Fifth Release- Reunion

"…Up yet?"

"H-Huh…?"

Gai Nagareboshi opened his eyes, to see a young woman standing over him. This person had majestically flowing, soft light-rose colored hair that reached down to her ankles. Her azure eyes shone beautifully, they had a look that stared into his soul, like sapphires. Her radiant smile, a look that could immediately make one feel as if they were blessed showed as she leaned closer. Accompanying her perfect look, she wore a stunning white sleeveless dress and thigh-high socks. As she continued to move closer to Gai, he suddenly felt warm.

"U-Uh…"

"You really do sleep like a log, Gai."

Saying these words, this fey and otherworldly young beauty suddenly stepped back. Just seeing her expose the bare minimum amount of skin on her thigh sent Nagareboshi's heart aflutter.

"Hey, Kōzuki…"

The one called Kōzuki turned around. Kōzuki Yoshi, a Human girl. This being of immense beauty was Human, and Gai Nagareboshi was seemingly a Soul using a Gigai. Gai did not know how old he actually was, yet constantly looks seventeen, while Kōzuki was only seventeen herself. This could not happen, though they both wished that they could be together for all eternity.

"Yes, Gai?"

"…You wanted to go and see Rukongai, right?"

"…Yes. I'd like to see the world you live in."

"…Hehe, it's not that good, but okay."

Opening a portal to Soul Society, Gai Nagareboshi and Kōzuki Yoshi entered Rukongai.

"I told you it wasn't good."

"No, no…It's beautiful."

Walking over to a Lycrois flower, Kōzuki picked the flower, a diamond in the rough from the scorched grass.

"I can see what you like about this place."

"I-I don't really like it, to be honest…"

Scratching his head, Gai weakly chuckled.

"But if you like Rukongai, then there must be something great about it."

At that moment, Kōzuki leaned in and kissed Gai on the lips. Holding his cheeks with her soft hands, this particular intimate gesture was delivered with intense passion. Closing her eyes, Kōzuki Yoshi whispered in Gai Nagareboshi's ear,

"I love you, Gai."

Blushing and stammering, Gai began to tremble with warm feelings, which were lessened by their drastic lifespans.

"Kōzuki…I…"

One year later, Gai holds Kōzuki in his arms, weeping over her dying body.

"Gai…Don't be sad."

Weakly holding his cheek with her hand, Kōzuki smiles and says,

"I'm sure…In the next life…I'll fall in love with you again and again…"

"Kōzuki, you're going to be okay! Stay with me!"

"Never forget…Gai Nagareboshi…I love you. I'll find you again. And we'll be together forever."

"You're going to stay with me right here, right now! There's no need for a next life!"

"…Goodbye, Gai Nagareboshi."

With that, Kōzuki Yoshi passed on to the next life. Still cradling her dead body, Gai bursts into tears.

"KŌZUKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"

That was the moment that Gai Nagareboshi killed off his emotions and shut himself off from the world. That was fifty years ago.

"Gai?"

"…"

"Gai?"

"…"

"Come on, Gai."

Tugging at Nagareboshi's arm, Hikari woke him up.

"...Hikari..."

"Who's this Kōzuki person?"

"…No-one."

"Who is she?"

"None of your damn business!"

Angrily slapping the young girl's hand away, Gai stood up and walked downstairs.

"Alright, we're moving to Seireitei today."

"…Huh?"

"Retsu Unohana offered me a deal: If I join the Shinigami, we move to Seireitei. That also means the rest of you will be reunited with your proper families."

The uproar of cheering was heard from several districts away.

"B-But what will happen to you, Gai…?"

"Don't worry."

"B-But—"

"I'll be fine. At least you can be with your real parents now."

After a moment of silence, the children said in unison,

"O-Okay…"

Several hours later that day, Gai Nagareboshi, with Retsu Unohana's help, had reunited his adopted children with their proper families. Only Hikari remained.

"G-Gai…I don't want to leave you."

"Hikari. It's crucial that you move on. If you stay with me, you won't be able to get a proper education and all the things that someone like you needs."

"I don't care about that! I want to be with you!"

"Nothing lasts forever, Hikari. Trust me, I know."

These words were said with incredible sadness. Gai could never get over Kōzuki, and had no intention of doing so.

"…"

"Gai…"

"Goodbye, Hikari."

"…"

With that, Hikari Nakajima ran off. However, Gai began to emit his odd reishi patterns once again, and Hikari started glowing while she left.

"…Well, now that that's over and done with…"

Retsu Unohana smirked and turned to Nagareboshi.

"Come on."

"…"

Gai silently turned away.

"…Well?"

"I'm going to look around."

"…Very well. Who knows, you might just encounter someone you've been attempting to find for all eternity."

"…I hope I do."

Leaving, Gai walked through the streets of Seireitei. More technologically advanced than the slums of Rukongai, this new location was completely alien to him. At that moment, something appeared.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Appearing from thin air, a Vasto Lorde surfaced. The highest rank of Hollow, few Shinigami could stand up to this humanoid abomination and live to tell the tale.

"What the hell is that thing…!?"

"A Vasto Lorde. The strongest form of Hollow."

A voice called out to Nagareboshi. This voice…It was familiar. However, before Gai could begin to guess whose voice it was, the Hollow raised its arm, and a jet-black orb of reishi began to charge on its fingers.

"A Cero! Get back!"

At that moment, the figure leaped down from the lamppost. Having rose colored hair tied into a braid at the back that reached down to her ankles and was shaped like a heart at the tip, and glimmering eyes of sapphire, Gai instantly knew who this was. Beginning to tear up, Gai cried out in joy,

"KŌZUKI!!"

"I don't remember being called Kōzuki…I'm Gekkō Utsukushi."

Suddenly, Gai Nagareboshi thought that his life was over.

"…But I remember you, Gai Nagareboshi. I said that I'd find you again."

"K-Kōzuki…!"

"Now's not the time for reunions. We've gotta take care of this thing as fast as possible."

At that instant, Kōzuki grasped the katana slung over her back. Pulling it out of its sheath, she pointed it at the Vasto Lorde. It is a standard-looking katana, but oversized with an equally-oversized brown sheathe hung by a strap over her right shoulder. It has a rectangular bronze hand guard with gently inward-curved edges, a stylized flame pattern on the long sides, and a simple decorative slit on the short ones. The handle is red with two light blue tassels on the end of the handle. It looked identical to Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu in its sealed form. Kōzuki Yoshi, in her new life, was the wielder of a 'Getsu-type' Zanpakutō.

"That thing…It's bigger than Kakusei…"

Uttering the phrase,

"Spin, Ringetsu."

Ringetsu transformed into its Shikai. Shattering, the sword attached itself to Gekkō's arms and morphed, taking the form of two silver and black gauntlets with small-cleaver like segments attached to her knuckles. A white tang is wrapped around the rest of her arms, reaching up to her elbows. Ringetsu. The Ring Moon.

"Well, Gai? Don't you have a Zanpakutō of your own?"

"…R-Right!"

Whoosh.

In a flash of light, Gai summoned Kakusei to his hands. Kakusei looks like a normal katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. Its hilt is light blue and sheath dark blue. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.4 meters long.

"Yatte yaruze, Kakusei!"

With that, Kakusei transformed into Shikai. Kakusei now is a large broadsword. It has a gear-hilt that can slide off the blade and be used as a flailing weapon. It has an ornately etched base, but its most unique feature is that it has been specially customized with a motorcycle-like gear shift. Kakusei also gains a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain.

"Your Zanpakutō's sealed state is based off Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, correct?"

"Well, kinda…It devoured Hitsugaya's broken Zanpakutō or something…"

"I'm guessing that's Anki, then…"

"…Anki?"

"I'm assuming that Kakusei assimilated Hyōrinmaru in order to manifest into this plane of existence, using it's form as a medium. As such, it has access to Hyōrinmaru's abilities, as well as its own. That is Anki. Who knows, there's records of Kakusei existing since the creation of Soul Society, so it could have thousands of Zanpakutō forms and abilities within it."

"…Are you serious? There's no way—"

"Alright, just call out an attack. Any attack."

"O-Okay…"

Closing his eyes, Gai Nagareboshi focused and gripped Kakusei's hilt. Reishi began to gather and surround the blade, before converging.

"Swallow Reversal."

At that instant, Gai flew at the Vasto Lorde, before flipping the air and becoming engulfed in streaks of white light. He then flew into the Hollow, disappearing before striking it with great force. Sending it crashing into a building, Gai quickly leapt back, astonished by the sheer power of his attack.

"S-Such power…"

"Again!"

"…Alright. Dark Pulse!!"

With black reishi surrounding Kakusei's blade before forming into an orb of black and dark blue circles at the tip of Gai's Zanpakutō, Gai thrust his sword at the Vasto Lorde, and he fired a beam of black and dark blue feathers of spiritual energy from the orb at Hollow, blowing it away.

"Once more!"

"I can't really think of anything else…"

"Kakusei has Hyōinmaru's abilities, right? Then use them!"

"…R-Right."

Grasping the hilt of Kakusei, Gai uttered,

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Kakusei!"

An all-too-familiar glacial reishi mist surrounded Kakusei. Swinging the blade forward, Gai's slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon.

"Go!"

With a single command, the dragon flies towards the Vasto Lorde and instantly freezes the demon.

"Not dead, huh…?"

At that moment, Gekkō amassed reishi on her right gauntlet, taking the form of a large light-blue ring. Grasping onto the ring with her left gauntlet, Gekkō's discharge of reishi formed several blades around the ring, each shaped like a Getsuga.

"Getsuga Tenshō!!"

Spinning around, Gekkō threw the ring at the Vasto Lorde. Spinning at the speed of sound, the deadly ring sliced through the Hollow like a hot knife through butter.

"That was a Getsuga Tenshō…?"

"Yep. Do you really think that all Getsu-type Zanpakutō look and perform the same? When people obtain their Getsu-type, they all want them to work exactly like Zangetsu. Same Shikai, same Bankai, with only Getsuga Tenshō and the Final Getsuga as their attacks. No individuality. Did they ever think that a Getsu-type could be something other than a sword and differentiate it a little bit? My Ringetsu…While it has those two attacks, the similarities end there. Ringetsu is superior in every way to Zangetsu."

"Yeah, that's nice, but Kōzuki…! I…I…"

"Gai…"

Drawing closer, Gai and Gekkō almost kiss once again, only for the Vasto Lorde to clone itself, splitting into two.

"That can wait. Let's take care of this thing and have our reunion later."

"R-Right."

Charging at the two Vasto Lorde, Gai and Gekkō engage the Hollows in combat.

"Alright, let's go…"

Going in for a claw swipe at the Vasto Lorde, Gekkō manages to impale it in the eye, before drawing it closer and striking it with a high kick, knocking it upwards.

"Getsuyoku Reiraku!!"

With her reishi forming two razor-sharp light-blue wings on her back, Gekkō's wings fire at the Vasto Lorde, slashing its arm up to its elbow off. Unleashing a Cero at Gekkō, the Vasto Lorde quickly recovers.

"Getsu Tate!!"

Surrounding herself with light-blue reishi, Gekkō absorbs the Cero with the barrier of Getsuga energy. As it swirls around the barrier, it is instantly reflected, blowing the Vasto Lorde away.

"Getsuga Yari!!"

Forming a lance with the tip in the shape of a crescent moon in-between her hands, Gekkō rushes forward and impales the Vasto Lorde with it. Quickly launching another Getsuga Tenshō at the lance, the attacks collide and explode. Leaping back, Gekkō prepares her next set of attacks.

"Getsuga Hashira!!"

When Gekkō punches the ground, a pillar of light-blue erupts from the ground underneath the Vasto Lorde, impaling it.

"Getsuya (Moon Arrow)!!"

Summoning several arrows made out of light-blue reishi, Gekkō thrusts her arm forward, prompting the arrows to fire at the Vasto Lorde and pierce it. At that moment, Gekkō conjures huge amounts of light-blue reishi to propel herself at high speeds towards her opponent.

"Getsuga Kama (Moon Fang Scythe!!)"

Gekkō forms a scythe of light-blue reishi off of her right arm, which she uses in a slashing blow for destructive results against the Vasto Lorde. Suddenly, the Vasto Lorde quickly slashes Gekkō in half.

"Ah, nope. Getsu Shungisei."

Gekkō reappears behind the Vasto Lorde, having had made a copy of herself out of light-blue reishi.

"Getsuken!!"

Creating a sword identical to Zangetsu's Shikai form in her left hand, Gekkō slashes the Vasto Lorde in half.

"This is the end! Bakugetsujin!!"

Gekkō unleashes a torrent of cluster-shaped blades of light-blue reishi at the Vasto Lorde. Every time a blade strikes it, it explodes and burns the Hollow, destroying it. With Gai facing the other Vasto Lorde, Gai's eyes glow light blue and his body becomes surrounded by a crimson aura.

"Midnight Burst!!"

Gai then raises his arms above his head. When he does, the aura around his forearms gets thicker. He then slams his arms down into the ground. A pink and crimson growing forcefield of reishi appears from the aura around Gai's arms and grows larger, spreading all around him. Blowing the Vasto Lorde away, Gai utters,

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Kakusei!"

An all-too-familiar glacial reishi mist surrounded Kakusei.

"Frozen Wave!!"

Gai directs his slashes towards the ground and forms a wave of ice which rushes over the Vasto Lorde, overwhelming and freezing it. Standing still, white feathers amassed around the blade of Kakusei.

"Shining…"

Light was gathering. Converging around the blade, it began to shine brilliantly.

"ONSLAUGHT!!"

Unleashing a spinning, 'X'-shaped blast of jagged and threatening-looking white feather-like spiritual energy from Kakusei, Gai eradicated the Vasto Lorde. Gai Nagareboshi and Gekkō then almost instantly ran towards each other and embraced.

"Gai…I told you that I'd…"

"You don't need to say anything, I…"

"…All I remember is you and the time we spent together. I could never forget something like that."

"Kōzuki…I…"

"Gai…I…"

With that, the two star-crossed lovers finally reunited, bringing them both together with passionate kiss.