1,577My Dear Readers. We've been on this journey for quite some time haven't we? Almost 10 years to be exact. And in that time, I've changed many aspects and idea's that I've had for this story, from cut fights to various plot threads. But the backstory of our Heroine, Bambietta Basterbine, has been one I've kept consistent for all this time. Up until now I've only eluded to parts of her past, never going fully in-depth because I simply didn't think the time was right. Yet, here we are over a million words and 100 chapters later...and it is now time for all of you to see Bambietta ended up as the character we know her to be in Bleach proper.
I will be frank, this is probably the darkest this story will ever get. I sought out to create a backstory that not only would perfectly explain how Bambietta wound up the way she was, but one that would tug on the heartstrings for all of my readers. This is not going to be a chapter for the feint of heart so do know that going in.
But, I would be remise to not give credit where credit is due. While I did come up with the outline and idea of this backstory, I cannot take credit for as the one who wrote most of it. That would go to my good old trusty writer, Greatkingrat, who you may recognize as my writer for "The Death and Life of Erza Scarlet. (Which will continue btw, things have just been really busy). I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of writing this flashback, both due to the incredible pressure associated with writing it, and the content within being of such a dark nature. That said, I have added some flair and touch of my own here and there, as well as an entire scene that I added into the flashback later on.
I eagerly await your review and feedback to this chapter. I've spent years working on the particular details of it, so it would really, truly mean a lot if you did so. In fact, if this chapter can get over 20 reviews before the 15th of the month, I'll upload the next chapter the next day. So lets see if we can reach that goal. I want actual reviews, not just congratulating me on 100 chapters or a single sentence. I want genuine feedback n the flashback itself.
Well I think I've babbled on long enough. Let us dive into the origin...of Bambietta Basterbine.
April 7, 1952
Shadows had descended over Roussillon. The little town had always been remote, but it had not been spared the ravages of the second world war. Seven years after that disastrous conflict had concluded, after allied troops had driven out the Wehrmacht from this town and so many others, it had taken its time to recover. Some buildings still had fresh repairs left, brick and mortar not yet dulled by the passing of time and the wearing of the elements. Many old men and women still wept for sons that would never come home. But Roussillon had recovered, and slowly, the sleepy little countryside town had started to heal its past scars, slowly returning to normal.
But even having lived through the war, the city once again found itself under siege. Not from the Third Reich, but from something else entirely. From pure malice and destruction.
A young boy ran through the streets, gasping for breath. He looked behind him, his eyes wide with fear before he let out a horrified gasp and ran into an alleyway. He slipped, scrambling like an animal to get to his feet, but an almost invisible force knocked him down. He crawled, or tried to, his nails scraping over the cobblestones, but he might as well have been an ant trying to scrabble out of a human's grip. A face bent down, drool dripping onto the boy's face, and the outline of big, sharp, white teeth could just barely be seen. He screamed in terror, flailing with his arms and legs against the street stones, and-
Then suddenly the pressure relented, and the terrified boy scrambled away, shoving himself up against a wall. He looked up, and what he saw he did not understand. There was blood on the street, of a strange, ethereal kind, seeping across the cobblestones… and then a haze in the air, as it all disappeared like hot air on a warm day, shimmering strangely.
And there, on the other side of the alley stood a strange woman. She was tall and beautiful, with purple hair running down to her shoulders with matching eyes. She wore strange, white attire, and she had a bow in hand- and suddenly he recognized her. The strange lady that lived on the outskirt of town, with her family, the one everyone kept their distance to…
"Go to your house, Louis," she said sharply. "This will all be over soon, but I do not have time to coddle you. Go back the way I came, the way will be clear."
He blinked, clumsily getting to his feet. He recognized her, the mother of two of his friends. You were supposed to obey adults, and she spoke like she knew what she was doing, but-
"Did you not hear me? Go!" she demanded. The boy stood upright, and ran past her. His heart thumped like a jackhammer, and he did not know what to make of this, except that his life had been saved.
Lydia watched him go, for just a moment, sensing for further hollows behind. None there, she determined: she had slain one on her way in, and there were three more still looking towards his direction. Undoubtedly they had chosen to attack this family because of the close proximity they had with her own, their spiritual powers increased well above the norm. Therefore it was her duty to see them, and anyone else who would be targeted in the town, protected. Bow in hand, she hurried down the alley and out into the main street. Already she could hear the screams and cries of the family, the crashing of heavy feet on stone…
She took off like a bolt of lightning, and as she came out into the main street, she saw an ox-shaped beast trampling down the boulevard. She leaped into the air, dispatching it with one expert shot to the back of its head. Without waiting for it to vaporize, to confirm her kill, she moved on.
On a side street she found her next target, a serpentine creature aiming to pounce on the boy's mother. Three bolts were loosed in an instant, shredding the creature instantly. She dashed through the city, exterminating them one by one. Blood had been spilt, the blood of innocents, and it would not go unanswered. The last one did not take too long to find, abandoning its attempted kill to try and flee, but even as it opened a garganta, Lydia had her bow ready. The gate closed behind the hollow, but not before six arrows followed it through, shattering its mask with extreme prejudice.
Lydia breathed out, closed her eyes, and tried to sense for more of them carefully, letting her senses extend to their maximum range. She breathed in and out, entering a meditative state, scouring everything spiritual within a mile for any sense of malice. When she found none, she breathed a sigh of relief, and clasped her hands over her quincy cross, praying for the souls which she had destroyed.
"Madame Basterbine?"
It was the town butcher, a burly, mustachioed man in his upper fifties, and a friend of the family. He was pale as a ghost, although he seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Adrien," Lydia nodded, feeling her heartbeat slowly return to normal. She was still on edge, like she always was after action, but things were slowly returning to normal.
"You are unharmed, I hope?"
"Thanks to you, I am sure. I've no idea what these beasts are, but without you, we'd all be toast," the sturdy old man said, his cap in his hand as he gave her a grateful nod. Behind him the rest of his family came out from hiding, three sons, two daughters and his wife. They showered her with their gratitude, singing her praises, promising to swing by with food or press money into her hands. She refused them all, as politely as she could. How could she accept anything, when this was the least she could do? When their presence drew these monsters in the first place?
"It was nothing, really," said Lydia, kindly, "take the injured to Doctor Beaufort/ He'll be able to handle it much better than I, I'm sure. My part in this is over. I will be heading home for now, my children need me."
It took some effort to disentangle herself from them. She did so gently, always fighting that mild sense of guilt. When the children were older, perhaps it would change. When they had better control of their spiritual traces, they could all suppress theirs properly and keep the attacks lower. That would be years away, though. Until then, she would have to keep her watch up, killing hollows and dealing with the gratitude of the people that depended on her.
They would still show their gratitude, she knew. In the coming days, she would get bread, milk, stews, baked goods and the like from the family. Adrien's sons would likely show up volunteering to do a bit of yard work or fixing anything broken they had. That was just the kind of people they were. She didn't have the heart to refuse them, she had just done what the Lord would have expected of her, no more, no less.
They had settled here not long ago, having gone underground during the war, well away from the fighting, coming out only after the dust had settled. Her husband, a normal man, had not been so lucky. A piece of artillery had caught him in its explosion, killing him. So here in Roussillon they had wound up a few years ago, and since then it had been a regular struggle to keep its people safe.
The Basterbines had been glorious once. They had been a leading family in a greater clan, often regarded as the pinnacle of quincy clans, until the foolish shinigami war had obliterated that extended family, leaving only a few splinters. The Basterbine family had fought well, lasting for many days and nights, until the Shinigami finally decided to send in a pair of captains and vice captains to put an end to the conflict. They had been hunted to near extermination, or so Lydia had been told. This happened long before she was born. The memory of grandeur may have been alluring to many, but she cared little for it.
Lydia approached their house at the outskirts of town, and sighed to herself. It was a large thing, having once been a summer villa owned by a long-gone French nobleman, almost mansion-like. Lydia had never liked it. it was large, damp, and empty, a loveless space lit up only by her family.
"I'm home," she called out.
"Mom!" Her daughters called back to her from the living room, Lydia couldn't help but smile.
"All is well, thank the Lord," Lydia said, taking off her shoes and walking into the living room. "A few broken bones and bruises, but nobody died. We really ought to set up some kind of alarm system. I'm sure if we tried to, we could make a difference."
"I'm hungry, mom," said Kirsten, her youngest.
"Don't be rude," said Anna, her older daughter. They were five and ten respectively, and the light of her life. "But it would be nice to eat, mother."
"Of course, my dear little angels," Lydia said, smiling. "I'll whip something up in a jiffy. How's some scrambled eggs sound?"
Kirsten seemed appeased, and Lydia headed into the kitchen. But just as she started taking her pots and pans out, she suddenly bent over, coughing. The attack was sudden, violent, shaking Lydia to her core. She'd felt mildly under the weather the last few days, but not like this. Trying to hold herself together, she put a hand over her mouth.
As her coughs faded, she took in a few long, deep, wheezing breaths. She looked down at her palm.
It was littered with red. Little specks of blood, dying her skin. Lydia's eyes widened.
"What…is this?"
"Mom!" The two of the girls shouted before they ran into the room.
"What's wrong mom?" Anna asked.
Lydia looked at the pair and offered them a weak smile. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
She knew that was far from the truth, but she couldn't bear to have them worry. Regardless of what it was, she knew it could not be left untreated for long.
"Lung cancer," explained Doctor Beaufort. Lydia had hid her troubles from her daughters and headed over first thing the next morning. Now, she sat in a chair in his little practice, after he had run what tests he could.
"I would still get a second opinion, but you meet all the criteria. Dizziness, nausea, coughing blood…"
She nodded slowly, the gravity of the situation slowly settling in. "What will happen to me, doctor?"
He sighed. "I'm afraid there is no known cure."
Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat before she found it in herself to speak. "How long do I have?"
"It seems like it is early on. A year, maybe two I'd say?"
"Two years…"
Lydia nodded, the weight of what he had just said sinking in. She would not get to see her daughters grow up. She would miss out on… everything.
"There are medicines that can slow the growth of the disease. Or ease the pain, at least. I will send for it as soon as we're done here."
"Thank you, doctor, but it won't be necessary," Lydia said, standing up. "Thank you. For everything."
"Madame Basterbine—"
Lydia wasn't listening. She channeled some of her own spiritual energy into her lungs, and the mild burning soothed her. Her own soul would burn away here, not her body; she would drain herself to keep going for as long as she could. It was an old quincy trick, but it was never meant to be a long-term solution. It would burn her out, in the end…
But so would the sickness. She had to get her affairs in order. She had to secure a future for her girls. She had to find the quincys, whatever few of them were left. Her girls would need their guidance once she was gone; she herself might not value the arts these days, but without control over their powers they would attract hollows. They would need to know how to defend themselves, and once they were grown, they could make their own choices, like she had once done.
Lydia had a vague notion that there was a quincy community somewhere in Germany, but after trips to Köln, Dusseldorf, and Berlin yielded nothing, she was beginning to waver. But then one day, on her way back from Frankfurt with another errand ending in nothing—she had combed the city thoroughly without sensing even a trace of extraordinary spiritual energy—she stopped by a small village on her way back home. There, she found him, an old man with the same energies, passing through.
She stopped him, excitably questioning him, and once she had proven her status as a quincy, she was given what she needed: directions to a small community near the Belgian border, a town called Fioritura. She took the train, then hitched a ride on a farmer's cart, until she finally had to walk for miles of remote country road. The closer she got, though, the more certain she became. She could sense them in the distance, their signatures sparking like stars in the sky, and she let hers flare openly to announce her arrival.
Exhausted, she arrived at last. Theirs was a relatively small community, only a few hundred strong, consisting mostly of old-fashioned houses and farmsteads, with a few larger more modern apartments popping up here and there. Unlike most of Germany, it seemed to have escaped the horrors of the second world war. And more importantly… they were here.
She sensed them all around, as she entered the quiet town. Fioritura. It felt somewhat surreal. A thin mist hung over the place and the sky was overcast, clouds making even the daylight seem gloomy and dull. It was a joyless place, like her house in Roussillon, but worse. Regardless, she had no choice but to push on.
Just as she approached the biggest building in the village- large enough to be called a small mansion, lying central to the village itself- and she felt herself about to keel over, she was stopped. Dizzy and woozy, she was escorted inside by a manservant, who she vaguely felt to have a quincy's signature and a strong enough soul. Holding on to his arm, she was given a seat in the living room and a glass of water to refresh herself, which she gratefully drank down. She sat there for a couple of minutes, just breathing, and barely noticed it when a man walked in to take a seat opposite her.
He was tall and severe, with a gaunt face and light age lines showing, with slicked back dark brown hair and chevron mustache, and piercing green eyes. His clothes matched that of a man of wealth, as he wore a white, double-breasted blazer, with the traditional quincy collar and matching white pants and blue tie. He seemed to be in his late thirties, but his austere expression and dignified appearance made him look older still. He was powerful, she sensed, a great well of spiritual force thrumming under his neat appearance. Enough that he could rival the shinigami elite, she was sure of it. Perhaps even a vice captain.
"Sir, I am in your debt," Lydia said weakly. "I walked a long way to come here. I am Lydia Basterbine, a quincy like yourself, in search of others of my kind."
"That is to your credit, Madame Basterbine," said the man. His voice was as severe as his face, restrained and sharp. "I am Hayden Weser, the leader of our little community. You have come to the right place. You say… Basterbine. The French family? We thought them all dead."
"Very nearly true," Lydia nodded. "Aside from myself and my two daughters, none remain."
"A great shame," Hayden nodded, "but at the same time, I am glad to know your family is not yet gone. Two children, you say? Where is your husband?"
"Perished in the war, rest his soul."
"My condolences."
It's like being offered sympathy by a stone, she thought, his voice containing little in the way of actual sympathy.
"Mr. Weser, I will be frank. I have no time left to waste," she continued. "I am a dying woman. A rare illness plagues my lungs. I am using my own spiritual energy to suppress it. My daughters are much too young to fend for themselves, and they will need to learn the quincy arts to defend themselves. Will you accept us into your community and care for them when I am gone? It is no small thing I ask, I realize that. I will offer what money I can, anything I have. All I want is for them to have a future once I am gone. Right now, they are left in the care of good people in my hometown, but I would like to move here and have them stay with your group."
She clasped both of her hands together. "I beg of you, you are my only hope in this. Left with the regular people, those with no power, they would be easy prey for a hollow, or worse, a shinigami. If you have cared enough to gather people of your kind together, surely you could welcome them?"
Hayden looked her over in silence for some time, appearing to contemplate the question.
"Never mind such petty things as money," he said at last. "I would not accept it as a matter of pride. This is a quincy matter, and material concerns are secondary." He gestured to the far off landscape. "It seems to me we have goals that align, Ms. Basterbine. My utmost desire is to rebuild quincy strength. This little community is made out of people with similar desires. Some of them are my family, some of them are people I have recruited across the years. Here, in isolation, we train and remake our strengths, preserving what is left of our traditions, the ancient ways bestowed to us by our ancestors. I am a strict man, but I am also fair. I believe in… purpose. Tell me, Madame Basterbine, do you believe in purpose?"
"In purpose? Yes," Lydia said wearily. She did not like where this was going; it reminded her too much of a stern uncle she had once had, always too fixated on past honors and glories, at the expense of the here and now.
"Do I believe in restoring the quincy? I cannot say one way or the other. If you find satisfaction in that goal, all the better for you. I myself have only sought to live my life in peace. A clan brings many things. Friends, family, belonging, identity, power… but it also brought us ruin. I could take it or leave it, personally."
He nodded.
"Very well. Tell me, Madame. Basterbine, would you be open to a proposal of sorts?"
"A proposal?"
"Fioritura, this village and its lands, has belonged to my people for centuries. The locals know not to question us. Yet, despite my age, I have not yet been able to find a suitable bride. I have yet to produce a truly worthy heir. Here, at my door, comes a Basterbine, an illustrious name with a glorious past. It seems like providence. Marry me, Ms. Basterbine. Become my wife, the head of my household, allow me to take on your family name, and I will take your daughters in and raise them like they were my own. And, god willing, we would have a child before it is too late for either of us."
Lydia blinked, stunned.
"…Mr. Weser, I am a dying woman," she said slowly. "You would get a poor investment, I am afraid. Nine years at the most, as I told you."
"If it produces an heir, it will be plenty. Even without, I will honor the agreement and take your daughters in."
Lydia, taken aback, leaned against the chair.
"Forgive me, sir, but I must take a second to consider this."
"Of course," Hayden said, nodding understandingly.
To modern sensibilities, this was a rather strange idea, but the quincys had always lived with one foot in the past. It had not been so long ago that such an offer would seem perfectly normal. A man, offering security and to provide in exchange for the duties of a wife…
He was severe, but not ugly. With sufficient grooming, in the right light, he might even be called handsome. He seemed honest and forthright about his views too, about who he was. Could she just… take this man as her husband, a man she had just met and was unlikely to love? To endure the hardships of pregnancy and childbirth, in her condition? Trust him with her daughters?
She thought of Anna and Kirsten, and her heart ached. There really was no choice in the matter. Her beloved daughters, all she had left in the world…
"You will teach them the ways of the quincy?" She asked, staring him down sternly.
"But of course."
"And you would let them choose their own path once they were old enough, once they are grown women?"
He nodded.
"A fair condition. If they do not desire this community, I will not force it upon them."
She sighed.
"Then I accept, Mr. Weser. I do not expect it will be a loving union, but if you need me to be a wife to you, then a wife I shall be, in the short time I have left."
"Love is beside the point," Hayden said, smiling triumphantly. "I bed several other young women frequently, to ensure that my seed is spread and that I have many children. This clan must have a future."
"I expect that will not stop because you are married."
"It will not."
"Then it will be a contract between the two of us. An agreement. I will not expect affection, only that you provide and care for us."
The man proffered his hand. "You are a sensible and practical woman, Ms. Basterbine. It is a shame we should meet only now."
It's a shame that we met at all, Lydia thought. So, with a single shake of the devil's hand, Lydia secured two of her daughters' futures.
And sealed the fate of another.
Two weeks later, the move was complete. Hayden sent two reliable men to escort her back to Roussillon to help her pack, to move what she needed. Her daughters were distraught at the news. Their world had been torn apart; their mother was dying, and now they would be moving somewhere new, away from all the friends they had made in the little town. She soothed them as best she could, and off they went.
The marriage was a simple ceremony, the village priest performing it the same night she arrived. Lydia held no objections; a celebration or a party would have felt hollow and false. She endured the wedding night stoically, as she did every night thereafter until she got pregnant. At that point, he left her alone, which was a relief.
As promised, he had taken on the Basterbine name for himself, and Lydia knew why. Back in the day, the family name truly meant something. They were considered amongst one of the best quincy clans to have existed, not just in Europe, but world wide. She supposed an appropriate enough comparison would have been the Kuchiki clan, with whom her family had clashed on multiple occasions. No doubt, any surviving quincy would be all the more likely to make the journey to this small community if it was led by someone of the Basterbine lineage.
Hayden was a cold man to live with, as she had expected. He had children with other women too, all of them being taught by him during his day hours; he spent most of his time that way from dawn till afternoon. The little quincy community revolved around him, and he knew it. His children, along with those from the other families of his disparate group, would learn all they knew from him. To this community he was master and god, and he seemed to never forget that.
There were dozens of his quincys living here, the unspoken rulers of this tiny little community. The regular village folk kept their distance, providing food and services like those the people of Roussillon had once provided for her, but it lacked the same enthusiasm and cheer, and Hayden never once treated them with humility. The whole thing unsettled Lydia. It was almost like living with a cult. Hayden's ambitions were plain, invoking an age past that had only led to disaster.
She had a daughter within two years on August 6th, and in honor of the French side of her family, she named her Bambietta. The strain of giving birth nearly killed her, but when she woke up days later and was shown her baby girl, it all seemed worth it. Hayden, for the first time she had known him, treated her with some warmth. He had an heir now, a worthy successor. They had produced strong offspring, too. Even a few days old, she radiated power.
Bambietta became Lydia's life, and watching her grow while she herself slowly withered away became her sole relief. She watched her take her first steps, say her first words; she watched Anna and Kirsten care for their baby sister when she herself was too weak to; she watched her grow. For a few years, she found a small happiness of sorts, even as she grew weaker and weaker.
All that changed when Bambietta turned seven, and the terrible truth was finally revealed.
"You are mad," Lydia said, wide eyed. "Mad."
"Greatness always does seem like that to those who lack vision," Hayden said calmly.
"You want to… put our daughter through what, these… grueling tests? That ritual? You're going to risk her life? All of their lives!?"
"Only the worthy may rise," said Hayden dismissively. "The wheat will be separated from the chaff, and what remains will be the strongest of the crop."
A rage and sorrow beyond words overwhelmed Lydia, and she lacked the words to properly express it.
That didn't mean she wouldn't try, however. "You- the quincy are low in number, and you want to cull them? This is insanity! Insanity, Hayden!"
"Have you ever heard of the Lichtreich?" He asked.
"The- the what?" said Lydia, taken aback. "Yhwach's empire? Of course I have, everyone knows it. He was the father of all quincy. He ruled over much of Europe and the middle east. What of it?"
"I do have vision," said Hayden, an atypical zeal in his voice, "but not just of the quincy remade, but remade in our image. The Wesers once ruled the Netherlands. We were powerful and strong, and wiser than the foolish rule that led us to ruination. I will create a new quincy order. That accursed man invaded us and took our lands, and he then dared to lead us down this road- and now, centuries later, I barely control a small town in lands that were once the birthright of our entire people! The trials will commence. The plan will continue. I will breed the strongest of quincy, strong enough to replace Yhwach and one day challenge the Soul Society itself, and if it takes centuries then so be it. No sacrifice is too great, even if it is my own flesh and blood."
Unable to contain herself, Lydia replied, yelling, "Are you so obsessed with your family's honor that you would kill one of our last remaining hopes? Yhwach was always the one meant to bring us back, and challenging him would be insane! Surely you know of the ancient hymn!?"
"The Kaiser Gesang," Hayden scoffed. "He nearly destroyed us once, and he will not have a second chance at it. It will be different for us this time. I have improved the method of my forebears, and the results will be spectacular. You should consider it an honor that one of your daughters will be allowed to partake in-"
"I've heard enough," Lydia snarled, her energy flaring as she summoned what little she had left. The floorboards whined and creaked under the strain, starting to crack, and the furniture shook. The quincy cross hanging from her wrist began to glow, and with some effort, a bow took form.
"I don't care that you are my husband, or that you are the head of this community. You will not put my daughter through that!"
Hayden did not even get up, smiling amusedly.
"To think that you are able to mount this much power even now," he said, shaking his head. "Truly, you were the right match for me. The Basterbines are everything they were made out to be and more, worthy among the great quincy race."
"I will give you this one chance," Lydia said coldly. "Leave this town and never return, or-"
But before she could complete her sentence, she lurched forward into a sudden, violent coughing fit. Blood sprayed in tiny increments with every cough, and her bow flickered and faded as she desperately struggled to maintain control. The strain had been too much; she was meant to be dead years ago at this point, and had drawn too deep and too hard from her reserves.
Not now! I can't let this happen, not to-
"I would watch my tongue if I were you," Hayden said, remaining seated where he was, coldly indifferent as always. "You have Anna and Kirsten to think of, after all."
Finally recovering from her coughing fit, taking deep, wheezing breaths, a wide-eyed Lydia looked up at her monstrous husband.
"You can't- don't you dare touch them!"
"I wouldn't lay a hand on them," Hayden smirked. "But if you will not live up to your end of the bargain, I will have no reason to teach or protect them. What will it be, Lydia? Will you submit?"
"You monster," Lydia sobbed, sinking down into her chair again.
"One daughter made strong, at some risk… or the certain knowledge that two daughters will perish while Bambietta goes through this anyway? You cannot stop me. So what will it be, Lydia? Will you accept this, submit, or will you throw all you sacrificed away for nothing?"
"You…"
Struggling, her body shaking, Lydia made herself stand up.
"Go. To. Hell." She said, glaring him in the eye. Hayden' face twisted into a cruel sneer, and he backhanded her viciously, Blut Arterie enhancing the blow. Lydia tumbled down onto the floor, crying out in pain. Before she could recover, she felt his foot put down on her neck.
"Submit!" He snarled. "You will do as you're told, or you know what will happen! I swear to all my ancestors I'll do it, you know I'm a man of my word! So help me God, submit!
Lydia weakly tried to push back, tried to get away, but she was sick and he was healthy; he was strong and she was weak. She thought of her daughters, despair overtaking her. She believed him. This man was not just a hard man, he was a monster, a cold and heartless fanatic. What would he do to her girls?
There was only one choice available, and Lydia fell into despair. Forgive me, Bambietta, she thought, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Please," she begged, "I- I give up, just- please stop, please don't hurt them, please!"
His foot remained on her neck for a few seconds, then the pressure relented. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, roughly pulling her to her feet.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He said with a cruel smile. "I do not want to hurt you, Lydia. You are my wife, after all. Do not make me hurt you again, and we will have no trouble."
"I'm- I'm sorry," Lydia sobbed. She was not in the least, but all she could do for the moment was to give him no reason to hurt her further. She was trapped here, stuck with a madman, powerless to stop him.
All she could do was pray, and hope he would leave Anna and Kirsten alone.
Bambietta was on her best behavior. She always was when Father took her out hunting. Usually the likes of rabbits or the occasional deer. She had seen very little of the world so far; she was only allowed to leave the house when it was time to train, or to watch Father hunt hollows. She knew they lived in a country called Germany, and that not far from here was another country called Belgium and one called France, but what that actually meant, she had no idea. They spoke a whole other language in France, and Mama had taught her some of that, and in Belgium they spoke three languages, which seemed a bit unnecessary to the young quincy…
But really, she knew nothing about the world outside. She had never gone further than to the edge of the woods around Fioritura, on a hollow hunt. There were cities out there, like very large villages, and great mechanical carriages called cars and trains. Sometimes, when Father was not listening, Mama would tell her about the world outside, but she had to keep that quiet. Once, Bambietta had slipped up and mentioned something called the Reichstag, and Father had slapped her, then slapped Mama too. They were set apart from the world of ordinary people, she had been told, made for a special purpose, and there would be no distractions.
But even so, Bambietta would not give up on those great stories, and she would ask Mama as soon as Father was out. Mama was often tired, and could not keep going for very long, and so Bambietta treasured every little moment she could spare for a story. There had been two great wars, she knew, both the greatest mankind had ever seen, and terrible things had been done. There were two great powers in the world who decided everything. And far out there people lived in cities, working in factories and shops and going out on town for a night of fun…
One day, Bambietta had decided she would go see what the big city looked like and have a night on the town, whatever that meant.
But for now, she had to hunt. Hunting was what she did most of the time. There was school, of course, but that was Mrs. Schenk, who was a quincy like Father, and although they learned to read and write, and their history of course, hunting was most of every day. Only for a couple of hours every night did she get to play, which always felt unfair.
Today was supposed to be special. Father had said so, although he had not explained why or in what way. Father was not here yet, which was unusual, so Bambi took her stance and started to form a bow. It was not perfect, not yet, not solid; until now she had only learned to shape a bow out of pure spiritual energy, which Father assured her was normal progress for her age. At the moment, she was trying to hunt another target, a group of deer, chewing on some grass in the distance.
Normally she preferred to be closer to guarantee success, but her father had made it clear she would need to hit it further if she truly wanted to improve. This, however, proved far more difficult than she first assumed.
Bambietta strung her bow and drew the first arrow, easily hitting the first target twenty paces away. Bullseye; right in the head. She worked her way downrange as the remaining few began to run away, shooting deer after deer; thirty, forty, fifty, sixty paces, each one a bullseye. It made her heart rush with pride just a little. Only a year ago, sixty had been her maximum, and now she could hit it dead center effortlessly. But seventy paces, that was where the trouble began, and by the time she hit a hundred paces she barely hit at all. She grit her teeth. Father could hit hollows easily from over twice that distance, while running like the wind, and she would have to become at least as good as him if she wanted to go into the outside world one day.
She missed the last deer at a hundred and ten paces entirely, and grunted with frustration. She took a deep breath, held it, and drew the string up to her eye with an arrow charged. She squinted, and the whole world stopped existing; there was only the lone buck, far in the distance, and her bow.
Focus, she told herself, you can do this. You've come far already. You can't let Father down.
She released, and the arrow sailed through the air smoothly. For a second, Bambietta thought she'd done it, that she'd focused up and corrected… but then the arrow landed in the ground just shy of the target, kicking up dirt where it impacted as the deer ran off.. Bambietta stomped on the ground, letting out a frustrated snarl. Why did it have to be this hard? Why couldn't the damn thing just work?
"You know, it only gets worse when you get mad."
It was one of her sisters. Bambietta had a lot of brothers and sisters, more than most people. Even the largest family in the village had only eight children, but hers had sixty four. Father said it was because their family needed to grow large, and Bambietta knew better than to question him. He had many wives, and children with all of them. She might not be allowed outside the house often, outside of training, but she was never alone.
The one that had joined her at the training grounds was Elise, who was around her age, just one year older. She had brown hair and a smile that would light up a room. She wore a simple dress, plain gray and brown, but she was cheery as always.
"I know, I know," Bambietta grumbled, her bow coming undone. "It's just- it's so stupid! I'm trying, I'm really trying, but I can't hit! I just can't!"
"You just have to keep practicing. Learn to hit the target at ninety paces perfectly first, then tackle one hundred."
"You sound like father," Bambietta grumbled.
"Father is right," Elise fired back. Bambi made a face, but decided not to argue further. She liked Elise. They had grown up together, friends and siblings both. They had climbed trees together, trained together, and read stories together. Bambietta tended to think people who did not think like her were stupid, but not Elise. Elise always seemed to know what she was doing, even when Bambietta didn't understand. One day, she had resolved, she'd become better than her older sister. Couldn't be that hard, could it? She only had one year on Bambietta.
"What are you doing here anyway? Father told me he would be teaching me today."
"Funny, he told me the same thing," Elise replied. "I don't get it. Father doesn't lie."
"No, he doesn't," Bambietta agreed. "This is weird. I know he sometimes takes some of us out on their own for special lessons. I… was really excited for that, actually. He does that for the older kids, and I thought maybe I was finally good enough to…"
"Maybe we're both special," Elise smiled. "There's room for two in a lesson like that. I don't mind."
"I suppose," said Bambietta, a little disappointed. "It's not like father to be late, though. He's always there at dawn, waking all of us up… you think something is wrong?"
"Nothing's ever wrong here. Father keeps this village running smoothly," said Elise proudly. "If he's late, it's because he meant to be, or because something very important came up."
"I guess you're right," Bambietta said. Elise was always like this, always very sure of father in a way she herself was not. Father was strong, yes, and the entire village respected him, but he was mean to mama and he'd beat Bambietta if she did something wrong. You were supposed to love your mother and father, but she had never felt the same thing for him that she did for her mama.
"Children, I see you're already here."
Speak of the devil- there was father, walking up the path to the training grounds. He was smiling, which was unusual. A chill ran down Bambietta's spine; it was not a kind smile
"You've both grown strong," Father began. His voice was calm but cold. Of course, he was always like that, but today seemed… different. More pronounced.
"I have taught you well. You are both so very promising. So very strong. You both have enormous potential."
Elise beamed at the praise. Bambietta did too, but she could not help the sense that something was wrong, that something was not as it should be.
"Thank you, father!" Elise said brightly.
"Thank you, father," Bambietta mirrored.
"You have grown strong indeed. You are, in fact, quite possibly the strongest of my children, age considered. You are also near identical in power. This is why I summoned you here today."
"Father?" said Elise, blinking in surprise.
"The time has come for you to learn the truth of the Weser clan," Father said, smiling joylessly at the two of them. "You know our people, the Quincies were once great. You know it is our duty and our destiny to restore our people to their rightful place in the world, to a place of strength.
"Of course, father," Bambietta said. "It's why we train every day. And we're getting really good at this, too!"
He nodded.
"That you are. But good alone won't cut it. To cut a path forward, we must be great. We must be exceptional. You two are good, but neither of you are good enough as it stands."
Elise looked devastated, but Bambietta just felt a sinking feeling.
"The good news is that at least one of you can be good enough," he added after a slight pause. "I came here today to bring you into an old tradition of my family, to ensure the strength and purity of its heirs. Today, you will hunt and you will fight."
"…hollows, father?" Elise said eagerly. "Are we finally ready?"
"You have killed hollows before," Father said, shaking his head. "Even if it was under my supervision. No, killing monsters is easy, even for children. The true test of strength lies in killing your own flesh and blood."
A chill ran down Bambietta's spine.
"Father, I don't understand," she said, the sinking feeling becoming urgent.
"It is simple. Today you will hunt and kill each other," Hayden said with a cold smile. "I will watch. Only one of you will leave the woods today. You will fight and hold nothing back, and when one of you has lost, the winner will kill the loser. Quickly, and without mercy."
The two girls looked at him in stunned silence, eyes wide and mouths gaping.
"Father, no," Elise said, to Bambietta's surprise. She had never defied father before. She shook her head insistently. "I couldn't kill Bambi. She's my sister. She's everything to me- I love her almost as much as I love my mama. Father please, that's not-"
"I thought you might say that," Father said, going down to one knee in front of them, putting his hands onto one of each of their shoulders. His grip was strong, and although it did not hurt, Bambietta knew he could easily break their bones if he wanted to.
"So let me make things clear. You will do what I say. You will hunt and fight each other, to the death, or I will make you watch when I kill both of your mothers. Slowly. You know the butcher's knife I keep in my kitchen? I will peel their skin off with that, in little bits and pieces, and then I'll-"
"Stop!" Elise cried. Bambietta was just too shocked to speak, horrified to her core.
"There is only one way this doesn't happen," Hayden said calmly, "and it's if you do what I tell you. Now, and without complaining."
A wave of helpless, infuriated hate washed over Bambietta. Her sister- her Elise, and she had to… to fight her? Kill her? That bastard, that bastard son of a bitch-
"That's the spirit," said Hayden, looking her in the eye with a cruel smile. "Take that anger and use it. You'll need it.
She could only stare him down, daring not to speak her mind.
"I will wait further back," Hayden continued, standing up. "Elise, get to the opposite end of our training track in the forest. Bambietta, in twenty minutes you will begin to hunt. You will search each other out. You will use every means possible. Anything goes here- hiding your energy signatures, attacking from ambush, sniping from afar or going in close. There is no rule you can break in winning this challenge. But if you dare to try and run, or to hold back, you know what will happen. If more than one of you lives, both your mothers will die slowly and painfully. Understood?"
"Father, please," Elise pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"I said, understood?" He snarled.
"Come on, Elise," Bambietta said, taking a deep breath to stop herself from shaking, "for our mamas, okay?"
"For- for mama," Elise said weakly.
"Now run," Father demanded. "Twenty minutes, Bambietta. I will fire an arrow into the sky, and when you see it, you go into the forest. Hunt and kill and show no mercy, and you may one day become worthy as an heir."
Bambietta watched a sobbing Elise run into the forest with supernatural speed, drawing on her power. The surreal nature of the situation lay thick over Bambietta's mind, the reality of it not quite sinking in. She understood in her mind what she had to do, but it didn't really feel real. That soon, she would have to… shoot and kill Elise. Her friend, Elise. That she'd have to string her bow and shoot her like she was an animal, like she was some kind of hollow.
Bambietta had shot hollows before. She'd always felt proud to destroy them. They were monsters, inhuman and cruel, seeking only to kill and destroy. They should die. But… a human being? Her own family? It was an unthinkable horror, overwhelming her poor child's mind. Her heart pounded hard and fast, and she struggled to keep herself together. Only minutes ago, she had been happy, expecting a special lesson, attention from her father. Now, she was trapped in this… horror.
Breathe in deep. Slow your heartbeat. Control yourself.
Old lessons that her father had hammered into her from when she was a toddler kicked in, and Bambi managed to force herself not quite calm, but not out of control either. Long, deep breaths, and her heart slowed down somewhat…
But it did not make the reality go away. Nor the horror of what was about to happen.
She saw the arrow go up into the sky, and realized some time had passed without her even noticing it. She stood frozen in place for a moment, desperately trying to think of a way out, of a way not to do this, but…
Father was strong. She was weak. He had all the power, and she had none.
The sinking feeling in her gut had turned to a deep, dark pit, and with that all-consuming horror running through her, Bambietta ran into the forest. She had been through here countless times, running the obstacle course her father had set up. She knew the place like the back of her hand, but today it was like looking at it for the first time all over. Every corner felt like a dark beast about to swallow her whole; every tree seemed like it could hide her death. She ran only for a couple minutes before pausing, pushing her back against a large tree. Her life was on the line now, and although she did not know if Elise would really fire on her, if she had that in her, but she could not take that risk.
She wanted to live. She wanted to see the outside world. She wanted to go to the movies, go out on town, go see France and Italy and Spain. She wanted to sail the seas to see Japan. To America.
And more than anything, she wanted her mama to live. She had to win. That was the cruel, cold reality Father had forced on her.
Focusing, closing her eyes briefly, Bambietta tried to sense for Elise's signature. There was almost nothing there, only the faintest trace, an echo of an echo. Elise had always been good at hiding herself, her control had always been superior… she could not sense her, could not know, even when she forced herself to calm. She sensed nothing there, but that did not mean she was alone. She opened her eyes, looking around. Nothing; the woods seemed quiet, at peace. Birds were singing in the trees, and rays of sun were coming through the canopy. It would have looked strikingly beautiful in almost any other circumstance.
Bambietta stuck her head out the other side of the tree for the briefest second, pulling back as fast as she could get a glance. Not a moment later, a glowing arrow sailed past her face so close that she could feel the heat of its spiritual charge. She ducked down, minimizing her profile. Another arrow struck the base of the tree, and another, and another. The tree held, but Elise was not done. Arrow after arrow peppered into the wood in rapid succession, and to Bambietta's horror, she heard the tree crack. The barrage was too much for the tree to handle, and soon she would have no cover. She had to move, now.
She breathed in and timed her jump carefully, just before the next impact, just when she knew Elise would be reloading her bow, when she would need a moment to correct her shot. Bambietta jumped, strafing to the left in a somersault, rolling low into a crouch right after and dashing to the side, zig-zagging, aiming for a thicket of bushes. If a hard cover could not protect her, she would make sure she could not be seen.
Arrows zoomed past her, one of them glancing at her dress and singeing her shoulder. She barely even noticed the pain, running furiously. The world seemed to move slowly, Bambietta stretching her abilities to their maximum. There was an arrow, coming right at her; she could see it coming clear as day. There was the tree she would have to weave away from to avoid collision, and there were the bushes…
She twisted under the arrow, as if doing some twisted, murderous limbo dance, twisted to the side and slapping a hand against the bark of the tree, and leaping forward, the air knocked out of her lungs as she hit the ground. Not waiting to catch her breath, she clambered to her feet, forcing herself up. Arrows zipped over her head, but nowhere close now; she had managed to break line of sight. She could not stay, though.
Quickly, wheezing for breath, Bambietta ran down a small valley and through a rock formation. She was off the trail now, in an area she did not know. The upside, of course, was that Elise did not know her way here either.
Or so she hoped.
She leaped onto the rocks and climbed up a thick tree, running up its trunk without thinking about it. Such feats would have been near impossible on a normal day; now she did it without even thinking, channeling power into her legs and attaching it to the base of the tree as she ran. She perched near the top of the tree, behind a cluster of leaves, waiting, watching.
She stared down range, from where Elise had fired, hoping she had not made herself a target. When no arrows came, she allowed herself to breathe, and tried sensing for her. Maintaining stealth was hard, and lo and behold, Elise's energy was not far off, fluctuating, radiating up and down. She had spent a lot of energy doing that barrage, and it had tired her. Made her careless enough to walk toward her upright.
Maintaining stealth was hard, and lo and behold, Elise's energy was not far off, fluctuating, radiating up and down. She had spent a lot of energy doing that barrage, and it had tired her. Made her careless enough to walk toward her upright.
Don't think. The thought ran desperately through Bambietta's mind, as she carefully formed her bow once more, hoping it would not alert Elise.
Don't think. Don't stop and consider it. You're not shooting a person. You're shooting an animal. You're just taking aim at a bit of cloth. It's not real, it's not really her.
Purging any thought, any moral consideration from her mind, Bambietta's head went blank. There was only the Target, moving through the undergrowth at speed, and the arrow she was stringing to hit it with. It was moving fast, and she only had a few seconds, but that was plenty. The Target was walking right into view, right where Bambietta could see. She strung her bow, an arrow forming as she drew the string back to her ear.
Adjust your sight. Trace the movement. Fire where the Target will be, not where it is right now. Every basic lesson she could think of ran through her mind, drowning out that screaming, wailing part of her head that cried no, no, no, stop!
Bambietta released. It was a single arrow, flying straight and true. The Target noticed it coming and twisted out of the way, but too late. It fell over, quickly dashing to the side, leaving a trail of blood. The Target had found cover, but Bambietta knew she had hit it good. Now she had to finish this.
She leaped out of the tree, dashing from one tree top to the next in the direction the Target had gone, scanning carefully for her prey. It did not take her long to find it. The blood trail was clear, copious amounts dripping over the ground in erratic patterns. Under a tree, back half leaned against its trunk, lay the Target. She did not even have her bow out, and she lay there twitching, trembling. Her hip had been hit badly, blood pooling around her left leg. Bambietta leaped down. She had to finish it, she had to-
But then she stood face to face with her again, and the forced blankness over Bambietta's mind evaporated. This was no target. It was Elise, her sister, bleeding and broken, helpless on the ground.
And it was all entirely her own fault.
(Song of Choice: Samurai X The Movie Soundtrack: Painful Memories )
"Elise!" Bambietta cried, rushing over, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine," Elise said, teary eyed. Her breathing was faint, and she looked pale. "You won, Bambi. Now you have to finish it."
"I can't!" Bambi cried, kneeling down next to Elise, clutching her hand. It felt cold, almost limp in her grip. "I can't do that, Elise, I can't-"
"For our mamas," Elise said weakly, squeezing Bambietta's hand. "I'm sorry, Bambietta. You always were… better. I didn't even think. I just ran right into that shot. Now, I can't even form a bow. It's over, and…"
"No, no, no!" Bambietta cried, weeping openly, "No, you can't make me do that, you can't!"
"Think… about your mama," Elise said weakly. "And mine. I don't want her to die. Bambi, please. It hurts, just make it stop, just- just do it!"
"No, no, no…" Bambietta whispered. She took a step back, her whole body trembling. Elise looked up at her, a pleading look on her face. Bambietta stared, wide-eyed. The pool of blood was only growing larger. She was going to bleed out soon, wasn't she?
Every fiber of Bambietta's being wanted to help. To stem the blood flow, to take Elise someplace where she could heal. But she couldn't. No matter where they went, he would find them. The conflict in her mind was like a train running into a wall at full speed. She couldn't let Elise die. But she couldn't let her Mama die either. She couldn't- she couldn't- she couldn't-
Swallowing down an inhuman amount of horror, Bambietta strung her bow once more. Mama. She couldn't let mama die, she couldn't. Slowly, forcing herself every step of the way, she charged an arrow. She aimed at Elise's heart; a swift, instant kill.
"Don't be sad," Elise said quietly, "I'll see you in the afterlife, sometime. I love you, Bambi. Tell mama I'm sorry-"
Unable to bear it, afraid she would lose her will to do it, Bambietta let the arrow loose. It slammed into Elise's chest with a thump, and the girl keeled over, dead. Bambietta sunk to her knees, letting out a loud, primal wail, like that of a wounded animal. She clutched her head, hyperventilating, nearly losing herself. A wave of immense nausea washed over her, and she fell onto all fours, hurling up the breakfast she had eaten that morning.
"Excellent work, my daughter."
Bambietta slowly looked up, gritting her teeth. There stood her father, two paces behind her, a cruel smile on his face. Fury overwhelmed her, and all thoughts of restraint, of consequences, vanished from her mind. She sprung up to her feet, fists mindlessly raised to strike.
"Why? WHY? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY–" she screamed, banging her fists against her father's chest, his gut, unthinkingly lashing out. He let her strike a few times, before delivering a ferocious, well-timed backhand. Bambietta fell on her back, the pain across her cheek bringing her back to reality.
"I will allow you this one moment of weakness," Hayden said coldly, "because you are young, and because this is the first time."
Bambietta got up to her knees and raised her arms again, but Hayden grabbed her by the wrists again, clutching them hard.
"There is a reason I am the only surviving child of the Wesers," he said, his eyes aglow with excitement, zeal in his voice. "I killed my brothers and sisters when I was not much older than you, and it made me stronger. One day, you- or someone else- will be the last one standing, stronger than ever, able to rise against the tyranny of Yhwach. That is our destiny, Bambietta!"
"I'll kill you!" she cried, helplessly struggling against his iron grip.
"Maybe one day," he said, a wicked cheer in his voice, "but not today. Not until it's done. And if you want your mother to live, you'll do what I tell you."
Hayden shoved her down onto the ground before he walked over towards Elise, still as death. Her father walked over towards the body then and performed a slight cut on his hand, dropping it on top of Elise's body before he began to mumble under his breath. Then, to Bambietta's shock, a red circle formed under her half sister's body before a red line shot from the circle and enveloped Bambietta. She glowed for a moment, and then, it ceased.
"What…what was that?" Bambietta couldn't help but ask.
Has looked over towards Bambietta. "For almost a thousand years, the Weser family attempted to find a way to mimic the power of the Auswählen. It took us centuries of experimentation and failure, but 200 years ago, we finally found a method that works. The only drawback currently is that it can only work on those who share familial blood."
"The…Auswählen?" Bambietta asked. "I…I don't even know what that-"
Hayden quickly interrupted. "You will learn in time. But your lesson is not yet complete. Take her energy. Absorb it and make it your own. Add it to your pool. It will make you stronger, it will make your energy grow faster, exponentially."
"That- that's her soul," Bambietta whimpered, "no, no, you can't make me-"
"You will do it, right now, before it forms into a ghost and moves onto the soul society," Hayden said sternly, "or you know what will happen."
Tears streaming down her cheeks, Bambietta crawled toward Elise. She could feel her energy, lingering in her corpse. It had begun to fray. Given a few minutes, it would become a ghost. She knew how to absorb energy, but to take from another was unthinkable, wrong, evil-
She remembered what Elise had said. I'll see you in the afterlife sometime.
But that would never happen. Her soul would not pass. Once the energy had been taken, there would be nothing left to pass on. Elise would be destroyed, never to come back. Bambietta looked back at Hayden. The man was staring her down mercilessly, expectantly.
One last time, Bambietta took her sister's hand and began to cannibalize her soul.
You will always be with me, Elise, Bambietta thought, sobbing quietly as she felt the pool of energy grow smaller and smaller, while her own spiritual energy began to expand.
You'll always be with me, and I'll never forget you. I love you, Elise.
"Well done, my daughter," Hayden said, patting her on the back. That, she would later realize, was the most affection he had ever shown her.
Feeling numb, distant, Bambietta stood up. She felt violated, disgusted with herself to her very core. Her insides felt bloated, her spiritual energy out of order.
"Be careful," Hayden said, his tone friendly. "You will have to rest for the coming days. It is difficult to process that much extra energy, especially the first time. Do not worry- it will become easier with time. The next one should be much easier."
"Yes…Father," Bambietta said calmly, wiping her tears. She looked up at him, her expression suddenly emotionless.
One day, she decided, she would kill him. He would suffer for this. But not today. Not now, not until she had more strength.
"I knew you would understand," Hayden said, smiling down at her. "My first time was difficult too, but I learned. I learned, Bambietta, and you will too."
"Yes, father."
That night, when Bambietta came home, her mother did not ask what had happened. All she needed to do was look at her daughter's face, the emotionless thousand-yard stare, and she knew well enough what had happened.
All she could do…was simply embrace her daughter, and help her through the pain and sorrow.
The next trial happened only two months later. Bambietta had grown strong, naturally strong on top of the way her powers were augmented by Elise's. Everything seemed easier, and the way she trained meant that the hundred yard shot for deer hunting soon became not only attainable, but easier. She threw herself into training with a newfound gusto, because now she had a goal. She would become strong enough to free herself from her father.
Her next sibling to come into the line of fire was Kathleen. She had gone through the same trial as her not long before, having had to kill one of her sisters and consume her spiritual energy. That was the twisted way this worked, like a monstrous tournament- one by one they advanced by killing each other, and when the rounds were done, they would be matched against the survivors. Four of them had died already.
Kathleen, unsurprisingly, was a tougher nut to crack. She was ready for it in a way Bambietta and Elise had not been, and she was ruthless from the start.
But to Bambietta's surprise, it was much easier. She pressured her with arrows from afar, but she matched her and scored enough glancing hits to flush her out of cover. This time, when she landed the killing blow, it was much easier. A large part of her still screamed no, no, no when she shot Kathleen in the heart, but she knew the consequences. Fight or die. Fight, or her mama dies. And so, although she still felt sickened, violated, evil, she cannibalized one of her siblings once more. And again, her power grew.
Hayden- for she had stopped thinking of him as Father- was right at least about power. The process boosted her strength enormously, so much so that she could sometimes barely control her power. The trials were held two or three months apart, purely to give them all the chance to adjust.
Within a year, Bambietta had killed several of her siblings, and only a few were left. She thrived, in the worst way possible. She became cold, distant, withdrawn, and only her mother could bring her old self out. She saw the weeping faces of mothers, the way the other families would not talk to her, and it wounded her in a deep way that she could not understand or express. She did not blame them. How could she? She killed their children, after all. She was Bambietta, the filicide.
She had more freedom now, though. She still dared not try and escape, because Hayden was strong and never far away, but she was allowed to roam the forest. She was allowed to lead hunts for the clan. A year ago it would have been a dream come true; now it was a hollow glory, like ash in her mouth.
There were very few places in Fioritura that Bambietta could ever consider a 'safe haven'. Her room was typically what came to mind, especially whenever her mother would come to comfort her, but little else seemed safe. How could it, given her father was practically the Lord of the town
However, today her mother was bringing her to a special place. It was a place that none of their fellow Quincy visited, but was used quite frequently for the 'normal' humans who resided in the small community. A place her mother described as hope for the hopeless, a home for the homeless and a place where all were welcome
The local church.
It was an older building, built of brick and mortar back in the Victorian days, its walls lined with all kinds of stained glass windows, filled with angels, various biblical figures and the like.
They would come here once a week, the same time as everyone else, though more often than not they were the first to arrive. Mass lasted for about an hour, singing hymns and a sermon from the priest before everyone would go about their separate ways.
Everyone, except for Bambietta and her mother.
Presently, her mother was kneeling before a cross, her arms clasped in prayer as she closed her eyes. Bambietta simply stood and waited, till her mother finally finished and rose up to her feet. She smiled. "Come now, Bambietta. We wouldn't want to keep your father waiting."
Bambietta nodded. "Alright Momma."
The two began to make their way out of the church, but just as Lydia was about to reach for the door, she felt Bambietta come to an abrupt stop. She glanced down at her daughter and gave her a somewhat worried glance. "Bambi, what's wrong?" She asked.
Bambietta glanced down at her feet. She wasn't actually sure how to phrase this question, or if she should even ask it at all. "I...I just..."
Her mother stared at her for several more seconds before she got down onto her knees and placed her hands on Bambietta's shoulders, and smiled. "Come now, Bambietta. You know that you can ask your mother anything you want."
Bambietta looked back at her mother bashfully. "R-really? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Promise that you won't be mad?" Bambietta asked timidly.
"I promise."
Well, nothing for it then.
Bambietta took a deep breath, before her eyes scanned around the entire building. "Momma, you've told me about the afterlife before. About the Soul Society, and Shinigami. That was all true, right?"
Lydia nodded. She had a pretty strong suspension of what this was going to be about. "It's all true, yes."
"Then...why are we coming here?" Bambietta asked. "You said it yourself, Momma, you know what the afterlife is like, and it's nothing like how they say it is! So what's the point of us coming here if none of it is real!?"
Silence filled the church as Bambietta stared at her mother. Much to her relief, her mother didn't seem the least bit upset about her question. Even so, the silence wasn't making her feel any less uneasy.
Fortunately, it wasn't to last, as her mother gave her a heartwarming smile.
"Because I believe that there's something more after all of that," Lydia began to say. "That the Soul Society is not the end. That there is a greater being out there that watches over all us. Above you, me, your father, the shinigami, and even Yhwach himself."
Lydia's eyes fell upon the cross located at the otherside of the church before they refocused onto her daughter. "This isn't a belief shared by most Quincy. As a matter of fact, I haven't found a single other who shares this belief of mine. But I refuse to believe that a world that can be as beautiful as ours only has such a wretched afterlife in store for us."
She looked outside of the church and into the vast landscape surrounding the small town. "One day, you'll see just how large and beautiful a place the world truly is. We come here because I have hope for that better place. A true heaven for those who have done good in their lives. So that you, me and your sisters can be with the Lord as we were always meant to be."
Bambietta looked at her mother with uncertainty. "But...how do you know that this is real?"
Lydia reached out and rubbed the top of Bambietta's head, her eyes closed. "I don't have any 'proof' per say. But that's what faith is all about. To believe in something with all your heart no matter what anyone else says.*
"That...sounds silly," Bambietta said, still not fully understanding where her mother was coming from.
Lydia still smiled in spite of her confusion. "You're young, so I don't expect you to fully understand it just yet. But so long as you're alive, so long as I can see you and your sisters happy and healthy, I'll always have a reason to believe."
She looked back up at the cross one last time. "For as long as I pray for you, and you stay on the right path... He'll always watch over you."
At the moment, Bambietta still wasn't quite following what her mother was trying to say. It just didn't make any sense. However, there was one thing that she did understand. This was a safe place, both for her and her mother. And as long as they were here... everything would be alright.
"Up ahead," Bambietta said, landing gracefully on a tree branch. With her was her mother, well enough for once to partake in a hunt, and Johann and Karl, two of the clan vassals. She outstripped them all in power now, but she was supposed to one day be a leader, and she would therefore be held responsible. Ahead were a party of hollows, far outside visual range but still easily perceived, their monstrous energy radiating like a tumor on reality.
They advanced cautiously, dropping to ground level and suppressing their spiritual energy. The hollows had feasted recently, judging by the way their energies fluctuated. They seemed at rest; some poor soul had been devoured, but the pack was not yet done hunting. They would not get the chance, Bambietta decided. They crawled closer and closer still, keeping close to the terrain. The white they wore would make them easier to spot, sure, but by the time they did the hunt would already be on.
"Four of them," her mother whispered. "One is strong, Bambi. A Menos Grande, it must be. We should call off the hunt. Or at the very least call for reinforcement."
"I've never killed a Menos Grande before. I've killed Huge classes. Can't be that much worse," Bambietta said confidently.
"Bambi, I am warning you," Lydia said weakly, "you're strong, but you're still just a child. You still have a long way to go still. If your father was here-"
The mention of the man hardened Bambi's mind instantly, and a cold expression came over her face.
"Mom, I'm ready," she said insistently, "and I won't be alone, anyway. You'll be backing me up, and Karl and Johann too. I'm leading this hunt."
"Bambi-, listen to me! You-"
Bambietta was already continuing forward, stalking across the ground with practiced ease. Lydia looked after her, trying to think of what to do to change her headstrong daughter's mind, but what was she to do? The clan vassals would not back her, and Bambi had made her mind up.
Finally the hollow pack came into view in the distance, at rest in a glade in the dark forest. The team crouched down in a set of bushes, focusing their eyes and readying their bows. There were four indeed, but the three smaller ones were dwarfed entirely by the enormous hollow leading their pack. It was nearly as big as a house, and radiated toxic, negative energy. It looked strange, with thin, spindly-looking legs and a huge, bulky main body, and a head that made up nearly a full third of its monstrous body with large skeleton-like ears. It was as if it were a rabbit that came straight out of hell.
Lydia could only gasp in horror. This was no mere Gillian. It was an Adjuchas, and a powerful one at that.
What it was even doing here, neither of them could fathom to imagine. Given its size and shape, it was most likely an Adjuchas. A Gillian would have been concerning enough, but this? It was unfathomable, both in its appearance in the world of the living, or taking it on in combat.
But whereas Lydia saw the situation for what it really was…Bambietta saw an opportunity.
If I pull this off, I won't need to continue this sick, twisted game of this. Bambietta thought. I'll prove I'm strong enough already. This nightmare ends today!
"Bambietta, please." Lydia begged her. "This is a fool's errand, we-"
"I'm not running away." Bambietta told her stubbornly. "I'm going to prove to that man, once and for all, that I'm worthy enough."
"You could die!" Lydia begged her. "Please, I-"
"Well, maybe I'd rather die than go back to that miserable hell we call home!"
Lydia's eyes widened at Bambietta's words, her mouth agape. Was that how she truly felt? All this time? Lydia had no illusions that Bambietta loved her life in Fioritura, that she wanted to leave more than anything else. But to wish death over it all?
Maybe it was just the words of a confused, scared, and angry girl. Maybe it was how she truly felt. Regardless of it all, she was powerless to stop her. As things stood now, she was too weak to drag Bambietta away by force. Bambietta had surpassed her weakened state for some time now. To try to force the matter now would simply give away their location and make matters worse.
Thus, she simply closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and said a prayer to the Lord. Please, please my lord….keep her safe.
"Line up your shots," Bambietta ordered. "Karl, Johann, pick off the left one together. Mother, take the right. I want to eliminate the small fries immediately, before they have a chance to react, then we focus down the big one. Once they're down, I'll go in and distract it, while you wear it down from afar. Make sure to spread out, I don't want it to get to all of you in case it ignores me. If we do this right and hit hard and fast, it should be no issue. On my mark!"
She materialized her bow, now nearly fully corporeal, and pulled the string back. She kept the volume of her shot low, to make sure she did not attract any undue attention, until she had a clear bead. Then, when her shot was well and properly lined up, she powered her arrow up to maximum.
(Song of choice: Creeping shadows, Bleach OST)
"Fire!" she hissed, letting her arrow fly. Not a moment later, just behind her own projectile, three more arrows rang out. Bambietta felt a wave of satisfaction as they struck home. Her and her mother's arrow were both dead-center, shattering the hollow's masks instantly. Karl and Johann were not quite as accurate, but the power of the shots tore the lesser hollow apart all the same.
"Scatter and fire!" Bambietta ordered, dashing forward, firing as she went. Shock and awe ruled in the clearing. In an instant, three hollows had been slain and a continuous volley of firepower tore into the huge hollow, rending its legs, its side. To Bambietta's frustration, though, her arrows could not seem to penetrate its skull mask outright. She chipped it, alright, but the arrows could not seem to break through its thick hide.
The hollow reared up and roared, jumping to its feet with surprising agility, considering its bulky, inelegant form. Bambietta ran around its flank in a wide angle, keeping fairly close as she let loose a stream of powerful arrows, rending its side. Meanwhile, her mother and the two serfs rained hell on the creature in a continuous stream of fire. But despite their best efforts, despite the devastating force rained down upon it, the hollow endured the pain with ease, as if the destructive arrows were mere gnats.
It spun around, its jaws half open, facing Bambietta. It let out a loud, deafening roar, and charged her. Bambi had been ready and dashed to the side, running off one tree trunk off to another while firing. She tried to aim for its weak spots, for its joints, but this was the real deal and despite her skill, Bambietta was still a child. To fire accurately at such speed, under this kind of pressure… again and again she found shots going wide or making a near harmless dent in the creature's hide as she jumped, evaded, rolled out of the way of another vicious attack. They were wearing it down, sure, but not fast enough.
Bambietta's heart was pounding like a jackhammer as she ran, always on the edge, always a moment away from being bitten in half or broken and battered by a powerful claw swipe. Her initial confidence had gone now, and the exhilaration was slowly being replaced with fear as the gravity of the situation sunk in. She was trying her very hardest, and it was not enough- and what was worse, she did not see a way out of it. She had to win, or she would die, it would all be over-
A glancing strike from a paw finally caught her. Bambietta gasped, the wind knocked out of her as she tumbled across the ground. The claw had only grazed her clothes, but the blow had been stunning all the same. She hit the ground once, two, three times, skidding across the forest floor. She tore her clothes and scraped her skin, struggling to breathe, knowing it would be on her any moment now. She rolled onto her back, struggling to get up, but before she could do anything the hollow was on her. Her world was dominated by the sight of those jaws, snapping as they came in from above. Bambi scrambled back, under a fallen log, but it was not quite enough. The jaws closed in around her, and in desperation she put her foot against its lower jaw, her off hand against its upper, and pushed like only a cornered animal fighting for its life could. It held only momentarily, and she smelled the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh, saw its tongue reaching out.
But a moment was all she needed, and one-handed Bambietta formed a bow, firing point-blank into its maw. Impossible to miss, she charged as much power as she could, and the hollow roared and reared back. Panicking, Bambietta scrambled to her feet, but before she could take off in a flash step, the hollow backhanded her.
Wide-eyed, Bambietta sailed through the air, and she would have screamed if she could breathe. Her fall was broken by a tree trunk, and she was barely conscious when she hit the ground face first, feeling the taste of wet soil in her mouth. Trying to breathe, trying to get up against all odds, her entire everything aching, Bambietta crawled, knowing it would not be enough, that it would be too late, that-
But the attack did not come. She heard the hollow roar, and Bambietta blinked, finally managing to force a little bit of air into her lung. An immensely powerful blast had struck the hollow, rending a huge chunk out of its thick hide, and another soon followed. Confused, Bambietta scrambled up to her feet. Shot after shot poured into the hollow, slow and methodical with a second in between each projectile. The power was charging perfectly, expertly, masterful…
It was her mother, Bambietta realized. She had at first thought Hayden had come to save her, that it had been another test, that he had been watching, but the energy pouring into the hollow again and again was her mother's. But how? She radiated power suddenly, raw and blaring, like Bambietta had never seen before. Mother was weak and sickly, not strong like this, what- what was going on?!
But as she got a closer look, Bambietta's eyes widened. A single, large wing of reishi came from her mothers right shoulder, the woman giving it an intense glare, the likes of which Bambietta had never seen from her mother before. No, this wasn't the woman she knew. This wasn't the meek submissive housewife of Hayden Basterbine.
This was Lydia Basterbine, the true heiress of the Basterbine family.
"No more…" The woman said, slowly approaching the monstrous hollow. The two servants they had brought with them had long since ran, too scared to fight the creature. For so long, she too was too scared to do what had been necessary. To put her life on the line. For too long, she had let one daughter suffer to protect her remaining two, to do what needed to be done.
But she would not make that mistake again. Here and now…this would be her redemption.
She closed her eyes for just a moment, thinking one last silent prayer, before she brandished a massive ethereal claymore in her right hand, Lydia Basterbine used Hirenkyaku to close the distance on the Adjuchas. The great beast fired out a massive cero, but her mothers sword cleaved through the attack as if it were nothing. It swung down one of its massive arms at her, but Lydia sliced through the long arm with ease, the hollow letting out a loud cry of pain before it swung its other hand at Lydia as its other arm began to rapidly regenerate. Lydia felt her ground beneath her shatter, and let out a cry of pain as its claws slashed against her stomach, its claws cutting into her gut.
Lydia let out a gasp of pain, but remained focused, her resolve unwavering.. This beast? It was nothing compared to what she once was in her prime. She swung her sword, sending the Adjuchas back about a dozen or so feet, a massive cut running from its shoulder and down to its hip.
Lydia grimaced at the sight and brandished her sword once more. I see. Even with the Letz Stil, my body can't use more power than this. Her sword dissipated, as she formed a massive heilig bogen in her right arm. It was time to finish this.
The hollow reared back, trying to charge forward, but a shot to its left front leg sent it collapsing into the ground, the limb nothing more than a stump. The Adjucas fired off one last cero, several times stronger than the one it had originally used, but it was a futile effort. An arrow pierced through the attack and struck the mask dead on, and where Bambietta had barely chipped it, her mother's arrow rend a great crack in the mask. The second arrow deepened the crack into a huge tear, and the third split it completely. The mask broke and crumbled, tumbling to the ground in pieces, and the hollow let out one last roar before it began to disintegrate, disappearing like a haze of hot air.
Bambietta stared in awe. She had heard many a tale that her mother would have been considered amongst the strongest of the quincy if not for her sickness, but it was only here and now that she truly understood what that meant. She wasn't simply stronger than the other quincy, she was in a league all her own.
"Bambi? Bambietta?!"
The troubled cry was from her mother, who had dashed toward her at full speed. She took her daughter by the shoulders, agonized worry written on her face.
"Mother?" said Bambietta confusedly.
"Are you hurt? Is it bad?" Lydia demanded, putting her hands up and down Bambietta's arms and sides to check for wounds.
"No- no, I'm okay. I mean, it hurts, and I scraped myself in a bunch of places, but nothing's broken. See, I'm alright!"
She took a step back and did a twirl to prove it. Her mother's giving her a relieved smile.
"Thank heavens. I thought I lost you, Bambi."
"You'd never lose me, Mama…" Bambi trailed off, and then she saw it.
(Song of Choice: Naruto Shippuden OST II - Burial )
The first, was her mother's hands, bare. The glove she had always worn, left behind. And her energy… it had been blazing so brightly not a minute ago, but now it was shrinking rapidly, quickly dropping, dropping, approaching nothingness.
The second, was a bloody slash against Lydia's stomach, a dark marking beginning to slowly spread throughout the wound, and tiny bits of blue reishi began to leak out from her body.
"Mamma, what happened!? What did you do!?" Bambi said, horrified. Lydia sank down to her knees, halfway collapsing, and Bambietta ran to catch her. She put her arms around her mother, who lay there limp in her arms. "Mamma!"
"I had to do it," Lydia whispered, still smiling. "I was already… gone a long time ago, Bambietta. I had so little left in me. If I could just save you, that was enough…"
"But…but Mamma, I-" Bambietta sobbed, trying to express just how sorry she was that things had gone this way, for things to have gone this far, but Lydia simply pressed a soft yet firm hand on Bambietta's shoulder.
"You needn't apologize, my dear Bambietta. I brought you into this world, into this living hell…and I could never once protect you. Because I could never make the sacrifice needed to keep you and the others safe. I…I was too worried about your sisters. I've been incredibly selfish this whole time…and for that, I am so, so sorry," Tears began to fall from her mothers eyes, though her comforting smile still remained. "I only hope now…that you can someday escape from Hayden's wretched machinations…"
"Mamma, please, save your strength!" Bambietta shouted, the quincy trying her damndest to keep it together. "Please!"
Lydia shook her head. "I'm afraid…there's nothing that can be done now. The hollow's reiatsu… has already reached my bloodstream. My soul…won't exist for much longer."
Bambietta shook her head. "That's…that's not true! You're going to go to heaven, Mamma! I know you will! That's where all the good people go! You told me that! You're supposed to go to heaven! Not…not…"
Lydia weakly reached onto her dress and handed Bambietta a small pin, shaped like a heart with small wings attached to both sides. "I…I leave this in your hands now, Bambietta. The family emblem. If you are… to ever escape from here, I'm certain…that you'll be able to use it to find quincy…that will treat you with the love and respect that you had always deserved…Do not…allow…your father or any of your siblings to see it." Her mother spoke weakly, barely above that of a whisper.
"Mamma…Please…Mamma!" Bambietta begged as tears began to trickle around her eyes.
"Please…be safe…Bambietta," Her mother weakly listened. " You…have what it takes…to win this wicked game of his. I know it. And remember, no matter what evil your father forces you to do…I…will…always…"
She trailed off and lay there in Bambietta's arms, deathly still. She was not breathing. Her soul was almost imperceptible now, tiny and weak, lesser even than a normal human's. Her light faded quickly, and just like that, with Bambietta being able to sense every horrifying moment of it as it happened, Lydia Basterbine expired, the hollow reiatsu finishing off both her body and soul.
"No," Bambi whispered, wide eyed, tears streaming down her face, "no, no, no, no no no NO NO NO NO!"
There was no response. No ghostly specter hovering over her body. Nothing. Bambietta knew it was over, could feel it with her very being, but she could not let go. She couldn't accept what had happened.
"Wake up!" she sobbed, holding her mother tightly, "Come back, come back, come back, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to-"
But there was no answer.
And there never would be.
"No….Mamma…Mamma…MAMMA!"
Bambietta cried and cried, wailing loudly, screaming up toward the very sky. She was gone. Her one source of light in this world, the one who told her about the outside world, the one who was there for her day and night, the one person she could always go to when she needed a shoulder to cry on when she was forced to participate in Hayden's wretched game. The one she loved more than anyone else.
Gone.
She was not sure how she got back. The rest of the day went by in a haze. One of the servants had to have carried mother back, because the next thing Bambietta remembered afterward was standing outside their house, Hayden wrapping Lydia's body in a shroud. Bambietta kneeled by her mother's body one last time, and Hayden let her. She had cried and cried, the entire way there and back, utterly exhausted and weak. Her face was red and her eyes aching from the tears, and one last time she took her mother's hand, cold and still.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered hoarsely, "I'm so sorry."
Lydia was buried the next day, at the foot of a hill just near the forest, a simple wooden cross with her name on it the only thing marking where she lay. In the midst of her grief, Bambietta was surprised Hayden even went that far; she had halfway thought he would just throw her aside like trash. But a deal is a deal, he explained, and Lydia had upheld hers. A priest had come to say a few words, and with minimal ceremony she was lowered into the earth and interred, laid to rest at last. Bambi sat watching it the entire day, stewing in a pain she could barely even understand.
Her mother was gone, forever gone, and it was her fault. She had taken a stupid risk, and it had killed her mother, the one person in the world who truly cared about her, who had always been there for her. The grief nearly crushed her.
Her father, perhaps sensing that now was not the time to push, left her alone for a week before calling her up for another lesson. When he did, Bambietta dived into it with gusto, fiercely pushing herself; anything to distract from the pain. Life went on, day by day, but it felt empty and ashen. Bambietta woke up, ate, trained, slept, all of it feeling more like a machine than a human being.
There was no god, like her mother told her time and time again. How could there be, if he allowed such horror to continue unpunished? Where was he when she needed him most? When her mother needed him most? Or her sisters?
Her faith, just like her mother, was dead.
A year passed, and although the pain did not go away, it became less overwhelming, less intense. Slowly, very slowly, Bambietta began to regain her senses. Her mother was gone, but her dreams were not. One day, she would see the world outside. One day, she would kill her father and make him suffer like she had suffered. One day she would be free, and when she was, she would remember her mother. She would honor her memory by becoming something better than this, something more than a twisted, wretched murderer, servant to an evil man.
Her sisters had kept their distance since their mother's death, and Bambietta couldn't blame them. They grieved, and kept their heads down as much as possible. She wanted so badly to get closer to them, but to do so would mean giving Hayden another angle to exploit, someone else to threaten. It hurt her down to her very core, stabbing like a knife, but Bambietta kept her distance. They were older, and not too many years from now they could go out on their own, away from this hell.
The only thing Bambietta would have to remember her family, her real family by, was the Basterbine family crest, and her mother's diary. The book had been enlightening, filling her in on her mother's inner thoughts and her life, including and utter anguish she had suffered under Hayden's 'care.'
There were more trials, and Hayden's once large pool of children continued to shrink. There would be more funerals, more weeping mothers, and Bambietta kept 'thriving'. She fought, she won, she cannibalized her sisters, and grew and grew in strength. For her monstrous prowess, she was rewarded. She was given more freedom to roam, and was allowed to hunt by herself. But the freedom was never quite freedom. The prison of her father's making was ever present. When he called, you obeyed immediately or faced the consequences.
Several times, unable to take it, Bambietta had tried to escape. Once, she got a whole day away from the village, but her father found her each time. And each time, she received a brutal beating, stopping short only of breaking bones and locked away in the closet of her room. She was surrounded by woods and open land, but she was boxed in as if walls and bars had been built around her house.
All throughout, Bambietta kept the Basterbine emblem from her mother secretly in her room. Hayden would surely take it if he knew, fully claiming that noble name for himself. He had no right. If there would ever be new true Basterbines, they would never come from that wretched man.
And worse yet, worse of all…She was starting to enjoy the violence. Not with her sisters, thank heavens, but whenever she was allowed on the occasional hollow hunt. It was one of the few moments she was allowed to fight someone that wasn't one of her sisters, a chance to unleash all of her pent up aggression and fury.
Any hollow she encountered, even the huge class stood no chance against her now. For with each and every single one she had run into, she had imposed the image of Hayden over the unfortunate creature and allowed her to revel in the carnage. To fantasize about finally taking the life of that bastard. She could only hope that it would never carry over to her half-sisters.
Yes, she had more freedom, tutors to educate her, but all of it meant nothing. She was alone and trapped, stuck with that tormentor until she grew up, and her mother was gone forever. Life hardly seemed worth living.
The library was one of her last refuges. Her father kept a large collection of books, and access to it was one of the privileges his remaining children had. She would immerse herself in the old books he kept there, forgetting life for a few hours and dreaming of distant places. She would travel the high seas with Long John Silver; she would go adventuring with Huckleberry Finn; she would travel strange and fantastical places with Gulliver; she would suffer and rejoice with Oliver Twist. She read them hungrily, and throughout the last year, she had devoured most of the books worth reading in her father's library, many of them several times.
For in those precious few moments, she was no longer in this hell hole. She was free, going off on her own fairy tale adventure.
She was not alone today. Her sister Estelle was sitting in an armchair, back up straight, eyes fixed on her book. Bambietta ignored her for the time being, until she realized that Estelle had taken the book she was reading: Bram Stoker's Dracula. Irritated, unsure how to resolve it, Bambietta hovered just over Estelle's space.
"What?" said Estelle, eyes remaining stuck on her book.
"I was going to read that," Bambietta scoffed. "I was almost finished too."
"Tough break," Estelle fired back casually, a little smugly. "I guess you'll have to find out what happens to Mr. Dracula tomorrow."
"It's Count Dracula, dummy," Bambietta said, rolling her eyes. "He's like, a Romanian nobleman."
"Wallachian," Estelle corrected. "At least that's where the historical person was from."
"Wallachia didn't even exist when this was written, smartass," Bambietta shot back. "What do you think that is, some kinda history book about the Balkans? It's a horror novel."
"Well, it's not very scary," Estelle said dryly. "It's a little boring, actually."
"Are you serious? It has a vampire in it. The vampire!"
"I mean, it's not even the first big pop culture vampire. That'd be Carmilla," Estelle said smugly.
"Are you always like this, or does it take effort?"
"Just natural talent," Estelle said with a smile.
"Well if it's so boring, you give it to me," Bambietta scoffed.
"…no, I think not," Estelle said teasingly, clearly enjoying it a bit much. "I started it after all, and you should finish what you start."
"I'll finish-"
Bambietta stopped. She almost said I'll finish you, but then she realized what that would be saying.
Because she and Estelle were the last daughters left. While the sons had run the same bracket, so had the daughters, until there would be only one of either sex left. Before too long, she would be fighting Estelle.
Before too long, she would have to kill her.
And she would kill her. Estelle had barely made it through her trials, and although she was a little older than Bambietta, she did not have the same aptitude, the same skill, the same raw talent. She could not shoot as far or as fast as Bambietta; she was not as sharp or as quick. The difference between them was not vast, but it was big enough. It might be tomorrow, or next week, or in a month, but either way she would soon kill the last of her sisters.
Despite her attitude, despite her teasing and bratty demeanor, Bambietta did not hate her. She knew Estelle's mother, and thought of what her face would look like when they were done with each other. She had only very little time left with Estelle, and they both knew it. Deep down, she was sure Estelle knew as well as she did how it would go.
This was no time to be fighting, or making enemies.
(Song Of Choice: Kenshin, Departure, piano and guitar version)
"…What?" said Estelle irritably, raising an eyebrow. "You were so fired up just a second ago, and now you're staring at me, gaping like a fish."
Bambietta clamped her mouth shut.
"No- no reason," she muttered, trying to hide her feelings, pushing down a wave of emotion. "You enjoy Dracula. I'll- I'll finish it tomorrow. There must be something else in here to read."
She took a step back, and Estelle's expression softened.
"We can read it together," she said, giving Bambietta a strange look. There was emotion in there that she could not read, could not fully understand. Perhaps she felt the same thing Bambietta felt. Perhaps she felt it worse.
"Nah, that's- that's okay. You can have it," Bambietta murmured awkwardly.
"Come on. What part were you at?"
"I was much further ahead than you. You'd be missing out."
There was a pregnant pause between the two of them, staring each other down.
"…Bambi, it's okay," Estelle whispered at last. "Let's just share the book for a while. As sisters. While we still can."
Slowly, Bambietta nodded, and a tear fell down her cheek.
"It's not your fault," Estelle said, as if she knew what Bambietta was thinking, as if she had seen right into her mind. "It's not mine either. Only one person is to blame for what's coming, and it's not you."
"I- if I could just-If I was strong enough- if I had any choice-" Bambi stuttered, her tears flowing openly.
"We don't," Estelle said, standing up and putting the book aside. "We can't help it. It… it is what it is."
Estelle shrugged, and just how resigned she looked, how defeated she seemed, like she had already rolled over and given up, it broke a part of Bambietta she did not know she had left to break. She broke out in loud, ugly sobs, sinking down to the floor and hugging her knees. But as she sat there, immersed in misery, she felt Estelle's arms wrap around her from behind. Unthinkingly, just deeply in need of any kind of connection, she took Estelle's hand and squeezed it hard. Estelle squeezed back, and Bambietta felt her shaking, and heard her begin to sob as well.
She did not want to die, Bambietta knew. She did not want to give up. And still, it was coming. It was inevitable.
What was wrong with the world, that something like this was allowed to carry on?
It was just over a week later when Hayden brought the two of them to the battle grounds. Bambietta followed him, but the old resignation she had felt so many times before would not sink in. She felt herself fracturing, cracking like glass, barely holding herself together. She had killed so many of her sisters so far, watched the light go out of their eyes as she stole their spirit, absorbing it into her own. She watched Estelle marching next to her, so alive, so vibrant, so real, and…
She was going to have to kill her. She knew she had it in her to do so. But it was becoming too much. She had learned much about herself, about what she could cope with. She had killed her half sisters and lived on. She had buried her mother, and lived on. But with so little left to live for, why go on? Why even have dreams of the outside world if she had to walk through an ocean of blood to get there? She could feel herself wading through it like a swamp, waist deep, and it was hard not to envision herself getting swallowed up by it whole and drown. It was an awful, sinking feeling that she could not properly erase from her mind.
She thought of Estelle's mother. She thought of her own mother, of the way she had given her life without a second thought to save Bambietta's. She was not sure what to do, how to deal with this, but something had to give.
Something had to change.
The battle was a quick affair. They started at the opposite parts of the training grounds, dashed toward each other, and fought. A few arrows slung at each other, a few dashes from cover to cover, and suddenly Estelle had taken an arrow to the shoulder. She yelped and tumbled to the ground, and before she could recover, there was Bambietta standing over her, bow drawn and ready for the coup de grace. Estelle would not be able to react, to bring her bow up and defend before the arrow came loose. It would strike her in the neck, or in the chest, with fatal force. Quick, lethal, impossible to survive.
But Bambi did not let the arrow loose. She kept her bow strung, staring down at her sister where she lay, gritting her teeth.
"Just- just do it," Estelle panted, ghostly pale. She looked terrified, trembling where she lay. She had let her bow dissipate, her dominant arm hanging limp. She had given up, and was only waiting to die.
"Just do it, just make it quick, just-"
"No," said Bambietta firmly.
"But he'll- Father won't-"
As if on cue, Hayden arrived before the two of them with a quick flash step, giving Bambietta a cold stare.
"What are you waiting for?" He demanded. "Finish the job. Now."
Song of Choice: (Rurouni Kenshin) Trust and Betrayal Original Soundtrack-The Will )
Bambietta looked him in the eye and let her arm drop down, bow pointed down at the ground. "No."
"No?" Hayden bristled. "You know what will happen if you refuse to obey me, child!"
"What, you're going to dig up mother and kill her again?" Bambietta said coldly.
"You have two sisters. I will peel the skin off their bodies and make you watch-"
Suddenly, Bambietta turned the bow around, stringing and charging it with the arrow pointed right under her chin. She felt the thrumming power, charging as much as she dared into it. The moment she let the string loose, it would surge up through her skull, shattering her brains instantly.
Somehow, the thought didn't seem too frightening.
"What are you doing, child?" Hayden snapped, taking a step forward.
"Not one inch closer!" Bambietta barked, a pulse of energy flaring through her body. "If you move even a little, I'll let it go, I swear I will!"
"Have you lost your mind?!" Hayden cried. He sounded angry, but… shocked also? Afraid? For the first time in ages, Bambi felt a jolt of pleasure, watching him squirm.
"You are very fast, father," Bambietta hissed, "but are you so fast you can stop me from firing? I don't think you are."
"You've gone mad- mad!" Hayden snarled, balling his fists.
"I'm seeing things clearly, actually," Bambietta said, staring him down with a cold hatred in her eyes. "You've held a gun to my head my entire life. Turns out I can do that too. And the reason you're not letting it happen is because I matter to you. I'm your legacy, your everything. You need me. If I die, it's all for nothing. What, Estelle is going to be your replacement? I don't think so. I'm your 'favorite daughter', you monster, and if I die you have to start over. You're too much of a perfectionist to consider otherwise. Do you even have that kind of time? So no, I am not killing her. It stops now. She lives, or I die."
"You think I'll let that stand? You will be punished beyond your wildest nightmares, you brat! I will kill her, and then I'll kill your sisters, slowly!"
"Well I won't be alive to see it happen, will I?" Bambietta snarled. "You can do that, but it won't make me any less dead!"
Hayden trembled with rage, impotent anger.
"Do you not understand that all of this is for your own good? It will make you strong. It will make you worthy of my legacy!"
"Fuck your legacy!" Bambietta spat. "The only way that is ever happening is if you let her live, if this stops!"
"She will die either way. You can't keep this up forever."
"And you can't stop me from killing myself afterwards either. You can't watch me all the time, can you?"
Hayden stomped his foot, trembling with rage. He pointed at her, his hand shaking.
"You do as I say right now!"
"No," Bambietta insisted. "I'm not killing her. I won't do it! So you free her from this madness, or I die. Got that?!"
"You-"
"I'll count down from ten," Bambietta said coldly, dead serious. Right now, letting go of the string would solve a lot of problems in an instant. It was liberating in a way, to not care if you lived or died. In that moment, Bambietta could have let go without hesitating.
"Ten."
She stared him down defiantly.
"Nine. Eight. Seven."
He looked around desperately, twitching as if to move, but Bambietta was focused on him completely, watching for any movement. He knew it, she knew it, and he dared not move.
"Six. Five. Four."
"You little bitch!"
"Three. Two. O-"
"Alright, stop!" Hayden shouted. He fell silent, taking a deep breath. "Fine, I'll- I'll let her go."
He looked like he'd eaten not a lemon, but a whole case of them, his face twisted with frustrated rage. Bambietta did not let go, though, not yet.
"If you go back on this, I will find a way to die," she hissed. "I don't believe a single word you say. You're a monster. But you can believe me when I say I'll burn your whole legacy to the ground if you kill her."
"I- I swear," Hayden said, making a calming, downward gesture with his hands.
"Say it!" Bambi cried. "Say she's free from all this madness!"
Hayden took another deep breath, struggling to control himself. He turned to Estelle, giving her a coldly furious stare.
"Go home," he said curtly. "Now. From this moment onwards, you are worthless to me. If you ever disappoint me again, I will kill both you and your mother!"
"Y-yes- yes," Estelle whimpered. "I'll- I'll go."
She managed to stand up, and shot Bambietta a brief smile, a look of immeasurable relief on her face. Hobbling away, limping, still bleeding, she began to make her way home. Slowly, Bambietta unstrung her bow and let the collected energy disperse. She looked Hayden in the eye. He shot a glance at Estelle, and Bambietta's eyes narrowed.
"Remember what I said," she growled. "She dies, I die. If I hear anything bad happened to her, I die. You want your legacy? I'm right here, old man, but it's going to cost you."
"I'm a man of my word," Hayden said coldly. "That much will never change."
Bambietta nodded.
"Alright then. I'm your heir now. Teach me."
She had no intention of staying, but for now… she was at his disposal.
Hayden stayed true to his word, to Bambietta's surprise. Estelle was still punished for her failure, but the sentence was light; she was demoted, kicked down to vassal status, made a lesser family. He likely thought of it as humiliation, but the vassals fared better than the main family by far- they just did their jobs and kept out of his way. Other than the silent treatment, which was more of a blessing than a punishment, Estelle got off easily.
The failure of a punishment only doubled when he made Estelle into Bambietta's personal servant. Yes, Estelle now had to wash Bambietta's clothes, clean her room and cook her food, but Bambietta would help her with the chores whenever father was not looking. And more importantly, she now had a sister at her side, a confidant, somebody to speak to. For the first time in forever, life looked up every so slightly.
To ensure it stayed that way, Bambietta took her training seriously and obeyed her father in all things. She had not stopped hating him, had not let go of her resentments, but their relationship… changed. If not amicable, then it was at least functional, without friction. She was not punished or mistreated, and in exchange she did all he asked of her.
But she had not forgotten. She had not forgotten what he had made her do, or how he had treated mother. The dream of going to the outside world did not disappear, but it became secondary to a new dream. One day she would kill him, but not before she had burnt down everything he stood for, not before he had seen his dream go up in smoke. He would suffer one day. But until then, she obeyed, bided her time.
She was allowed to eat in the grand dining room from now on, having dinner there every night along with Hayden and his lone surviving male heir, her brother Lukas.
Lukas… Lukas was something else. Bambietta had never been very close to her other siblings; they were so many, and after the trials had begun, she had distanced herself, afraid to get closer. Lukas was younger than her by a year or so, and he had a mop of sand blond hair and spectacles. He looked nice enough, but that was where it stopped. If he had ever had any qualms about killing, if he had ever been where Bambietta had been, horrified and violated, then it was long gone. Lukas was the perfect son to his father: strong, skilled, hard-working, and utterly ruthless.
He liked his father. He wanted to be like him. He had killed all his brothers one by one, supposedly without hesitation, never once seeming ashamed or in any way impacted. He had swallowed his father's beliefs whole, and it infuriated Bambietta. That too was another dimension of her father's wickedness; that he would take a child and mold him into a twisted image of himself, passing off the same perverse horrors to another generation. He was the last hurdle to become true heir, and if it came to killing him…
Bambietta did not want to kill any of her siblings. But when it came to Lukas, it would be easier. If she won at all; she had spared Estelle but it came at the cost of making herself weaker by comparison; Lukas had had no such reservations.
"The trials," Hayden said, once they finished dinner one night, "will conclude soon. You have both grown strong under my tutelage, as I knew you would. You are both truly my children."
Bambietta let nothing show, not even a disturbance in her spiritual energy, but a wave of hate flowed through her at his words.
"The final trial between you will start in one year. You will battle for the title of heir to the end, with all you have. But the loser will not die. It would be a shame to waste the two best potentials, after all. The loser will instead have a seal placed upon them, and become a servant to the winner for the rest of their life. That way the next clan head will not only be strong, but have a capable second-in-command at their disposal. Together, you will build the next generation of Weser Quincies, and take the next step toward finally beating our hated enemy, the wretched Yhwach."
Bambietta froze. She wanted her freedom, and… the idea of being made somebody's slave forever, being trapped in this life until the day she died, was unbearable. She would rather die. Suddenly, her will hardened. She had been apprehensive about the coming battle; now she was determined to win it.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, father," Lukas nodded, "you are most kind and wise to spare the life of the loser, sir. I will not disappoint you."
"I know you will not," Hayden said, his lips curling into a faint, cold smile. He looked at Bambietta.
"I understand," she croaked. "I will be ready for it. One year from now."
Hayden nodded.
"You will both train intensely. Separately- you will not study each other's fighting styles. You will have no advantages over each other going in. Dismissed."
As the two of them stood to leave, Lukas shot her a confident, self-assured smile. She glared back, gritting her teeth. As the door to the dining hall closed behind them, Lukas turned to look her in the eye. He was taller than her, and although he was not stocky or broad he seemed to tower over her.
"I want you to know I will hold you no grudges," he said calmly. "When I defeat you, I will treat you with kindness if you serve obediently. More kindly than father. Our years of training are harsh by necessity, but life does not always need to be so harsh. You'll find I can be quite pleasant so long as you perform up to my standards."
"You sound awfully sure of yourself," Bambietta managed, anger and confusion raging through her head. "Don't count your chickens till they come home to roost, Lukas."
"Please," he said with a shrug, "I may be younger but I'm still more skilled and much more powerful. Even without a year's preparation, I have too much of an edge. It would be shameful of you to surrender without a fight, of course, but I will take this victory. We both know it. Adjust to this new state of things, and all will go more smoothly."
She stared him down, and a new wall of hatred welled up inside her. The spitting image of her father, in demeanor and personality if not in looks.
"You're not going to win," she hissed. "I'll make you choke on those words, little brother. I'll rise up and drown you in your own blood!"
The sheer viciousness of her words, the sincere emotion with which the malice was spoken, surprised her. The idea of him lining up her life, of her having to put more children through what she had been through- it was unbearable. It would not happen.
Lukas furrowed his brows.
"I've seen that clan pin of yours. The Basterbine crest," Upon seeing Bambietta's shocked expression, he continued. "Relax, I have not told father of it. I wish to earn it by means of combat. When I win, I will take it from you to remind you of your status as a servant, to forever remind you of who is truly superior."
Bambietta stared him down, fists balled, fighting the urge to punch him in the face.
"It's nothing personal," he continued calmly. "But you will have to learn your place. I hope one day we will have a fruitful partnership together, for the sake of our clan."
"When I win," she replied at last, "I will make it my life's mission to burn fathers clan to the ground, and you along with it."
"A troublesome attitude," Lukas scoffed dismissively. "One we will have to correct in time. Then again, you still act like a child. You will grow out of this."
"One year," Bambietta said firmly. "One year, then we'll see."
"So we will," said Lukas smugly. Afraid of what she might do, Bambietta turned on the spot and walked away. She had work to do.
"The nerve on him!" Bambietta fumed, pacing back and forth with great, offended strikes across her room, like she had a grudge against the floorboards. "I'll kick his ass, I'll make him eat his words, I'll- I'll-"
"Pound him into dust?" Estelle said, her voice a mixture of positive and nervous.
"That too!" Bambietta snarled. "I'll crush him!"
"I'm sure you will."
"I mean, he wants- he wants me to be his slave. I can't- I can't deal with that," Bambietta snarled, her voice becoming shrill, anger giving way to fear.
"He's strong," Estelle said matter-of-factly. "I… you're at a disadvantage, Bambi. If you had just taken my energy-"
"Don't say that," Bambietta insisted ferociously, "don't even think about that. It was the only good thing I've ever done, so don't tell me I was wrong to do it!"
"Of course, of course," Estelle said, making a conciliatory hand gesture. "But then… Well, what do we do? You can train hard, but he will too, and he'll still be ahead of you. What are you going to do to catch up?"
"Well…" Bambietta said, furrowing her brows. She gave Estelle a firm look. "I have something he doesn't. You."
"Me?" Estelle said confusedly, pointing to herself.
"You," Bambietta nodded. "Lukas has only thralls to train with, people far beneath him. Other than father, the three strongest people left in the main family is him, you and me. You will train with me. You'll help me improve. Push me to the edge, every day from dawn till dusk. You can't sharpen a blade properly without a whetstone, and that's what you'll be- my stone. He can do target practice all day; we'll fight."
"But… I'm not as strong as you at all," Estelle said.
"You're close," Bambietta countered. "Close enough anyway. Beating you won't be too easy. And I can bounce off you, analyze what went wrong and what went right. We'll help each other out and become stronger. Together. You're my ace in the hole, Estelle."
"…you really think so?" said Estelle, sounding touched.
"I know so," Bambietta nodded. "And it's the only way I'll get out of this."
"Alright then," Estelle said, suddenly animated. "I'll do it. You- you saved my life. You risked everything for me. If I can help you win, that's the least I can do."
"Thank you," Bambietta said, quite sincerely.
"But what will you do if- when you win?"
"I… I don't know," Bambietta said. "One thing at a time, I guess."
Her expression darkened. She had certainly had some ideas, though.
They took their training seriously, and began the very next day. For months, they put hard work and effort into their combat simulations, pushing each other to the limit, spending their breaks reflecting on and discussing what they could have done differently, what they could do better, what their last piece of progress meant. And despite the severity of it all, despite what was at stake and what Bambietta had been through, for the first time she began to form a close relationship with somebody her own age.
Her blood sisters had left by now, both of them old enough to make it on their own and unwilling to stay with Hayden. One morning, they had simply left. Bambietta had felt their signatures one morning, felt them growing more and more distant, and felt relieved. She had not tried to stop them, or even say goodbye; all she could hope for was that they would find a better life. They would be free, even if she was not. And now she had Estelle, a balm on her troubled, wounded soul.
They made progress, too. With a skilled sparring partner, with the hunts they would go on together, Bambietta's senses began to sharpen in a way they hadn't before, and Estelle's own skills grew in turn. What little their father had handed down to them from above, coldly and with demanding words, began to blossom and grow like a half-withered plant finally given water.
It was almost a shame, then, how the final contest never took place.
One morning, before the sun had even risen, Bambietta sat bolt upright, knowing something was wrong before she had even properly woken up. As she scrambled out of bed, her mind catching up, she sensed it. Shinigami energies materializing close; maybe a hundred, a hundred and fifty yards away. Seconds later she heard the crackle of fire, and the house next to theirs went up in flames, half of it reduced to rubble in a fiery blast. Reaper magic, kido, the kind Hayden had taught them about. Another blast followed soon after, evaporating a small house, and she sensed several energies moving closer, rapidly coming at them. She dragged a befuddled Estelle out of bed, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her out of their room, down the stairs.
"Whuh- what's going on?" Estelle cried out, panic in her voice.
"Shinigami," Bambietta said through gritted teeth, holding on firmly to Estelle. She would not lose her, lose anyone, not again.
"Do we- do we fight?"
Bambietta thought about it in the couple seconds it took to clear down the stairs. The shinigami had come in numbers; it would take a while to count them, but there had to be dozens of them. Even if she was individually stronger than each one, which was far from certainty, they would have the numbers and military training to boot. And why fight? For this wretched clan? Even if she won, the rest of them would get a bead on her and hunt her down, and she had heard grim, cruel things about what shinigami did to quincys they captured. Outside she saw arrows flaring, quincys pouring out to defend themselves. She sensed Otto, a vassal she knew, firing and firing rapidly only to be rapidly cut down, his spiritual core abruptly shattered as he died.
"No," she said quickly. "The cellar. The escape door. Come on, suppress your energy as much as you can!" She pressured hers down to a minimum already, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
Hayden had, if nothing else, been cautious enough to prepare an escape route from his house. There was a small tunnel dug into the earth in the cellar, one that would take them into the mouth of the woods. Still holding on to Estelle, Bambietta rushed down the cellar stairs, into the dark. She was not surprised to find Hayden there, with Lukas in tow.
"Bravely escaping while the clan fights on?" Bambietta said acidly. For all his talk of grandeur, here he was opening the tunnel hatch, his energy as suppressed as hers.
"Yes," Hayden said, his voice the verbal equivalent of a shrug. "We've been found, and their numbers are too great. So long as I have you two, I can start over elsewhere. A vain, prideful death is a luxury I cannot afford. My cause is greater than even pride. The clan will simply have to buy time for us."
"The- the war was supposed to be over," Estelle blubbered, still in panic, "why are they attacking?"
"It's not war," Bambietta said grimly. "It's extermination."
"Or worse, taking captives," Hayden added. "Pray that they die, because living would be the worse fate by far."
He flung the hatch open, and urged Lukas inside the narrow tunnel. Bambietta went next, and although she was afraid he would reject Estelle, he did not argue when she went down behind Bambietta. Hayden went in last, closing the hatch behind him.
The tunnel was narrow and cramped, a claustrophobic space to be in, but the fearful determination running through Bambietta's head let her push through. Hayden had to crawl on all fours, and none of them could really stand. It was a rudimentary thing, with dirt walls, but it did the trick. As they crawled through it urgently, as fast as they could, she sensed what was going on above her. She felt the flare of dozens of shinigami, some radiating raw and immense wells of power. She felt them clash with Quincies. She sensed the violent death of people she had known for as long as she had been alive, snuffed out rapidly one after another. There went Estelle's mother, and Bambietta knew they truly only had each other now. Some others were not killed but subdued, and she shivered at the thought of what was to come for them. She focused on crawling, pushing herself forward.
Finally they broke free of the oppressive dirt tunnel, emerging from under a strategically planted set of bushes. The forest was just ahead, and together they ran. The cries of war were distant now, and holding on to Estelle's hand, Bambietta ran. She kept expecting a shinigami to pop at any moment, alerting the rest of his fellows, kept expecting for all of them to be surrounded and captured…
But the moment never came. Through the dark of the night they pushed through the woods, running until they no longer could from exhaustion. Bambietta fell many times, blinded and stumbling through the dark with only the occasional bit of starlight passing through the panoply of tree branches and fir needles. When the dawn began to come, at least, they hid behind a rock and under a fallen tree in a little crater-like depth, catching their breaths. Bambietta had no idea how far they had gone, but it had to have been miles. They had sensed no pursuers even once, but none of them were inclined to take chances. After catching a brief nap there in the woods, shivering in the cold, they continued their trek. Hayden led the way, and for now, Bambietta was content to let him.
But he would not lead for long. Early in the day, the morning sun finally beginning to warm them up a little, they found their path blocked. Emerging from the shadow's of the forest, was a tall man with a flowing maroon cape, his mutton chops giving him an intimidating visage.
"Hayden Weser," he said, his voice deep. "It seems at long last that your family's refusal to our call has inevitably led you to destruction."
"You," Hayden hissed, a deep, seething venom in his voice, a hatred so genuine Bambietta had never seen its like. "Come to gloat, have you? Or have you decided to kill an old rival when he is down?"
The tall man shot Hayden a strange look, and Bambietta could not decide if it was contempt or pity she saw in his face.
"You flatter yourself by calling me a rival," he said coolly. "Your family's resentment for me was always puzzling. I never cared enough to take note of you. I am not here for your life, Weser. I have come to offer you refuge. Your clan is in shambles, your little venture in ruins, as I predicted. You still have three children. For their sake, I will offer you this one chance: to join my empire, to pledge fealty to me. Do so, and you will be allowed to prosper, taken under my protection."
"Are you serious?" Hayden snarled.
"Swallow your pride for a moment and think of your progeny. If you truly value the Quincy cause, our existence, if you value it more than pride, then consider it. If not…only death awaits you."
Hayden shook with rage, going red in the face. He extended a hand, the quincy cross hanging off his wrist, and effortlessly he formed a bow. Bambietta watched with fascination. Although well kept and restrained, the stranger- a lord, he had to be a lord of some kind- radiated power. She had always known Hayden to be the strongest man in the world, but watching the quincy emperor she was not so sure.
Hayden fired his arrows in rapid succession, skidding back as he went. Bambietta saw the arrow impact, and… one moment the lord had stood there, motionless like a statue, utterly unafraid, and the next he had drawn a sword, easily parrying the arrow as it came in. She hadn't even seen him move.
No, she realized as he stopped attack after attack with flawless precision, he didn't deflect anything. He cut each arrow apart down the middle with perfect timing, shattering the spirit particles that formed them. It was unbelievable. The emperor made no move to attack, simply deflecting arrow after arrow.
"Cease this foolishness," he said calmly. "Do not force me to take action against you, Hayden of the Wesers. You would not survive it. I'd rather not kill a Sternritter candidate if possible."
"Damn you!" Hayden snarled, charging right at the quincy lord. He was out of his mind with rage, blindly attacking. Bambietta watched with gleeful anticipation as her father closed the distance. He formed a spiritual blade off his cross, aimed a high slash, and-
And then the lord backhanded him before the strike could connect, sending her father tumbling. He skid across the ground, his fall finally broken by a tree trunk. There he lay in an undignified heap, dirty and beaten. Bambietta's heart raced. She had never seen anything like this, her father treated like an insolent child. She had been on the other end of that so many times…
"What of you, children?" The lord said, turning to them at last. "Will you join the Wandenrieh, the empire of the quincy? I sense great potential in each of you."
"They… belong… to me," Hayden hissed, groaning in pain as he forced himself to stand. He began to approach Yhwach once more, too consumed by anger and pride to stay down.
"Stay down," Yhwach said, with open contempt in his voice. "You may persist in your delusions, but your children may think better of it."
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Hayden snarled, animated by rage. "You dare to lord over us simply because you're the father of the quincy race?! Because you managed to slink off somewhere after the war 1000 years ago!? Because your cowardly army survived the wars better than others, because you did not suffer like we did, because we fought while you tucked your tail between your legs and ran! My clan fought till the last man, only retreating when the last of its warriors had been slain! The Wesers stood up to the shinigami and did so with pride. Where were you, coward? And now you come here, daring to look down on us-"
(Song Of Choice: Rurouni Kenshin:Trust and Betrayal OST - In Memories "KO-TO-WA-RI'' )
What Bambietta did next, she did so without thinking. The spell had been broken. She no longer feared her father, no longer respected his strength. He had run, he had been the coward turning away with the tail in between his legs. He was the hypocrite, the coward, a monster who did not even have the conviction to remain consistent with his own beliefs. He was weak and wounded, and she was done accepting his rule.
Hayden Weser was cut off mid-sentence, stumbling forward with an arrow in his back. He turned around, wide-eyed, to see Bambietta with her bow strung for another shot. Before he could react or recover, she fired two more arrows, one in his chest, one in his gut. Hayden gasped in shock, and fell down into a half-lying position. Lukas moved to string his bow and took aim at Bambietta, but Estelle was faster with hers, aiming an arrow straight at his skull.
"Don't you dare," she hissed coldly. "I'll take the shot, you bastard!"
An uncharacteristic look of uncertainty and fear passed Lukas' features, and he undid his bow. Bambietta hardly noticed. Filled with a confidence she had never felt before, a toxic elation rushing through her head like a high, she marched up toward Yhwach, the king. Her king. She shot her father a hateful glare, then looked Yhwach in the eye.
"Weser certainly inspires loyalty in his children, I see," Yhwach said dryly. "What say you, little Weser?"
Lukas almost wished to speak up, to inform him that the family name had long since been changed, but he never had the chance as Bambietta gave her reply.
"I am no Weser," Bambietta said firmly. "I am Bambietta Basterbine, daughter of Lydia Basterbine. This man may have made me, and he may have twisted my mothers maiden name into something horrid, but he is no father of mine. I want nothing to do with him."
"I see, it appears our daten on his operation was rather lacking. Very well," Yhwach nodded. "I know not what suffering he has put you through, but I imagine he must have wronged you greatly."
"You have no idea," Bambietta said, taking a knee. "I wish to pledge myself to you, Your Majesty. I will serve you and only you, if you will give me just a little bit of freedom."
"You will be confined within the walls of Silbern, I am afraid," Yhwach replied.
Bambietta's expression quickly turned melancholy.
"However, should you one day rise up the ranks and become a member of the Sternritter, I will gladly accept your request freely and openly."
Hope once again returned to Bambietta's eyes at that moment, but the same could not be said for her father.
"No," Hayden gasped, struggling up into a sitting position.
Calmly, Bambietta responded. "Yes," she said plainly. "Fuck you, and fuck your legacy. You beat my mother, you threatened my sisters, you made me murder my own siblings. Before you die, I want you to know I'm going to join your worst enemy."
"And so you witness the fruits of your labors, Weser," Yhwach said colly, staring down at him where he sat kneeled, his life fading away. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the reiatsu of the other children until he opened up his eyes and for the briefest of moments, disgust ran through his features before it turned stone faced. "You truly are a contemptible man. I thought your children were unusually strong; I did not realize they were the victims of abomination. What does it tell you that the first chance your potential heir got, she shot you in the back?"
Hayden just stared at the king, wide eyed and gaping. He looked so helpless and weak, despair written plainly on his face. It should have satisfied her, but… somehow her monstrous father at his knees did nothing to help the black pit in her chest, the grief and anger that ruled her. She only felt a cold, burning hatred, an all-consuming, vicious contempt. Slowly, she strung her bow a final time.
"Never again," she said coldly, "your legacy ends here, old man. Your clan's ways die with you. Go to your death knowing that."
And so she let the arrow fly. It struck him in the neck, and he fell over twisting and convulsing, blood pouring from his ruined throat.
"You will not put him out of his misery?" asked Yhwach.
"No," Bambietta said flatly. "He deserves to go out in the worst way imaginable. Dying all alone as that hellhole of a town burns to the ground before his eyes."
Yhwach simply closed his eyes. "Such cruelty. A useful trait, if properly pointed in the right direction. In the end, I suppose none would be able to blame you. I can only imagine what trials he inflicted upon you."
"Don't ask."
"And yet, he was your father."
"I had no father," Bambietta said plainly. "He may have gotten my mother pregnant, but he was no father of mine. I was just a tool to him, not his daughter."
The king appeared to consider it for a second, then nodded, his eyes now opened.
"Very well. Your judgment has been rendered, and justice has been done. You cannot undo the past, young one- but you still have a future. You are strong and skilled, and I sense much potential in you. You were not afraid to defy your tyrant of a father. You have shown resolve and will, fitting that of a potential Sternritter. My offer stands for all of you. Will you serve me instead? I am certain I can guarantee you better terms than Weser."
Bambietta went down to one knee and bowed her head.
"I am at your service, Your Majesty"
He smiled wide. Although it was a shark-like grin, Bambietta did not feel intimidated. She had seen the worst life could offer and came out the other side. What had she left to lose? What could he possibly do to her that was worse?
"I… I will come as well," Estelle said hesitantly. "I will go where she goes. And if that means pledging myself to you, sir, then I will."
Yhwach nodded, seeming pleased. "And you, young man?"
Lukas looked back and forth, wide eyed and still in shock.
"I…"
He took a deep breath, composing himself.
"…well, father always taught me that strength was a true virtue. And you are clearly stronger than he. So… I will pledge myself to you."
"Then come take my hands, children," said Yhwach, "a brighter tomorrow awaits us all. Much will be asked of you, but the cruelty of your father shall be a thing of the past."
Bambietta did not hesitate, although her siblings did. One by one they took the king by the hand, and as they did, darkness enveloped them. However, as darkness began to envelope them, her gaze fell upon Fioritura one final time, the town burning to the ground.
Bambietta was not afraid. She did not know where they were going, but for the first time in her life she was free of her fathers machinations. Wherever she went next, she would do so of her own free will, free of the tyrannical rule of her father.
I'm going to live, She thought as her vision focused on the burning mansion she once called home. No matter what happens, no matter what comes my way. I'm going to live. For Mom and everyone else who died because of me. No matter what happens, no matter what fight I find myself in…I'm going to live!
Her eyes moved one last time, peering back as far as they could until they rested on the only place she'd ever wish to return.
A wooden cross.
Goodbye…Mom.
Soon, the darkness completely overtook their entire beings, and faded away from the world.
"After that...The three of us ended up in the Wandenriech. Estelle passed away through means that are…better left unsaid for her own privacy, and Lukas died under mysterious circumstances. I was the only one who survived. Well, until the war with the shinigami anyways. After that, I ended up here…and you all know the rest from there."
Bambietta looked at the rest of the guild, her expression tired and somber. "So, do you understand now? That's why I'm doing this. I don't care if it's not the same kind of hell that me and Estelle went through. I can't, no, I won't let the past repeat itself! "
Her fists clenched, she looked down towards her own lap. "I have to do it. Because I'm the only one who can. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I let Lukas start that madness here. I just can't."
The gathered members of Fairy Tail could only stare at Bambietta in stunned silence as she finished recalling her past to her guildmates. Despite her warning for how grim her tale would be, nothing could have prepared any of them for what they had just heard. Even Erza, despite her past and having heard some parts of Bambietta's own atop the tower of heaven, was left without words.
After all, what could one possibly say after hearing that one of their own was forced to kill their half siblings just to survive? All because of the madness of their own father?
However, while no words were initially spoken, Lucy immediately ran towards Bambietta and gave her a loving hug. For several seconds, she held her tight, hands clenching into her shoulders. "I had no idea that you had to go through something so horrible," Lucy cried, the tale having reduced her to tears. "Nobody...No one should ever have to go through that!"
She could recall their chat during Hosenka Village, how Bambietta told her she had at least been lucky enough to have a second chance with her father. Having heard of Quincy's past, it was only now that those words truly hit home. Yes, she and father had certainly drifted apart with his then apathetic parenting, but he had done what he could since to make amends. Despite everything that happened between them, Lucy at least knew her father did indeed love her.
The same courtesy could absolutely not be said for Hayden. He had seen his own offspring as nothing more than as a part of his plan to overthrow Yhwach as the Emperor of the Quincy race. There was no love to be found in him. Only cruelty.
"It's ok Lucy, really," Bambietta tried to reassure her as she pulled Lucy away to get a good look at her face. She reached out with her left hand and wiped away her tears before she gave her a smile. "Everything's fine now. Because now I've got all of you guys!"
"I know, but that doesn't make any of what you went through right!" Lucy insisted. "It's still wrong!"
Meanwhile, Levy had remained completely silent, the Solid Script mage taking in all of the horrible information she had heard mere moments ago. When I met Bambi I thought she was an overly violent mage who just needed a friend. I knew she had a rather unpleasant past with her old friends and a just as unpleasant old habit. But knowing she grew up like that...
It certainly explained some things, such as her dissonant serenity, or even elation at the slaying of monsters. After all, compared to being forced to kill your own siblings for the sake of your own survival, what would the lives of anyone else mean to you? Yet, Levy knew that despite all the smiles, bravado, and pop culture references that only the Quincy herself knew... Bambietta Basterbine was a tormented soul.
She reached out, wanting to support one of her closest friends in Fairy Tail, only for one Wendy Marvell walk towards Bambietta, her worry clear as day. Levy stepped back, if only to allow Wendy to get her own concern's off her chest.
"But...but what if you lose?" Wendy asked, the dragon slayer worried about the worst case scenario. "Your family name and broche mean a lot to you, don't they?"
Bambietta knelt down and rubbed the top of Wendy's head while giving her a reassuring grin. "Hey don't be like that. Everythings going to be fine!"
Wendy wasn't so easily convinced, however. "But what if he's stronger than you think? Do you really want to take that chance and -"
Bambietta placed both of her hands on Wendy's shoulders, her own smile not lessening in the slight. "Everything will be alright Wendy. I promise. I've picked up a few new tricks since he last saw me, so I'm pretty sure I've got this in the bag."
However, while the dragon slayer seemed to accept this show of confidence from Bambietta, Erza couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of doubt she saw pass through Bambietta's face, if only for the briefest of moments.
"I can certainly understand why you feel the need to put an end to such madness, even if it's on a considerably lesser scale," Erza told Bambietta as she approached. "However, the thought of you losing something so important to you is nothing short of infuriating. Are you certain that this is what you want to do?"
Bambietta let out a sigh. "Trust me, the idea of letting that jerk take my mothers brooch and losing her maiden name isn't exactly appealing to me either. That said..." She smiled lightly. "Yeah, I'm certain that I want to do this. Trust me, if I thought there was another option, I'd take it, but as things stand, I have to do this."
"Forget that, I say we go to that jerks house and kick his butt!" Natsu shouted. "Nobody messes with one of our own and gets away with it!"
"As much as I would thoroughly enjoy watching Lukas suffering from a humiliating defeat at the hands of Fairy Tail," Estelle replied as she sat down at a nearby table, her voice laced with disappointment. "I'm afraid that's simply not an option."
Nastu glared at Estelle. "What!? Why not!?" The dragon slayer demanded.
Bambietta's half sister let out a slightly annoyed sigh. "Because, despite how morally repugnant it all is, it's not illegal."
"What!? How on earth can any of this be legal!?" Lucy asked, aghast at the mere notion.
Estelle sighed. "Right, he never gave you the full context as to who he was, did he? Very well, allow me to properly inform you. Lukas Basterbine isn't just our brother, but also the ambassador to the country of Sin."
The gathered wizards had varied reactions from complete shock, to utter disgust that such a man had such a position of power.
"Now do you understand?" Estelle told Lucy. "Sin isn't exactly what one would describe as an 'ideal nation.' Many aspects of its Law and Culture are significantly outdated and immoral. With Boscos recent reform, it's by far the worst place to live in all of Ishgar. Slavery is very much still legal there. As much as I detest saying this, at least Lukas's children would be paid for their services should they decide to stay and their lives not endangered."
She looked at the rest of the Fairy Tail guild members. "Do you understand now? With his diplomatic immunity, Bambietta's challenge is the only way to put an end to this madness, once and for all. I'm not exactly happy that she has to risk parting with something so important to her, but that's simply how things are."
"That's... That's horrible," Cana muttered. She had been more than a piece of mind to pay that smug prick a visit and give him a black eye for trying to make her fellow guildmates his concubines, along with trying to take away Bambietta's memento of her mother. Had she been placed in a similar situation, she wasn't sure what she'd do. She looked over towards Bambietta, the brunette's expression turning somber. "Bambi...Do you really want to lose something that important to you?"
Bambietta shook her head. "Of course I don't. But as far as I'm concerned, this isn't about legality, it's about right and wrong. No, it's more than that. It's about putting an end to this cycle of abuse once and for all."
She clenched her fists. "If I don't do this, how many generations of Quincy are going to go through the same abandonment again, and again, and again? No, I can't just stand by and watch. Not when I can put an end to all that suffering before it even begins."
She looked throughout her entire guild, her expression softening. "A family is supposed to look out for each other. To always be there for you when you're in trouble. For when you need help more than ever. You guys all taught me that. So it's only fair that I pay that kindness forward."
"Even so, I don't like it," Liltotto told Bambietta, the usually stone faced Quincy voice laced with an undertone of anger. "Bambi, you've already suffered enough from your asshole father's legacy. You don't... You don't need to suffer any more from it!"
"Liltotto's right," Meninas added. "Let me fight him in your place. With the reiatsu I possess, I'm positive that I could take him down with a single blow. I just...I just-" The pink haired woman clenched one of her hands as her normally cute face took on a more serious expression as her eyes narrowed. " I can't just stand by and watch you lose something so important to you!"
Candice was quick to chip in herself. "Yeah, what they said! I might not have had the best relationship with my parents, but I know how much your mom meant to you. You can't just hand it over to some prick who wants to use it to stroke his own ego!"
"You guys..." Bambietta uttered softly, the Quincy taken aback by her friends' resolve. Each of the former Sternritter had made it clear just how much they regretted their inaction when it came to her death and enslavement at the hands of Giselle Gewelle. While she had taken them to heart, it was nevertheless all the more heartwarming to see them stand up against her like this, for the sake of her own happiness.
Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if any of them tried to kill his ass the day before our fight to prevent me from losing my broch. Bambietta thought. It was kind, sweet, and came from the right place.
Nevertheless...
She simply returned a smile to the trio. "It means a lot to hear you all say that. Really, I couldn't put it into words right now if I wanted to," Bambietta told them. "Meni, I know you could handle him if you had to but...That's not how I want to settle this."
Her three friends looked at her aghast.
"But Bambi, why!?" Meninas demanded. "I understand that you want to prevent such a tragedy from happening ever again, you don't have to be the one to-"
"Yes I do," Bambietta interrupted, the now cold tone of her voice and her narrowed eyes and furrowed brow made it clear that this wasn't up for debate. "This is a Basterbine family matter, and as my mother's last daughter by blood, it's my duty to put an end to this, once and for all."
The Quincy's gave each other a worried glance, each of them looking fairly unsure about Bambietta's decision. However, before they could try to reason with her once more, one Makarov Dryer spoke up.
"If that's how you truly feel, then I believe it's best that we respect her decision," The tiny old man looked Bambietta right in the eye. "However, I wish to inquire about one thing...Do you believe that you truly have what it takes to win?"
Though Bambietta had indeed made this decision herself, and it was hers to make, Makarov couldn't help but hope she wasn't potentially running into a situation that would result in heartache. A material possession it may have been, but that broche had a sentimental value that he doubted Bambietta could ever put a price on. He didn't want to see her take a risk she'd regret for the rest of her life.
Bambietta nodded. "Yeah. I'm damn sure. Don't get me wrong, I can tell he's still a tough son of a bitch to be clear," She smirked. "But I've changed a lot from the last time he's seen me in action, and trust me when I say that'll be more than enough to give me the win."
Seeming to be satisfied with her answer, Makarov turned around to face the rest of his 'children'. "Alright, you heard her. Let's not continue to bombard her with questions we already know the answer to. Her mind is made up and I doubt there's anything we could say or do to change that. Just go about the rest of your day as if none of this ever happened and give her some space."
With Master Makarov's word said on the matter, the rest of the guild seemed inclined to drop the matter, some more than others. Natsu in particular gave Bambietta a worried glance and took a step forward before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. It was Erza, the S-class Wizard giving Natsu a look of understanding before she shook her head.
No words needed to be said, and Natsu promptly turned the other way.
Candice suddenly then slapped her hand hard down onto Bambietta's shoulder from behind and squeezed it tightly. "All right," she said, "I understand this is something you have to do. And I'll be right there supporting you every step of the way. If the only thing I can do to help is stand by and tell you "You got this", then that's what I'm gonna do. And no napping on the job this time." She looked to Meni and Lil. "We promise."
Bambietta stared at the floor, but couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Candi."
Candice gave her a few firm pats to the center of her upper back and then walked away with the other quincy girls.
Lucy then now decided to approach Bambietta. No matter how she tried to look at the situation, the celestial wizard felt compelled to comfort her girlfriend in any way she could. "Hey Bambi, I noticed there's a monster extermination job on the board. How's about you and I -"
Bambietta placed a hand on Lucy's hand and smiled weakly. "That sounds like a lotta fun Lucy, but...Right now I think I just want to be alone for a while." She replied softly
Lucy couldn't help but be taken aback by the tone of voice Bambietta had replied back with. It was very unlike her, at least in casual conversation.
"Are you sure?" Wendy asked, the dragon slayer giving her a worried look, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Sure I'm sure!" Bambietta replied as she ruffled Wendy's hair slightly with her right hand. "I just need to get my head oh straight and settle some things before the big day. It'll be fine!"
Then, before the two could inquire any further, Bambietta vanished from sight, along with the job request Lucy had mentioned prior, leaving the two of them in the middle of the guild hall.
Wendy looked up towards Lucy, her concern still present. "Do you really think she's going to be ok?"
Lucy placed her thumb and pointer finger on her chin, closing her eyes as she gave the matter some thought before she answered. "I think she'll be fine. Knowing Bambi, she probably wants to blow off some steam. I think it's better we follow Master's advice and leave her be." Noticing Wendy's frown, Lucy quickly added. "Don't worry though, If she still seems off after that, then I'll push for more details. That alright with you, Wendy?"
Wendy's eyes lit up as her frown quickly turned into a smile before she nodded. "Yeah, I'll be alright with that. I just...I just want her to be ok, that's all."
Lucy knelt down and brought Wendy into a hug before she spoke into her ear. "We all do Wendy. We all do."
However, while the dragon slayer and celestial wizard seemed content to allow Bambietta a chance to properly vent out her frustrations, one blue haired mage couldn't help but feel some concern for one of her Best friends. Levy turned around to look at her arrancar companion.
"Ulquiorra, I'm going to need you to do a favor for me..."
Finding Bambietta had proven to be remarkably simple. As predicted, the Quincy had gone past the borders of the East Forrest and near a local farm to let off some steam. As Ulquiorra set Levy down to the ground, the two could hear the sound of Hileg Pfiel being unleashed, and sword slashing through flesh.
"You can go back now, I think I can find her from here." Levy told Ulquiorra.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Ulquiorra inquired. "Given how much power she's letting off, it's possible you may get caught in the crossfire and -"
"I'll be fine." Levy insisted, turning her head back at Ulquiorra. "I know Bambietta seems like the careless type, but I'm sure she'll reign herself in once she senses me. Besides-" Levy quickly inscribed the word "Iron" over her skin before she gave Ulquiorra a smile. "I'm not completely helpless. You can go back home. I'm sure she'll give me a lift once this is all over."
Ulquiorra stared back at Levy for a couple of seconds before he turned his back and vanished with Sonido. Having the solitude she desired, she made her way towards the sounds of carnage.
It had only taken her about thirty or so seconds of walking till the Quincy came into view. It was certainly a sight to behold as Bambietta stood amongst countless tiny craters with pieces of flesh abound. The only indication Levy had that these bits of meat were once Rocktopus, small spherical octopus like creatures that fired off rocks, was the sole remaining one that was currently impaled through Bambietta's sword, the Quincy looking down at it with disdain.
"Tch, these damn things sure are annoying. I can see why someone would want these damn things exterminated," Bambietta almost spat before she focused her reishi from her blade into the corpse of the Rocktopus, causing it to explode on her sword. The Quincy sighed, dissipating her blade in the process. "Well, at least I'll get some money out of this."
"That's usually the reason people go on jobs, yeah...But something tells me it's a little more than that this time around."
Bambietta slowly turned her head around towards Levy, though she wasn't the least bit surprised, the Quincy having sensed her friend's arrival before she and Ulquiorra had even landed. "Whatcha doing over here, Levy? Not like you to just go sightseeing, especially if it's just a plain old farm field like this."
"I'm just a little worried about you is all," Levy said as she approached. "Not everyday you run into your half brother who wants to restart a...less than pleasant family tradition. It would be strange if you weren't a little distraught about the whole thing."
Bambietta couldn't help but roll her eyes at Levy's concern. "Levy, like I told Lucy and Wendy, I'm fine. Yeah, sure, I'm a little thrown off by this whole thing, but I'll be good as normal come tomorrow!"
"Bambi..." Levy spoke in a low tone before she stopped just a few feet away from her. "It's just you and me here. You don't have to keep hiding anything from me."
"Who's hiding anything?" Bambietta asked as she took another glance around for more Octorocks. "I've said everything that I needed to say back at the guild. Lucy and Wendy seemed to have understood that."
"That's because neither of them see you the same way I do," Levy told Bambietta as she took a step forward. "I know that you're really close to both of them, heck you all live together. But Wendy looks up to you like you're her hero, so it's not all that hard for her to think you can just bounce back from this. Lucy's a bit different. While I'm sure she'd already be checking up on you if she was really worried about you, because you're in the relationship that you are in, I think she wants to respect that 'alone time' you were asking for. But me?"
Levy took several steps forward before she grabbed onto one of Bambietta's hands. "I'm not some girl who looks up to you or your girlfriend. I'm your best friend! So when no one else feels the need to check up on you after you've gone through something unpleasant, then it's my job as your best friend to make sure you're doing alright!" Levy then looked Bambietta right in the eyes, her eyes filled with a furry determination. "So if you're going through something right now, then please...let me help."
Bambietta stared right back at Levy, but try as she might, she couldn't find it in her to even try to dissuade her best friend from her. Shit, when she puts it like that, it's kinda hard to say no.
Bambietta let out a sigh as her own expression softened. "Yeah, alright. There is something I want to get off my chest. It's been bothering me ever since that prick left the guild."
"Is it anxiety about losing your mother's brooch?" Levy asked as she let go of Bambietta's hand. "Or is it about what'll happen to those kids if your brother wins?" She could certainly understand feeling more than a lot stressed in failing with either option on the line, let alone both of them at once.
I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night if I had that in the back of my head. Levy thought.
Bambietta shook her head. "No it's not that simple. I mean, sure, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about losing to him, but I've got an ace in the hole that he doesn't. No, what's getting to me right now is something more... petty."
That caught Levy by surprise. "Petty?" Levy asked. "But there's nothing petty about any of this."
"Oh trust me, there is," Bambietta answered bluntly. "And no, I'm not just talking about my brother."
Levy blinked, unable to believe the words coming from Bambietta's mouth. "I'm afraid I'm not following."
Bambietta gave her a small smile. "Well, I guess that means you've got a better opinion of myself than I do. I'll be frank Levy, there's another reason why I want, no, why I need to be the one to do this."
"Well, I'm listening." Levy said, the bookworm more than a little curious as to what Bambietta's other reason for insisting on this fight was."
Bambietta leaned her head back and let out a long sigh before she looked back at Levy. "I'm doing this because...I really, really want to kick his ass!"
Of all the things Levy had expected Bambietta to have given, that...was certainly not one of them. Her response was just as confused as she was. "Um... I'm sorry, what?"
Bambietta couldn't help but chuckle at Levy's response. "Yeah, that's about the right response. I said that I want to kick his ass!"
Bambietta sat down at a nearby boulder, staring at the ground. "I had a whole year knowing that he and I would have to fight it to find out which of us would become family heir. If I lost, I'd become his slave, branded with a seal that would make me a submissive housewife! For one whole year, I had to worry that he'd beat me and I'd lose my last chance at freedom! My only reason to live would just be to act as a damn baby maker!"
Her fists clenched. "Do you know how horrifying that is to have that fear in the back of your mind? That I could lose everything because of a damn fight your own father is going to force you to have!? I didn't have a choice but to fight him! My entire life depended on me winning!"
Levy could only stare at the Quincy in disbelief. Other than her encounter with Yulian, Levy had never seen Bambietta in such hysterics. It wasn't normal. No, it was wrong to see the normally bombastic Quincy act like this.
"When His Majesty took us in, I didn't have to worry about that anymore. His Majesty loathed infighting amongst the Wandenriech aside from training exercises. We could never have the chance to properly settle things. And at first, I didn't mind it at all. I'd have the freedom I was always afraid of losing. I'd still be me. But after he died, I realized something."
Bambietta's reiatsu slowly began to build up as her anger swelled. "When I told Lukas that he wouldn't be satisfied becoming heir without beating me, I wasn't just saying that because I knew his pride wouldn't ever be able to fully accept it otherwise. It's because in this regard alone, we're the same! I wanted...no, I needed the answer to know who would have actually won! To know who really is the better Quincy! To put an end to that damn question that I could never get out of my head! To put this whole nightmare behind me once and for all!"
Silence filled the air as Levy looked at Bambietta, the Quincy not moving so much as an inch. For about a solid minute, neither one spoke until, at last, Levy broke the silence. "Is that what's got you in a mood?" Levy asked.
Bambietta nodded.
Levy scratched the back of her head, befuddled. "Don't get me wrong. That certainly adds another reason why you feel the need to do this yourself. But what I'm not getting here is why is this making you so upset? You want to do this, right?"
"Don't you get it Levy?" Bambietta muttered as she rose up to her feet, her blazing eyes meeting Levy's. "I'm risking throwing away the last memento of my mother, her maiden name, for my damn ego! Because no matter how many years go by and no matter how hard I try, and trust me, I've tried, I can't just let it go! I need to know which one of us would have won! "
Her tirade now finished, Bambietta seemed to deflate as her fury subsided, glancing down at her own two feet. "It's stupid, ain't it? That even after all this time, this still haunts me? I'm practically finishing my old man's test just to prove I'm better than my jackass half brother. After all that posturing to Lukas about not wanting to continue it for his pride... I'm doing the same damn thing. I'm just..."
Bambietta grit her teeth as she clenched her skirt, the Quincy unable to look at her best friend. "All this time, I was starting to hope I changed, but it turns out I'm still just the sad, desperate little girl who grew up in Fioritura. In the end...I'm just being stupid."
Levy stood beside herself for only a moment before she placed a supporting hand atop of Bambietta's shoulder. "I think you're being too hard on yourself, Bambi."
Rurouni Kenshin Quiet Life )
Bambietta looked back at her friend, her expression tired and mildly irate. "Levy, you don't have to sugarcoat the truth."
"I'm being serious!" Levy insisted. "Ok, sure, what you just said you wanted is a bit self indulgent. I'm not going to lie. But I really don't think that's a bad thing."
As Bambietta's expression slightly softened, Levy continued. "Honestly, after everything you've been through, it only makes sense that you'd want to settle things with your brother once and for all. There's no need to feel bad about any of that. Besides, that's not the only reason you're doing all of this, isn't it?"
Levy's lips turned upward into an earnest smile. "You seemed pretty content to let your brother become heir when you found out he wasn't going to continue in your father's footsteps. You only issued your challenge after you found out he was still going to do some pretty nasty stuff."
The bookworm placed both of her hands behind her back as looked up to the sky and continued. "You have some personal stakes in this, no doubt about it, but no matter how I look at it, you're doing this for the right reasons. You said it yourself, you don't want to let this cycle of abuse repeat itself. So what if you've got a selfish reason behind it all? As long as you're doing the right thing, I think that's all that really matters."
Levy turned around to face her once more. "I know you've done bad things in the past. Some of them were not your choice, others very much so. But as long as I've known you, you've always been someone dependable. A person who really cares about the bonds she makes. On the day we first met, I didn't just see you as the crazy new girl who killed a cyclops before she joined the guild...I saw someone who needed a were a bit reluctant to let people in, at least really letting people in."
Levy smiled. "But the more you stayed in the guild, the more you've changed. You battled for me and Lucy when Phantom Lord attacked us, you fought tooth and nail to bring back Erza, and just a few days ago, you helped save the entire guild! As far as I'm concerned, I couldn't have asked for a better friend. So stop beating yourself up over nonsense!"
Bambietta looked at Levy in silence, taking in every last one of her words, memories of her time with her new family flashing through her mind before a smile slowly creased across her face. Heh. Looks like I was being stupid after all, just not in the ways I thought.
Bambietta gave her friend thumbs up as her normal demeanor began to return. "Thanks Levy. I really needed that."
"No problem at all." Levy said, her smile ever present. "What are friends for?"
Bambietta smirked. "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you guys. I guess that gives me two things that jackass doesn't have."
Levy couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. "Ok, so I can pretty much guess that at least one of those is having friends, but what's the other-"
Bambietta chuckled at her friend's confusion. "Oh, Levy, Levy, Levy. I'm hurt. You should already know what it is! Give it some thought and I'm sure the answer will come right to you."
The bookworm placed her thumb and index fingers under her chin as she appeared deep in thought before the answer came to her suddenly. Her eyes widened for only the briefest of moments before she smirked back at Bambietta. "Oh, right! How could I forget? That is a pretty big difference, isn't it?"
Bambietta nodded. "Yeah, and given his attitude, I highly doubt he knows it. Do me a favor though and don't let Estelle in on it. I want to surprise her when I show off."
"Oh that's just mean," Levy teased. "Alright, fine. Your secrets safe with me. Just promise me one thing."
Bambietta raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
Levy smirked. "Kick his ass."
Bambietta couldn't help but chuckle at Levy's request, her smirk growing even more. "Oh don't you worry about a thing, Levy. By the time I'm done with him, he'll wish he never stepped foot in our guild."
As the sun began to set over the horizon, the two made their way home, Bambietta giving Levy a lift personally.
Knowing Lukas, he'll probably have the time and date set for me by tonight. So I should probably expect this thing to be ready by tomorrow or the day after. Bambietta thought as she traveled through the air. Well that's just fine by me. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can put an end to this chapter in my life.
Right now, she knew only one thing and one thing only. This grudge, this question that had loomed over her for most of her life, would finally be coming to an end.
She could only hope that it would end in her favor.
I certainly hope Bambietta's backstory more than delivered after all of these years. To be quite honest, I'm a little nervous in that regard, even though I've had it planned out for so long. XD I really, truly wish to know what you all thought of it, so please give me as much feedback for it as you can. If I can get over 20 reviews for it prior to the 15th of the month, I'll even upload the next chapter early.
But, I also want to take a moment to thank you all. It's honestly kinda insane to think that we've reached chapter 100. But it's really all thanks to you and all of my friends who helped me along the way that it's lasted as long as it has. So, from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely wish to thank you all.