Sand in the Hourglass | Ahau Kin

Ahau stalked the sands of Huecho Mundo in search of his next meal. After parting with his Pack he had intended to travel straight to Las Noches secretly, without informing Iko lest he anger the more powerful Adjuchas, with the intention of seeing how those that served the King lived. The Jaguar-like Hollow had not given up in his goal to seek out the Arrancar and learn of their power, their strengths, their weakness and experiences. If he knew them then perhaps he would no longer need to fear them and in turn that knowledge may evolve the expansion of his being along the path to perfection.

Unfortunately he was delayed by the ever present weakness of the Hollow. The unending and forever gnawing hunger that sought souls to fill it but only for a time, a temporary respite from the pain that his breed were cursed with but it was also that curse that pushed them onwards to ever improve and grow.

He had muted his Reiatsu as much as he could, not very well really but enough to blind the weaker prey he sought, as he followed his target. His meal-to-be was a Hollow which had taken the form of a bull, large and powerful with long curving horns but it's spiritual power was less than Ahau's and he didn't fear it.

Creeping up on the other Hollow it was much too late before the bull noticed the jaguar and in a single leap with a power bite through it's neck he killed his prey. Ahau consumed his food with a sense of fulfilment knowing that this meal would be enough to do him until he reached the King's fortress.

He was finishing up his meal when he felt it, a great and power Spiritual Pressure crashing around him, Ahau panicked immediately unsure what to do. He tried to focus on this unknown threat but he couldn't pinpoint it's location with his unrefined senses.

Cursing internally he considered fleeing towards the last known location of Iko and Depredador, either of their presences would have been a comfort and with both together he was sure they would have been safe from any predator.

But what if it's between I and them? I'll be running straight into the maw of the beast.

Uncertain of what to do he simply prayed that whatever it was hadn't sensed him yet and he tried to make his presence as small as possible as he hunkered down in the sands.

Don't see me. Don't see me. Don't see me. he prayed desperately although to what he had no idea.

Xiaobei watched, thinking back to a recent conversation with her human the Shinobu about weaknesses and the importance of appearing strong. She hadn't had a large desire to pounce on this new creature, that was until the wind brought the scent of his acrid fear. It teased her nose, playfully batting at her hunger until she spent a good few minutes just watching him and wondering what his soul might taste like.

The longer she watched the higher the anticipation built, but so did her information. It was a Hollow-breed, no lone Arrancar, and somewhat well off considering the hinterlands they were in right now. Certainly no match for her impressive power, but a respectable creature all the same. Licking the tops of her teeth, Xiaobei let that seep in. Trying not to give too much credence to his cowardly ways, and how they made her want to lunge out of the shadows to pulverize him. Oh, but it would be so fun to stand above him, watch him squirm, and feel that intoxicating rush of domination.

She hadn't figured out what was familiar about the creature, though, and that bothered her. So Xiaobei dropped down from her hiding place and began to slink closer. The poor thing was rather at a loss, gazing around as if it had no clue where she was coming in from. That made her giggle, a breathy little sound that was whipped away by the wind but didn't stop the pleasant feeling from growing.

Hunting could be fun, even if it was a necessary chore. Souta-nii had taught her that, maybe. Xiaobei wasn't really clear on the time right before Abba had eaten her up and pushed her into his soul, but it felt like it could have happened so she trusted it to be true.

Fun, though, sometimes that was more important than the food itself. That was also something Souta-nii had taught her.

So as she was sneaking up on her prey, Xiaobei kept quiet as a mouse, her reiatsu so strong compared to his that it saturated the air. With no one to interrupt them, she grinned big and wide and popped up about a foot away from his crumpled form. Just far enough to give a healthy distance, her quills sticking all up as she shouted, “HI!”

“That's a poor hiding spot, yes it is. Xiaobei is very unimpressed,” she paused then, shooting to her feet, and placing her hands on her hips. The best impression of a human mother that she could approximate, complete with wagging finger, the only deviation was the wide grin and her quivering hair.

WC: 439 | Total WC: 820

Ahau let out a noise that was somewhere in-between the yell of a surprised man and the yelp of a startled cat as he leapt in fright as he spun around to face the newcomer.

He stared in shock as she...chided him? He wasn't sure whether to be more confused by her words, her tone or her very strange appearance with her feline-esque mask and her slender, currently bipedal, form.

Cat eyes stared at one another, one set crimson and the other tawny emerald. However only one of these gazes was filled with terror and it was not this newcomers.

Ahau smiled at her, the expression seemingly serene but no amount of skilful acting could hide the fear gleaming from those orbs of red behind that Jaguar mask. "Who said I was hiding?" he questioned with false bravado "Perhaps I was merely waiting."

Ahau straightened up and chuckled softly "Although you certainly give me a fright." he admitted, little point hiding that fact after the disgraceful display when she'd yelled at him.

However what really confused him was how she spoke, Ahau had heard more than one Hollow talk about themselves in the third person but there was more than just that a certain...playfulness? It tugged at his mind but he couldn't summon the thought. Something from a long time ago.

Shaking his head slightly the feline Hollow sat down, tail curling around his feet, as he give the impression of one who was relaxed although the truth was anything but. This stranger who sat before him practically roared with power in a way that made even Iko seem weak by comparison, aside from the powers he sensed from a distance off in Las Noches he'd never seen anyone with such strength.

And she could kill him at any moment.

For once the fearful voices in his head didn't cry for him to flee...perhaps even they realised the futility in such an act.

But there was more than one kind of strength and Ahau was willing to play along with this stranger for as long as necessary to ensure his survival. He wasn't going to die here. Not now. Not before he reached his goals.

More than that however he wished to speak with her...never before had he seen a Hollow so far along the path of Evolution, there was envy and fear but there was also a great deal of awe and respect. She was what he hoped he could one day be.

Tilting his head slightly he give his friendliest smile in return to her wide grin. "Can I assume you are Xiaobei? I am Ahau Kin. Nice to meet you." he bowed his head politely, pleasantries such as this were worthless to the Hollow but some others found them to be things of great importance.

"You are very strong Xiaobei." he noted and a little flattery never went awry "Stronger than any I have met out here on the deserts. May I ask you a question?" he paused for a moment and if not denied he would continue "Do you come from Las Noches? I hear there are many strong Hollow-Breed in that fortress." he said switching to the term that Ahau used to describe both Pure Hollow and the Hybrid Arrancar.

Watching patiently, wide golden-green eyes unblinking in her preternatural stillness, Xiaobei felt a ruffle of approval for the other Hollow. His cry had not been very fierce, a little bit more on the side of pitiful, to be honest. But luckily the creature had not stopped there, but turned to face her and thrown on a mask of pure determination. She liked it when people played back, instead of sitting dull and dry, like a hunk of meat all shriveled and bloodless.

“Aah-h, waiting, was it? I did not know that it was the current policy, to wait so close to the ground with your face hidden behind your tail. Maybe Xiaobei should try it, someday?” She purred, watching each movement of her prey with a piercing fascination. A hint of fang as the porcu-kitty grinned toothily, settling back on her haunches so that she wasn't leaning over the other anymore.

Luckily for her, or probably the both of them, this Hollow seemed to have progressed from the endlessly unoriginal state of base hunger and rage. She could see the calculation there in its body, the faint tension so artfully masked. It did not run. Nor did it attack. Instead the thing sat neatly, looking at her with curiosity.

Which was easily reciprocated. Xiaobei brushed several long quills off her shoulder and down her back, smoothing the prickly substance until it once more resembled human hair. Her preening done, the young Hollow-breed nodded along to the questions and information, before adding her own opinion. “There are many Hollow, but most of them are Arrancar. Not like you and me.” This came with a bit of a frown, a hiss of disappointment. Sure, Abba was not like her, but he also wasn't truly Arrancar. Something else filled his soul up, something that aided the transition to Obsession.

Lifting her arms, jagged claws morphing out of dull fingernails, she mimed towards her face, gently tugging at the edge of her mask. “They all took theirs off. Xiaobei thinks it's silly, but Abba says that if she is strong enough on her own she won't need to do that too.” She wasn't sure why, but the thought of becoming an Arrancar was unsettling. She rather liked what she was. The beast was straightforward. She was master of her body and mind. And life had little complications that could not be solved through effort and a bit of bloodshed. If she became something more, wouldn't parts of her be left behind? What if they were necessary parts?

Shaking her head, skin rippling in her discomfort, Xiaobei rushed to change the subject to something more interesting. “Xiaobei lives in Las Noches, but she is not from there. When Xiaobei was little, she lived out here. Now though, there are things to do there. It is different, but still boring most of the time.” Huffing, breath tickling her nose, Xiaobei glanced morosely at the endless sands. “Sometimes Xiaobei still has to come out here, because no one wants her to eat the useful ones in the castle...” she was disappointed about this, though the logic made sense. Abba needed the strong to serve him. But she was just so awfully hungry, and they always looked so tasty, skittering around to avoid the King's bad moods. Besides, sometimes they were annoying, or they whispered ugly little rumors, and she just had to eat them to make them realize that they couldn't talk about her King like that.

“Is the Ahau going there?” Maybe she wasn't supposed to eat him either? If he was going to work for Abba?

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"I was waiting...stealthily?" he suggested playfully however it was clear to the both of them what had happened and Ahau was simply trying to make light of his rather embarrassing reaction but he had an ulterior motive, keeping this powerful creature amused enough that she wouldn't turn on him.

Watching with interest as the Hollow pushed her spiky quills down into what appeared to be a more smooth, almost human-like, hair pattern. Her form fascinated Ahau in it's complexity as it seemed far more advanced than the simple beast shapes that many Adjuchas, including himself, took. However that complexity seemed to be at complete odds with her personality which seemed rather straightforward...unless she was deceiving him. Not that he could do much about it if she was.

Ahau absently wondered how far along the path of Evolution this female was, could she possibly be only steps away from becoming the legendary Vasteo Lorde? His musings were cut short when she spoke again.

"That's disappointing." Ahau admitted although he shrugged in a fashion that suggested he was unsurprised. "I had hoped to meet more of our kind. So far I have only met two who were willing to speak. I will return to them eventually but I seek answers of my own."

It was true to. As happy as Ahau was to have a pack again although it was still quite small, he couldn't help but hunger for interactions with more of his pureblooded brethren who he might learn from. Finding strong Hollow was becoming harder and harder.

Watching her talk about Arrancar Ahau nodded "I wish to meet the half-breeds too. I have only had poor experiences with them so far. I want to know what made them and why they made the choices to abandon the way of Hollow Evolution in favour of becoming...less like us and more like..." he paused at this and frowned "More human? Or perhaps Shinigami? I'm unsure." he admitted in his ignorance.

Ahau's attention was once more pulled towards the she-Hollow's strange form when she seemed to will her claws to shift and change into a more human shape and he wondered how she was capable of such feats. Pulling his gaze back to her mask he watched as she spoke about the removal of masks.

"I only learnt recently that this was how the hybrids are made." Ahau explained "I can not fathom the mind that would choose to do such a thing. Hollow are meant to hunger, we are meant to consume and so we struggle onwards to evolve. I understand that removing the mask grants greater power but surely the cost is to throw away what makes us Hollows?"

The Jaguar Hollow shook his head "I do not understand and that is one more reason I wish to meet these strange broken masks. They have the answers I seek."

Ahau nodded his head at Xiaobei "You are stronger than the other Arrancar I have met." he explained "If you are that strong and can get stronger then what reason could you ever have to remove your mask?"

Looking uncomfortable for a moment he glanced away "Besides...what if doing so makes us into someone else? Would the Hollows that broke the mask really still be the same person or someone new?"

Ahau shivered slightly at the thought. Wilful extinction of what made you who you are. Was any boost in power really worth that? Ahau strived to be more but at the end of the day he liked being Ahau Kin and that was reason enough not to walk the path of the Arrancar.

Ahau's lips curled up in amusement as she spoke "Surely not everyone in the castle is useful though?" he probed lightly "Does Xiaobei perhaps consume those worthless ones?"

Ahau looked off in the direction that he knew the Fortress lay "I have never been to Las Noches, I have lived for centuries in the desert but I could sense the powerful ones that reside there. I now travel there in search of knowledge. About the Arrancar, about the Espada and about this King I hear off. I wish to know how it all works and fits together."

He turned to look back in the direction from which he had come "In the deserts we have no leaders. I want to understand the hierarchy of Las Noches."

Ahau looked back at Xiaobei "I will return to the sands after my initial visit I think. I will need to return to my pack. In the meantime I wish to learn though."

“Yes, there are not many of us who are able to speak. Or who wish to,” she chirped right back at him, rather pleased to be having this sort of conversation. Usually, no one wanted to talk to Xiaobei about Hollow-breeds. They all felt it self-explanatory, or like Abba thought that she would just figure it out on her own. But since her very first days as a Hollow, she had been surrounded by Arrancar and strange human creatures, even Vaizards. In a way, she had shaped herself out to be unique. Because the rest of the Hollow she came across, they were so simple, so basic, she always just ate them up and thought nothing of it. Perhaps she was the only truly strong Hollow, that had been the most she had pondered the issue.

To find this creature, though, cat-like in nature but never as weak as the other souls she had come across, it was intriguing. Did it mean that she was not special? Or perhaps, as Ahau said, there were only a very few like them? Tilting her head, chin pressed sidelong to her shoulder blade, she glanced lazily up at him as she thought. Certainly Abba had influenced the shape of her soul, but this Hollow, he had started alone. So how did he and his pack mates come about?

Curiosity piqued, Xiaobei felt a thrill of competition mix with the waves of interest. If there were others like her, was she still the best amongst them? The strongest? She would need to be, or else the King would not be happy with her. Arching her back, eyes narrowing, she rasped at the air but scented no nearby foe. This pack of his, whoever they were, they did not linger out of sight or skulk nearby. Maybe Ahau was like her too, in that he had gone off to find himself away from the bonds of his heart.

“The Arrancar are many things. More human, more Shinigami. Sometimes both. They are confused about themselves but they revel in the complexity. It is strange to watch.” Half-breed... It was a good moniker. Fitting. For they twisted themselves, broke the preciousness of their souls, all because they needed something else. Was it a hunger, the same as hers? Just a hunger for something more than flesh and sustenance? Did they need power like the worst of cravings, waking up in the middle of the night just to ache with it?

“Maybe they have answers, but Xiaobei doesn't think they will be the ones you want. Arrancar... The half-breeds, they are all very proud. And not the useful proud! The kind of proud that makes them talk nonsense. They are foolish and arrogant in their human shapes.” Abba was different, and maybe a few others in her past. But the truth was Xiaobei's pack consisted of more strange creatures than it did Arrancar. Rania, once, but now things had changed. And Kirishi had smelled like a Hollow-breed, but also much more. Perhaps Kionchi would become one, overpowered by his Inner Hollow, and then she would laugh in his face and shove him into the sand. But for now, her opinion of the “higher” race was pretty low.

All those Espada and none of them could do their jobs right. If they had, she would never have needed to leave Abba's soul and help him in the flesh.

“Not everyone is useful, Ahau is right. But... Xiaobei ate most of the not-useful ones. Now she is being punished, and is not allowed back until she is no longer hungry,” it wasn't meant to be a complaint, but her tone dropped and a whine clung to the edges of the words. Digging gently in the sand with her toes, Xiaobei dropped her chin and sighed gustily. She wasn't banished per se because she was allowed home eventually, but it seemed like a painful cut that refused to heal. Constantly itching and poking at her composure.

Turning to follow his glance, she too peered into the vast darkness. The castle was far off, but she could feel it. A quiet hum in her chest. Not the buildings themselves, or the other Hollows there, but her Abba. No matter how far away the two were linked. Twin halves of one soul. Xiaobei could sense his current irritation, chittering angers lapping at his mind. She wished he would go to sleep, rest for a bit, but it had been a long time since the King used to read her bedtime stories and close his eyes in the evening.

“It is good not to go too soon. If you are not strong, and there is no one to protect you, it can be dangerous. Just because it is a castle does not mean the rules are different. Only there, if you eat someone, you also have to consider who they belonged to instead of just them.” She wrinkled her nose, the complex hierarchy a confusing network of bonds and relationships. It was easier with her own situation. She was Xiaobei Mei, the Princess of Hueco Mundo, and no one could try to eat her or else risk the King's wrath. Even now, he would probably still be mad. Despite the way he had been treating her lately.

“Ahau should make a friend there. That will help. Maybe not pack, but it is what they call alliances. Then you can ask your questions and find the answers.”

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