The Wrath of The Moon

 

Clash of Devastated Souls.....
stood in the midst of the Valley of the ; a place where lives were lost, minds were fucked and one Shinigami barely escaped with a battered soul. He stood, wearing his general attire, in the exact same spot where his body laid limp after being handed a decisive defeat by the Shiroyasha. The event changed his life. He always knew that there were more powerful beings and he never had the arrogance to believe that he was by any stretch of the imagination the Best in the World; however, he had always believed that he had at least a slight chance of defeating any adversary that crossed him as long as he had allies. He had a slew of people surrounding him and he still was fighting alone. If only they could have pulled together, maybe he wouldn't have been so embarrassed.

"And maybe Mukei would still be alive."

He shouted with hatred. Hatred at his own weakness. Hatred at those putrid allies. Hatred at the Shiroyasha. He clenched violently at his head, a place where the White Demon used as a playground and then tossed to the side after he got his rocks off. He had been violated in the most intimate way. He shouted at the top of his lungs, releasing a thunderous spiritual pressure around the surrounding area. Rocks, gravel, grass and trees where at his utter mercy. Mother nature herself screamed in harmony with his own pain as if she was emphatic towards him. He snatched his Shagetsu from hits sheath and swung it mercilessly as a humongous ken'natsu swept across the area, leveling it.

Three years...

It had been three years since that fateful day. He had trained day and night after disappearing from the battle field. Honed his skills to perfection and discovered his truest strengths, while destroying his weaknesses. He had been to hell and back and was ready to bring his new wrath to bear upon anyone who dared to challenge him. Then again, everyone's definition of hell was different. For instance, what if Mukei was within hell right now? Would he call what Gekkō went through hell? Well, seeing as the possibility of Mukei being in hell wasn't superfluous, it's safe to assume he'd go off about how much harder he worked than Gekkō. That sounds like him...right?

Wrong!

Whilst Gekkō was moping, pushing himself until he broke his limits, Mukei was suffering. His actions, prior to being cut down, hadn't been the greatest ones. You see, some time before he met Gekkō, Mukei was walking down a dark path. He became enticed by the ability to get stronger. He sought nothing but strength, and abandoned everything to achieve it. He also, whilst it wasn't known to Gekkō, murdered one of his kin. This, of course, wasn't something he'd easily be forgiven for. So, within the three years that Gekkō strengthened himself at his own pace, Mukei was locked away. The suffering he endured, whilst it was indeed unbearable, was still nothing to the amount of damage both he and Gekkō sustained in the fight with the Shiroyasha.

"There ain't no reason to be shoutin', brat!"

Standing on top of a hill, several meters away from Gekkō, was a silhouette. Pitch black in color, this silhouette, with nothing but his voice, shattered the wall of dust produced from Gekkō's powerful swing. In that instant, with complete disregard to how things were before, the man made everything silent. Anyone and anything, including someone like Gekkō, would be awoken from deep thought in the presence of such silence. Who was this man?

"If you want him back, say the word."

Gekkō's eyes widened in shock as he sensed a cold and dark spiritual pressure surrounding him on all sides. Who was this man? What was this..being? His eyes narrowed in resolved fortitude, prepared for whatever came at him, Gekkō tightened the grip around his Zanpakutō. "Who are you?!" He bellowed. "What is it that you want?" Though, before any response was given, the silhouette sprung into action. Within the time it took Gekkō to place his hand upon his Zanpakutō, the shaded figure began to attack. Actually, what he would attempt couldn't be considered an attack. It, more or less, could be called a means to "level the playing field". You see, in the time that it would take Gekkō to grab his Zanpakutō, unsheathe it, and attack, the man could probably initiate a number of high powered Kidō. Though, instead of doing so, he simply released a puff of red smoke. This smoke, being a Bakudo spell, quickly began to turn black. Flickering, blinking, and wavering like a flame, it began to assume a humanoid shape. Within it, was a male, possessing purple hair, with an eye-patch.

Gekkō was caught completely off guard, he had never encountered such a "shoot-first-ask questions later" kind of being in his long life. However, he was also not one to be deterred by such a low-level Kidō technique. Extending his arm out, Gekkō fired a towards the smoke in order to disperse it. What he found before him made his heart drop into his stomach.

It was Mukei. However, Gekkō could tell just by looking at him that this wasn't the Mukei Gekkō had befriended before their fight with the Shiroyasha. No, judging from the dark spiritual energy and the ominous presence the boy gave off, this was something totally different yet he same. There was no denying that this was indeed Mukei. But what happened to him?

"Mukei? Wh-What happened to you?" Gekkō asked as a cavalcade of emotions tore through him at seeing his comrade. OR, at this time, possibly former comrade.

Raising his sword over his head in response, Mukei prepared to strike Gekkō from above. However, as he knew his comrade was no push-over, he didn't expect the Shinigami to sit idly as he attacked. So, upon the tip of his Zanpakutō reaching its apex, he began to bring it down with all of his might. Though, as he had no trace of malice within his eyes, it was clear the strike had no "harmful" intention behind it. Instead, it was but a means to test the growth of his former friend. Who knows, maybe Gekkō had developed some new skills Mukei could witness.

The mere sight of an attack with no killer intent enraged Gekkō did this person not sense his power and still not consider him worthy of a true attack? "Whoever you are, do NOT underestimate me!" He yelled ferociously.

Gekkō delivered a slash of his own, however, the attack Gekkō delivered Ikkotsu-like shock waves throughout the air. Ripples of pure power sped across the horizon towards "Mukei" tearing the landscape asunder with such a force that it completely overshadowed Gekkō's former ken'natsu and ripped the surrounding trees from their roots. He then followed up with stabbing his blade into the ground. While this seemed redundant, as everything is with Gekkō, it held secret meaning. As the flames from the Sōkyoku integration he had in his Shagetsu sprung forth from the ground in no specific order and sprung innumerable columns of flames all across the battlefield into the air, eradicating anything that had the misfortune of being caught within them.

Though, if this man was indeed Mukei, there was no way he'd be easily caught. The flames, as per Gekkō's memories, would have no affect on Mukei given his ability to produce the ever-burning flames of the Wandenreich. Then again, this man was clearly far different from that Mukei. So, there is no telling what could and could not harm him. Though, as if the speculation on whether he was Mukei or not wasn't enough, the man before Gekkō began to react in an incongruous fashion. You see, instead of simply passing through the flames like the old Mukei would, this one sheathed his blade, and then unsheathed it. The force of his movements sent a concussive wave which caused the flames to ripple, spreading their heat throughout the area; dissipating the pillars.

Impressive, to say he least. However, what Mukei didn't realize was that the flames where merely a distraction. The flames provided just enough cover for Gekkō to use the forbidden Kidō: in order to teleport himself above the Soul that was allegedly Mukei and fire  upon his person. The resulting explosion was magnificent as orange and black exploded upwards in the form of a mushroom with Gekkō landing in front of it.

He then turned towards the silhouetted figure and charge towards him with lightning-fast speed that would impress even the Grand masters in Hohō. "Do you honestly think that Mukei was that weak? How insulting!" Gekkō said as he closed the distance between the two and delivered a powerful downwards slash towards the figurehead. Followed by blood, it cut deep into the Shinigami's shoulder. Wait! It hit his shoulder? Did this mean he moved within the short amount of time he had to react?

"You were just so much weaker than me...you never noticed." Curling his finger around Gekkō's Zanpakutō, Mukei held his former companion in place. As luck would have it, the wound created by Gekkō's strike wasn't as severe as it looked. In fact, the spiritual particles around Mukei's body were already working on forging the wound closed. Though, the damage to his nerves wasn't something he could ignore. It took quite a bit of effort just to grab Gekkō's sword. "You took my shoulder, I'll take your leg..." Pushing his own Zanpakutō forward in response, Mukei sent the menacing blade on a course that would drive itself into Gekkō's leg if the latter didn't manage to escape.

...Which he did, of course. Infusing his leg with the properties found in the Bakudō named Dankū, Gekkō managed to guard against the destructive sword while managing to free himself from his adversaries' grip. Now, there was no mistaking it, having heard the Soul's voice Gekkō knew that it could be none other than Mukei Tsuki. Someone who should have been dead for three years now.

Gekkō chose not to say anything. He was far too riled up and couldn't think straight; and because of it, he almost lost a limb. These..."men" where predators in every sense of the word. They picked the perfect opportunity to pounce on him; the anniversary of his "death". Nearly the only day of the year where he would give himself over to his passions and emotions and allow them to completely smear his judgment. They chose a time where he was weak.

Quieting the storm on the inside was far more easily achievable than in years past. Mastering the art of accounted for much when it came to his mastering his own emotions. His countenance changed almost completely, from an emotional wreck to that of a silent killer. Now his true powers would be unleashed. However, he would let Mukei make the first move, as always.

Nothing Really Changes....
Taking a deep breath, Mukei began to motion with his obstructed limb. The wound, which Gekkō had created, had finally healed. However, as made evident before, the neurological damage wasn't something he could easily overcome. Regardless of such, Mukei was moving rather casually. There was, as far as Gekkō could tell, nothing wrong with his body after the little clash. Then again, Gekkō was sharp. He had remained calm, used his head, and countered an ad lib attack. The three years he spent working his ass off, clearly weren't for nothing.

"Things sure are different..." Turning his figure so as to face the direction opposite of Gekkō, Mukei began to take a step forward. However, as his foot left the ground, his entire figure vanished. It wasn't until moments later that he would reappear, but at a much greater distance away. Where he now stood, was the very spot he had pointed at with his wounded arm. "Brings back memories..." Closing his eyes, he began to recall scenes of the past as he awaited for Gekkō to arrive.


 * "I'll go ahead and make the first move. Though, let me warn you. My punches shake the air."


 * Clenching his fist upon ending his sentence, Mukei pushed down upon the surface of the roof. Forcing the balls of his feet to penetrate the roof's tough exterior, he looked within the direction of Gekkō and smiled. After having claimed that his punches could cause the very air around them to shake, he felt as if he would disappoint Gekkō if he didn't go all out from the beginning. Thus, as he pushed off the surface in which he stood, he shattered the entirety of the roof. Sending debris in all directions, his only action was that of jumping high into the air. Generating a gust, strong enough to literally tear the clothes off of anyone who stood before him, he caused the air particles around him to quake in a manner that produced an extremely loud ringing sound.

"My fists once shook the heavens. Now they split them, and my Zanpakutō cuts down the gods that are revealed..."

Pushing off the ground, Mukei quickly repeated the actions of his former self. However, now that he had the power to stand above Gekkō, the outcome wouldn't be the same. Though, wouldn't it be kind of boring if he simply repeated the same attack? It would, so he'd have to change it up a little bit. Instead of creating the rippling wave with his body, Mukei would unsheathe his sword, and swing it. This, much like he intended to do three years ago, would create a concussive wave that burrowed its way toward Gekko. Though, this time, he incorporated the roof. The bits of tiles that he'd lunged himself off of, would be fired toward Gekkō along with the concussive wave. However, they were nothing but distractions as Mukei followed within the shadow of his own attack.

"..You always were annoyingly loud..." Gekkō said silently as the sharp debris cut into his clothes. He followed Mukei's movements precisely and stood a far enough distance from the rooftop to where he would be able to react accordingly to any kind of attack. "Fist that tear the heavens and a blade that strikes down gods?"

How Mukei-ish. Gekkō didn't bother using another kenatsu, it would have been pointless to be honest. Instead, he went for something that he was more comfortable with: Kidō. Using Zanjutsu as a medium, Gekkō conducted a number of Getsuga-infused Kidō spells (namely:, , and .) The energy based attacks honed in on Mukei's position and began to swirl into a vortex of magical power similar to that of a Tenran.

The vortex sped towards Mukei in an attempt to at least distract him while Gekkō prepared his "true" attack...Though, Mukei was probably not even going to bother with it. As far as Gekkō was concerned, Mukei had specialized within Kidō when the first met. The fact that he had taken up Zanjutsu now, only meant that he was now versatile in two different arts. So, how exactly would his attack turn out? Then again, did he care? The projectiles were but a distraction, and if he got to see what Mukei had come up with in three years, it was also beneficial. Though, Mukei wouldn't give him that satisfaction, would he?

He wouldn't! Instead of taking on the roaring vortex of spiritual projectiles, Mukei shoved his fingers into his own mouth. Casting, he quickly engulfed himself in blue spiritual energy. Why in the hell would he do this? Well, if Gekkō could recall the Hakuda technique known as Shunkō, he would become reeducated in Mukei's unique way of casting it. "I'll fight Kidō with Kidō..."

Maneuvering his body in mid air, Mukei circumvented the raging vortex sent his way. His speed, amplified by the lightning Kidō spell, allowed for him to close the gap between him and Gekkō in an instant. Though, the real danger, came as Mukei swung his sword, releasing the Byakurai as a powerful laser beam.

Gekkō took the blast head on, allowing the electrified energies to become his slaves instead of just absorbing it like he used to do so many times. A form of Sklaverei that he had mastered during his training. Turning towards his opponent who was now well within his vicinity, Gekkō launched every iota of energy that he had enslaved from Mukei back towards him seven fold.

"Let's see what you can do against your own attack, Tsuki." Gekkō addressed.

"Interesting!" Extending his arm, Mukei pushed his palm into the electrified projectile. Within seconds, his entire forearm was submerged in spiritual energy. His skin, even the spiritual particles that made up his being, were beginning to sizzle and oscillate. "Damn! I went and surpassed my limits again!" Curling his fingers inward, he quickly dissipated the projectile by crushing it within the palm of his hand. The immense discharge of spiritual particles that followed quickly shot forward and smashed into the ground. Releasing an explosion, the spiritronic projectile began to come to life. Flickering, jumping, and wavering like a flame, it slumped its way toward Gekkou with the intention of eating away at his spiritual reserves.

How useless. At this point the only thing Mukei was doing was expending his energy in order to show how strong he became in the past three years. "You haven't changed a bit. So immature and yet still ready to bolster your own bravado through such lackluster fighting abilities...." Gekkō stated callously, revealing just how much his own Inner Darkness was taking over. The power he chose not to run from as he had done for the past millennia. No. He would rather embrace and master his own demons; exorcise them and take the experiences for all that they where, and learn from them in order to better himself and finally become what he had been bred to be. What Ariel died for him to be; what Seireitou would inadvertently push him to be. The best.

"I mourned you, for three years on this day. Despising how I let you die, tormented by the warfare in my mind that manifested itself as my own darkness, and severing the bonds that I had in the past to protect those from the walking disaster that I am. And now....you come here flexing your muscles as though nothing has happened! As though having your throat slit and your life seep from your being wasn't enough to make you wake up to the reality of how weak you truly became since we first met!"

Gekkō roared as his spiritual pressure magnified exponentially, evaporating the meager energy attack Mukei launched at him, through the incinerating flames of the Sōkyoku that he integrated within himself in order to further amplify his abilities. Gekkō then proceeded to unsheathe both of his blades and perform a that each produced a Getsuga Tenshō that each had the capability of destroying Mukei where he stood.

"You seem to be mistaken, Kirameki. I'm not the one who is weak. If you think back to our previous fights, you'll see that I indeed didn't change. You, also, didn't change. Back then, I took every devastating attack you threw at me. Even now, I continue to take your powerful attacks. However, what can be said about you? You're scared of me. You desperately try to get out of uncomfortable positions. You aren't prepared to die!"

Curling his fingers around his Zanpakutō, Mukei began to act. The immense spiritual pressure pouring out of Gekkō's being, would be his downfall. It also, whilst Mukei didn't realize it at first, was very similar to the spiritual pressure of a man he hated. This man, being Raian, was the very man that had slit his throat three years prior. Though, how exactly did Gekkō remind Mukei of Raian? Well, much like Raian did, Gekkō gave himself over to his malice. His spiritual energy spiked, and the negativity within it reminded Mukei of a feeling he hated. So, like any man, he'd strive to banish this feeling, even if it meant killing his comrade.

"In the beginning, you were never in my league!!"

Twirling his Zanpakutō within his hand, the young Shinigami began to act. His body, shot forward like a bolt of lightning, approached the projectiles Gekkō had fired. However, with his spiritual distortions also thickening and increasing, the projectiles would be held in place by their increasing presence. Though, this wasn't what one should concern themselves with. The real danger, lying withing Mukei's hand, was the Shinigami's Zanpakutō. "When I said I split the Heavens. I wasn't boasting..."

Swinging the sword down after her spoke, Mukei cut through the projectiles that simply floated in the air. Their detonation, pushing the two opposing spiritual pressures into a single direction, caused the flow of battle to literally shift. The distortion, as well as all of the energy both Mukei and Gekkō released, all forced itself into one direction. Forming into a projectile, translucent in appearance, it burrowed its way toward Gekkō. Whether it hit didn't matter. The amount of land that it pulled up and scattered was enough to send even a giant flying. "Sekīatsu!"

"Aargh!" Gekkō exclaimed out loud as the concussive force sent him back an entire mile. The amount of force that collided with him knocked the air out of chest and could have caved it in had he not been careful. "Damn. He almost got me there. What's going on? I should be far more powerful than this." He thought to himself.

"''You are.'" A called out from within his soul. ''

"Shagetsu?" Gekkō said, "What do you want?"

"You fool. I want to live, and at this rate, it doesn't look like there is a high percentage of that."

"What are you-" Gekkō couldn't even finish the statement. He knew exactly what Shagetsu meant.

"You need to cease and desist with this petulant pride. It has brought you more harm than good ad was the reason you "died" that day. Cast it to the side; treat this fool as though he was your equal. Underestimating him will only get you killed." Shagetsu barked at Gekkō. "And enough with these simplistic attacks. Slash this, slash that, Kidō this, Kidō that. These will do nothing to him as you see he's brushing them off like they are nothing. Get creative, for God's sake?!" He yelled exasperatedly at his wielder.

Gekkō stood up and composed himself. He sheathed his zanpakutō and converted to a more comfortable art form: Hakuda. Tōitsu Seihaku (統一静迫, "Unifying Silent Spirit"). Absorbing the latent reiryoku that the two expanded, cloud-like energy products flowed into Gekkō as his eyes glowed a transparent blue of whitish blue.

He took on the Karate stance that he used against Mukei the first time they fought; then, moving with insurmountable speed, he maneuvered himself behind Mukei and delivered two swift knife-hand strikes before assailing him with a roundhouse kick to the temple that would crush he skull in if he didn't take immediate action.

Luckily, though, Mukei wasn't so flimsy. Taking the roundhouse directly to the temple, his entire body went limp. In fact, due to the force of the strike, it was as if the Shinigami had momentarily passed away as he was sent flying. Though, because of his tendency to keep coming back, like some annoying little plague, it would be safest if Gekkō assumed he took little to no damage. Then again, as the force of the kick would indeed carry through regardless of how durable Mukei was, simply brushing something like this off was impossible.

Boom!

Colliding with the earth, some odd miles away from Gekkō, Mukei's body went limp. Somewhat lifeless, it simply lay upon the ground until a burst of spiritual energy coursed through it. The bones, that were damaged within his body, were slowly beginning to heal. However, just because they were healing, it didn't mean Mukei was in any better situation. He was a Minus, a spirit capable of achieving immortality through high speed regeneration. As long as he had spiritual energy, and his wounds weren't instantly fatal, he could continue to stand.

Though, with that being said, how exactly did he regenerated with a crushed skull? Well, deep within Mukei's body, was a Hollow. This hollow had been fused together with a Quincy, and that Quincy possessed the ability to absorb spiritual particles. So, in a last ditch effort to keep his host alive, the Quincy simply drew in spiritual particles to reinforce Mukei's body. In fact, the amount of spiritual particles now existing within his blood is so immense, that his skin turned black.

"That large deposit of spiritual energy looks dangerous. Lautlos, let us do something about that..."

Taking a deep breath, Mukei raised his hand up to his face. Focusing his gaze upon the center of his palm, he began to gather a large deposit of spiritual energy. Glowing, flickering, and bouncing like electricity, the mass of spiritual energy turned into a strong current of blue light within his hand. Gekkō may be fast, but Mukei's ability to adapt was faster. The look within his eyes said that Gekkō wouldn't be able to surprise him with speed any longer. At least, not without receiving some devastating damage in return.

"Electricity, again?" Gekkō murmured to himself as the brilliant, nearly blinding energy shot forth at him. The sound of birds chirping deafeningly could be heard from the lightning attack as Gekkō could feel his hair beginning to frizz; Mukei must not have gotten the revelation that Gekkō possessed supremacy over spiritual energy. However, he wasn't going to use anymore Kidō on the boy. It was just going to be straight up physical.

Mimicking his adversary, Gekkō took a deep breath and summoned a tremendous amount of Nèijìng force into his arms and extended his fist out in a massive punch that disturbed the very fabric of reality it seemed, ripping into the electricity along with a good portion of the earth underneath them and headed straight for Mukei.

Though, such an action wouldn't go unpunished. You see, the electricity Mukei fired wasn't just spiritual energy. It was Lautlos's Sklaverei forced into a physical form. So, as it was tore apart by Gekkō, it returned to its metaphysical form. Its course, of course, was still Gekkō. Though, this time it would approach almost subtly, aiming for the Reishi absorbed into Gekkō's body.

Mukei, at that point, was just now deciding to evade via an instantaneous Hohō technique. "He hasn't yet gotten use to shameless fighting it seems."

Taking a few steps back using Hohō, Gekkō wondered how he was going to handle the oncoming threat. This was no ordinary spirit energy. How was he going to deal with it? Finally, he decided upon a action to take. Clasping both of his hands together, Gekkō spoke a short incantation before jutting his hands out in a gesture resembling a popular energy attack from a well known anime. Suddenly, a swallowed the strange energy and sent it into a.

Following up such a technique wouldn't be difficult, a Gekkō leapt forward and seemingly teleported to Mukei's unguarded backside. He then unleashed a series of slashes that where not only aimed at Mukei's pressure points, but also his very wrist in order to expend his own spiritual energy from him.

Though, as Gekkō's Zanpakutō set on its path toward Mukei's body, a massive mass of water vapor washed over it. "Let's go! Lautlos!" Within that water vapor, moving at a speed several times faster than Gekkō's Zanpakutō, was Mukei. He, releasing as much sweat as a waterfall, was narrowly dodging Gekkō's slashes by moving in all directions. Now, whilst doing such a thing would hinder his ability to retaliate, Mukei still set his sights on attacking Gekkō. So, whilst his body lurched from side to side, front to back, and up and down, he began to call a mass of spiritual energy into the palm of his hand. The energy, feeling somewhat tranquil and distilled, suddenly erupted into a flaring storm of blue light. "Even the precipice is composed or Reishi. We're now both fighting with borrowed power!"

Jumping backward, Mukei began to twist his body to the right. All of his weight, for a moment, was shifted onto the right side of his body. He was prepared to throw a devastating right. "I wonder how big Misora has gotten..."

"...Misora..."

Gekkō thought within the darkest corner of his mind. He had tried to forget about her to no avail. No wonder, how can one protect someone by trying to forget them? However, the little bastard's sly and disrespectful comment about the woman he loved set Gekkō's blood boiling and his soul burning with rage. He took the thunder shot head on and was knocked back a few kilometers until he landed into a huger boulder which "helped" in stopping his flight.

"Now, I know. Now I realize the burning desire for your blood that you can so easily instill into . You never knew when to just shut the fuck up, did you?" Gekkō growled as his spiritual pressure began to intensify as he muttered the last words Mukei would hear.

"Protect"......

A shimmering blue and orange energy sprung from Gekkō's person as it set fire to the surrounding marshes and trees and even nearly liquified the boulder he was currently seeped in.

"Shagetsu!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as he flung his blade into the air and allowed the Sōkyoku-imbued flames erupt into the air, causing a great deal of rain to fall within a few minutes and thunder accompanied by lighting to strike at seemingly random intervals. The rain soaked the two individuals and cast a far darker aura around the entire landscape. Only Gekkō's Shagetsu and his brilliant lavender eyes could be seen through the darkness. Mukei had sparked a dark flame in Gekkō's soul that he would soon wish was never sparked.....

However, instead of putting on a distressed look. Mukei simply smiled. He didn't know when to shut up? Yeah, that was the truth. Though, who exactly was Gekkō to be telling him this? Oh, that's right. Gekkō was his friend. So, it's only a given that his friend would tell him when he was being too full of himself. Though, couldn't Mukei be doing the same thing right now? Gekkō looked both pained and angry. Clearly, upon bringing up Misora, Mukei had struck a nerve. Upon realizing this, his smile turned into a massive grin. It seemed, from Gekkō's outrage, that he hadn't be around Misora much.

"I see. So, you went and did something incredibly stupid, huh? Man, I may not know when to shut up, but you don't know how to trust others. By the looks of it, you're clinging onto something that doesn't need your assistance. You're protecting somebody that should be protecting you. Shit, she should be the one calling the shots, and you don't even realize that."

Rolling his shoulder, Mukei took a deep breath. Everything, up to this point, had been whatever he could manage. Though, as far as friendship was concerned, Mukei could no longer do what he wanted. Now, he would be forced to do what he must. "Maybe you should let her go. There are plenty of guys out there who could do for her what you can't. Now, I'm not trying to be an asshole, but you need to realize this. Whether you're intimate with her, protective, or inspiring, it doesn't mean shit if you ain't there with her."

Curling his fingers into a fist, he quickly turned his gaze from Gekkō to the sky. "I fell into your shadow, and ended up trying to picture you as my big brother. However, when we both failed, I soon realized you're no better than me. In fact, you're probably just as pathetic and worthless. Though, thats not why I hate you. I hate you, because you're tasteless. Even when I see this world as nothing but trash, I still smile and joke around. I mean, I can't even recognize you anymore."

The Things You Can't Deny....
"Now! Let us get this show on the road!" Pointing his finger into the sky, Mukei began to shout at the top of his lungs. The rain, produced by the immense heat of Gekkō's Zanpakutō, seemed to temporarily part as Mukei's voice pierced the heavens. "I'm no longer going to play around with you anymore. No more tricks. No more tasteless attacks. I'm done holding back. Let's end it, alright?"

Gekkō did well at hiding the fury he felt at Mukei's remarks. However, there was something he still needed to know. "Before we begin. Tell me exactly what you mean by you can't even recognize me anymore."

Taking a step forward, Mukei narrowed his eyes. "What do you think it means? You and I are both drowning in our own emotional carnage. Though, you seem to have it far worse. I wonder, why is that? Well, that's easy to answer. It is because you can't handle the emotions of those around you, so how in the hell can you handle your own? Since I met you, it was easy to tell you had a one track mine. Though, I ain't complaining. I'm the same way, until it fucks up my goals..."

Pushing off the ground, Mukei quickly closed the gap between him and Gekkō with what seemed like a dash. Though, instead of doing something flashy, he simply threw his fist forward in an attempt to strike Gekkō directly in the face. Now, whilst it didn't look fancy, it possessed about twice the strength Mukei had demonstrated in the past. It was simple, direct, and full of enough power to send the Shinigami flying. "You need to go back to the basics, and learn about yourself before you start throwing your Zanpakutō around. Everything you were, is gone. Everything I was, is also gone. However, that is because I wanted it gone. I didn't sell myself out to some foolish pride. Grow up, kid."

"I see." Gekkō whispered to himself as he caught Mukei's fist using his own lightning fast reflexes and heightened senses. "I must say...though my foolish pride begrudges me for it, I have to say that you are right. On this journey, while I had gained tremendous power, I lost the purpose of which I gained it. Instead of fighting for the future, I suffocated myself and as a result everyone around me with the past." He then slid his eyes to Mukei before delivering a swift kick that held just as much force as Mukei's former kick. "I have fallen to depths unseen in me before. However, I WILL be redeemed!"

Nodding his head in response, Mukei outstretched his leg. Using it to fend off Gekkō's kick, he extended his heel and applied pressure to Gekkō's ankle. This, whilst stopping the Shinigami's kick, also placed considerable strain on his joints. Now, if Gekkō attempted anything related to Hohō, his speed would be drastically decreased. Though, he wouldn't really need Hohō. Mukei didn't plan on running away.

"I'm glad you've come to some form of conclusion. Though, it doesn't concern me as much as you think it does. Thinking about Misora, has got me wondering how she's doing. I'd ask you, but you clearly ain't seen her in a long time. Any idea where I can find her?" Rotating his wrist, Mukei applied more pressure to Gekkō's body. However, this time, instead of applying it to his ankle, he applied it to the palm of his hand. Using the technique Ikkotsu, he sent a surge of power throughout Gekkō's arm, forcing him to release Mukei's fist.

"You went to all this trouble to draw your Zanpakutō. So, I'll let you use it. Go ahead, pick it up, and lets get this over with."

Gekkō released Mukei as the Ikkotsu began to tear the muscles in his arm asunder. Through the use of his Hollow powers, Gekkō was able to reconnect the muscles in his arms as he picked up his Shagetsu. "Sorry, 'bout that. Emotions got a little hectic. Seems like I have more training to do." Gekkō said to his Zanpakutō.

The storms began to erupt ferociously, a product of the two men's spiritual power mixing with their resolve to end this battle. Gekkō held his Zanpakutō before him as it began to burn viciously, preparing for one final attack.....

"Oh! So, you acknowledge me now? Good! I'll grace you with the same acknowledgement." Outstretching his arm, Mukei began to grasp at the blazing flames before him. Though, as he touched them, he soon realized what they were. At this moment, he began to smile even harder.

"Ikkotsu vs Zanpakutō"

Pulling his arm back, he snickered and took an open-handed stance. His left hand, closed to make a fist, was positioned behind his right hand, which was aimed at Gekkō. Both, however, glew with spiritual energy. The left with, and the right with Sklaverei.

"Are you ready!?" Gekkō shouted out as he charged forth with his Zanpakutō, filled with Getsuga and Hyoga Seiran, along with his Spirit Weapon, ablaze with the Heiliges Feuer. He shined like a light in the darkness as he entered Mukei's vicinity.