A/N: Yo, another chapter coming up, lot's of fighting will happen. This is my first time writing a fight scene this detailed, so feedback would be greatly appreciated ;)

Anything else...? hmm... not many reviews after last chapter, only one (thanks Firehedgehog). I'm a little disappointed, but I know that one does not always wish to leave a review ;)

Chapter 8

Spike looked down on the map and his eyes widened. He checked again, to be certain, but found no mistake.
"I think you should take a look at this!" he said, tapping Giles on the shoulder. The man raised a brow before taking a look. Both brows rose as he studied the map intensely.
"Buffy! He's here! Xander's here!" said Willow, after sneaking a peak herself. The blonde girl looked at her.
"What? But where? I can't see him anywhere!" she looked around frantically trying to see a brown haired boy panicking or something. The whole gang looked around as a light seemed to click on for Dawn. She frowned, struggling slightly in the grip of the man holding her. He was strong, and didn't let go, but she managed to twist her body to get a better look. Her brows knitted as she studied the blue haired man talking with Ichigo. She tried to imagine him with brown hair instead and suddenly it all clicked.
"Xander!" she yelled out as Ichigo moved towards her. She felt a hint of pride as she saw Grimmjow's head turn towards her with wide eyes, indicating that she was correct. Ichigo had turned his head towards Grimmjow as well, eyes widening as he noticed what she had failed to.
"Watch out!" he yelled, looking at the massive weapon Nnoitra had swung Grimmjow's way. Dawn could only watch in shock as Grimmjow (… Xander?) drew his own sword in less than a second, blocking the attack efficiently. He was pushed back several meters, but remained unharmed. Growling, he pushed back trying to keep away from the others.
"Wills! Throw up a force field or something!" he shouted out as he saw Nnoitra get ready to shoot a cero at them. Willow looked stunned but nodded and did as told, chanting along with Tara to keep a shield up. The shield was raised just in time, as the condensed reiatsu was fired and hit it in an explosion of light.

"Xander!" Willow yelled out in despair as the yellow light crashed into the shield they had conjured. It blocked her from seeing anything else, and Xander was still outside! She was stunned to find out they had actually been to the movies with him previously, and wondered why he didn't give any sign of who he was, but if he died now, she might never know! He couldn't… they had just found him again… Suddenly they could see a red light through the fading yellow. As both sources faded they saw Xander, standing only a meter or so back from his original position. He was unharmed. His blue hair was a little ruffled, and one of the sleeves on his jacket had been singed away, leaving his arm slightly burnt, but other than that he was ok.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on my friends!" he shouted furiously towards the taller man.

"Friends?" Nnoitra sneered. Grimmjow was panting. He had just barely managed to fire his own cero to keep himself out of harm's way, and even then he had been pushed back slightly. His arm stung a little, but not too badly. It wouldn't cause a problem.
"Don't make me laugh. Since when do you have friends? You, the espada of destruction," Nnoitra casually stepped towards him.
"You don't have friends. You have servants and superiors. You aren't some human. You are just like me. Don't even try to deny it. Your bloodthirst and appetite for destruction is almost as great as mine," he sneered. Grimmjow let out a slight growl as the quinta approached him.
"I'm nothing like you! Not anymore," he hissed.
"Why? Because you're fucking a shinigami now? You've gone all noble? Bullshit! It's in your nature. I know you!" Nnoitra looked triumphant, as if his statement made him superior. Grimmjow shook his head slightly. He knew that the other arrancar was technically correct. They were hollows, even if they were evolved some more. It was in their very nature to destroy and feed on other souls. Yet… Ichigo had helped him snap out of that state of mind. Regaining his memories had given him the push, but Ichigo had been the one to show him how even someone like him could get a second chance. He was different from Nnoitra. He had chosen to accept the Shinigami half of his arrancar-soul. The part separating them from any other hollow. Nnoitra hadn't, and wouldn't, accept that they were no longer mindless beasts, and that was why he would never feel the satisfaction with life that Grimmjow had discovered with Ichigo. That was why Grimmjow was so certain Nnoitra would have to lose today. Nnoitra grabbed his jacket, getting ready to attack, when Grimmjow looked into his eye, a smirk plastered on his face. He grabbed the arm and tore it away from the jacket.
"You're right. I am the espada of destruction. But I am so different from you, you can't even comprehend it… You're going down, Nnoitra Gilga!" he said and kicked the other arrancar in the abdomen, tossing him back several meters.

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Tesra were at a standstill. If Ichigo got close enough to attack, Dawn would be killed, but if Dawn was killed, Tesra lost his only protection against the substitute shinigami. It was a frustrating situation, and neither seemed able to find a solution. A loud thud could be heard as a leg made contact with the solid muscles of an abdomen, sending Nnoitra flying. Just then, Ichigo got his opportunity. Tesra looked away, making sure his master was alright. He wasn't paying attention. Ichigo was quick, and approached the arrancar, set to free the girl from his clutches. But just as he was about to separate the man's head from his body, the arrancar faced him again, pulling Dawn into his line of fire. Swearing loudly, Ichigo was forced to back away to avoid hitting her with his attack. The girl herself was loudly objecting to the rough handling, though there really wasn't much she could do. To shut her up, the brown haired arrancar put his hand over her mouth, only resulting in him getting bit by a very angry Dawn. In response, he struck her cheek, leaving a red mark where his fist had hit. He'd been careful, for an arrancar, so it would only bruise, but it was enough to stop her struggling. Ichigo grit his teeth in frustration, and he heard Dawn's sister object loudly to this treatment, though she could do no more than he could.

Luckily it seemed back up had arrived, as two distinct shinigami reiatsu closed in. And sure enough, it didn't take long for two shinigami to appear.
"Rukia! Renji!" Ichigo exclaimed as he recognized the two.
"Yo, Ichigo. Need a hand?" the cocky redhead asked with a wide smirk, before doing a double-take as he noticed the two espada fighting each other.
"What's going on?" he asked once he'd picked his jaw up off the ground. Ichigo threw him an apologetic look.
"Grimmjow is on our side now, just trust me on that one. I'll explain everything later, I promise. Can you two take care of this guy while I help Grimmjow?" he said and rushed off as soon as they nodded. He had just turned around when he noticed the position the two arrancar were in.

Buffy was torn between watching her sister and her rescuer and watching the man revealed to be called Nnoitra, facing Xander. She ended up staring at the blue haired male in shock as he managed to push the other back. She had been unable to do so herself, and she was the slayer! When and how did Xander become so strong? Did it have something to do with his new look and the creepy jawbone attached to his jaw, or the stuff that creepy-smile man had said to him previously? What exactly was going on here? Suddenly Xander managed to pierce his sword through the missing eye of the man. It was buried almost to the hilt, the blade poking out far behind the man's head. Buffy was stunned, but sort of relieved that the man had been defeated. She was about to cheer, along with the rest of the gang, when the black haired one moved.
"How?" she gasped. He had to be some sort of demon! Her eyes widened drastically as the demon-man thrust his hand through Xander's stomach. It was as if everything happened in slow motion, as the man's hand exited through the back of her friend. It was sick… How could this happen? They had just found him again…
"Xander!" she heard Willow cry out. Tears were already staining her cheeks. Buffy was stunned, and had hardly felt her body move as she began to run towards him. Ready to avenge Xander. Vaguely she could register Spike's voice wondering why there was no blood.
"Buffy! Stay inside the shield" Xander's voice rang out, and she froze in place.

Grimmjow had managed to push the other back, but thus far he'd been unable to harm him. Nnoitra swung his weapon down and Grimmjow quickly blocked it. There! He deflected the blade and thrust his sword up and forwards, forcing it through the eyepatch covering Nnoitra's hollow-hole. He cursed. He'd aimed for the other eye, but the spoon-hooded asshole had dodged, barely. With a smirk, the black haired espada flattened his hand and shoved it through Grimmjow's abdomen. He broke through the bandages and had his whole arm shoved through, hand sticking out on the other side. It was an awkward and weird feeling, having something there. It made him freeze for a few seconds, before he noticed Buffy about to throw herself into the fight.
"Buffy! Stay inside the shield!" he yelled, and she obeyed. Nnoitra pulled his hand back, dragging the bandages away at the same time, thus revealing Grimmjow's hollow-hole for all to see. Grimmjow pulled his sword back, but had no time to react as he was kicked through the air, towards the group of people. He saw them getting ready to lower the shield and catch him, but he swiftly flipped mid-air, using his reiatsu to remain standing two meters above the group.
"You blew my cover," he stated with a sigh, looking at Nnoitra.
"I guess, I won't have to hold back anymore then," he shrugged as he was joined by Ichigo.
"You ok?" the teen asked mutedly. Grimmjow nodded.
"We have to be careful. He's strong, and his instant regeneration can be problematic… It doesn't work if his internal organs are damaged though," he quickly explained.
"So we'll have to be efficient. We can do this!" Ichigo smirked. Grimmjow almost did a double take at the look on Ichigo's face. He'd definitely been a bad influence on the kid! The thought almost made him laugh.
"Let's do this! Pray, Santa Teresa!" Nnoitra shouted, activating his resureccion. His reiatsu whipped up a harsh wind as he changed, and when it settled his appearance had changed. From his head, a pair of horns protruded, one longer than the other, looking like a crescent together. Instead of two arms he had four, each wielding a scythe-like weapon. His jacket had opened, and his mask-fragment and hollow-hole were exposed.
"I know your little trick, Nnoitra. You might as well use all six arms from the beginning," Grimmjow casually remarked, before releasing his own sword, feeling his hair grow longer, body morphing into a more feline form. His tail was whipping out behind him as he flexed his claws and got ready to charge at the espada. He saw Ichigo had summoned his mask as well, so as far as he was concerned they were almost certain to win this fight. Grinning madly he showed off his fangs and pricked up his ears before charging alongside Ichigo.

Buffy and company were becoming more and more shocked by the minute. Now both Xander and that Nnoitra guy had morphed into humanoid beasts. On top of this, a boy with a spiky, bright red ponytail had appeared, along with a black haired, small teen girl. They had begun working to free Dawn, who had brightened up at their arrival. Then the young man holding her had morphed as well…

Dawn watched in horror as Renji and Rukia appeared, letting Ichigo join Xander in fighting. She wouldn't want any of them to get hurt, but had no way of freeing herself. The shock of seeing Xander… no, Grimmjow… change into a feline demon of sorts had frozen her, but the shock wore off as soon as she saw him still fighting to protect them. What he was didn't matter. Even if he had a creepy hole in his abdomen. He was still Xander to her… Or Grimmjow, if that was what he preferred. Rukia had shouted out something Dawn didn't quite catch, and a rope of light had wrapped around the body of the man holding her. He easily broke free, but lowered his weapon from her neck. The strange blade reacted to what he said, the same way Xander's and that tall man's had, and soon she wasn't held by a man anymore, but by a massive, humanoid boar. She shrieked and kicked out, desperately trying to free herself. She was used to demons, and had been abducted by them before, but none as intimidating as this one.
"Dawn-chan, Stay still! We'll free you, I promise!" Renji yelled, and she obeyed. How could she not? Rukia once more shouted something Dawn didn't catch, this time the ropes of light seemed stronger, and wrapped around the beast's joints, forcing him to let go. And just like that, Dawn was falling through the air. Her fall was cut short with a gentle thud as Renji caught her in his arms just as the beast broke free of the bindings. Renji ran, quicker than Dawn had ever seen anyone run, almost enough to make her believe he teleported, until he reached Buffy and the others. They opened the shield a bit, allowing him to get her inside, but he didn't stay with her. He ran off to join Rukia against the beast. Dawn's cheeks were slightly reddened. It had felt so good to be held by him.
"That's the boy you mentioned?" Buffy asked with a raised brow. Dawn nodded.
"I thought you said he was a normal human," she scolded.
"I thought he was! But at least he's not evil!" Dawn countered and returned to watch the two fights play out. She knew there was nothing she could do, so she'd do her best to not get in the way.

Ichigo and Grimmjow were attacking relentlessly as the black haired espada wielded all six weapons against them. Leaping back several meters they looked at each other. This wasn't working. They managed to harm him, but the wounds healed almost immediately. Ichigo had chopped off one arm, but it had grown back instantly, weapon and all.
"We have to attack together. I have a plan…" Ichigo said. Usually he'd just charge in head first, not really planning anything, but that strategy didn't seem to work here, they had to do something else. They quickly agreed on a plan and set it into action. Grimmjow pointed his elbow at Nnoitra.
"Garra de la Pantera!" he shouted and fired the small bombs at Nnoitra. The quinta deflected a few, but two hit him. One in the face, and the other on the chest. Though it didn't do much damage, while he was distracted Ichigo and Grimmjow acted. They knew this would be their only opening.
"Getsuga… Tensho!" Ichigo yelled out, his voice distorted by the mask covering his face.
"Desgarrón" Grimmjow shouted at the same time, his claws glowing a deep blue as his reishi attack was unleashed. The two attacks merged together and hit Nnoitra dead on. He didn't even have the time to react as the attacks made contact with his chest. His eyes widened, and blood shot out of his mouth. The attack had worked! Not only did it break through his hierro, it had actually cut him almost in half. His internal organs were practically shredded, and he began falling to the ground. As he hit the ground with a loud thud, they saw Tesra turn towards them with wide eyes before giving up his released form.
"Nnoitra-sama!" he yelled out and ran to his fallen master. As he reached out for him, the fallen espada began to disintegrate slowly, before nothing was left of him. Tears were running down the cheeks of the fraccion, and he didn't even resist as Renji's weapon cut off his arm. But before they were able to deal a finishing blow, he opened a garganta and left. Grimmjow and Ichigo let their feet gently touch down on the ground. Ichigo removed his mask and let his Bankai fade as Grimmjow let go of his resureccion. They then remained standing as the others moved over to them.
"Ichigo! What is the meaning of this?" Rukia asked strictly, referring to the former-espada-turned-ally. Before Ichigo had a chance to answer her, they were swarmed by the Americans.
"Xander, is that really you? You look so different…" Buffy asked solemnly while looking at the arrancar.
"Yeah, whelp. What happened?" Spike shot in, earning a scowl from Grimmjow and a confused look from Ichigo.
"It's kind of a long story," Grimmjow said as he ran a hand through his blue hair, not sure where to start.
"Just start at the beginning, we've got time," Willow said with a gentle smile, encouraging him to explain.
"Might I suggest moving back to the apartment? If it really is a long story, we should probably be comfortable. Maybe even have some food," Giles suggested. The others nodded and began moving. Dawn stopped, turning towards the three shinigami.
"You're welcome to join us. From what I heard, you're lacking some information as well, right?" she said, and they walked together to the apartment.

A/N: Brace yourselves, explanations are coming...

Voting is still up for Orihime's future partner. Leave a review with what You want ;)

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