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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

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Chrysalis

The throbbing pain in his back and chest made his task so much more difficult, but he clenched his teeth and continued to direct the battle, keeping his voice firm and clear. It was the only time he got to command those higher than him and he took a small amount of satisfaction in that.

At least Karin and Unohana had seen to his injuries. Mercifully, he�d been able to stroll into his control room with no one the wiser about what had just happened. He felt a glimmer of fearful frustration, as his equipment indicated that several of the rods were damaged in the attack and he just knew that he would be the one blamed for their condition.

And now, now almost everyone knew about his shame. The only relief was that neither Yammy nor Barragen had been there to hear it, but he wouldn�t put it past Nnoitra to spread the information out of sheer spite. If he registered low enough in Kami�s eyes as to be raped, he had no doubt that the moment the news got out to the general Arrancar population he would have to divert precious resources and energy into the task of watching his own back.

There had already been grumbling with regard to his becoming Karin�s fraccion and the only thing holding back those stupid enough to try to take him out was fact that they feared Grimmjow�s well-known wrath. The Sixth had made it quite clear to everyone that he would dispose of anyone found antagonising his property, be it his mate, his child or his mate�s pet

The battle was thankfully short today. The Espada and Taichou, in particular, seemed a little on the pissed side and had spared no effort in laying waste to the Swarm. He wasn�t sure what had been the most devastating weapon: Byakuya�s Bankai or the combination of Halibel dousing the field in water only for her pet to freeze it into spears and prisons of ice. It was an exceptionally lethal, beautiful attack. The Third and her pet worked together surprisingly well.

�Szayel-sama, Nemu-san and Renji have arrived and both appear to be injured,� one of his aides reported. �They have been taken to the first examination room.�

�Deal with their wounds,� he ordered. �I will see to Nemu once the cleanup is finished.�

�Hai, Szayel-sama,� the aide replied and saluted before quickly retreating.

Alone again, Szayel let himself slump against the side of the monitor for a second in relief before pushing away from it and standing a little straighter. So Karin had thankfully gotten to the woman in time and pulled her out of harm�s way before anything worse could happen.

Sadly, as worried as he was about Nemu, he had a job to complete. He didn�t dare falter in his duty; the searing pain in his back reminded him all too harshly of the cost of failure.

Karin walked back to the city, listening to the reports from her seated officers with Byakuya by her side. She didn�t really hear them and might have been more worried about her absentmindedness, but she trusted that Byakuya would not only give them his full attention but would also commit anything important to memory to relay to her later. At the moment, something else commanded her attention.

The cleanup was well underway and thankfully only a few of the poles had been damaged. Still, Karin knew that Aizen was not going to be pleased about the setback and she just hoped that he wasn�t going to feel the need for another demonstration, or additional punishment, so soon after the last one. When her last seated officer finished she wrenched her mind back to the present.

�Very good� continue cleaning things up here and anyone who is still physically capable is to assist with the repositioning and repair of the poles for the defence net. Anyone willing to work overtime to get that damn thing up before Kami�s patience wears out will be given compensation. I have to take all of this and get it to the First�� she sighed, once the last report was given and her officers had scattered in order to carry out her orders.

Well, that was somewhat true. She was going to have to report in to the First Division, but not for a few hours. At the moment, she only wanted to make sure that both Szayel and Nemu were going to be alright.

Karin launched into Shunpo the moment it was appropriate to do so, racing back to the city and towards the Research Building. She was relieved to detect both Szayel and Nemu inside, with no sign of Aizen anywhere near them.

She marched confidently through the building towards the first examination room. Everyone she passed stepped to the side and offered her a short bow. She had gotten so used to it now that it was no longer unnerving to be accorded such respect.

�How is she?� she asked as she stepped into the room.

Nemu lay on a bed, her wrist and ankle already wrapped up while Szayel hovered over a monitor beside her. Renji stood silently in a corner, his eyes staring out at nothing as one of Szayel�s minions finished bandaging a cut to his right arm, bowed to Szayel and then left without a word.

�Physically, there is not much wrong with her, but her reiatsu is still completely out of synch,� Szayel reported, busily tapping away on a device in his hand before turning his attention to Karin. �What do you see when you look at her?� he inquired a little too forcefully. Perhaps his own injuries made it impossible for him to completely veil the worry in his voice.

Karin sighed and then turned to study Nemu, focusing her ability as best she could despite her own fatigue. Nemu�s reiatsu pattern seemed oddly familiar, as if she�d seen it before, and yet she hadn�t. Her reiatsu was completely out of control, with the majority swirling in a pair if vortexes around her abdomen, like a pair of miniature storms. Her entire system and its ebb and flow of energy had been thrown off as a result. No wonder she hadn�t been able to defend herself properly.

Well, there was definitely something abnormal going on. Now they simply had to find out �what� the reason behind Nemu�s disrupted energy was.

�Have you run an ultrasound test on her?� Karin asked. Szayel gave her a withering look, as if she�d asked some kind of incredibly stupid question.

�No, why would I run an ultrasound test for a problem involving fluctuating reiatsu?� he snapped. She glared right back at him.

�I have a theory. Let�s run one, just to rule out a few things,� Karin ordered.

Szayel made a face and rolled his eyes, but moved towards the machine nevertheless.

�Very well,� he sighed. �Just for you, Karin-sama��

Szayel pulled the ultrasound machine up, or tried to before wincing in pain and ordering Renji to do it for him, while Karin adjusted Nemu�s clothing to bare the woman�s midsection and spread the gel over her skin. Karin watched impassively as Szayel moved the wand about until finally settling it over the woman�s stomach and staring at the monitor in shock.

�There is something there, like some sort of bundle�� he murmured, and then moved one of the dials to try to focus in on the image a little better. �No, wait. There seem to be two of the things in there. They resemble cocoons of some sort.�

Szayel moved to a different monitor, tapped in a few commands on the keyboard and the image on the first monitor came into much sharper focus. The scientist adjusted the ultrasound machine�s sensor yet again and squinted at the screen.

�A large portion of her reiatsu seems to be pooling here,� he indicated ��and here. I believe they�re using it to either feed, or perhaps they�re using her reiatsu to spin the cocoons that surround them. Could they be something the Swarm infected her with?� he pondered aloud, sounding both concerned and enthusiastic about the discovery. He turned to reach for yet another device, before flinching and hissing as he pulled on his gashes in his enthusiasm. �Perhaps whatever is driving the Swarm is trying a new tactic, something we wouldn�t expect, given that they�ve simply been coming at us in swarms so far. This could be a parasitic sneak-attack of sorts,� he finally said, when he�d recovered enough to speak again.

�I am so sorry about those,� Karin whispered in apology as she watched him straighten carefully. He looked down at his bandaged chest and deflated a little, the image on the screen temporarily forgotten.

�There�s nothing you could have done differently,� he said and offered her a faint smile, their argument momentarily forgotten. �I have been through much worse. The damage would have been far more extensive and thus more debilitating had someone less concerned for my well-being delivered those blows. The real question is, what did your mate do to anger Kami-sama?�

�What?�

Now she was confused and it must have shown on her face. Szayel paused and tried to explain, sounding a little hesitant, as if he was sorry he�d brought up the subject.

�Aizen-Kami is well aware of how Claims work. It would not have slipped his mind. He was punishing the both of us, me for �failing� him yet again and you� well, I think he was using you to punish Grimmjow. My question is, did Grimmjow do something to anger him, or was he simply using you to send your mate a warning?�

Suddenly Karin felt an overwhelming need to sit down, and pulled up one of the empty workstation chairs before her legs betrayed her. She�d been so focused on Aizen�s repeated abuses of Szayel that she hadn�t considered the fact that both she and Szayel were considered Claimed by Grimmjow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to think of what distress her mate might have had to endure if that were really the case. Her emotional pain hitting him had been bad enough. Szayel was right; it could have been much, much worse.

�Does Aizen need a reason to do anything he does?� Karin pointed out, not liking where Szayel was going with this, but unable to deny his logic in his theory about Aizen�s latest round of �demonstrations.� She made a note to have a talk with Grimmjow when she got home.

�No, I suppose not,� he admitted, adverting his gaze and clenching his fists. �I think we should open her up and take a look.� Szayel changed the subject back to the real reason they had gathered here. Karin let him, though not without raising both her eyebrows.

�Open her up?� Karin�s jaw dropping in shock. �You can�t mean��

�It is a normal procedure, Karin-san,� Nemu spoke up, lifting her head a little to look at her and sounding as calm as if Szayel had suggested taking a walk in one of the local parks. �I am a construct and I�ve been opened many times. It will not harm me in any way that you would understand.�

Karin inwardly cringed at the idea, but they did need to make sure that the Swarm wasn�t using some new, strange form of weapon on them, even though she had her own growing suspicions as to what was truly going on.

�Instead of opening her whole torso, can�t we just send a small probe in to see?� Karin proposed, trying not to sound as squeamish as she felt. She didn�t think she had it in her to see Szayel carve up Nemu while the latter serenely watched the proceedings.

Szayel pouted, but conceded that the alternative procedure would be sufficient to get an idea of what might have taken up residence within Nemu. He gathered the necessary equipment while Karin prepared a local anaesthetic, though Nemu insisted that she really didn�t need one. Szayel made a small slice in her slide and began to insert the probe. Karin, for her part, tried to watch impassively as he probed Nemu�s insides, working his way towards the strange things inside of her. He angled the probe down and to the left. When the probe made its way past her cervix, they could finally see what was disrupting Nemu�s reiatsu.

�They seem to be in her womb,� he said with interest, the camera clearly showing two small, wrapped bundles, nestled closely together.

Karin blinked, staring at the picture, and then turned her head to stare at Szayel. How oblivious can one man, human or Arrancar, be?

�Szayel, what is your base creature?� Karin asked suddenly, as the images from the probe began to show up on the screen, far clearer than what they had seen on the ultrasound.

Indeed, rather than woven cocoons, the small packages clinging to the sides of Nemu�s uterus seemed be encased in hard, iridescent shells, though the light from the probe wasn�t enough to determine the actual color. Her formal schooling had ended when she was twelve, but she distinctly remembered more than one science class that had discussed the insect life cycle. These looked very much like the pictures of a chrysalis, the pupa state of a particular kind of insect and Karin was now sure of what she was looking at.

�Nothing that spectacular,� he answered dismissively and perhaps a tad bit defensively. Karin narrowed her eyes and then shook her head.

I think the answer to that is �Exceedingly Oblivious�.

�I am certain that I have never heard of a creature called �nothing that spectacular� before.� She managed to smirk at him while staring at the monitor. �Do tell me more about it.�

He glowered at her before sighing and muttering something under his breath.

�I didn�t catch that.�

�A butterfly,� he snapped in irritation, louder this time.

Make that �Outrageously Oblivious� and stick a cherry on top of it.

�I see, that sort of makes sense,� she mused. Resting her chin between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand and her elbow on the opposite forearm, she pondered the screen. Silence settled about them for moment.

�Why?� Szayel suddenly asked, his tone growing suspicious.

�Just a theory,� she answered. �We�ll find out in a second whether I�m right or not.�

Szayel frowned, but finally turned his attention back to the monitor and gestured impatiently with one hand.

�Hand me the small tube over there, I need to take some scrapings of the shells to run a DNA analysis. I do not want to remove them just yet. Other than disrupting her reiatsu and feeding on her reiatsu, they do not seem to be otherwise harming her and I want to study them the best we can before we attempt to remove them.�

He was clearly excited and would have moved about a little faster if not for his injuries. It didn�t seem to take much to make him forget he was bandaged.

�It must be nice to be so easily distracted,� Karin thought wryly and then rolled her eyes. This had gone on long enough, in her opinion. �And to think I�m about to drop another little bombshell into his lap� I hope he�s ready for it.�

�Hey, Szayel��

�What, now?!?� he snarled, finally snapping at the latest interruption.

�How long would a butterfly�s gestation period last?� Karin asked offhandedly. This time he faced her fully, hands on his hips and a look of utter exasperation on his face

�While I understand that the majority of the population has difficulty understanding the basics of zoology and wouldn�t know the various stages of the insect life cycle, I expected you� at�. least��

Szayel�s rant died in his throat and his golden eyes widened as what she hinted at finally sank in and made itself at home in his brain. He spun about to stare at Nemu in shock. The symptoms she�d had for the last few weeks, including her illness in the mornings and her erratic reiatsu finally made sense. With hands that almost shook in excitement he quickly gathered the DNA samples he needed from the chrysalides and raced over to the decoding machine he had built years ago.

Karin removed the probe and tubing, and sealed the small wounds in Nemu�s stomach before helping the woman to sit up. She didn�t need to see Szayel to know how nervous he was; she had never felt this much pleasure and excitement coming from him in, well, ever she supposed.

He started laughing hysterically, but in a way that indicated he was delighted, not crazed. Karin barely managed to move to the side as he rushed back to Nemu and hugged her tightly. Nemu let out a squeak of surprise before smiling softly and leaning into his embrace.

�Finally!!� he cried in excitement. �And there are two of them! TWO! I CAN�T BELIEVE IT!!!� he shouted in glee at the top of his lungs and squeezed her again. �Two,� he repeated again in a murmur, burying his face in Nemu�s dark hair.

Karin was truly happy for them, and not just because Szayel was busy assaulting her with joy. The scientist truly deserved a break after everything he had been put through and she was well aware of what this meant to him.

�There is one other thing that I have been pondering, and now might be the best time to test the theory,� she said, speaking carefully because she loathed breaking the mood.

�What might that be?� Nemu asked, for Szayel seemed currently incapable of speech, one hand holding her tightly to him and the other clutching her braid, fingers toying with her hair.

�Renji,� Karin turned her eyes to the only person in the room without a happy expression. In fact he didn�t look like anything at all was going on between his ears. �You said half of his soul was destroyed when you destroyed his Zanpakuto, right?�

�Yes,� Szayel answered, finally able to compose himself enough to give Karin a response.

�So that means the other half is still there, right?�

�Yes, that is why he is still capable of speech and able to follow orders,� Szayel confirmed. Karin nodded at that and took a deep breath, about to propose something that Szayel might not want to consider.

�Do you think Orihime-chan would be able to heal him? If his soul was completely gone I would understand why she wouldn�t, but if half of it is still there, then all she would be doing is returning something to its whole and original state, correct?�

Szayel actually seemed to ponder the suggestion. She wondered why the thought had never occurred to him before.

�Or perhaps it has, but the scientific part of his nature was more interested to see how long a natural healing would take, or if it would take at all,� she guessed. Szayel didn�t disappoint her with his answer.

�I suppose at this rate there is very little data left to gather from this experiment, and I will desire someone better able think for themselves to protect my offspring,� he sighed in annoyance and turned his gaze to the silent redhead. �Given how little intelligence the fool had to begin with, of course, I�m not sure he�s up for the job,� he added under his breath. �Still, his protective instincts were impressive when it came to his companions.�

�So you will let her do it?� Karin asked.

�Technically speaking, you could force me to say yes, Karin-sama,� he pointed out.

�No need. I am taking that as a �yes�. I�ll go ask Orihime-chan for her help. I doubt we will be able to do anything today. It�s been a long, rough, tiring day and she has probably already exhausted her powers at the 4th Division with the wounded. How about in a few days?� she suggested. Szayel seemed to take this under consideration and eventually nodded in agreement.

�Very well. I am interested to see if her abilities can affect the spirit as much as it can affect the physical plane. I�m sure the results will be intriguing, either way.�

Karin looked heavenward at that and reached up, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in-between her fingers. Trust Szayel to turn everything into an opportunity to conduct an experiment.

A date for the attempt now set, Karin left the two to their own devices, her work at the Research Center finished. She hadn�t been exaggerating; it had been a long day and right now all she wanted to do was curl up in her mate�s arms and sleep for a week. She was emotionally and physically drained as well from the meeting and battle and if she made it home without falling asleep in midstride, she�d be surprised.

Still, it was gratifying to look back over her shoulder as she closed the door and see Szayel and Nemu, eyes closed and foreheads touching, holding one another carefully; Szayel because Nemu carried his precious children and Nemu because of Szayel�s injured back and chest. As terribly as the day had started, Karin thought as she began the walk back to the Estate, the finish had more than made up for it.

Yes, yes you cleaver group you, Nemu is finally with offspring. Two of them to boot. And next chapter Orihime will attempt to heal Renji�s soul, so for those of you who have been ever so impatiently waiting for it, the time is finally coming, and had been planned from the start. I never expected this story would spread out and expand so much. It�s on page 1139 ATM. Hopefully I will be able to finish posting Part 1 before the baby is born and I will probably end up on hiatus.

Anyhow, see you all next time I am coherent enough to post. My Due Date is June 18^th so time is quickly running out before the baby is here; although both sides of the family tend to be late so I am almost expecting the baby to be born near the end of June instead of the middle but we will see.

PS: Avengers was a pretty good move, especially the second half. If you have been humming over watching it, go watch it. It�s worth it.
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Prize of Victory