• The sand flew effortlessly past his face and through his dark brown hair as he flew past, leaving a trail of flying dust behind him, a trail of finely laid out destruction that would be fixed almost instantly by the movements of the dunes. A path of glowing maroon lit the sky behind him and around him, making his movements glow with the fires of his hate. Every beast that stood in his way felt the searing sting of his strength, the heat that destroyed their souls and sent them falling to the sands, never to get up again. The twilight musician, the scourge of the hollows, was into his music, and no living thing could bring him out of it. Or so Arekussu thought, as he gave into the mad bloodlust that was slowly consuming his mind. What harm could it do to go crazy, here in this place where he had no responsibilities, no one that needed him? If anything, insanity was the one way to preserve his mind, to make him forget the darkness that constantly surrounded him in this god forsaken place.

    Hollow after hollow fell to the ground around him, never slowing his effortless dance. They eventually stopped trying to attack, and instead fled, running off into the night. All except for one. One hollow stood over the next ridge, waiting for the dance to reach it so that it may join in and end it.

    Arekussu crested the ridge at the climax of the song, and his eyes lit up at the site of this hollow. It stood 10 feet tall and was shrouded in a cloak of darkness that reached from its mask to its feet. And what a mask. He saw no mouth, only a white triangle with two black slits that started at the side of the triangle and made their way over where the eyes should be and down past the mouth, opening at the bottom of the mask. It was as if the mask was made of three parts. The hollow showed no emotion that Arekussu could see, but he felt the fighting spirit, and knew that this would be interesting.

    He burst into action, sending a veil of sand flying into the air where he had previously stood. He appeared above the hollow and tried to bring his foot down on its head. The hollow did not even flinch as Arekussu was sent flying by a blast of reitsu. Standing up and wiping a small amount of blood off his face, he tried a different tactic, appearing directly in front of the beast and punching towards its face. The punch was a feint, however, and was followed by a quick step and a kick towards the back of the head area. The fist flew past the hollows head because of an easy dodge to the right, but the kick looked as if it was going to connect. At the last second, however, there was nothing to hit. His foot spun through air as he felt a blow hit him in the back of the head.

    He fell to his knees as he faded in and out of consciousness. Blackness began to cover his eyes, and he felt a trickle of blood drip down the back of his neck. Just before he fell to the ground, he heard a beautiful female voice say into his ear, “This destruction does not become you, young one.” He tried to answer back, but found no strength in his body. He then slipped into a dreamless sleep.

    * * *

    Arekussu awoke, what seemed like many hours later, but did not open his eyes. There was a profound silence around him, one that was not broken by the wind and the movement of the sands, or the cries of dying hollow. It was odd to find such peace in the wastes, and his first thought was that he must have died. Only in death could he truly find peace. He then realised the amount of pain he was in, and that his head was still throbbing from the hit he had taken. He also noticed a strong reitsu right near him, one that he vaguely recognized to be the beast from the night before. It had changed somewhat, but was essentially the same. Arekussu decided that he had better risk opening his eyes, as he was to curious to keep them shut for much longer.

    He quickly opened them and cried out when he saw that the mask of the beast was only inches from his face. He scrambled back and bumped up against a wall, never taking his eyes off the beast. It was going to eat me! he thought, imagining how he was going to die.

    The beast sighed and stood up, “No, I was not going to eat you. I happen to not be very hungry at the moment.”

    Arekussu looked it over. He saw that the darkness was gone and that it was now very humanoid, and was wearing a pair of tight black pants that ended just past the knees and a black turtleneck sweater that had the bottom cut of so that it hung just past its breasts. It was also significantly shorter, standing at about 5’2”. Arekussu’s eyes hung at the shirt level for a moment and he could not realise why. He then jumped up and widened his eyes in surprised. “You’re a girl!” he said. Never in all his years in the sands had he ever seen a hollow that actually looked female. Sure, some of them had female voices, but hollows did not have genders.

    Her head tilted to the side and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I am a girl.” She said as she walked up to him and looked him in the eyes. “Do you have a problem with that?” He thought he sensed a joking sound in her voice, but he was not sure. Judging by her performance before, if he did have a problem with that he would not be alive much longer.

    “No! Not at all! It’s just odd you know, there are not many female hollow around here, at least I’ve never seen one, not that that’s a bad thing!” he said, extremely fast. As he spoke, he edged himself along the wall so that he would be out of the direct reach of the woman that stood before him. He also had to make a conscious effort not to stare at her chest. In all his life he had never seen an actual female body, and he was quite confused by it.

    The girl turned around and laughed. It was not often that anyone in the sands noticed her body, let alone had a conversation with her. “Well, I’m glad I get to be the first one you meet. Now, do you need an invitation to introduce yourself? Not many manners in you that’s for sure.”

    Arekussu managed to pull himself together and put his calm and in control demeanour back in place. “You were the one that kidnapped me; you think that manners would dictate you introduce yourself first.” He said with a lopsided grin.

    The girl laughed again. Arekussu seemed to be drawn in by her voice. Her laugh sounded like a wind chime making its song in the early hours of the morning, and her voice was a babbling brook washing its way through the rocks to a small lake. He had never heard such beauty in the wastes before. She sat in a makeshift chair that seemed to be made of a chiselled out rock. “I guess you’ve got me there. I am Bestia, a vasto lord that rules over this area of the sands. And you are?” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

    Vasto lord? Arekussu had never heard those words before. Perhaps they were a higher up in the army of hollows that plagued the land. It did not really matter at the moment, as Arekussu knew that she was probably going to kill him soon anyways. “I am Arekussu. Some call me the twilight musician. I’m not sure how that name got around though, as I kill every hollow I see.” He continued to edge himself towards what looked to be the exit. There was a small current of air coming from a hole in the wall directly to his right, and he was pretty sure that he would be able to squeeze through if this ‘vasto lord’ decided that he wasn’t interesting anymore.

    “That hole leads to a bottomless pit, so I would not suggest going through it. Why don’t you sit down?” she said, pointing at another chair that was opposite to her. “Civilized company, no matter how slow it seems to be, is hard to find in these parts, so you can rest assured I won’t kill you yet.”

    How had she known he was trying to escape? And if he remembered correctly, she had known what he was thinking earlier before. She must have the ability to read his thoughts. Strange that she did not keep that a secret from him. She is definitely going to kill me, or she would not have given up such an obvious advantage. Arekussu walked over and sat in the chair. It was a little bit small, and the bottom was hard and flat. Sitting in a pile of sand was more comfortable. In fact, now that he thought about it, this whole set up was odd. He did not know any hollow that had actually made a set base of operations, as the idea was very dangerous, especially for someone as strong as Bestia. Hollow would be drawn to the reitsu in bunches, hungering for power.

    “So, Arekussu, do you want to play a game? I have one that I really enjoy playing with young Arrancar like you. And if they win, I usually let them live. Interested?” she said, her voice taking an evil air.
    He could not tell if she was joking or being serious. Her mask covered her face completely, and did not even have eye or mouth holes like most masks. In fact, with no mouth hole, he wondered how she devoured other hollows. He knew from his past that the only way to become powerful in the world of the hollows is to devour the powers of the hollows around you, but to do that you have to have a mouth. If he won this ‘game,’ he would have to ask about it.

    “It depends what type of game this is. Of course, with stakes like that I don’t really have a choice do I? I’ll play.” He said, hoping he had not let any of his fear seep into his voice. What an odd sensation, fear. He looked back and realised he had never actually been in a situation where he could die. Never before had he felt fear for his own life. The feeling was disgusting, and made him feel dirty. He should not fear death, he should embrace it.

    “Good! It’s a really fun game, I am sure you’ll enjoy it!” she said, her voice becoming happy and carefree. The constant change in her tones worried him. He wondered if she was mentally stable, or if she had lost her mind in the sands as he was about to. “Come on!” she said as she created a gargantia in front of her and walked through.

    Arekussu walked into the gargantia and came out again in the human world, surrounded by people. He saw that Bestia was standing on top of a nearby building, looking out away from where he stood. He jumped up and landed beside her, and tried to follow her gaze, though it was hard, considering that she had no eyeballs. He saw that she seemed to be watching a young girl that was playing in her backyard.

    “The game is simple. You must devour the soul of that little girl.” She said, her voice taking on a venomous hint. She seemed to really want to destroy this girl, to tear her life from her fragile little body. Arekussu looked at her with disgust. No matter how human she was, she was still a hollow.

    He turned to look at the small girl. She was young, looking to be about 4 or 5 years old. She would not even know what had happened to her. Arekussu felt sick just thinking about it, but his fear of dying was telling him to kill the girl, kill her so that he could live another day. He almost did it, until he heard the girl laugh. It was filled with sweetness, happiness and life. He almost threw up. He had been about to destroy such innocence.

    He turned back to Bestia. “I won’t do it. I won’t destroy such an innocent soul. And I won’t let you destroy it either.” He brought his fists up and jumped back a few feet, his face emotionless. “You’ll have to kill me.” he said, his fear of death gone. Protecting something this beautiful was worth dying.

    Bestia tilted her head to the side for a moment. As with before, Arekussu could not tell what she was thinking. She then laughed happily, holding her sides to stop them from bursting. Arekussu felt his confidence falter a little. She was laughing at his threat! Arekussu steadied himself and prepared to die. Maybe he would be granted some lenience in death because of his sacrifice.

    She sighed and wiped a tear from her none existent eye. “I’m not going to kill you! You won the game! I thought you would!” She ran over and wrapped Arekussu in a hug. “Finally I found someone.” She said into his chest.

    Arekussu stood blinking for a moment; his fists still up in fighting position behind Bestia’s back. He looked down in a daze and then looked back up. He then wriggled out of the hug and started yelling, “What! You mean to tell me that this was all some sort of test? How can you do that to someone! I almost crapped my pants! I mean seriously, what kind of freak puts someone through something like that?” he said, shaking his fist at her.

    Bestia tilted her head and sighed. She suddenly grew very imposing, gaining a dark aura around her and glowing red slits of light where her eyes should be. “If you going to be this annoying I may kill you after all.” She said in a deep and freakishly dark voice. Pure evil seemed to seep out of her, and her spirit pressure was almost crushing Arekussu.

    Arekussu fell over and managed to sputter out, “Sorry, I won’t be annoying I promise!” he then slid a few feet back so get away from her dark aura.

    She almost instantly reverted back to normal. “Well that’s a relief. I have spent almost 2000 years looking for someone in the wastes that shared my views, or at least was tolerable to hang around with. You’re the first one that has actually passed the test. I have killed countless arrancar and vasto lords that tried to kill the target you know. After all, I never said that to win the game you have to kill her did I?” she said, jumping on top of Arekussu and embracing him again.

    Arekussu smiled a fake smile and thought about the events that had just past. He was not going to die, but he wasn’t going to be allowed to leave either from the looks of it. Arekussu did not like the idea of spending too much time with this two faced girl who could kill him as easily as he could crush a normal hollow, although his body seemed to disagree with him. The feeling of her soft skin pressed against his made him feel rather strange. He could hear his instincts reacting to their proximity, telling him to mate with her. It was a rather annoying thought, one that he repressed. These hormones of his would have to be held in check, or he would most surely be killed by her. He made a mental note that he should do some research in the human world on the feelings he was having once she set him free.

    “So, am I to stay in the cave that I woke up in? Or am I allowed to roam free?” he said, slowly sliding out of her freakishly strong grip.

    She laughed softly and sighed, laying her head on his chest. Arekussu thought she must be revelling in her find. If he had been searching for something for thousands of years, He would also have been extremely ecstatic to find it, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have hugged it and gone all mushy at the sight of it. She said, “I’m not going to let you get away that easily. You’ll be living in another section of the caves, one that only has one exit; right through my bedroom. I’m not stupid you know. I understand that you would run away as soon as you got out of my sight.” She stood up and shook herself off. She then waved her hand through the air, creating a gargantia. “Now come on, we have so much to talk about.” She then walked through.

    For a moment, Arekussu considered running away right then. He might have been able to escape, but she seemed insane enough that she would probably chase him for the rest of his seemingly eternal life. Finally, he stepped through the gargantia.

    * * *

    For many months he lived with Bestia. He learned a lot about her, and found that he really enjoyed her company. She did not have a split personality as he had first assumed, but was just extremely quick to anger, and quick to calm down as well. The one time he saw her get angry again was when he had tried to sneak out of the caves. He had thought that she was asleep, but in hindsight he should have realised that hollows never sleep. She had almost torn off his head, but she had calmed down almost instantly. He had decided after that not to try and escape again.

    She was a very odd person. She was always very happy on the surface, but every once and a while Arekussu would notice a tinge of guilt and sadness creep into her voice which surprised him. He assumed that she had some sort of secret, but he would never ask. For some odd reason he did not like it when she was sad, and he knew that asking her about her sadness would most likely gouge a hidden wound open and cause her grief.

    She also had a mean streak that would show itself whenever he made an awkward slip in their conversations, usually something about her being a female, or the way she would get angry so easily. He would usually find himself smashed onto the floor with her foot on his head and her telling him to take it back or say sorry. Strangely, he did not find this unpleasant. It seemed to be something that made himself more human, a normal interaction that he had never had before in the wastes.

    He was surprised to find that she had similar morals to him. She had never killed a human soul and constantly killed hollows to try and thin the numbers, just as he had. She also abhorred violence as much as he did, (the exemption of course being against hollows) and always protected the innocent when she had the chance. These facts enthralled Arekussu more than her personality or her body, and ensured that he would stay with her even if his life was in danger, though he did not know it yet.

    Finally, after almost 6 months, Bestia finally said he was allowed to leave whenever he wished, as she had ‘sunk her claws into him.’ He took the advantage and ran for what seemed like days. When he finally stopped, he reached out and realised that he was not being followed. Overcome by guilt he was forced to go back. She did not even ask why he had been gone for so long, she just nodded when he walked in and let him go rest.

    He made an outing to the human world once and finally discovered a word for what he was feeling for Bestia. The humans called it ‘love.’ He found it odd that the word had been right under his nose and he had never thought of it. Almost all of the songs he sang seemed to have something to do with the word, and yet it had never come to mind. He also found what his body was feeling for her, which was called lust. It seems that your hormones and instincts call out for the body of the opposite sex, and that even though he was not human he still had the same instincts.

    He grew closer and closer to Bestia, but never let her know of his feelings. After all, being a hollow she may not even have the capacity to feel love, or even lust. He kept them bottled up until one night many years later.

    * * *

    Arekussu walked towards the exit of the cave and said without turning around, “I’m gonna go out for a bit, I may be gone all night.” This was normal, as they would both leave often to take out their anger on the hollows. It was understood by both of them that this was something you would do alone.

    Bestia didn’t even turn around from the book she was reading. Arekussu had recently ‘borrowed’ a couple hundred books from the human world and taught Bestia how to read. He had never thought of it before, but it seems that hollows can’t read inherently. He assumed he was able to read because he was an arrancar, and therefore as close as a hollow could get to being human. “Sure, sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.” she said, waving her hand absentmindedly. The particular book she was reading was called Pride and Prejudice. Arekussu had not liked the book, had found it to be rather slow, but this must be the third or fourth time Bestia had read it.

    Arekussu jumped off into the night. He needed to get far enough away from the cave so that the sound he made tonight would not be heard by Bestia. He needed to do something desperately, or he did not know how he would get through another couple of years with her. His feelings had been bottled up for so long, and he only knew one way to get his feelings out.

    Once he was far enough away, he sat in the sands and sent his senses out for a moment. He could not sense any reitsu within a thousand yards, but he couldn’t reach much farther than that. It did not really matter if there was anything there, for his reputation was fierce enough that hollows mostly avoided him. He sighed, and then reached up to touch his headphones. And amorphous blob of white disconnected and then formed into a guitar. He sat there in the sands and tuned it, though there really was no need to. He also created a speaker which would play the accompaniment for the song.

    For all his life as a hollow, Arekussu had expressed himself through his music. And since he had realised that he was in love, he had searched for the perfect song that would properly show this emotion. A few days ago he had found it, the perfect song, and now he planned to play it. He hoped it would allow him to unburden the feelings he felt, and let him be a friend to Bestia, and nothing more.

    {{ Musical reference: Hale; Broken Sonnet.. Please disregard the last couple of lines in the song, as they really don’t work in the story. Thanks smile }}

    He started to pick a slow and steady melody on the guitar. He lost all thoughts of the outside world as he concentrated, pushing his soul into the music, and filling the sky with it. The stars seemed to move, allowing the area around him to light up and fill with moonlight. From the speaker came the backup then, filling out the sound and breathing life into Arekussu as he began to sing,

    “And now I concede on the night of this fifteenth song
    Of melancholy, of melancholy...”

    His heart leapt as the words spilled from his lips. He had not sung such a heartfelt song for many years, and it filled him with joy to feel his emotions flow into the music.

    “And now I will admit in this fourth line
    That I love you, that I love you...”

    He had said it aloud. Sure, Bestia was not there, and they were words in the song, but he still felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He felt more at ease and more peaceful. He let his mind wander away as he continued to sing.

    “I don't care what they say
    I don't care what they do...”

    Unbeknownst to Arekussu, He had a follower. Bestia had always followed Arekussu when he went on his jaunts, because she did not like being away from him for too long, and she wanted to be there in case he was attacked by something to strong for him to fight alone. She hid behind a rock as she listened to the music play.

    “Cause tonight I leave my fears behind
    Cause tonight I'll be right at your side...”

    Bestia listened to the music and almost cried. She had known that Arekussu listened to music while he fought, but had never actually heard him play anything, let alone sing. His voice cut through her like a knife, and she almost fell over. In all her years as a hollow, never had she heard anything so beautiful. She also took noticed that this song seemed to be singing to someone, and she assumed it was herself.

    “The clock on the TV says 8:39 p.m.
    It's the same, it's the same...”

    She sat in a more comfortable position to listen to the rest of the song. It was truly beautiful. She would have to remember to ask Arekussu about his music later and maybe get him to play something for her.

    “And in this next line I'll say it all over again
    That I love you, that I love you...”

    Bestia’s heart quickened. Love. She vaguely remembered that word from her life as a human. It meant a deep affection, or something of the sort. And yet his mention of his love for her sent a deep shock in her soul. It must mean something more.

    “I don't care what they say
    I don't care what they do...”

    Love... What was it? It was on the tip of her tongue, and yet she could not place it. It was... some sort of feeling, something that happened usually between a man and a woman if she remembered properly.

    “Cause tonight I leave my fears behind
    Cause tonight I'll be right at your side...”

    She remembered! It was something that showed a deep emotional longing for someone, something that meant you wanted to live your entire life with that person.

    “Lie down right next to me
    Lie down right next to me
    And I will never let go, will never let go...”

    And when she delved deeper... she realised that she felt that way about Arekussu. Her heart beat loudly in her head. She loved him.

    “I leave my fears behind
    Cause tonight I'll be right at your side...”

    Bestia stood up and began to walk towards Arekussu.

    “Lie down right next to me
    Lie down right next to me
    And I will never let go, never let go.”

    The music stopped abruptly. Arekussu sat facing away from Bestia, but she knew that he sensed her presence. “How long have you been there?” he asked quietly.

    Bestia walked over to him and sat beside him, also staring forward and not looking at him. “Long enough.” she said. She then turned toward him and stared at the silhouette. His hair was loosely flowing behind his head, his bangs being held in front of his face by his headphones. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when he turned towards her.

    “So? What do you think then?” he said, sighing. If she rejected him now, it would make things easier for both of them. Something like this would never work with their situations. It would most likely lead to heartbreak. Arekussu did not mind if he was heartbroken; he knew he could take it. What he couldn’t handle was the idea that he may hurt her in the future.

    Bestia did not answer right away. She turned and looked back off into the distance. She had so much pain in her heart, and did not want to be in love with Arekussu for the same reasons as him. The only difference was that she was absolutely sure that she would hurt him in the future. She would not tell him that though. As the old saying goes, better have loved and lost than to have not loved at all. “I think I love you too Arrancar.” She said.

    Arekussu smiled and lay back in the sands. She did the same, and they laid in the sands and stared at the sky together. He snaked his hand into hers, and she gripped his. And the night went on as of nothing had changed.

    * * *

    For years they lived together, sharing many experiences. They grew closer and closer, and became intimate. These were the best years of both their lives, but Bestia knew it would not last. She had never told Arekussu, but she had been hunted by Shinigami for the past 100 years or so. She had tried to explain to them that she was not there enemy, but it was in vain. And she knew that she would not run the next time they found her. She was tired of running.

    One day as Arekussu and Bestia were walking through the sands, they found her. Arekussu kept on walking blindly, for he was completely at ease. They had made a reputation around here that kept hollows from coming close to them. Of course, Bestia had never told him about the Shinigami. He was not even extending his senses at the moment, preferring to keep himself focused on Bestia. He was truly enthralled by her.

    They were upon them all too quickly. Three Shinigami descended upon the couple, swords drawn and released. Arekussu was completely taken by surprise. He stumbled back as Bestia pushed him. She turned to him and said with a slightly cracked voice, “Go, I will hold them off.” She then pushed him into a gargantia that lead back to the cave. As she turned, he saw a tear fall from the split in her mask and head towards the ground. He fell through and it closed behind him.

    “No!” he yelled trying to jump back in the gargantia. Arekussu knew that Bestia would never harm a Shinigami, for she believed them to be the perfect beings. She knew that they were true and fought for good, and she loved them. If they attacked and she did not run, they would surely kill her.

    He jumped up and waved his hand, trying to create a gargantia. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to. He had been practicing, but unlike his other powers, this one had not been instinctive. He damned himself for his inability to get there quickly. He pulled out his gloves and shin guards and slipped them on, yelling, “Blast Uindu!” He then blasted the fastest song he knew; Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce. His body sped up and he blasted off into the night, trying as hard as he could to catch up to where he and Bestia had been walking.

    He soon got there, only to stop in mid run and almost fall over. There was Bestia, lying on the ground with a blood running out of a hole in her chest. He ran over and picked her up. “Bestia, it’s ok, I’ll bring you back to the cave and heal you!” he said desperately as he looked into her face for signs of life.

    She groaned and lifted her hand to his face. She dropped it though when she coughed, a stream of blood coming from between the slits in her mask. She breathed heavily before saying, “Are... Arekussu... please... You can’t heal me... my soul sleep was destroyed... I will die...” she said. Her voice sounded surprisingly peaceful.

    Arekussu fell to his knees. “No! You can’t die! I... I won’t let you!” he said, becoming angry. Why would she sacrifice herself like this? She could not leave! He knew they would be split up at some point, but they had only been together for less than a decade! It was not fair!

    Bestia chuckled and then lifted her hand as if to place it on Arekussu’s face again. Instead, she slapped him across the face. “I can, and I will.” She said, her voice less than a whisper. And yet, Arekussu could hear it as clear as if she was speaking directly into his ear. “Listen, Arekussu, I love you. But I could not continue my life like this, being what I so despised. I hate hollows, and therefore I hate myself. The Shinigami have actually helped me in a way. I was always too much of a coward to kill myself.” She said, heaving and coughing up more blood. “Listen. I love you, and that is all that matters.”

    “I... I love you too, Bestia. I will always love you.” Arekussu said with a small smile. She was going to die, and there was nothing he could to about it. He laid her down so that her head was on his lap. “I need you to know, you were the only thing keeping me sane.”

    “I know that. And please, for me, stay the way you are. For you to give in to the insanity... It would hurt me. You are perfect the way you are, so stay that way.” She looked down at her chest and saw that the area around her wound was starting to disintegrate. “I don’t have much time, Arekussu. Promise me you will stay the way you are.”

    “I promise, Bestia. For you.” He said. He was smiling, but his sadness was given away by the large amount of tears that were streaming down his face. He was close to giving in to his tears, but wanted to stay strong for Bestia.

    In some strange twist of fate, one of the first parts of Bestia to disintegrate was her mask. Arekussu watched as her face was slowly revealed. She was the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes upon. Her mouth was small and thin, and was surrounded by her angular features, which really seemed to match with her mask. Her nose was also small, and perfectly shaped to accentuate her features as well. But it all fell to nothing when he saw her eyes. They were the deepest white, as if the moon had fell from the eternal night and become a part of her. He felt lost in their beauty. She turned to him, and instead of saying anything, she grabbed both sides of his head and kissed him. It was the first kiss they had shared because of her mask, and was also their last. He held her there as she disintegrated completely, her lips turning into nothing but ash in his mouth.

    Finally his tears were allowed to spill out. He cried for what seemed like hours. The music that had been playing was silent as he bawled. The sand underneath him condensed and hardened because of the water. He let his head fall back as he screamed into the sky.

    * * *

    The three Shinigami were walking away from the area where they had attacked the female Vasto lord and killed her. They were laughing and sharing in the victory. This particular Vasto lord had had a huge promotion hanging on her head, and they were sure to get it now.

    “Why do you think she didn’t fight back?”

    “Probably too scared of us. We are pretty imposing!”

    “Ya right, you couldn’t intimidate a baby.”

    “Hey, you shu-“

    They were cut off when they heard a large screech tear through the night sky. They turned around and pulled out their zanpactos. The sound did not sound like a normal hollow’s screech. It was too high-pitched and painful. The first Shinigami began to put his sword away.

    “Its probably far away guys, it probably can’t even-“

    He stopped talking abruptly when his head stopped being connected to the rest of his body. A split second before his head stopped functioning a look of surprise crossed his face. The other two Shinigami watched as the head fell towards the ground and the beast appeared above the now falling body.

    The beast fell atop the body and began to tear of the dead shinigami’s skin with its teeth, devouring it bit by bit. The other Shinigami saw the opening and released his sword and jumped in the air, swinging down with as much force as he could muster. The sword was going to be a direct hit, and it was, but the blade simply shattered upon impact, and the man was thrown back by the pure blast of reitsu that came off the beast. He fell and stumbled, only to find the beast now standing over him.

    The beast was pure anger incarnate. It had pure red armour that was completely covered in spikes from head to toe. Its armour was covered in the blood of the shinigami’s recently fallen comrade. His face was what instilled true terror. It was not human. The eyes were stretched to the sides of his face and seemed to glow a dark maroon. The pupils were white, and were surrounded by a blood red iris. The teeth were the scariest though. The mouth was incredible disproportioned, stretching from ear to ear and covering more than half of the thing’s face. The teeth were each almost 3 inches long and sharp spikes that interlocked with each other. The Shinigami knew death was upon him, and quickly gave a small prayer to whatever god was listening before his throat was ripped apart by the beast.

    At the sight of the beast the third Shinigami dropped his sword and fled. No promotion was worth this. He started to quickly recite the spell that would let him go back to the soul society. He turned back for a moment to check on the beast, and saw that it was still bent over its latest kill, most likely devouring it. He turned back with a sigh and then stopped abruptly, forgetting the words to the spell and losing his train of thought.

    Before him stood the beast. He stared into its eyes and saw only death and gave up. He would die here, there was no sense fighting the inevitable. So he fell to his knees and waited for the final blow.

    The beast seemed to smile even wider as his fist flew towards the man’s head. Everything seemed to slow down before the hit. He felt his heartbeat slow and saw that the sand around him was slowed as well. His mind was focusing on the pure adrenalin of the kill. The part that used to be Arekussu was now bottled up in the back of his mind.

    “This destruction does not become you, young one.”

    His hand froze just before it went through the man’s head. Arekussu was back. He lowered his hand as his armour changed back to white and his face turned back to normal. The spikes withdrew from his mouth and formed into normal teeth, and the red eyes seemed to swirl away as the blue took over. He sighed and created a gargantia instinctively. It seems he had learnt it now. He then picked up the man and said, “You have killed my one true love. Be thankful that you still have your life so you may find yours.” He then threw the man into the portal.

    * * *

    Arekussu stood over the grave he had made for Bestia. Using cero he had heated up the sand and melted it into glass, and had made a glass pillar. It was perfectly rectangular, and was about 4 feet tall. In it he had inscribed Bestia; Hollow, Friend, My Love. He knew that this grave would not last in the sand for more than a hundred years, but he would come here every year to mourn her, and he would use that time to fix it up. He then sighed and turned to the sands.

    Farewell, Bestia.