The wind was constant and merciless, throwing sand against their bodies, hiding it in every crevice of their clothes. The smell of fresh blood lingered in the air, spreading far and wide, scattering away whatever creatures were headed their way.
Tesla observed without a word as he had done for a long time. It was not his place to complain or to scold his master's behavior, so Tesla simply observed as Nnoitra slashed away at the hollows around them, almost vibrating with excitement. Tesla's ear were filled with gushing sounds of blood and organs pouring out, and screams of agony with the occasional begging and maniacal laughter.
The desert was littered with bloodied corpses and entrails of those who dared go against Nnoitra Gilga. It was as expected. In fact, it would've been surprising to find an opponent who lasted more than a few seconds against Nnoitra outside of Las Noches.
"Tesla," Nnoitra's voice brought Tesla back from amidst his thoughts.
He stood straighter, giving his master his full, undivided attention. "Yes, Nnoitra-sama?"
Nnoitra didn't look at him as he spoke, his eyes seemingly searching for something on the horizon. "Where's the next colony?"
"There are no more known colonies in this area, Nnoitra-sama," he replied matter-of-factly.
He heard Nnoitra click his tongue in annoyance before he turned around and grabbed Santa Teresa from a lifeless body of a horned hollow. He sat down atop a pile of bodies and his gaze dropped, staring at the large scythe expressionless.
These moments of Nnoitra were reserved for Tesla alone. He was the only one who was ever allowed to see them. In front of everyone else, Nnoitra yelled and shouted, he threatened everything that moved and tried to kill some. Tesla could see his face clearly in his mind, the lip curled in disgust and annoyance, the glare that sent shivers down most people's spines and also the devil's grin that Nnoitra wore when he spoke of blood and battle.
To his knowledge no one else had ever seen this side of Nnoitra, the oddly quiet Nnoitra that was so immersed in his thoughts that he'd go hours without uttering a word. It was fascinating for Tesla and he would do anything to know what was going on through Nnoitra's head but it also terrified him. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck once told him that she pitied Nnoitra. When Tesla asked her why, she said: "I believe he craves for battle to silence his thoughts, and what dark thoughts they must be." What scared him wasn't the truth in her words or that he agreed with her. It was her tone of voice and the look on her eyes; it made him feel alone.
Tesla didn't dare speak to Nnoitra when he was like this. It would only cause him pain as Nnoitra hated to be bothered. Moments like this had been happening more frequently recently. He seemed… tired.
But there was nothing Tesla could do to help. So he sat down cross-legged on the sand and watched powerless, as minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days as he waited for Nnoitra to call his name.
...
Nnoitra rose to his feet, stretching his arms and legs before looking around him. Tesla quickly stood, patting down the sand from his clothes and standing very straight, his hands slack at his sides.
"Nnoitra-sama, shall we return to Las Noches?"
He either didn't hear him or he didn't care enough to answer. Nnoitra took one glimpse at Tesla, appearing bored or perhaps tired. It was hard to tell with the corners of his lips drooped and half-lidded eyes.
Tesla knew that if he repeated the question he would irritate Nnoitra and that wouldn't be very pleasant for him. But if he suggested something else perhaps he'd—
"Tesla," Nnoitra's voice interrupted his train of thought and he completely forgot what was going on through his mind at the moment. "Go back to Las Noches," he commanded.
There was a bitter taste in his mouth. "Y- Yes, Nnoitra-sama," he said, but he found that the words that usually came out of him automatically after Nnoitra spoke were harder to say now.
Nnoitra didn't waste a thought or second more on him and disappeared using sonido, into the deserted plains of Hueco Mundo, leaving Tesla standing there silently staring out to where he'd disappeared to. It didn't feel right to just leave like that, but it was what Nnoitra wanted… There was a strange sensation in his stomach, almost like a hole. He didn't understand that feeling or what it meant, and it was still there when he left.
A/N: Originally, this was going to have some plot and more chapters but I realized what I had planned was actually boring and I just lost interest in this. But as you can see I decided to post it anyway.