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
- 88
- 89
- 90
This chapter was actually suppose to go between Soi Fon�s and Szayel/Nemu�s. Somehow I skipped over it (What? I got 1600+ pages to scroll through for each chapter!). I will try and move it there at a later date.

Tomorrow: Toshiro and Harribel

The empty couch in his office had begun to bother him.

If his Division�s charter didn�t require him to �maintain appropriate guest seating,� he�d have tossed it out years ago, in favour of a pair of hard chairs. No one would mistake those for a spot to recover from a hangover, or a place to take an impromptu nap or to stash sake bottles under its cushions. Chairs were for brief, official business. Chairs kept an office neat, organized and its visitors focused on necessities only.

They certainly didn�t attract well-endowed, alcohol-dependent second-in-commands who wanted to sleep away the previous night�s revelry. His current Fukutaichou, Watanabe Souta, was a fine, promising young man, who neither drank to excess nor sloughed off work, and yet Toshiro would give anything to walk into his office and see Matsumoto, her armband askew and her hair in disarray, using the couch�s armrest as a pillow.

He gazed on the piece of furniture with growing melancholy as he thought about its more recent, also absent occupant. Toshiro thought he understood the mind of a gifted youngster. After all, he�d been one himself for a number of years, but he�d never encountered a fifteen-year-old Shinigami who could handle complex accounting tasks in her head while lying on her stomach, her feet in the air and her chin in her hand. It wasn�t as if his 7th Seat lacked a desk of her own either. It was down the hall, sitting empty next to the paperwork graveyard that was his 8th Seat�s workspace. Ise Hana, using the direct, no-nonsense manner she�d inherited from her mother, had informed him that she was more productive as far as the accounting went if she worked in his office, away from, as she put it, �the cluttered spot where requisition slips went to die unrecorded.� Now she too was gone and in the last few weeks, he�d come to understand that he truly was, as he�d told Harribel, used to being surrounded by complicated women. The lack of them made him restless. His Spartan office, with its empty couch, felt too large and made him feel particularly isolated.

The sky outside his window had already turned deep reddish orange, fading to purple the farther east one looked. He�d spent the morning running necessary drills, tasking the quartermaster to see to the depleted stocks along with a crew of ten Shinigami and sending out two field teams that, if all went well, would be gone for at least five days on extended konso duty in the Living World. The afternoon had involved more bloody paperwork for the 1st Division and more yelling at his 8th Seat to clean up his pigsty of a desk before Toshiro put a match to it. It was probably the only satisfying part of his shift. In short, he was trying to make today look like any other day and give his 3rd Seat the cover she needed to carry out Soi Fon�s instructions.

He didn�t think his behaviour was out of the ordinary, though his Fukutaichou had all but tiptoed into his office around three with a pot of hot tea and some ginger cookies. Toshiro tried not to look like a greedy child stuffing the sweets into his mouth. His second-in-command informed him that his Master would be taking his fellow housemate in for an appointment at the 4th Division on Unohana-Taichou�s orders. She probably wouldn�t be in before noon.

�I�m aware of the summons. Thank you for the refreshments, Watanabe-san. Will you be accompanying them?� he�d inquired, careful to appear absorbed in the results of today�s training sessions while he waited for the answer.

�No, Taichou. Lloydght-sama�s taking her, since the request was for each couple to come in for a joint visit. I believe Unohana-Taichou mentioned something about obtaining blood and other samples from each sire, whether Shinigami or Arrancar, along with the prenatal checkups. Will you and Harribel-sama be there too?�

So that was how Unohana had justified getting those with hybrid pregnancies to sit out the fight. Clever woman, he thought, to come up with the pretext of testing the sires. He shrugged instead of letting the smirk he felt coming on betray his real thoughts.

�She will be. I dropped in on Unohana-Taichou on my way back from lunch and I�ve a busy day tomorrow. She already has my contribution for the tests she wants to run.�

�Oh. All right. I apologize. It�s not my place to pry.�

He looked up and nodded at his Fukutaichou while trying to come up with something for the young man to do that would keep him out of harm�s way in the morning. At least some of his subordinates would end up confronting the Swarm when they came boiling up out of the sewer system. Since his �master� and Toshiro�s 11th Seat would be at the 4th Division, and thus detained by Harribel, her girls and Unohana herself, there was no reason for the young man in front of him to do anything other than lead the rest of his Division members against the bugs. Those who weren�t already out on patrols would end up having to defend the Seireitei. Maybe, he hoped, one of Soi Fon�s �distractions� would be large enough to warrant sending out his second-in-command to investigate.

Then his eyes fell on the neglected couch and he pushed the stack of undone paperwork aside, gesturing for the nervous young man to sit. Watanabe paled, but promptly took the middle cushion and made certain to pull his sheathed Zanpakuto across his lap to keep from punching a hole in the upholstery. Toshiro regarded the other carefully over his teacup, not certain that he was doing the right thing by asking, but wanting to know if the lad was being mistreated in any way.

�Are things alright, Watanabe-san?� he finally asked.

His Fukutaichou bit his lip until he realized that he wasn�t about to receive a reprimand. Then he visibly brightened when he understood the subject was his new living arrangements.

�Am I� oh, yes sir! Franq� er� Lloydght-sama�s been� well, he�s��

Toshiro watched as Souta�s cheeks pinked and his amber-brown eyes settled on the clasped hands in his lap. In many ways, he resembled Hana, with his long brown hair and brown eyes, though he kept the former tied back from his face while on duty and he did have a few inches on the missing girl. In many ways, Souta also reminded Toshiro of himself as a 3rd Seat� diligent, trying so very hard to prove he was worthy of the rank he occupied, striving to achieve a greater mastery of his Shikai.

�He�s been very attentive� to the both of us and aside from making sure that Michiko�s never left unguarded while she�s here, he�s not really� well, it isn�t as if he has a lot of demands of me� at least, no demands that...�

His Fukutaichou trailed off and twiddled his thumbs in his lap for a second before he tried to convey what he was thinking in less revealing terms.

�Sir, have you ever received a present that you never thought you�d be able to have, for whatever reason, and when you opened it, found it was even better than you imagined?�

The question was rhetorical, but from its wording, he decided that Souta wasn�t unhappy with his �Master,� nor was he in any danger.

�Off the top of my head,� he replied, �I can�t say that I have. I have little say over how he treats you in private, but as long as he hasn�t physically harmed you, or isn�t interfering with your work here��

�No, he�s not! He� well, he did warn me that I�m not allowed to be anywhere near the Second Espada, if I could help it, especially in the next couple of weeks, until the less decent sort of Arrancar have exhausted their Claim slots.�

Now that was interesting, Toshiro thought, and straightened, taking a sip of his tea to hide his frown, though he was sure his eyes held plenty of intrigue about such an order.

�Why would that be? You already have a Claim on you, Watanabe-san,� he pointed out. �Barragan can�t Claim you for himself, per Aizen�s edicts.�

The young man on the couch made a face.

�I don�t think he�s worried about me as much as he�s worried about Barragan coming after him. He� he was nearby when the Second punished his fraccion a few days ago. I haven�t really been a part of his pack for very long but the day it happened, he came home and he was as white as his mask. That�s when he gave me the warning.�

This was all news to him and yet it echoed what he�d heard plenty of times from Harribel and her fraccion. Was it just Lloydght�s paranoia, driven by impending fatherhood, or were more of the Numeros on edge because of what had happened to Ggio Vega at his Espada�s hands?

�I�m not even certain he would want me telling you this, sir, but he�s worried that the Second will try to �persuade� Arrancar like him to become fraccion, by threatening those they�ve Claimed, and fraccion are fair game for their Espada.�

That hit a bit too close to home for Toshiro. Harribel would never go through with Claiming Hana-chan if they succeeded, but the truth of the matter was that the allowance for an Espada to Claim a fraccion, be they Shinigami or Arrancar, was a loophole in Aizen�s Claiming laws that Barragan had already exploited. Logic dictated that if he�d gotten away with it once, there was no reason for him to think he might not be able to do it again� and Lloydght�s looks matched with what Barragan found �fetching� in bed slaves. Of course, so did Souta and Toshiro did not need the vision of the two men as the Aspect of Old Age�s playthings traipsing around his head.

�Watanabe-san, I�m glad that your current status isn�t the cause of any distress. As far as your master�s concerns, I would concur. The Second is dangerous. Avoid him. Seek refuge here if you can and if not��

Toshiro took another sip of tea and then drummed his fingers on the side of his teacup.

�I�ll speak with Harribel-sama this evening and let you know tomorrow if she�d be amenable to taking on a male fraccion. That way we won�t have to deal with another half-starved mother-to-be.�

It was just another reason to win. Tomorrow was the day that those with less than fantastic reputations would be free to hunt down another �pet.� Souta�s jaw all but dropped at the offer that Toshiro was certain he had no business making for his mate.

�If she wants to discuss anything further with your Master, I�ll let her know he will be at the 4th Division with the rest of the expectant parents in the morning.�

He did his best to fix a businesslike expression on his face and the young man got the hint. Souta stood, bowed and with a quiet �thank you, Taichou,� exited. That left Toshiro with the rest of the afternoon to brood and procrastinate with the paperwork as the rest of the day wore on. He pondered what might happen if, instead of sending in his reports to the 1st Division, he drew a large smiley face on the front page, with its tongue out and with its thumbs in its ears.

�Hitsugaya-Taichou?�

This time it was his 3rd Seat, Tachibana Eri. Unlike Watanabe, she failed to knock and didn�t take her eyes off of the document in her hands as she strolled into his office. Before he knew it, she stood before his desk and handed him the paper. She also had an expectant look in her blue eyes that made him wonder if he forgot to sign something important.

�I�ve a request from the Sixth Division Fukutaichou. She wants me to meet her at the 4th Division tomorrow morning, at about eight. She�d like my assistance for the rest of the day, since she�ll need to report in to your Mistress as soon as Unohana-Taichou clears her for a Claim. Her seven days will be up tomorrow.�

He took it from her and glanced down at it, knowing it for what it was: a means of getting one of his officers to the 4th and giving her an excuse to remain there with Mila Rose when things got underway.

�Permission granted. Go ahead, file it with the rest of today�s requests and indicate on the roster that you�ll be gone, Tachibana-san,� he told her and handed it back. She nodded, turned on her heel and paused in the doorway, her many blonde braids swirling as she looked back at him.

�Francesca told me to accompany you home for dinner this evening. I hope you don�t mind, Taichou. She had a patrol this afternoon and will meet us there.�

It had been a week since Mila Rose had Claimed the woman and she was already using the Arrancar�s rarely heard first name. He found it to be an odd development, as it had been years before Harribel allowed him to address her in such a manner.

�I�m ready to leave now, unless there�s someone else lurking out there with more paperwork.�

She snorted, but made a show of ducking her head into the hall as he rose and stretched.

�The only one I see is Toku-san, excavating his desk,� Eri reported dryly before she stepped out. �I�ll be back in a few moments sir.�

On a whim, he glanced out the window into the Division courtyard, only to see his Fukutaichou and his 11th Seat meeting up with their Master, presumably so that the latter could escort them home. While distance and the glass in the window prevented him from hearing their brief discussion, there was no mistaking the proprietary looks the blond Arrancar gave the two, nor did he miss the tense, watchful set to Lloydght�s taller frame. That, Toshiro thought, was one very nervous Hollow. Michiko�s �mate� cuddled her close for a few seconds, pressed a quick kiss to her temple and patted her midsection fondly. When Toshiro saw him turn to Souta, the two exchanged some words, with the Shinigami looking sheepishly up at his new Master. Whatever it was he told Lloydght made the Arrancar look at the young man sternly for a moment. Then he put one hand under Souta�s chin, brought it up a few inches and fervently kissed Toshiro�s second-in-command on the mouth. Once he�d broken it off and stroked Souta�s blushing cheek with his fingers, he quickly put his arm around each of his �pet�s� waists and hustled them out of the Division�s gates.

Toshiro leaned against the windowsill as he watched them go. A scowl developed on his face as he folded his arms across his chest. Evidently, his Fukutaichou hadn�t been exaggerating. From the amount of gratitude he�d just seen displayed, coupled with his body language, Franque Lloydght wasn�t just �concerned� for he and his newly expanded pack. No, if Toshiro read things correctly, the Arrancar was seriously spooked.

Maybe it was best that he�d have to talk to Harribel about it. If Barragan were to make such a move on the Numeros, she�d want some warning.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Only Apachi, Mila Rose and Eri made it back to the den for the meal and the dining room, ironically, had the same �empty� feeling as his office. Sung Sun was filling in for Iemura while he saw to the dispersal of the Portal Scarabs throughout the Seireitei�s underbelly and that task would take most of the night. Apachi�s girl had gone with them and the odd-eyed Arrancar woman didn�t seem very happy about that fact. Soi Fon supposedly had errands and a patrol this evening, so no one expected her back soon.

�You�re picking at your food. Is it not to your liking?�

Apachi stared into her bowl for a second and then looked back up at her Mistress a little shamefacedly before sighing and pushing her beef and broccoli around in circles.

�Ah no, Harribel-sama. I�m just worried. Megumi-chan�s doing what she has to do� but��

�She�ll be just fine. The 4th Division officers have that place memorized,� Eri said breezily and popped a bit of beef and sticky rice into her mouth. She chewed blissfully and swallowed. �Next to Iemura, she�s got more authority than anyone else down there. I�ll bet she�s had at least two of the reishi gel packets for dinner, so it�s not like she�ll starve either.�

Toshiro thanked the stars that in Hana�s absence, the job of �tension diffuser� had fallen to his 3rd Seat. Unflappable and occasionally caustic, she handled her job efficiently and rode herd on the rest of Toshiro�s Division with efficiency. It was hard to believe that she and Souta were from the same Academy class. The blonde seemed so much older and only her general lack of deference had kept Toshiro from promoting her ahead of him.

�Harribel-sama, would it be alright if we spent the night here?�

Mila Rose looked hopefully at the Espada and one of Harribel�s golden brows went up at the request.

�Yes, but might I ask why?�

The lioness tossed her head irritably and huffed out a name that sounded suspiciously like that of Toshiro�s 4th Seat. An inquiring look at his 3rd Seat got him the explanation he wanted.

�Wakana-san snores. He sounds like a summer thunderstorm, the way he rumbles. My quarters border his and we can hear him sawing logs through the walls. In the interest of getting a decent night�s sleep, it might be best if Francesca and I stay here tonight.�

He and Harribel shared a look and he shrugged. While the seated officers had private quarters, the Taichou�s suite at the 3rd had gone unused for nearly sixteen years and Watanabe had moved out of the space allotted to the Division�s Fukutaichou last week after Lloydght had Claimed the young man. There was no real reason why either set of rooms should remain empty.

�Why don�t you take over the Taichou�s suite at the Division, temporarily?� he suggested. �You might have to dust the place, but if I give you written permission to stay there in my absence, no one will really think anything of it. Everything should be in working order and the Taichou�s quarters have an attached shower and toilet. It will also put you two spaces away from Wakana-san�s room.�

Both women seemed overly relieved at the presentation of a third option and Toshiro wondered just how bad his 4th Seat�s nocturnal nasal symphony really was. If the smudges beneath Mila Rose�s green eyes were any indication, the volume had to be well above normal.

�Thank you, Taichou! That would be wonderful!� Eri exclaimed and scooted her chair closer to Mila Rose�s seat. One of her paler hands covered the Arrancar�s dusky one and squeezed it. �See? I told you there would be a solution.�

The taller woman bowed her head and reiterated the expression of gratitude, only to find Eri popping a slice of beef into her mouth via her chopsticks when she raised it. Apachi laughed at the surprised expression on her fellow fraccion�s face as she chewed on the morsel. Harribel chose that moment to place her empty teacup on the table and the budding squabble died as she addressed those gathered around it.

�I�m certain you all know your parts for tomorrow, so there is no need to go over them again. Apachi-chan, can you make up a plate for Soi Fon? She�ll need some extra sustenance tonight. You can leave it in the refrigerator for her.�

Apachi was on her feet and through the kitchen door before Harribel could say anything else. As the rustling sounds in the other room grew louder, Mila Rose and Eri chose to finish what was on their plates and then proceeded to clear the table. Toshiro wondered if she�d given the three some kind of secret code to scatter for the night. As such, he did the same, lifting his bowl to his lips and shovelling the stir-fry into his mouth as fast as he could. He�d barely emptied the container when his 3rd Seat whisked it and the rest of the empty dishes in front of him away, leaving him with just his chopsticks poised in midair and a bewildered look on his face.

�Apachi wishes to return to the 4th Division to wait for Megumi-chan. Mila Rose and Eri-chan want to move their things into their new quarters,� Harribel told him, her low smooth voice grabbing his attention. �That was generous of you.�

�It was expedient,� he replied, putting down his eating utensils. �I never actually lived in those rooms, so it�s not much of a sacrifice. Tachibana-san�s the ranking officer on the Division premises and I�d rather have someone there who knows what�s going on tomorrow. In addition, I need to talk to you about something.�

�You�ve been apprehensive since you returned home. We can discuss it in my office.�

Harribel�s eyes roved over him, as if looking for something wrong with him before she got up and stretched. Her new jackets fell to below her ribcage and thankfully hid the entirety of her bosom. Even if she now had to bind her breasts like other female Shinigami, there was still a nice bit of �bounce� to her as she made her way around the table.

Their dinner guests departed shortly after Toshiro retreated to his room to find the keys to the Taichou�s quarters. He handed them to Eri, who tucked them into her kosode and bowed deeply in thanks. He suspected her eagerness to be gone wasn�t entirely due to the prospect of some peace and quiet. Mila Rose�s flushed cheeks and Eri�s muttered �show you a few things I learned in the women�s dormitory at the Academy� as she shoved the Arrancar through the doorway and closed it behind them with her foot all but gave away the blonde�s intentions.

Really, he did not need to know the intimate details of his underlings� private lives, though he only had himself to blame when it came to his Fukutaichou and he had been the one to suggest Eri to Mila Rose.

Apachi hurriedly said goodbye after leaving the dishes to air dry near the sink, as preoccupied as she had been during the meal. Once she was gone, there was nothing left to do but speak with his mate. Knocking on the wooden frame, he heard her call out �enter� and pushed open the door.

Harribel sat behind the desk, brush in hand, doing a fine imitation of his own posture while at the Division. He recognized the names of a few vendors printed across the tops of several of the spread out papers and realized she was in the middle of paying bills. That she would bother doing such a mundane thing on the eve of their revolution surprised him at first, but he supposed that it wouldn�t do to leave a huge food bill for the grocer and for her preferred merchants to bear. Her action still struck him as somewhat fatalistic.

�Can I ask you something?�

She paused and glanced up at where he leaned against the doorframe, taking in his stance and his folded arms.

�You know you don�t need my permission to do that Toshiro. Is this about what you hinted at during dinner?�

�Maybe. I don�t know. I think it depends on your answer.�

He crossed into the office and took a seat on the couch. Elbows on his knees, Toshiro leaned forward and regarded his mate, trying to gauge her mood before he spoke.

�First, out of curiosity, why didn�t you ever Claim any of your fraccion?�

She appeared perplexed by his line of inquiry and put the brush in her hand down in its holder.

�We did not come together as a pack with such relationships in mind. They were Adjuchas before Aizen touched them with the Hogyoku. In contrast, I was a Vasto Lorde and my form was not so different from what you see before you. There were differences in our evolutionary levels to consider and afterward� let�s just say I refrained from choosing between them to keep the peace. Sharing physical pleasure and companionship was enough. Sharing reiatsu with one and not the others would have eventually led to my pack�s disintegration and Barragan would have been free to pick us off one by one.�

Harribel rose from the desk and approached him, almost warily, which he didn�t entirely understand. Toshiro expected her to sit down next to him on the next cushion over. Instead, he watched as she knelt before him and placed one hand on each of his knees. Her fingertips barely brushed the undersides of his forearms as he straightened up, surprised she would take such an uncharacteristic stance.

�You could have Claimed all three of them. That way there would be no fighting.�

�If I did not wish a partial Claim upon myself, why would I impose it upon those who look to me for protection from one? You were the lone exception, but under the circumstances...�

She studied him shrewdly with her greenish-blue eyes as he digested her reply, and then continued.

�It�s not just tomorrow that has your insides tied up, is it?�

�No, it isn�t,� he conceded, his spine sinking into the upright cushion behind him as he closed his eyes. �My Fukutaichou made me aware of something today and I don�t think you�re going to like it, if it turns out to be more than just paranoia on the part of the Numeros.�

He proceeded to give her the shortened version of his discussion with Souta and the tentative offer he�d made in her stead to his subordinate.

�I�m uncertain that it�s not just this Arrancar�s imagination working overtime, Tia. We still haven�t come up with a foolproof plan to deal with Barragan once Aizen�s dead. The moment that he finds out �Kami� is no more is the moment he�ll become a serious problem.�

Harribel sat before him for a moment, neither condemning what he�d done nor condoning it and the fact she chose to say nothing in regard to him speaking for her worried him� until he felt her palms slide up his legs and the warmth of her jacketed breasts pressed where her hands had been.

�My protection, even if I say �yes� to such, will mean little if the Aspect of Old Age tries to step in and take over. We can only hope that the Swarm will keep him busy enough for our pack to take him by surprise. However, you are correct in that we will have a tight window to manoeuvre things to our advantage. Soi Fon will have to keep tabs on him, as she�s better at cloaking her reiatsu than I am.�

Toshiro reached up and ran his fingers through hair the color of daffodils.

�You�re not angry I made an offer without your knowledge?�

�Mmm��

Her hands moved higher, her fingers reaching his hipbones and before he knew it, she�d moved her body between his parted knees. The white fabric of her jacket sleeves slithered against the heavy black cotton of his hakama. When he looked down, he discovered her undoing his obi. Before he could stop her, Harribel had removed it, the length of fabric coiling on the floor.

�Toshiro, have you considered what will happen when we win?�

If she kept doing what she was doing, the Shinigami knew he�d be in no condition to consider anything. With his obi gone, it took little effort for her to pull his hakama away. The thin cloth of his fundoshi was next, no match for her sharp nails.

�T�Tia? What are�?�

�We Arrancar will be subject to your laws, not ours. You will outrank me and this pack will technically belong to you, not me. We are mates, we�ve a cub on the way, but that will mean nothing without you and perhaps Hana to speak for me and for my fraccion.�

She broke eye contact, her shoulders forcing his legs farther apart as her head hovered over his lap. Her fingers pulled the cloth in it, black and white, away from what she wanted. A groan escaped him as her right hand curled around his shaft and her left reached lower, to cup him.

The tip of Harribel�s tongue slipped out between her lips, wetting them, and Toshiro sucked as much air into his lungs as he could. The sight sent what little blood he had in his cranium straight to his cock in a mad rush.

�Let em prove to you that we will be worthy of protection.�

�Oh� fuck�� was all he managed to strangle out as her head dipped and wet warmth enveloped him to the root.

His hips jerked up into it, reflexively and she froze as he inadvertently stabbed at the back of her throat. She shuddered, fighting her gag reflex for a minute, which gave him time to put both hands on her shoulders. He needed just a second to control himself, to rein in the urge to thrust as much of his cock into her mouth as he could.

He did not get the chance. Instead, her rough tongue slid along the underside of his shaft, moving up and down as she got use to the mouthful of male flesh. Then it was open season on his senses as she pulled back, adding suction to the mix. Toshiro�s squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to keep from cumming on the spot. They subsequently went wide as his mate�s mouth set up a rhythm around him, sucking and licking as if her life depended on it. She had never done this for him before and he never would have dreamed of asking for such a thing from her.

Saliva dripped into the white curls at the base of his length, trickling over dark-skinned fingers that tightened around it in an attempt to keep him from climaxing too quickly. It served to lubricate her other hand, the fingers of which were busy with the spot just below his scrotum. Those circled and pressed gently upwards, the action making him see fireworks with each touch. Even the sloppy squelching sounds that filled his ears seemed particularly obscene, since he could pair each one with a movement of her mouth.

Toshiro tried to control himself, he truly did, but she began swirling her tongue over the head of his shaft, sliding the tip of it into the slit at the end, and he knew he�d lost this fight.

�Tia� Tia, I�m� I can�t�� he stammered, trying to warn her before it was too late.

In response, she slowed pulled back until only the head of his cock remained between her swollen lips. Droplets of sweat ran from his temple to his jaw as he stared dazedly down to find her regarding him from beneath her lashes. From this angle, with her crouched between his legs and with lips rubbed red by his shaft, Harribel presented one of the most erotic scenes he�d ever witnessed, and that included the �instructional� Claiming sessions with her girls during the first years of his captivity� a state that would end tomorrow, Kami willing.

The realization of what, exactly, this was all about unexpectedly hit him and for the second time since she�d taken him in hand, he forgot to breathe. Her current position was one of utter subservience� of supplication to a more powerful entity. Had fear motivated her to do this for him? If so, this needed to stop, immediately, even if he was in danger of losing it. One hand reached for her, whether to drag her out of her submissive stance or cup her cheek he had no clue.

Then she took him in completely, lips sliding downward until her nose brushed his lower belly. Her tongue swirled around him at the same time. The pressure increased and it shattered what remained of his composure and his self-control.

Toshiro came with a roar that to his ears, sounded more like that of an animal than the cry of a man. Arching the small of his back, both hands flew to her head to keep her mouth right where it was while his hips jerked. His cock throbbed against her palate and he was helpless to prevent spurt of cum down her throat. Blearily, he thought he saw her swallow twice and choke.

After a few minutes of hazy bliss, he felt her release him and sit back. Harribel coughed and wiped at the corners of her mouth, eyes closed and cheeks flushed. Despite his bones turning to rubber and euphoria swamping his nervous system, Toshiro forced himself to sit up, dragging her roughly off the floor and into his arms.

�You liked that,� she stated and he didn�t have the energy to bother denying it, especially when he knew she could feel what she�d done to him.

�That� I�d heard about things like that� but� Kami, Tia� that was� there aren�t words��

He didn�t know if babbling was the right thing to do under these circumstances, but if her purpose in doing this was to ask for his protection, he needed to set her straight before he did anything else. A minute later found them sprawled out lengthwise, her fully clothed atop him, on the couch. His bare legs trapped her hips, keeping her in place on the narrow cushions while he pulled the zipper of her new jacket down, to expose her bound breasts.

�Tia, you�re my mate. That won�t change with the regime,� he informed her as he pushed the garment off her shoulders, temporarily trapping her elbows with the fabric. That allowed him to find the knots to unravel the strip of cloth around her bosom. �There�s no more Central 46, and the nobility that comprised it is in shambles. It will take generations for them to recover and the remaining Divisions aren�t going to concede power to them. I�m going to take my orders from Unohana-Taichou or Ukitake-Taichou. One of those two will likely end up Soutaichou and neither will order me to do anything to the mother of my child.�

�You say that now��

He pulled her chin down and forced his tongue into her mouth, cutting her off. Toshiro could taste the bitter aftermath of his release and spent the next minute engaging in oral exploration. That distracted her long enough for him to free her breasts and undo the tie holding up her hakama. It became extremely important to remove every stitch of clothing that separated her from his still-humming body.

�I say that period� we�re equals in this� all of this. I want you and Soi Fon to wait until we can confront him together� if Unohana-Taichou doesn�t dispatch him first. He�ll throw Ayasegawa and Vega at us first and we�ll need numbers to disarm his �pets� before he�ll step up and fight.�

�Do you still wish me to take your Fukutaichou�s Master as a fraccion?�

Toshiro shoved her loosened obi and her hakama over the curve of her bottom, tugging until all he could feel against his reinvigorated shaft was the flesh of her bare belly. Lifting his leg, he used a foot to push them at least part of the way down her legs, a move that did nothing to relieve the growing need between his, since it caused what space existed between his abdomen and hers to disappear.

�If only so that you can order him to stop pawing at my officers on their respective breaks,� he grumbled, remembering the most recent incident. �I was going to ask you to have a word with him regarding that anyway. The walking libido might actually listen to you.�

Sitting up, he tugged the legs of her hakama free of her boots and it joined the rest of her clothing, some of which ended up draped over the coffee table. His inner and outer kosode followed. Toshiro�s mouth busied itself with one of her nipples and when he did so, she became remarkably pliant. Pushing his thighs beneath her legs, he got her into a seated position, effectively switching their places from earlier. Harribel was now the one with spread legs, wearing only her boots and her arms spread across the back of the couch. Toshiro knelt between her limbs on the cushion and he took a moment to admire the view.

�Says the man who intends to keep me from settling our bills this evening.�

Her wryly-delivered retort made him smile, before he brushed the spot just below her navel with his fingers, making her gasp. Those fingers traveled lower, until they found a spot that turned her gasps into low keening, the needy sound going straight to his cock.

�I intend to do more than that, Tia. Much more��

It was dark when his eyes blinked open. He was still on the couch, his head pillowed on his arm, which was strange as he distinctly remembered a breast serving that purpose when he dozed off. Two orgasms he�d have no trouble labelling �cataclysmic� had that effect on him. The three he�d managed to wring out of Harribel made him smile in satisfaction, until he realized she wasn�t in the room with him and that someone had draped the woollen couch throw over him.

Yawning ferociously, he scratched the back of his neck and sat up, careful not to bang his shins on the coffee table. The air around him still smelled of sex and musk and he grinned in the dark at why he could still taste her when he inhaled. She�d probably gotten tired of him using her as a mattress, or maybe she was hungry, which seemed more likely. Her need for food had increased, which explained the sum he�d seen on the grocery bill, so she might well be in the kitchen.

Toshiro would have preferred to get dressed to leave the office and join her, but from what he could see, the clothing he and Harribel had shed was gone. She wasn�t in the habit of picking up after him; his clothing was his responsibility, so he found its absence strange. With nothing else to gird his loins, he grabbed the throw and turned it into a makeshift sarong, tying the fabric around his waist. Then he pushed the door to the hall open and went in search of his mate.

The kitchen turned out to be the correct guess, but he stopped short of walking into the room when he heard Harribel speaking to someone. Then he heard the �click-clack� of chalk on a hard surface, the sound telling him that Soi Fon had made it back to the den unscathed.

�If anyone asks why you did not complete your patrol, you can tell them you did not feel well. I�m supposed to Claim you tomorrow. It would not be out of character for me to order you to rest in anticipation of such an event.�

Standing with his back against the wall, Toshiro debated whether to walk in on the conversation while half-naked and discarded the idea immediately.

�I�m glad the preparations are on track. My girls know what they�re to do tomorrow. I�ve ordered them to put aside any pettiness in favour of keeping the Numeros in line. The three of them are still more powerful than most of the more recently evolved Arrancar. Of those who survived the War, only the Fifth�s servant and your mate are stronger.�

He couldn�t see either woman from his eavesdropping spot, which was just as well. If he couldn�t see them, they couldn�t see him using the throw as a modesty preserver. The sound of the chalk on Soi Fon�s slate reached him again. The silence that followed seemed longer than the previous stretch, which meant her answer was more involved than a simple �Yes� or �No� question.

�Of course you can. You may bring him here to recover if he wishes, once he�s no longer Claimed, and your family can stay as long as you need.�

Someone sighed, a sound full of fatigue and relief. Toshiro doubted that Vega would have any reason to stay in the den of horrors the Kyoraku manor had become once he was free. They�d likely end up hosting Ayasegawa too, until the Seireitei sorted itself out. He heard chair feet slide against the tiles and the rustle of fabric as one of the two women stood up.

�Before you go��

His mate trailed off, going quiet for several long seconds before he heard her pick up where she�d left off. Harribel�s voice grew harder to hear, more hesitant, as if she wasn�t entirely comfortable with the topic at hand but felt obligated to bring it up anyway. Once he heard what she said, he couldn�t blame her.

�Are you certain that you do not want me to Claim you tonight? Doing so will keep Aizen, should he see you tomorrow morning, from following through on his threat. It would be riskier than if you were at full strength, but with your body now whole��

After a few moments, he heard Soi Fon write out her reply and a heavy stillness descend on the two women.

�I understand. That would be awkward. I suggested it as a precaution. Please, I urge you to keep from engaging him until our pack can move in, if he does anything but fight the Swarm.�

Toshiro didn�t know whether Soi Fon had agreed to that or not. He heard footsteps approach and decided on a strategic retreat. Ducking into the entryway and stepping into the shadow cast by the shelf that held his scarf and Hyorinmaru, he waited until he heard the petite ex-Taichou make her way towards the other end of the house and the spare bedroom door slide open. When it closed, he tiptoed back to the kitchen to see his mate turning a teacup around in her hands and staring down at the liquid in it.

�How much of that did you hear?� she inquired. Toshiro didn�t bother trying to deny anything and took the chair that Soi Fon had vacated.

�Enough. Let me guess� she refused your offer?� His eyes slid to the teapot and he considered pouring himself a cup, then remembered what stimulants usually did to him this late at night.

�Yes. If we succeed, it will be wasted energy on my part and she rightly informed me that I will need all of my power tomorrow. I just��

��want to protect your pack members. Of all of your �girls,� only Hana and Soi Fon will be in harm�s way,� he finished.

Harribel leaned back in her chair and plucked soberly at the front of the dark blue house yukata she wore.

�Hana has the First and Jushiro to look after her. Soi Fon will be on her own, monitoring the Second and relaying his position back to me. I�d thought to keep track of her,� she told him and he leaned one of his cheeks against his hand.

�Tia, you can�t protect everyone under your roof,�

�Interesting that you would allow Soi Fon to perform such tasks without a partner or support, but that you would ask me to offer a fraccion�s position to an Arrancar whose behaviour you find irritating,� she observed.

He rubbed his eyes, hoping this wasn�t the setup to an argument. Toshiro certainly didn�t feel like quarrelling with her when every molecule in his body was telling him to drag her to his bedroom for some real sleep.

�You know, I think that refusing you was the first choice she�s been able to make in a very long time. For the last fifteen years, she�s had no say in anything that�s happened to her. Don�t begrudge her the ability to say �no,� even if you mean well by doing it.

The sharp look she gave him made him wonder if he ought to go back to the office couch for the night, but he didn�t retract what he�d just said. Eventually, she pushed the teacup away and rested her chin on her laced fingers.

�I should have done the same with you.�

Her admission took him aback and he gaped at her as she lowered her head, the edges of her joined hands pressed against her forehead.

�You were no child, though you had only a rudimentary grasp on the power that simmered inside of you. I should have let you choose� though I suspect you would have picked death over me.�

It had come fifteen years late, but Toshiro, once he overcame his shock at hearing it, wasn�t one to look gift apologies in the mouth. Getting up and trying to keep the throw from slipping off his narrow hips, he put his free hand under her elbow and drew her to her feet.

�Of late, I find myself very glad the Aspect of Sacrifice wanted to keep me alive� for her nefarious purposes,� he muttered in her ear as he pulled her against him and kissed her startled mouth. �Especially when she gets it into her head to ask me for something��

Toshiro didn�t know how long they remained in the circle of each other�s arms under the yellow glow of the kitchen light, nor did he know at exactly what time he dragged her off to his nearby room and bundled them under the covers. Declarations of �love� in the traditional fashion weren�t his forte and he knew such words weren�t in her vocabulary either. Tonight might be the last time for those if their rebellion fell apart, which was what prompted him to slide the yukata from her figure and lick his way down her body, guided only by her hungry sighs.

If it was, he decided that in the case of Tia Harribel, his mistress, his captor, the mother of his soon-to-be son or daughter and the woman he�d come to love, �showing� would have to substitute for �telling.�
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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