This beginning part is set years and years ago.

R&R

Rotten – unpleasant and foul, her very soul is rotten.

Robbie blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright yellow sunlight coming through a hole above his head, which lulled to his left as an exhausted moan escaped his chapped lips. He blinked and sat up looking around his bare, unbearably white room. "Has your hours of reflection yielded results?"

Robbie moved from his cot, his black clad form contrasted prominently against the white of room. He began to dust imaginary dust from his clothing, ignoring the voice that had come from the walls. "Tell me, has your mind been cleared of any lingering thoughts of…?"

Robbie clenched his jaw and he glanced up towards the hole in the room. He realized his lack of an answer wouldn't make anything good happen, but he was so tired. Tired of talking to the beast, tired of the beast trying to change his mind, he had no intentions of joining her ever. His only purpose was to stop her and cleans her black soul.

He was certain it was going to happen, he had been mentally preparing for it, but one can't really prepare for this type of pain. He fell to the ground as his muscles flexed painfully and tightened. His mouth opened with a noiseless scream and he twitched uncontrollably. As suddenly as it began, it came to a stop. He was left on the ground panting and trying to regain his composer. The cynical female voce filled the room again, her tone mocking. "Are we going to continue to play this game? I can do this all day, Wicidone."

Robbie used the bed to help him onto his feet, his ebony curls hung over his eyes and his body still shook slightly. He had foolishly gotten himself caught, had let the beast to close. "Yes," he answered his voice croaky and weak. "No more games, Mistress." He needed a new plan, he would stop her though, he had too.

"You do not have to call me Mistress, Wicidone." Her voice had grown soft and girl-like, which only infuriated him more. That was how she tricked him, pretending to be a simple girl. When he had begun on his journey to slay the end-times beast, he had no idea what it would look like. His training and preparation hadn't told him it would be a girl. A beautiful girl with flawless milk toned skin, long ebony hair, and ocean blue irises.

If they had told him, he wouldn't have fallen for that cover. He wouldn't have fallen for a beast. No. He had to find out in the worst way possible, to see her transformation one night. The hair sprouts from her shoulders and the wings from her back, the awful sounds of her bones adjusting to her new slick predator form – the beast in its true form. He couldn't fight her like this; she's too powerful, too wicked, to not human…. She was something evil and wicked, everything she touched turned rotten.

He had turned rotten. He was faltering, the lessons driven into him since he was born weakening because of some type of compassion he held for something he was fated to hate.

"My name isn't Wicidone." He hated for her to call him this, her name for him. She was supposed to help him find the beast, only for her to turn out to be what he was searching for. She had tricked him, tagged along with him on his 'journey'.

"Why are you doing this?" Her tone literally had his heart aching. She was so hurt, he could tell. He tried to tell himself it was another trick, that's what her kind does; they trick the idiots of the world.

"You tricked me," is all he can say.

"I didn't mean too." She quickly defends herself, sounding frustrated. "Yes, at first I thought it was amusing how you came to the village and began asking around for me. You came right up to me and asked and had no idea that I wa – "

"That you are the monster I was looking for?" Robbie interrupted angrily. "Yes, you tricked me very well."

"No!" She yells. "I only wanted to have a little fun and… I'm not a monster."

"What are you then?"

"I'm the girl who you love and that loves you. That hasn't changed, Robert." Her voice grew soft and he had to strain to hear her. "It wasn't my choice to be like this. I haven't ever hurt anyone, ever."

"Then what was it you did to me only a few minutes ago, and the time before that. What was that? Why do you have me trapped in this God-forsaken hole?"

"You're trying to kill me, Wicidone!" Her voice booms. "I don't wanna hurt you but I will even if I don't wanna if you attack me."

Robbie only shakes his head and sits back on his cot. "I'm destined to kill you." He actually sounds remorseful, his vengeful spirit quieted by the heaviness of his cause. He had to kill the one thing he loved to save the world. As long as she lived, the world would end, taking every life for she could live. He was rotten – ruined.

"I can't be who you say I am." The girl sounds so uncertain; she can feel deep-down that indeed she was the end-time beast. "I was seventeen when I first turned… I was so afraid, I had no idea what was going on."

Robbie only closed his eyes and listened, he wanted so bad to make her feel better. To tell her she wasn't a beast of legend. "I had always been told that I had been found in forest. I…"

Even if he wasn't the one to do it, he was certain someone would. He wasn't the only slayer; they would simply send someone else to take care of her. Then he would be forced to watch as punishment, then cursed.

It was impossible to save her. "It hurts so much to turn, Wicidone." He wonders if she'll hate him. "I couldn't control myself… that man…"

She had tasted blood; there was no turning back from there. Her fate had been sealed.

"Wicidone…?" She called after a long period of silence. "Are you really going to kill me?"

Robbie licked his lips and swallowed dryly, "no."

"Then I can let you out?"

"Yes"

The heavy door swung open and sunlight entered with it, the young woman stood there a ways back, her features shadowed by the light. Robbie got on his feet and walked towards her and they met outside, her arms wrapping around him.

"I'm sorry," She whimpered. "I didn't mean to… I bet your hungry." She let go of him and looked up at him, her blue gaze unbelievably bright and trusting. So trusting…

He nodded because he couldn't breathe and he was sure his voice would fail him. When a kind smile appeared on her face he wanted to run away, run away for he wouldn't have to face what he needed to do. "There's a village back that way." Her hand slid down his arm and captured his hand and tugged him behind her towards the forest around them.

They had been walking for a while, the birds and hidden small animals scurrying the only noise around them. "What are you going to do now? Now, that your journey is complete."

Robbie only watched their entwined hands as they walked; he had to do it now. He forced himself to dig his heels into the ground halting them. Before the girl could fully turn around and question him, he gently pulled her to him in a tight embrace. He firmly placed his hand on the back of her forcing her face into his shoulder.

"Shhh…" He whispered, hoping it would keep her from struggling. "L - Let me hold… you." She complies because of her trust in him, though he wished she wouldn't. "I…" His free hand disappears into one of her hood pockets, grasping the blade confiscated from him before his imprisonment. "Next time I will find a way. I'm sorry." He then plunged the blade into her chest. The girl pulls away from him and roars like a beast as she collapses to the ground. Her body shimmers between beast and girl as she twitches and claws at the blade in her chest. Her eyes are on him still, watery, shocked, and filled with betrayal, as those bright eyes dull forever.

(123)

Robbie's body springs forward and he breaths heavily, his covers are coated with sweat. He looks around his darkened bedroom, his eyes falling on his digital clock. He's relieved, that it was only a dream. Only… the clutches his head and groans as pain shoots through it, it wasn't. He remembers now. He remembers who is and what he's supposed to do.

R&R