Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood staring at the monitor in his lab, Unohana and Rangiku close behind him. The display showed the last readouts known to have surrounded Tamotsu Toshiyuki. Not long had passed since Tamotsu had left the Soul Society and Mayuri was putting all of his efforts into deciphering the secrets of the Reincarnates.

"Now this is interesting," Mayuri said. "Most interesting indeed."

"What is it?" Rangiku asked.

Mayuri pointed to a point on the readout showing what seemed to be a circulatory system of sorts. This was actually the pathways in which energy flowed. "This point here," Mayuri said as he tapped the point close to the chest on the diagram. "It seems to be different than normal."

Along the main line of power was a small swollen area. It did not appear to be much at first glance but upon closer inspection seemed to be very significant.

"Tell me, Rangiku. Was Tamotsu ever struck by fine points of reishi based attacks?"

Rangiku shook her head. "No. Not that I know of. Why?"

Mayuri tapped the point again. "This point here. Its disproportional. My theory is that he was struck by some type of reishi based attack, possibly two lifetimes ago."

"Two lifetimes... That would be when he was Vincent..."

"Vincent?"

Rangiku nodded. "Vincent Van Gough. Tamotsu believed that he began developing Spiritual powers at the end of that lifetime. They were dismissed as hallucinations. He was shot and died shortly after."

"Hmm..." Mayuri began to pace. "I believe it could be possible that he was shot by the arrow of a Quincy."

"Would that have been enough to kill him?"

"Kill? No. But the arrow seems to have grazed a major point of power. Quincy arrows are quite precise. A few microns further and it would have severed this connection. Since it did not I believe that it was in the process of repairing itself when he died in that lifetime."

"I see," Unohana said. "With that segment fractured, that would explain why he had such a high reiatsu level. His body was in the process of repairing it when he died. Rather than severing his connection it acted as a floodgate."

"But he had a seal on him in his last life," Rangiku said.

Unohana nodded. "The seal was placed on him early in life. He grew up with no need for his body to adjust. When he experienced the reiatsu overloads the seal reformed the first time but his body was not used to so much power. The seal broke completely after his battle with Fumio Tanaka. But when he was reborn again the spiritual scar expanded the line and allowed further past memories of his reiatsu to surface."

"These memories," Mayuri explained, "along with the past reiatsu signatures all began to flow out from him after he regained his Shinigami powers four months ago. The bracers I designed for him were meant to suppress his power but we did not realize that so many reiatsu signatures were surfacing at once."

Unohana stepped forward. "This is also why the binding technique we used failed. At first it was an entire lifetime of reiatsu escaping which even I was unable to tolerate. After his release of Masamune, Tamotsu opened the floodgate and allowed so many reiatsus to surface until they blended into a single signature."

Rangiku turned to the screen. "So Kiyoshi was not one of Aizen's experiments?"

Mayuri shook his head. "No, this was caused by another means. The others may have indeed been experiments, but the only one who knows for certain is Aizen himself. Even if they know of their past lifetimes now, there's no telling what will happen when they go into their next Reincarnation cycle. And as for the Fourteenth Division..."

There was a long pause until Rangiku broke the silence. "What about Division Fourteen?"

Mayuri turned to face Rangiku and Unohana. "As you know, the Fourteenth Division is made solely of Reincarnates. Humans who remember lives as Shinigami. But when they pass on to the next existence there are two possibilities. First is they forget of their human lives and come to Soul Society. Second is they retain their powers and memories. In the case of the latter, they will no longer be humans with Shinigami memories but rather Shinigami with human memories."

"So you mean to say that they will be obligated to join one of the regular Thirteen Divisions?" Unohana asked.

"Precicely. Finding other Reincarnates was simple while Tamotsu was around but we will have not the means nor time to search for others after these original members have passed on. The Reincarnates range in age from fifteen years to forty years. It is my calculation that within a timeframe of no more than sixty years the Fourteenth Division will dissolve."

The brush moved across the canvas smoothly as Lucky painted. He had no real experience himself with painting but since he was in Tamotsu's body he could feel the muscle memory. Byakuya Kuchiki's original drawing of his creation called Captain Seaweed lay on the table and Lucky tried hard to portray the character as best he could in various painting techniques.

"You seem to be adapting quite well," a woman's voice sounded. Lucky turned to see a woman with purple hair and tattoos under her eyes. She wore Shinigami robes with a Captain's haori and a sash that seemed to be several sizes too large. "You probably do not know who I am, but I know who you are."

"I would assume, my dear, that you are acquainted with Tamotsu?" Lucky stated.

"We met once. My name is Kirio Hikifune. I was the one who created the concept behind the Gikongan."

"So I am sitting before my maker then. Excuse me if I do not bow."

Kirio smiled and sat down. "No need. In reality I just wanted to come here and see you for myself. A temporary soul gaining full possession of a living body... Such a thing has never happened in Soul Society before."

"I suppose I should feel honored then? Truth be told I have grown quite accustomed to this body already. It is having a life of my own that should be troublesome."

"I see. I was thinking about something along the way here. That there may be a way to permanently bond the Gikongan with a human body."

"I appreciate the offer but I will decline." Lucky turned to the canvas and continued to paint. "I am only finishing Tamotsu's work here. I have decided that once it is completed I shall return to the stuffed animal form and live among the Mod Souls with Kisuke Urahara."

Kirio closed her eyes then looked out the window. "I see. Well, as Tamotsu said, your life is to be what you wish of it. It was good to meet you."

"So what do we do now?" Hinohebi stood on Sogyoku Hill overlooking Seireitei, Masamune behind her. "We are zanpakuto without a master."

"Our master said that we are free spirits," Masamune said. "Our lives are our own."

"But what good is that, Masamune? All that we know is gone."

"Now what's with all the sad faces?" The voice came from behind the two zanpakuto spirits. They turned to see Oetsu Nimaiya, a green cloth concealing something under his arms. "The two of ya both belonged to the greatest Shinigami and you're just sittin' around moping? And after all I did for you..."

"That's right..." Hinohebi turned to face the zanpakuto creator. "Why did you fix me? I was broken, but I could still hear. You said that you wouldn't fix me because I did not belong to Tamotsu."

Oetsu smiled broadly. "Just a test, my dear. I had to see if he was truly worthy of ya. You've been through a lot. Even durin' the fifty years you were searching I knew where you were. You came to love him and he loved you. And when the Shinigami and Zanpakuto are that close anything is possible. And I mean that literally."

Pulling out the cloth, Oetsu walked forward and pointed one end toward Masamune and Hinohebi. "What's in there?" Hinohebi asked.

Oetsu smiled again, this time not making eye contact. "When I made the both of you as Asauchi, I said that you had the potential to become anything. But even I didn't expect you to go this far. You say you don't know where to go from here? I say there's still one more thing ya both have to learn." Pulling the cloth off the end, two blank Asauchi swords were revealed. "And that's to learn what the bond feels like from the other side."

Hinohebi was speechless. Her mouth opened wide and she slowly approached and ran her fingers across the hilt of one of the Asauchi. "You mean... Us? Become Shinigami? But everyone knows that we're zanpakuto spirits..."

Oetsu shook his head. "Nah, only a few know that. Captains and Lieutenants. A couple others. But overall they'll view you as just another student. You both have plenty of experience so there's no doubt that you'll both pass quickly."

Masamune stepped forward and held one of the blank swords, then drew it and examined the blade. "In my many years of isolation," he said. "I have often wondered what it must have felt like for my master. To have a bond forged by your own spirit and to have part of yourself embedded within the blade."

"Ya can't go denyin' me now," Oetsu said. "I made the two of these especially for you two."

Hinohebi pulled the blade of her Asauchi from its sheath and looked at the chrome blade. It felt strange, but the desire for a bond soon overcame her. She resheathed the sword and nodded. "Thank you, Oetsu," she said.

"Nah. You're the ones who deserve praise. I may have made you, but the path you followed was always your own. I just have one thing I want in return once ya both become Shinigami."

Hinohebi smiled and nodded. "Anything."

Oetsu smiled. "Come visit some time, okay?"

Rangiku stood alone in the field looking at the great tree in the center. It was at this place twenty-eight years ago that her brother had died in her arms. The valley was formed from the outburst of reiatsu and had been thriving off of that same reiatsu ever since. She remembered the scarred landscape from then and compared it to the brightest green grass and wildflowers that clumped together as if it were the physical manifestation of a rainbow. The sky was the brightest blue and the entire area was filled with life.

"This is the place where I first met your brother," a voice sounded behind Rangiku. "He was always so kind to me."

Rangiku turned around and saw the woman. She was dressed in the red uniform that signified a Shinigami student, but the face was one that she had come to know well the past few days. "Kisaki?"

"They've accepted me into the Shino Academy, Rangiku," Kisaki said as she approached Rangiku's side and looked at the giant tree. "I wish to help others as Tamotsu helped me."

"But- You can't join the Academy," Rangiku protested. "You- You're a-"

Kisaki interrupted by placing her hand on Rangiku's shoulder and shaking her head. "No." She took Rangiku's hand and placed it on her collar where the hole had once been. "Can't you feel it? The reiatsu is whole. There is no trace of Hollow about me. The mask I wore is no more, and the hole in my heart has been filled. As such, I am no longer a Hollow."

"But... How? What filled your heart?"

Kisaki's eyes met Rangiku's, filled with emotion yet there was no sadness in them. "Love," Kisaki said. "I loved your brother, Rangiku. That is what is missing from the heart of a Hollow. When a Shinigami fails to send us to Soul Society our hearts become cold and broken. We close ourselves off and lose ourselves in our despair. We hide behind a mask and try to find some means of filling our hearts. But only when we can truly love again can we save ourselves."

Rangiku stared into Kisaki's eyes, bright blue like the sky above them, then smiled. "He always did have an interesting way of doing things."

She stepped away and saw two more students, one male and one female. She recognized them immediately. Masamune... And Hinohebi. There was no doubt in her mind which of the divisions they would join. It would be so interesting for the Fourteenth Division. Ten Reincarnate Shinigami... Two former Zanpakuto spirits... And one former Hollow redeemed of her deeds from her darkness, she regained new light.

As the breeze flowed through the field, Rangiku looked upward toward the sun. The sun was the only thing that compared to the brightness that her brother had entered only a day previous. He had said that would be their final goodbye, but that she could perhaps greet him once again. A final greeting, never again to be separated.

When she lowered her gaze, a bright spot among the flowers caught her eye. It was only for a moment but she saw the distinct white wings with gold trim. Heaven's Butterfly, she thought. If anyone was truly worthy of such a guide it was you, dear brother. I will do my best. It may be a long time, but I promise you. I will see you once again. Goodbye is only the word we give for the time between times when we see each other.

END

I hope you have enjoyed reading the Shinigami Reincarnate series and would like to thank my followers for their continued support. It has come a long way from my initial concept of a Shinigami who couldn't control his own power. Story elements changed and things were added in to make it current with the official timeline. Thank you all once again. Until next time, keep the fandom alive.