These Prison Walls (An Arrow: Season 7 Fanfiction)

Chapter 32: It's Over, Emiko

Star City. Present-day. 

'Emiko, it's over,' Oliver said from where he and I were standing. 

'This was his view, wasn't it?' she said, gazing out the window of the old Queen Consolidated building. 'Your father. His perch above the city, above everyone. I'm glad you'll get to see it all fall.' 

'Not tonight, sis,' I replied. She pressed the button on the remote control bomb, but it did nothing. She looked down at it and then glared up at us. 

'What did you do?' she hissed. 

'I'm giving you a second chance... before it's too late for both of us.' 

'I don't need bombs to kill you,' she said and drew back an arrow. She loosed it and Oliver dodged it, then he pulled out one of his own and shot at her. I threw a dagger and she blocked it with her bow, and we engaged her. 

'You have every right to be angry,' he hissed at one point in the fight. 'I was angry, too, because you let our father die! And that led to a ripple effect in my life of loss.' The two of us circled her carefully. 'I lost Tommy, my mother, Laurel, Quentin. And I wanted to kill you for all of it.' She charged him and I fought her from the back. We both overpowered her, and we could have killed her, but we didn't. 'I know his death affected you too, too,' he said. We stood and walked to the other side of the room. 'Instead of finding the hero that I really believe is inside of you, you went down a dark path. And it killed your mother.' 

'Dante killed my mother.' 

'No, he didn't, Emiko. Your allegiance to the Ninth Circle killed your mother. Your hatred of our father killed your mother. His worst impulses drove you away, and it led to every terrible moment in both of our lives. I think that together, we can be better. So if you're gonna kill me, do it.' He offered the blade to her, and I stepped up as well. 

'If you're going to kill our brother, Emiko, you're going to have to kill me, too.' A tear slipped down her cheek. Just then, several Ninth Circle members in black rushed into the room. 

'Well,' Virgil (Dante's right-hand man) said, walking into the room with a woman by his side, 'if you're not going to kill them, we'll gladly oblige.' 

'Beatrice, you don't have the authority to be here,' Emiko hissed. 

'The Council was promised the total destruction of Star City,' Beatrice replied, 'not a sibling spat. And for the first time in history, the world knows of our existence.' 

'The Ninth Circle answers to me,' Emiko said. 

'Not anymore,' Beatrice said and threw a dagger that landed in Emiko's stomach. She threw another, but Oliver blocked it. 'Finish them,' she said. The three of us began to take on the Ninth Circle... together. 

'You're still here,' Emiko said at one point. 

'Yeah,' I replied. 'We don't leave our family.' 

Minutes later... 

'I'm sorry,' Emiko gasped as Oliver held her. I ran to their side and sat down across from Oliver. 

'I know. It's okay,' he said softly. 

'You need to hide. Your family's gonna die. I made sure of it. You need to hide Felicity and the baby.' 

'Emiko...' I said softly. 

'I... I...' she gasped, then spoke again. 'I wanted to be a Queen.' Her breathing hitched once, and her eyes closed as she fell back and breathed her last. 

As the building exploded, Oliver jumped from the window, grabbing me on the way out.