Prize of Victory

This chapter has been expanded to take into account the new story.

Warnings: None


Defeat

When Orihime came to her entire body was sore and there was a wetness between her legs. Something, or someone, was curled up behind her with an arm holding her in place.

The memories came back far too quickly and in a panic she flung her reiatsu out to find her friends. All were accounted for, distant and faint but unmistakably there. She almost cried in relief but was stopped when her reiatsu was violently reigned in against her will.

She let out a gasp of shock and tried to bolt upright, but the arm holding her tightened and kept her in place. She did manage to twist about until she was face to face with the one holding her captive.

He was no longer in his any of his resurrection forms and she realized with a petrified blush he was just as naked as she was. She opened her mouth several times, but words failed her as she tried to comprehend what had happened.

She felt different, almost restrained in a way. She could almost feel the strings tying them together and it terrified her as well as comforted her at the same time. Everything was a well of confusion and finally she managed to force a few words out of her mouth.

“What have you done to me?” She demanded in a hoarse whisper.

Her throat was raw from the screaming she had done and her entire body and mind felt numb, as if unable to process what had happened to it.

“I have Claimed that which is my right.” He answered monotonously.

“Why?” She asked.

“It is my right.” He answered.

“No other reason?” She asked, feeling her heart fall and the numbness spread.

“Should there be?” He asked with the barest hint of confusion.

She searched his eyes, not sure herself what she was looking for. The deep emerald orbs stared back at her impassively. She dropped her gaze and tried once more to escape from his grasp.

She wanted to be anywhere but here. She wanted to be somewhere where she could cry until something, anything, made sense as to what happened. But she could not even move. It was as if her body was not her own.

“What have you done to me?” She demanded again, louder.

“I told you already.”

“No you haven’t.” She shouted. “Why can’t I move? Why do I feel so…. So… different?”

“It is the Claim.” He answered, finally permitting her to at least sit up and doing so himself.

He removed himself from the bed and she was quick to snatch a blanket to cover her body. She felt tears threaten as her mind and body slowly un-numbed. As she realized she had just been raped and her body was starting to become sore as the shock wore off.

“I have Claimed you, your soul belongs to me now. Your body is owned by me, your reiatsu is owned by me, your being is owned by me.” He explained.

She stared at him in wordless shock as she finally felt the pieces fall into place about the strange feeling in her reiatsu. She brushed a hand through her hair, and froze when she realized her hairpins were missing.

Everything else suddenly didn’t matter. In a panic she started to frantically look around, tossing the blankets aside as she searched desperately for her brothers last gift to her and the source of her powers.

Her searched ended when a fist crossed her eyesight and she stared at it in shock as the fingers unfurled to reveal both hairpins completely fine. She sighed in relief and took them, mumbling a truthful thank you and preceded to return them to their rightful places.

When she looked up again he was gone, leaving her alone in his room to agonize over what fate now had in store for her. She curled up and winced at the slight pain between her thighs.

The thought that she was no longer a virgin didn’t bother her as much as it should have. Instead she found herself wondering about his actions. The Why’s flowed through her mind a million miles a second.

Why did he rape her? Why did he do whatever it was he did to her reiatsu? Why had he spared Ichigo when he so clearly hated him? Did it have to do with his second release? Like Ichigo did he too have a sort of split personality? Did all hollows?

Her eyes turned to the unbarred window and settled on the crescent moon as she tried to work her way through everything that had happened and what it now meant for her and her future.

Her last two thoughts before the emotional drain of her whirling thoughts caused her to drift off into sleep once again were both simple and terrifying:

For some reason it was far more comforting not seeing bars over the silver moon.

Who had won the war?


When Orihime awoke again it was to more flares of Reiatsu. She felt tears well up as she realized her friends were fighting once again. There was desperation to it this time and she knew that this time the fights would end permanently.

She wanted to go to them, but she couldn’t leave the room. She had tried and each time her body had frozen at the door. At first she had thought her resolve had shattered, but after the tenth time she realized it was something else.

The door opened, taking her by surprise and she stepped back as Ulquiorra entered the room. She couldn’t help but to flinch away from him, wondering if he planned on raping her again.

When he made no motion to approach her, she felt a small bud of her courage return enough to ask the question that had been haunting her for a while.

“Why can’t I leave?” She demanded.

“It is over.” He stated calmly. “Aizen-sama has won and ascended.”

She felt a bolt run through her. Fear was the biggest pain, followed by loss. If Aizen won than that meant Karakura town was destroyed, and with it all of her human friends. Shortly after that fear was fear for herself.

If Aizen had won than he had no more use for her. She gasped suddenly as she felt several of her friends Reiatsu suddenly extinguish. The tears that had been threatening to spill came forth and she fell to the floor in grief.

She had almost forgotten she wasn’t alone.

“Enough.” Ulquiorra ordered.

She felt a pull on her reiatsu and she stopped crying despite herself.

“You said Aizen has no further use of me.” She whispered.

“Indeed.”

“Are you here to kill me?” She asked, feeling strangely calm.

“No.”

She looked back up to him in shock.

“As I said before, you are mine, as is my right. Come. Aizen-sama has summoned us.”

She forced herself to her feet and followed him out into the hall. She checked one last time for her friends reiatsu, and while a few still pulsed faintly, the rest she knew were gone forever.

The black maw of a garganta opened before them and with dragging footsteps she followed Ulquiorra through to step into the bright morning sun in Soul Society. She felt a brief hatred for the sun.

How dare the skies be so pleasant when her emotions and thoughts were in such upheaval? When so many people had just been massacred for one mans ambition?

They were on the edge of the massive city and while the city before her remained in perfect shape, behind her the runes of Karakura town smouldered. She immediately started to scan for anyone familiar, but as soon as she started she was reigned in.

“It is pointless.” Ulquiorra said from in front of her.

“Please. I must know.” She whispered in painful desperation.

“Come.” He ordered again.

Tears once more making small trails down her face, she followed him through the ruins to a clearing where several more people were gathering. She spotted a few of her friends right away, and she felt relief at the realization they were still alive.

Matsumoto was on the ground, clutching a body to her own that looked suspiciously like Gin. Orihime could see the blood streaming down his arm, but his chest still rose softly indicating he was still alive.

Not too far away from them Unohana was kneeling on the ground tending to Ukitake, whose white cloak was stained red with his own blood. Nanao was hovering over them with tears marring her own face. Starrk stood over that group, looking bored.

Her eyes shifted to the next group of wounded. Soi-Fon was glaring daggers at Barragan and his two remaining fraccion while cradling what looked like a broken arm that Yumichika was doing his best to tend to with nothing but strips of cloth from torn clothing.

Szayel arrived right behind them, as did Nnoitra and Yammy. She felt pain spike when she noticed the two bodies Yammy was carrying as he dumped them unceremoniously in the centre of the gathering group.

Renji and Byakuya were both covered in blood, but the steady rise of their chests let her know they were both still alive.

“Is this everyone?” Barragan demanded, breaking the silence first.

“Harribel and her fraccion are combing the city for any possible survivors.” Lilinette answered.

The old man grunted and silence fell over the group once more.

“Please, let me see to their injuries.” Orihime begged softly.

Ulquiorra looked back at her before giving a small nod of his head and she felt the restraint on her reiatsu loosen.

She hurried forward towards where Renji and Byakuya laid unmoving side by side. They looked the worse off. Both had blood practically caked to them and Orihime couldn’t help but to wonder how difficult it was going to be to wash that much caked blood out of Byakuya’s long hair.

“Soten Kisshun.” She whispered.

The golden shield came up around the two men and briefly she wondered if she wasn’t just wasting her time. If Aizen wouldn’t just kill them all when he arrived. She felt tears threaten once more at the thought.

The soft sound of crying broke that train of thought before she could go down it and she looked up in shock to see Harribel returning with her fraccion herding the small group of survivors.

There were three, and when the eyes of the eldest of the three fell upon her she felt so many emotions race through her she couldn’t even begin to decipher them.

“Orihime-chan.” Tatsuki cried, stumbling towards her.

Harribel’s fraccion seemed surprised, but let her go anyway as Tatsuki swept her into a hug with little to no regard for her own injuries.

“Tatsuki-chan.” She cried softly, returning the hug in shock.

Karin and Yuzu were also by her side quickly. The first looking grim while the second seemed almost catatonic.

“Have you seen him?” Karin asked.

Orihime knew who Karin was asking for of course, and shook her head in the negative. “He is still alive though.” She assured her.

“It is pleasing to see you all waiting so patiently for my return.” Aizen’s soft voice stopped any further conversation.

Orihime turned to face him and almost didn’t recognize him. White, butterfly like wings shot from his back and his eyes were black. The power radiating from him sent Yuzu into unconsciousness, and Karin and Tatsuki to their knees fighting for breath.

“This is everyone who has survived?” Aizen asked.

A course of “Yes, Aizen-sama” came from his minions.

Aizen walked amongst them, pausing before the group of humans to glance at the two woman kneeling on the ground and glaring at him.

“I am afraid you three are not familiar to me, nor do I recall seeing you at the battle.” Aizen noted.

“These are the only survivors from the town, Aizen-sama.” Harribel answered.

“There were survivors after all.” He murmured amused. “Your names, please.” He requested politely.

“Arisawa Tatsuki. Are you the one who took Orihime-chan?” Tatsuki demanded sharply, despite being unable to rise from the ground.

“I did indeed order her retrieval.” He turned his gaze to the black haired child hovering protectively over the blond haired one. “And you two are?” He asked with a soft smile of encouragement.

“Karin.” Karin answered.

“I doubt that is your full name.” Aizen noted.

Karin swallowed nervously and shot a look over at Tatsuki and Orihime.

“Your full names, please.” Aizen asked sweetly.

Closing her eyes and swallowing nervously. Karin answered.

“Kurosaki Karin.”

There was a large stirring amongst the others and Aizen’s grin widened ever so slightly in amusement.

“No doubt the younger sister of Kurosaki Ichigo. And the other girl?”

“Yuzu, my sister.” Karin answered.

“Two sisters. Intriguing. Let us finish this conversation in a more pleasant atmosphere, shall we?” Aizen turned his attention to the gathered group.


Everyone was standing now in various states of injury. Aizen had let Orihime and Unohana get everyone mobile and conscious before they were all herded to a large meeting room Karin would later learn was where the Taichou had one time held their meetings.

She had picked up a little of what was going on from Orihime and what she learned she did not like. Yuzu was still unconscious and Tatsuki had carried the blond haired twin on her back.

This left Karin free to study the strange group of men and woman and her eyes kept drifting back to the blue haired one that kept glaring at her and her sister like they had done something to offend him.

She had never met the man, creature, thing in her life so she assumed whoever he was he had a grudge against her brother. Great, just what she needed. A man with a grudge against her family.

Reports were giving by the creatures to the man called Aizen and she felt her own heart stop when she heard the reports of Ishida and Chad’s deaths and a great relief that her brothers name had been omitted from the list of confirmed dead.

“I do believe Victory has been achieved, and so I let you Claim your right to it.” He grinned pleasantly to his Espada. “But please, try not to be too greedy and keep it to no more than two a piece.”

“And if we don‘t want them?” Barragan grunted.

“Than I have no use for them. I do believe some of you have already made Claims.” His gaze turned towards Orihime before sweeping to Ulquiorra.

“Retsu, Gin, please come with me. We have much to discuss.” Aizen bade as the two he had called reluctantly followed him from the room.

Karin felt her blood run cold. There was surprisingly very little chaos over who was taking who and her gaze darted to where Tatsuki was arguing with Orihime before it was cut off by a wall of white.

Looking up she noticed the blue haired one that had been glaring at her was standing before her. She forced a lump down her throat and stood as tall as she could, barely going past his waist.

“You got a problem with me?” She asked as firmly as she could, hands clenched into fist even though she was sure her knees were shaking.

To her surprise his glower turned into a grin before he gave a bark of a laugh.

“Just thinking on how I can use you to bring that bastard brother of yours in.” He answered with a smirk.

“So what, I look like bait?” She snapped.

He let lose another bark of laughter before ordering her to pick up her dead weight sister and follow him.

She almost refused, but a glance around the room showed it was starting to empty out and the looks the few remaining were giving her left her in a far deeper fear than this one did.

Thinking of her sister’s wellbeing, she gathered Yuzu up and followed the blue haired man to the house she and her sister would be staying in for a very long time.

Next chapter: A 5 year time skip.

I have always wanted to see a fict with Karin and Grimmjow together, and somehow this just started flowing like mad. They are surprisingly very easy to work with together, far more than Karin and Toshiro let me tell you. In fact, these two are probably the easiest parring I have ever worked with.