For years,
They fought,
Blade to blade,
Heart to heart,
Soul to soul.
.
There was no
Regret
When he pushed
Her off the edge
And watched her fall.
.
He never
Thought that
She could possibly
Wield more power
Than he.
.
If her gender
Was the only problem
Then why didn't
He have the same
Issue with Halibel?
.
He never
Had any hope
Of defeating her
The Third Espada
When he was only Fifth.
.
Sparks flew every time their blades crossed. The clank of metal against metal echoed throughout the training grounds, closely followed by a set of heavy footsteps and lighter ones. Harsh panting was concealed by the other two sounds, but there was no mistaking the movement of his shoulders, the weakening blows, the delayed reactions that came from exhaustion. And the Third Espada wouldn't be Third if she couldn't see them.
But she allowed no reprieve, and pushed on regardless of his wavering skills. He wouldn't last much longer, and they both knew it. It was a shame, he kept thinking, since this was the biggest challenge he had ever presented her, and she wasn't even slightly winded. She showed no signs of needing a rest. It was infuriating.
With a flick of her wrist and a lessening of her grip on the hilt of her smaller sword, the blade twisted around in her grip and undercut the large, circular blade that Nnoitora wielded. It flew from his grasp, the chain on the end tugging on his arm and taking him with it into the wall, which gave way beneath his weight and crashed down on top of him. It took him a moment, but he stood from the rubble to find her walking away, head held high and turquoise hair flowing down her shoulders. To his shame and fury, he realized the wounds he had thought he had inflicted were nothing more than his imagination. She was not hurt.
"Oi!" he called, anger lancing his tone. Anger at himself, for losing. Anger at Neliel, for being so much more powerful. Anger at his own weaknesses. Anger at the dizziness that fogged his brain, making his thoughts slower and less precise. "Where do you think you're going, Neliel?"
The warrior queen paused, but did not turn to face him. "I am going home, Octava. I was training my Fraccion before you interrupted, and I would like to continue their progress." She resumed her walk towards her palace.
Still furious, Nnoitora grabbed his weapon and used Sonido to catch up to her. "I ain't finished with you, yet!" he screamed, swinging wildly in the direction of her head. She ducked, and swiveled on her heel, still low. She tripped him with one outstretched foot and did a summersault, kicking him, hard, on his side as she rose.
"A monster like you is not worthy of my blade more than once."
.
She was
Not the same
As Halibel,
Who couldn't
Hold a candle to her.
.
He put his
Heart and soul
Into their battles
But never could
Be victorious
.
She made him
Stronger
Faster
Smarter
In fights following
.
Kicking and
Screaming
He rose
From Eighth to Fifth
All because of her.
.
Despite his
Burning hatred
For her and her power
He was happier
When she was around.
.
"A monster like you is not worthy of my blade more than once."
Even though it had been a very long time- over a decade, in fact- since she had said that to him, the words still circled around in his head, distracting him and making him angry and bitter towards her and the other Espada, even though he knew they did not deserve it. Arrancar 43, Szayel Aporro Granz told him that it was useless thinking so often about something that she had said only once, a long time ago, but Nnoitora just told him to stuff it. Miffed, Granz didn't speak to him about it again.
The problem was that Neliel hadn't said it only once. She said something similar every time they fought. Every time he was beaten into the ground, she humiliated him by calling him all sorts of different names. "Monster", "Beast", "Animal", and "Disgrace" were a few of her favorites.
"Battle isn't fought for enjoyment, Octava. Only animals fight for enjoyment."
"You are a beast. I cannot accept you as a warrior. I have no desire to be burdened with the life of one who is no warrior."
"Arrancar regain reason when we lose our masks, but you… You are a disgrace, an animal still."
All of those statements, or some variation of them, led him to his decision to get rid of her.
.
As he died
The only thing
He could see
Was her
"Nnoitora?"