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
- 87
- 88
- 89
The Night Before Tomorrow: Renji and Nel

He�d learned many unexpected skills since his restoration: how to make miso soup and rolled omelettes that small fingers could easily handle, how to make his voice sound like different characters in the books he read to the twins each night and how to bathe, brush, scrub, dry and dress two children in less than twenty minutes.

None of his classes at the Academy covered these things and he thought that maybe they ought to have been a requirement for graduation. He would have given his back teeth during the twins� first year for an instruction manual, with pictures and charts and maybe even a hotline number to call if he got into trouble with any of it.

However, the skill he employed now, sitting in the moonlight that came through the bedroom window, was one he�d thankfully perfected long before Szayel�s children had entered his life. One didn�t have a substantial amount of hair for any length of time without learning to braid, if only to keep from waking up with tangles no comb could conquer.

There was just enough light, if he sat at the table, for him to work on the three separate bunches of hair he�d cut from the nape of his neck with Zabimaru�s edge. The Zanpakuto had remained quiet while he sliced off the strands, neither berating nor encouraging him. Maybe they had as many mixed feelings about it as he did, but in the grand scheme of things, he had nothing else of value with which to work and would serve his purpose.

His fingers moved from muscle memory, knotting one end securely, separating the crimson mess into three manageable sections and layering each in turn over the next. He�d started with a foot-and-a-half of hair and ended up with an eight-inch braid, which he carefully knotted twice, to keep it from falling apart. Thick as his thumb, it glimmered bloodily when he held it up to the moonlight.

Placing it carefully on the table, he reached up and scratched the spot from where he�d cut it. If luck were on his side tomorrow it would grow back.

If not, it wouldn�t matter.

It was also the best he could do under the circumstances, though if he could find a pair of scissors, he could add a strip or two of fabric from the sleeves of his inner and outer kosode. They�d make fine embellishments and provide proof that he was a Shinigami to the very end.

Unfortunately, that would have to wait until sunrise, since he didn�t want to have to bother the staff and from his few interactions with Tsukishima-san, he�d gathered that rummaging in the butler�s pantry for anything was officially a �bad idea.�

He heard a faint murmur come from the direction of the bed, as well as the shifting of a body against the sheets and sighed, propping his hand on his chin. Had the dark thoughts that had compelled him to get up and work on his impromptu project awakened her? Renji hoped not. They�d spent the better part of the night working their way through another volume of borrowed hentai and of the two of them Nel needed the rest more than he did.

�Right here.�

�Mmph� why are you by the window?�

�Needed some light to do this and I didn�t want to turn on the lamp.�

It was the truth, though it didn�t seem to satisfy her. The sound of a yawn and of blankets moving and the mattress groaning told him she wouldn�t be content until she�d inspected him. Nel shuffled out of the shadows, wrapped in a blanket and covering her mouth with one hand.

�How can you not need sleep, especially after page thirty-eight?�

�Beats me, because I�m all for doing that one every chance we get,� he thought and ran his hands through his unbound mane, fluffing it out and debating whether to re-braid it.

�Like I said, I had something to do. You�re sleeping for two, so I�d love to know your excuse,� Renji teased.

She made her way to the table, sleep-rumpled and drowsy and sat down in the opposite chair. Brushing her messy bangs out of her face, she frowned when she saw the object before him.

�What�s that?�

�A braid,� he answered, toying with one end. Nel peered closer at it, taking in its color. One hand snaked out of the blanket to touch it, as if to confirm her suspicions.

�Is� is that hair? Your hair?�

�I don�t know of anyone else with a mop this color and Ichigo�s hair is too short, so yeah, it�s mine.�

His new wife stared at it, completely perplexed.

�I don�t understand? Why did you make this?�

�It�s for our son.�

Even in the gloom, he could see that his reply took her by surprise. Renji pushed away from the table and stood. Reaching across the small space to grasp her forearm, he pulled her back on her feet. It took some work, but he managed to get the blanket around both of them and he leaned against the window, the glass cold against his bare shoulder. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall to the side and his palm rest on Nel�s belly. He�d been here for over two weeks, nearly three and in that time he�d seen her midsection grow a few inches larger. She was already carrying lower too, which concerned him. Renji had seen the sonograms, but that didn�t reassure him much, since each hybrid pregnancy was different when it came to duration.

�Is it possible that Ishida-san misread her due date? What if she�s farther along than we think?�

�I want him to have something of me if things don�t go well tomorrow.�

He cupped her face between both hands, giving her as earnest a look as he could while she took in what he meant. She looked utterly aghast and he took a deep breath.

�I�m being honest Nel. If something goes wrong,� Renji began, �I want you to give that to him, when he�s old enough to understand what happened. I can�t leave him Zabimaru, the way a father would leave his sword to his son in one of those idiotic fairy tales, but with this, at least he�ll have proof I existed.�

�You presume Aizen will let us live that long, if he takes the Throne back.�

�He�ll be born before that happens. Remember, I went to war against Aizen once before. I thought it would be tough going, but in the back of my mind, I assumed we�d win. We had Ichigo and all of the top officers of the Gotei 13 on our side after all. Instead, we had our asses handed to us for our arrogance, for underestimating Aizen and the Espada.�

Renji paused when she looked away, her eyes downcast and her shoulders slumping in his grip.

�Sweetheart, I know it�s different now, but there�s still a possibility of failure. The only things I really have that I can call mine are you, him, Zabimaru, the clothes on my back and this overgrown ponytail. I�m going to need my Zanpakuto and this uniform for tomorrow, so I thought I could part with some of the hair.�

�The Espada are no longer with Aizen,� Nel said, her fingers clutching his bicep and tracing the tattoos that marked his arm. She�d mapped ever bit of black ink on him with her tongue when he�d finally managed to get her out of that many-layered wedding kimono two nights prior. He thought she�d done it to make up for having to be careful of the borrowed garment, instead of just ripping it from her body. She�d started before they made it to the bed and he was still a little fuzzy as to whether they�d been on it when she finished with the mark on his left hipbone, as what she�d done afterwards had left him boneless, gasping for air and unsure of his given name.

�That was page seventy-five, if I remember correctly.�

�Some of them, Nel, are with us, not all and if we gut Aizen, we�ll still have to deal with the chaos removing him will create. That won�t be easy and I think Grimmjow and Szayel are being optimistic about how willing the Numeros are going to be about following Starrk and Lilinette.�

She buried her head in his chest and when he looked down, all he could see of her head was the view of her mask, its eyeholes and skeletal teeth serving as a memento mori of sorts. Renji stroked the long hair that cascaded like an aquamarine waterfall over his forearms, the strands warm to the touch. He knew he needed to reassure her, to make her believe that he would do everything in his power to ensure that this time he�d be on the winning side of the fight for the Seireitei, but he also didn�t have it in him to lie to her about the risks. She deserved better than some half-assed platitude.

�I don�t want the only thing our son knows of his old man to be stories. I want to have something he can touch. It will be more than I had growing up,� he murmured. From time to time, Renji wondered what he could have done in the short amount of time he�d been alive to warrant ending up on his own in Inuzuri, trying to find out where he and the other urchins he�d teamed up with belonged.

�Why does it feel as if you�ve already decided upon defeat as an option?�

�Six years of slavery and nine years of� of nothing tends to temper one�s expectations.�

Renji winced when she brushed aside the tail to examine the area he cut by rubbing it. It tickled and when he made a �snrk� sound, she withdrew her hand.

�Instead of me telling him all of this, why don�t you tell him yourself?�

Nel took a step away and dragged the blanket with her. Shrugging in an attempt to manage the thing, she bared her protruding stomach and pointed at it.

�Yuzu-chan says babies can hear what goes on outside. They can hear music, birds and all sorts of sounds, including their parents� voices. Say what you want to say to our son, Renji.�

He felt like a complete idiot as he looked up at her, but from her somber expression, he understood that she expected exactly that from him. Then he took in his mate�s belly, at the smooth skin stretched tightly over the life within her. He tried to envision the child he was about to address and remembered that he wouldn�t know his son�s name until he was born.

�Hey, little man,� Renji started and wrinkled his nose. �I don�t know what to call you, so let�s go with �Ichiro� for now. It means �first son�. I suppose that�s more of a description, but it�s all I�ve got. Bear with me, okay?�

Smiling faintly, he pressed the heel of his hand gently against the lower curve of Nel�s abdomen, as if he could convey what he wanted to get across via her navel.

�I�m about to go pick a fight with some monsters and a couple of them are pretty powerful. I�m going to do my best, but in case they�re stronger, I wanted to tell you a few things. I don�t know if you can hear me, but if you can, I hope some of this sticks.�

The corner of his mouth quirked up, a half-smile forming on his face.

�First of all, I want you to know I really wanted to meet you. Shinigami don�t have children very often. Because of that, I never really expected to be a father. Your mother and I didn�t plan for you, but I�m sure she�ll tell you the story about how we got together when you�re older� or maybe just part of it. Never had them myself, but there are just some things you don�t want to picture your folks doing.�

He snorted and rubbed the skin under his fingers carefully.

�You�re going to have some interesting abilities when you grow up. I know what I was like as a brat and if you take after me at all, you�re going to be a handful. If� well, if you end up with my hair color, I�ve left you something that will let you know who to blame.�

Renji grimaced at the memory of the crap he�d taken for having hair the color of blood, but he�d developed a sharp right hook as a result, another of his useful skills, so it hadn�t been all bad.

�Speaking of which, we have to talk about your mother, kiddo. Don�t give her a hard time. You need to take care of her when you get bigger, if I�m not there to do it. She�s the most wonderful person in any of the Realms and I�m amazed that a stray dog like me managed to get her to fall in love with me, because she deserves so much better��

The little humor his voice held drained away. Leaning forward, he let his forehead rest against his mate�s warm flesh and that lovely, grassy, citrusy scent he always associated with her served to soothe his suddenly jumbled thoughts. Closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, Renji did his best to keep the thickness that had developed in his throat from choking him.

He needed to say this, because this might be his only chance.

�There are a lot of things I want, Ichiro. I want to see you, to make sure you inherited your mother�s gorgeous looks. I want to see your first steps and make certain your first words aren�t something you�d learn in a stinking Inuzuri bar. I want to win tomorrow but if I don�t, then I want you know that the last three weeks have been the best of my life and most of that is because of you, Ichiro, and your mother. I love you both so damned much��

His throat closed, the lump in it growing too large to let him continue and he didn�t want to meet his mate�s eyes lest he lose it in front of her. Years before, he�d sobbed and cried like a wounded animal in her arms because of something over which he�d had zero control and he didn�t want a repeat of that experience, however necessary it had been. The quiet that grew in the absence of words deepened, until his mate covered his hand with hers.

�Come to bed, Renji,� he heard her say and before he knew it, he was on his feet as Nel pulled him back to the bed. He let her throw the coverlet back and she all but shoved him between the sheets. He ended up with his head pillowed on her breast and her hands running through what remained of his long hair. It wasn�t as if he cared if anyone noticed, but Nel had confessed to him that she liked its length. Her soft, breathy voice cut into any introspection he might have done.

�Renji, I have to tell you something.�

�What�s that?�

�I release you.�

He went still, not quite certain he�d heard her correctly.

�Wha�?�

�I release you,� she repeated, �from all of the orders I gave you while you were still pretending to be Szayel�s �pet.� You don�t have to follow them any longer.�

He sat up and regarded her, taken aback by what Nel said. He�d completely forgotten the commands she�d given him years ago, including the one telling him to stay completely away from Yammy Llargo. If Renji had plans during the battle to drop in on the Espada and deliver some well-deserved violence, her Claim might have kept him out of that fight completely. She could have said nothing and relied on that order, which she had never rescinded, to keep him from engaging the Tenth.

�A warrior,� she continued, her expression grave, �utilizes reason over mindless bestiality. He must adjust to conditions on the battlefield, using reason to dictate his actions. He must not blindly follow his instincts, or obey orders that will lead him to lose. Those old orders, to stay beneath Aizen�s notice, to not give anyone any reason to believe you aren�t Szayel�s, to obey Aizen, all to keep an abandoned ruse in place, would work against you.�

Her head fell back against the pillow and her eyes examined the ceiling. The amount of regret Renji saw in them surprised him. He felt nothing in the green-gold energy that surrounded him, no wavering, no disruption in its flow that signalled an end to the constraints she had put on him. Once he�d arrived at the Ishida Estate, there was no one around who didn�t know about his five-year arrangement with Nel. In a way, he was glad she�d remembered for him, because in the absence of having to hide the nature of his Claim, the Claim itself was easy to overlook.

�I must not let anything hinder you, not even if the intent of the order was to keep you safe.�

He didn�t bother trying to quell the embarrassment he felt, since this was something he ought to have remembered.

�I�d forgotten all about them.�

�Grimmjow told me about the fight you two had, and what you told him afterward.�

�Oh, hell��

�Uh� I can explain��

�My Claim is a two-edged sword. You no longer have to obey me, not if doing so means you�re vulnerable. You need to be your own man, Renji.�

�Could have sworn I said some words the other night that made me yours officially,� he shot back, still working on the fact he�d be able to tell Aizen to fuck himself with the hilt of Kyoka Suigetsu without having the Claim on him strangle him into silence.

�That doesn�t mean I don�t want you taking unnecessary risks.�

�This whole thing is a risk.�

�I�m aware of that. I just don�t want you to go after Yammy Llargo on your own.�

What was it Renji had told Rukia, when he�d informed her that he trusted Nel enough to show the Arrancar his inner world, that he trusted her enough to submit to her Claim and know she wouldn�t abuse her control over him?

�That�s what asking is for,� he finally recalled.

Renji knew better than to squander her trust.

�Then I promise you I won�t try to decapitate him without a witness. Will that do?�

He kissed her forehead to cement the vow and he felt her exhalation against his throat.

�It� will suffice. I will hold you to it.�

�I�d rather you held me against other things,� he said suggestively and her eyes narrowed.

�Don�t try to sidetrack this conversation, Renji.�

�Sidetracking would involve turning to page sixty-four,� Renji replied and pointed with his chin to the manga volume on the nightstand. That led to a kiss, which went from �reassuring� to �carnal� in a very short amount of time. When he reluctantly broke it off, he said, �I want to ask you something in return.�

�What would that be?�

Renji stayed quiet a moment and then looked back at Zabimaru, resting on the top of the dresser.

�I know you�ll be able to teach him about Hollow things, but if he shows any sign of a Zanpakuto� I want you to steal an asuachi and put it in his hands. He�ll need it and he�ll need to know Jinzen.�

She frowned, not liking that the topic had come full circle, back to his tentative contingency planning.

�How in the world would I do that?�

�The Academy will have a supply of them. Find a way to get into their storerooms. They�ll look like blank katana and sheaths. Once a soul with the potential to become a Shinigami imprints that power on an asuachi, it becomes a Zanpakuto. He�ll need to use Jinzen to strengthen that bond. It�s the technique I used to show you the temple� and the sand,� he faltered. It had seemed so simple to him, but who knew what her circumstances would be if Aizen prevailed. She took a moment to bite her lip, her sharp teeth leaving indents in them, as if she were trying to make a decision.

�Can you bring Zabimaru and Gamuza here and show me?�

He had no idea what she wanted to do, but scooted from beneath the covers to retrieve both swords anyway. His mate told him to draw Zabimaru and lay down.

�What�s the purpose of this?� Renji asked, as his naked mate carefully pulled Gamuza, its twin-mooned tsuba glittering and laid it next to his Zanpakuto. Nel stretched out behind it, with the weapons providing a sort of border between them.

�I want to see if this will work. Renji, please, show me everything inside of this blade. I need to speak with him.�

�I can manifest him here if you want,� he tried to say and she shook her head.

�I need to speak to him there, where he�s most powerful, where he�s in control.�

�Hmm� it�s actually �they� as opposed to �him,� but� okay, why?�

�There are things I need to say to them. It isn�t as if I can hide anything that I say there from you, but I would have words with� them, for your sake.�

Nel�s stubborn, pleading expression said it all and Renji knew what the outcome would be before he opened his mouth. Her request had been just that, a simple request and he felt no Claim-driven compulsion to allow her access to the most carefully guarded portion of his psyche and soul. Then again, the promises he�d made in front of an irritated miko and a half-asleep priest meant he�d granted her much more than that as far as his person went.

�If it doesn�t work, you may ask him if he wishes to speak to me in� a more traditional manner.�

He supposed, if nothing else, the exercise would serve to take his mind off the hour of their departure.

�Okay. Let�s try this and if it fails, I�ll see if he�s up for a field trip.�

Renji tried to concentrate on calming his mind long enough to enter into communion with Zabimaru. Setting aside the dread and the doubt wasn�t easy, but as the minutes wore on, his mind eventually cleared, bringing the jungle, the temple and everything in it into hazy view.

He didn�t feel Nel pick up the hand he�d placed on Zabimaru�s blade and slide Gamuza beneath his fingers�

The air was heavy with moisture, the sunlight muted as it filtered through the dense forest canopy above the temple passages. When she picked up her hooves and put them down to walk through the knee-high grasses and flowers, she could feel the white sand crunch beneath them. Here and there, she could hear rustling in the underbrush, betraying the movement of tiny animals

She hadn�t worn this form in a very long time and it took Nel the space of a few seconds to feel at home in it again. It was a guise meant for battle and she wasn�t unaware of the irony of taking on the appearance of Gamuza�s full release during what she hoped would be a fruitful negotiation, but the great nue was a wild, unpredictable creature, not to be underestimated.

The ruins around her held far more shadows than she remembered. The foreboding atmosphere was much like that before the breaking of a strong storm, when the sky went dark green, laden with water and wind and energy waiting to be unleashed on the land below. Nel could taste the tension with each breath and tried to remain focused as she sought out the creature to which she needed to speak. It was so odd to think of Renji, her straightforward, matter-of-fact, brash mate had such a maze in his inner world. The whole concept was a foreign thing to an Arrancar, where one�s power manifested outwardly, for the whole world to see. While Aizen had given the Arrancar their human appearances, he�d failed to provide them with Zanpakuto in the usual sense. The �sheathing� of their powers, she supposed, served the same purpose, but it was not the same.

Pausing at a point where the cool-to-the-touch rock walls of the passage opened up into a large courtyard, she shifted back and forth and swished her long tail, out of habit more than any need to brush off pesky insects. So far, she hadn�t heard the chirping of crickets or the drone of mosquitoes, which was very odd for such a lush, green space. It was as if the world around her was waiting, holding its collective breath�

�Don�t ssstand in doorwayssss, ssssweetie. It�sssss rude.�

Startled by the sibilant words that drifted her way, Nel lifted a hoof before reining in the urge to run. She�d come this far and needed to see this through. Carefully moving forward through the grasses and sand, her eyes darted to the right and left, trying to locate the nue. A wall of carvings stood to her left, partly covered in vines. Each depicted specific, stylized scenes of some past event in her husband�s life, or so she guessed. The last carving was of a woman and man, limbs intertwined and she blushed when she figured out what that was supposed to represent, though she wondered why he�d enshrined the memory of the wedding night and not the ceremony itself. Beyond it stood a number of empty places on the wall, blank spots where her mate could carve the things that were yet-to-be.

To her right, the wall curved protectively around a statue of a multi-armed goddess, one foot raised as if some force had solidified her in mid-step. The vines growing from the top of the wall down grew thicker the farther she trotted forward, until she came across a set of stone steps leading to a shrine guarded by a pair of stone monkeys. The darkened interior made the animal that lounged on them stand out all the more. Its white fur and the black fang markings on its arms, shoulders and head stood out in sharp contrast to the murkiness beyond.

�You have a great deal of nerve coming here, Arrancar� especially looking like that.�

The baboon drawled this, the words both lazy and confrontational. They didn�t fool Nel. While Renji trusted her implicitly, Zabimaru was a different matter and she needed to make him understand why she�d arrived in her released state.

�I have no Zanpakuto, as a Shinigami would recognize it. Gamuza,� and here she raised the lance in her gloved right hand to indicate it, �is what you see before you. The weapon, the armor and the rest comprise my released state. Renji-kun showed me his inner world, to prove I had a place here. I thought it only fair that you see my real form in turn.�

A movement behind the baboon immediately attracted her attention. The serpent that served as the nue�s tail slithered into view, flicking its forked tongue and testing the air for scent. It could obviously see, since its golden eyes regarded her appreciatively, before it hissed out a reply.

�Sssso pretty� I�ll jussst bet that coat is ssssoft asss sssilk��

A second pair of yellow eyes, set into a face stained a brilliant red, locked on to hers. Nel got the distinct impression that he was grumpy with her intrusion and wanted to finish this quickly. The snake, more disturbingly, was making doe eyes at her.

�You�re here for more than just a social call. State your business.�

�I need you to protect him. I need� we need, you to give Renji all of your power in the upcoming fight.�

The baboon�s face contorted in a sneer at her request.

�Showing concern for a warrior's life on the battlefield is an insult to that warrior. Is your opinion of us so low that you�d think we would withhold our strength from him on purpose?�

Nel�s mouth thinned and her grip on Lanzo Verde tightened. If he thought she would back down, he�d been mistaken.

�You tell me. That braid he made of his own hair tells me he lacks confidence in himself� or in you.�

�Ssshe hasss a point, Ssssaru� we could not sssstop that menassss from desssstroying usss�.�

��because of the same sort of bond that entraps us now,� the baboon finished with no small amount of disgust. Nel blinked at the anger she felt reverberate around her, especially when she understood the reference. That� hurt, to her chagrin. She�d always asked Renji before she�d done it, always made sure she had his consent, even though there weren�t many other choices for him to make, given the situation in the Seireitei. However, the last time she�d done it�

�I� he told me he wanted me to re-Claim him.�

�True, and that Claim feeds his dependence upon you, for good and ill.�

She wanted to ask what the baboon meant by �for ill�, but hesitated as he showed a fang in the midst of his grumbling.

�Perhaps we should thank you, in that you deigned to unshackle us before we do battle. How very kind of you, Mistress.�

The term �sarcastic� wasn�t quite strong enough to describe the baboon�s tone, but it was close.

�Does he resent my Claim? Is that how he truly feels?�

The snake and the baboon�s eyes met and the baboon huffed.

�What faith do you have in him, that you�d come here begging us to protect our wielder? A Shinigami and their Zanpakuto are partners, not master and servant. It�s in our best interest to keep the idiot, and thus ourselves, in one piece.�

�It isn�t just about he and I any longer,� she countered, stung by the baboon�s answer.

�No, it issssn�t,� the snake concurred and the nue�s tail gave its head and body a somewhat reproachful look. �Sssettle thisss. To ansssswer you, he enjoyssss the processss, though not alwayssss the prisssss� though there are gainssss to be had. Ssssshow her, Sssaru.�

Nel watched the back-and-forth between the two entities. She had no idea that Zabimaru was this divided in its opinions. The baboon bared its teeth at the snake, and then irritably reached into a pool of shade cast by a broad leaf from some tropical plant. When he pulled back his paw, there was a fat mango in it. His golden eyes contemplated it before he opened his mouth and revealed a set of impressive upper and lower canines. Saru, if that was the baboon�s name, took a bite out of the fruit and swallowed before wiping his mouth free of juice with the back of his hand.

�Hmph! Fool has a noble streak a mile wide, but I suppose it can�t be helped. Look around you. Nothing here is older than the moment in which we were reborn. This place fell apart in mere seconds when that Espada destroyed me��

�Ussss, you mean,� the serpent interjected and the baboon�s brows furrowed at the disapproval.

�Very well. Us, Hebi. What you see is the result of the changes you and those brats wrought in him. Before our shattering, this temple was a rocky wasteland. Little flourished here but the trees and the shadows. Such was the state of Abarai Renji, Rukongai stray and perpetual striver.�

�There are mangossss now, and moussssess� and al ssssortssss of sssssunny plasssess to curl up and sssssleeep!�

Nel suspected that she had an ally in the serpent, as its head wove back and forth, cobra-like. Its counterpart chewed, swallowed and stuck out his lower lip, mitigating the other�s enthusiasm.

�He does not regret your Claim, but this is now a place that reminds him of the things he stands to lose. When he was lean and hungry, he had everything to gain by risking it all.�

The baboon held up one gray, wrinkled finger and Nel saw a scattering of white sand fall away from it, and the snowy fur around its paw.

�He can only fight for you and the babe if he knows you�ll do the same, should Aizen prove stronger. It is not in his nature to lie, but then, he can�t conceal anything from you, so we will not conceal anything either.�

Another finger went up and the red-faced primate waved the digits in the muggy air.

�Acknowledgement of one�s limitations does not mean he will not strive to overcome them, should the need arise. The odds are good it will. We will therefore rise to the challenge with him.�

The snake hissed expectantly and a third finger joined the other two.

�If you doubt him, understand this: a Shinigami�s inner world is their sanctum, a place reserved only for them and their Zanpakuto. That he�s willing to share this with you, to let you come here unimpeded using the ropes with which you bind him and speak to me� such implies trust that surpasses all other bonds. Do not abuse your privileged place here, Arrancar, lest you lose it. Now be off with you.�

Evidently, the audience was at an end, from the nue�s dismissive tone. It wouldn�t be a good idea to wear out her welcome, nor test the barely-concealed warning the nue just tossed her way.

�Thank you,� she whispered, bowing her head and feeling the weight of the bony helmet upon it dip with it. Drops of sweat trickled down her neck, her cheeks and between her breasts, the humidity almost stifling.

�If you vissssssit again, wear that dresssss he likesssss sssso much� the one that fitssss you like a sssssecond sssssskin��

�Shut up, Hebi, you incorrigible letch,� she heard the great white beast growl at his hind end. Zabimaru hoisted himself up, shook out his bristling fur and turned his back on her in favor of retreating into the temple�s interior. Was that where the other half of Renji�s soul made its den? It seemed a logical choice to Nel.

�Sssspoil sssport� you liked the dressss too! I ssssaw the evidensssss��

The snake�s retort, delivered as Zabimaru dragged it behind him, echoed through the cleaning and Nel knew better than to stay.

Leaving her mate�s inner world was far easier than getting into it. Nel uttered the words that would return her power to its sealed status, she found herself abruptly yanked from the overgrown courtyard, throwing her equilibrium off-balance. When Nel opened her eyes, she lay on the bed in the same position as before, nausea adding to the spinning sensation in her head.

Renji, on the far side of the weapons and his expression unreadable, brushed her fingers with his as she quelled her desire to retch. There was nothing in her stomach to relinquish, thankfully, but the unpleasantness took a few minutes to subside.

�Are you okay, Nel?�

Removing her hand from the unsheathed Zanpakuto, she nodded. The room was much lighter now, dark gray shapes giving way to hints of color and revealing their room�s familiar contents. He wordlessly took Zabimaru, tucked it into its scabbard and placed the weapon back on its stand. Nel pushed her cumbersome body up, placed her feet on the floor and sheathed Gamuza. She hadn�t been certain it would work and at worst, she might have ended up breaking the bed as she really took on her Resurrección�s shape in the confines of the guest room. Renji immediately plucked it from her hands and placed it next to its counterpart. Then he turned to gaze out of the window. How long had she been within the confines of Zabimaru? Her conversation with the nue had been brief, but that didn�t mean anything.

�Not long now,� was all he said, more to himself than to her, before he rejoined her. He brushed back her bangs and gave her a quick �once over,� scrutinizing her for any sign of trouble. Nel gripped both of his large, warm hands in hers, squeezing them tightly.

�He was less than happy I was there.�

�Let me guess� Saru was in a mood, wasn�t he?�

�Is the snake always so� interested in mating?�

This time Renji buried his head in the pillow and groaned.

�He usually has something inappropriate to say. Ugh.�

�He was right, though.�

�About what?�

�About cheering you on. I told Inoue-san once, that she needed to cheer Ichigo on when he fought Grimmjow. There was no way he wasn�t going to be hurt. It was that kind of fight. I�m the worst sort of hypocrite. I should be cheering you on, since you�re fighting for us. I can�t have you thinking that I don�t have faith that you, and the others will come back. It�s just��

Nel saw the effect her words had on him and the pleased smile that spread across his face, which he lowered until it was inches above hers and the fall of his hair, minus the section he�d cut, mingled with her messy locks.

�Never doubt that I love you, Abarai Nel and never doubt I�ll do anything to make the Seireitei a safe place for us to raise Ichiro,� he murmured in her ear, while his palm caressed her belly. �Zabimaru�s a pain at times, but he�s usually right about a lot of things. Go ahead and cheer for me, and I�ll do my best to hear you while I�m in the thick of things.�

Perhaps it was all he really could promise and Nel knew it was all she could reasonably expect. She let him try to kiss away the misgivings that had flared to life when she saw what he�d made and when those kisses moved from her mouth to her breasts and when he hit her with strength-sapping lust, she did her best to thrust her fears aside.

He�d promised her he wouldn�t try to exact revenge on Yammy alone and she would have to pray that in the heat of battle, he would remember that promise. Trust went both ways after all. She only hoped that she wouldn�t have to prove that his faith in her ability to protect their child wouldn�t be necessary.
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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