Gekkō Kirameki

 This article, Gekkō Asakura is property of BraveHeart70  Gekkō Asakura (月光朝倉, Moonlight Asakura) is the mysterious and enigmatic Shinigami of Karakura Town. He has been rumored to be one of the powerful Sōzōshin, although this is just speculation. He has been noted to be a very dangerous individual due to the three facts that he is not only one of the Asakura, but also has strange powers due to experimentation, and also a former captain of the Gotei 13. Therefore, he has a considerable amount of skills and finesse that makes him a noticeable threat to Soul Society. However, the reason why Soul Society are very weary of him is the fear that he still holds animosity towards them because of the various Hollowfication experiments they conducted on him.

Appearance
Despite his relatively advanced age, Gekkō bears the appearance of a handsome young man in his late teens. Being incredibly handsome, Gekkō possess a body that simply signified perfection, slender and athletic frame for the most part, illustrious and well kept coal black hair, and skin entirely smooth and pleasant to the touch. While seeming slender, he is also well muscled and ripped. His eyes are a strange reddish brown, and his facial expression is that of a constant stoicism.

In terms of attire, he usually wears either street clothes to blend in with the World of the Living, or his Shinigami attire, which consists of a hooded tattered black shihakushō that flares out into ragged ends.

Personality
As stated above, Gekkō is an enigmatic and mysterious individual. Being a man of very few words and decisive actions, Gekkō believes in the philosophy that a man is defined by the actions he takes and not the words he boasts. One important thing one must know about Gekkō before any interaction with him, whether negative or positive, is his love for his friends. This is in special regards to that of his long time friend, Misora Kurosaki. He values his friends above his own life and anyone else's.

Normally, Gekkō is a reserved, calm, and yet wise man. He is not an easy one to anger unless his friends are involved. His calm composure is due to the constant state of Fudōshin he is in. This, combined with his state of mind makes him almost impossible to anger in any way. However, despite his seemingly distant and cold composure, Gekkō can actually be a friendly person and a easy person to get along with.

However, the reason for the vices of his heart are due to only one thing. The Asakura Family. After learning of his heritage and their ties with the darkness, Gekkō almost never talks about his family or relatives. Fear of transforming into a monster resolves him to fight only for the protection of his friends and never for revenge. He constantly bears the weight of his family's past sins on his shoulders, much to his friend's chagrin. As such, his resolve to protect and constantly bathe his mind and spirit in peace is set, and his determination to never destroy or harm those close to him are engrafted into his heart.

History
One Millennium ago, Gekkō was born. However, his mother died while he was only seven years old, leaving him alone with no one to care for him. For months Gekkō traveled along the streets of the poor district of the Rukongai. He normally would find scraps of food in various restaurants where some sympathetic employees would allow him the leftovers. However, this would not last as among learning of his clan, the employees would curse and banish him form the restaurants. When he felt like giving up and just letting death grasp him, Gekkō discovered a young, homeless girl and a homeless boy who both where of similar condition to himself. After befriending them, his resolve to live began to slowly return. Thus, he protected her from the various thugs and bullies they encountered along the way.

Three months later, they unknowingly entered the Soul Society, or to be more specific, the Kuchiki Clan household. Gekkō, needing a haven from the harsh cold and food for Misora, all but broke into the home with the help of Yorokobi. They ran towards the kitchen which had an abundant quantity of food. He, Yorokobi, and Misora ravished to food until a young boy arrived in the kitchen and spotted them. The young boy yelled for them to leave and retrieved his zanpakutō from his side. Gekkō had no way to defend himself, so he took Misora's hand and ran through the house away from the apparently agitated young man.

They ran until they where intercepted by an aged man, who of which was accompanied by a younger man who bore a striking resemblance to the boy he's just outran. The boy skidded to a stop among seeing them. The older man introduced himself as Ginrei Kuchiki, while the slightly younger man was revealed to be Sōjun Kuchiki. They welcomed Gekkō into their household despite Byakuya's comical chagrin. Upon closer inspection, Ginrei sensed an unnatural level of spiritual pressure coming from the young boy. The Kuchiki clan leader immediately arranged for the boy to be enrolled into the Shinō Academy to begin Shinigami training. Gekkō immediately came out on top of all of his classmates, making perfect scores and showing a considerable skill level.

The boy's incredible level of skill and heritage as an Asakura peaked the interest of the mad scientist stereotype, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Knowing of an Asakura's affinity to the dark powers, he ordered for a major Hollowfication experiment on the boy. The experiment was a success, but not in the way they had predicted. In fact, Gekkō never gained an Inner Hollow at all. Instead, the dark emotions created something akin to that of an Inner Hollow. This being an Inner Being that manifested itself when Gekkō lost control and went unconscious. After the experimentation, Gekkō attacked the entire Shinigami Research Institute, killing all except for Mayuri, who escaped his grasp.

Upon learning of the experiment, the Head Captain had issued an all out man hunt for Mayuri and declared him an enemy of the Soul Society for experimenting with the Seireitei's natural enemies.

Gekkō was exited about the news but still felt the duty of killing Mayuri was his, and his alone. However, staying within the Soul Society with Hollow powers would be no easy feat. Although he knew this, he still tried, but was rejected, being told that he should be happy the Gotei 13 didn't order him to be executed. Despite this however, the Kuchiki clan demanded that he stay and continue his training. The Head Captain, Yamamoto was unsure of this, until Ginrei proposed that they create Hollow accustomed Reiryoku Seals that would prevent Gekkō from using his Hollow powers. Trusting him, the Head Captain reluctantly agreed.

Two hundred years had passed since those events. Gekkō had become the captain of the Fifth Division, with Misora as his Lieutenant, and Yorokobi as his Third Seat. During his captaincy, Gekkō had trained extensively with Byakuya, further honing his Zanjutsu and Kidō skills against the captain. His skills soon began to rival, if not surpass that of Byakuya's as the two continued training with one another. Among the captains he knew personally and trained with, was Yoruichi Shihōin. They to trained extensively, the only difference was they trained in the art of Hakuda and Hohō. Gekkō's prowess in Shinigami combat was again shown when he bested the latter in both arts.

Many years later, Gekkō learned of the Gotei 13's experimentations on him. Feeling betrayed and used, Gekkō left Soul Society with Misora Kurosaki and Yorokobi Kenshin by his side. Kisuke Urahara, Yorouchi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi left with them. After a few weeks of consideration Gekkō decided to enter Hueco Mundo to master his Hollow powers. After years of training with his Hollow powers in Hueco Mundo, Gekkou noticed the weaknesses of Hollowfication. These weaknesses where the fact that he could only don his mask fo a certain amount of time and that his Inner Hollow would not stop disturbing his powers until he took over his body. Acknowledgeing this, and remebering his Kidō training, Gekkō stripped his Inner Hollow of its power and selaed it away using the spell Ginrei and Yamamoto used onKoga Kuchiki.After doing this, Gekkō gained access to its powers without any need to interact with his Hollow at all. After another two years of further mastering his powers, Gekkō returned to the Human World. He then started attending school at Karakura High School.

Upon returning, Gekkou saw that crime in Karakura matched that of a low-level district within the Rukongai. Knowing this, he cloaked himsel in a black trench coat and equiped himself with a knife and metalic wire. Finally, he donned a mask that he crafted after his Hollow mask. Due to his training, he was more than ready to take on the worst threats, whether natural or supernatural.

Powers and Abilities
Being both a direct descendant of the Asakura Family, and a former captain of the Gotei 13, Gekkō has an incredible amount of skill. His prowess in Shinigami combat has earned him a great reputation among the Soul Society.

Immense Reiryoku:  He can exert an immense amount of  Spiritual Pressure, which, in addition to his already admirable combat skills and finesse, makes him one of the most formidable captains. Due to Gekkō's lineage, being a direct descendant of the Asakura Family, Gekkō has a large amount of untapped spiritual energy, despite being a captain-level combatant. While not one to exert his energy, he can easily tune and distribute it to fit his needs in battle. His power has been noted by Misora to parallel that of an Espada. While not gargantuan in volume, it still enables him to be able to fight other captains on equal footing.

Master Swordsman: Gekkō is exceedingly skilled at using his Zanpakutō in combat. In terms of his sword fighting style, Gekkō relies mostly on a mixed variation of both Shinigami Zanjutsu, and Japanese Kenjutsu, and thus could be considered a master swordsmanship specialist. His ingenuity in it is much greater than most Shinigami as he is able to use his skill in more versatile and effective maneuvers. Gekkō's prowess has proven to be a match for master swordsmen of Byakuya Kuchiki's caliber.

High Speed Master: His skil in the art of Hohō is rivaled only by fellow captain-level Shinigami such as Byakya Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihōhin. His speed enables him to move at speeds only comprehensible by other master utilizers of this art. He can strike his opponents multiple times before they are able to even detect in which way he is moving. His steps are silent and do not give off the consistant "Swish" or "Woosh" sound that other steps do. He can  move fast enough to instantly close a huge gap of space between him and his opponent, and even seemingly disappear from sight. In battle, he can strike with incredible speed in rapid succession, making it highly difficult for his opponents to find an opening and counterattack.

Hakuda Master: Gekkō is a master of Hakuda. His fighting styles consist of minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed, and also breaking his vast array of fighting techniques and skills into ranges which include kicking, punching, trapping, grappling, and combinations with techniques flowing smoothly between them. He has incredible high-speed Taijutsu attacks that he uses to overwhelm his opponents. He can strike his opponent in rapid succession. His skills enabled him to fight on par with Yoruichi Shihōin, a great fighter in her own right. In battle he is able to strike with incredible speed in rapid succession, making it highly difficult for his opponents to find an opening and counterattack.

Kidō Mastery: Understanfing the flow of energy within one's being is a key component to understang how to use Kidō properly. Knowing this, Gekkō has trained himself to understand the flow of his own energy. He now has considerable knowledge of high level Kidō spells, casting several in quick succession, with no incantation and almost no effort, and still possessing formidable power.

Other Skills
Taijutsu: Gekkō's physical capabilities epitomized the perfect mixture of strength and versatility in many ways. Being extremely agile and quick, while steal maintaining a great amount of physical strength. He uses a variety of acrobatic moves and without resorting to any of his Shinigami arts. This fighting style was overall similar to the martial art of Baguazhang, which consists of an intricate set of foot and palm movements to dodge, walk circles around the enemy and strike unexpectedly as well as defend from all angles, an art which emphasized the pursuit of harmony in conflict situations, rather than destroying or defeating the opponent. He uses his physical prowess in both the Spiritual and Human world. His prowess proved great enough to defeat a lieutenant level Shinigami. He also demonstrates his agility and is a nimble fighter, allowing him to maneuver gracefully and evade assaults from both the thugs and Hollows he fights regularly with ease, even at close-range.

Intelligence:  Gekkō is very intuitive and clever from a young age. During difficult events, he was still capable of maintaining his composure, assessing the situation, and devising appropriate plans of action. After seeing a technique once, he could correctly deduce the basic mechanics behind it, such as the strengths and weaknesses of Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura.

Zanpakutō
Maebure (前触れ, Harbinger): Is the name of Gekkō's zanpakutō. Strangely, within its sealed state it does not appear "bland" or "normal". Rather, it takes on the form of a katana with a unique design. The backside of its blade features various rune-like lines running along it with a beige hilt featuring the same design.
 * Shikai: Maebure's release command is "Bring About", upon said phrase, a strong silver light engulfs the zanpakutō while illuminating Gekkō. Once the blade is engulfed, it begins to take on a completely new form. This being that of a large scythe with a light blue hue to it. The blade is long and curved, coming off the tip of the snaith at its heel. The snaith itself looks to be made out of wood, and it has two grips protruding from opposite ends that resemble whittled branches. Gekkō uses these handles to help him spin the weapon while he attacks. The pommel on the bottom of the snaith is the same as the grip of his Rebellion, owing to the weapon's shape-shifting ability. When it is used to attack, it leaves behind a light blue streak in its wake, similar to the color of the weapon. Gekkō states that when releasing his zanpakutō, he feels as though it's mocking him and his reluctance of claiming his Asakura heritage, because of its shape. This is why he prefers to fight with its sealed state, rather than its released state.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Maebure is a melee type zanpakutō. As such, it retains incredible durability and cutting power, easily being able to block against other captain level attacks and emerge unscathed, making it a highly potent melee weapon. This weapon is essentially impossible to break. However, this is partially due to Gekkō's will to protect; as it involuntarily adds more power to the zanpakutō. Despite this, Maebure contains a special ability other than this that an opponent should be wary of.
 * Gekkou's_energy_waves._Formerly_InuYasha's_Meido_Zangetsuha.png]]Harudōga Mūshō (春圭牙痛烈虚, Spring-Road Fang, Piercer of the Void; "Void Piercer" in the English anime): As the result of his connection to the Asakura, Gekkō is able to use the Harudōga, whether it be in his Shikai or Sealed state. When used, he channels a large amount of violent multi colored spiritual energy into his blade and then harness it into a potent energy wave that at the instant of the slash is able to decompose the matter the comes into direct contact with it. the other effect of this technique is that if used against a Getsuga Tenshō, the two would cancel each other out due to the Clan feud between Asakura and Kurosaki. However, due to his lack of acceptance of his clan and malice, Gekkō's Harudōga is weaker than that of Shirosame Asakura and Nisshō Asakura. When enraged by the harming of one of his friends however, his Harundōga reaches its full potential as he draws in the innate dark and malicious spiritual energy from around him and infuses it with his zanpakutō.

Trivia
Contrary to the canon story line,  Gekkō Asakura is the captain of the 5th Division instead of Shinji Hirako.

The "Remnants of Hollowfication" sub-category of this article was inspired by Seireitou's Ichigo Kurosaki page.

His Hero Theme is Well Enough Alone by Chevelle

His battle theme is Into The Nothing by Breaking Benjamin

According to the author, despite his seemingly vast array of abilities, Gekkō is only  a captain level combatant.

Most of Gekkō's appearance was based off of Another Poetic Spartan's Tenshi. All credit goes to him.

The "Inner Being" section of this article was inspired by Nisshou. Credit for Gekkō even being an Asakura goes to him.