"Chapter Three;
Reasons"

~ Akuma

The albino female continued to glide over the forestation, the sounds of the struggling person ringing louder in her ears, and the visions coming more frequently as she got closer. Now, the girl had to take it slow, or else the pain of despair would begin to weigh her down, again, should she find herself going in the wrong direction, and that weight was very stressing to her; always used to feeling so light.

"Akuma-chan!" A familiar voice called. The teen looked up and saw Takumi hovering above her, and the outline of his body shining just as white as his eyes. "What has gotten into you? First you tumble from the most unbearable pain I've ever seen you in throughout your whole life, and now, your flying around, like it's nothing! What gives? !" He ranted at her.

Akuma sighed, not sure how to begin explaining it to him. She new that he was concerned, for he acted like the caring, yet annoying older brother she had always needed in her life, but in all retrospect, she didn't know why the feeling came, exactly; all she knew is that the figure she saw had something to do with it, but she didn't fully understand why.

"I heard things." She whispered. The man arched a brow. "It was echoing into my ears; moans and whimpers of agony. I felt so weighted down, and so...sad..." She started, the sound of the figure's struggle coming to her ears, once more. "Then I saw him, when I closed my eyes; I had to do something, and the pain wouldn't go away until I tried to." She told him, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

Takumi arched a brow. "Are you sure you heard someone?" He asked her. She nodded, a confident look on her face. "Well, Akuma-chan, I mean no offense, but none of us heard anything, not even Hiroshi!" He told her. Now, she was surprised, knowing the Deuxième to have the most high quality hearing out of all of them. "Are you sure you heard a voice?" He questioned.

She stewed it over for a few short moments, but never got the chance to answer. She gasped out air, as if struggling to breath, the suffocating, and immense despair squirming around her body, and pain coursing through her veins, and registering to her whole body. She cried out in agony, once more, feeling more tears trail down her cheeks as she felt the weight of the emotion cling at her legs, making them feel like led.

The male only watched as she went through the process, the light enveloping her body beginning to dim, and was struggle to keep its hold around the girl's body. He couldn't believe that such a thing were possible; what was causing the pain? The answer was blank, for he was clueless, and was still thinking it over as he saw her struggle to keep her place in the air.

He stopped when he realized what was about to happen.

Takumi reached for her, only in vain as the girl began to drop to the ground. "Akuma!" He called. The girl didn't respond, and she could barely hear his calls to her; her eyes wishing to close and succumb to darkness.

"Akuma!" The call was distant, and she didn't know who made it. She had happily accepted an escape from the treacherous agony that she was feeling. The feeling of her body beginning to lighten up. Her body was numb with pain, but she didn't care, she just wanted to stay where she was.

"You shouldn't ignore those who are calling you, Mistress!" A female voice told her, in a light yet dry pitch, carrying some concern.

Akuma opened her eyes, and found herself in a crystal cave, that glistened bright red, furious burgundy, and so many other shades that came from her eye color. She was resting up against a giant, white-furred creature, with wings and claws outlined by a hue of pinkish-red. The creature's ear were perched high, her eyes were the same shade of the girl resting against her, and red marks of the same shade waved outward, toward these ears, similar to a design you see on a Mardi Gras mask.

The girl smiled, lightly. "Bonjour, Rayon!" She greeted her. "Comment ma batte préférée fait-elle? " She asked the winged beast.

The creature called Rayon grinned, revealing white fangs within her mouth. "Your bat would be doing better, if not for what you're allowing to happen. Now wake up, quickly!"

As if on cue, the albino opened her eyes, and realized that she was just about to hit the ground, once again hearing Takumi call for her. She flipped around so that the ground was beneath her feat, bending them as she prepared for a landing. The next thing she did was try to summon back her flying capabilities, but found it difficult, since she still felt weighed by the just returning pain. Although barely, she did begin to hover, not even three inches off the ground, slowing down the momentum she had been gaining, before letting herself drop to the ground.

The girl landed on her knees, her hands planted against the ground to stop her from collapsing, completely. She couldn't leave, she had to find this person, for it was the figure that would reveal as to why she had felt so crushed with emptiness, and torment. It stressed her to no end, not only because it hurt like hell, but she couldn't find him.

She blinked again, and saw gray colored oak, so light, one could claim it white, during the time of day. "I know that spot!" She told herself. "The only problem is getting there!" She added, remembering her very numb and aching body.

"Akuma-chan!" Takumi called again, landing in front of her. The man knelt in front of her, slinging her arm over his shoulder before picking her up, and trying his best to steady her on legs which to her, felt as heavy as twenty tons of steel, making it difficult for her to stand on. "Maybe we should get Kaito to examine you, after all." He suggested, not all too fond of the idea, but at a complete loss as what to do.

The girl shook her head, knowing their Sixième wouldn't be of any help, already, especially if Hiroshi couldn't confirm what she was saying. "I can't!" She told him, as a matter of faculty. "He can't help, not with this; the only thing you can do is help me find the gray oak, where the person is. We'll figure it out, then." She explained, weakly.

In all truth, he thought she'd just lost her mind, but he knew that she was stubborn, and the instant she realized he wasn't heading towards where she wanted him to take her to (which was easy, since she knew the forest like the back of her hand), Akuma would most certainly run off, all over again. With a sigh of defeat, Takumi headed northward.

- Gray Oak Tree

The tree didn't really stand out much; only reason it did was because of the color of its bark, and the limited spiritual energy around it, and it extended as far as four square miles of the more than 100 mile long forestation. It was surrounded with the most abundant of trees, and finding one's way there was near impossible without getting lost (unless you're with Akuma).

Takumi continued to get closer to the bark, and the more so he did, he noticed that not only did Akuma begin to pick up more of her weight, but she seemed to have begun to shake and quiver under its presence. Pretty soon, she pushed herself off him, holding her left arm with her right hand, and beginning to drag herself closer to the tree.

The Quatrième knew that she liked the area because whenever she was there, it was near impossible for them to find her, and drag her back to the estate. But it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that it was now stressful for her to be near the tree. He could see the beads of sweat trailing down her face, and her usual bright skin turning almost as white as his eyes. Each step she took was unsteady, and was very close to it just being her limping herself closer to it. He could hear her uneasy breath, and saw that she was shaking, violently.

He had just about enough when he saw her fall, again, holding herself up on her knees, looking the worst he'd seen her in his whole life. "Akuma, you need help! We need to go!" He barked at her, unable to watch her continue.

She shook her head. "I can't; it won't go away, then!" She told him, her voice hoarse, and wreaking of exhaustion.

"If I get this person, and find some answers from him, will you let me take you to Kaito?" He asked her, sympathetically. He couldn't let her struggle with this, anymore, he was desperate to get it to stop. He was willing to do anything, at this point so she'd just stop being so hard headed. Akuma, no strength left to speak, nodded her head, lightly. "Okay, I'll be right back!" He told her.

Then, he set off towards the tree...

Now, he didn't like being here, especially, so he went as quickly as he could to find whom she was talking about. After circling halfway around the tree, and found just what she was talking about, and it infuriated him.

It was an Arrancar, breathing in what seemed to be his last few breaths of life. His skin tone was slightly more gray than the tree, but just barely, and the only things that made him stand out were his green colored fingernails, green lines underneath his eyes, jet black hair, and his dirty, and bloodied up clothing and blade. He was resting, but seemed to be struggling to stay alive, and probably had no strength left to push anymore forward than he already had.

Takumi was questioning why it was him, seeing as how the instrument on his wrist was masking his spiritual pressure, and since he had no correlation with Akuma. "Perhaps the tree, since she spends so much time here." He guessed, standing up straight.

"I wouldn't put my money on it, Master!" Takumi turned to the sound of the rattled voice and saw a female who appeared human, wearing a long, black gown, had milk colored skin, flowing blond hair, white eyes, and a pair of white bat wings on her back. "This tree has too low of a spiritual energy to contain a spirit, it's why this one is struggling to stay alive." She told him, looking at the being with pitiful eyes.

Takumi was surprised, to say the least, not expecting the statement, but figuring he should have known as much. He continued asking why Akuma was drawn here. "Then, it's because he's hurt, Ami?" He questioned to her.

The girl seemed a bit stumbled on how to tell him, easily. Takumi was regularly known to be bull headed. "Yes and no!" She started. Ami put up a finger before he could ask. "Just listen!" She instructed. Much to her satisfaction, Takumi stopped before he could say anything. "If it were because the arrancar was injured, she'd feel worse and worse with the ones we kill. I don't know if you noticed anything, but Rayon said that she wasn't affected in such a way." She stared at the other male. "So if it were because this one was injured, every other battle before this must have had to affect Akuma, but I can easily tell you they did no such thing." She assured him.

Takumi glanced at him, as well, still wondering how he could effect Akuma, but stopped short. He reached for the arrancar's face, and began to turn it from the right side facing them, his dark hair framing his face, and turning it to the other side, where the remainder of his mask stood firm, framing the other half of his face. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked, turning to Ami.

The female looked closely at the mask, her eyes going slightly wide as she realized just what he meant. The mask held the other's ear, and it was pointed, and ever so barely missing being horizontal with the ground. It was unmistakably one that belonged to a bat. "It makes more sense, when you think about it!" She started, standing up straight. "All hollow forms are based off some sort of emotion, evil act, or animal; to say a Vosto Lorde didn't start with a similar form is near impossible."

"But why, then? There are hollows we've faced that are closer to bats than this guy, what's so different?" He questioned her. He didn't understand how the pieces fit together, and he wanted to know to he could help Akuma escape the agony. Takumi only wanted that, and he needed to know how so he could get rid of the problem.

Ami sighed, her head going down. "I'm sorry to say, Master, but I don't have the slightest clue; all I can say is that his suffering is making Akuma suffer, meaning if he dies, who's to know when she'll recover!" She replied, truthfully. It was very confusing to her, too, but it mattered not. Whether either of them liked it or not, both Akuma and the bloodied up arrancar had to get medical treatment.

When his zanpakto disappeared, he started to help the arrancar, starting by sheathing his sword, in case he woke up. He grabbed its handle, feeling a painful serge rush up his arm, demanding he let go. Takumi had to hold back every wit that told him to pull back his hand, and properly sheathed the blade before retrieving his hand, and finding it burning with smoke hanging off it. Obviously, this wasn't gonna be easy without the blade's spirit wanting to hurt him even more.

He reached for his wristband, and placed his hand upon it. "*Fomu no henko!" He commanded, silently. White light absorbed the tiny object, and it changed into a long line of bandages. He tended to the warrior's chest first, seeing as how that was where the most severe damage. He wrapped up so much of the chest and abdomen, but with the stab piercing his air passages, he'd have to work something else so the arrancar would continue breathing for a short while longer. "Kuki no nagare!" He said, waving his hand in front of the other's face.

Instantly, the arrancar was beginning to breathe more steadily, and Takumi had returned to the injuries. He ripped the elongated part of the being's trench coat, then split it in half. "Fomu no henko!" He commanded, again, watching as the light turned the small pieces of fabric turned into medium length gauze. Takumi began to wrap them around the male's arms, wrists, and hands, making sure they were good and tight. After that, he picked up the arrancar, and placed him over his shoulder. He heard the other groan, letting him know he was in pain from the hold, and only adjusted his grip in case Akuma felt worse; Takumi hated arrancar more than regular hollows, and vizards.

He walked back to Akuma, who seemed to be in less pain, but was still feeling weak and miserable. She smiled when she noticed what Takumi did for the other, before beginning to allow him to help her up, holding her close to his body, then flying off, back to the estate.

well, there's the nxt chap, and here r the translations to the commands u heard from Takumi.

Fomu no honko: Form change!

Kuki no nagare: Air flow!

thx 4 reding,
~ K. Fang-sama