and with no small amount of resignation, Soi Fon silently acknowledged that her contractions had begun. They were still far apart, but they still gave her pause and made her cringe when they hit. It was a good sign she would be giving birth sooner than later, but she could certainly live without the damn things. It also made going for longer walks unpleasant and potentially dangerous. While her new uniform might deter a garden-variety ruffian or robber, it wasn�t unheard of for the more desperate criminals in the higher-numbered Districts to throw caution to the wind and take on an armed Shinigami. Being on her own and heavily pregnant would only encourage them. It would be a pathetic end if she died from a knife wound inflicted while in the middle of a contraction.

This meant that she had to meet with Yoruichi�s undercover contacts a little closer to home than she wanted, but with a few well-coded messages to the right people, she�d figured a way around that obstacle too. Considering how much the new Division needed in the way of building materials and other supplies, her contacts had chosen to disguise themselves and blend in with the other contractors visiting today, slipping her their own progress reports disguised as work bids. She�d also given the first of three copies of the list of the Claimed Shinigami to them as soon as the ink her copyist used had dried. While not ideal, it beat taking the risk of going to meet them. It also did her nerves good to read that each rogue cell was on schedule as far as setting up their particular �distraction.�

The sun had sunk in the west and evening was well on its way before she decided to call it a day. Soi Fon gave Byakuya a tilt of her head to indicate she was leaving. He graciously returned it before he went back to listening to one of his subordinate�s assessments of how much time it would take to get the plumbing working again. Her pregnancy meant she had to go home early instead of staying late to help. She guessed that Byakuya, in contrast, would drag the day out, mostly to avoid Yammy for as long as possible.

The walk back to Harribel�s house was harder than she expected, each contraction she felt making her stop and pant until it finished. She could have used Shunpo, but she didn�t dare travel at such speeds lest a contraction distract her in mid-step. If she lost focus while doing so, she stood a good chance of ending up plastered against a wall or a tree. Her child was definitely on the way and she�d bet anything that hard labour would occur in the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours.

�Or maybe right now,� she considered with growing alarm as another contraction followed hard on the last one�s heels. Each bout of pain grew longer too and she began counting silently, trying to calculate duration and the length of the intervals between them as she walked. Eight minutes after one finished, another one hit, which lasted about forty seconds.

That decided it for her and she came to a complete stop. From her current position, it would take an hour to get to the 4^th Division if she waddled fast enough, whereas it would take longer to get to Harribel�s den, with no guarantee that anyone would be there. She decided not to risk it and changed course, making for the 4^th Division instead. The time between her contractions had dwindled to a mere six minutes apart by the time she stumbled across some unforeseen and yet very welcome assistance.

�Soi Fon-san!�

She heard a cheerful voice call out to her from a side street. When she looked up, she saw Orihime trotting happily towards her. The human woman seemed to be in high spirits, but then why wouldn�t she be happy? Her son was safe and Aizen wasn�t targeting her or her mate. Soi Fon had to wonder if she knew about Karin�s captivity and what it entailed for her friend or if Ulquiorra had kept that tidbit of information from his mate. She hadn�t been there when Starrk and Lilinette had spoken to the Fourth Espada and Soi Fon only knew they had his support. Neither had said anything about Orihime and without knowing if the ditzy healer was also in on the conspiracy, she decided to refrain from mentioning anything related to it. Kami, she grouched inwardly, it was taxing to try to keep tabs on who might know what.

Soi Fon chose to greet Orihime with a smile of her own, one that quickly turned into a grimace as another round of cramping gripped her. This one lasted forty-eight seconds and she involuntarily laid one hand on her belly, as if doing so could prevent her cub from arriving in the middle of the street. Orihime�s smile faded before a look of understanding settled on her pretty face.

�Contractions?� she asked sympathetically.

Soi Fon nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried to ride out the latest round of clenching and pulled out her chalkboard.

�They are getting closer together, a little over six minutes apart. I�m going to try to get to the 4^th Division,� she wrote out, her handwriting getting shakier the longer the pain continued.

�That�s a good idea,� Orihime told her and took her arm, letting the other woman lean on her until it ended. She also gave Soi Fon a critical �once-over� before declaring, �I should go with you, just in case something happens, like your water breaking. Real labour can come on quickly.�

She still had some distance to go and having someone on hand to help if things took a sudden turn would be wise. Considering this was her first, and possibly only offspring if things turned out badly, she decided to take Orihime up on her offer. While she doubted her water would break between here and there, the human woman�s presence would ensure her safe passage. With her luck, she thought ruefully, if she declined her water would probably break just to spite her. Best to play it safe. Truthfully, she wouldn�t mind the company to serve as a distraction from the grinding pain of her contractions.

While they occurred less often as they used to, Nnoitra still hosted the odd poker night, and tonight was one of those nights. Being pregnant had its perks, and foremost amongst them was that Tatsuki no longer had to serve drinks to Nnoitra�s guests. This meant that she and Rangiku could sit back and relax in the living room while the men got drunk and bitched about their hands around the dining room table while bragging about their pregnant pets, if they had them, and new conquests, which were non-existent. Nnoitra�s �buddy list� ran towards the Arrancar who had yet to select a second �pet� thanks to their track record. The only other slave here was the same one Yammy always dragged to these events. The Tenth had ordered Byakuya to deliver the drinks instead of the two expectant women. That spared Tatsuki and Rangiku, though both women felt badly about it once they got a good look at him. The noble appeared exhausted, which wasn�t a surprise, considering his recent appointment as a Taichou. From what she�d heard, Aizen had assigned new jobs to many of the formerly higher-ranking Shinigami, now that the Swarm attacks had ceased.

Even Rangiku had to go back to work, relegated to processing paperwork at the 4^th Division. The way the blonde moaned about it though, one would think the job was killing her. Tatsuki had been unsympathetic; with Rangiku back at work in an official capacity, the housework and cooking fell to the human woman. As much as she cared about Rangiku, if the other continued to snark about shuffling papers all day and filling out patient reports, Tatsuki swore she would find a new and creative use for the brush and wand with which she scrubbed toilets, one she was certain Rangiku wouldn�t enjoy.

A hesitant knock on the front door went unacknowledged by the rowdy men. Tatsuki and Rangiku traded a couple of startled looks before Tatsuki lurched to her feet. She and Rangiku might be at roughly the same stage as far as their respective pregnancies, but she was half the size of her roommate thanks to having only once cub within her instead of two. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Iemura fidgeting on their front porch. She had met the tall, blond, bespectacled man several times. Harribel�s fraccion, Sung Sun, had recently Claimed him, according to the gossip. However, she was at a loss as to why he would be on her doorstep at this time of night, unless Rangiku had seriously messed up some important documents.

�Iemura-Fukutaichou, what brings you here?� she inquired, leaning against the doorjamb.

�Ah, Tatsuki-san, just the woman I need to see,� he declared, adjusting his glasses nervously as he did so. That made her eyes narrow, even as she had to discard her original assumption as to the purpose of his visit.

�What can I do for you?�

�We have you on file as being the one to adopt Soi Fon�s daughter, once she gives birth. Is this information still correct?� he asked, sounding both official and somewhat urgent.

�Yes, it is. Has she gone into labour?� Tatsuki dropped her voice, going so far as to step outside and partly close the door behind her to cut down on the chance that one Arrancar in particular would overhear them.

�Yes. She arrived at the 4^th Division four hours ago in the company of Orihime Cifer. Her water broke and Unohana-Taichou ordered me to fetch you and your mate,� he reported.

�Okay, wait here. Barragan,� she spat the name hatefully, �is here playing poker with a few other Arrancar males. The last thing we want is for him to find out and do something drastic to the baby, Soi Fon or Tesra and I. I�ll either fetch my mate or let him know where I am going.�

With that, she ducked back inside the house. Rangiku frowned at her and Tatsuki put one finger to her lips before the other could ask about their visitor. Thankfully, her housemate got the hint and remained silent while she scoped out the poker table to see what, if anything, she could do to get her mate�s attention.

She managed to catch Tesra�s eye with a small wave and �come here� gesture. He excused himself from the table, the other, higher-ranking males paying him little heed anyway and joined her in the living room. Mindful of the ears in the other room, she whispered the situation to him. His eyes darted to the door, still open a crack, and she felt his reiatsu do something. He was probably scanning Iemura, trying to judge the Shinigami�s intent.

�You go,� he finally sighed. �I cannot lie to Nnoitra-sama, and a lie would be the only thing that would get me out of the game without providing an excuse for withdrawing. I will join you when the game is over and I can escape,� he promised, clasping her hand in his.

�Alright.�

She pulled him down for a deep kiss before grabbing her jacket, which hung on a hook by the door. Then she slipped her shoes on and stepped out to join Iemura. �Let�s go,� she said quietly, closing the door behind her.

Oh Kami, would this child never emerge? Soi Fon had decided, about an hour ago, that she was going to skin Ggio when this was over and use his pelt as a throw rug. No� no� that was too good for the likes of him. Instead, she would skin him, sew his pelt back on his body inside out, and then remove his �tool� with a pair of rusty hedge clippers so he could never do this to her again!

Why the hell would any woman want to go through this, let alone come back for seconds? The pain of childbirth must have driven them insane and she was bound for the same destination if this didn�t stop soon. The petite woman let out a garbled, agonized cry, her breaths too rapid and shallow to do much good. She also glared at the midwife who opened her mouth and immediately snapped it closed when she saw the promise of violence gleaming in Soi Fon�s red-rimmed eyes.

�The next person who fucking tells me to �just breathe� will have Suzumebachi buried in her goddamned heart! TWICE!� she roared in her mind since she was unable to vocalize her feelings with words. The two helping her apparently misinterpreted her howls to mean that she was �in pain� instead of recognizing them as expressions of fury and frustration.

Where was the blasted tomcat anyway? This was his fault and he should bloody well be here to atone for his crimes! That went for Yumichika too! That primping, flower-garbed demon in disguise was the one who encouraged the scraggily tiger to court her in the first place! She was going to chop him into little pieces as well. No, she would skin them both and make them wear the other�s epidermis as a kimono! Doing so would serve as a reminder to never plot and scheme behind her back ever again... and it wouldn�t be quick either. Oh no, she�d make certain to remove their hides in little increments, over days, weeks� maybe even months! Soi Fon was going to take her time and savour their screams...

She gasped sharply as Unohana did something between her legs that hurt like a bitch, and considering how many layers of pain-numbing Kido they�d already applied, it had to have been something significant for her to feel it that strongly.

�There we go,� Unohana smiled, pleased with herself. �That should do it. Soi Fon, it should be safe for you to resume pushing now.�

Groaning, she bore down as the next contraction fiercely wracked her body. She felt her daughter slip some more and this time a displeased squawk accompanied the movement. The next two contractions found her daughter finally free and out and she felt suddenly empty and exhausted. She all but collapsed against the birthing chair. Not even trying to keep up with Yoruichi-sama�s Shunpo back when she had been a bright-eyed, over-eager child was as tiring as giving birth.

She could hear her daughter squalling as the midwives handled her. A few, smaller contractions shook her frame as her body expelled the afterbirth into a pan Unohana positioned beneath her, but those were small potatoes compared to what she�d just endured.

The baby had been sitting slightly sideways, her shoulders caught on Soi Fon�s pelvic bone. Somehow, the baby had managed to entangle her wrist in the umbilical cord. Unohana had to reach in and shift her daughter while dealing with the cord once she�d discovered the reason for the prolonged labour. At that stage in the game, it had been too late to do a Caesarean, as the child had been halfway down the birth canal and crowning. The process had torn her perineum, thanks to how far her child�s body had stretched it as well as Unohana having to insert her hands to fix the issue with the cord.

Her lungs heaving, she reclined bonelessly in the birthing chair as Unohana personally patched her up. The soothing feel of healing Kido washed over her as the Taichou mended the damage and soothed the inflammation, turning what could have been a seriously debilitating problem into a scant annoyance. She even drifted off for a moment before the braided woman jerked her back to wakefulness by presenting her with her daughter.

The ultrasounds had prepared her for what she would be receiving, but the grainy pictures didn�t do the real thing justice. Her daughter was gorgeous; there was no other way to put it. She was human-shaped, but covered in downy fur from the upper chest to her toes. That fur grew in an alternating pattern of black and gold resembling the stripes of a tiger. She had a tail and tawny cat ears instead of round human ones and a small head of jet-black hair. While fur covered the front of her chest, from the tailbone up, her back was bare and it was there that her daughter�s unusual mask fragments had formed. They were close to her skin, appearing more like a white tattoo than bone, their shape reminiscent of the butterfly-wing marks created by Soi Fon�s Shikai when she stabbed an opponent.

�She is stunning,� Suzumebachi gushed in her mind, and she agreed completely with her Zanpakuto.

Staring at her daughter, the only thing Soi Fon found herself thinking was �Ggio ought to be here too.�

Unfortunately, Barragan had made certain he couldn�t attend the birth. Now that she could think of him without wanting to injure him, she realized to her horror that she could no longer feel any restraints on her reiatsu. The Claim had been broken, shattered during her labour. While not unexpected, that meant she had a week of freedom before she would have to either lay with Harribel or put her head on Aizen�s chopping block.

�Or I could run.� Soi Fon brushed a strand of fine dark hair out of her daughter�s scrunched, red face and considered the merits of fleeing the moment she felt up to moving. She could try to reach the Escapees, wherever they were and she could try to do her best to hide her reiatsu, as well as that of her little girl. She still had all of the skills she�d honed as both Yoruichi�s protégé and as the head of the Onmitsukidō� as well as whatever tracking agent Aizen had injected into her bloodstream.

Aizen�s blasted serum would render such an action futile. In a way, it would also be incredibly short-sighted and selfish. Too many people, including Yoruichi, needed her to act as the rebellion�s coordinator and there were plenty of people that might suffer if she threw caution to the wind and ran. If Aizen managed to catch her, he might even kill her child, as an example to others. He�d already declared Ajuga a traitor, and ordered her killed on sight. The young hybrid wasn�t yet a full adult, proving he had no qualms about killing youngsters. No, as much as she wanted to give into temptation and get the two of them out of the Seireitei and as far away from Barragan and Aizen as possible, she had to remain where she was.

She did not have to like it, however. The nurses continued to clean up around her while she gazed at the infant cradled in her arms. The little girl finally stopped crying, too tuckered out to do anything but fall asleep. Soi Fon could sympathize; it had been a long and trying day for both of them. Her eyelids had begun to droop as well when a familiar male voice made her jump.

�She is absolutely beautiful. I�ll have to work doubly hard on my good looks if I�m to compete with her.�

Soi Fon head shot up, only to see Yumichika and Tatsuki standing beside her bed. Tesra hovered in the background, doing his best to stay out of everyone�s way by attempting to blend into the wall. Perhaps Ggio had sensed her distress or the dissolution of his Claim. Unable to do anything himself, he�d sent Yumichika in his place. Unohana had probably sent for Tatsuki and Tesra, aware of the adoption plan. The healer cleared her throat and patted Soi Fon�s shoulder.

�Would you like to move to more comfortable quarters?� Unohana inquired gently.

Her hands occupied, she nodded, more than ready to get out of the birthing room. She held her daughter out to Yumichika. That certainly surprised the walking fashion plate, but after a moment of hesitation, he gingerly took the little girl into his silk-clad arms. An awestruck expression came over his fine features as he did his best to get a good grip on the tiny girl. Then he frowned and those purple eyes looked back at Tesra inquiringly.

�Lindocruz-san, can you give us her name?�

The Arrancar took a few steps forward, leaned over and studied the baby who would be his adopted daughter. In the meantime, Unohana and Tatsuki helped Soi Fon transfer her fatigued body from the birthing chair to a gurney. Her ordeal had been hard and she had zero desire to move, let alone walk.

The four waited with baited breath as Tesra searched for the little one�s name with whatever sixth sense Hollows used in order to know, instinctively, the name of a naturally born Hollow. While he wasn�t the child�s biological father, he apparently had the same �knack� for �reading� that other Arrancar fathers possessed.

�Avispona Vega,� Tesra announced, though he said it softly, as if hoping he had the pronunciation right.

�Avispona,� Soi Fon repeated the name, trying out each syllable and deciding she approved of it, as did her Zanpakuto. Judging by the way Yumichika�s smile widened, he at least found it �beautiful� and told them so, batting his lashes at her daughter in such an exaggerated manner that even Tesra had a hard time keeping a straight face. Tatsuki laughed outright, though she kept the volume low enough not to wake the new arrival.

�A fetching name for a fetching young lady!� he proclaimed.

Unohana wheeled Soi Fon to a maternity recovery room while her three companions followed closely, all of them cooing over the little girl Yumichika carried. Unfortunately, the exhaustion she�d fought off up until now finally caught up with her on the way. The last things Soi Fon remembered were the ceiling tiles as the passed overhead and the gentle rocking of the gurney as it rolled down the hall. When she woke roughly two hours later, the only guest left in her room was Tatsuki. The human woman sat in one of the chairs reserved for guests, cradling Avispona and giving her a bottle. Someone had already diapered her and wrapped her in a warm blanket.

Soi Fon forced herself up on her elbows, the movement drawing the other�s immediate attention. For some reason, that watchfulness pleased her inner shinobi.

�Did you want to hold her?� Tatsuki asked softly.

Soi Fon nodded and sat up straighter, leaning against the wall and the bed�s two pillows behind her as she did so. Tatsuki stood up and brought Avispona to her, bottle and all. Soi Fon vacillated only a moment before accepting her daughter. The child fussed a bit until Soi Fon helped her resume her interrupted meal.

�Do you still want Tesra and me to adopt her?�

Soi Fon sighed deeply as she considered the question and then reluctantly nodded. She had wrestled with her initial decision ever since Harribel had agreed to Claim her, and Harribel had gone out of her way to let her know she�d be happy to have Soi Fon bring her baby into the den, but in the end, her mind kept going back to a different question. What would happen if their planned coup failed? If they won, Soi Fon could take her daughter back without any fears, but if they lost�

No, it was safer for her daughter to stay with Tatsuki and Tesra as originally planned, at least until after they disposed of Aizen and Barragan, especially after she made the latter pay for everything he�d done to those he�d Claimed and enslaved. The Fifth�s �pack� remained ignorant of the plot and if everything went south, Avispona would have some protection. She certainly couldn�t say the same of Harribel and Toshiro, who were as neck-deep in this as she was. Tatsuki gave her a sad, understanding look, though Soi Fon guessed the woman thought she was worried about Barragan�s possible reaction when he found out. To be honest, Soi Fon was worried about that as well, but the Second was no longer her primary concern.

�Alright. You are more than welcome to visit as often as you want and I will try and bring her by the 6^th Division to see you when I can,� Tatsuki promised quickly. �Unfortunately, I�m not sure how often that will be. Tesra doesn�t like me to leave his side, and since he can�t leave Rangiku most of the time, and Nnoitra keeps her confined to the house when she�s not at work, I am afraid I don�t get out much.�

Soi Fon smiled gratefully, happy to have at least that. Ggio had chosen well in getting Tesra and Tatsuki to adopt their daughter. Then Tatsuki appeared to consider something and grinned at her conspiratorially.

�I just may bring her by the 5^th Division as well. After all, I am sure Nanao and Yumichika would love to see her,� Tatsuki offered coyly. Soi Fon caught the unspoken proposition included in that statement. Barragan might have forbidden Ggio to have anything to do with her, but as far as she knew, he�d never given Ggio an order to ignore their child. Of course, Barragan had no idea she�d yet been born, so that might change, but Tatsuki could see to it that Soi Fon�s captive mate got to see his daughter. It would lift some of the heaviness from her heart too. Unfortunately, before she could reach for the chalkboard on the side table, to write out a �thank you,� a new presence made itself known, one both stifling and unpleasant.

The two women stiffened and their eyes darted to the doorway. Fear immediately took hold of Soi Fon as Aizen entered the room without even so much as a �may I enter� or a �by your leave.� He appeared pleased, even though it had to be past midnight.

�Aizen-kami,� Tatsuki said and bowed. She kept her eyes on the floor, probably to keep him from seeing her distaste for the man responsible for the mass murder of almost everyone she�d ever known and the destruction of her home and family. Soi Fon certainly didn�t blame her.

Aizen ignored her, save to give Tatsuki an acknowledging glance, as he came to stand next to her bed. She instinctively clutched her daughter to her chest, her fears amplifying the closer he came. It wasn�t fear for herself � she�d overcome that long ago. It was this new and terrifying fear for another, one that couldn�t possibly protect itself that made her want to flee, to Shunpo out of the room and the consequences be damned.

�An interesting assortment of features,� Aizen commented as he took in the latest addition to the collection of hybrid children. �My wife informed me this morning that you had a difficult labour, but you seem to have come through it just fine. May I?� he asked politely, holding his hands out to accept her daughter. Neither his tone nor his beatific smile fooled Soi Fon. It was clearly an order, thinly veiled as a request.

Unohana, Karin and Szayel had warned her that Aizen would come to inspect her newborn in much the same manner that he�d visited all who had given birth to hybrids. She had even tried to prepare herself mentally for it, so she would be ready when it happened. Nevertheless, she found that even with all of her resolve, she had failed to predict how little she wanted to let go of Avispona. She had no desire, whatsoever, to let him hold her daughter. What would she do if he decided to take her away with him today? She could easily see him wanting to keep the little girl as collateral, to ensure she went through with Harribel�s offer to Claim her. Why had he come so quickly? Orihime and Karin mentioned that they�d had a full day with their children before Aizen had dropped in on them.

�Enough,� she scolded herself as precious seconds ticked by and she grew disgusted by the fact she was trembling at all. She wasn�t some raw, terrified Academy graduate confronted by Zaraki Kenpachi with his Zanpakuto drawn and ready to fight. She needed to think logically, no let her fears run roughshod over her. There was nothing she could do about what Aizen wanted and if his past actions with all of the other children were any indication, hers� would be fine. Gritting her teeth behind closed lips, Soi Fon forced herself to hand her daughter over and prayed she�d get Avispona back when he was satisfied.

Aizen accepted the swaddled baby, as well as the bottle from which she�d been nursing. Avispona hardly seemed to notice the change of hands and continued to feed contently as Aizen examined her as best he could one-handed. Oddly enough, he seemed quite comfortable holding her daughter, looking not the least bit awkward.

�She is quite unique, despite several similarities to Ajuga,� he noted. �I find the placement of her mask fragments intriguing. My wife tells me you will be adopting her?�

Aizen finally addressed Tatsuki, paying attention to her for the first time since he�d walked in.

�Yes,� the human woman replied, her voice steady. �It is almost impossible for a single mother with Soi Fon�s official duties, to raise a child on her own.�

�I�m aware the decision was originally made to protect the girl from Barragan when he still held your leash,� Aizen stated, looking back down at Soi Fon. �He has expressed his outrage about the situation loudly enough, to anyone who will listen. There are few in the Seireitei who haven�t heard of how badly he�s been �wronged� in all of this.�

Soi Fon didn�t even bother stifling the dark look in her eyes at the mention of her old �master,� nor the nod she gave as a sign of agreement. There was no reason to hide it; everyone knew what Barragan thought of the child�s existence. Aizen went so far as to snort faintly, an indication of what he thought of the Second Espada�s tirades.

�He should get used to disappointment, at least in this instance. She may prove quite valuable to me when she�d older, if she�s properly trained and raised.�

Aizen did not hand Avispona back to her, but rather moved over and placed the little girl in Tatsuki�s arms.

�I look forward to seeing her sibling when it is born. It would be quite ironic if you and Rangiku were to go into labour at the same time.� He chuckled mildly before his mood visibly cooled and he fixed Soi Fon with a look that could have frozen lava. �One week,� he reminded her coldly and gestured towards the door. �It is very late, or early depending on whatever way you wish to look at things. Someone in your condition should be in bed, resting. I will see you and your adopted daughter safely home,� he insisted, as if bequeathing some grand gift, just as Soi Fon�s heartbeat ramped up to the �panicked� setting and alarm bells went off in her head.

�Thank you for the gracious offer, Kami-sama, but that won�t be necessary. Tesra will be back to pick me up in a few hours when he drops Rangiku off at work and Avispona hasn�t been discharged yet.�

He seemed to find Tatsuki polite refusal entertaining, and when Soi Fon saw the smug gleam in his eye, she realized he�d planned the entire encounter beforehand, including taking Avispona and personally seeing that the �adoption� went through on the night she arrived. Growing colder and sicker by the second, the former Taichou thought she knew why. If the handoff occurred now, while she was still weak from childbirth, if he separated them now, she�d have no opportunity to run without having to collect Avispona from the Fifth�s household first. Tatsuki�s eyes flickered in her direction, letting her know the human woman had figured out his motives too.

She wanted to scream, to demand more time with her baby, to ask for at least a day to hold her daughter, but without a voice, it was impossible. He�d managed to outwit her once more, by removing the only reason she would have to try to make a break for it for the Living World from her care, as well as reminding her he could make certain she never saw Avispona again.

She�d barely had a chance to say �hello� to her little girl, and now she had to relinquish her, before she was ready.

�My wife�s report says that the child is healthy and Tesra has patrol in an hour. One of the Numeros� pregnant pets is feeling unwell and he asked to remain by her side,� Aizen declared smoothly. �I ordered Tesra to fill in for him. The Fifth can escort his pet to her assigned position for a change.�

Soi Fon didn�t know if that was a lie or not, but challenging him in her present state wasn�t an option. She suspected Tatsuki was also wise enough not to push the issue any further, no matter how appalled she might be with Aizen�s methods. The only consolation the former Taichou had was Tatsuki�s promise that she could visit, and that she�d get to see her daughter when the other could bring her by the 5^th and 6^th Divisions on occasion.

Then again, maybe she�d underestimated Tatsuki�s daring. Instead of immediately leaving, she chose to walk back to the bed so that Soi Fon could give her little girl one last caress and a kiss before Aizen swiftly escorted the human woman and the bundle in her arms out of the room.

�You will die,� Soi Fon vowed bitterly, too physically and mentally drained to cry as a gloomy silence descended on the room. While she knew Tatsuki and Tesra would keep Avispona safe, the knowledge did nothing for the utter desolation slowly growing inside of her. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back against the pillow and her hands fisted in the bedclothes. In her duress, Soi Fon found herself falling back on the old habits she�d learned at Yoruichi�s knee: taking stock and making certain her focus remained on the right target, on the next task. Turning the list of �must do�s� into a mantra she repeated over and over in her head helped ground her and kept her from bursting into tears. It gave her a small sense of control over something.

�Remember, give him no reason to suspect you will do anything but submit. Do what you must. Regain your strength as soon as possible. Make sure Yoruichi�s contacts are primed and ready to move when she gives us the signal. Don�t get distracted. Once this thing starts, we�re committed.�

�I will make you pay for this, so help me,� she swore inwardly. Suzumebachi echoed her sentiments and if she couldn�t hold her daughter, there was nothing stopping her from holding her Zanpakuto. A bereft Soi Fon plucked the sheathed blade from its spot on the side table, curling up around it in an attempt to find some solace. When she put her forehead against the pommel, she heard a vicious string of invectives aimed at the two tyrants, using the only voice she had left.

�I will make the two of you pay, if it�s the last thing I do.�
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56255 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2