LAMENT

Vittoria returned to control, as she questioned, "That power…just who are you?"

Gai replied, "Me? Oh, just the most hardcore asskicker to ever walk the planet is all. The Daitenshi didn't have emotion. They didn't know fear. But do you know what they called me? Ka Faraq Gatri. It means Destroyer of Worlds. I'm the White Devil! The Shooting Star of Rukongai! Most importantly, the Unlosing Rising Phoenix…But hell, you can just call me Gaillardia Nagareboshi—Gai for short."

Vittoria continued, "But why…are you with me?"

Gai pouted. "Oh, that. Well, thanks to Kurenai, I had to abandon my body at beginning of time. I killed her first, of course. But that tricky witch must have had another psychic ability up her sleeve or something. She caught me off-guard and almost killed me for good. But I stole some of her juice before I was forced your soul. I never figured out why she sealed me inside your soul, but I stayed in here, waiting for my chance to get out. I've been waiting since the beginning of time… But now I've got you! A nice, young, healthy set of limbs!" Gai continued; there was something …off about his words.

Vittoria was confused. "Wha…?"

"What, you still don't get it? We have to make a deal so I can use your body. Now that you've signed over your body, you can command power totally unknown to the average person. That should keep you happy for a while. But maybe you're really greedy. Maybe you'll need even more power. That's when you give me a call. I can lend you all the powers of a god! The more of my power you use, the more control I gain over your body. You can use your power to get what you want." His words were tempting as ever.

Vittoria retorted, quaking, "I don't need that kind of power anymore…!"

Gai responded, "Hehe. Fine, if you say so. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me. I'll be waiting, my little soulmate…"

After that, Vittoria found herself snapping back to normal. The influence that the Unlosing Rising Phoenix held over her had diminished entirely. Vittoria blinked and batted her eyelashes; the only thing that remained of Gai's possession was her holding Hōōtenku in her left hand. She glanced at the blade with an expression of curiosity, before the Zanpakutō disappeared in a flash of light.

"…So, that does mean that fate cannot be fought…" Vittoria was deep in denial. She didn't want to accept that she was Gai, but ever since fate was set in motion, she could do naught to change its course.

"Of course it can, idiot. You're host to the Unlosing Rising Phoenix—my powers revolve entirely around screwing stupid stuff like destiny over."

"Uwaaaaaaan! You're b-back…!?" Vittoria exclaimed in fright.

Gai sneered. "No shit, dumbass."

"…I never expected that you would have started a conversation with me. You didn't even appear since then and didn't even talk back to me when I was calling you!"

Gai pouted sarcastically. "Aww, don't say that. It hurts me. Right here. But let's chat."

"Hmph. Coming out of nowhere…" Vittoria growled.

"Oh, come on. I was talking to you ten minutes ago—so it's not exactly out of nowhere." Gai grinned. "But I've been searching through your memories a bit—love is a problem, no?"

Vittoria went silent. "…That's none of your business."

"Of course it is. If you're not happy, then I can't work to my fullest." Gai responded. Vittoria didn't respond, as Gai continued, "I don't mind talking about stuff like this. Hell, during my depression, I suffered the same thing. It's painful, isn't it?"

Vittoria froze up. "Ye-Yes…"

"Tell ya something, there's no safe investment in love. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart's certainly gonna be wrung and possibly be broken. If you wanna make sure of keeping it intact, you gotta give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless – it'll change. It won't be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable."

Vittoria was absolutely speechless.

"True facts, that."

"…That's not helping. All I want to do is have him hold me in his arms softly and call me his love." Vittoria muttered.

Gai retorted, "I know the feel. But it seems that your head's always full of shit like this. Weren't you gonna join Passione?"

Vittoria looked over at the lighter that she dropped during the fight, with an expression of pure despair on her face. "…I don't see why I should, now. I've failed the test. There really is no hope for me, is there…?"

Gai then snapped. "Shut up! Gettin' real sick of your emo bullshit here. I know that your life may be a pile of shit right now, but there's no need to keep crying about it, got it? Look on the bright side—I'm here to help you, understand? Don't hate yourself, you idiot. There's no need for you to blame yourself. I've been watching you since you were born. Smiling, every day—happy to be alive. So even though you hate yourself, I'm by your side! So back the fuck up, you damn idiot!"

Vittoria's despair managed to lighten somewhat that moment. "…Unlosing Rising Phoenix, you…"

Gai grinned. "…Relax, girlie. I'll be by your side on this one. Oh, and call me Gai; while calling me my awesome nom de guerre is nice, I prefer people who I'm personal with to call me my name. Besides, you're at the age where you should experience that stuff. You should experience that kind of stuff as soon as you can. You won't know when the 'endbringer' will appear."

Vittoria seemed puzzled. "…Hey. Who's the 'endbringer' guy?"

"…My mortal enemy. The only one who can match me. The Unmatchable Vanishing Dragon."

"…Va…Vanishing……Dragon? Is it related to the Unlosing Rising Phoenix?"

Gai interrupted, "You know, in the old universe, there was Shinigami, Arrancar, and Quincy, right? And they had a big war."

"Yeah."

"That time other powers gave their support to certain sides. But my races were the only beings that didn't side with any of them."

"Why was that?"

"No fuckin' clue. I don't know the actual reason. But Mototsu and Seishin are beings that are made from a mass of powers and they all act freely and selfishly."

"…That's troublesome."

"Of course, during the Thousand Year Blood War, a certain Mototsu-Seishin hybrid was sent by the Soul King to destroy the Soul Society and remake it anew. This guy was the most powerful being to ever exist by then. He was immortal, knew everything that will happen in the past, present and future, could change fate through willpower, and finally, he had the power of the stars running through his veins. With that, this person wiped the state of the world clean as the fighting came to an end, allowing the Soul King to start all over again."

"…" Vittoria was speechless. "…That guy genocided both races to achieve the Soul King's goal?"

Gai responded indifferently, "Eyup. It was simple as hell, too."

Vittoria stuttered, "He sounds like a monster—"

Gai cut her off, "Watch who yer talkin' to. Hehe. Now let me tell you who I am. That Mototsu-Seishin hybrid I mentioned? Yeah, I'm him. It'd be my pleasure to kill 'em all over again. But somehow I doubt they have any power over life and death. But that's where everyone else and I are different! I'm kind enough to grant them a death better than they deserved. But then my adventures began seven hundred years after that—I supposedly fell into a deep sleep."

Vittoria didn't know what to say about that. "…And then…?"

Gai smirked. "Well, that's a story for another day. But here we are. Before you were born, I couldn't function. My spirit just floated around in this world until you were born. But to be honest, I did get to talk to a lot of people in the meantime, so hey, it wasn't too bad. But I wonder how your life will go…!"

"Hey hey, you possessed me without my permission, so don't go around looking forward to what's going to happen to my life!" Vittoria retorted.

"But I gotta say…you're weird, but not abnormal. Either way you are a being that is possessed by me. In whatever age and country, a phoenix represents power. You know how, even though they come in many different forms and shapes, there are pictures and carvings of phoenixes in many different countries? Throughout the ages humans admired phoenixes, respected phoenixes, and feared phoenixes. Unwittingly, phoenixes fascinate those around them. Or those with power gather around the phoenixes. If there are people who come to you with admiration or to challenge you, then it's most likely my power."

"…It sounds like an inconvenient power. So am I going to be targeted by a lot of guys?"

"To fight strong foes that are attracted to power. That's the path of those who possess the power of the Unlosing Rising Phoenix. But you don't have to be pessimistic. Love would come to you as well." Gai grinned. "But you gotta not be killed by the Unmatchable Vanishing Dragon."

"Oh yeah. By the way is the 'Vanishing Dragon' strong?" Vittoria asked.

"He's strong. To begin with, we had powers that could even dominate gods. It's just that we had a curse put on us in this new universe. We are in a tight situation to release our full powers. Even so, if you get used to it, the Captain-Commander, anybody in the Zero Division, and any Espada—let's just say anyone is a pushover against us."

"I get it now. So if I and the guy who possess the 'Vanishing Dragon' master how to use our power then we can become that powerful? But to tell the truth I'm not interested in defeating gods. But it might be awesome to become a god and then get eternal love. I have antagonism against Arrancar, but I don't want to encounter their leaders…… But would I end up meeting the 'Vanishing Dragon' whether I want to or not? Who is the possessor? It's obvious that it's someone that I don’t know. But I hope it is a girl so we can become friends. I'm going to live my life to the fullest without getting dragged into the destiny of a phoenix and dragon. I will also improve myself so I don't lose to the 'Vanishing Dragon'!"

Gai smirked. "But I'm gonna warn you. The Unmatchable Vanishing Dragon can fly at like 5 million miles an hour, can breathe freezing air, and can shoot lasers through his eyes. Oh, but he can't see through lead, and he's totally weak to a certain element from his home world."

Vittoria seemed surprised. "…Wait, really?"

Gai laughed. "Wahahahahahaha! Nope, that's Superman. Anyway, let's go kiddo. You need a good rest—so hurry up and get home and get to sleep so we can get on with wrecking shit!"

Vittoria was silent. "…Wha?"

Gai cackled. "What, can't sleep? Heh. Want Uncie Gai to sing you a wuwaby? Hehe, having a partner like you could be good."

Vittoria formed a smile on the corner of her face, before beginning to depart. She couldn't help but be somewhat amused—and bemused by this sudden turn of events. "Let's work together from now on, then Gai."