Thirteenth Release- Defrosting

"Gai Nagareboshi."

"Zzzzzzz…"

"Gai Nagareboshi."

"Zzzzzz…"

"GAI NAGAREBOSHI!"

WHACK!

"Oww…"

Gai was rudely awoken by Nika flipping his bed over. Gekkō, holding her head, sighs.

"N-Nika…Could you please not do that…?"

"Uh…Okeydokey!" Nika cheerfully nodded. It was ambiguous if she knew the difference between 'annoying' and 'adorable' sometimes.

"Tch…Damn devil woman…Can't you just leave us be?"

"Sorry, but we better hurry, remember? Y'know, Central 46, Rukongai, Kidō Cannon?"

"…Damn!" Gai cursed his own forgetfulness, especially when it came to important matters.

"Wait, we haven't restored Kakusei—"

"…It doesn't matter. What really matters is that we save Rukongai right now. If I have that in mind, then it doesn't matter if I have a weapon or not. As long as I'm fighting for those who I love, I can do anything."

"You know, Mototsu…" Kisuke contemplated. "You sound exactly like Kurosaki."

"…Tch." Gai clicked his tongue. "Well, whatever. Alright, let's go."

Kisuke opened a Senkaimon, which four minus Eienrai entered. Reaching Seireitei, they were intercepted by…

"I won't allow you to move another step."

Standing before them was Hizashi. "…!!" Gekkō froze up upon seeing the young woman before them. It was as if she was highly familiar. "Kōzuki, what's wrong?" Gai questioned, as Gekkō began to tremble.

"Kōzuki…?" For a brief instant, Hizashi stopped in her tracks as well, hesitating. "Whaddya know? This person and Gekkō have the same hair color. Add the fact that Gekkō told you about your sister yesterday, and let's connect the dots, Gai Nagareboshi~" Nika stated.

Regaining her composure, Hizashi slowly began to walk towards the four, grasping the hilt of her Zanpakutō.

"…Those who have decided to go against the laws of Central 46…For this treason, you all shall be apprehended. Surrender now, and I will not have to utilize unnecessary force."

"Tch…" Gai clicked his tongue at this revelation. He would not allow this person to impede his progress. Touma quickly pulled out his Zanpakutō, before charging at Hizashi. Leaping into the air, Touma attempted to slam down on the young woman.

"Kamisori-fū."

Unsheathing her sword in a blink of an eye, Hizashi launched a crescent moon-like projectile of compressed air from her sword to strike Touma, knocking the air out of his lungs instantly and sending him crashing to the ground. Hizashi then re-sheathed her sword.

"One shot…?!"

"A-Argh…Damn…!" Touma growled, holding his chest in pain.

"Bye-bye~" Nika disappears in a small explosion of rocks, taking Touma with her. With their two strongest fighters nowhere to be seen, Gai and Gekkō prepared for an intense battle.

"You…You're awfully familiar." Gekkō said to Hizashi. "I can't remember…But I feel as if we know each other."

Hizashi dismissed this, instantly finding out what their connection was. "No. We have never met. I have never had any connections with the likes of you." Masking her sadness, Hizashi gripped the hilt of her Zanpakutō even tighter.

"Spin, Ringetsu!" At that moment, Ringetsu took the form of two silver and black gauntlets with small-cleaver like segments similar to Zangetsu's Shikai blade attached to Gekkō's knuckles. A white tang is wrapped around the rest of her arms, reaching up to her elbows.

"Getsuga Tenshō!!"

Gekkō amasses reishi on her right gauntlet, taking the form of a large light-blue ring. As she grasps onto the ring with her left gauntlet, Gekkō's discharge of reishi forms several blades around the ring, each shaped like a regular Getsuga Tenshō. After this, Gekkō throws the ring forward at Hizashi. Instantaneously unsheathing her Zanpakutō, Hizashi slices the ring of reishi in two horizontally before re-sheathing her blade. Using Shunpo, Hizashi appears right before Gekkō, unsheathing her blade and trying to slash her.

"…!!" Quickly raising her gauntlet to block Hizashi's strike, Gekkō pushes her opponent back, before executing a powerful claw-thrust which Hizashi catches with her Zanpakutō before pushing her back and striking her with a powerful kick directed at her chest which had enough force to knock her through a building. Utilizing Shunpo once again, Hizashi appeared in front of Gekkō and hoisted her up by the neck.

"Urgh…" Gekkō coughed out blood as Hizashi unsheathed her Zanpakutō, which was poised to pierce her neck, when suddenly…

WHAM!

Hizashi was sent flying by a powerful punch. As Gekkō fell to the ground, Gai Nagareboshi caught her.

"Gai…!" Gekkō exclaimed. "Kōzuki. I've got this. Just lay down here and rest for me, got it?"

With that, she weakly nodded. Gai rested Gekkō Utsukushi against a tree, before turning to face Hizashi, who held her bruised cheek. "You…You…!" As Gai began to walk towards Hizashi, she stood up in fury.

"You…you…you bastard…! Don't you dare…" Hizashi gritted her teeth as she grasped her Zanpakutō. "…Tch." Gai clicked his tongue. "You bitch…Don't you ever touch Kōzuki." With that, Nagareboshi entered a fighting stance.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

"IKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!"

Rushing at each other, the two clashed. With Hizashi unsheathing her Zanpakutō and slashing at Gai, and him catching the blade with his bare hand and pulling her closer for an uppercut despite serious injuries sustained to his hand, the two engaged each other in sword-to-hand combat after Gai grasped Hizashi's scabbard. Thrusting at Nagareboshi in a frenzy, Gai took the majority of the stabs, refusing to let go of Hizashi's scabbard, even though it was beginning to wear him down. Grabbing onto Hizashi's blade and releasing his grip on her scabbard, Gai closed the short gap and punched Hizashi in the face several times. Slashing him across the chest, punching her in the stomach, their fierce blows continued before they butted heads. At that moment, white wings of pure reishi sprouted from Gai's back, allowing him to see Hizashi's memories.

"This is…"

"S-Stay back…!"

With Hizashi's negative emotions and feelings of worthlessness almost overwhelming him, Gai managed to break through, entering Hizashi's inner world.

"Hang on, I'm coming."

Reaching Hizashi's inner world, which takes the form of an empty desert, Gai floats overhead. "…Hm?" Looking in shock, Gai sees a younger Hizashi, about twelve, with a stick in her hand, drawing a circle.

"A beach? Wait, there's no sea…A desert, then…?" Gai contemplates, while Hizashi uttered to herself, "My place…Here, this is my zone…Inside the drawn line…What must I do? I'm tired of kicking, nothing wants to live here…" before looking up at the sun. "It's surely because the sun doesn't give enough light for things to live…" With that, Hizashi sat down in the circle. "It's better to do nothing…"

Overhead, Gai feels Hizashi's past. A twelve year old Hizashi, with her seven year old younger sister sit at a table, while their parents berated Hizashi.

"It's just like he said…You're a lost cause, Hizashi. Not like your sister, Kōzuki." Hizashi looked down, distressed by her mother's words. "…!!" Gai watched this scene. "Hizashi is Kōzuki's older sister…?!" Kōzuki patted Hizashi's back. "Onee-chan, I love you." Hizashi repeated, "Though she was one of the seldom few that showed me compassion, I couldn't help but feel jealousy…!"

More of Hizashi Yoshi's memories fly through Gai Nagareboshi's head. "You should have died instead." "Where…Where am I…?" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!" These fragments all appear in rapid succession, with the memory intake almost too much for Gai to withstand. "She's been hurt so much…" Gai utters. As Hizashi sat in her circle, she heard a voice,

"Found you, Hizashi."

A seven-year-old Gai approached Hizashi, standing outside of the circle. He wears what looks like a white polo shirt with blue lining, albeit without the collar present on most polo shirts. He also wears red shorts with a maroon pocket on each leg, as well as brown sandals with yellow straps. "Eek!" Hizashi inched back, terrified of Gai. "So, you were here." As Gai went to step in the circle, Hizashi meekly stated, "No…wait…"

"Huh? What?"

"Don't enter the circle, it belongs to me…it's my place…" Ignoring her words, Gai entered the circle, much to Hizashi's horror.

"Well, now what?" Gai responded. "I'm scared…you entered so easily…even when nobody entered." Hizashi replied, trembling.

"Hmmmm…this circle…"

"You don't understand…It's only in this circle that I feel safe…No, it doesn't make any sense that you can enter…"

Dissatisfied, Gai confidently stated, "Pfft! We'll just have to erase it, then!" With that, Gai Nagareboshi destroyed the circle that isolated Hizashi Yoshi from the outside world by kicking it away. The sand scattered to the winds, as Hizashi looked at him in shock. "Nooo…don't do that…!" Gai brushed the sand off his pants. "There! Disappeared." Hizashi's face turned into a look of sheer terror, and back in real-time, Gai stood in front of Hizashi, who was shaking as her grip on her Zanpakutō loosened. Gai whispered to her,

"Don't be afraid…everything is alright…you're just too distressed that the circle disappeared."

Pulling her closer, Gai Nagareboshi tearfully embraced Hizashi Yoshi. Tears began to fall down Hizashi's cheeks. "This…This warmth…This definitely is…" Hizashi gripped Gai tighter, not willing to let him go.

"Everything's gonna be fine from now on, Hizashi. I promise you." Gai replied softly. For the first time in two hundred years, Hizashi burst into tears as the void disappeared almost instantly.