Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Prize of Victory 2
By : NovaAlexandria
Category: Bleach > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor make a profit from this story
Chapter List
- 95
- 96
- 97
Decide Redux

Despite Lilinette�s insistence, Jushiro knew that this would be anything but a �piece of cake,� �this� being the battle that would determine whether they would go on living as slaves to Aizen�s increasingly dangerous whims, or throw off the tyrant�s yoke.

Both prospects were daunting.

At first, he had to work to recall the last time he�d raised his sword against an Arrancar, or even a garden-variety Hollow. It had been fifteen years since the fight with the Primera, which hadn�t ended well for either himself or Shunsui. Granted, Starrk and Lilinette weren�t the ones who had punched the hole through his chest that had led to his defeat, but he had no doubt they could have taken him down without the added help.

�How very ironic��

He stood with his Zanpakuto at the ready and a Kido spell on the tip of his tongue, facing down another set of Aizen�s minions. That, thankfully, was where the similarities between then and now ended. The Palace guards were Arrancar, and far stronger than typical Hollows, but he was a long standing Taichou, the oldest still in existence with the possible exception Unohana Retsu. Moreover, the Primera were his allies this time, not his opponents, just as Lilinette had said.

To his surprise, he didn�t need Sogyo no Kotowari�s Shikai; the differences between his power and that of the Arrancar would make any skirmishes between them short and less-than-sweet and the assembled Arrancar knew it, because they stayed back. It was just as well. He had no real desire to kill them, as he was unaware of the nature of the relationships between the various guards and those they�d Claimed. Not everyone detested his or her Master and he didn�t want to upset someone because he had killed a loving mate.

This time, Jushiro found the noisy, mocking laughter that originated from the array of smoky wolves lined up between Starrk and himself comforting. Lilinette was in top form today, reeling out a few insults that he suspected she�d been working on, just for this occasion. The pasty-faced Arrancar on the other side of that line were just as reluctant to engage Starrk�s Resurrección, as he was to use it.

Ulquiorra, in contrast, guarded his side of the Kido barrier in eerie silence. The Fourth kept his green eyes fixed on a second group of guards that must have been on their way back from a lunch shift and ignored everything else. So far, neither group of guards showed any sign that that they knew where Hana and Hachi had concealed themselves. Jushiro thought that was fortunate. Even after all this time, Hollows had a hard time recognizing and dealing with Kido. He hoped they assumed that the casters were inside the barrier and didn�t start searching. Starrk, Lilinette and he would cut them down if they tried.

The one thing that threatened to distract him was the young woman trading blows with the guards to the Palace doors. He hadn�t seen his subordinate in fifteen long years and what he could see of her, out of the corner of his eye, impressed him immensely. If Byakuya were here, he knew the nobleman would be proud of his adopted sister too. Kuchiki Rukia had clearly become stronger during her exile in the Living World, as had the young man standing next to an infuriated Grimmjow.

Rukia and Ichigo looked amazing and Jushiro wished he�d had an opportunity to speak to them before going into battle. If the rebels failed, he would lose any chance of getting to know the two again or to find out how much they�d matured, since Aizen would execute him along with Starrk for his participation. With her power, Rukia would end up Claimed by the nearest Arrancar able to subdue her with a free slot. The tyrant wouldn�t waste any time subjugating the survivors of the coup.

Thinking about that made him consider Nanao. Would Aizen spare her if they lost? He wasn�t certain. She was Starrk�s pet, but she wasn�t here. Instead, she was likely defending the Seireitei and the Districts closer to the walls against the Swarm with her Division and with Toshiro�s help. If they failed here, at least the Third Espada and Toshiro could play innocent and try again at some point in the future.

�OI SHIRO-CHAN, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!�

Jushiro winced and smiled at the nearest wolf before he went back to staring down his opponents. They were busy conferring with one another as to what to do and it probably wouldn�t be long before they decided to act. Lilinette was right; a moment of inattentiveness could still get him killed. His depth perception wasn�t what it used to be and he wouldn�t put it past the guards to try to use his blind spot against him in a sudden rush. Not counting Lilinette�s wolves, the Arrancar outnumbered them, though they certainly didn�t act as if they had any advantage.

�I�m fine, Lilinette-chan,� he called back, to let her know he had heard her before she screamed at him again. Jushiro spared a quick glance at the battle going on between Ichigo, Grimmjow and Aizen. Neither side appeared to have the upper hand yet. He could only hope that whatever strategy the Escapees had worked. His head was already too full of what a defeat would mean for them.

Renji was dying to turn around and see how Ichigo and Grimmjow were doing. He was also somewhat concerned about Rukia, fighting off to his left. However, he had a job to do and he didn�t dare spend any more time than necessary doing it. He and Zabimaru had already dispatched one of the guards without any qualms. He couldn�t recall the bastard�s name, only that he had been the one who had sired the cub Aizen had forced Unohana and Szayel to abort.

His death left Renji in a quandary as far at the remaining two. One of them was a complete stranger. The other was one who had visited Szayel�s Division with his pregnant pet, a woman who had once been a 6th Division officer. He wasn�t positive as far as the quality of the two�s relationship, but he didn�t want to off the Arrancar if he was a decent mate. That one had a deep gash in his shoulder and a growing puddle of blood beneath his feet. Renji wouldn�t have given it much thought before the events of the last few weeks, but with a child of his own on the way and after his chat with Ryuuken, the idea of leaving any cub fatherless bothered him.

He could see a few flashes on the other side of the yellow barrier, which meant the Palace guards on the outside had decided to make a move. Starrk, Jushiro and Ulquiorra had their hands full. Rukia�s reiatsu was still strong, so he knew she was more than holding her own. He didn�t get a chance to get a good look at the Arrancar she�d taken on and he hoped neither of them had impending cubs. Unlike him, Rukia wasn�t one to give quarter to an enemy, for any reason.

Flicking his wrist and sending a ripple down Zabimaru�s fanged blade, he decided to let the two he faced have a say in their fates, and maybe conserve energy better spent on bigger game. Both Arrancar hesitated when he plastered as big a grin on his face as he could manage and addressed them.

�Look boys, let�s face facts here. You two and me, we don�t really mean shit, especially with what�s going on over there.�

He jerked his thumb in the direction of whatever was going on with Ichigo, Grimmjow and Aizen, and then dropped to a crouch as three chunks of concrete hurtled his way. His opponents had to bend down too to keep from getting injured. The concrete pieces tore into the paving stones and Renji let out a low whistle before engaging the two Arrancar again. �If they kill Aizen, then he never deserved to be Kami in the first place. If he wins, I�m fucked, whether you two beat me or not. Why don�t we just take this down a notch and turn this into a sparring session? I know one of you has a cub on the way, and I sure as hell wouldn�t want to explain to the kid about how I snuffed their old man. If I kill you and we still lose, no one�s going to bother telling the kid the truth at all. The poor thing�ll wonder about you for the rest of his or her life.�

Renji gave them both a cautiously optimistic look.

�I ain�t going to lie to you. I have a cub coming too, courtesy of the most amazing woman I have ever met and I promised her I�d be back. There�s no way I�m breaking it.�

His grin expanded and he used his already extended thumb to push his headband up as he asked his next question.

�So what do ya say? Do we have a deal? Wanna leave the fighting to the big guns and take a chance on making it home tonight in time for supper?�

�Sire,� for lack of a better name to call him, hesitated, clearly considering the offer�s merits. His purple eyes shifted to the maelstrom of black and blue reiatsu over Renji�s shoulder, and then he turned his head in the general direction of the 4th Division. His expression revealed just how much he didn�t want to be here, wounded and trapped.

�Shorty,� as Renji dubbed the second, less-conflicted Arrancar that resembled an ill-tempered badger, scowled hatefully at him and charged.

�Great. Well, I tried��

�Bankai! Hihio Zabimaru!� he declared.

The large bone snake roared to life amid waves of red-tinged reiatsu and when the dust cleared, Shorty had come to a halt, staring wide-eyed at the baboon skull�s dagger-like teeth. He thought he actually heard Sire mutter an unhappy �oh hell, no.� Renji moved quickly, focusing on Shorty, before either Arrancar could enter their Resurreccións. It worked for a short time, but eventually he wound up between them. His inability to look in two different directions gave them the break they needed.

�Shit!� he cursed, as first Shorty and then more grudgingly, Sire, finally entered their released states. Renji immediately dodged Shorty�s long, sharp claws, which threw sparks when they collided with one of Zabimaru�s links instead of his shoulder.

�So much for sparring��

He couldn�t afford to take too much damage here. There was an Espada out there who had Zabimaru�s name emblazoned on his sorry hide, and while he and his Zanpakuto often disagreed, both of them saw ending Yammy�s miserable life as a goal worth pursuing. The nue voiced his outrage to his wielder once Yoruichi had brought back confirmation of certain rumours. Yammy had forced Kuchiki Byakuya to manifest Senbonzakura, in public, to act as the mute nobleman�s spokesperson and translator. When Ichigo and Grimmjow finished with Aizen, he�d make sure that the Tenth never had a chance to inflict such a humiliation on anyone ever again.

Rukia wouldn�t let him go alone either and not just because of Yoruichi�s orders. He really didn�t want her anywhere near the Tenth. Nevertheless, Renji couldn�t deny her the opportunity to take a chunk out of the bastard if she wanted. The Espada had terrorized her adopted family for years and she had a right to seek vengeance. Besides, if he was honest with himself, he could use the help. If he was unlucky, he�d be fighting Yammy and Byakuya.

Both Arrancar attacked him at the same time and any thoughts not related to dodging two sets of claws, teeth and weapons fled. He had to put these two down first. Maybe, if he did it fast enough, he could take a couple of shots at Aizen.

Not far from where her friend had let Zabimaru out to play, Rukia paused with her drawn blade, indulging in a little self-satisfaction. She�d encased one of the door guards in a solid pillar of ice. The second cursed violently at her as he tried to disengage his leg from the block of ice that cemented it to the paving stones. After fifteen years on the run, and with training partners who refused to go easy on her, she�d finally made real progress. As much as she admired her older brother, it wasn�t� until she�d started working with the Escapees that she began to understand how much his interference in her advancement had cost her. It had been an eye-opening realization and the results more than painful. Kenpachi in particular didn�t know the meaning of the words �holding back�, �mercy�, or �for fuck�s sake, stop hitting me and let me get up�. She�d been a mass of bruises, cuts, welts and scrapes during the first few years of training with people who didn�t give a damn that she was a noblewoman... until the day came when she found herself faster, stronger and capable enough to avoid the majority of their strikes.

Her improvement resulted in progress of a different sort for the man she�d eventually marry. In time, Ichigo had taken to leaning against the wall in whatever hovel or hole served as their temporary sparring spot and watched her sessions, even though she suspected he wanted to step in and rescue her. He�d done her the favour backing off and letting her grow and learn from her training bruises, though he�d gently teased her about her footwork afterwards.

Ichigo had picked up some speed himself, mostly from her retaliating for the teasing.

While her second victim tried to chip away at the ice with his horns, she snuck a glance at the others� progress. Renji, the slacker, was trying to talk at least one of his opponents down, without much luck. Suddenly, all three of them had to duck when debris from the real fight on the other side of the courtyard flew at their heads. The power that Ichigo, Grimmjow and Aizen tossed at one another was both mindboggling and incredibly destructive. Then it was her turn to sidestep as several paving stones sailed through the spot where she�d stood. One of them bounced off of the skull and the Hierro of the Arrancar tugging on his leg. The ox�s horns on his head were the only thing that saved him, serving as the point of deflection.

�Huh. Guess there�s some truth to the old saying about being �bullheaded�,� she observed, impressed that the stone hadn�t removed everything above the Arrancar�s neck. Rukia was worried for her other half but she had to trust him to hold his own and his temper, the way he trusted her to carry out her part of the plan. Szayel had withheld nothing regarding what would likely to happen to them, especially to him and the women in the raiding party, if they this assassination failed. Knowing that, she figured it would be best to purify both of the guards she faced before they became a problem. While Ichigo could wipe the floor with this Arrancar in a one-on-one match, the Hollow could still put a sword through Ichigo�s back while he was concentrating on Aizen.

She glimpsed her old Taichou overhead, his two blades out and at the ready. The barrier rendered his haori, his pale hair and his skin a deceptively bright, cheerful yellow. Yoruichi told her that Starrk took good care of Jushiro but she was relieved to see firsthand that the cat hadn�t lied. Other than the eye patch, he was every bit the man she remembered. The bearded sleepy-eyed gunslinger standing next to him, with his pistols and his shaggy pack of snarling wolves, intrigued her. She�d never met Starrk, though Hiyori had given her a very colourfully worded description following their fight. The Espada seemed pretty laid back and she could easily see how her Taichou and the Arrancar had become friends, despite the awkward and trying circumstances.

A smashing sound nearby reminded her that she had no business woolgathering. She could catch up with her Taichou later, when Aizen was dead. Turning back to her opponent, she moved her body into position for the next dance, even as he freed himself of the ice by entering his Resurrección. He�d upped the stakes, which suited her. Once released, they had no other power to draw upon and Rukia didn�t want to waste energy beating down a sealed opponent, only to have her hard work undone when he healed with his release. The pillar trapping her first opponent shattered as well, for the same reason. She had wondered how much longer he intended to play possum, hoping to get her to lower her guard. Now that both of them were fully committed to the battle, she could step up and finish them.

Rukia shifted her body into the required position, and began the final dance.

�Bright sun, midday poised,

Draw down darning needles,

Pierce the black earth and rise again�

Below ground, safely tucked away in the pungently scented sewers, Hana and Hachi continued to chant, their bodies glowing with the energy they channelled towards the ceiling overhead, anchoring the Kido into the earth itself. Neither paid any attention to Nemu or the Swarm General who stood guard over them lest someone discover them, nor did they notice when Gin arrived with the twins in tow or the joyful reunion between mother and children.

�Stone and air enmeshed,

A butterfly caught in amber,

Within and without, stitch to bend��

Hana�s world had narrowed to three things: the task of weaving the Kido strands together, remembering the spell her mentor had drilled into her and performing the hundreds of equations necessary to increase the tensile strength of the energy Hachi provided her, placing each strand in its optimum spot. If she performed them properly, she�d protect the innocents outside of the barrier, and save her own skin in the process. Such hard work wrung sweat from every one of her pores, until tendrils of damp hair curled at her temples and forehead, and her sticky uniform clung to her body

��but not to break,

Impenetrable spider�s loom, steel-strong,

Silk glove flung wide, grasping,

Against the struggles of the moth��

Creating it had been easier than reinforcing it, over and over. The shield buckled and strained under the forces exerted upon both sides. Perhaps the saddest and most terrifying part about what she was doing was that at no time did Hana get the impression that Aizen had tested its strength with even a quarter of his resources. Ichigo and Grimmjow�s blows had probably done more damage to it than Aizen�s stabs of reiatsu. The earth between she and Hachi and the courtyard was too thick for her to differentiate between the combatants, though she suspected she�d feel it when Aizen decided to get serious.

�You guys had better hurry up, because we are not going to be able to stay at this level all day,� she thought worriedly, �especially if your reiatsu spikes keep threatening to put holes in it!�

Ichigo had always been a fast learner when it came to combat, thanks to the efforts of his late father, the oft-lamented Urahara, a host of now-dead thugs from rival high schools, many Shinigami and a handful of Espada. Even though time had passed between his first battle with Grimmjow and their more recent training sessions, neither had forgotten each other�s moves. The two had synched their efforts in the last two weeks. Their teamwork was by no means perfect; a fortnight wasn�t all that long to get familiar with one another�s every quirk and move. It also didn�t help that Aizen knew every button to press when it came to his brother-in-law. It was a wonder Grimmjow hadn�t lost his head, both literally and figuratively, considering the foul words coming out of Aizen�s mouth. The sociopath hadn�t shut up once since walking out of the Palace and Ichigo found he longed for silence.

�Why so furious Grimmjow?� Aizen taunted, and then chuckled. �You should take it as a compliment that I find Karin�s mouth just as talented as Szayel�s. You must be familiar with her abilities, since you�ve had her under your thumb for so long. Szayel does like to prattle on about how perfect he is. Perhaps I�ll have them demonstrate for me, one after the other, so I can settle the matter of whose performance is superior.�

Grimmjow�s teeth ground together, and his tail lashed back and forth, betraying his fury at the would-be god before them. Still, the mocking was a sign of progress. Aizen had discovered his Zanpakuto no longer had any effect on them and now had to fall back on goading. Ichigo didn�t know what images the man had tried to use against Grimmjow, but the reaction they produced had taken Aizen aback.

Instead of falling prey to Kyoka Suigetsu�s mirages, Grimmjow had delivered a really nice slash across the smirking bastard�s throat. Unfortunately, the cursed Hogyoku had quickly healed the wound. Ichigo had a feeling that the cut had affected Aizen more psychologically than physically and that the taunting neatly covered the bastard�s shock.

Ichigo�s anger also rose as he listened to Aizen�s latest dig about his sister, but defeat at Ulquiorra�s claws, followed by years on the run, helped temper his emotions. To put it bluntly, he�d grown up. Fifteen years had come and gone since the last time Ichigo and Aizen faced each other. �Kami� probably had no idea about what made Ichigo tick these days, nor did he understand how to get under the hybrid�s much thicker skin. The best provocation Aizen had tossed his way involved threatening Rukia�s life. It just confirmed to Ichigo that Aizen had no clue as to how the Escapees had changed in their long exile. Rukia wasn�t the same person she�d been then and for that matter, neither was Ichigo. There was no way she�d go down that easily� not anymore.

It was just too bad that Aizen mistook Ichigo�s bland expression as permission to keep running his mouth.

�I think when we are done here I will retrieve Ajuga immediately instead of leaving her to roam free as I promised Karin. I hope she is as talented with her mouth as her mother. She should respond to the same training� techniques I used to instruct your mate,� Aizen drawled, as if contemplating a way to pass an idle afternoon.

Grimmjow bristled and Ichigo moved to intercept him before the Espada could get himself killed. Of course, he understood how hard it was not to give in to the baiting. He could have lived a long time without having to listen to a detailed description as to how much of an �expert� his sister was at fellatio. Envisioning such was sickening and the madman had only held her captive for one and a half weeks.

�Easy,� Ichigo warned Grimmjow, gripping his brother-in-law�s shoulder, although the admonition was as much for him as it was for his partner. He hadn�t had a lot of time to get acquainted with Ajuga, between Yoruichi�s enforced sequestration and training. However, Yuzu adored her and from what he�d seen of her, Ichigo thought, he could like his niece as well. More importantly, and unlike her father, he had the luxury of objectivity. Grimmjow shivered, and then closed his eyes and breathed. His ears even twitched, and one swivelled to the side, which was what tipped Ichigo off to that fact that someone else had joined the party.

It had been a long time since he�d last seen Karin, and the shield between them distorted his view of her, warping her slender figure as she emerged from the shadows of the Palace�s main doorway. At first glance, she didn�t seem much different, though she�d done something very odd with her hair. Her back was straight and her gaze unwavering as she watched them fight. He wondered how long she had been there and felt a great deal of relief that she seemed to be fine, physically at least. Just seeing her there, safe, seemed to calm the Arrancar down, but only slightly.

While the barrier tinted the sun, it did nothing to stop the movement of air. A sniff sent the now former Espada into something close to apoplexy. Snarling and spitting, Grimmjow renewed his attack. Seconds after his charge Ichigo saw sparks fly as the other�s claws connected with Aizen�s Zanpakuto. He didn�t need to wait long for an explanation, as his Hollow helpfully supplied the information that his other two thirds couldn�t detect.

�She smells like semen and blood. It�s recent� as in �the last half-hour� recent.�

Ichigo�s hands tightened on the sheath of his blade. They had both hoped Aizen had just been running his mouth, that the blood that had sent Grimmjow off had not been hers. He�d prayed that Grimmjow had been wrong when he�d jumped the gun and stormed out of hiding. Sadly, the evidence to the contrary stood nearby, reeking of the unspeakable.

It was one thing to understand it, from an objective, intellectual point of view.

Seeing it was something else entirely.

The monster before him had raped his little sister, and bragged about doing it.

�Can we rip his spine out through his navel, King, or are we just gonna stand here?�

�By all means, Horse. Rip away,� he answered, feeling no qualms about his Hollow�s suggestion and he quickly joined the assault. It would have been so easy to ride his rage like a wave, letting it dictate his actions, but thankfully, there was one entity in his head capable of reining him in and allowing him to think rather than succumb to his Hollow�s instincts.

Grimmjow�s reiatsu suddenly changed in flavour as the enraged Hollow attacked his former master, keeping the blows coming while Aizen dodged and blocked. For every one strike that Ichigo made, Grimmjow landed two. The results were the same: deep gashes in flesh that bubbled up and healed. The only thing they�d really managed to damage was Aizen�s uniform. The slight difference in Grimmjow�s energy worried Ichigo, until Tensa Zangetsu filled him in.

�It�s the Mating Claim, King. Karin�s giving him what she can to supplement his power. I gotta say this� she�s got guts to stand so close to the bastard, rather than running. That�s a sign of a good mate!�

He felt a disembodied hand give him the equivalent of a hard cuff to the back of his head.

�Now calm down, before ya get us killed! She�s fine, and dying�s a lousy way to get revenge. What�s done is done, so just make damn sure it can�t happen again!�

Ichigo disengaged, but Grimmjow wouldn�t relent. Electric-blue reiatsu slashes tore up more of the pavement around them and flung pieces of stone and brick across the courtyard, the majority of it in Aizen�s direction. He distinctly remembered that move from their duel in Hueco Mundo, wincing as the screeching assaulted his ears. Stepping back, he forced himself to take a deep breath and to focus, using a �quick and dirty� version of the meditation techniques Yoruichi had hounded him to learn. He�d been shocked the first time he�d entered his inner world while in his Bankai, and probably never would have achieved it if the Escapees� leader hadn�t insisted he master every aspect of his powers. Ushōda Hachigen and Ishida Ryuuken had also had a hand in educating him. Hachi was far more patient when it came to dealing with his Hollow than Hiyori as far as training methods went and Ryuuken had finally given him the missing pieces to the puzzle that was his complicated heritage. Isshin had never had an opportunity to let him in on his Quincy ancestry, but something told him that his father would have come clean to his children when the time was right, had he survived the War.

His sister came closer to the shield, Szayel hovering behind her like an uncertain firefly. It was clear that the Arrancar did not want to be anywhere near Aizen. However, the rebels� success depended on him standing his ground. Only Szayel understood the mechanics involved in destroying the Hogyoku. For Ichigo�s part, he hoped the scientist did something soon.

Karin�s presence and the sharing of her strength with her mate had a sobering effect on Grimmjow. Ichigo transferred his weight from one foot to the other, and together the two of them rushed Aizen. As Grimmjow was Ichigo�s superior in hand-to-hand combat, he took the left side. Meanwhile, Ichigo flung another black wave of energy towards their mutual opponent. He intended to use it, not to hit the bastard, but to obscure Aizen�s vision with dust kicked up from the debris field.

Aizen moved fluidly, not at all concerned about the size of their arena. In fact, Ichigo wasn�t certain that Aizen had tested the barrier around them. Perhaps it was because even Aizen didn�t want to risk their battle crushing the entire city. The balance was precarious at best and both sides knew it, even with Ajuga and Diaemus�s hard work.

While Aizen didn�t appear to care about the two he faced, he was less than happy about Karin�s arrival. He even spared a moment to send her an angry glance, one that promised immeasurable pain for both she and the cowering Espada. Karin and Szayel flinched at the same time, the latter far more than the first. While Szayel�s demeanour remained meek, Karin stared balefully back at him. Not even Hiyori could have managed such a hateful look, and the Vizard�s usual setting was stuck on �permanently pissed.� Nevertheless, the distortion of the shield couldn�t disguise how Karin�s hands shook. Ichigo forced himself to believe it was due to anger and for no other reason.

Distracted by his mate, the force of Aizen�s parry took Grimmjow off of his feet and sent him careening into the shield. The wall promptly zapped him, funnelling its tremendous power straight through the Espada�s nervous system. They hadn�t actually tested what would happen if they touched it; there hadn�t been time. Ichigo cursed and immediately put his blade between Grimmjow�s prone body and Aizen�s sword, which would have found the Sixth�s right lung. His quick action sent sparks raining over the wreckage around them, but it also thwarted the attempt to end Grimmjow�s life. Ichigo had failed his sister once and damned if he was going to let it happen again while she watched.

Aizen reacted with a Kido-based attack, pointing his finger at Ichigo�s midsection before the human could shove him out of the way. The move might have taken Ichigo off-guard fifteen years ago but it utterly failed now. His wife and Yoruichi had been merciless when it came to training him how to avoid such sneak attacks and taught him to use his considerable speed to dodge them. The rest he either deflected or met head-on, countering them with his immense reiatsu. Before he knew it, he�d driven Aizen back, effectively keeping him away from Grimmjow�s dazed body. Bringing Zangetsu around, he turned on his heel and aimed the tip of his sword at Aizen�s chin. His nemesis had to raise Kyoka Suigetsu to evade the dark weapon�s upward strike, which let the white blade sink into Aizen�s side.

�Gotcha��

The days when Aizen could stop Ichigo�s attacks with a mere finger were over, unless the bastard wanted his finger removed at the third knuckle. Two could play that game. Once he had the bastard�s blades and his hands occupied, Ichigo fired a Cero from between his horns... a point-blank shot straight at Aizen�s nose.

The tyrant cursed and disengaged, but not quite soon enough. When he emerged from the cloud of smoke, Ichigo could see that the blast had burned a sizable portion of his face and his upper body. Nothing remained of his jacket, his customary sash was a lost cause and his hakama smouldered. One eye dangled from a socket before the Hogyoku repaired the damage.

Ichigo refused to retreat, pressing his temporary advantage while Aizen was still half-blind. He recovered swiftly, but Ichigo kept at him, adding more wounds in an attempt to hinder him. Watching charred flesh crackle and flake away to reveal healthy, pink skin was disconcerting. The sight of Aizen�s eye sucked back into his skull unnerved Ichigo and he shuddered as she saw new eyelids grow to replace the ones burned away.

�We could do this all day, Ichigo-kun, but in the end your body will weaken, your reiatsu will run out and your injuries will catch up to you. I, on the other hand, am immortal. There is no blow you could strike that would end my existence,� Aizen sneered, �while one bad move will end yours.�

He didn�t dodge fast enough to parry the next strike and Aizen�s weapon cut deep into his side. Swearing, he leapt back while firing off a half-assed Getsuga Tenshou to keep Aizen from following him. Blood flowed from his side, seeping into the top of his uniform before his Hollow half�s high-speed regeneration took care of the wound. Aizen raised an eyebrow at the ability, but hardly seemed surprised.

�Intriguing. I had wondered what abilities your mother passed down to you. Your father was the uncontrollable variable in the equation. Truly, I did not foresee that he would abandon his post and his rank for a Quincy whore. Then again, his choice served to remove a potential obstacle to my plans. It also gave me the rare opportunity to observe you as a unique specimen while you grew. It's a pity the old Gotei 13 nearly wiped the Quincy race out of existence. You were going to be such an interesting long-term experiment, until you dashed my hopes by failing.�

�That�s old news. Got anything fresher?� Ichigo scoffed. �If that is the best you can do to throw me off-balance, then you might as well save your breath. There is nothing you could tell me I don�t already know about my family.�

�Oh, I could tell you a great many things about Karin,� Aizen laughed.

Ichigo�s body twitched, but he forced himself to disregard the goading.

�Geez, do you have an 'off' switch? I gave up Karin a decade ago when I left her with Grimmjow. Try again� pretender.�

That temporarily threw Aizen for a loop. The bastard frowned at him, unhappy that his words hadn't drawn the sort of response he expected.

�Is it just me, or is he winded? He isn�t focusing his eyes on us either� and what the hell is going on with his hand? It�s like he�s trying to hide it or something.�

Ichigo was glad that someone else had noticed the problem, but the bit about Aizen�s eyes was something new. Peering closer, he realized his Hollow was correct. Aizen's gaze, which should have been squarely on his enemies, wavered. The silence didn�t last long before their foe lobbed another verbal bomb their way.

�I look forward to seeing if your other sister is as talented in bed as Karin-chan.�

He couldn�t help it. Ichigo laughed raucously at the ridiculous attempt to threaten Yuzu, and Aizen�s scowl deepened when the guffaws continued. The taunt was confirmation that Aizen hadn't, or couldn't, have been spying on them. Of all Aizen's potential victims, Yuzu was the best protected. His brother-in-law wouldn�t involve himself in Shinigami affairs if he could avoid it. However, the Quincy had no problems putting an arrow into anyone who posed a threat to his people or his family. No one trifled with Ishida Ryuuken and got away with it unscathed.

Ichigo suddenly threw his body to the left, getting out of the way of several bright blue slashes that came from behind him. Evidently, his brother-in-law was back on his feet. The encounter with the barrier had singed his armour and his hair stuck out more than usual, but he was as aggressive as ever. Desgarrón ripped across Aizen�s torso, forcing him backwards, until he dug in his heels and broke a few more paving stones in the process.

�Damn it Kurosaki, you couldn�t take one for the team?� Grimmjow grouched. The Arrancar breathed heavily through his nose in an effort not to pant in front of the smirking psychopath. Trails of blood appeared on Aizen�s body and healed as quickly as Grimmjow made them.

�Like that would have helped anyone,� Ichigo shot back.

�Well isn�t this amusing! I recall how much you used to whine at me to allow you to go hunting for Ichigo-kun, Grimmjow. Yet here I find you, arm-in-arm with him!�

Aizen tsk-ed, as if reprimanding a child for discarding a begged-for toy.

Sadly, Ichigo knew Aizen was right in one respect. He and Grimmjow couldn�t let this go on. He�d have to use his last card and hope the blue-haired Espada took advantage of it in the same way he�d used Ichigo�s body as a cover to hide his latest attack.

It had scared him, terrified him truthfully, to unleash this power in the past, but with Hachi�s shields and Kenpachi and Hiyori�s steadfastness, he had learned to enter this state without fear. After he had lost control while fighting Szayel, he had pushed himself to master it. He never wanted to hurt anyone like that again, least of all his friends and allies.

Now he felt both his body and all three portions of his soul vibrate in anticipation at the chance to let loose. This time, �something dreadful� was exactly what he had planned.

Ichigo�s head fell back and his mouth opened, but no sound escaped him, at first. Instead, his skin tone changed. Phosphorescent whitening crept like spilled paint over his exposed flesh, until his entire body took on the hue of sun-bleached bone. At the same time, black markings crawled across his chest and red fur encircled his wrists and ankles. His fingers and toes lengthened, morphing into claws that ruined his sandals and tabi when they poked through the fabric and woven reeds.

The Quincy part of him was what served as a �control� of sorts to the complete transmogrification. Rigorous training with his other brother-in-law had eventually brought it out, whipped it into shape and put the �Old Man� in charge of the masked monster. Outside, Ulquiorra paused in mid-swing and pivoted to look down on him, recognizing the end result of the transformation, even without the hole in his chest that had been there the last time they�d fought.

His power rose and behind him the Arrancar still engaged with Rukia and Renji, as well as several outside the shield, fell to their knees. They stared at him with something akin to worship. Renji and Rukia were sweating, but they remained standing. He and Grimmjow had made certain the two could handle the exposure to his reiatsu without passing out. Szayel had gone pale. Whether it was due to the power he was feeling, the memory of his last meeting with this form, or a combination of both was uncertain. Karin trembled under the onslaught and erected a shield around herself and the scientist. Even Jushiro sweated a bit. The only one unaffected by his power and change was Starrk, though the howling of the wolves overhead increased in volume and intensity.

When Grimmjow staggered, Aizen turned to stare at what Ichigo had become. From the look on the bastard�s face, the view had to be both spectacular and completely unexpected.

A screeching metallic sound erupted from the open jaws of his mask. Only Orihime and Ulquiorra had heard it and the effect on those surrounding him was quite gratifying. Most of them, including Aizen, froze when it washed over them, eyes going wide, though the usurper recovered quickly.

It was not, however, quick enough�

�One distraction, coming up!�

Ichigo employed a highly amplified version of an Arrancar�s Sonido, taking advantage of Aizen�s momentary paralysis, to strike. All three aspects of his being sang in unison as he aggressively went on the offensive, forcing Aizen to try to dodge or block. With only one blade and minus his Shikai, his foe was limited as far as his countermeasures.

This time, Ichigo knew he had the advantage by way of unfamiliarity. He moved differently, he acted differently, and he even wielded Zangetsu differently than he had in the past. Grasping the chain to twirl his black katana, Ichigo used it to slice at Aizen while his shorter, white blade ceaselessly stabbed forward. This new technique forced the would-be god to retreat as he tried to find a way to counter multiple blows from different angles.

Ichigo would have liked to take credit for keeping Aizen too busy to do that, but as he�d pointed out to Grimmjow, there was something definitely wrong with the tyrant. His parries, his counter strikes with Kyoka Suigetsu� all of them were off. What might have been a killing blow to his neck glanced off of his shoulder and a slice that should have cut into his thigh missed him entirely. Ichigo felt as if he were fighting with a man who had downed too many bottles of sake and was having a hard time figuring out where to aim his blows.

The power coursing through him reminded him that whatever was going on with his sister�s captor wasn�t technically important. Only winning mattered and with that in mind, Ichigo bore down on a weakened Aizen. Even a fly could prove deadly to a dragon if the great beast had one too many missing scales and a fawn�s sharp hooves could still sink into the nose of a wolf� and Ichigo was no longer a �fawn.�

One of the side benefits was that Aizen�s mouth had finally quit spouting obnoxious drivel. If Ichigo had his way, it would never open again.

Grimmjow forced himself to remain upright, even as the two powerhouses that were Ichigo and Aizen tore at one another a few feet away. It was surprisingly hard to do, and he grudgingly admitted that Ichigo had long since surpassed him. It was an unpleasant and humbling realization. Yoruichi and Ichigo had warned him what to expect, but he�d dismissed their words as bragging. Now he could see he�d made a serious mistake. This was the power of a Vasto Lorde, one who could toy with Starrk if he chose without breaking a sweat and it was close enough to feed on him if it chose. Grimmjow promptly sat on the urge to find hole and hide in it.

He had, after all, other things to do once Ichigo had pulled this form out of his hat.

With Aizen fully focused on Ichigo, he was finally able to concentrate on the issue that Ichigo and his own sensitive nose had alerted him to earlier. There were several small punctures on Aizen�s hand and the flesh around them was growing redder and unhealthier by the minute. It wasn�t easy, with the dust and the thickness of the reiatsu in the air around him, but he did his best to try to catch a second whiff of what seeped from the marks.

�There�s some kind of acid and I can smell his blood� fucker�s bleeding inside. He�s having to use the Hogyoku to heal what�s going on under his skin as well as what Kurosaki�s dishing out.�

There was no way of knowing who or what had poisoned Aizen, and Grimmjow wasn�t stupid enough to question good luck when it rolled his way. Whatever had happened was to their benefit and now was the time to act, while Aizen�s attention was on keeping Ichigo from dissecting him... or was it?

�Aizen�s no fool. No hunter keeps his eyes just on the calf, lest the bull�s horns take him by surprise. He still knows I�m here and that�s not just my ego talking. He was able to evade my Desgarrón and if I threw it at him again, he�d likely dodge it, poison or no poison. Gotta assume he still considers me a threat,� Grimmjow silently cursed.

The only way he would be able to get a solid hit on Aizen was to hide both his reiatsu and his body, and that wasn�t likely to happen anytime soon. There wasn�t enough cover in the courtyard for that. A worried glance at his mate showed Karin and Szayel safely ensconced under a shield of her own making, with the scientist doing a great impression of a mouse.

The combined might of an enraged Aizen and a very determined Ichigo interrupted Grimmjow�s thoughts when it became too much for the shield protecting the courtyard and for the two generating the thing to bear. A change in air pressure was the Espada�s only warning. The golden barrier shattered skyward, sending shards of reiatsu straight up, with the largest fragments falling down upon everyone�s heads, dissolving on their way back to the ground.

Karin cried out as the full force of the reiatsu blast hit her and tore through her shield. He felt her latch onto his reiatsu in a bid to keep the backwash of air from flinging her into one of the courtyard walls, and their eyes met. She needed his strength to remain standing under such an onslaught, but he desperately needed his power to fight and his power couldn�t be in two spots at once� or could he?

Just as she had access to his power, he had access to hers. She�d already handed him a portion of it and it was therefore �with� him, though it was still distinctly �hers� in flavour and feel.

What if he and Karin could �switch� places?

He couldn�t create illusions, nor could he hide the way Ajuga could, but he did have one unorthodox way of camouflaging his reiatsu and he wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it sooner. Grimmjow quickly pulled on Karin�s power, drawing as much of it into himself as he could. Karin reacted the only way she could, and immediately pulled more of his energy to her to compensate. At first, he felt his mate�s panic and a little betrayal, but Szayel spoke rapidly to her and once he�d finished, she stopped resisting. Instead, she worked on evening out the flow of reiatsu, until they were trading it in equal measure.

He kept it up, swathing her reiatsu around him like a cloak. The reiatsu trade would fool even an Arrancar with Starrk�s sharp nose, which was exactly what he wanted. Flexing his claws, he grinned at her, and then whirled around to find Ichigo and Aizen in a struggle to remove each other�s limbs. Neither of them paid him any attention as he used Sonido to position himself and to try to avoid tripping over rubble. He only had a small window of time, maybe a half-a-minute at the most, to act before Aizen decided to go on the offensive and attack �him� pre-emptively.

When Aizen took two steps back and made a quarter turn to avoid the black blade and its chain, he decided that it was as good a chance as he was going to get. Grimmjow struck, stabbing at Aizen�s back with all of his strength. His claws made a hole through his foe�s back, his ribcage and probably a lung, which collapsed when the Espada�s hand punched through to the other side. He even managed to wriggle his fingers, an attempt to get Ichigo�s attention, mostly to keep the hybrid from mistakenly lopping off his hand.

It worked, far better than Grimmjow expected. For a second, both he and Aizen remained locked together, equally taken aback at the results. Aizen hadn�t even turned around when Grimmjow�s claws pierced him, but then, why would he? His mate wasn�t strong enough to harm Aizen, and she was unarmed to boot. Frankly, Grimmjow hadn�t been certain he could pierce Aizen�s defences in the first place, but it had been an idea worth trying. His gamble, in turn, had paid off handsomely. Aizen froze, and then lowered his head to look down in confusion at the bloody claws protruding from his chest.

Then Ichigo brought Zangetsu around in a vertical downward slash, slicing Aizen open from left shoulder blade to right hip, narrowly missing the Espada�s forearm.

�Fuck, Kurosaki! Don�t take my hand off, dammit!� Grimmjow snarled as he leaped backwards. A quick count of his claws told him he�d barely avoided the worst. Ichigo hadn�t been as lucky, as there was no way the hybrid could dodge the resulting blood splash at such a close range.

�Take one for the team, my ass!� the other said, his voice a low, menacing warble. Nevertheless, Grimmjow knew the jerk had to be grinning at him behind that mask of his.

Time seemed to slow as Ichigo flicked his wrist, scattering red droplets in a wide arc across the ruined courtyard. Maybe it was a side effect of the barrier�s dissipation, but a hush fell over the combatants as well, the air almost too thick to carry any sound but one: a thin, glass-like �ping-ping-ping.� It accompanied the movement of a small, glowing orb as it dropped to the stone pavers, bouncing a few times before momentum sent it rolling away from its former host and his attackers. Grimmjow had aimed true. His hand had dislodged the jewel from the man�s innards and Ichigo had finished the job of gouging the thing out with Zangetsu�s blade. All eyes followed it until it came to rest next to at a pair of feet. A moment later, a hand reached down and plucked it from the stones.

Karin held the Hogyoku in her grasp, staring intently at the jewel while Szayel murmured half-heard instructions into her ear. It was power in its most concentrated form. It had given Aizen god-like abilities and had helped create a higher order of rational Hollows from the raw material of Hueco Mundo. She could feel the whispers of the souls within it, warped beyond all individual recognition, its raw potential both beyond imagining and infinitely heartbreaking. If she looked hard enough, she could see the structure of the reishi inside, straining against the pattern into which its maker had locked it.

Closing her eyes, Karin clenched her fist around it, fascinated and sickened. How many people had died because Aizen had wanted to get his hands on this beautiful, awful bauble?

�Too many. Far too many.�

�Give it here, Karin-chan and I might spare your pet and mate the punishment they deserve,� Aizen ordered coldly. Karin marvelled at his audacity; he spoke as if he didn�t have a gaping hole in his chest and a deep wound to his midsection, courtesy of her brother. He even had the gall to take a step towards her before Ichigo blocked him with Zangetsu.

�His arrogance knows no bounds,� she thought with a great deal of disgust.

At Aizen�s brief advance, Szayel moved slightly behind Karin, as if the human woman could somehow save him from the monster�s wrath. It wasn�t a bad assumption on the scientist�s part, since he�d told her of his plans. Still, he hadn�t fled, despite his fear. She supposed that it was time to play her part. Karin raised her head and glared back at her captor� no, former captor and rotated the Hogyoku between her thumb and forefinger.

�Fuck. You. Aizen.�

She bit out each word as she palmed the thing. Aizen must have figured out what she was going to do, because his smirk vanished�just as the jewel in her cupped hand shattered.

Karin wasn�t entirely certain what would happen when she �undid� the thing, tearing each strand from the one next to it. If it exploded, there was no help for it, but it wasn�t as if she had a choice. Once she�d taken possession of it though, she could tell that the Hogyoku itself wanted nothing more than to disappear. It was just as much a slave to Aizen as the denizens of the Seireitei had become and if it did have the sort of awareness that Szayel claimed it did, per the notes he�d found, its components deserved their freedom too. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she pulled and pushed, manipulating the little thing until it gave way. The tightly wound reishi that formed the orb came undone like a ball of yarn unravelled. Once she�d started, she found she couldn�t stop. Five seconds after she�d begun, the object that had once been the source of Aizen�s overwhelming power dissolved in a shower of sparks. They winked out, one by one, as they fell from her fingers.

Maybe it was her imagination, but she could have sworn she felt a sigh of gratitude as the reishi escaped its hated confines.

�NO! You bitch! You interfering BITCH!!!�

Aizen howled at the sight of his immortality vanishing. Karin�s legs suddenly felt watery and she tried very hard not to think about what would have happened if she hadn�t been able to tease the Hogyoku apart like a troublesome knot. Her tormentor might have already taken the thing back from her, despite Ichigo and Grimmjow standing in the way. A pair of hands caught her from behind, keeping her upright and she spared a faint �thanks� to the scientist. She also quelled the urge to yell at him. Szayel had been banking on a wild card, her reishi-manipulating abilities, to solve this problem for the Escapees. When this was all over, she vowed to talk to him about making such dangerous assumptions.

Then again, the proud grin her mate gave her only grew larger when she followed up the Hogyoku�s destruction with a middle-fingered salute. Karin threw the disdainful gesture in Aizen�s rage-twisted face, trying to display as much confidence as she could muster. While he still had his Zanpakuto, Aizen no longer had the power of high-speed regeneration and he�d taken heavy damage thanks to her mate and her brother. He ought to have been face-down on the stone pavers.

�Do you think this is enough to stop me?� Aizen demanded with a hysterical laugh and indicated his chest. �Me, who tore down the very heavens to take the Spirit King�s Throne? Even before the Hogyoku gave me what I wanted, not one of you worms could stand before me!�

His eyes were wild now, darting from Karin to Ichigo to Grimmjow. Karin thought she saw beads of sweat breaking out on his increasingly red forehead.

�That�s the difference, Aizen,� Ichigo spoke up, the hybrid returning to his human state as he spoke. Grimmjow moved to stand beside him, putting a united front between the dictator and Karin lest Aizen make a go for her. She knew Grimmjow loved her and that he considered her strong, but even a wounded Aizen would be too much for her. The way his shoulders hunched mirrored the guilt she felt coming from him, especially as he looked her over. Karin could only imagine what was going through his mind, but now wasn�t the time to deal with it.

�You�re not just fighting one of us. You�re fighting all of us.�

Ichigo�s voice no longer had that frightening, distorted quality to it. His horned mask, the white, black and red trappings of his ultimate Hollowfied form faded. The dual blades disappeared and then reappeared in his right hand as the familiar black sword she�d first seen him wield when she was still a child. While he lowered his weapon, it was evident that he no longer considered Aizen a threat worthy of his full power.

The rest of their allies proceeded to touch down at various strategic points in the courtyard or finished mopping up what passed for resistance from the Palace�s guards. The Arrancar still standing waited to see what would happen next, unsure of what to do now that the tide of battle had turned in the renegade�s favour. Renji had killed two of his three opponents and the third dangled upside down, squeezed by Zabimaru�s coils. An open set of large fangs hovered next to the Hollow�s inverted face, poised to end him if he tried to use a Cero. Rukia had transformed the two door sentries into a pair of lovely ice sculptures with matching terrified expressions. Moreover, the violet-eyed woman hardly had a hair out of place. She wasn�t certain if the Shinigami had let them live or not. If she had, Karin doubted they were all that comfortable in their icy prisons.

Her brother�s self-assured assessment helped bolster her own.

�It is over! You lost! You will never touch another person against their will again!� she declared through her teeth and held up the hand she�d used to destroy the Hogyoku to make her point. Only now did Aizen seem to realize the scope of the forces aligned against him. His posture shifted to that of a cornered rat, all teeth and bristling fury as he continued to bleed, shaking a painfully-swollen fist at all of them.

�Maybe,� the fallen god snarled, �but you will always remember how it feels to have my cock inside of you!� Then his gaze shifted to Szayel, �and you�ll never be free of those scars! This is hardly the end of me! I will make you suffer,� he raged at the rest of the observers, �and when I recover, Karin, the pain I will inflict upon you will make what I did to my favourite toys��

Something hot, blue and bright flashed uncomfortably close to Karin�s temple, ruffling the dark strands that had escaped the ruins of her elaborate braid. It had been close enough as it streaked past for her to feel its sizzle on her cheek. The bolt struck the tyrant�s chest, just above the hole Grimmjow had put in him and its energy moved outward from the point of impact. It consumed its target in an ever-widening ring, swallowing the madman�s rant along with the last of his screams when he grasped what was happening to him. The fire devoured everything that was Aizen, down to the smallest decoration on Kyoka Suigetsu�s scabbard and the last bit of metal of Aizen�s drawn Zanpakuto.

Karin gasped at the sight. This wasn�t the purification she�d seen Renji perform on the Arrancar guard. There was no sense of a multitude of souls set free. Instead, her sight showed her something else, a kind of destruction that went beyond anything a Shinigami could manage. There was no ash left for the breeze to scatter and Karin couldn�t help feeling somewhat horrified when the licking blue flames swallowed what was left of him, flesh breaking down into compounds and compounds to molecules and from there�

�to nothing at all.

No one spoke as the enormity of what had just happened dawned on both sides. Ichigo and Grimmjow continued to stare blankly at the blood-stained spot where Aizen had stood just moments before, then at one another. Renji and Rukia�s equally dumbfounded expressions told her that this might have been as much of a surprise to them as it was to her. Szayel made a small noise behind her and when she turned to regard him, she found the scientist resting his chin on his hand, elbow supported by his forearm and a contemplative look on his face. His golden eyes were on a white-clad figure a short distance away.

�Well I�ll be damned,� he murmured. �Fascinating��

His words served to break the spell that entrapped the lot of them. As one, they set their sights on the archer, body half-in and half-out of the thin shadow cast by the western courtyard wall. The bright blue bow slowly evaporated, the light coalescing around a silver pentacle dangling just below the cuff on the executioner�s right hand.

Karin finally managed to draw a breath, and then another. There would be no hope of reincarnation, no second chance for a soul as evil and corrupt as him.

Aizen Sousuke, traitor, usurper and monster, was gone forever.

Sorry for the delay, not feeling good. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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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