Nanao had done a lot of things in her life that scared her. Until this moment, she would have said standing up to Yamamoto during Ichigo's break into Soul Society was the event that had terrified her the most. Now… well, it was probably still the most terrifying moment of her life for which she feared for it, but this was a close second.
She'd dated of course, but she'd never had the chance to bring any relationship past the polite talk stage. She'd been too busy with her classes and then her job, which included being a nursemaid to Shunsui, to find the time to really date. It probably didn't help that most men didn't like a woman smarter than they were, and she was far smarter than most of her colleges. She just didn't have much in common with the average person, what with being raised in the 8th Division all her life. Some days she envied the 'average' person, or at least the more outgoing ones like Rangiku.
Starrk was wide awake, the most awake she'd seen him in her short time here, as she was let into the safety cage. He looked horribly dejected though, almost pathetic one could say.
"You were not in heat when we were separated, and it has been too short of a time for you to suddenly be this deep into it," he noted.
"Hashwald did something to my stomach," she admitted, stepping into the main cage when the inner bars were unlocked.
"I see. That does explain some of the things that confused me. I was certain Shinigami only gave birth to one young at a time, yet the smallest litter I have seen is three. While it is common for us to have large litters, what with the dangers of the sands, our own race doesn't change the fact that most shinigami would only have one egg to fertilize at a time, two at most."
Her face went pale at that information. Three? And that was the smallest litter? Maybe Karin would only have one, Hashwald hadn't played with her stomach, but she was not so lucky. Canines could have anywhere from three to over a dozen! She was really starting to have more thoughts about this plan of theirs. One child she could stand, but three or more! Did Karin know about this?
"It also explains how they found so many of you in heat. I trust there is a reason you are in heat now."
She shook the horrified image of herself fat with a brood of puppies and focused on Starrk. He was sitting now, and she couldn't help her eyes drifting to his sex. The pink shaft was sticking out a little from its sheath. Despite that sign of arousal though, his grey eyes were clear as he looked at her patiently. He seemed in no danger of pouncing on her like a rabid animal.
"Yhwach is getting impatient with waiting for you to pick a woman. Either you mate now, or he will shatter your mask too," she reported calmly.
Starrk let out a sigh and laid down, his ears going flat to his head and his tail to the ground. He looked so pathetic in such a pose that she felt most of her fear melting away. He didn't look anything like a dangerous hollow at the moment, more like a puppy that had its favourite chew toy taken away. "The world is truly a cruel place," he whined pathetically.
"You are not the one expected to get pregnant," she snapped at him irritably. He cringed a little and his ears went flatter to his skull. She didn't feel sorry for him in the least. "Even considering letting you mount me is grounds for being tried for treason. I could be executed for this if we ever make it out of here and back to Soul Society."
That fear was coming back again, and she did her best to quell it. There were several choices open to her, but they all led to death. Some just came sooner and more brutally than others. She had no doubt that, by the end of a few days, she would either be killed or raped. If Starrk didn't mount her now, she knew they would pull her from this cell and give her to another now that they had wasted the energy in forcing her into her ovulation cycle.
"What if I want my mask broken?" Starrk whispered barely loud enough for her to hear. "What if I don't want to be strong?"
Nanao frowned at him, but his eyes didn't seem to be looking at her anymore, even if they were pointed in her direction. There was such pain in those sad, grey eyes that she felt her fear and anger melt away again. He looked positively wretched. Shunsui had shared with her what he knew of the Espada, and what Nanao recalled of Starrk's past was an incredibly sad one.
"If you had truly wanted that, you have had ample opportunity to let it happen," she pointed out gently while gesturing to the pit.
"True enough," he huffed. "I have always wanted children, or was that Lilinette?" he mused, raising his head to stare at the ceiling before giving it a shake. "Regardless of any threats, or physical signs of willingness," he added dryly, pulling a strained chuckle from her as they both glared at his pink tip, "I refuse to force myself on anyone. If I do mount you, it will be as mates. I will be yours and you will be mine. I will defend you and the pups lives with my own. I will share my meals, my nest, my home, and my life with yours, as I will expect you to do the same in return. I will not shelter you like a glass ornament, but I will expect you to remain in the safety of our den while you are weakened with pups and to remain by their side as a second line of defence if we were ever to come under attack. If you cannot abide, nor will abide, by those terms, I will not mate you," Starrk declared firmly with his eyes boring into her own.
It wasn't poetry and certainly wasn't anything resembling flowery or flattering speech, and yet she felt her heart swell. No one had ever expected her to stand by their side in battle, had proclaimed they would not shelter her from danger. Most of what she got was flowery, and unbelievably bad, poetry from Shunsui. A few of the men she had dated while younger had wanted a meek, obedient wife, which she was not. She could fully respect the demand to guard their children, she would have done it anyhow.
"I think I can live with that," she agreed with a small smile.
He eyed her a moment longer, then gave a nod of his head and he almost seemed a little pleased. Perhaps because of his past with Shunsui. No doubt a small, vindictive, hollow part of him is thrilled with the idea of impregnating the adjutant to the man that had killed his own. I suppose the idea of a wife and children must seem like a bit of paradise to someone who had spent his entire life alone.
"As a canine, I will knot once inside of you. Just remain relaxed and don't try and pull away, or I will hurt you. We will mate a few times during the night, four to six times max, to ensure conception."
She nodded her head as she listened.
"The best position will probably be, ironically, doggy style. I am not too heavy that you should have much issue supporting my weight for the brief amount of time it will take to mate. I'll try and keep most of my weight on my back legs."
"You don't even look like you weigh a hundred pounds," she noted, studying him.
"Let me know when you are ready." He seemed eager now, his tail wagging slightly in excitement, like a pup finally given a treat.
Well, there was nothing holding her back now, save for a mixture of fear, apprehension, and nervousness. Still, she wouldn't be a master of Kido and a fukutaichou of the 1st division if she didn't know how to handle such emotions. She was enormously proud of herself over the fact she didn't shake as she shed her uniform and moved into the nest. Starrk rose and moved to stand behind her.
Something wet and wiggly slavered up her pussy, causing her to yelp in surprise and mingled pleasure, jerk away, and shot an astonished look over her shoulder at him. "What are you doing?" she asked, pleased her voice remained steady and firm.
"Preparing you," he answered as if it should be obvious.
"Warning next time," she grumbled, moving back into position. She thoroughly ignored his chuckle of amusement.
Starrk gave her a good dozen licks, causing her body to shiver in pleasure as his hot tongue lavished her. A canine had a long tongue and he was able to bury it rather deep inside of her when he was done his licks. She couldn't help but to wonder how good he would be at this, and how it would feel, when he had lips again to add to the torment. Her legs were trembling in pleasure by the time he finally mounted her. As she suspected, while he was heavy, the weight was bearable. His forelegs hugged her, and his pelvis became flush with her own. It stung when he broke through her hymen, but the pain didn't last long and he remained still while it slowly dissipated. He wasn't so big as to make her feel uncomfortably full, at least not until he knotted.
His hips jerked against hers and the knot moved inside of her, stroking her insides in a rather pleasant, if minimal range, way. He finished long before her body felt his weight becoming uncomfortable and he untangled their bodies gently. She lay down and glanced over at him as he flopped down beside her in the nest, his ears and tail dropped in exhaustion while the tip of his tail still waged happily.
"Maybe once will be enough," he yawned, laying his head down on his paws and promptly going to sleep.
It hadn't hurt, save for that one, brief moment, but it had hardly been exciting or groundbreaking either. Hell, the best part had been his tongue. In many ways, it made the whole thing easier to swallow as she moved to nestle beside him for warmth.
He may have joked about only mounting her ounce, and it did seem to take a lot out of him, but he did nose her awake three more times throughout night. There was no pain the other times and by the last she was starting to get a bit of real pleasure as the knot rubbed her insides with his movements. There was at least one great advantage to this; breakfast was a full course meal and she shared a bit of the fish and pickled vegetables with Starrk.
If she thought this new plan of theirs was going to change any of their previous plans, she was wrong. As soon as she ate, did her morning business, and returned the tray and waste bowl to the safety cage, she found Starrk sprawled out beside her with his head plopped into her lap and his tail still wagging.
Well, at least one of us is really enjoying this new scenario, she couldn't help but to muse. She couldn't even find it in herself to be mad at him for being happy about this, for he looked so much like a kid finally getting to taste candy for the first time, or a starving man finally getting a full bowl of clean rice instead of moldy, rotten vegetables.
She rested her hand on his head and closed her eyes, focusing on the deep pond that was his pool of reiatsu. It seemed a little less calm today as it appeared before her inner eye. There were little ripples on the surface that somehow reflected in a way that made the water sparkle and seem to dance.
If I could control my own reiatsu, I could make some sort of glove for my hands to protect them, she mused as she stared at his pool of acidic reiatsu. Eventually his power would devour the protective coverings, but if I make them strong enough, I should be able to use them for some time. Of course, that requires me able to use my reiatsu, and as long as we are in these cells, I can't. Should have thought of it while we were…
A thought came to her suddenly, one that just might work. She waited until lunch for Harunobo to come around with her lunch tray, one that looked even better than breakfast, before broaching her question.
"Harunobo-san, will we be taken from these cells to the medical room for checkups?" she asked innocently.
"Yes," he answered. "They'll want to check you in two weeks to make sure conception occurred."
"Thank you."
So, she would be removed from the cell, and relatively shortly too. If she could manage to cast the Kido to create a set of 'gloves' over her 'hands' and not have the Quincy notice, she might be able to manipulate Starrk's reiatsu enough to get them out of the cells. Once out of the containment area, they would all be able to use their powers and the kido gloves would no longer matter. Starrk and Grimmjow would be able to fight on their own. Once outside of these cells, she would be able to bring her kido into play as well and having a slightly larger belly shouldn't interfere in that too much.
"You have an idea?" Starrk asked with a yawn.
"I do," she smiled at him. "Would you like some?" she asked, indicating her meal.
"No, you will need the food for the pups," he sighed.
As she ate her lunch, she noticed a good number of the other slaves were in the center arena, raking the sand and cleaning up the messes made over the last two days. Starrk curled up in his nest with a sigh and ignored the goings on behind him. His shoulders were slumped and his ears drooped.
"Cleaning day?" she asked, watching the others work.
"No, they do that once a month. They are just making the pit look and smell pretty," he answered with a grunt.
"Why would they… oh!" she looked out at the pit with a grim frown. She had almost forgotten the circumstances that had landed her in this cell. Had it truly only been four days since her arrival here in Starrk's den? It felt far longer than that.
Rangiku is going to have a cat when she learns I finally let someone 'into my hakama' after only knowing him for a few days, she groaned inward. She sternly reminded herself that it wasn't really her fault and it wasn't like they'd had very many options.
The sound of a crowd gathering filtered down to them and she finally witnessed what a feeding looked like from the safety of a cell. She didn't recognize anyone thrown into the pit today, but that didn't mean she wouldn't the next time, or the time after that. Her stomach felt sick as she watched the event unfold. Once it was over and dinner was served, she had a chance to reflect on the horror show.
As brutal as it had appeared, the deaths had been quick while the slow consummation of the already dead person had been bloody and violent. Being killed by hollows was a hazard every shinigami faced. Death by hollows meant that at least their souls hadn't been obliterated by the Quincy and ceased to exist. It was gross. It was wrong. But it could have been worse. They could have been lined up and executed, their souls removed from existence. They could have been thrown in cells and tortured for months for nothing more than sick amusement. Even though she didn't know it, Nanao came to many of the same conclusions Karin had over the situation.
"How often does this happen?" she asked.
"Every two to four days, usually four to ten victims," Starrk answered. "Sometimes they throw their own criminals down here, sometime Adjucus they capture in the desert that they deem unworthy for feeding and training. The latter two are not very frequent."
She didn't have much of an appetite for dinner when it arrived and tried to push the tray over to Starrk so the food wouldn't go to waste. His eyes shifted from the tray to her, and back before he used a paw to push the tray back her way.
"Eat," he ordered sternly.
"I don't have much of an appetite," she sighed, turning her back on him and the tray.
"Perhaps, but the pups growing inside of you need the food, and so you will eat for their sake. I will let no harm come to my pups and making me force feed you with paws and fangs will be very unpleasant for all around," he growled with a trace of threat that honestly took her by surprise. It was the first time she could recall him showing real aggression that didn't include self defence.
"I suppose you are right," she conceded as her eyes drifted to her flat stomach. "What makes you think we succeeded anyhow?" she demanded as she settled down and forced herself to eat her dinner.
"History," he pointed out, causing her to grimace as she recalled the statistics she'd been given on conception rates. Starrk was right. There was only a very slim chance she wasn't pregnant, and the thought scared her.
She wasn't ready to be a mother, let alone to offspring that were not 'human.' She certainly wasn't ready for multiple offspring, and it sounded like multiple offspring were what she was going to have thanks to the Quincy interfering with her biology. If they did manage to escape, what was this going to mean for her career? Hell, she would be lucky not to end up in jail for the rest of her life, or straight up executed.
"What is the largest litter you have seen?" she questioned nervously.
"Six," Starrk answered without hesitation. "Three to six tends to be the average. How many survive I cannot tell you, for mother, cubs, and sire are removed shortly after the birth."
She finished her dinner, returned the empty bowls and potty to the safety cage, then curled up in her spot in the nest. It would be at least two weeks before she would be removed from this cell and could work on the next phase of their planned escape. That meant she was likely to see at least four or more 'feedings.' The thought horrified her, and just like the day she'd been tossed into the pit, there was nothing she could do to help the victims.