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Prize of Victory	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 87205 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make profit from this snippet

Chapter List
- 89
- 90
- 91
Even Kami Fears Mutiny

It wasn�t often that he admitted to making mistakes, but this time Aizen believed he may have actually made one. He had never, ever taken the possibility that one of his Arrancar would ever rise to the defence of their pets into his calculations, with the possible exception of Grimmjow and Karin. While Grimmjow was well-known for snapping at the bit, he�d assumed that the others knew their proper roles and places and wouldn�t challenge him too much or too often if he needed to mete out any discipline he deemed necessary.

So when Starrk of all people marched into his Palace with a serious expression on his face, Aizen was truly surprised. The First Espada was someone he considered very laid-back and, Lilinette�s temperament notwithstanding, non-confrontational. Aizen could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Starrk looking both awake and serious, with more than a few fingers left over.

Starrk had been blunt and to the point with his concerns, thankfully keeping things brief. While he listened, Aizen had silently considered the First�s arguments regarding the severity of Jushiro�s punishments from a more rational perspective. To his chagrin, he found that Starrk made a few very good points. Completely blinding one of the more powerful fighters available to him, even if he was still recovering from the effects of an illness, really had been a poor tactical move when taking into account the bigger picture.

Aizen would never admit out loud to anyone he had made a mistake, but Starrk was a very intelligent being and easily read the unspoken apology he had made in the course of their subsequently pleasant conversation.

So now he sat, pondering the situation while drinking a cup of tea on his porch and looking out over his private garden. Starrk had informed him that he had ordered Szayel to do what he could to save Jushiro�s sight. While Starrk�s actions could be considered blatant defiance, Aizen had agreed to it this time and had no plans on punishing the scientist for interfering in one of his punishments. Nor did he intend to punish Starrk. He�d been correct; a blind pet was a useless pet and the last thing he needed right now was to spread his fighting force too thinly by rendering one of them unfit for combat.

By the time the sun finished rising, Aizen had already decided on what he was going to do. Eventually, Starrk would no doubt do something that would garner his favour. Should Szayel fail to restore the sight in Jushiro�s one eye, he had but to wait until he found a good reason to give a reward to Starrk and permit Orihime to partially restore Jushiro�s sight. It would be a reminder to both of them of who was truly in charge here. There was still a lesson to be learned after all.

Surprisingly, Starrk had also mentioned Yammy�s treatment of his pet, as well as a few other Arrancar who had continued to treat their possessions roughly. Whereas Jushiro had made a heartfelt speech regarding the torture, Starrk had pointed out how tactically stupid it was to beat up one�s own soldiers.

Aizen could not disagree with that either. However, he had already decided to have a �chat� with Yammy over the continuously rough treatment he gave Byakuya. Picking up one of the reports Jushiro had delivered Aizen frowned at the less-than-perfect kanji he had been informed had been rendered by the former Taichou.

Byakuya had been a prodigy at many things, calligraphy being one of them. Excellence in the written arts was expected of a Noble but still, the writing of the head of the Kuchiki clan had been simply amazing. Being forced to abandon the little calligraphy club he had been a part of had actually been one of the very, very few things Aizen regretted about leaving when they had betrayed Soul Society. His Arrancar were powerful, but hardly stimulating conversationalists and they had no appreciation for the arts.

Aizen sighed and watched the sun crawl slightly higher in the crisp morning sky. While he was all-powerful, even he wondered what would happen if his top Espada turned against him. Even he had no idea of the extent of Starrk�s true strength and he had noticed that even Ulquiorra had begun to waver ever so slightly in his loyalty.

Pouring himself another cup of tea, he tried to determine which specific incident might be the one that could have started all of this rebellious behaviour in his minions. Grimmjow had always been displeased about following him, and had only grown more so since mating and producing a child. The others had really only begun fidgeting lately. Aizen considered more recent events, trying to hone in on �when� and �what� could have possibly caused his most loyal followers to start doubting him.

He didn�t think it was the Swarm. As frustrating as the damn Locusts were, they were a source of amusement and entertainment for his Arrancar. Their sheer numbers made up for their pathetic strength. Truthfully, the Swarm was a bit of a blessing as it gave the instinctually-driven Arrancar something to demolish and that they could use to curb their violent natures without resorting to ripping up his beautiful city.

No, there had to be another trigger, an occurrence that caused even Ulquiorra to start doubting the legitimacy of his reign. Something must have happened� something only a Hollow would care strongly about.

Taking another sip of tea, he pursued that tangent. There were very few taboos amongst the Hollow race. Interestingly, they were similar to human convicts in that respect. The rape of a child was one thing that all Hollows despised to the point of tearing the offender to pieces without even giving them the satisfaction of being consumed to be carried on as a part of the one doing the eating.

�Ah,� he noted, following that thought on to another event, one that involved a taboo that was only slightly less heinous to them.

The taking of another, unwillingly, from a mate�s position. He recalled with much satisfaction his little punishment session with Szayel. The Espada still couldn�t look him in the eye and would tremble every time Aizen was in his presence. It had been his most successful psychological breaking to date, having imparted the deepest sort of fear within the scientist while leaving his mind relatively undamaged.

He also recalled how Grimmjow had stormed in on them, only to go from being irritated to being stunned and horrified by what was going on. Grimmjow, who cared nothing for the fates of others and had no qualms about slaughtering his opponents with relish, had actually balked at what he had seen and had looked ready to bolt himself.

Yes, if word of that had spread, then that would possibly explain the dissatisfaction amongst his Espada. Szayel had been in rough shape when he had finished with him and perhaps, he grudgingly admitted, he had taken that punishment a little too far as well.

He was starting to let his frustrations get to him. The upset of his intended timetable for securing the Kings throne for his own had left him irritable and had cast a pall upon his better judgment. He�d made an error and now needed to correct it. An Arrancar rebellion was one annoyance he did not want to have to deal with. Civil War was such a messy thing and a waste of his precious energy.

�You are up early, Aizen-Kami,� Gin noted as he appeared on the porch with a fresh pot of tea.

�I find morning to be a peaceful time to reflect,� he answered, holding out his empty tea cup while Gin refilled it from the fresh pot.

�Oh?�

�I trust the blood has been cleaned up from my wife�s garden by now?�

�Hai. I did it as soon as I returned.�

�Good. Sometimes I forget how much face wounds like to gush. Is my wife awake yet?�

�I believe she has already dressed and left for work,� Gin answered.

�No doubt to check on Jushiro. A pity that. I had thought he was too smart to incur my wrath. I find it disappointing that I needed to punish him at all. Perhaps he will be a quicker learner than others. I would be displeased to need to make the same point twice,� he mused aloud, knowing how Gin would interpret his words.

Silence settled between them as the sun slowly rose in the morning sky.

�Did ya truly mean to blind him?� Gin asked hesitantly.

�I merely meant to teach him a lesson about poking his nose into the affairs of others. Whether or not he ends up blind is of little interest to me,� he lied smoothly.

Well, he had been interested in permanently blinding Jushiro at the time, but after his discussion with Starrk he realized, with some annoyance, how foolish that had been. A battle with his Espada would be devastating, not because he felt he would lose, but because so many innocents would be massacred in the process.

He found it ironic that he�d managed to tie his own hands and take over a million hostages against himself. Not that he personally cared about the people living in his shadow, but to destroy that many souls, collateral damage in a battle between himself and his own Espada would severely unbalance the realms. He was not so foolish as to believe he would live through the destruction caused by the destruction of the realms tearing themselves asunder. They were already off-balance as it was since no one currently resided in the King�s Castle. That led his thoughts down another frustrating avenue.

Of the four Noble houses with Royal blood running through their family trees, there were very few potential mates to choose from. The records he�d perused had failed to turn up any new prospects either, turning into yet another dead end. In some cases, �dead� hadn�t been a metaphorical term.

The few remaining Kuchiki clan�s females were either too old or too weak to survive intercourse with him to produce him an heir. Kuchiki Rukia was the lone exception, but as she�d been adopted by the clan rather than born into it, she lacked the proper breeding. Pursuing her was pointless.

In contrast, the Shihoin family had corrupted their line too much by breeding with those �beastly barbarians� in order to produce their well-known shape-shifters. That meant Shihoin Yoruichi was also unsuitable for his purposes should he ever actually manage to capture and cage her.

The women of the late Yamamoto�s family, from the oldest to the youngest, had gallantly committed suicide to the last woman when it became clear Aizen was going to win the war.

That left the Kyoraku family. Unohana Retsu, his wife, came from one of its minor branches. That house was in the same boat as the Kuchiki clan with regards to its dearth of eligible female descendants.

Or was it?

He had dismissed the little girl at the time but he did recall that Nanao had graced Shunsui with a daughter before his demise. Well, technically, �after� his demise, for the girl had been born nine months after the end of the war. How powerful was she now? She was still far too young to use for his purposes but he made a note to pay more attention to her development in the future.

Giving it more thought, he decided that perhaps he ought to check her progress now. She was getting to the age where her reiatsu would start expanding and growing. It was worth knowing whether or not she had any potential as a fighter. As for his other interests, he could check her for suitability at the same time.

�Gin.�

�Yes, Aizen-Kami?�

�I would like you to bring Nanao�s daughter, Hana, to me.�

�Right now?�

�Yes. If she is eating, let her finish, but I wish to see her as soon as possible.�

�If that is Kami-sama�s wish,� Gin bowed his way out, leaving the pot of still-hot tea on the side table.

Aizen reached out and poured himself another cup, taking a sip as he contemplated the beginning of another promising, beautiful day.

There were many things Gin had done in his life that he regretted. Hurting Rukia, almost killing Byakuya, failing to save Rangiku, Kira�s death in battle. He could make a list of his regrets long enough to wrap around the entire city. Twice.

This was just one more of those things. He truly did not want to drag a terrified little girl before Kami-sama without anyone to support her. It was not a pleasant thought, because Gin was not an idiot; he knew exactly what kind of interest Aizen had in the girl and it made his skin crawl.

To his surprise, no one was at the Estate, even though it was still early in the morning. That definitely made things more difficult. He leaned against the wall and debated on heading to the Fifth Division to ask Nanao about her daughter�s whereabouts, rather than looking for the child himself. Of course an order was an order and whether Nanao liked it or not, her daughter had been summoned. It wasn�t like Nanao wasn�t going to learn about it in the end anyway.

With a sigh he pushed off from the wall and made his way towards the Fifth Division. Halfway there he froze as his eyes fell upon a fruit stand tucked away along the street-side market. There, hanging ever so innocently, was a rope of dried persimmons, the orange-red flesh shining like strung jewels in the sunlight. He felt his mouth actually water at the sight of them. He hadn�t tasted one of the sweet-tart fruits in years, since before his defection from the Gotei 13. When he�d been young and hungry, living hand to mouth with Rangiku, they�d been one of his favourite things to steal.

Regrettably, he didn�t have any funds to purchase such a thing. His food was provided for him in a plain bowl, minus any form of utensils. Servants set it down twice a day by his �bed.� Rice and fish. It was the same thing, every day.

Oh, but to take one of those for himself and bite into it now! He wondered, wistfully, if Toshiro was taking care of the persimmon trees he had planted and tended in his old Division�s gardens or if the white-haired Taichou had chopped the lot of them down out of spite. He hoped not. It had taken years to raise each one.

�Gin-san?�

He jumped and tore his eyes from the untouchable treats to stare down at Ajuga in surprise. She was looking up at him curiously and appeared to be alone. She had apparently materialized out of nowhere; he hadn�t even felt her presence until she�d spoken to him.

�Ajuga-chan,� he greeted her with a smile, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. �Are ya out an� about by yourself?�

�Uh-huh,� she agreed. �I had to go get more of �take-ji�s medicine from the Estate since he will be staying with Szay for longer,� she answered, sounding a little sad about that fact.

�How is he feeling?� he asked, honestly concerned.

�He woke up, but is having nightmares. Szay said �take-ji might get sight back in one eye, but he doesn�t know yet. Do you want to come see him?� Ajuga asked curiously.

�I would love to, but I gotta find Hana-chan.�

�Oh, she�s watching him now,� Ajuga supplied helpfully. �I was just on my way back.�

�That would be convenient.�

�Okay. What were you looking at anyway?� Ajuga asked.

�Nothin� interesting,� he lied.

She gave him a �ya right� look.

�Just checking out the fruit,� he admitted.

�Oh? What kind?�

She walked up to the stall he had been scoping out, giving each of the varieties a dubious look. Gin got the impression that fruit wasn�t exactly something a half-Hollow, half-human child would crave. He pointed to the rope of dried persimmons.

�Those are the ones. Do you know what they are?� he asked curiously.

�Nope,� she answered truthfully.

�Those are dried persimmons. They are the best ever, but I haven�t had one in years. Rangiku-chan used to love �em too,� he explained.

�Really?� Ajuga asked curiously.

�Yep,� he assured her with a smile.

�Well, if Ran-neechan likes �em too��

She made her way to the stall and waved the vendor over before he realized what she intended to do.

�Ajuga-chan?�

�Can I get a dozen?� she asked the vendor, pointing towards the rope of dried fruit.

�A dozen?� The vendor looked down at her, amused.

�Uh-huh. Here, Papa gave me this!� she explained, and held out a strange card.

�Oh! Of course!� The vendor�s smile vanished at the sight of the card.

He quickly gathered what she had requested into a small parcel, and then fetched some paper and an inkwell from beneath the counter. The man carefully copied the number embossed on the front of the card down on a slip of paper. He then handed the slip to Ajuga, along with a brush the inkwell.

Ajuga wrote her name down on the receipt in absolutely perfect kanji before tucking the card back from wherever she�d kept it hidden and sliding the slip of paper back to the fruit vendor. Then she took the bag from the obviously nervous merchant and quickly offered Gin a persimmon. He stared at it in shock before hesitantly accepting the dried fruit.

�Come on. I need to make �take-ji his medicine,� she said, turning on her heel and heading in the direction of the Research Building.

Gin followed after her, staring at the unbelievable and unexpected treasure in his hand before slowly raising the fruit to his lips and taking a small bite. He closed his eyes in pure bliss as he was finally permitted to eat something other than rice and fish. One bite led to another and all too quickly, regardless of how much he tried to savour each one, it was gone. He finished by licking his fingers, humming to himself.

�You seem to like �em,� Ajuga noted.

He noticed the girl had taken two bites out of hers and didn�t seem thrilled with the taste. In fact, her small face was scrunched up, as if she�d just bitten into something that disagreed with her on some fundamental level.

�They are my favourite,� he agreed and tried not to look longingly at the fruit in her hand. He must have failed miserably, because he found the persimmon she�d bitten into thrust beneath his nose.

�Here, you can finish mine. I don�t like �em.�

She handed hers over, frowning at the thing.

He stared at her in surprise before gratefully accepting the barely-touched treat. He must have done something right recently to warrant this small slice of heaven, and what he was about to do suddenly seemed that much darker and depressing.

The second fruit didn�t seem to taste nearly as good as the first. In fact, he didn�t really taste it at all. He briefly toyed with the idea of returning to Aizen and claiming he couldn�t find the girl, but that would change nothing other than the fact he would be tortured before someone that might be less considerate of the child�s well-being was sent to fetch her in his place.

He soon found himself at the Research Building, before he remembered that Ajuga had mentioned Szayel. Jushiro was awake as they entered the room along with the dark-haired, serious-looking child he guessed was Hana. She looked up as they entered.

�I got the medicine. I�ll go brew it now, �take-ji,� Ajuga promised. �Oh, Hana-chan, Gin-san here was looking for you.�

�What does Aizen want with Hana-chan?� Jushiro asked firmly and there was more than enough apprehension in the blind man�s voice for the both of them, even though he was trying to hide it.

�It�s not my place to question him,� Gin answered regretfully. �I am just supposed to bring �er to him.�

�I don�t want to see Kami-sama,� Hana said firmly, looking back down at her paper.

Gin sighed. The kid had Nanao�s smarts after all, or at least, enough good judgment to want to avoid a deadly predator on principle.

�I do not blame ya, but I got to bring ya to him.�

�What if I don�t go?� she asked stubbornly.

�I would sooner not tell ya, because it will not be pleasant,� he admitted softly and this time didn�t try to pretend he wasn�t warning her not to make him take her there by force.

�It�s okay, Hana-chan, you can go. I�ll take care of �take-ji while you are gone.� Ajuga smiled at her, as if trying to reassure her playmate.

�You should get your mother first,� Jushiro insisted.

Now that was an idea, Gin thought. There was no stopping what Aizen wanted, but having Nanao there would definitely help mitigate any damage. It was pure genius and Gin silently thanked Ukitake.

�Alright. Let�s go�� Hana sighed in defeat.

There was something in her eyes though that spoke of a greater worry. Gin wondered if the girl hadn�t figured out what Aizen wanted. She was already eleven or so and there was a look in her eyes that reminded Gin of his much-younger self. It was the look of one who knew far too much for their age.

She followed him to the 5th without speaking. Unfortunately, neither Karin nor Nanao were there, and Gin suspected a certain rat had a hand in their absence. Karin was apparently back helping out at the 2^nd with Byakuya since Jushiro was injured and Nanao had been pulled away for some kind of emergency meeting.

Yes, there was definitely a rat involved. Unfortunately, this was one rat that he couldn�t do anything about. With a heavy heart, he turned them towards the Palace. Hana didn�t protest as she fell in behind him, but he did notice that she moved closer to him. It was flattering that she thought he might be able to protect her, even if that was the furthest thing from the truth at present.

The little girl gave out a gasp of awe as the Palace came into sight. He didn�t blame her. Even living here, he found it impressive every time he was actually permitted to walk through the front gates to see it in its entirety. Hana�s astonishment at the grandeur of the place did not mean that she didn�t shadow him as closely as possible as they made their way towards the throne room. He pushed the doors open to find Aizen sitting up on the throne, looking expectantly at them.

�I was beginning to think you had gotten lost Gin. Surly you haven�t forgotten your way around the city already?�

�Nah, Aizen-Kami. I just had a hard time finding lil� Hana-chan here. She was hiding out with Szayel,� he explained.

�I see. You are dismissed.� Aizen waved him away.

�Sorry lil� one. Good luck.� He silently wished the best for her as he bowed and exited the room, leaving Hana alone with Aizen.

�You wanted to see me, Kami-sama?� Hana bowed deeply.

She felt a lot less safe without Ajuga-chan�s friend here to back her up, but she was tough. She hadn�t done anything wrong, but she had a strong suspicion she knew exactly what Aizen wanted with her.

Hana had been more than able to put two and two together, and while she couldn�t make it equal five yet like Szayel-san could, she could come damn close. She knew exactly what Aizen was interested in, for her Mother had never hidden her heritage from her.

Karin also didn�t know that on that fateful day that Ajuga had gone for a stroll in the woods and the Swarm General�s had shown up that Hana had heard the entire conversation, hiding safely and unnoticed in the bushes. Ajuga wasn�t the only one that could conceal herself, she thought, a little smugly.

She understood all too well what Aizen wanted with her. The hard part was going to be convincing him she couldn�t give him what he wanted while not letting on she knew anything in the first place.

�Please, stand up child,� he offered her warm, fatherly smile. �Come sit over here. Would you like a cup of tea?�

�Yes please,� she answered as she took the cushion beside his desk, rather than the one opposite from him.

Someone came in and poured her a cup before leaving. She thanked the unknown Arrancar anyway. Her mother had carefully instilled manners in her, after all. In all honesty, she was too afraid to do anything but show complete respect and subservience in front of Aizen. Her actions seemed to please him at least, which was a good sign.

Hana took a sip of her tea and waited silently for him to address her. He surprised her by unexpectedly grasping her chin and turning her face from side to side, inspecting her features. She barely managed to keep from flinching and dropping her teacup as his brown eyes took her in, from her head to her feet. She was glad she was sitting, for if he�d grabbed her while standing, her knees might have betrayed her fear.

�You certainly inherited quite a number of your father�s features,� he commented, running a hand through her hair.

�Thank you,� she whispered, trying to keep from shrinking away from his touch.

�Tell me, Hana-chan, everything you know about your father?�

She blinked a little at that, realizing that he�d given an order rather than made a request.

�Just what �take-ji and Okaasan have told me about him,� she answered, hedging a little.

�Enlighten me,�

Hana did as commanded, reiterating most of what she knew of her father, from his Noble Heritage to his rather lazy ways. The only thing she didn�t mention was the possibility of Royal Lineage. It wasn�t exactly a lie if she simply didn�t tell him everything.

�And how does the rest of your family feel about you?� he inquired.

�Kami-sama?� she asked, confused.

�I refer to the rest of the Kyoraku family. Losing Shunsui was a heavy blow to them. In addition, a good number of his other relatives failed to survive the invasion. Some Nobles seem not to know when to keep their arrogant mouths shut when faced with an enemy with no patience for it. If memory serves me, I recall Barragen took over that property�� he mused, then looked back at the child.

The name meant nothing to her, as she�d never actually met the Second Espada, so she said the only thing that came to mind.

�I do not know if they are aware of me,� she admitted hesitantly.

That was the truth, but she understood all too well why her presence hadn�t been announced to them. Her mother rightly feared that her daughter would be taken away from her. Born out of wedlock or not, as far as the Nobles were concerned, Hana would belong to them if word reached them of her existence. Aizen regarded her thoughtfully for a moment and then tried a different angle, one that abandoned all pretence of subtlety.

�Did you know that many of the Noble Houses bear Royal Blood?� he questioned.

Oh how was she supposed to answer that without giving too much away? She couldn�t lie to him; he would see through it and that would be that. Instead, Hana took a gamble and she settled on a half-truth.

�I think I heard something about that from �take-ji.�

Aizen favoured her with another one of those smiles that made her stomach clench. Hana had seen Starrk and �take-ji playing shoji from time to time, each considering potential tactical moves before they placed pieces on the board or tried to enact a strategy that would force the other to make a particular play or make a mistake. She felt that way now; it was as if she and Aizen were playing a shoji game of sorts and that she had to counter every question Aizen asked with an answer that wouldn�t give her secret away. Somehow, she felt as if she might have actually lost the game the moment she�d agreed to follow Gin-san here.

�It�s strange really. It seems the Royal Gene is repressed in male descendants, but seems to run strongly in females. It took a large amount of research on my part to discover this.�

�My mother is common born,� she pointed out.

He nodded at that, but pressed on.

�Indeed. Still, wouldn�t it be interesting to find out?� he smiled at her.

She knew the question wasn�t one that he expected her to disagree with.

�But I already know,� she thought silently.

There was so little of it in her compared to Karin and Ajuga, but it was still there, enough that it might be deemed worthy of his personal attention.

�Come along child. Don�t you want to know if Royal Blood flows through your veins?�

Aizen stood up and Hana reluctantly rose as well.

�I am not really interested,� she said softly and hesitantly. ��take-ji said blood doesn�t matter. Family can be made up from anyone.�

Aizen chuckled softly, but continued to walk, clearly expecting her to follow him. Hana wisely fell in behind him, hesitantly trailing him out of the palace. It was with a growing sense of relief she realized he was leading her to the Research Building and therefore, to Szayel.

Just entering the building made her feel safer. Thankfully, Szayel was quick to greet them.

�Kami-sama, to what do we owe the honour of a personal visit?�

Szayel bowed deeply and suddenly, Hana was unsure of how much help Szayel could actually provide her. He hid it well but she could tell the Espada was terrified of the man standing between them.

�I�d like you to conduct a simple experiment. I wish to test our dear Hana-chan�s blood. Run a full diagnostic and a DNA analysis on the sample.�

Szayel looked up and Hana could see him relax a little. She wondered why he�d been so tense. For a second, it seemed as if his golden eyes caught hers and then looked away so quickly she thought she must have imagined it, before he spoke.

�Oh? Well, if that�s the case I can save you some time, Kami-sama. I have already done so.�

�Oh?� Aizen�s voice rose in surprise at that, and Hana could detect a dangerous undercurrent in his voice, as if Szayel had said something unexpected and unwelcome. Szayel, however, didn�t seem worried as he delivered his explanation.

�It was just after Ajuga-chan was born. I was testing the newborn�s blood, naturally, and at the time little Hana-chan here wanted to donate her blood as well. You know how children are, I suppose she just didn�t want to be left out of all of the fun,� he answered with an amused smile.

Hana thought hard, trying to remember back to the time after Ajuga had been born while Szayel gave her what seemed to be a cursory look and continued.

�I had Nemu draw her blood and run an analysis on it along with Karin-sama�s blood, so she could see it on the display. I�ll also admit I took the sample to assuage my own curiosity. I didn�t have much data on Shinigami children, to be honest, and I wanted a possible reference if I needed one in the future.� Szayel answered the question flawlessly and Aizen�s eyes narrowed a little, but he did nothing that would indicate he believed the scientist was telling anything other than the truth.

�And the results?�

Szayel shrugged and adjusted his glasses.

�The results were almost identical to what we found with regards to Karin-sama�s blood panel,� Szayel answered without a moment of hesitation. �There were the usual tiny variations in the DNA sequencing because they are from different families, things related to eye color, hair color and so forth, but such superficial differences in samples are to be expected.�

The silence stretched out for what seemed to Hana to be a long, tense, eternity before Aizen turned away, looking at one of the monitors as the numbers on it scrolled down to the bottom of the screen in an endless stream of data. It wasn�t until he spoke again that she found that she�d been holding her breath and let it out as quietly as she could, hoping no one would notice.

�I see�� he said, actually sounding disappointed. �It would seem we are done here then.�

It was as if someone had reached over her shoulder and placed the winning shoji tile in front of her. What had just happened? She looked from Szayel, who appeared confident in his answer to Aizen�s question and back to Aizen, who was still staring at the monitor.

�Am�am I dismissed then, Aizen-Kami?� she asked cautiously, biting her lip as he turned back to look down at her.

His gaze had gone from an intense, overwhelming scrutiny to one of distant, cool regard, as if he�d just discovered that the rare butterfly he had thought he�d caught had turned out to be a common, drab moth.

�You are free to go, child.�

�Thank you, Kami-sama.�

Hana bowed deeply to him before she straightened and turned to Szayel. �Are �take-ji and Ajuga-chan still in his room?� she asked him, trying to keep her voice steady and cheerful and not let any of the anxiety she felt show.

�They haven�t moved,� he assured her, and she allowed a real smile to spread across her face at that welcome news.

�Thank you!� She bowed to the Arrancar and took the opportunity to bolt in her eagerness to escape Aizen�s suddenly-suffocating presence. She still caught part of their conversation as she fled the room, trying not to look too eager to get away.

�I trust you were not lying to me Szayel.� Aizen rounded on him, speaking to him coldly while she was still within earshot.

She almost turned around out of fear that he might do something bad to Szayel, given his tone. Her less altruistic side, the one motivated by fear, was simply glad to retreat to the relative safety of Ukitake and Ajuga�s company. Still, she couldn�t help but hear the remainder of the conversation, before Aizen strode out of the laboratory.

�I assure you, Kami-sama, that every word I spoke was the truth. I do not wish to incur your displeasure�� Szayel stated emphatically, his upper body practically horizontal as he deepened the bow.

�See to it that you do not.�

Here�s the update, got a lot to do this weekend so I will leave it at this. Loves to those of you who took the time to drop a review.

Next Chapter: More of Diaemus and Orihime.
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Prize of Victory