The beast screamed in glee as one of his hands pierced through a shinigami’s body, grabbing the man’s spine and tearing it out forcibly. He then spun, spinning his new found club and using it to crush another shinigami who was about to stab him through the back. His heightened senses watched as the two bodies collided, their bones bending then shattering under the pure force, and the pure disgusting humanity of the death filled the Beast’s mind with even more rage. These things were disgusting imperfections and needed to be wiped from this world. And the more gory their death, the more the Beast enjoyed it. What was a fight without lots and lots of blood after all.

He whipped around and smashed his leg into the nearest shinigami, disconnecting their head from their body. The shinigami’s sword cut the Beast’s leg, but he was far beyond comprehending pain at this point. He followed through on the spin, sending the head barreling into another shingami, knocking him over. The Beast grinned wider as blood sprayed from the headless body, showering over him and a couple shinigami who were coming from behind him. In the split second that they were taken aback by the shower of blood, he had grabbed both of their heads and smashed them together sending bits of brain matter arcing in all directions.

The arrancar came back, this time sealing his release and only using his basic abilities to fight the shinigami around them. The Beast grinned, and immediately after throwing a shinigami into another, causing the thrown one to be stabbed by the other’s zanpacto, turned and ran directly at the arrancar, his fists glowing with pure reitsu. Arekussu was a strategic fighter, always one to judge his opponents before attacking, and even then using caution and defensive fighting styles to take them out of their comfort zones.

The beast was not Arekussu, however, and instead just focused all his strength into a blow from his right fist that he aimed squarely at the arrancar’s jaw just as he fired the cero. He did not even register the man’s words, nor would he have listened if he did. The Beast just wanted death.

***

Arekussu watched in silence as the Beast wreaked havoc on the shinigami. He cringed at every attack, and he hated that he could feel the shinigami’s blood all over his body. It was necessary for his own survival, but Arekussu was wondering whether that was so important anymore. So many lives lost, just to save himself. It would have been less lives too, but it seems by some unfortunate luck some Arrancar had come to free him at the same time, and were both destroying countless shinigami. The arrancar male spoke of protection and trust, but Arekussu knew better. As with before, he would be used by someone stronger than him, and when they had no need they would toss him away.

Not this time. Arekussu sat back and allowed the Beast to attack the arrancar. He could tell from the arrancar’s spiritual pressure that he was significantly stronger than Arekussu normally, and in this weakened state he knew he could not win a fight. Still, if anything the Beast would put the arrancar back on his guard, and would hopefully allow Arekussu a moment of escape. And most assuredly through his own gargantia, Arekussu would not walk blindly through a portal.

Manda had finished with dispatching all the Shinigami in the area where she was at. Feeling that more and more were being drawn near where Cross and that other thing was she felt the need to get back over there to see if she could head some of them off. She sonido'd up to the top of some buildings and moved her way over to a roof not far away. She then jumped down so as to cut off a group about to attack the beast that was now behind her. She smiles wickedly as she looks at the now stunned group of Shinigami before her. "BOO!" she yells as she begins to join her swords together to form her dual sided bow sword. She then continues to slice down as many Shinigami as she can. A few do escape past her, heading for Cross and the beast.

Cross smiled as the killed yet another Shinigami around him. Hearing the beast rip into the group around them both, Cross snapped his fingers on his right hand, closing the garganta behind them. Turning his head he spoke; "Fine i Understa-" He was cut off from his sentence when the beast fired a cero straight to Cross's Jaw. The impact from the Cero to Cross's Hierro made a large sonic boom. Causing groups of shinigami to be blasted against walls. The smoke cleared with Cross Snarling with smoke coming off his jaw as he looked over towards the beast with his red eyes. "You really are a monster. You attack someone who is trying to save you? No wonder you were sealed up." Cross held out his left hand, near the beasts head as it glew red. Firing up to 200 bala all over his body. Hit or not, Cross was not here to fight.

He turned his head, hearing some crying from the direction behind him. "Why.. Why did I become a shinigami.. Why are you all doing this.." The woman cried. Cross had no expression on his face, But he noticed the woman as the dust settled briefly. She had long white hair, just like the woman he read in that book. He picked her up from her collar, looking over her features once more as he smirked. "This is just perfect!" He said as he walked over towards the beast, flipping her around so she would look like the woman Arekussu knew.

"Attack me again, and I will end her life."

One smell of the air told the Beast that the girl was not, in fact, Bestia. However, the Beast did not count on the woman’s effect on Arekussu’s psyche. He did not see her reitsu, did not smell the difference, did not even notice the difference in eye colour. As soon as the woman was thrust in front of the Beast, Arekussu had fallen into his memories of her. Unfortunately for him, this allowed the Beast free reign over his body.

The Beast screamed and then began inhaling, absorbing air into it’s lungs while at the same time expelling reitsu to compress the air. His chest swelled as his lungs stretched farther than their normal capacity to contain the said air. The Beast grinned larger than his normal plastered on smile as he readied himself to release the blast right at Cross and the shinigami he was holding.

However, at the last second, the body of the Beast jerked, sending the blast flying wide of the target by several feet and only causing small area of effect damage, only minor scrapes to anything equal to or stronger than the Beast. A scream erupted from the Beast’s mouth as he writhed, his eyes twitching and shifting back into their normal position. His teeth cracked and shifted, chunks falling out as they moved back into normal places, and his tongue withdrew back into his mouth.

After a moment, all that remained of the beast were two long scars across Arekussu’s face. He swayed, not sure if he had the strength left to stand, but refusing to let himself fall to the ground. He opened his mouth just the tiniest amount, the cuts along his cheeks splitting and spilling blood as he spoke, “Do not hurt her. No more blood needs to be shed today.” The sound was barely a whisper, but in the silence that had followed his transformation it could have been heard by all around.

After a moment though, Arekussu could stand no longer. His knees collapsed beneath him and his body crumpled. Just from the demi transformation he had numerous cuts and torn muscles all over his body, and even a broken leg from what he could tell. Arekussu Attempted his best to stay awake, but the negative effects of the injuries were closing in on him faster than he had anticipated. Hopefully he could stay conscious to see what this arrancar wanted with him.

Cross Heard the woman Cry and cry continuously. He wasn't really going to do anything to her, he just needed her for a few moments. Just for that very thing to happen. The gust of wind from the blast blew his hair back as the woman's white hair blew against his face. Landing in his mouth. Spitting out her hair, He placed her against the tree behind them. Holding out his hand. "I am sorry." He swiftly commented as he heard the scream from the beast break his ears.

Cross now turned his head to the newly formed beast. Rubbing his cheek from earlier, Cross watched each and every little detail from the new transformation happen. Till the final moment where Arekussu dropped to his knees. His body crippling under him. Getting off of his knees, Cross sonido'd over to the body of Arekussu.

Placing his hands on the body of the arrancar, Cross took a deep breath in as red reiatsu covered both of their bodies. Sighing, Cross looked down to the arrancar. "Rage. Everyone has it. Everyone will experience it." Pumping his reiatsu through Arekussu's Body. Cross's Started to bulge. Each and every little detail of the woudns that Arekussu had were now appearing on Cross's body. His leg twisted to that of an L shape. Cut's and Gashes appeared on his body. His cheek forming with blood as it rain down his neck. Muscle tissue now rupturing as His reiatsu finishes running through Arekussu's body.

Sighing, Cross Laid back, snapping his fingers as another Garganta opened. "There is new life beyond that point. Go for it."

Arekussu hardly moved as he felt new life wash into him in the form of this Arrancar’s reitsu. It repaired his wounds and filled his body with new strength, but at the same time he could see similar injuries breaking out all over the arrancar’s body. He was sacrificing his own health for that of Arekussu. Arekussu stood after the healing was complete and looked at the gargantia the arrancar had created for him. He also glanced up at the female arrancar that had been fighting shinigami, seeing that she could seemingly take care of her self at this point.

Arekussu turned to the arrancar that now laid on the ground, all of Arekussu’s pains plain to see across him. He sat down next to him, cross legged with his hands in his lap, and stared at him for a moment, not even regarding the gargantia any longer. What could have caused this Arrancar to go so out of the way to save his life? It was an incredible gesture in and of itself, but giving Arekussu a good portion of his reitsu had crossed the line from strange into unheard of.

Arekussu sighed and created a violing out his headphones, melding the white metal into the shape as he began to play. It was a sorrowful tune, with many long drawn out notes and in a minor scale, but it did its intended purpose. He allowed his newfound reitsu to flow through the instrument and into the open air, where it soon found the injured arrancar’s body and began its work. It slowly filled in the seems of the many cuts and turned the bruises back to a normal colour. The large gashes on his face melded together slowly with help from his natural regeneration.

When Arekussu had finished playing, all of the arrancar’s superficial wounds were healed. The interior ones would take time, but he had stopped most of the bleeding and it would at least allow him to stand up and walk through his own gargantia. As Arekussu’s violin melded back into his headphones, he said, “Why did you come here, Arrancar? Surely it was not to simply cause destruction in this place, although the amount caused has certainly gained the Hollow a solid standing against the shinigami.”

Arekussu stood and stretched, working out the many knots in his body from the time held in activity and the intense combat he had been in earlier. “I am still not prepared to go with you anywhere, although I am impressed by your selfless act towards me, so I will at least hear what you have to say before I make any final decisions. My primary concern at this point is this; Who are you, and what do you stand for?”

The question was incredibly open ended, but Arekussu knew that anyone that he would be willing to give his respect to would know the answer. Hopefully this arrancar knew who he was.