God Yet Lives

Yue's image flickers before he reappears behind the hollow and hits it in the same spot as Sab with a cero fist.

"Don't worry about Sab," Mortal said, "I'll talk to her, and straighten this all out, you'll see."

What sounds like someone screaming "Lecherous fucking caterpillar" can be heard coming from miles away.

--

Noct sinks into her own shadow so that Euryale sails clean over her head.

*As Euryale tightens her fist, the glow starts to hover above it, becoming a flickering light. Now that she can sort of see, she chases Lilith around for a while, before blasting a Cero at her in frustration. Lilith's Hollow Mask shatters & she falls to the ground.*

E"Oh no! I didn't mean it!"
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*It's still flailing all over the damn place, making it rather hard to hit.*
========================================
A"I...believe...you."

S"You don't have to force it, we all know heard that."

Astarte's eyes shot open as she realized Yue was gone and she sat bolt upright.
She took a quick look around her cave before stepping outside and looking around again. She still couldn't spot Yue or any of the others... but she could still sense that strange, flickering presence from earlier.
Turning her eyes on a nearby cave mouth, she drew her Zanpakuto and disappeared.

Enkidu opened his eyes slowly. He wouldn't have woken for another hour or two if he had not felt cold steel pressing against his throat.
Shit, I left my guard down. But this isn't one of them...
"Who are you?" He asked, looking at the face of the woman who held her blade against his neck.
"I am Astarte Cyprus," Astarte replied before pressing the blade into his throat slightly harder. "Who are you?"
The surprise that hit Enkidu's face was genuine, "I am Enkidu Cyprus..."
She pressed the blade slightly harder, drawing thin trickles of blood down his neck, "You're a liar."
"No, I'm really not," Enkidu's fingers were tensed and ready to grab for his Zanpakuto, but at this moment he would simply be killed before his fingers touched the hilt. "My name is Enkidu Cyprus, I have been for more than 600 years- this is a great coincidence!"
"Are you the one who fought just now? Who did you fight?"
"The king and his lackey..." Enkidu sighed.
"So you are my enemy."
"You would betray flesh and blood for them?!"
Astarte glared down and Enkidu, her blade pressed hard against his throat. Life or death?

Noctis looked at Lilith, "Is she alright?"

--

Mortal nodded, "Alright then, now to wait for her to stop teleporting around, and calm down."

She showed no signs of doing said slowing.

"I don't have time for this foolishness" Yue fires a double cero. One from each fist.

*The holes in its body stitch themselves back together as it fires a purple Cero right back at him from its mouth.*
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S"Good luck with that."
===========================================
*Lilith opens her eyes & sits up.*

L"...What happened?"
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~Earlier~

*Netzach & Malkuth were strolling along through the Menos Forest.*

N<I knew Keter wasn't dumb enough to rely on that Enchalatawhateverhisnameis. What do you suppose he's doing now?>

M<It doesn't matter. Even if that turns out to be a mistake, the holdovers from Barragan may not be as strong as him, but they'll get many Menos under their control once they are Shinigamified. Between the wannabe-king & the hopeless followers, someone should be able to kill one of them.>

N<And if they can't?>

M<Then that will just be more work for you & I to do come this winter.>

Yue sighs heavily like 'really?' before sonidoing above the snake hollow and heel dropping a cero blast down into its skull.

Astarte withdrew her blade and stepped away from him, "I have too many questions and not enough answers. Killing you would be a mistake, right now."
Enkidu rose shakily to his feet and snarled at her, "To think a member of my own family is the lackey of that 'king'..."
The distaste in his voice is genuine... Astarte thought, tilting her head slightly, as was his earlier shock at hearing my name. He seems to be telling the truth about being a Cyprus.
"Even if you are, by some very strange coincidence, related to me..." Astarte spoke firmly. "It makes no difference. If you seek to harm Mortal or any of her followers, I will stop you."
Enkidu said nothing, but clenched his fists.
"Now tell me," Astarte went on. "Do you simply desire the throne, or are you in league with the enemies of Hueco Mundo?"
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you that I was given great power by these 'enemies of Hueco Mundo'," Enkidu smiled and relaxed his fists. "And I was hired as their mercenary... I will not betray my honour further by turning on these people."
"Will you attack again?"
"Yes."

"Euryale cero'd you, and you passed out."

--

Sab finally calms down, and returns to some random ass cave to cry again.

"Aaaaand, garganta."

Sab sees Mortal, and shoots a cero at her, "Go away, I don't want to talk to you!"

"Alright, I deserved that," Mortal said, ruffling her hair, "But hear me out."

"No! Leave me alone, and go back to your little whore!"

"That isn't fair, Aroma is quite possibly more meek than you are. She isn't a whore," Mortal said, "Listen, Sab, I didn't understand the boundaries of our relationship... I'm sorry."

L"Why did she do that?! That's not good!"

E"I was supposed to be learning how to fire a Cero!"

L"Yes, but not at ME! Why didn't you hit Noctis instead?"
=========================================
*After the skull shatters, the neck regrows as an eyeless, black tendril. It lashes at him.*

"Well, I suppose I should kill-"
Astarte was cut off as a Garganta opened up behind Enkidu and he stepped back into it.
"Stop!" She yelled, leaping forwards but having to hold back her strike as the Garganta closed. "I should have seen that coming..."

Enkidu came out of his Garganta on the top of a boulder close to Las Noches and sat down, taking a deep breath and going over the events of the last few days in his head.

"What in the hell is this thing!? I should report this to Senthose" Yue sonidos away.

"I could rattle off a few reasons, but most are sexual, and I feel like I've beaten that joke already," Noct said, "If you're alright though, I'm going to go shoot eye beams at Shadow Zelaras for a few minutes." With that she fucked off to do just that.

--

"You didn't understand the boundaries?!"

"Sab, I'm as old as the cradle of civilization, my views on relationships are different than yours. I didn't think this would be an issue because, well, to me it isn't. I like Aroma, I really--" Mortal was punched in the face, "Don't do that again."

"Okay..."

"As I was saying, I like Aroma, but that doesn't take anything away from what I feel for you," Mortal explained, "Sab, I love you, and I always will."

"Am I not enough for you?"

"It isn't about being 'enough'," She said.

Sab let out a long sigh, "Then what is it about Mortal, because I'm trying to listen to you here, and but you're just coming off as someone who wants a harem."

"I don't want a harem; I want you."

"And her, Mortal. Maybe I'm the selfish one, but I want your undivided attention."

A"...I don't really want to share Mortal either."

S"Bah, who needs her? Okay, so you found an Arrancar you could really connect with. One who likes you back, & makes you feel special. One who doesn't want to eat you. Should have mentioned that first, that's a pretty key component. But you know what? That's not that special. True Love is a dime a dozen."

*Aroma looks up.*

A"So...you're saying I should let Sab have Mortal?"

S"Absolutely. There are plenty of other fish in the desert."

A"...So you think I should fight for her?"

S"Why not? What do you owe her? She tried to kill you, didn't she? Fuck 'er. Hmm...can't help but notice that you aren't storming off in a jealous, murderous rage. I give up. What is it you REALLY want?"
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L"You should have Euryale join you. I guess there's not really much left for me to do around here. I should be getting back to the Soul Society."

"It was fun hanging out with you," Noct said, "We should do it more often, preferably without me having to stab my mother beforehand."

--

"Do you not like her?"

"She is trying to take you away from me!"

"If that were true, would I be here? And you didn't answer the question."

"I, I don't know. I thought she was alright, but now I don't know anymore."

Astarte appeared on the scene with Senthose and Aroma, but didn't speak to either of them.
It seems as though something has happened.

*Aroma sets out for the cave Sab & Mortal are in.*
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L"...Yeah."

E"Hey, John, Lilith's leaving!"

*The elevator comes down with John in it. He scratches the back of his head.*

<So. Ah. I hear you're looking for a place away from Soul Society. Wanna--Iunno--help me cat-sit Lulu?>

"Like I said, I'm not in the habit of helping Arrancar," Kira spoke forcefully, "Especially when they attack captains."

Aera: <He attacked us! Is anyone else starting to see a pattern here? I knew I had to have good reasons to hate you people.>

Yue appears by senthose, "We have a problem."

Iris: <Hey, hey, hate is way too strong a word to use, Aera. They've been enemies of Hollows and Arrancars for a long time, even with an alliance I can understand it being hard to trust us.>

*He shifts a serious, angry looking glare towards the Soul Reapers.*

Iris: <Even if they are the ones at fault this time around...>

*Iris' face turns into a smile again as he turns to look at Aera again.*

Iris: <But what do I know, eh? I'm the one who's wounded, after all.>

*Taiyo ducks and spins around slashing at the Hollows knees.*

"A problem? Do tell, my good sir."
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*The sword elongates, becoming a spear, the shaft blocking her attack. She then flicks it upwards, hitting Taiyo in the stomach.*

<Why do you even bother? You should just let me take control of this body. I'd be so much better with it than you.>

"Because it's mine. And you're not welcome here."

*Taiyo releases her Shikai and stabs upwards at the Hollows chin.*