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
- 85
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- 87
The Night before Tomorrow: Szayel and Nemu

The needle in his right hand slipped in and out of the threads of the white fabric like a silvery fish jumping out of the water of a becalmed lake. The stitching on a garment�s hem was always the most difficult part to hide. A proper hem had to be hand sewn, the fabric pressed prior to setting needle to cloth, lest it turn out uneven. Any variation would ruin an otherwise perfectly-turned cuff.

There was an old saying about devils and details and it kept popping into Szayel�s head at the worst of times. Most scientists understood that the more intricate a design or a plot, the more prone it was to problems, to a breakdown at some point in the execution. The timing for tomorrow�s assassination and takeover was so tight that a single deviation, a single screw-up could spell doom for it and them.

Unfortunately, it was the only strategy he�d been able to cobble together that had a chance of succeeding when one took into account all of the variables. However, the aspect that truly worried him was its reliance on Kurosaki Ichigo and Grimmjow as agents of regicide. He had little more than rudimentary knowledge of what the human could do, now that he�d matured, and for all of Grimmjow�s bluster about his abilities, Szayel wasn�t entirely certain that the Sixth had the strength. No, the Seventh thought, he would have been happier if someone with a cooler head, like Ulquiorra Cifer or Coyote Starrk, were assigned the job of killing Aizen. Sadly, he needed them elsewhere.

�Beggars,� he reminded himself, �cannot be choosers in this. Starrk and Lilinette have motivation to protect Hana and Ushōda-san and the Numeros, if they are smart, will have second thoughts about picking a fight with the Fourth. If Grimmjow can keep his temper under control and not allow Aizen to manipulate him� he�s made progress in that area, but still�

Thankfully, Szayel�s task was much simpler: get to Karin and his children, set his mistress free, explain to her what was going on and then get the twins to their mother, who would take them to safety. At least, that was what he was supposed to accomplish. There was always the chance that his children might not be at the Palace at all, which would add an unwelcome wrinkle. The last thing he wanted to do was tear about Aizen�s living quarters, poking his head into doorways in a frantic search for his offspring.

He paused in his sewing to check the side of the outward-facing side of the cuff, to see if he�d let a stray stitch show, or if he�d missed one. Having to do this by lamplight was a pain, but there was no help for it.

�No, Yoruichi assured me that Unohana is at least partially in on this and that she will ensure they stay with Karin in the Royal Suite. The only one who might not be there will be my son, but if that�s the case, the only other place he would be is the 4th Division, with Kami�s wife. The Swarm promised to leave that Division and its members alone during the invasion. He should be safe enough if he�s there. Now, let�s see if I have the route to the Royal Suite memorized��

He mentally mapped the circuitous path he would need to take to avoid the guards. It was a course that Ajuga promised would get him past the Palace guards to Unohana�s private garden. Karin and his children wouldn�t be far away.

�Enter though the left gate, duck into the hedge row and follow for twenty paces. Stop for a count of twenty to let the guard pass and continue for another fifty paces... I certainly hope whatever cover these directions provide is enough for someone of my height.�

Who knew the girl�s odd habit of paying Gin visits over the years would come in handy? It was amusing that a child�s game would prove to be the key to Aizen�s downfall� or at least, the means to retrieve those Aizen held as de facto prisoners.

The needle went still in mid-stitch while Szayel shivered at the thought of his former leader. Keeping one�s handiwork neat required control over one�s fingers and he didn�t want it ruined this late in the process of creating the new jacket.

How many times had the bastard raped him? Maybe a better question was �how many people had Aizen raped� period? There were the female servants at the Palace. �Kami� had no qualms about reminiscing out loud about what he�d done to whatever poor girl had taken his fancy while he was cock-deep in Szayel, so he had to assume what was true for one was true for all of them. In addition, he knew Gin had suffered even more than he during his long enslavement in the Royal Suite. He supposed he ought to include Unohana Retsu in the list of victims too, though she�d been spared the worst of Aizen�s predilections for violent sex.

�Half the population will require intensive psychotherapy after this. I hope Unohana-san�s Division is up to the task,� he couldn�t help thinking. �Most of them weren�t the sort that the average Arrancar would want, so they remained independent, even if they were hostages. Let�s pray that, even after what happened with Aizen�s new law, the majority of them can handle the counselling caseload the Shinigami population will need, as well as the casualties. It�s going to get very lively, very quickly, if we can�t put a lockdown on the Seireitei the moment he�s dead.�

Now that, he thought dismally, was the understatement of a lifetime. The worst part of overthrowing any government was dealing with the chaos in the days and weeks afterward. They were going to mitigate the fallout as best they could, but a civil war was a very real possibility. Szayel would have to make use of his gratifyingly loyal minions in the Science Division to keep any mayhem to a minimum.

Hollows followed the strongest leader out of both habit and a desire for survival. If all went well, Coyote Starrk would be the next leader of the Arrancar. Starrk was also powerful enough that no one, other than Barragan and Yammy, would dare protest his orders or try to carve out territory for themselves within the borders of the Soul Society. His Division could put another curb on Garganta, which would minimize the risk of those Arrancar with Claimed Shinigami from fleeing to Hueco Mundo. Corralling them wouldn�t be as difficult as the other Escapees thought, if Starrk, Harribel and Ulquiorra could maintain a unified front long enough to deal with the Second and the Tenth. The Third Espada was right to fear what Barragan would do in the absence of a higher authority and as Ajuga-chan had made very clear to anyone who asked, Yammy Llargo was �dead meat.� Szayel wouldn�t shed any tears over their loss. Nnoitra Gilga was one of those �variables� for which he couldn�t account. The Fifth, if their luck held, would be at the 4th Division with his household and Harribel would keep the mantis in line with a few choice words and Tiburon if he tried to leave. If he did� well, he was certain that the Swarm and Kenpachi would keep Nnoitra busy.

Szayel finished the hem, inspected it once more in the light of the extra reading lamp he�d placed on the table next to the loveseat and when he was satisfied with the results, slid the needle into the spool of white thread. He then reached up and rubbed his eyes.

No, dealing with the Arrancar would be easy compared to controlling the much-larger number of Shinigami suddenly freed from bondage. Hopefully, those Taichou and Fukutaichou in on the assassination and the rebellion would help keep the Divisions orderly as the leaders sorted out the details.

�Szayel, I�m going to shower. You should join me,� he heard Nemu say from the direction of the bathroom doorway.

�Oh?� He looked at his mate with one raised eyebrow. His reward was the sight of her wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her curves. The retort he had planned died on his tongue as he took in the fact she had to hold the ends together to keep it from unwinding and falling.

�It would be unbecoming for you to be anything other than flawless for our impending Victory tomorrow,� she stated with a coy look in those green eyes that promised more than just a chance to clean up.

Arguing with her seemed suddenly pointless. He was a perfect being after all and she was right in that he had an image to uphold. Hence his little side project. Szayel had discovered a closet full of carefully folded fabric, bags of aromatic cedar chips and mothballs tucked here and there in the small space that he�d later learned had once belonged to his host�s son. He had tentatively asked the lady of the house if he could have enough of the cotton broadcloth to fashion a new outfit for tomorrow�s invasion. She�d quietly nodded, granting permission. It wasn�t the first time that he deeply regretted Ishida Uryuu�s death. The more he found out about the young man, about his hobbies, his interests and his excellent taste in clothing, the more Szayel realized just how much they might have had in common.

He�d spent the last six hours, minus the hour for dinner, piecing together a new jacket and hakama, to settle his frazzled nerves. They absolutely could not fail tomorrow. The fate that awaited him if they did would make him wish he�d brought along a few cyanide pills to swallow. If Aizen had been this cruel to a supposedly loyal subordinate, Szayel hated to think what he would do to a traitor and prisoner.

�Szayel�� Nemu called again and he could hear a growing undercurrent of exasperation in her normally-subdued voice.

�I�m coming,� he assured her as he shook out his new jacket, and plucked a stray thread from the collar. He laid his pristine creation carefully over the loveseat�s arm rest, then rose to follow her into the bathroom attached to their suite.

He had to hand it to the last Quincy� the man had exquisite taste in architecture and furniture. Ishida Ryuuken also hadn�t seen fit to riddle him with arrows, despite his indirect contribution to Uryuu�s death. He had Renji to thank for that, for his former �pet� had spoken up in his defence over that situation, as had Nel, which surprised Szayel. In the end Ryuuken had offered him a roundabout �thank you� for avenging the deaths of his son and his father, Ishida Souken, and ridding the world of a truly psychotic freak by killing Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

Now there was a man that would have gleefully joined Aizen�s regime, as long as the usurper allowed him to conduct his experiments. Then again, Szayel couldn�t see any of the current Espada wanting to Claim such a madman. Moreover, he couldn�t see Aizen allowing such an unpredictable menace to roam free. Would the tyrant have returned him to his cell in the Maggot�s Nest, or would he have killed Kurotsuchi outright as a precaution? He supposed it was a moot point now, but he found the idea that Kurotsuchi might have constructed a place for himself in Aizen�s empire deeply disturbing. Had he managed such, Szayel knew he would have become a permanent resident of Aizen�s playroom within a year.

Deft fingers interrupted his brooding by unbuttoning his collar and loosening the fasteners on his old, mended jacket. His mate had apparently lost patience with his dawdling. Refocusing on the �here and now,� Szayel also realized she�d lost her towel. His recent appreciation of her naked form returned tenfold as he let his eyes wander down her lovely figure. She was truly a masterpiece, a work of art that kindled the basest of lusts as well as profound gratitude in him. The Espada even adored the faded stretch marks that lingered on her skin five years after her pregnancy. They were natural tattoos, reminders of the two wonderful children she�d given him.

�You are beautiful,� he whispered as she undid his sash and placed it with the rest of his clothing, in a hastily-made pile on the floor. She responded by blushing and breaking eye contact. He could tell via the Claim that the compliment surprised and pleased her.

�Thank you,� he heard her say and it suddenly occurred to him that he�d never told her this before now. In fact, as Szayel stared down at the woman taking care of him, he admitted that he was guilty of taking her for granted.

She had slipped into the role of a �servant-with-benefits� first and later the position of a mate, with disquieting ease. He�d never really used the Claim or physical force against her; there had never been a need. If he wanted or required something, he asked and she provided, whether it was sex, a test tube, a tool from the lab or an extra meal while he was working late. She rarely questioned his orders and performed the ones he gave her efficiently. He�d treated her as the prized, competent and very necessary assistant she truly was, rather than tossing insults at her with every breath, or striking her for the most inane of reasons.

He liked to think he was a step up from Kurotsuchi, at least in a few areas. Szayel was pleased to say he had never forced her to spread her legs for him either, other than the first time he�d had her, but there had been no time to explain to her why he needed to fill her with as much of his reiatsu as possible. She�d survived Fornicaras� Gabrielle attack, an astounding feat on its own and with Aizen�s order to bring in the survivors it became imperative that he restore her by the fastest means possible.

Part of him suspected that, had she been capable of moving her limbs at that point, she would have laid back and let him do what he wanted anyway, thanks to Kurotsuchi�s �training� methods. In a way, her learned submissiveness was much like what had happened to him over the years with Aizen and that understanding galled Szayel to no end. It also forced him, reluctantly, to reconsider their relationship in its entirety. After some introspection, Szayel had to admit that she had never truly been �free�. She had never had a chance to be her own woman, either under her creator or under him, to his chagrin. While he could do nothing about her past, there was something Szayel could do about her future, and the present seemed a good time to do it.

�If we win�� he began and then paused as he found himself worrying over what her response might be.

She must have mistaken his hesitancy for something else, because she closed what little distance there was between them and put her palm on his chest. Nemu was so close, her body inches from his and he gave in to the urge to draw her against him by sliding his arm around the small of her back.

�When this is over,� he tried again, �if you so desire it, I would like you to remain my Mate�. without a Claim between us.� The offer hung in the steamy air between them. �If not, I will let you go and you may build a life of your own, if that is what you want, in whatever manner you wish.�

Nemu�s eyes widened, his question obviously taking her completely by surprise. She parted her lips and he reached up to put a finger against them, keeping her from speaking. Maybe he could blame all of this on that bit of business at the shrine the other evening, when Nemu�s hand had quietly clutched his through the ceremony.

�You are not my slave. You are my partner, the mother of my children and a trusted colleague. Perhaps one day, if I find a way to fix my accursed mask, and if you want such a bond, I will redo the Claim, but only if you consent, Nemu-chan. Perhaps, with enough research, I�ll even find a way for you to return it,� he mused then brightened. �I am sure I can think of several people who would be interested in something like that. Karin�s human friends would be certain to sign up!�

After a few long moments, Nemu smiled up at him. It was something she rarely did for anyone other than him or the children. When he saw it, he knew he�d done the right thing, and that she had recognized it as the declaration of love that it was.

�I would like that,� she said softly, �Thank you, Szayel. You have been far kinder to me than even my fellow Shinigami. While I confess that seeing you tear the creature that had been my father apart was terrifying and surreal, it also brought me joy, though I knew you would likely kill me next. You surprised me by showing me that I�d incorrectly interpreted the data I�d gathered on you during our conflict.�

Her capacity for analysis, even while caught in the throes of something that should have destroyed her, sometimes amazed him and an admission of error on her part was rare. As touched as he was that she wanted to continue their relationship, he found he was curious about her assessment of him.

�What was your initial interpretation?�

�Originally, I�d assumed only a twelve percent chance of survival, which decreased to four percent after my creator�s death. I would have assessed the chance that you would have replaced my reiatsu in such an unorthodox way at near zero percent and that I would enjoy the process�� Nemu�s voice dropped in volume, �at nearly the same percentage. I was proven quite wrong on all accounts.�

Here her cheeks pinked up again and Szayel picked up a mixture of embarrassment, concern and affection via their bond before she continued. His arm tightened around her waist, moulding her form to his. Her skin, dampening from the steam, threatened to distract him from listening to what she was saying.

�I do not look upon the day you Claimed me as the day of my enslavement, but rather, the day of my liberation. I had a chance at a new life that I would not have experienced without your intervention. I�ve no regrets about that day, Szayel-sama, at least in my case.�

Her admission didn�t exactly surprise him. He recalled all too well the look of shock on her face, early in their association, when he had absently uttered �thank you� in response to her handing him a tool he�d requested. The amount of emotion he had felt from her the first time he had said �excellent, good work as expected,� still stunned him.

�Then that is what we shall do,� he told her, leaning in to catch her lips for a quick kiss.

Szayel knew it would be difficult to give up his Claim on her, but he was a practical creature and over the years of living in close proximity with them, he�d learned a great deal about how humans and Shinigami perceived things. There was an old proverb that said �If you love something, set it free. If it does not return, then it was never yours to begin with�. He was setting her free, and he had every confidence that she would remain by his side, if the way she pressed her bare body against his was any indication. Nemu drew back with reluctance, gasped his hand, and then led him into the already running shower.

Showers, he thought, were the second-most wonderful inventions, after science itself of course. Before Aizen had rebuilt Las Noches, hot showers were nonexistent. Baths were rare things, partly because water was scarce in Hueco Mundo and the few natural springs that did exist were located in the Gillian Forest or closely guarded by other Hollows. The shower, with its hot, tension-relieving spray, was one of the few places he could still make love to his mate with minimal chance of a panic attack occurring.

The hot water hit his shoulders, which were still tense from hunching while he sewed and it immediately served to relax him. Nemu applied a soapy washcloth to his back and began to rub the rest of the soreness in his muscles away. He leaned into her capable hands as she tried to erase his stress, since she could do nothing for the scars that covered his torso. His anxiety still fluttered, moth-like, at the edge of his brain but he did his best ignore it in favour of what his mate�s fingers and the soap suds were doing to him.

She gently turned him around and kneeled before him while she washed his legs. She even went so far as to lift his feet to wash the soles and between his toes. The last action tickled and he squirmed while he braced himself against the tiled shower wall. He had never asked her to wash him. Nemu had taken upon herself to do this when they bathed together, which was often, since it saved time and resources on busy mornings.

Szayel nearly jumped when he felt her soft hands begin to clean a rather private part of his anatomy. He sighed as her hands gently stroked him, even going so far as to pull the foreskin back so she could clean him completely. The cloth left his skin and Nemu cupped water in her hands to rinse him off. He shifted his weight, ready to stand, only to fall fully against the wall when her mouth enveloped him and her tongue busied itself with his rapidly stiffening cock. The hand that wasn�t busy keeping his body upright tangled in her loose, dark hair as the desire to push deeper into her mouth gripped him�

Then he was no longer in the brightly-lit bathroom, but strung up by his wrists from a chain embedded in the ceiling of Aizen�s playroom, and it wasn�t Nemu�s mouth around him but Gin�s, the slave�s teeth scraping along the underside of Szayel�s length. Aizen, his fist fill of silver hair, forced a kneeling Gin to take in Szayel to the root�

In his panic, Szayel pushed his mate away with a strangled cry. She fell backwards, sprawling on the blue and white tiles while his legs gave way. He sank to the floor and when he came around and realized what he�d done and where he really was, he covered his face with his hands. A few seconds later, he heard her crawl on her hands and knees towards him and though he knew she was there, he still flinched when she touched him.

�I�m sorry,� he muttered, horrified and embarrassed at his reaction. She in turn pushed his dripping bangs away from his face and studied him carefully, to make certain his brief panic attack was over. When she seemed satisfied that he wasn�t going to run screaming from the shower, she pulled him to her and let his head rest on her shoulder.

�You didn�t hurt me,� she told him, then bit her lip before asking. �Would you like to continue? It�s fine if you don�t��

Szayel motioned with one dripping hand, stopping her before she could suggest the call the whole thing off.

�Yes� yes, I want to�� he said, finally meeting her eyes. Placing his palms on her cheeks, he stared into their green depths and tried to keep his voice from wavering. �I will not let Aizen win. He is not here and cannot harm me. I need� I need to get over this� I need��

Their lips met, but he did not close his eyes, lest another panic attack take him. Sometimes he wondered if Nemu�s maker had taken inspiration for her iris color from emeralds, or maybe malachite. It was such a pure hue. The only person that could match it for intensity was Ulquiorra Cifer and Szayel thanked the gods he had no negative associations with the other Espada. As if she could read his mind, Nemu left her own eyes open as well while her tongue stroked his suggestively. Eventually, he relaxed enough to uncurl his body and push hers back, crawling over her. Nemu willingly lay down on the wet floor beneath him, leaving herself open for his exploration. He broke the kiss and began to nip and lick at her soaked skin, working his way from her throat to her breast, all the while keeping his eyes open and his gaze locked onto hers.

�Szayel,� she sighed and ran both of her hands up and down his arms.

Her thighs moved to either side of his hips, a clear indication she wanted him to take things farther. His first inclination was to tell her to roll over on her belly, but stopped himself. If he did that, he�d lose sight of her eyes and it was important to him, especially given her earlier answer, to treat her as a mate ought to be treated. Palming his length, he rubbed the tip against her sex.

�Like this? Here and now?� she asked and he did his best to summon all the confidence he could.

He would not let the fear of Aizen ruin this.

He would take back something that was rightfully theirs.

�Of course,� Szayel breathed and sat up, pushing her knees apart and settling between them.

At this angle the shower spray hit the back of his head, and while that was slightly annoying, it was more than worth it to see his mate sprawled out beneath him, droplets of water running like liquid diamonds over her skin and her green eyes fixed on his face. His fingers traced the rivulets from just below her breasts to the dip of her navel and then trailed lower, seeking something warmer than the water pooled there. Szayel moved his cock aside and slipped those fingers inside of her. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her discomfort. To his relief, she was more than ready. Nemu lifted her hips in response and she let out a whimper so soft that he almost missed hearing it over the sound of the spray on the tiles.

Szayel subsequently palmed his length and nudged the tip into her slowly. He wanted to close his eyes, but didn�t dare. There were rare occasions when Aizen had forced him to take Gin, usually when the silver-haired man had done something to anger Aizen or whenever their overlord felt like indulging one of his perverse whims. Taking an unprepared and unwilling man, especially when one was a less-than-willing participant in the event too, was nothing like taking a desirable and enthusiastic woman.

Especially this woman... Szayel would never get enough of Nemu�s silky, slippery insides. Her receptiveness had surprised and delighted him the first time he�d delved into her amidst the rubble of his ruined lair and it had immediately doused the vengeful anger in him. Nemu�s then-shrivelled and damaged body had disguised an inner passage that lubricated the moment he�d entered her and whose inherent tightness urged him to keep his strokes short and as much of his cock inside her as possible. That she�d literally bloomed beneath his thrusting hips was a bonus. Her breasts had grown plump while cupped in his hands and her voice went from a dry whisper to a breathy moan that escalated to a throaty cry when he�d bitten into her shoulder to finish the Claim. There were no adjectives strong enough to describe the experience of her flesh convulsing around him, other than �perfect�, nor were there words adequate enough for the Claim-fuelled climax that had ripped through the two of them when he�d supped on her reiatsu in turn.

�She isn�t Gin� I can�t feel his emotions. I can�t feel what I�m doing to him, mercifully. If I concentrate on our Claim, if I can do that, maybe I can finish this properly for her.�

Water streamed from his wet hair as he leaned forward, bringing his hands to rest on either side of her head. His thighs slid beneath hers, angling her hips just so. The spray from the shower massaged his lower back as he pulled out and thrust back in. Nemu, her face framed by a halo of streaming black hair that stuck to the floor tiles, smiled encouragingly at him and he quickly picked up the pace. Gold stared lovingly down into green as his mate brought her arms up to wrap around his shoulders and her mouth opened to suck in his tongue. The water bounced off of the tiles around them and washed away the sweat created by their lovemaking in the small steamy room. She placed her feet flat on the floor and tilted her pelvis upwards. That changed the angle again and Szayel saw stars when she began to meet his increasingly erratic thrusts with insistent hips. The Claim between them allowed him to experience everything she did and the building coil of tension at the base of her spine and the top of her sex only amplified his desire to bring them to completion.

�This is my mate, the one who gave me two gorgeous cubs, the one with a mountain of patience... the one who cares for this damaged body� please, let me give her this in return. I want to hear those same cries, like the first time, coming from her mouth��

Szayel�s could almost envision the dusty slab of concrete that had served as their first �bed� as he slammed into her with abandon. The woman underneath him gasped and her fingers dug into the skin beneath his shoulder blade as she began to throb around him. His mate arched her back, her mouth open in exclamation and that served to finish him. Nemu placed her hands on his cheeks and swallowed the sob that worked its way out of his throat as he shuddered above her, filling her with heat and adding to the sticky wetness where their bodies came together. It had been ages since he�d managed to have her like this and her walls clamped deliciously around him, squeezing him�

The breathing in his ear deepened in timbre, the whimpers he heard grew more pained�

He could smell semen mixed with the iron-dark scent of blood�

The hot silky flesh around him became unbearably tight� male heat tight�

�Please� not this� not now,� was his last coherent thought before a wave of humiliation, revulsion and self-loathing overwhelmed him. His mind reeled to a different place and time, to a different partner and to different, uglier, more shameful circumstances.

With it came the compulsion to flee, along with an insane need for air not laden with moisture. It was another reminder of the incident, since it had happened in such a similar place and served as more incentive to get away from the limbs entangling his. Panic followed and that robbed him of oxygen, since his lungs had emptied, seized and refused to inflate again.

Szayel pulled out of the body under his and he blindly scrambled backwards until his spine hit the wall. In the end, it didn�t matter if his eyes were open or closed. It didn�t matter if he tried to have her in the one place he thought was safe. The memory had him by the teeth and it would not let go.

�Szayel!�

He heard Nemu call him, her voice echoing off the tiled walls, while he quivered uncontrollably. Tucking his head between his knees and fisting clumps of his hair, he tried to regain control over his breathing before he blacked out.

�Speak to me, please,� she begged, her hand hovering just above his head, unsure if she ought to touch him. He didn�t blame her for being afraid.

How could he have forgotten something like this?

The fog around him slowly lifted and he realized that while he�d been in the midst of it, she�d stood up, rinsed and shut off the water. He heard the rustle of a towel and a few moments later, she coaxed him to his feet. Nemu proceeded to wrap one around his lower half and drape another around his shoulders. Then she led his dripping frame from the bathroom to sit on the edge of the guest bed, not minding in the least they were soaking the covers and mattress. He shook throughout it all, partly from the horror of the resurfacing memory and partly because of the cold air hitting his overheated skin.

When she was satisfied that he wasn�t going to run shrieking from the room, she left his side and returned with a warm teacup. He took it gingerly and took a sip, then sputtered.

It did not contain tea. Instead, he tasted strong sake, warmed with a bit of Kido to make swallowing it easier. His mate forced a quarter of the stuff down his throat and as displeasing as it was, the alcohol did its usual trick and helped marginally calm him. When he finished it, she poured more into the cup and this time he didn�t bother waiting for her to heat it to drinking temperature. He downed that as well, finishing with a cough that he tried to hide with the back of his hand.

�I�m sorry, Nemu� I�m so sorry� I didn�t mean��

She listened to him attempt to scrape together an apology for his meltdown in mid-coitus, then pulled the towel around his shoulders over his head and began to dry his hair, squeezing the pink strands so as not to damage the regrown strands.

�You�ll catch a cold if you stay wet like this.�

�You aren�t dry either��

�I am not susceptible to respiratory infections, unlike you. I�ll fetch a blanket as well.�

Nemu managed to get most of the water out of his hair as well as hers with the first towel, and finger-combed it to remove any snarls. She then used the second towel to dry the rest of him, hung the drenched terrycloth on the hooks on the other side of the bathroom door and dragged the soft woolen blanket from the foot of the bed. It took very little effort on her part to bundle the two of them into it.

�What was it?� she asked softly after several additional minutes, giving his mind and body a chance to wind down. �What did you see?�

�I recalled something unpleasant,� he confessed with a shaky voice. �My mind had shut it away, for good reason.�

�Would you like some tea?� she inquired, after the worst of �the shakes� had passed.

He nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak and she went to the intercom to contact the staff member on duty to ask for some tea. They sat in silence for a good fifteen minutes as she simply held him gently, rocking them back and forth slightly as she did so. It was a good thing she was such a well-grounded mate. The only thing he got from Nemu was her ever-present calm, as well as her usual concern for his wellbeing. He latched on to both as if his life and his sanity depended on it. Perhaps it was a good thing that he only had a partial Claim on her. Had she been able to feel what he felt, she might very well have panicked along with him and the last thing he needed was for both of them to be caught in a downward emotional spiral. His ability to draw on her even-tempered nature was a valuable asset.

�Maybe that is why Grimmjow�s self-control improved and Ulquiorra opened up more in the last few years,� he mused and made a note to investigate both Espada once he had the time and they�d solved their �Aizen� problem.

A soft knock on the door indicated that their tea had arrived. Nemu exited the blanket, slipped on a spare yukata and went to retrieve the tea tray. His nose caught a hint of more than just tea, and his eyes lit up a bit when he caught sight of several small honey cakes arranged on the plate next to the pot and cups. Nemu poured the tea, put one of the gooey sweets on a small plate, and handed both to him. After two cakes and one cup of tea, she spoke again, her level voice cutting through the sugar-haze caused by his hostess�s baking.

�Would you like to share it?� she asked softly and he knew she wasn�t referring to the cake. There was no insistence in her question, only concern. Implicit in it was an offer to listen, and her shoulder if he wanted to lean on it.

Truly, he did not deserve such a mate and yet here she was�

Szayel hung his head, his bangs threatening to fall into his tea.

�I��

No, he didn�t want to share it, but after the debacle in the shower and because she was so steadfast in her loyalty, he decided that Nemu deserved to know the truth. When he had asked her about the things her father had done to her, she had been honest with him about the sort of �duties� the late Taichou expected of his creation. She hadn�t been compelled to do so because of his Claim, so he supposed he owed her no less what she had given him.

�It was the first time Aizen took me,� he said, using the hand not holding his tea to pull the blanket closer around his nervous frame. �There was a large chamber, a sort of natural onsen I suppose, in the lower levels of Las Noches. The place was really no more than a grotto. I think Barragan devised it for his and his followers� use, as part of the original construction, before Aizen wrestled the place away from him. When Aizen took over, it became the Arrancar�s communal bathing room. Nudity didn�t mean much to those of us who had been Adjuchas before Aizen changed us. There was no need for clothing in our former states and I suppose we didn�t see much need to change after the transition� at first.�

The Seventh sighed heavily and took a long drink to wet his dry mouth.

�It occurred approximately two years after I had been changed. I had just obtained the rank of Ninth via some ingenious trickery and technology��

�The incident with Nnoitra Gilga and Nel,� said his mate sagely and he looked at her sharply. She sipped at her own tea cup, her expression never changing and added �Renji informed me, after he dropped you on the day she Claimed him. I insisted on an explanation for his actions.�

Her excuse for interrupting mollified him somewhat, considering what his former lackey had told her was likely true. Szayel huffed and continued.

�My mental acumen caught Aizen�s attention. He came down to the bathing chamber while I was making use of it, supposedly to congratulate me on my promotion. I didn�t think anything of it when he began to ask questions about my methodology.�

Szayel rubbed his forehead with fingers he�d licked clean of honey and crumbs, their sticky pads snagging his skin.

�I was thrilled to have an intelligent conversation with a fine and sharp mind, as most of my brethren had the conversation skills of a poorly-educated rock. I believe this is where I erred. I was so busy showing off my brilliance for someone who could understand and appreciate my ideas that I hardly noticed Aizen� well, I now know he was leering, but back then... you have to understand, Nemu, that I considered things like sex or sex appeal mere frivolities, unworthy of my time when there were so many questions about the universe still left unanswered. They weren�t important, and therefore, I thought such things would not be important to others, particularly someone who appreciated science as I did.�

He tiled his head back and stared at the painted ceiling above the bed.

�It never occurred to me that a Shinigami might perceive someone parading about naked before them as an invitation...�

Nemu put her cup on the night stand next to the empty cake plate and regarded him sadly.

�I�d removed myself from the hot spring and proceeded to the shower to cool off and rinse away the calcium-laden water when I made my next mistake. I turned my back on him while rinsing and I prattled on about my theories regarding how the Hogyoku turned those he�d chosen for his army into Arrancar. In retrospect, it was definitely not a subject I should have discussed with anyone, least of all Aizen. Then I felt his hand on my shoulder and when his naked body become flush with mine, it took me by surprise. He�d been clothed the entire time he�d been in the room with me, so his actions understandably caught me unawares.

�I froze at first, but I was still a Hollow with a Hollow�s instincts. Aizen was more powerful than me and if he wanted to Claim me I could not stop it, though we know now he could not. Fighting wasn�t an option. In truth, I was flattered he found me worthy enough to approach, even if I was a male. So I relaxed and waited to be mounted��

Szayel took another gulp of his tea, his fingers clutching the porcelain cup so tightly the joints went white. That the teacup remained intact surprised him. Nemu was silent, waiting patiently for him to continue his recounting. He turned the cup around in his hands, looking down into his drink and trying to keep his composure, lest his body start shaking again. He did not want to waste perfectly good tea by spilling it all over the blanket and the coverlet.

It was best, he thought, to hurry and finish the sordid tale.

�He grabbed me by the throat instead, keeping me from speaking, or even calling for help. Then he spewed some nonsense into my ear about his innate superiority to me, both mentally and physically. Aizen informed me that every Arrancar he created, no matter his or her virtues, were his to dispose of as he liked. We were there to serve him and to obey his orders. We were toys he�d fashioned for his amusement. Then� he spun me about, bore me to the floor of the grotto and took me as if we were mates.�

Szayel fell silent, sickened at having to relive the moment in conjunction with pleasuring his mate. He looked at the cup cradled in his hands and he knew his expression had grown bleak, since the concern that flowed through the Claim to him grew as seconds turned to minutes.

�I was shocked, of course, at his words and his subsequent actions. What truly made this awful was that as it happened, even though what he did hurt me, I actually thought he might truly want me as a mate. You�re aware of the gender disparity in Hueco Mundo. It�s not uncommon for a male to pick another male for companionship and to my shame I thought that was what he was doing. Like a fool, I was actually thrilled, maybe even a little honoured,� he said, unable to hide the bitterness and disgust. His elbow went to his knee and he ground the heel of his hand against his forehead, gritting his teeth. �He had other, more powerful Arrancar at his disposal and yet he had chosen me to share his den.�

He slumped back against the headboard, his misery apparent.

�Aizen did not see it that way,� Nemu filled in.

�No,� Szayel confirmed. He wanted to reach beneath his mask and dab at the wetness gathering at the corners of his eyes, lest she think less of him for it. �He did not. I soon realized that while he considered me his property, he treated me no differently than before. I received no preparation, no pleasure from him during the times he took me... none of the things a Hollow would expect from a mate, and by then� by then it was too late. According to Hollow standards, he raped me and continued raping me. If I�d been smarter� if I�d just kept my mouth shut about that gem, about what it could do��

�He might have done it anyway, Szayel-sama. You cannot blame yourself for this.�

Her words made him pause, but only briefly, before he shook his head.

�I don�t know. Nevertheless, he kept summoning me to his chambers and I had little choice but to go. Soon after, he started finding reasons to punish me for small failings, reminding me that I was anything but a mate to him. One does not make a mate bleed unnecessarily,� he said with no small amount of despair. Reaching up, his fingers brushed across the scar at the juncture of Nemu�s neck and shoulder, the spot from which he drew out her reiatsu each time he Claimed her. �I was� a thing to be used for his gratification, nothing more than that.�

Nemu wordlessly refilled his cup and he took another sip. Taking his mate face-to-face in the shower had triggered a memory that he�d deliberately buried, in the hopes he could forget that his first time had been the equivalent of a broken taboo. It wasn�t as if the memory was the most painful one he had involving sex; he�d spent far too much time in Aizen�s �playroom� not to have accumulated recollections much bloodier and darker than the loss of his innocence, if an evolved Hollow could truly be reckoned as �innocent�. Maybe he�d hidden it away because his pride did not want to acknowledge that he�d made the mother of all blunders nattering on to Aizen about the ex-Shinigami�s prize possession.

Moreover, that first, fateful encounter was the beginning of his ride down a slippery slope at whose bottom lay nothing but degradation and enslavement. The day he had realized that had been the day he�d been giving the rank of Eighth. Aizen had �celebrated� that occasion with him as well, leaving Szayel bleeding in the aftermath. At that point, he�d learned that the promotion was less of a reward and more of a reminder that his place would always be under Aizen, figuratively and literally. He wasn�t and never had been the man�s lover or his fraccion. Instead, he was a plaything, a servant to be hounded and abused on the smallest of whims.

Was it any wonder Szayel had fully embraced his part as the Aspect of Madness, driven to the brink of insanity by his maker�s treatment of his person? Maybe he was already there, as his loss of control in the bathroom, the last place he deemed �safe� to engage with his mate, had revealed. If he couldn�t even have her there�

The woman sitting next to him heard his breath hitch and pulled him closer. He buried his face in her still-damp hair and inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the lavender-scented soap she�d found in the cabinet below the sink. The heady perfume of it would fade by morning, but it was still enticingly exotic.

�You did not disappoint me,� Nemu whispered into his ear. �You have never disappointed me in that way, because you never leave me unsatisfied. You have never hurt me or made me feel ashamed, unworthy or useless after we couple, Szayel-sama. For that alone I would love you.�

The statement didn�t take him by surprise, but it did kindle a happy sort of warmth in the middle of his chest. Szayel turned his head and met a pair of eyes that held a wealth of understanding. If there was anyone who would know what it was like to be betrayed and abused by one�s maker, he supposed it would be her.

�Aizen did not win. You are a wonderful father and an attentive mate. His brutality has not rubbed off on you, like it has others,� she pointed out, lifting his chin with her fingers. �You tried to save Uryuu-kun, even if it was in an unorthodox way with the expressed intent on studying him and Claiming him. I do not doubt for a second that you would never have treated him the way that Aizen treated you.�

�You forget what we found written in that lunatic�s notes, Nemu,� he reminded her, but he understood what she was getting at. �Had I Claimed him, I might very well have killed him in my intent to save him. Evidently, his kind and mine are as gunpowder and flame.�

�We�ll never know now, but I like to think otherwise. A Claim is not a bite, Szayel-sama and you might have found another way to secure him. Nor do I believe that you would have tormented him the way you did, and sometime still do, to Renji.�

Szayel scowled briefly when she mentioned the red-haired Shinigami he�d taken for payback purposes, and because Uryuu had asked it, than out of any real interest and then groaned. Abarai had been both a valuable asset and a veritable pain in the ass, sometimes in equal measures. Abarai Renji, mercifully, was no longer his problem, though the �loss� would cause some short-term domestic issues, if the idiot didn�t get himself killed tomorrow. He was still technically Abisara and Vindula�s guardian, but the Seventh wasn�t certain what would happen after they won� if they won. His former chore boy had a child of his own on the way and that sort of thing had a way of dividing loyalties. Ironically, Nel was getting a mate who would be a stellar father, caregiver and protector, courtesy of Renji�s time with the twins.

There was yet another mistake he�d made, come back to plant a boot on his posterior. As exciting as it had been to test out his inventions, Nnoitra had become increasingly unbearable after he�d removed his �rival�. While Szayel could understand the then-Eighth�s anger when it came to Nel�s cold condescension and her presumptions about Nnoitra�s abilities or the lack thereof, aiding the mantis hadn�t proved as strategic as he�d hoped. Had Szayel known what the result would be, he might have been content to remain one of the Numeros...

�and if he had, he would not have the beautiful mate sitting next to him, nor two brilliant children he desperately wanted to find and retrieve.

�What is done cannot be undone, for good and ill. I shall have to remember that the next time I have one of those horrid flashbacks, to remind me why I�ve endured such suffering over the years.�

He hadn�t realized he had finished his tea until Nemu took his cup away and returned it to the tray of dirty dishes. She left the bed once more, presumably to place the tray outside their door for the servants to pick up, before returning to the cocoon they�d made of the blankets and bedding. His mate flicked off the lamp, plunging the room into near-darkness.

�No matter what happens tomorrow, I still love you, as do Vindula and Abisara,� she murmured into his ear. �I have full faith in your ingenuity. Everything will go according to plan and if something does go awry, I know you will be able to adjust as needed. We will succeed,� she declared, pressing her lips to the temple of his cracked mask. �Now sleep.�

�Everything will go according to plan, we will succeed,� he repeated tiredly. His part of the invasion was relatively easy, provided he could remember Ajuga�s directions, but it was also integral to removing the one thing that might give Aizen the edge. Szayel was very much looking forward to neutralizing it as well as his �maker� and supposed �superior�.

He dozed off with his mate murmuring the half-mantra/half-order into his ear. Maybe, if he was lucky, he would have a chance to gloat, to rub in the fact that Aizen only had himself, and his mistreatment of his once-loyal Seventh Espada, to blame for his undoing. Irony was a tasty dish, one that complimented revenge as something best served cold.

If they attacked on time, it would make for a grand and appetizing lunch.
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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