The Protector

04 - Hybrid

A month passed.

Ookami watched in the mirror as the due bump was still invisible. Nothing really had changed in his abs. He closed the jacket and sighed. His mating season had ended almost immediately thanks to the baby. He briefly wondered if it was a girl or a boy, if it was an Arrancar, just like himself, or more Shinigami, because of the father's genes...

Those were not really important questions, but he was curious... He wanted to know, to hold him or her... To tell his mate.

A month had passed since seeing him. A long, painful month.

In which Aizen-sama kept asking if his mating season had begun. In which his morning sickness ended. In which he desired to see his mate... In which he devoted himself to protect his unborn and to train carefully.

The signature knock came and he left the bathroom. Gin entered, nodding.

"A meetin', Ookami."

The Espada left the comfort of his room and the Shinigami followed him. With every other Arrancar, Gin dutifully lead them if he had to fetch them... But with Ookami, he let the Espada lead. It spoke of such trust that he felt like telling him about the baby. But then... His protective instinct kicked in and he almost wanted to kill everyone breathing around and escape Las Noches.

They entered the Throne room. Starrk, Lilynette, Ulquiorra, Harribel and Grimmjow nodded at him respectfully. Each had a different reason to. The latter, for example, had begun doing so from the execution attempt by the hands of the loyal dog, Tousen. That, by the way, had gone from glaring to seething at his mere presence. Poor puppy.

He took his seat, at its side Aizen-sama was smiling... Maybe he was trying to be seductive, but he almost shivered in disgust. Instead, he answered to the try of a flirt by scratching his neck. A sign of embarrassment, he'd learned.

"My Espada." Aizen-sama stood. "The time has come to move. I have a mission for many of you." Ookami crossed his arms and closed his eyes, focusing on not reacting, whatever this was about. "Luppi, Anteror, Grimmjow, Yammy and Wonderweiss will attack the town. Precisely, a certain training area dug under a shop." He clenched his jaw, that wasn't visible. "Meanwhile, from Soul Society, Inoue Orihime will be on her way to help her friends. She is our real objective. Ulquiorra will convince her to join us, he already knows how. Ookami will have his eyes on the attacking party to report everything to me. Once he receives the okay by Ulquiorra, you are to come back without making a fuss." He looked meaningfully at everyone. "Being him the 0 Espada, you know that he can order you and you will have to obey."

They silently nodded, some not really willingly or pleased. Ookami sighed silently and opened his eyes. The others were looking at him, as if expecting something. He didn't want to talk.

He had to.

"You're free to fight as much as you want. The point of the mission is to retrieve the complete submission of the healer girl." He had nothing more to say.

That sufficed. The appointed Arrancar's smirked mischievously. Aizen-sama nodded, satisfied, and dismissed them. Ookami stood, and then the party did, too. He left the room, going outside of the building.

He really did not like talking... "Ulquiorra, keep a Garganta opened on the passage from Soul Society to the Human world and wait for her to appear." The Espada did as told and sat in front of the portal. "I'll open a Garganta directly in the underground training area. Be ready."

As they nodded and prepared without even a breath of defiance, he opened the Garganta and preceded them through it. It was a wide space entirely dug in the dirt. It didn't even seem real, but the ones that had growled at their arrival were enough of a proof.