Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 77
- 78
- 79
Lies of Omission

Renji sat with his back against the trunk of one of the large apple trees in the Ishida orchard, eyes closed and Zabimaru across his lap. Nel was in the kitchen with Yuzu-chan, preparing the noon meal, while Ichigo and a subdued Grimmjow worked at clearing up the destruction caused by the harsh winter. Downed trees and tree limbs, degraded slopes, a washed-out path and other reminders that things in the Living World has been less than fantastic for some time had to be fixed. Ichigo knew more than enough to direct the other in the fine art of dragging deadwood over into a pile to be cut and shovelling rubble and dirt from paving stones. One of the few ways of earning a living open to someone who hadn�t graduated high school involved manual labour, something with which Renji was all too familiar. That also solved one of the mysteries as to how the Escapees had kept body and soul together as far as money. Ishida Ryuuken would have to hire real contractors for a few things, but they could at least do the prep work and save the doctor some coin, as well as pay him back for his hospitality.

Thankfully, the mouth-with-feet that was Sarugaki Hiyori had gone with Szayel and Nemu to work on the codes they�d discovered in, of all things, a candy box. Oddly, that seemed consistent with what he remembered of Urahara, though how that sneaky shopkeeper managed to talk his way into building a satellite lab in the middle of a Quincy fortress Renji would never know. The news that Hiyori had once been Urahara�s second-in-command didn�t surprise him as much as he thought it should. The old shoten�s staff had been such a strange bunch that Renji had no problem picturing the pig-tailed blonde among them. He hoped that Kisuke had thought to get the kids he�d taken in to safety, past the pillars, but he didn�t have time to track them down. Renji added doing that to the tall stack of things to do after they�d killed Aizen.

For his part, he was on watch, though Zaraki and Yachiru had the rest of the morning shift and told him to �take a load off�. Before she�d left for another foray into the Seireitei, Yoruichi had told the rest of the Escapees that there were more Shinigami coming through the official Senkaimon than ever, thanks to the Swarm�s defeat. Therefore, she�d decided that her group should leave any necessary konso in the Karakura area and the surrounding districts to them and remain hidden. The last thing they needed was to run into a patrol, especially if one of the Numeros accompanied them. That left Zaraki and Yachiru to stew behind the fortress�s reishi walls. Renji had taken one look at the scowl on Zaraki�s face and like anyone with experience in the old 11^th Division, decided to stand watch on the opposite side of the property.

Doing so gave him some time to think, which was both good and bad.

He�d finally seen the blurry images of his son and had been at a loss for words. Nel�s mask had hinted at the nature of her base animal and he could definitely see her influence as he�d taken in the two small, odd bumps on his forehead, the tail, the fact his boy had been alternately sucking on his thumb and squirming in the confines of his mother�s womb, as if impatient with his cramped quarters.

Admittedly, the hooves had been a surprise.

By the end of the exam and with Nel looking at him with some concern, a lightheaded Renji had felt the need for some air. He�d helped his mate back into her clothing, spent a few awestruck minutes alternating between kissing her and letting his hands rove all over her belly before she�d told him that she was going to assist Yuzu and that he should �do something to help around the mansion�. The redhead let her go. He also ignored Szayel as the Espada drooled over the sonograms and pestered Ryuuken with questions. Since Nel�s exam had served as a �break� of sorts for him, Ryuuken had made a �suggestion� that Szayel return to decrypting Kisuke�s �recipes� and leave him in peace. Renji didn�t want to wait around until Ryuuken brought out his bow.

The safest spot to clear his head seemed to be the orchard and before he could �make himself useful,� Renji decided to check in with his Zanpakuto. From there, with the sun on his face and the scent of apple blossoms filling his nose with every breath he took, it didn�t take terribly long for him to access his inner world.

The place had never looked better. Renji�s feet sank into sugary-white sand and thick, knee-high grass whispered around his legs as he strode through the overgrown temple, looking for the courtyard where Zabimaru usually resided. When he found the nue, he was pleased to see how sleek and well-fed the creature appeared.

�So, you finally came for a visit. How nice of you. Having fun, are we?� the baboon drawled, scratching at the black patterns in its fur. He also yawned, showing off a magnificent set of canines.

�Ssshe let you up for a sssecond? Ssssimply assstounding��the snake hissed drowsily from its spot on one of the steps, rousing itself from where it had coiled in the sun.

�Knock it off, you two. Things have been��

�Hectic?�

�Busssy?�

�Moving too quickly for you to comprehend?�

�Be nisssse. He�sss going to have another tasssty moresssel to look after sssoon. He needsss his ressst��

�Ugh. Forget it. I knew you two would be no help.�

�Come to us with a question we can answer, next time.�

��inssstead of for ssssympathy� or are you ssstill worried about them?�

The snake flicked its tongue in the direction of one of the carvings on the walls that lined the courtyard. Two children faced one another, a frightened looking boy and a girl with butterfly wings sprouting from her shoulders. A stylized barrier of thorny vines prevented anyone from reaching the small figures, as well as keeping the two captive. The overhanging jungle canopy shadowed the depiction of Vindula and Abisara, giving the thorns and the carving a gloomy, sinister feel.

�You know I�m worried about them, dammit! Yoruichi says they�re alright, that Aizen hasn�t hurt them yet, but you know that will change if he thinks he won�t get caught!�

�Then don�t give him the time he needs to do anything. Be ready to go and get them.�

�Ssseems sssimple enough to me. Plansss are all fine and dandy, but sssooner is better than later.�

�Didn�t you spend time with that madman Urahara?�

�Sssweeping, dusssting, mopping the ssshoten��

�Cleaning seems to be a prominent part of your resume, Abarai Renji. Did you spend any time listening to him? Maybe you could help Szayel figure out how, and if, he organized his things.�

�Geniussses are all alike in that their ssssyestms are a messs. It�ssss how the messss is put together that makesss each of them different.�

�Go. Get out of here and do something helpful, boy. If you can�t assist that scientist, go spend some more time consoling yourself between your girl�s thighs. You seem to have that figured out.�

�You ssshould share some of the good partsss with us! We might have a few trickssss of our own if you�re interesssted��

Renji decided to walk out on the two halves of his Zanpakuto before the snake could really get going. If they kept up with the teasing as far as Nel was concerned, he�d find a way to muzzle them both with barbed wire. Then again, he had to admit that his inner world, aside from the one dark corner he knew reflected his fears for the twins, appeared healthy and the nue had brought up an interesting point. While Szayel, Nemu, and Hiyori were far more qualified to look through Urahara Kisuke�s notes when it came to deciphering them, Renji had spent part of that long-ago summer and autumn schlepping and fetching and scrubbing the man�s laboratory and shoten while stationed in Karakura. He had no idea if his help would result in anything worthwhile, but he could at least offer it.

He emerged from his mental sanctum, the bright sunlight making his eyes water as they fluttered open. Yawning, he scrubbed them with the back of his hand.

�Hey, Renji,� a voice off to his right said. It startled him enough to get into an immediate crouch, before he recognized the person leaning against a nearby tree. Rukia peered at him, bent over as if to inspect him for some kind of defect or injury.

�Talking to Zabimaru?�

�Err� yeah. He had a good idea or two. I should probably go see if��

�Can we talk now?�

The small, dark-haired Shinigami had a strange expression on her face, much like the one she�d had the night he�d wandered down and interrupted the three-way discussion with Yoruichi and Yuzu.

Thus, he set aside the idea of going to see if Szayel wanted or needed his help and moved over to clear a spot for her. Rukia hesitated for a second, before she parked herself next to him, drawing her knees up against her in the same way she�d done when they were children, though she didn�t look at him. Instead, she let her eyes wander out across the orchard, letting them rest on a spot somewhere beyond the flowering branches, while Renji stared down at the top of her head.

�I�m sorry Renji.�

He sighed and let his head fall back, and went from looking at the former object of his affection to staring at the clouds instead.

�For what? For escaping and staying out of Aizen�s clutches? For being lucky enough not to have been handed over to an Arrancar to be rapped and enslaved along with me?�

�I�m� I�m sorry for everything. If I�d been stronger, if that Espada hadn�t injured me, I might have been able to help you and Uryuu. I might have been able to help Nii-san. Yamada Hanataro wouldn�t have��

Rukia�s expression grew clouded and troubled as her voice faltered. Out of old habit, Renji draped an arm across her shoulders, getting her to lean against him. He also got a bit more comfortable against the tree, suspecting that this might take a little while.

�You know what happened to me Rukia. Why don�t you tell me what happened to you, okay? All I felt was your reiatsu drop to almost nothing...�

His childhood friend sniffed a bit, but kept a firm leash on any tears as she related what little she could remember. She�d destroyed and purified the Ninth Espada, freeing what remained of Shiba Kaien if what she told him was correct. Renji was terribly impressed with that alone and told her so, earning himself a wan smile before she went on with her tale. It was far shorter than either his or Uryuu�s might have been, partly because no one had saddled her with one of Nel�s crazy fraccion and partly because she�d been unconscious for much of it. What she�d found when she�d been yanked rudely awake had shaken her to the core, however. The guilt he saw in her eyes seemed endless as she recounted it.

�He was just lying there, next to me. My wounds were gone and he� he was so still and so cold. He must have taken on someone or something while I was out. You know how his Zanpakuto worked.�

Renji let out a long breath. He�d been aware of the crush that the 4^th Division�s 7^th Seat had on the noblewoman, as aware as he�d been of his own feelings for her then. The kid had all but worshipped her when he�d taken care of her needs in the 6^th Division�s cell block during her incarceration. The skinny healer�s regard for her had been enough to get him to help the human intruders. That Yamada Hanataro had been brave enough to sign on to the Hueco Mundo support mission, with the hope of backing up he and Rukia didn�t surprise Renji all that much. Hanataro�s name had been on the Winter War�s casualty list, but the details remained a mystery to the redhead until now.

Wincing, he tightened his arm around the smaller Shinigami�s shoulders, as there was little else he could do for her.

�He probably took on something that would have killed you. He healed your wounds and then destroyed whatever it was that would have eaten you, with Hisagomaru. Maybe, like you, he took too much damage while doing it and wasn�t able to recover.�

�You mean he didn�t have anyone to heal him, unlike me. I don�t know why he did that! It was such a stupid thing to do! He could have saved himself!�

Renji looked down at her incredulously, and then remembered that he�d spent many hours dwelling on a similar decision by someone else, once he�d learned of it. In Renji�s case, he�d had video evidence that helped answer the �why� of it. The woman brooding next to him didn�t have that kind of luxury, so he tried to keep his tone kind, to keep her from blaming herself in this as well.

�He made his choice, Rukia and you�re here now because of that choice� just as I�m here because Uryuu made that bargain with Szayel, for Nemu and me. Hanataro wanted you to live and what he did means that you have a shot at finishing what he can�t.�

The guilt he saw in her eyes, along with a dose of misery told him she didn�t quite buy into what he told her.

�What am I doing, Renji? Did he die so that I could spend the next fifteen years running like a scared rabbit?�

�I thought you liked rabbits�� Renji began, and then bit his tongue when she glowered up at him.

�Okay, so, bad time to make a joke. Duly noted.� He gave her shoulders another squeeze to try to make her feel better, the way he would have done when they were children and a mission to filch dinner from one of the merchants yielded nothing. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes until Renji rocked sideways and deliberately bumped into her, the motion jarring her out of her penitent sitting position. When she scowled, he returned it.

�Cut that out. You haven�t failed anyone. Jeez, Rukia! You killed a bloody Espada, by yourself! Be proud of that and quit beating yourself up over Szayel and me! Sure, there are plenty of times I�ve wanted to cut his head off, but what happened is done and over. He didn�t realize what he was doing and while I�m not happy about the nap he made me take, I can think of much worse things to do for nine years than� well� just not feel anything. If it helps, Aizen�s done far more harm to him than anything you could ever hope to accomplish.�

Grinding his knuckles against his black headband, Renji went back to watching the clouds go by.

�I�m glad you weren�t caught, Rukia and I don�t resent you for escaping, or doing what you had to do to stay free. The fact that the Arrancar never got their claws on you gave me some hope that there might be a way to escape, at least at first, until Szayel pulled that experiment of his. When Orihime-chan restored me, and Karin-chan told me you all were still at large, after all that time� you have no idea how happy that made me.�

Rukia didn�t look as if his words made much of a difference, continuing to mope.

�Compared to you, I�m such a coward! When Yoruichi came back, five years ago and told us that you were yourself again and that you had no Claim on you� Hiyori and Zaraki had to sit on Ichigo and me to keep from going and grabbing you!�

Renji made an impatient sound that he tried not to make seem dismissive.

�Nel told me. It�s a good thing you didn�t. You�d have been intercepted and either enslaved or killed. Trust me. I know the layout of that Division like the back of my hand now. I�ve scrubbed the damn place enough. You�d have never made it in, let alone figured out a way to get me out and by that time, there were plenty of other things to keep me there.�

�Like the twins�� she said faintly and he nodded.

�Like the twins, like not giving Aizen any more reason to go sniffing around the Division or Szayel or Karin for that matter. Besides, you lot needed me to spy for you. At least tell me the information I gave you helped. I could use the ego boost.�

�Yes, it did. Yoruichi managed to contact the people that you both knew and they knew of others who had gone underground as well. There�s a whole, loose network of people who were once part of the Onmitsukidō still at large and more than just a few former officers who figured out a way to stay hidden, but it�s too hard to coordinate everyone. Too many moving parts and too many people afraid of attracting some Hollow�s attention. She won�t even tell us who they are, so that we can�t blab anything if��

��if you�re caught. Believe me, I understand.�

�Please tell me Szayel didn�t hurt you, when he� when he Claimed you. If he did, I�ll gut him, Yoruichi or no Yoruichi!�

Renji reached up and scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks coloring as he thought back to those two episodes and flinched. He certainly hadn�t been pleased to have Szayel force him onto all fours via the Claim he�d cast while Renji had been out of it in those first days after the Seireitei�s defeat, but pain had only been a very short part of that ordeal. What he�d hated the most was the complete lack of control and his body�s betrayal as he�d succumbed to the side effects of Szayel�s Claim.

�No, he didn�t. Can�t say I want to repeat the experience, at least, not with him. As I said, it�s probably a good thing I can�t remember what went on during those nine years. Getting back to this whole �I�m sorry� business� there�s nothing for you to be sorry about, got it?�

He felt, rather that saw her nod and rest her chin on her knees once more.

�Renji, can you tell me something?�

�Depends,� he replied warily.

�Can you tell me about Nii-sama? Yoruichi sometimes drops by the Kuchiki Estate and makes sure� that he�s still alive, but she won�t really tell me how he�s doing, other than the fact he�s helping out with the 2^nd Division. Ichigo remembers Yammy from when they clashed in the park and he hurt Sado-kun and Orihime-chan, but I�ve never seen him myself.�

�Rukia��

�Please tell me the truth. He�s hurting my brother, isn�t he?�

Of all of the topics she wanted to discuss, she would have to pick this one. Renji supposed that he shouldn�t have been too surprised. If he�d been in her shoes, he might have asked the same thing. The problem was that he had nothing comforting to tell her.

�What would you do if I told you the truth?�

�What do you mean?�

�I mean just that: what would you do? Would you do what you tried to do the other day to Szayel and attempt to add a few holes to his face? Because that won�t work. He�s too strong.�

�He�s the Tenth Espada. I killed the Ninth��

��and nearly died in the process. What did Nel tell you about him?�

�That he�s terrible, dangerous��

�Did she tell you that he�s stronger than Starrk and Lilinette when he gets pissed? I can�t see her leaving that part out. It�s what she told me.�

�Why were you two discussing him? Did he do something to you?�

Renji couldn�t help the spike of panic that set in as Rukia turned her face up towards his, her expression pleading with him to give her something, anything as far as news of her adopted brother. He would not tell her about that. She didn�t need to know the horrid details about what Yammy had forced his vacant body to do while her brother had been helpless, thanks to that damned Claim the Tenth had on him.

�I won�t lie and tell you he�s happy. He isn�t and Yammy has put him through things that would drive a lesser man mad. But�� he warned her, holding up one finger to forestall any more questions from her, �he needs to be the one to tell you, not me. It�s not my place to say anything.�

She bit her lip and then twisted her hands together, fingers lacing and unlacing nervously, before she flung another question at him. It made sense, considering her two previous questions, though he suddenly felt cold once he heard it.

�What happened three years ago?�

�Huh?�

�Three years ago, near the War�s anniversary. We knew something terrible had happened to you. Nel� I thought she was going to fight Yoruichi outright to get to you and only Hachi threatening to keep her in one of his Kido cubes prevented her from going off on her own to rescue you. It wasn�t time to renew your Claim yet, but ten days later Yoruichi came back from one of her trips and told Hachi to get Nel some food to take with her and to get the portal ready. Yoruichi wouldn�t say anything more, just that Nel needed to talk some sense into you before� before you did something stupid.�

This time Renji gave up trying to keep up his front of reasonableness and buried his face in his hands.

�Rukia, please trust me when I say you don�t want to know.�

�Does it involve Szayel?�

�Rukia� don�t��

�Nel said that Szayel had done something stupid and that it affected you. Was she lying to us, Renji?�

�No! Dammit, listen! What happened three years ago was pretty bad and yes, Nel had to come and drag me by the hair out of a pit I�d dug for myself. If she hadn�t, I don�t know that I wouldn�t have followed through with it, but she came and made me see what I was doing was foolish and I�m grateful that she did. That�s all you need to know because I refuse to burden you with it. It�s the same thing with your brother. If I get the chance, I�m going to do my best to put Zabimaru through Yammy�s skull, repeatedly. However, as far as your brother�s circumstances go, if he wants to tell you what he�s been through, he will. If he doesn�t� he has that pride of his. Sometimes I think it�s the only thing holding him up.�

Rukia wiped at the corners of her eyes and Renji couldn�t help feeling like a complete dick about not giving her the information she wanted. However, his friend had a tendency to throw caution to the wind at times and make impulsive decisions, like giving Ichigo her powers fifteen years ago. He had to make her see that sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

�Look, remember when I said that I was glad you hadn�t been apprehended, that you and Ichigo and Shihoin Yoruichi and the rest of this madhouse were still at large?�

�Yes�� she said thickly, the words muffled against her bent knees.

�Well, I�m certain that it goes double for Kuchiki-Taichou. I think it really would kill him if one of Aizen�s patrols or one of the Numeros brought you in. You need to stay free, Rukia. Right now, you�re probably the only member of the Kuchiki Clan that can act independently. You have to be the Clan right now, and you have to be strong for him, especially since he�ll have to find out you got married and didn�t invite him.�

She made a face as he said this and more guilt shadowed her features.

�That�s not funny.�

�It wasn�t meant to be funny, Rukia. You have more than just the Kuchiki Clan and your brother to think about.�

That got him an affronted huff.

�I could say the same thing about you.�

�Yeah, I suppose you could.�

�Are you really in love with her, Renji? Are you alright with�with letting her Claim you?�

Renji let out a laugh that startled a few birds roosting on a nearby branch and considered the question for all of half-a-second.

�Okay with it? Am I okay with something that feels like heaven every time she does it? Hell yes!�

�Yes and yes, Rukia. What about you? Are you really in love with the Strawberry? Does he love you back, you know, the way you deserve?�

Now she looked away and he could see the faint tinge of pink on her cheeks.

�It wasn�t as drama-ridden as you and Nelliel-chan. We were friends for so long that it just crept up on us.�

�Hah. That�s bullshit, Rukia.�

His statement made her put her hands on her hips as she turned her small torso to glare at him.

�Excuse me?�

�I said that�s the biggest load of bullshit I�ve heard yet and Szayel�s been subjecting me to his lectures for a while now, so I�m pretty good at recognizing it when I hear it. You�ve had it bad for Kurosaki from the day you met the kid and don�t tell me you haven�t.�

Rukia�s expression got darker, while Renji regarded her knowingly from beneath his tattooed brows, until she sat back in defeat.

�Figures you would be the one to see it,� she muttered. Renji rolled his eyes but kept his arm where it was.

�I�ve known you too long, Rukia. If just being friends for a long time was enough to get you to take things to the next level�� he said softly and then let it go, before he could say something that might truly be more of a stab than he intended, or disturb a door he�d closed some time ago. He�d let Rukia go in the abstract, well over a year ago, making his decision after Grimmjow�s order forced a confession as to who truly held his affections. Now, he guessed, it was time to do it while she was within reach and nothing helped clarify things like cold, hard facts.

The petite Shinigami next to him sat back and closed her eyes.

�Yeah, you�re right. I think I knew the minute I had to turn my back on him and follow Nii-sama and you through that Senkaimon. I didn�t think anything could hurt worse than what happened to Shiba-Fukutaichou, but I was wrong. That he was willing to stand up to the two of you, to fight you both, no matter what� it�s just sort of hard to think about romance while you�re sneaking around, trying to keep one step ahead of Aizen.�

What she really meant was that it had taken them a while to acknowledge the truth. Renji could sympathize. He�d been dealing with Nel for five years now and had only recently come to understand the depths of what she�d come to mean to him.

He pulled his arm away, placed one large hand on her head and ruffled her hair before she could protest.

�Wish I could have been at the wedding. Guess you�ll just have to attend mine to make up for it. You can class up the place with your Kuchiki-ness��

She swiftly reached up and brought her fist squarely on the crown of his head.

�OW!! What was that for?�

�For being an idiot, Renji! When I married Ichigo, I took his name� it is Kurosaki Rukia now� and there was no wedding. We got the certificate and our marriage is legal in the Living World, but I�m sure the Elders will have something to say about it. If they�re smart, it will be �Congratulations� and they�ll leave it at that.�

�Ow�� he repeated, rubbing his noggin and leaning away from her, �Okay, okay, I get it.�

�Besides, you�ll need me there anyway. Someone has to sit on your side of the room for the ceremony, after all. If my brother� if Nii-sama can�t do it, then it�s my duty to do so.�

Renji saw the familiar, stubborn set of her jaw as she said this and for some reason, he was exceedingly pleased to hear she would stand in for his superior officer. If he�d ever had any family in the Inuzuri, he�d never known them and of their childhood �family� of outcast children, only Rukia remained. Abisara and Vindula were unfortunately beyond his reach at the moment. As he�d told Nel that morning, while they lay tangled together in the sheets, he�d at least make certain they had the proper ceremony before they implemented their plan. He rose to his feet and stared down at the only other woman who had ever managed to worm her way into his affections.

�You�re not angry at me for marrying Nel, are you Rukia?�

�Don�t be stupid! Of course I�m fine with it! I just wish you didn�t have to be Claimed.�

He placed one of his hands on her shoulder and gently shook her.

�If I am, it�s my choice now, Rukia, and no one else�s� and she always asked before she did it, more or less.�

�But� you can�t return a Claim. How does that work?� she asked, somewhat plaintively and he gave her a matter-of-fact look. While he wouldn�t tell her about the details regarding her brother, or of his own captivity, it might not be a bad idea letting her in on how a Claim could affect the one casting it.

�Rukia, she�s seen my inner world. She�s seen Zabimaru, the way I see him. I showed it to her the last time I saw her, in autumn� and I showed her how her Claim changed the place. For the better, I might add.�

Rukia�s shocked expression spoke volumes about what he�d just admitted. For a Shinigami, one�s inner world and the manifestation of one�s Zanpakuto was something intensely private, something to keep to oneself. Others might see the outer manifestation of that world via the release of a Shikai or a Bankai. However, letting someone else view his or her Zanpakuto�s source of origin� the idea of allowing another to see one�s vulnerabilities and the sum of one�s fears kept most Shinigami from ever considering it. It was an unspoken taboo, one that almost no one broke willingly.

�Why, Renji? Why would you do that?� Rukia whispered, aghast. Renji�s eyes narrowed a bit, but he supposed her reaction was to be expected. The Vizard, as far as he knew, couldn�t cast Claims, so she wouldn�t have a reference for what the act felt like, nor would she know that the Achilles heel of a Claim was that it left the caster open to everything the one subjugated felt, both bad and in their case, exceedingly good.

�Because I needed to get her to understand that she has a place in that world, my world. A Claim cuts both ways and I used it to let her see everything that�s in here. It helped win her over. I trust her, Rukia and you should as well� especially if I have to trust that Ichigo isn�t going to lose control over that Hollow he�s got rattling around in his head with him and possibly hurt you.�

Renji pointed to his temple with one finger, to emphasize his point before continuing.

�It�s true that I don�t know everything she�s feeling or thinking, but you know what? That�s what �asking� is for.�

Rukia stared up at him for a few seconds, searching his countenance for something before she got a resigned look on her face and rubbed her forehead.

�Okay. I get it. I�m happy for you, Renji. You�ll be a great father, if what Nemu says is true. I hope that when all of this is over, Ichigo and I� well, maybe we can finally start on the family we want. If we win, that is.�

That was a large �if� at this point and they both knew it. Renji pulled one of the confident grins he kept on hand for just such occasions and plastered it on his face for Rukia�s benefit, and maybe for his own as well. Jerking his chin in the direction of the storage shed, he started back down the path, content that the two of them had worked out whatever had gone awry in the last few days. Rukia scampered after him.

�We will. I�m going to go see if I can�t help Szayel and Hiyori figure out how to get into Urahara Kisuke�s head, as far as those �recipes� go.�

Rukia�s reply sounded grumpy, but sympathetic.

�Good luck with that. If you asked that pervert a question, he always hid behind that fan of his.�

�True. That means we have to figure out the �fan� he used when it came to keeping people from reading his notes. I swept up after him enough to know that much.�

�Hmm.�

They were halfway to the storage shed when Rukia, who appeared to be deep in thought, straightened up and snapped her fingers.

�You�re going to need a better outfit.�

Renji�s eyebrow and the tattoo attached to it went up to say �hello� to his hairline and the blank look he gave her only served to irritate her, as did his failure to recognize the problem she evidently saw with his clothing.

�For what?�

She in turn gave him a �how can you be this stupid� frown and lifted her chin, her eyes full of criticism.

�To wear when you get married, of course!�

�What�s wrong with my shihakusho?�

�Nothing, if you�re going to go purify a few Adjuchas or handle paperwork. But it�s not something to wear for a wedding ceremony, baka, especially your own!�

A tiny trickle of fear worked its way down his spine as Renji took in his friend�s suddenly contemplative expression.

�Rukia� but� I��

�Don�t worry. I�ll find something appropriate. Just leave it to me!�

The little Shinigami spun on her heel and took off in the direction of the house before Renji could stop her, leaving little more than rustle of displaced air behind her. A terrifying vision of being trussed up like a side of beef in a Western-style tuxedo made of bunny-print fabric, complete with a white bow tie and a camellia blossom on his lapel made him want to run after her, to try to prevent such a horrifying scenario from coming true. He had no doubts that Rukia could find something like that and she would likely force him to wear it.

�Renji-kun?�

�Gah!� he shouted out loud, as a blur of turquoise, white and pink caught his eye and he discovered his mate standing next to him. Nel had a basket of greens balanced on her hip and it took Renji a moment to realize she�d probably been in the garden, fetching vegetables for lunch when his acute distress at the possibility of Rukia picking out his wedding outfit had summoned her.

�Are you alright?� she asked, gently touching his arm. He nodded and ran his fingers through the long tail of hair that fell from his top-knot, removing a knot from the strands before he pulled her against him. She�d been digging in the earth and he could smell the soil on her fingertips, as well as the heady perfume in her hair that made a mess of his resolve to do anything other than find the nearest bed.

�Just fine. Counting the hours until this evening, when I can rid you of this.�

He plucked at the sleeve of her pink flower-patterned garment, the one that looked enough like his own sleepwear to give him all kinds of sordid ideas. Nel smiled when he said this and tucked her arm into his, leading him away from the shed. He tried to protest and explain to her what Zabimaru had suggested, but she only shook her head at him.

�Lunch is almost ready, once I get this basket to Yuzu-chan. Ishida-sensei came down to the kitchen and said that he�d help with a few things regarding the ceremony you wanted. I was going to wait until after lunch to ask you about them, but you were� busy.�

Reaching down, Renji grasped Nel�s chin and brought her lips up to meet his, reassuring her with both his tongue and his emotions that things were fine and that he�d laid to rest any specters that might cast a shadow on what he and his mate had between them. Then again, when his mouth moved to the hollow of her throat and he felt her nearly drop the greens, it might not be a matter of trust so much as knowing that Nel was the only person who could inspire him to act in such a brazen way. Rukia would have smacked him, while Nel tilted her head back to give him better access to her warm skin.

Sometimes the Arrancar way of doing things made so much more sense to him�

While Renji would have liked to take things further, laying her out on the blossom-covered grass and testing his theory about just how �private� the orchard really was, common sense prevailed. With his luck, their hostess would come looking for Nel and he didn�t think Yuzu would appreciate being scandalized. He also looked back over his shoulder and then shrugged, letting Nel lead him away. He�d make the offer to Szayel after Nemu pushed and shoved her mate and Hiyori back to the house for a meal. Maybe they�d need him and maybe not, but it could wait for an hour or two.

Some things, however, could not.

�I think we should get married soon, in the next few days�before Rukia can find Chappy the Rabbit fabric.�
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Prize of Victory 2	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > General Views: 56251 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story

Prize of Victory 2