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
- 91
- 92
- 93
The Executioner�s Tale

He was gone.

She stared at the spot where the Senkaimon had swallowed him whole, keeping her eyes on it until the rippling grass, the just-beginning-to-wilt daffodils and the carpeting of fallen apple blossoms shifted to a multi-colored blur. Those left behind said nothing for several minutes, which was long enough for their ears to pick up the drone of the honeybees in the branches above, and the distant hum of traffic into and out of Karakura Town.

Green, white, brown and here and there, soft bits of yellow and pink... but there was no red, nor black, nor the pale grey of the cloak he�d pulled around his shoulders at the last second, before he�d given her a final lingering kiss and told her to stay safe, no matter today�s outcome.

�Abarai-san, please come with me.�

Ishida Ryuuken�s voice sounded distant, as if he were speaking into the far end of a hollow pipe, though Nel knew he was only a few feet away. It took her a second to recognize her married, mated name. Logic and reason, the two bedfellows that had kept her company for more years than she could count, did their best to make the case against opening a Garganta of her own and pursing them. Their stern voices listed her condition, the danger doing so posed to the child she carried, the fact her mate did not need the distraction that worrying over her would create. It wasn�t as if he disparaged her abilities. Far from it. In fact, Renji had warned her that she was the last and most important line of defense for their son and that he trusted her to protect him.

She didn�t need to read his feelings on the matter through their Claim to know he was going to go after Yammy Llargo. There was no way he could hide his need for revenge from her and try as she might, she could not dissuade him. She�d rescinded any and all orders she�d ever given him, so she couldn�t even count on those to keep him from making a target of the Tenth, and he would have resented her had she tried it. Therefore, she�d done her best to smile, nod and pretend she wasn�t terrified that this would be the last she�d see of him.

The only consolation she had was that he was more concerned about retrieving Szayel�s twins than splitting Yammy�s skull in half, but only just.

�Let�s adjourn to the library. I�ll have some tea brought up.�

Somewhere near the guesthouse, she could hear Riruka�s sons playing a spirited game of tag with a pair of plastic action figures and a complex set of unorthodox rules. Their parents, at Ryuuken�s urging, had kept them out of school to protect the two boys should the worst happen. Privately, Nel wondered just how safe the Ishida Estate would be if the coup failed. If it did, she might very well have to protect not only her unborn son, but the children of the head maid and butler too.

Nel couldn�t help but compare how others in her past might have approached the �sit and wait� game she had to play from this point forward. Her vicious-tempered mother would have turned her cold, formidable power on an intruder, fighting until anything threatening her mate and her cub was a mere stain on the sands. Her crafty father, on the other hand, would have worked to obscure all traces of the den to make certain his mate, child and his collection of things from the Living World would attract no attention. Her brothers, as much as she�d loved them, would have enacted a version of the old adage �discretion is the better part of valor� and retreated at the first whiff of trouble, towing her toddler�s body with them as fast as they could carry her.

Ishida Ryuuken practiced an odd combination of all three approaches. The Ishida Estate was already half-hidden from the living and the spiritually-aware would see it as a �blank spot� tucked away in the shadows of the foothills, but it wasn�t a stretch to imagine Aizen making a second attempt at a new Ouken and taking out a barely-recovered Karakura Town a second time. He might very well incorporate the land the Estate sat on within the absorption boundaries, making a retreat impossible.

She wished she had half the confidence that the raiding party exhibited, but insidious logic warned her about the odds they faced. Those odds seemed even longer if one took into account the number of things that would have to fall into place, at the right time, in the right way to get to Aizen at all.

�Nel-chan?�

Yuzu�s use of her given name made Nel want to hang her head. Despite her affection for the Estate�s inhabitants, her ingrained wariness cautioned her about revealing just how frightened she really was. A gentle hand slid beneath her elbow, while its twin, sporting a ridiculously large diamond, drew the hand that threatened to shred one of the few pieces of clothing she had that fit these days away from her skirt and held it.

She allowed Ichigo�s little sister to propel her sluggish body back to the house, as remaining in the orchard would accomplish little. The sound of her footfalls shifted, from the whisper of walking through grass that needed mowing to the scuffing sound her soles made when they found the walkway�s paving stones, to the sharp �clack� of her flat heels on the wooden floors of the hallway once they entered the house.

It wasn�t until a sweet, herbal scent hit her nose that she looked up to find her host and hostess regarding her with great concern. Yuzu stood next to her, holding a cup full of something that smelled of mint, chamomile and honey, while Riruka handed the physician his customary mid-morning coffee from the tray on the low table between them. Ryuuken reclined on the sofa and to Nel�s surprise, she found herself seated in most comfortable spot in the room: a plush leather chair she remembered once belonged to the Quincy�s father.

She could barely remember sitting down, unsure if her mental haziness was one of her pregnancy�s more annoying side effects, or a result of the stress of having to part with her mate. Ryuuken�s left eyebrow went up as Nel murmured her thanks to the blonde, and then cleared his throat.

�Nel-chan, would you like to hear a story?�

The physician looked at his wife expectantly before Nel could reply. The two appeared to engage in some sort of unspoken, meaningful back-and-forth, though it was hard for Nel to tell what either was thinking from their guarded expressions. There was something significant going on, but what it was exactly escaped her. After a minute of this, Yuzu�s eyes dropped to the Persian carpet beneath her feet. She patted Nel�s hand, before making a quiet retreat. Riruka waited for a few seconds longer, but when her employer gave no further orders, she bowed discretely and followed the lady of the house, closing the door behind her.

Left alone with the Quincy, Nel politely took in a mouthful of the lightly sweetened herbal brew. Someone had also added some lemon to the pot and she let the liquid roll over her tongue before she replied.

�What sort of story is it?�

Perhaps he was trying to keep her mind off of what the others were doing, which she thought was sweet on his part, but futile. Her awareness of Renji and his emotions meant he wouldn�t� easily sidetrack her. Ryuuken pursed his lips as he took a sip of the strong, bitter beverage, and then set the cup on the saucer in his palm. His dark blue eyes looked down contemplatively at the contents.

�It�s a historical account really, though I can give you the condensed version of the one my father told to me. My wife already knows the tale and she has other things to occupy her time today. You, on the other hand, are the first of your kind to hear it and you might find what I have to say illuminating.�

�Stories� and �historical accounts,� at least to Nel, were two different things, but she kept that thought under wraps. Ryuuken wasn�t exactly the talkative type, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and provide an audience on this rare occasion.

�How does it start?�

�Hmm. It�s not so much a �how� as a �when�� and it begins long ago, before humans knew to distinguish themselves from the beasts, the birds and the creatures that glide beneath the waves.�

She shivered a little as he said the last, knowing that hooves and deep water did not go together. Ryuuken waited patiently for her to reply. Unfortunately, Nel couldn�t really think of anything to say. Taking her silence for acquiescence, he began his tale in earnest.

�There was a time when there were few humans and fewer barriers between the material world and that of the spirit. The souls of beasts co-existed with the departed souls of humans. Sometimes a soul would return to live as a human once more, but more often than not, its energies merged with those of �lesser� life forms. This went on for uncounted millennia. The primates that would eventually evolve into humankind learned to bury their dead and to conceive of an existence beyond this one. Because life was so precarious and conditions so harsh, their short lives allowed for only a rudimentary understanding of the cosmos. In a way, that helped maintain the balance of the Realms, at least until the last sixty-thousand years. My theory is that the �animal� features that Hollows exhibit are holdovers, or �reiatsu memories� from that ancient time, though I�m certain my father and grandfather would have argued heartily with me on that point.�

He took another mouthful of coffee, swallowed and turned the cup around on the saucer with a delicate �clink.�

�At some point after humanity harnessed fire and began making tools, select men and women began to discern the presence of �spirits,� such as those that inhabit waterfalls and groves� as well as perceive the presence of the dead.�

�The spirits of the shrine,� Nel began, and then quickly closed her mouth when she realized she�d disrupted his narrative. The Quincy made a �tsk� sound, but it wasn�t unkind.

�Yes, quite. Just like those. They also began the practice of what would become medicine. Eventually, the two came together in select individuals.�

�You�re referring to tribal shamans and medicine men?�

Ryuuken favoured her with what passed as a smile for him.

�Medicine women too� especially in what would eventually become Japan. That little miko who helped her elder marry you and Abarai is a descendent of the powerful women who bridged the gap between worlds, with dance and song and trances, for the benefit of the native people of these islands. A pity modern Shinto has relegated them to accessories, when they used to be the ones to touch the divine,� he replied and then reached up to push his glasses back up from where they�d slid to the end of his nose.

�As I was saying, even with tribes of humans scattered in various places across the globe, it�s surprising how often the two skills, the medicinal and the spiritual, manifested in the same person. Eventually they became hallmarks of select bloodlines. In addition, as humanity�s capacity for self-analysis grew, so did its ability to not only sense but also affect the world around it. I�m talking, of course, of the ability to harness reishi. Energy and matter, after all, are the same in the end. Now, when one has all three of these attributes in one person, what do you suppose the result will be?�

Nel knew a leading question when she heard it, and she didn�t have to reach far for an answer as she stared at the blue crosses embroidered on the white silk of his tie.

�A Quincy?�

�Yes, though they did not possess the technology that allowed their great-to-the umpteenth-grandchildren to focus the energy into weapons. Before religion stratified the afterlife and formed strict barriers between the Living World and the Soul Society, such souls posed a real threat, adding to the normal glut of problems facing the average tribe, such as cold, famine and disease. It fell to shamans to protect their people, not only from earthly illness and injury but also from the departed, particularly those whose deaths were less than� peaceful, a not-uncommon occurrence.�

�You�re saying that the Quincy� preceded the Shinigami.�

�By millennia, my dear, by millennia�� he murmured into his coffee.

�What changed?�

�A number of things� some good and some which, in retrospect, were inevitable. Humanity�s numbers slowly grew until about ten thousand years ago, when the discovery of agriculture allowed for a striking increase in population. Bands of hunter-gatherers and herders gave way to settlements of farmers. Mankind�s consciousness separated from the world around it, as societies became more complex. Cities and towns replaced encampments. Territories became nations and so on and so on.�

He left off to take a few more sips of coffee and to clear his throat.

�The saying goes: �as above, so below,� but in reality, the reverse was true. The changes seeped from this world into the world beyond the grave. Praying to one�s ancestors for luck or for health and happiness in life gave way to praying to gods for happiness and rewards in the afterlife. As a result, �heaven,� for lack of a better word, became organized and bureaucratic, a destination rather than a �way station� for many people. In short, it mirrored this world. The Shinigami, those souls who retained their human forms and human sentience and who also had the strength of will to harness their reiryoku, eventually found themselves in the role of shepherds, herding those who had little power to their next lives. Under the supervision of souls who saw themselves as wholly human, weaker souls stayed in what would eventually become Soul Society, in a pantomime of the life they�d known, until it was time to reincarnate. There was no more sharing of reishi between species and mankind�s souls became distinct from those of other animals. Thus, the need for regulation in balancing the Realms emerged, which eventually brought the Quincy into conflict with the Soul King�s guard dogs.�

Ryuuken brought his cup to his lips once more. The steam from the still-hot coffee fogged the lenses of his glasses and when Nel looked down at hers, she was surprised to find she�d drunk half of her tea. She�d been listening to him so intently she�d simply �spaced� taking more than her first sip.

�We didn�t just have problems with the Shinigami of course. There were the inevitable run-ins with our fellow �spiritualists�. Religions with a dedicated priesthood aren�t keen on competition. When their practitioners aren�t out slaughtering one another over differences in dogma, they take great joy in forced conversions of all sorts. You would be surprised at the dim view many of the world�s major religions take when confronted by someone who can call their holy men�s bluffs when it comes to the next world. For all their bluster about the importance of the afterlife, they are surprisingly intolerant of those with the wherewithal to interact with spirits and with the dead. More often than not, those Quincy who remained out in the open ended up tied to a stake and burned, or the equivalent, depending on geography, the time period and the level of sadism of the tormentors.�

�How terrible,� Nel whispered, hand on her mouth in a gesture of dismay and Ryuuken let out a long, pensive breath.

�Those Quincy who had the means went underground, relying on their doctoring skills to see them through many a difficult age. They conformed outwardly to what religious authorities expected of them. For example, the shamans who dwelled among the Ainu, on Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, bequeathed their abilities to the Korean and Chinese immigrants from across the western sea, some two thousand years past. They intermarried with the newcomers, adopted Buddhism when necessary and thus survived.�

�Is that where the Ishida line comes from?�

�More or less, though from time to time other strong Quincies arrived to bolster our bloodline and help keep the Holy Training from dying out. My family had a recognized surname before the Meiji Era, so tracing our lineage isn�t as difficult as one might think. Some branches of the family set aside the martial training completely and only retained the spiritual awareness. I�m sure that at some point in the distant past, the Yoshida Clan broke away from the Ishidas and the clan that would eventually include the Kurosaki family. The priest and his great-granddaughter who officiated at your nuptials might very well be the last of the Yoshida with the ability to discern spirits. After centuries of marrying ordinary folk, it becomes diluted, like a drop of ink in a jar of water.�

�What of the ones who weren�t healers�� she prompted and leaned forward as much her belly allowed, to try to place her empty cup on the coffee table. She earned a kick from her son to an unnamed internal organ for her troubles. Her gasp of pain made her physician pause, until she indicated with a wave of her hand he could keep speaking.

�They became archers of great renown, warriors who disdained the easing of suffering in favour of open warfare on Hollows, the number of which had increased along with the human population, which ought not to be a surprise to anyone with a grasp of mathematics. They developed tools that would allow them to destroy the Hollows they found, down to the last molecule of energy. Unlike the healers, their ranks grew in number. Warriors have a much easier time blending into society and carrying around sharp objects tends to discourage close scrutiny.�

Ryuuken reached into his shirt cuff and retrieved the silver circle, with its five-pointed insignia, attached to a thin band around his wrist. He held it up to the light streaming in from the library�s tall windows and regarded it solemnly.

�Victimization always has side effects and I�m afraid that in this case, the mindset that the majority of my people developed led directly to a fatal showdown with the Shinigami. As their devotion to this more militaristic outlook increased, so did their sense of self-righteousness. It should come as no surprise that the Shinigami saw the complete deconstruction of impure souls as a problem.�

�Didn�t the two sides try to talk?�

�Countless times. Those who considered themselves healers first and destroyers of Hollows second tried to come to an agreement with the Shinigami. Alas, there weren�t enough voices in that camp to sway the Quincy leadership, who had an �all or nothing� agenda. In their arrogance, they did not think that the Shinigami could ever touch them or pose a significant threat and in doing so, sealed my people�s fates. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Gotei 13, at the behest of the Spirit King and led by Yamamoto Genryusai, donned gigai, came to the Living World and eradicated as many of the Quincy as they could find, all to preserve the Realms. The Shinigami, like the human�s religious authorities, thought there was no more need for the descendants of shamans, witch doctors or tribal seers. It was, frankly, a one-sided bloodbath, at least among those who chose to fight.�

�How� how did the Ishidas�?�

�By hiding, as any hunted thing with half a brain would do. We trained in secret, maintained enough wealth to allow privacy to do so and cultivated good, upstanding reputations to keep those in power from sniffing around. This particular fortress is the result of the lessons my family learned over two centuries ago.�

�So, do you hate the Shinigami? Do you hate��

Her words died out, though he understood well enough what she wanted to say.

��the Arrancar? No. The time of the shaman, of the Quincy, is long over. It will never return, unless some cataclysm throws humanity back to the conditions prevalent during the Pleistocene. The Shinigami are also a necessary part of the workings of the hereafter, their role analogous to white blood cells in the human body. I can admit that much. However, their work involves ushering the dead to-and-fro, not meddling in the lives of the living. For this, I cannot forgive Aizen Sousuke. As for the Arrancar��

She saw him hold the pentacle at arm�s length and squint one eye He used the other to look at the coffee pot through the space between the thin silver arms of the star.

�They are equal parts Shinigami and Hollow, neither one nor the other and in that respect, I find them to be fellow victims, not of obsolescence, but of a profoundly cruel manipulation. I�m certain you�ve realized this by now, Nel-chan. The single-souled Vasto Lorde child of two Vasto Lorde Hollows ought to know that the child you carry may have a few Hollow features but he might very well have a Shinigami�s nature too. Like Ajuga Jaegerjaquez and Diaemus Cifer, he will have one soul to his name. You are both pure souls and worthy of neither my hate nor my enmity. I need not fear an accidental poisoning from physical contact with you, or your babe, or from those two youngsters now in the Swarm�s care, so I suppose that might color my opinion.�

Nel felt her cheeks begin to burn as Ryuuken tucked his weapon away and drew the sleeve of his jacket over his cuff. Renji had said something similar about their son, that he might be capable of not only Ceros, but of a Zanpakuto. Ajuga and Diaemus had human mothers, so their Hollow natures were prominent, and Nel only knew Szayel�s twins by what Renji told her. She�d never seen them and she didn�t know if their Shinigami or Hollow side would dominate, especially since Nemu-chan was such a� unique individual.

�I�d wondered why you tolerated me,� she admitted. �My father told me that he had to keep an eye out every time he went to the Living World on one of his forays, not only for Shinigami but also for the Quincy. He said that nothing ruined an evening at the theatre like having to dodge a reishi bolt in the middle of the second act. He got used to hiding his presence while sitting in the rafters and he always joked that he missed the days when they held plays in tavern courtyards. It was easier to retreat in the open air.�

The physician blinked at that and then the faint smile he�d shown her earlier was back. He also chuckled, entertained by her description of her sire.

�You are easy to tolerate, Nel-chan, far more so than some of my human patients. Getting back to my story, I would like to point out that in eliminating the Quincy the Shinigami became blind to the flaws in their organization. Its hierarchical structure was very efficient, but its lack of transparency served to mask the activities of a soul so evil, so ambitious and so ruthless as to endanger the very universe itself. The few Quincy who remained, such as my Clan, cut off all contact with the Shinigami, gave up on cooperation and the breach between the two peoples became a wide, impassable gulf.�

Then Nel saw a forlorn look creep across his features. He placed the cup and saucer, half-full of cold coffee on the table before him and rose from the sofa. Once standing, the physician brushed a spec of lint from his trousers. Walking to the doorway, he pressed the small button below the intercom speaker to issue an order.

�Tsukishima-san, please bring a light lunch for one and the chessboard from my office to the Library� oh, and another pot of herbal tea, if you please.�

Nel heard the butler�s voice make a static-laced sound of affirmation before Ryuuken let up on the button. Then he slowly moved to stand by the middle window, which she knew had a nice view of the vegetable gardens, the back patio and the path that led to the guesthouse. The older man presented his back to her as he moved a drapery panel aside with one hand. Nel used the time to finish her tea. She was about to ask if that was all there was to his tale when he spoke again, though he did not turn around.

�Then again, I once saw two people on opposite sides of that chasm connect with one another, though it cost both of them dearly. It would seem that their son made a similar decision. I�ve learned that in this life, anything is possible with enough determination� and luck.�

That made her immediately think of what she shared with Renji, and the trust between them that allowed her an audience with Zabimaru. Of course, if they succeeded in assassinating Aizen, what they�d endured so far might seem tame in comparison to what they�d have to overcome afterward.

�Sir, if I may ask, why did you tell me this? I had no idea the Quincy �race� had such a history, but how is that relevant to what my husband and Ichigo-kun and Rukia-san and all of the rest are doing today?�

�Hmm. I�d thought you a better listener.�

Confused, Nel was about to protest that she�d been doing nothing but listening to the somewhat academic and confusing yarn, when the door opened and the dark-haired servant entered. He managed to make balancing a tray of food and a pot of hot tea in one hand, and a wooden box that contained chess pieces in the other look effortless. Tsukishima, or Shūkurō-kun, as Nel called the man privately, quickly set the first down on the coffee table and set up the second next to it. Did he and his wife trust the barriers that surrounded the Estate that much, that they could so easily conceal any worry?

Perhaps not, if the sword tucked into a belt slung around his hips was any indication. The katana looked incredibly out of place on him, but she took it as a reminder that Aizen might put the Quincy fortress�s defences to the test today. While the butler swapped out fresh cups for the dirty china, Ryuuken turned back to her.

�What are the three abilities that make a true Quincy, Abarai Nel?�

He tossed the question her way in the same manner her father might have done, long ago, when quizzing her about the contents of one of his purloined books.

�The ability to discern spirits and the ability to manipulate reishi, to either heal or��

��or to destroy the restless dead.�

Nel stopped, her throat closing as a suspicion slithered up from the dark waters in the back of her mind. Suddenly, she felt a lightheadedness that had nothing to do with her pregnancy. She must have paled, because a second cup of tea found its way into her nerveless fingers, courtesy of Tsukishima-san. The physician didn�t seem to notice.

�The Shinigami�s concept of �balance� is somewhat inaccurate, if one takes into account physics, rather than philosophy. Matter shifts to energy and energy morphs into matter, depending on conditions. Likewise, energy does not dissipate. It merely changes form. We Quincy had an understanding of this long before science gave mankind formulas for the process. Energy is energy, be it kinetic or stored. A true �imbalance� is impossible from that standpoint, Nevertheless, it is the potential for a breakdown in the structure of the universe�s machinery, i.e. the Realms falling into one another and becoming nothing more than a very large �blob�, which has everyone up in arms. Thankfully, a new, much-needed component in the form of Ajuga Jaegerjaquez has taken the place of the one Aizen so selfishly destroyed.�

�I�m not certain that Ajuga-chan would like the comparison,� Nel said softly, trying not to sound as if she was chiding her benefactor. Ryuuken shrugged and folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the window frame.

�Like it or not, she is now a very important cog in an intricate mechanism and I certainly hope she takes her new duties seriously. But I digress� this is about my people, not about young Ajuga.�

�Sir, will you be taking lunch?� Tsukishima inquired. Ryuuken shook his head.

�I�m afraid not. I�d like you to stay with Nel-chan for the next few hours though. I take it you�ve made the necessary preparations?�

Tsukishima quickly finished setting out a meal of broiled fish filets basted in what smelled like lemon butter and dill, a bowl of rice and another bowl of the pickled radishes Nel had craved since she arrived here. It was as if the babe within her could tell there was something tasty in the room with her, because her mouth began to water. She hadn�t been able to eat that morning, her appetite gone as she�d done what she could to help see the others off, but looking at the meal forced her hunger back to the forefront of her mind.

�Of course. Everything�s ready. Should I have the boys come inside this afternoon?�

�It might be wise. Just in case. Don�t bother feeding the dogs. Someone treated them to a breakfast of venison, a matter I�m going to have to bring up with a few of my guests.�

Tsukishima-san received this information with an admirably straight face. Nel looked away from the meal and the chessboard, knowing them for the diversions they were and fixed them on the Quincy instead. The silver-haired gentleman moved from the window towards the door, intending to leave her in the butler�s company. Did he think she needed protection? She brushed her bangs out of the way to see him reach for the doorknob. Before he pulled it open, he turned to look over his shoulder at her.

�Others have taken up almost all of the tasks that once belonged to my people� including the Kushanāda that guard the Hell�s Gate. Beyond it, the powers that be sunder the spirits of those whose actions render them irredeemable. The trials there break down souls into pure energy, lest they perpetuate their sinful ways from lifetime to lifetime. It�s a slow, painful process that can last an indeterminate amount of time� something we cannot afford in a case like this.�

�What do you plan to do, Ishida-san?� she asked softly, not liking where this was going.

�Ah, so you do understand after all.�

Ryuuken opened the door and one foot crossed the threshold into the hallway. The expression on his face made Nel want to hide beneath her chair cushion. Even Tsukishima paused, his hand poised over the plate and bowl while in the process of neatly setting a spoon and a pair of chopsticks on a crisp white napkin. The older man�s voice matched the grim resolve she could see behind the lenses of his glasses, making his eyes seem as if they�d iced over during a sudden cold snap.

�To do what I must. I cannot engineer another plausible hospital evacuation� not on this short notice. I have patients, both here and in Karakura, whose fates I cannot leave to chance. Please, if you remember nothing else from this story Abarai-san, remember that the Quincies were the first of Heaven�s appointed executioners.�

Then the door closed softly, leaving her to stare at the pentacles carved into its wooden surface long after he�d gone. Unconsciously, Nel found she�d latched on to the tiny trickle of emotions that signaled that her mate was still alive, seeking comfort from it. Not even the hot tea Tsukishima urged her to drink could warm her stomach. When he motioned for her to eat, she asked that he bring her Gamuza.

�Just in case,� she whispered to the butler, her eyes going to the window where the shouts of the man�s children mingled with the barking of two dogs freed from their kennel. The game of �tag� had taken a turn for the rambunctious, if the increase in volume was any indication of its progress and she though she heard Moe say something along the lines of �Eww, Tadashi, where�d you get that bloody bone! That�s so gross!�

She also wrapped one hand around her midsection. He nodded, before sliding one of the white knight pieces on the chessboard forward in a bold opening move. The message could not have been plainer.

�Just in case, Nel-chan,� he echoed, gathering up the remains of the Quincy�s coffee break.
- 91
- 92
- 93
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

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