| abstract | - Crunch was the sound heard as the two stepped out from the Senkaimon and onto the dried grass outside the Rukongai. They were bound to stand out, as they were wearing clothes common to the world of the living, not the Soul SOciety, but they walked through anyway. The white haired boy adjusted his tie slightly and sighed. "Why are we here Isshōmaru?" "Don't you ever listen to me?" Said the one called Isshōmaru indignantly. "We're here to try and visit my sister without my father noticing." "That's going to be difficult." The white haired boy said humorlessly. "Not really. I've grown since he tried to kill me." Isshōmaru replied cheerfully. "I bet he won't even recognize me. We'r ea noble family, I just need to pretend I'm there on request." "I see, so -" The white haired boy was going to say something, but cut himself off mid-sentence. "Quick, behind the trees, I hear someone!" "Hm..." At that exact moment, a certain unlucky person was wandering where the two were. His hair and clothes whistling in the wind, he looked to the sky. "This is where she and I met..." Reminicing about his past, the person picks up a perfect Lycrois flower from the withered rest. A scarce diamond in the rough, trivial things like this flower were enough to bring a smile to one's face in such a place like Rukongai. "...Tch." Sensing a prescence, this person quickly turns around. "Don't try to hide..." This person, Gai Nagareboshi's voice became less peaceful and more alert. Isshōmaru and the white haired boy looked around, Ishōmaru's expression, curious, the white haired boy's, cold. When they both saw Gai however, they're eyes widened, and they both stepped out from behind the tree. "What the..." Isshōmaru murmured, and the white haired boy looked equally surprised. "Awai, that kid looks like I did when I was younger." "I noticed." Awai replied. "Can we keep that kid?" Isshōmaru asked excitedly. "I want him... or is it her?" Awai sighed. "You can't have him...or her." He said, placing a hand to his forehead. "We're married, remember?" "Oh yeah..." "...Tch." Clicking his tongue once again in irritation, Gai attempted to ignore the two and continued to pick flowers in memory of the only other person he loved. However, this was something he could not ignore. "Nothing escapes my ears." Quickly turning around, Gai held his hand out. Woosh. At that instant, Gai summoned his Zanpakutō, Kakusei in a flash of light. 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. Nagareboshi was always alert. Grasping the hilt of the blade, Gai braced himself. "Where are you...!?" Isshōmaru looked slightly alarmed. "Whoa! Blade down please!" Awai looked wary, gingerly placing his own hand on his blade. "I'm Isshōmaru Ureshii, and this is my husband Awaii Shirosaki." Awai raised his hand slightly to acknowledge this introduction. "Who are you though?" Isshōmaru asked curiously. "Damn...It's like looking into the future..." Nagareboshi tilted his head, bemused that Isshōmaru Ureshii, the person in front of him, looked slightly like him. In a flash of light, Kakusei dissapeared from Gai's hand, and Gai, still frowning, replies "I'm Gai Nagareboshi. I haven't seen you around here before." Though he had dismissed Kakusei, Gai still remained wary of these two. "That's because we don't normally come around here." Isshōmaru said, relieved the sword was put away. "So..." He stared at Gai. "Are you a guy like me? Or a girl?" Awaii prayed Gai was a girl. If he was, Isshōmaru's desires to "keep him" might melt away. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Gai was shocked. "Couldn't you tell...? I'm a guy..." "Well, I figured you might have been." Isshō smiled while Awai frowned. "You looked so much like me as a kid, and your voice isn't high enough." Isshō had long since been adjusting his voice and it sounded feminine enough. "..." Gai's answer to this was silence. "Still...Something's up. I can't quite put my finger on it, though..." Gai tensed once again. Isshō looked puzzled, placing his hand, on which a ring with a large jewel gleamed, onto his head. "I'm afraid I don't follow." Gai thought to himself, "...Something's up. I want them to dissapear. What is this feeling, this nagging feeling at the back of my head? Everything--...Just...just dissapear." Holding himself back, Gai then quickly jerks back, clutching his head in pain. It was almost as if something was taking over his natural senses, urging him to kill. "Disappear?" Isshō repeated. "But I find you so interesting, why would I want to disappear?" Then he noticed Gai's condition. "Gai-kun, are you alright?" Awai's eyes narrowed. What was wrong with the boy? At that moment, Gai's pupils rapidly diluted and contracted, becoming a brilliant blue with magenta. At that moment, Gai's eyes were obscured by his long bangs. He began to move head down towards the two, everything limp, lurching foward as if he were a marionnette that had its strings cut. As reishi began to scatter off his body as sharp and demonic-looking black feathers, his lips curled, and he forced a wide, psychotic grin. "What the hell!?" Awai thought. "He's snapped!" Awai made a movement towards Isshō, but Isshō held up his hand. "Don't bother Awaii. Put the barrier around yourself. I'm gonna fight 'im!" Awai frowned. "I hope you know what you're doing." He said before we was surrounded by a pink circular barrier and floated into a tree to watch from above. Isshō drew his sword, a katana with a heart-shaped guard and mini-hearts decorating the blade. "Maybe if I calm him down, I get to keep him." He though to himself. "Now, let's get this show on the road." He swung his blade, sending a burst of spiritual energy towards Gai. Feeling the full force of the burst, Gai was knocked off his feet, only to quickly stand up once again, with seemingly little harm done. Reassuming his slow, unflinching walk, Nagareboshi dragged Kakusei along the ground, before suddenly erupting into a mad dash on all fours towards his opponent, rushing at him like a wild animal. "His cuteness is ebbing!" Isshō thought. He pointed a finger at Gai. "Hadō number 4, Byakurai!" He fired a blue bolt of lightning from his finger towards Gai's shoulder. Silently, Gai leapt over the azure bolt of lightning and bounded into the air, shooting down at Isshō like a meteor. His sharp incisors showing, Nagareboshi's claws extended. Isshō raised his arm, and waited until Gai was close enough, wordlessly firing a Sokatsui spell from his palm towards Gai, figuring at this range he wouldn't be able to dodge it. "...!!" With his body flailing along the ground from the last attack, Nagareboshi slowly rose to his feet, clutching his chest. After several seconds, Gai regained his composure, and once again charged at Isshō, throwing a powerful punch at him. The punch collided into Isshō's face with the force of a small tank, and sent him flying back. Being as durable as he was however, the punch did not shatter his jaw as one would expect, but he did get up rubbing it. "How do I snap the kid out of it?" He thought to himself, sidestepping as Gai continued his frenzied assault. "What do I do here?" He raised his sword. "Shudder, Shinkon! Kenbōssū!" The blade began to morph, retainin length, but turning a vivid, shocking pink. The heart guard spiked, and it's hilt became red with blue cloth. He charged in, swinging his blade at the oncoming Gai, aiming for his arm this time. As the blade collided with Gai's arm, he grabbed onto Isshō's Zanpaktō. While Shinkon managed to leave a small cut in Gai's hand, Gai was seemingly unfazed on the outside, unaware of the deadly toxin that was injected into his body as the wound was quickly patched up. Uttering the words, "Yatte yaruze, Kakusei." Gai Nagareboshi released his Zanpakutō. Kakusei took the form of a large broadsword. It had 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. Silently, Gai pulled his opponent in, as the gear-hilt of Kakusei slides off the large blade, attempting to knock his target away with incredible force as he swung down. He succeeded, sending Isshō flying back with what sounded like a very large THWACK!. He collided with a tree, with ripped in half with a loud crunching noice, before he got up, pulling pieces of wood and dead leaves out of his hair, looking irritated. Quickly, he retaliated with a Sōkatsui kidō spell. Being blown back by the spell, Gai crashed into a tree. Holding his head in pain, he slowly stood up before charging at his opponent once again. "If I don't snap him out of this soon, he's going to ruin my hair!" Isshō grumbled to himself. "Let's try a different approach." He started to move, running around Gai in circles, staying as out of reach as possibly while still trying to close him in. If he was made dizzy enough, maybe he'd snap out of the trance. Irritated by Isshō's quick and nimble movements, as the demonic hold was slipping over the Mototsu, Gai involuntarily uttered the words, "Raven Wings." At that moment, small black feathered wings formed on Nagareboshi's feet, leaping high into the air. Despite his shattered mental state, Gai gripped Kakusei's blade and screamed, "Bankai!"
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