Prize of Victory

Warnings: Attempted rape and an emotional Grimmjow


Karin focused on the target, planning her attack before going in. Her swordsmanship still left something to be desired. In fact, she was damn sure Yuzu would be better at it then her.

The weapon felt heavy and awkward. She was damn convinced that a sword was most definitely not going to be her weapon of choice, but Ukitake and Nanao had both said that training with the blade was part of the path of obtaining her own Zanpakuto.

“Or is it? She questioned, bringing her body to a stop and staring at the blade.

She knew she felt something when she practiced her Jinzen, and weather or not she remembered the weapon or not didn’t seem to affect the results of her meditation. Perhaps she was going about this all wrong, after all she technically wasn’t a Shinigami anyway.

From what she had learned her ability to actually SEE reiatsu was never heard of before, nor were others able to fuse it with objects at a touch. Frowning, she set the blade aside and instead concentrated her reiatsu into her fist.

She went at the targets again, this time using the hand fighting style Grimmjow had been ‘teaching’ her, although it was more like hammering and she was convinced the only reason he was teaching her hand fighting at all was so he could rub his body against her and cop feels under the pretence of training.

She smiled satisfied as her fist smashed through the targets without even rubbing her skin. She fused some into her feet as well and watched satisfied as a solid kick left a large hole in one of the target.

She destroyed the last three with a quick burst of Kido, staring at the destruction in satisfaction. Her satisfaction didn’t last long, for there was no one to congratulate her on a job well done.

Grimmjow had left yesterday for some mission Aizen had sent him on and was expected back sometime today. It was the first time she had ever slept in their bed alone and after four hours of tossing and turning she had crawled into her old bed in Yuzu’s room.

He had gone on missions before of course, but that was before they had started their relationship and they had become considerably less frequent over the years as things settled down.

Sighing, she walked around the clearing to let her body cool down, letting her reiatsu flow return to normal. Satisfied, she headed towards the house to take a shower, pausing when she sensed three sources of unknown reiatsu in her house, in the kitchen, with Yuzu. A second later her sister cried out and the sound of glass shattering reached her ears.

Karin quickly drew her reiatsu about her and charged into the house. One was standing by the kitchen door and didn’t even get a chance to look her way before her foot slammed into his side, sending him flying through the walls.

The two in the kitchen turned to face her. One had Yuzu pinned against the counter, the top half of her shirt ripped off while the other leered from his position leaning against a wall.

The one she had kicked through the wall was already storming back in. All three of them easily out powered her. She acted quickly, tossing out binding spells at all three. Gathering her reiatsu completely around her body, she rushed forward and grabbed Yuzu before literally diving through the kitchen wall, using her own body to shield her sister.

Yuzu screamed in terror as they went through the wall and came rolling out on the grass of the backyard. Karin wasted no time dragging them both quickly to their feet and pushed Yuzu forward ahead of her.

“Run!” She screamed.

The three, now very pissed, Arrancar had already broken the weak binding spells and were climbing out of the hole she had made. Yuzu made to run, but one of them almost seemed to disappear before appearing in front of Yuzu once more and snagging her.

Karin could see the trail of his reiatsu so she knew it wasn’t some form of teleportation, but it moved far too fast for her to even dream of keeping up with. This was the first time she had actually ‘seen’ an Arrancar launch into a Sonido.

“What have we got here? Another little un-Claimed bitch? Today must be our lucky day. I thought all the broads in this shit hole Aizen-kami dragged us to were already snatched.” The one with black hair said.

Karin labelled him as the leader. The one holding Yuzu had blond hair while the other one had some sort of almost purplish hair.

Purple suddenly disappeared from normal sight and acting instinctively, Karin kicked out behind her, pleased when she felt her foot connect. She spun about and kicked him a second time, this time sending him back into the fence.

Acting quickly she tossed another binding spell on Purple while she shot three quick Kido burst at Leader. He snorted and blocked with a single hand. The fourth blast, while looking the same as the others, exploded into smoke when he blocked, getting a curse out of him.

Karin acted quickly while his vision was still obscured, running to one of the small boulders that lined the garden, fused her reiatsu into it, and launched it at the distracted Arrancar.

The smoke cleared just in time for her to get a nice view as it slammed into his face, knocking him down with the force and leaving a mark that was sure to bruise later. Blondy tossed her sister aside and charged her.

“Run!” Karin ordered her again.

Yuzu didn’t move, laying where she landed with a dazed look in her eyes.

“Shit, there is too much high powered reiatsu here. It is paralyzing her.” Karin realized.

She gathered her reiatsu into a solid shield on her forearm and blocked the punch Blondy threw at her. The force shattered her shield but her arm remained unharmed. She retaliated with a solid kick to the groin.

That sent him screaming to the ground. Purple had already broken the binding and was gathering reiatsu of his own.

“Shit.” She cursed aloud.

Recognizing the pattern she barely had enough time to dodge to the side as half the house was destroyed by a Cero. She summoned a reiatsu shield around her to protect her from the flying debris. Thankfully, Yuzu was out of the blast range.

She heard a static sound that had accompanied the other two’s fast moving pace and barely started her turn when a kick to her back sent her flying face first into a near by tree. Leader was right behind her, grabbing one of her hands and pinning it against the tree.

She rewarded his closeness with a reiatsu fused elbow to the ribs, earning a grunt from him and maybe even bruising a rib, but hardly dislodging him. He caught her other hand and pinned them together against the tree, pressing his body against hers to keep her chest and legs pinned and to prevent any other form of retaliation.

“Bloody Bitch.” He growled. “About time someone teaches you some manners.”

“What about this one?” Blondy asked, once more holding Yuzu up.

“You can have that one.” Leader sniffed. “This one is actually far more interesting, and the un-Claimed bitch we initially scented.”

Karin was terrified, not for herself, but for what they would do to Yuzu. She deliberately flared her reiatsu like a firework, hoping someone would come to investigate, preferably Ukitake-san or maybe even Starrk-san.

“I would let me go if I were you.” She said far more calmly than she felt. “don’t show them fear. They fed on fear. I am not afraid. I WILL get us out of this.” She chanted to herself while struggling against his vice like grip.

Leader changed his grip so her wrists were in one hand and brushed her hair to one side to reveal her neck.

“First thing I will teach you after I am done with you is proper manners.” Leader growled.

He used his free hand to slash the belt holding her training hakama up so they fell to the ground around her feet. Behind her she heard more ripping cloth and Yuzu cried out in fear.

Rage overcame her terror and she slammed the back of her head into his, causing his grip to loosen just enough she got one arm free and used it to blast Blondy from Yuzu.

Blondy and Leader cursed while Purple laughed. Her action was rewarded by him slamming her head against the tree again, dazing her for a moment.

“Get that bitch under control.” Blondy snarled.

“Shut it, or I’ll Claim them both and leave you with none.” Leader snapped irritably. “A pity this well actually be pleasurable for you bitch,” he snarled while tearing her underwear off, “because if I had my way I would make this hurt as much as…..”

His sentence never finished. Something wet soaked her back shortly before she felt a very familiar, very pissed off, reiatsu wash over her.

The hands holding her wrists loosened and she jerked them free, elbowing Leader once more in the side and turning around just in time to watch him fall to the ground with a gapping hole in his chest.

The other two stared at their fallen comrade in horror before their eyes darted to the one who had killed him.

“What the fuck you pussy ants doing to my property?” Grimmjow snarled.

If he was pissed the first time they were attacked, there was no describing what he was now. The reiatsu he was unleashing practically tasted like fury and something else. She was too worried about Yuzu to analyze it now.

With both Arrancar now staring at Grimmjow in abject terror, her kick to Blondys face to get him back off of her sister wasn’t met with any resistance.

Yuzu was sobbing and still paralyzed under the heavy weight of reiatsu, but seemed to be alright otherwise. Blondy and Purple were jabbering for their lives, but Karin paid it no mind, pulling at what remained of her sister’s clothing to better cover her.

There was the sound of blood curling screams and bones being crunched from behind her, and she didn’t dare look. When the sounds finally ended she helped Yuzu to her feet to get her back into the house and shielding her view from the mangled beyond recognition corpses.

With most of the reiatsu now extinguished, Yuzu was able to walk on her own once more, be it very unsteadily.

“Yuzu, think you can make it to your room and get dressed?” Karin asked softly once they reached the door to what remained of the house.

Grimmjow’s reiatsu still hadn’t subsided and she could still feel the rage boiling in it.

Yuzu gave her head a sharp nod and headed through the hole in the house to try and get to her room and clothing. Karin just hoped the house would stay stable enough for them to grab a change of clothing. It looked like the cero had taken off the kitchen side and not the bedroom side.

Water was gushing from broken veins and she could now see the house across from theirs was also sporting a nice hole.

She was about to turn and face him when she felt him gather her up and she let out a surprised cry as her world suddenly blurred. It lasted barely a fraction of a second and for a moment she thought she had just blanked out, but they were definitely in their room now.

She didn’t even get to ask him what that was before he dropped her stomach first onto the bed and draped his body possessively over hers. He quickly removed the last piece of her clothing before his mouth assaulted her shoulders like a starved man getting his first meal.

“Fear.” Karin suddenly realized in shock as the other emotion in his reiatsu suddenly became clear.

His hands left her body only long enough to discard his own clothing before he was rubbing against her again. She was so shocked by the discovery of his fear that at first she didn’t realize it.

“Wait a moment. His reiatsu hasn’t subsided and is starting to gather.”

Her eyes widened in horror and she quickly tried to twist under him.

“Grimmjow, wait.” She cried. “He is planning to Claim me.” She realized in shock.

He ignored her.

“Please, stop. Wait a minute. I don’t think I am ready for this.” She begged frantically.

He did pause, but still made no sound. She managed to twist under him so she was on her back beneath him. His eyes for the first time ever terrified her. They were almost feral like.

“Please. Just calm down.” She whispered, trying to calm herself down as well. “I am here, nothing happened, please.”

She rubbed her hands along his arms, trying to sooth him and herself.

“I should have done this the first time your reiatsu attracted attention.” He growled.

Her eyes widened in shock. She had drawn them in? She was the reason they had attacked her sister and her?

“Of course. Starrk-san mentioned something along those lines. It’s my fault Yuzu was attacked.” She realized in horror.

His hands grasped her hips with the intent to flip her over once more.

“Wait.” She cried. “Please, just wait a minute.”

The thought of being Claimed terrified her. To lose all control over her own freedom was something she feared more than death. She needed more time to come to terms with the idea of it.

“I will Claim you.” He promised.

“I think I am pregnant.” She blurted, the sentence coming out before her brain even computed it.

The result was they were both frozen in place. Even as she questioned what the seven hells had caused her to blurt something like that, she realized it was a fear she had been harbouring for a while. From her inability to handle eggs on random occasions to the fact she still hadn’t come onto her cycle a full month later.

He suddenly pulled away from her body and walked to the closet, tossing her the Yukata Yuzu had insisted she keep.

“Put that on.” He ordered.

Nodding, she quickly pulled the clothing on while he redressed himself. They gathered Yuzu, who seemed to have recovered from the ordeal already and was more concerned over her sister than herself, and headed towards where she knew Ukitake-san’s place was.

Grimmjow shared a quick conversation with Starrk neither sister could hear before ordering Yuzu to stay and picking Karin up. This time she caught the change to his reiatsu and was able to brace herself before the world blurred.

He set her down outside a large, wooden, open gate with the Kanji for 4 emblazoned on it. She followed him in, wondering where the hell they were.

Shinigami wearing aqua blue sashes over their uniforms ran every which way. She noticed they were quick to get out of his way and never looked at him directly.

“Grimmjow-sama, what may we do for you?” A blonde haired man wearing glasses asked as they entered the main building.

While it was clear there was a respectable amount of fear coming from this man, he was the only one brave enough to speak to them.

“I want that pet of Aizen’s to look her over.” Grimmjow snorted, pointing a finger her way.

The man looked shocked and Karin wondered what Grimmjow meant by ‘pet of Aizen’s.’

“She doesn’t seem to be seriously injured. Unohana-taichou…..”

“Will see to her.” Grimmjow barked, interrupting the man.

Glasses cringed and started to sweat nervously. Karin was almost positive he even wet himself.

“Right… well…. um… let me lead you to an examination room and I will let Unohana-taichou know about your request.” Glasses bowed.

“If she doesn’t show up in five minutes, the division will have to rebuild the whole wing.” He threatened.

His reiatsu had mostly calmed down, but she could still feel the anger in it with a healthy trace of fear. It was no wonder he was snappy. She was positive fear was not something Grimmjow was familiar with. It was somewhat nice to know that fear was for HER.

“He almost lost me.” She realized. “Granted I am sure he could have still killed them and the Claim would have broken anyway, but we still could have been killed and he wouldn’t even know about it until after he got home.”

Glasses led them to a typical examination room and promised to let Unohana-taichou know they were waiting for her before closing the door behind him, leaving them in awkward silence.

Grimmjow’s body was still ridged and she was reminded of a cat ready to attack or defend itself. She swore she could see all of his hair standing on end, even the small ones on his arm.

She didn’t trust herself to speak, and feeling still stressed herself, she brushed her reiatsu against his gently. Like any agitated cat, his gaze snapped to her in surprise at the contact.

She brushed her reiatsu against his several more times, like stroking the fur, and ever so slowly his posture relaxed.

“I am here. I am safe.” She mentally thought at both of them to ease their frazzled nerves. “Nothing happened. Everything is alright. Everything is going to be alright.”

Because she was on high alert she absently followed Glasses reiatsu as he walked towards the one she knew had to be Unohana based on the power; a power that was even greater then Grimmjow’s by a fair amount.

It actually confused her, for she knew that was the feeling of a Shinigami, and thus one of the taichou. So why was there no other reiatsu surrounding hers? Why was this clearly powerful person un-Claimed?

She watched as Unohana’s reiatsu approached them and sat up straight just before the woman knocked on the door and entered. Grimmjow actually jerked a bit and she brushed her own reiatsu against his one last time before reigning it in.

“Grimmjow-san.” Unohana greeted him politely. “My associate informed me you wished to see me, but you appear to be rather unharmed.”

“I am fine.” He grunted. “She’s the one that needs to be seen to and I don’t trust any of your other pussies to answer the question right.” He grunted.

“I see.” Unohana turned to face her. “If I am not mistaken, despite the fact you have grown considerably in the last several year, are you not Kurosaki Karin?” Unohana asked.

“Yes.” Karin answered.

Unohana nodded.

“Grimmjow-san, may I ask that you please wait outside.” Unohana requested.

He looked about to argue, but the woman sent him a smile that sent the hairs down Karin’s neck into flight and Grimmjow retreated without a single word. Judging by the position of his reiatsu, Karin figured he was leaning against the wall right outside the door.

“I can see you have been in a fight, but you hardly seem injured enough to demand my attention.” Unohana commented.

“It wasn’t Grimmjow that did this.” Karin was quick to clarify. “And you are right, I don’t think he brought me here for these. I….. he was going to Claim me and I panicked and sort of blurted out that I think I am pregnant.” She admitted sheepishly.

That did earn a shocked look out of the woman.

“And why do you believe that, or was it a desperate plea to get him to stop?” Unohana asked.

“It’s something that has actually been scratching at my conscious for a while. My father was a Doctor and we ran our own clinic. I am over a month late and Yuzu has just started hers up again. We have always been synced since day one, and even if we were no longer synced it’s still been over a month.

“At first I thought it was impossible. I know you can skip it under times of stress. I mean, we are not technically even the same species. I never even considered the thought I could get pregnant.”

“I see.” Unohana frowned. “May I ask how sexually active you have been?” The woman asked while walking to one of the cabinets.

“In the last several months the only times we HAVEN’T were when I was on my cycle and the one week I spent with Ukitake-san.” Karin answered truthfully.

Unohana actually paused what she was doing to look at her.

“It wasn’t forced if that’s what you are thinking. I agreed to share his bed in exchange for keeping my sister safe. Just…” Karin sighed. “Somewhere along the way the lines changed. This is the second time he’s saved us now, and I can‘t ignore that.”

“Continue.” Unohana bid as she measured and poured some liquid into a beaker when Karin stopped talking.

“What more can I say. I panicked and blurted out I might be pregnant when he was about to Claim me and he stopped and brought me here.” Karin stared at the wall where she knew he was standing. “I wonder if he can hear us.” She mused.

“Our conversation will be kept quite.” Unohana commented, as if reading her thoughts. “These walls are built so no sound lower than a scream can escape the rooms.”

“Oh. That’s kind of cool.”

Unohana returned to her side with a needle and the beaker of liquid on a push trolley. Without needing to be told Karin offered her an arm, pumping her fist a few times until a vein was presented. She watched dispassionately as the needle sunk into her arm and drew out a small amount of blood into the attached vial.

She held the swab Unohana handed her over the small puncture as the woman withdrew the needle, depositing the gathered blood into the beaker.

“There have been no cases of cross race pregnancies as of yet.” Unohana commented, picking up a glass stirring rod and stirring the blood around the beaker. “How about your sister?” She asked.

“Yuzu? She’s fine. Scared after the attack but who wouldn’t be?”

“Is there any chance she might have been Claimed?”

“No. I would know if she had been.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very.” Karin assured her. “I can….. see reiatsu.” She admitted reluctantly. “Which reminds me, I know about the law saying all Taichou class and above need to be Claimed, so why aren’t you?” She asked confused.

Unohana paused in her stirring and shot her gaze up to her in pure surprise.

“You mean you can physically SEE reiatsu? As in the flow and pattern of it?” Unohana asked to clarify.

“Yeah. I mean, I was able to tell right away that Ukitake-taichou was Claimed by Starrk-san, even though I didn’t know what I was seeing at the time. So how come you aren’t?”

Unohana smiled sadly.

“I have been ‘Claimed’ by Aizen-kami. As he is not a Hollow he can not bind me like they can.” She answered.

“Oh. Sorry.” Karin mumbled, looking down at her arm.

Unohana finished stirring and tapped the glass stirring stick on the side of the jar once before setting it down. Karin’s eyes stared glued at the liquid as it ever so slowly turned green. She stared at it as if not seeing it.

“Karin-san….”

“I know.” She murmured, still staring at the green tinted liquid and feeling like she had been dumped in a bucket of ice water.

“If you do not wish to keep the child….” Unohana started.

Karin shook her head before the woman could finish speaking.

“It is not my place to make such a call on my own.” She interrupted. “This child is as much his as it is mine.”

Unohana nodded in understanding.

“Would you mind if I give you a full physical since you are here?”

“No.” Karin agreed.

“Is there a chance your sister could be pregnant?”

“No. I am the only one active and I would have sensed another’s reiatsu on hers.”

Silence.

“So, I guess I am the first confirmation, huh?” Karin chuckled, suddenly finding the situation amusing. “Do I win a prize or something? Free baby clothes and food for a year maybe?”

“I’ll see if I can work something out.” Unohana smiled up at her.

Karin sighed and went through the motions as Unohana gave her a full physical, letting her thoughts wonder.

What would she do if Grimmjow decided he didn’t want the child? Would the Claiming affect the child in anyway? Was she even ready to be a Mother? She was only sixteen!

She rested a hand on her still flat stomach. A part of her wanted to take the easy way out, just abort. The other reminded her that the child she carried wasn’t hers alone, and the father had a right in the decision.

“When I offered myself to him it never even crossed my mind for a second that I could get pregnant. I mean, technically he’s dead and I am still alive and….” She dropped that thought quickly before the thought of necrophilia could jump into her brain.

“All done.” Unohana smiled at her. “You seem completely healthy. I would like to see you in a month though if possible. We have no records of a Hollow impregnating another and I would like to monitor the situation.”

“I think I can convince Grimmjow to let me come back.”

Unohana nodded.

“Well, being the daughter of a doctor I trust I don’t need to read you the riot act?”

“No. I will make sure to get a message out if I have any complications.” She promised.

“Then there is nothing more I can do for you. Would you like me to send Grimmjow-san in on my way out?”

“Yes, Thank you.” Karin offered the woman a bow from the cot she was sitting on.

Unohana left, and a moment later Grimmjow walked in. He definitely seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she could tell his ‘fur’ was still standing on end.

“Well?”

She gave her head a nod. The room remained silent for a few minutes.

“What do you want to do?” She finally asked him.

He looked at her surprised.

“This child is half yours. It isn’t my right to decide for the both of us. You have a say as well of course.” She looked at him in apprehension, awaiting his decision.

“Keep it.” He grunted.

She felt relief wash over her body and she gave her head a short nod.

“Then I shall. Unohana-san said I am the first case to come up so far and she would like to monitor my progress.”

He gave his head a nod. They fell into awkward silence.

“You sure gave those three a good denting. Had it been one on one you might have even beat them.” He complimented.

“Thanks.” She smiled, feeling that warm feeling she always got when he complimented her. “Thank you. For earlier.”

“They shouldn’t touch what is mine.” He snarled.

She shook her head. “Thank you for that too, but I meant for stopping. When I asked you too.”

He seemed surprised but nodded.

“I would like to talk to Ukitake-san or Orihime. Please?” She begged.

He nodded again and she followed him out of the room to see Unohana waiting patiently in the hallway.

“I will keep the child. When did you want to see me again?” Karin asked.

“In a month unless anything strange comes along. If so, please do not hesitate to come get me.”

“We won’t.” Karin promised.

The walk back to Ukitake’s place was silent, but her mind whirled about in turmoil. She had so much to talk about and she needed to speak to someone in the know. Someone who would understand her fears.

Next chapter: half of this chapter but from Grimmjow's emotional POV, which is why I'll probably post it quickly as the two chapters go together.

/love those that took the time to review. Regrettably, Byakuya doesn't have an easy time at first, but things well look up for him. As I said in the first chapter; this story contains very dark moments and I will NOT be offended if people skip those chapters. Byakuya starts crossing paths with Karin a lot more in the future.