DEICIDE [P]

Could it be true? No, how could it? This was a man who survive a fight against Ulquiorra long before the Gotei had even come face to face with an Espada. He had survived not one, but TWO hollow infections, conquering both each time, and growing beyond. The same as Emi. He had stood against many when he was only one, had spit in the face of Death itself. But the way the Spartan spoke... the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, it cast doubt in Emi's own heart. Had he finally met someone his equal? Was it another God? Not literally, but someone that stood on the same level as Kisho himself? A million questions raced through her head, and she had answers for none. All she could do was hope, believe that he would recover from his wounds, and that he would return to Olympus, and they could fight side by side once more. She had desired nothing more, even if her current... alliance, disappointed him.

She would give all of it up if he so desired it. Lost in thought she did not even notice the arrival of Theo, not until he had laid hand on her shoulder did she snap back in to the reality of things. She jumped a little, not out of fear, well... to some extent. She had thought for a moment that perhaps her father had made it back to the mountain, but he had not. The Arrancar's words went in one ear, and out the other. She cared little about the Spartan, or what he had told him. Instead, she had turned, her eyes void of the confidence, the burning passion, the fierceness. It was replaced with worry, fear. "Could it be true, Theocelese? Could my father really be..." She trailed off, shaking her head. No, she would see with her own eyes. "Let us not waste any more time, I had hoped she would come but it matters little."

Why would she come? She had no reason to care for her personal life. What a foolish thought. Turning, she swiped her hand, not bothering to use the variation of Garganta she had learned from her father. Time was of the essence. Racing through, she appeared on the other side, a small outpost she had built on the border of Karakura, and its mountainous regions. The land here was clear, save for the towers constructed, and while you could see the city in the distance, they were far away enough that no one would notice them.

Her eyes fell on the bloodied form of her father, held up only by the aid of her Spartans. "Father!" She rushed to him, pushing one Spartan aside as she placed his arm around her shoulder, and shooed the other away. But she felt his form go limp, bringing both of them to the dusty ground, Emi to her knees, and Kisho to his back. She used her lap as a pillow for his upper back and neck, supporting his head with her hands. "Father! Father! Stay with me! The healers will be here soon, you'll be okay." The man smiled up at her weakly. "Emilia... my beloved daughter. It is so good to see you." Emi shushed him.

"Save your strength. Do not speak." She fought back tears, the mere sight of him like this brought more fear. "No, Emilia. My time is up, the healers will do little, save buy me a few more minutes." Emilia furrowed her eyebrows. "Do not speak such words! You're not thinking clearly. You have lost much blood, you're ti-" Kisho reached up, shakily, and cupped her face in his hand, which she leaned in to. "It is okay, Emilia. For the first time, I am thinking more clear than I ever have. The haze has been lifted from my eyes. Now listen, there is something I must tell you." She tried to interject, but Kisho gave her a look that would silence even the most vocal.

"Quincy. Two of them, a female named Bambietta, and a male whose name I did not catch. He wears the mask of a Valkyrie. They will come for you next. You must not fight them, they are powerful. I have never met anyone like them. Even I could barely harm them." He coughed, slowly, he felt his strength leaving him. "Then we must heal you! Bring you back to full strength, and together we will bring them down!" She struggled to keep tears at bay now, allowing a few to roll down her cheeks and on to his face.

Kisho smiled up at her. "Emilia, you have grown so strong. but you must not fight them. Please... promise me this." She sobbed now, fully realizing that he had little time left on this world. He was right. His wounds were too much, and he could sense his reiatsu getting weaker and weaker. "Father... please don't leave me... I need you... I can't... I can't do this alone. Please.." He wiped away her tears, but it did little to stop the flow. "Know that you have made me proud, Emilia. Continue to grow, find your sisters. Tell them... tell them I'm sorry. And know that you will always be in my heart, in this life, and the next." His gaze met Theo's now, Emi crying so hard she could barely speak.

"Theocelese, old friend... forgive me for not greeting you sooner. It has been an honor to fight at your side, and I hope in the next life, we may do the same. Look after her, will you? She's a trouble maker, this one." He laughed, as best as he could, which only resulted in a fit of coughing. His eyes grew heavy, his hand slumped, and his body began to fade away. Little bits of reiatsu scattered in to the air until there was nothing left.

Emi's eyes widened and she became frantic, she clawed at the dirt beneath her, as if searching for Kisho. The faintest glimmer of particles floated by her, the reflection catching the sunlight and drawing Emi's attention to them. It was the only remaining piece of Kisho, and she reached out for it, to grab it, to bring it back to her. To bring him back. When she closed her fist around them, they simply vanished. She brought her hand to face and opened it.

And saw nothing.

She buried her face in her hands and cried. She cried harder than she had ever cried before. Not caring who saw it, Theo, the Spartans. The birds, the insects. None of that mattered. Around her, the dust rose, small particles at first, and then pebbles, and eventually larger rocks. Slowly, she stood, face still covered by hands.

And then she exploded in a fit of rage. Her legs straightened, her arms at her sides, bent at the elbows. Reiatsu exploded out around her, hair, and cloak, bellowing wildly as she screamed. It was one filled with rage, hatred, grief. Sorrow. The ground beneath her cratered, small at first. Then it doubled. Tripled. Quadrupled until it was so massive that anyone caught in the blast around her would be swept away. A few unfortunate Spartans were victims of her grief-stricken rage, evaporating in to pure nothingness. In her uncontained fury, her Hollow mask had begun to form, slowly covering the left side of her face.

"Emilia...." It was quiet, but someone had called to her. It silenced her rage, her eyes looking for the source. Scanning for something to take her anger out on.

Then she saw it.

At the center of the crater, tip buried in the dirt, but untouched and unscathed, was Kisho's Zanpakuto. Slowly, she lowered herself to it, and gently, as if she might break it, she plucked it from the dirt. A faint spark of... something, was felt between her and the blade, but she thought nothing of it. Turning, she no longer allowed tears to fall, instead, she climbed out of the crater, walking towards Theo. She would stop when standing beside him, her face partially covered by her Hollow mask. "I'll kill them." She turned her face towards him, her voice a grotesque mix of human and Hollow. "All of them." She turned her attention to a Spartan. "Prepare a pyre for my father. He will be honored properly, and given a funeral." She said nothing else, and stepped forward.

The soft swishing sound brought her out of sight.

Her only thoughts were that of the Quincy, and how she would destroy every last one of them. Sternritter. Wandenreich. Loner. Hermit. Ignorant. It didn't matter. They would all die.

Bambietta.

She would be the first to know the fury of a God.

How long had she walked? This, she could not tell. It could have been minutes, hours, days, or even weeks, and she would have no answer for those who may have asked. She simply... wandered, no real destination in mind. Time was a fleeting thought, what did it matter now? She had lost everything. She would never again see her father, never be able to hug him, to feel his calming words when she felt over whelmed, unsure of what to do. How to better herself. It had all been taken from her for a second time, he was not her biological father, but she had felt closer to him than that of her real family. He had protected her, and then taught her how to fight, granting her the ability to protect herself and rely on no other.

But what good was that power when you could not protect your family?

She felt empty now, her eyes stared ahead with no focus. They were as empty as she felt, she held no emotion on her face. Her hand lightly gripped her fathers Zanpakuto, and at some point she had noticed the presence of the Spartans. She didn't care. Let them follow her, though she had wished for it, to be attacked by the Quincy so she had something to take her rage and pain out on, the Spartans had nothing to protect her from. So she simply walked,, and walked, and walked. Civilization grew distant, and the sun had slowly begun to set, yet she made no effort to turn back. To go 'home'. Could she even call it that anymore? Olympus had all but fallen, and with the death of Zeus, who would stand amongst them as their leader?

She frowned and looked at the ground, but her silence was soon broken by a soft voice. "Athena... it is time." She stopped, and thought for a moment. Time? What did he mean? "Hm? What? Time? I don't know... its dark. Evening. Dinner, perhaps." Her thoughts were addled, the death of her father, the hatred she felt for the Quincy. The thoughts of tearing them apart, they had begun to mix, muddle together. The Spartans looked at each other in confusion.

"No, I mean... it is time for your fathers funeral. They await only your presence." She blinked a few times. "Father? Ah, yes. That's right. Very well, let us go." She turned and swiped her hand across empty space, ripping open a Garganta to Olympus.

The smell of mountain air brought her back to reality, her thoughts clearing as she looked up at the monument built to her father. It was huge, decorated with gifts, offerings, memories, and odes to him. Walking closer to the pyre, the Spartans gathering behind her with spears standing tall, shields placed against the earth. Another one had handed a torch off to her, which she held out at her side, the Zanpakuto still in her other hand. She simply stared at first, barely even noticing the presence of the others. He was respected. Loved. She threw the torch on the kindling beneath the pyre, setting it ablaze.

Still she said nothing, even as the fire raged and slowly gained its full strength, engulfing the monument. Still, she stared at the inferno, a blaze that would cause pain to the eyes of any other. But not Emi. The fiery hatred that burned within her far outshone any fire that could be fabricated here. The heat did not phase her, though she did tear her eyes from the fire. But not because it caused her pain, but she simply looked up at Theo. What words were to be said? There was no point in attempting to comfort her, or words of morale. She knew of Kisho's achievements. The things he had conquered.

All she wanted was the heads of the Quincy on the tips of spears.