Sakura Saitou

[Ai]

Name: Sakura Saitou
Age: 94
Gender: Female
Personality:

Pensive, reserved - she is often on guard affording very few even a modicum of her trust. Out of her introspective disposition she it often leads her to being perceived as the quiet-type. She does not mind being social or in social settings, she often simply does not have much to say largely because of reserved and guarded manner. Though she is quite pensive, often enjoying moments of losing herself in her own thoughts, staring off as if into nothing, but really merely allowing herself to dive deep into her own ruminations within her mind. Seemingly taking to a manner of trying to maintain a thoughtfully collected position toward most issues placed before her, even so she no more an unshakable pillar than any other.

While some Vizard try to still cling to being the Shinigami they once were, or only alligning themselves with other Vizard, or choosing to merely side with themselves alone. Sakura on the other hand sides with Hollows, feeling deeply ingrained and attached to her own Inner Hollow, she feels more connected with them than any other. It is not out of any sense of evil or malevolence or spite toward an object or people or organization or anything so mindnumbingly simple and linear. The reasoning is instinctual, even primal in another sense, feeling more synchronized with the Hollow perspective than that of the being she once was - a Shinigami.

What it means to be a Shinigami, or the point view of having been one is such an alien concept to her at this point it often feels like a completely separate life to her, something devoid and utterly disconnected from what she is now. There are even times she does not even regard those memories of herself as a Shinigami as being her.

Appearance:

A pulchritudinous young girl by all appearances looking to be in her mid or late teens. A very small, thin, lithe frame looking as though she is even a few inches shy of five foot. She has long silky hair with a soft pinkish strawberry hue contrasting against her snow white pallor and pale blue eyes.

Lovely thin strands of white lace draps around her head like a wreath as decorative hair ornamentation. She is dressed in what seems like a very short white hakama - its length high up the thigh much like a short skirt; and a small black obi sash firmly around her tiny waist is all the holds it up, while the open slits down the sides of the hakama bear nothing but her milky white thighs. She then wears a white kimono with black trim, its length being short in the front but very long in the back hanging down to her ankles; all that really seems to keep it closed is that small black obi sash around her slim waist as it seems to scarcely contain her modesty. On both her hands she wears a pair of very light clothe white fingerless hooked gauntlets that go up to her elbow.

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Hollow Mask:

A mask appearing like a vile skull with a pair of small downward curved tusk-like incisors amongst the upper case teeth. At the corners of its chin and jaw line is a tiny horn. A pair of small horn-like ridges line the left cheek of the mask, while another much larger pair of horn-like ridges line the top of the mask, both pairs of ridges pulling back on the mask. Over the left eye is a violet slash marks, three in all, pulling back on the mask as well; while three slash marks crack from uner the right eye. The eyes of the mask glow a dark purple hue, while within the mask around the eyes all appears dark, no skin seen. How she even generates it over her face unlike many Vizard her make some sort of hand motion over their face as if putting on or donning the mask, Sakura seems to summon it on via mere thought.

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Hollow Powers:

She possesses all the common powers associated with a Vizard mask: enhanced strength, speed, stanima, and spiritual power. Lastly, when increasing her reiatsu with her dual reiatsu when wearing the mask, it often described as being dense and thick, possibly because of her heavy reliance on her reiatsu and reiryoku levels to utilize her Shikai and Kidou.

Enhanced Reiryoku Absorption: Again also in regards to her lack of being a warrior, her ability to utilize the Hollow mask reiryoku manipulation is something she has learned to do quite well. The reiryoku her Shinigami being leaks out, the Hollow ability given to her by her mask for absorbing reiryoku, she absorbs back into into her as well as pulling it from other areas, making her able sustain her reiryoku and reiatsu levels a bit more efficiently; which given how heavily dependent she is upon them - makes this a very valued technique for her. While it does not prevent her reiatsu and/or reiryoku levels from depleting, it does help to slow their depletion some.

Enhanced Mask Shielding: The Mask Shielding ability of the Hollow masks, is another thing she has learned to reap the benefits off greatly because of her utter lack of physical combat prowess. Even learning to take hers a bit further due to being physically weak out of her being more the sorceress than the warrior. So the damage she suffers can push onward, but that only goes so far, especially as this enhanced version degrades her mask more quickly, thus once the mask is fully lost, pending on how much damage she has taken - she will suffer for it immensely.

Cero: If there is anything Sakura has learned to do exceptionally well while donning her mask, it is casting her Cero. The power of which ranges in accordance to how much power she chooses to put into the attack. If she imbues a lot of reiatsu into her Cero it will begin to degrade her mask quicker, but the destructive effect she can cause becomes far more severe.

How she casts it seems to be through a variety of ways by moving and/or waving her hands, but never exactly having to stick with one method or form of doing it. Though, the more power she puts into casting the Cero, the longer it will take to cast it, and therefore more open to interruption all the same.

Inner Hollow:

Rin, zanpakutos are spirits forged from the Shinigami's own soul, and Sakura's Inner Hollow is the true form of her zanpakuto spirit. It takes a couple forms, one being of Sakura herself - her identical form, only pure white with glowing dark purple eyes. The other its truest form, a giant serpent dragon - its massive black serpentine body chained and bound by Sakura's will,a nd also blindfolded by a long red clothe. Its face unknown, but its mask is that of dragon skull; and at the tip of its tail is a bone-like shell with a razor sharp tip. Often out a purely instinctual level she drawn to her Inner Hollow, which makes her quite susceptible to Rin's machinations.

Rin's voice is deep and booming with its gargantuan form, loud and difficult to understand because of its volume. A truly shrewd and manipulative being, it often to implants ideas and conniving thoughts into Sakura's head, swaying her to see things in a different view - its view, trying to get the Vizard to subtly act in accordance to its will.

Zampakuto's name:

Rin

Zampakuto Spirit:

The zanpakuto spirit of Sakura's is in fact nothing more than the avatar and proxy of Sakura's Inner Hollow. Taking on the form of a gorgeous pale skinned young woman with long, silk black hair with violet hued eyes, and dressed in lavish black and purple sorceress-like dress with a purple headband. Her voice is soothing and caring, even gentle - lulling. Though she proves no different from her greater form, being subtly manipulative to her possessor, often attempting to steer Sakura into the direction they want her to go in. Though while the true form of Rin seems more authorative and grandiose in no small part do to its great size and powerful near deafening voice; the avatar form of Rin is seemingly more caring and seductive, but both of their aims are one in the same - to take over their possessor and dominate her. In truth they are nothing shy of evil as they attempt to control Sakura as much as possible.

Rin's inner world is a place of darkness and shadow with faded and distant violet and purple lights illuminating the realm only so much. There is no ground - or at leas there does not seem to be such as it walking into that place one walks on walking on air. Filling the near black void are numerous large mirrior shards floating randomly in place throughout the inner world. At its core resides the bound and chained true form of Rin. The times Sakura visits the inner world she is instantly greeted by the avatar.

Un-released Zampakuto's Appearance:

It appears as a humble tanto with a black clothe grip and glossy black scabbard, generally always kept sheathed along the back of her waist.

Shikai Release phrase::

"Kage." (Shadows)

Shikai Appearance::

Upon uttering the phrase, she takes the tanto and stabs the blade into her chest where her heart lay, but it does not pierce her flesh. Instead it glows a bright white light at first as it transforms and merges with her body until it takes the form of a large two inch long and wide dark purple glossy, shining diamond resting over her heart on her chest. From then on it appears as though she controls and manipulates shadows at will, but it is not shadows, it is the darkness within her that she manipulates and controls completely. It appears as a dense non-transparent fog swirling, whirling, and ebbing all around Sakura up to waist high. Varying waves of her hands directs its flow, and where it strikes at times condensing areas of it to lash out with blades or spikes or tendrils of its pure darkness. As all of it is nothing more than the darkness of her soul given form, hence why when she increases her reiatsu levels to its peak the darkness grows stronger and expands; or the polar opposite - when her reiatsu levels are low it recedes and grows weaker.

Shikai Abilities::

Isshinittai: (Ebb and Flow) With general sweeps of her hands she manipulates the darkness to recede up against her like raging waters running up a wall only to flow black outward as powerful wave. This is much the same only she sharpens the crest of the wave to be like razors edge slicing at the target like a buzz-saw.

Joushishintan: (Arms of the Abyss) Once again with various waves of her hands, she manipulates the darkness flowing around her to lash out with tendrils acting as whips attempting to slash, lash, slice, splice their intended target. But she can also used them to block and defend molding them together like a shield or even a make shift barrier. Though, if the attack she is defending against is strong enough it can completely dissipate shield or barrier they form into leaving Sakura utterly vulnerable as she has no other weapon or means to defend herself with.

Kagekasui: (Shadow Spikes) Accomplishing this technique of her Shikai she thrusts out one of her hands at the intended target. Immensely long spikes from the darkness she wields shoot out attempting to impale the target. The attack is exceedingly fast and swift precision strike, though they can be blocked or evaded by those swift enough. The spikes of darkness in this case are denser and stronger - sturdy not supple and fog-like like the tendrils.

Bankai Description:

Kagekaigan: (Shadow Enlightenement) Upon calling upon the power of her Bankai, both she and her opponent(s) become enclosed within a shadow realm. The shadow realm itself is identical to her zanpakuto's inner world. A place of shadow lit only by distant, faint violet lights. Idly floating in random areas of this shadow realm are large mirror shards a few feet in length and/or width. The only thing this realm lacks is her zanpakuto spirit and her chained Inner Hollow. But, instead at the core of the inner world is Sakura herself with shadows swirling about her just they do with her Shikai, rather than her Inner Hollow.

Bankai Abilities:

Za Enannakousoku: (The Ties that Bind) From the floating mirror shards numerous chains launch from them at Sakura's target. If struck by the chains they wrap around the target binding them in place much like a level 90 Kidou Spell of the Way of Binding. However, these chains are evadable and can be deflected by ones weapon for those swift and able enough.

Idakuozashintan: (Embrace of the Abyss) A gargantuan wave of dense shadow thrashes and encircles the target closing in on them, and eventually crashes down upon them. Swirling about with them locked inside before exploding in a massive burst of dark reiatsu. It is possible for those who have the speed and power to evade the wave to escape it; also this is an exceedingly powerful, focused attack that drains much of her reiatsu levels.

Yaburetayume: (Shattered Dream) This is a disembodiment of the shadow realm itself utilized as an attack. It is her strongest attack, and drains immense amounts of her reiatsu leaving her quite fatigued afterward. What occurs is the entire shadow realm shatters like glass, and each fragment disembodies into shadow absorbing into the mirrors shadows causing them to glow brighter and brighter as more shadows are absorbed into them. Upon the entire shadow realm having at last been absorbed into the mirror shadows they explode proving to be something like a time bomb. The explosion is catastrophic and those caught in it can possibly be hurt incredibly to quite severe degrees. Though, this attack also takes time, leaving it open to evasion for the target(s) to flee, as well as interruption by attacking Sakura directly as she focuses herself to accomplish the devastating attack.

Skill Level: Kidou: Advanced
Skill Level: Swordsmanship: Beginner
Skill Level: Shunpou: Advanced
Skill Level: Hand-to-hand: Beginner
History/Background:

Up until some forty or years ago Sakura was an exceedingly talented member of Kidou Corps, looked upon as a prodigy within the Kidou arts. Born a noble of a minor Noble House of Seireitei, the Saitou, she enjoyed nearly every luxury that Seireitei had to offer in no small part thanks to her family's wealth and prestige within Seireitei. Often doted on as a child and quite spoiled growing up, she was also raised highly dignified and refined - to carry herself with regal nobility as her prestation demanded. Her father being a Kidou Master once long ago serving as Kidou Corps Captain long before Tessai's time, he passed on his knowledge to his daughter.

Of her own accord to follow in her father's footsteps she enlisted into the academy to join the Gotei 13. However, not to serve the Gotei 13 directly, but indirectly via the Kidou Corps as her father once did. Her talent proved to be extreme when using Kidou, she dazzled many of the instructors with her highly skilled and advanced abilities with it. Reiatsu and reiryoku manipulation on several levels seemed to come to her with easy, extending even to her ability with Hohou to which Shunpou is an ability of, she proves to be exceptionally skilled with. But, she did not prove to be much of a combatant. Swordsmanship, Hakuda, these things hold zero interests to her, nor does she even really care for them at all. In a way, she is a bit snooty on the concept, viewing such methods of fighting as barbarism, lacking the refinement and genius required for reiatsu and reiryoku manipulation; and in her mind, the ability to do Kidou proficiently or at least efficiently is the pinnacle of that.

Upon graduating the academy, she was instantly accepted into Kidou Corps when she applied for it. Sakura within the Kidou Corps took heavily to numerous amounts of sorcerous experimentation, often looking for new and better ways to expand upon the ability to manipulate reiatsu and reiryoku. They being the power of ones soul, this lead to Sakura down an exceedingly dark park of experimenting with the souls of humans, Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollows alike.

Even Sakura's zanpakuto was something disturbing to others given its dark reiatsu. When she created it back in the academy, she forged it from the darkest depths and aspects of herself. Forging an instrument of shadow reiatsu/reiryoku with a bloodcurdling dark aura to it.

Just shy of four decades after her graduating from the academy, Sakura's immense ability within Kidou earned her the Vice-Captain's position within Kidou Corps. Unarguably a genius at the art, whose knowledge within it rivaled even Captains, she proved more than qualified for the position.

During her time as Vice-Captain for Kidou Corps, though brief it proved to be, she was something of a tutor to a member of the Sasaki clan, whom also proved to have a brief stay within Kidou Corps before moving onto 2nd Division. However, she was known to be something of a poor Vice-Captain administratively, as she seldom ever did the required reports and busy work, she viewed such menial tasks as being too beneath, and would thus shut herself off to her own works and studies.

But, what those studies pertained no one knew. It fell along the lines of finding her own means into how she could strength her own reiatsu and reiryoku, expanding upon her abilities and manipulation of it. After all, she is in every way a Kidou Master, reiatsu and reiryoku is something she heavily dependent upon given her own physicality and martial prowess is so minute. She begun her research with her own zanpakuto, which she forged from a piece of her own darkness within her soul. There was little she did not delve into in regards to understanding that darker aspect of her own soul, and she sought to dig deeper into that aspect of herself and see if she dredge up more power from it.

This lead to do numerous amounts of experimentation on herself, and her very own soul to find the deeps depths of her shadowy powers. But, what she wound up tapping into was the very flip side of her own being, what she would have become had she not been reborn as a Shinigami. It was herself as a Hollow, and she felt great power from it, but there was a problem, her own reiatsu and reiryoku did not mesh well with it; and her every bit of research and experimentation dictated that were she to try to bring out this aspect of herself to attempt to merge with it she would inevitably be killed by the process known as Hollowification according to her research.

However, part of that very darkness lay within her zanpakuto. She realized she could utilize her own zanpakuto as a medium, while using a Kidou healing method to harmonize the Inner Hollow's reiatsu with her own, and thus become stronger by the merging of the two.

One day, her quarters were burned to the ground, and Sakura was never seen nor heard from again - a body never found. For decades she was never seen until most recently within Hueco Mundo wandering the halls of Los Noches. It is unknown how long she has been there, or why she ever arrived there. But, she works utterly in the service of Ai Kyouraku as her proxy and right hand.

RP Sample:

Wandering the seemingly empty halls of the Arrancar dwelling Los Noches, the young female Vizard kept her pale blue eyes forward as she walked. The quiet pitter-patter of her bare feet upon the hard stone floors of the grand building could be heard as she walked. Passing a large glassless window of the immense hallway, she paused a moment, turning her eyes to gaze out into the barren scenery of Hueco Mundo momentarily.

Her brow furrowed a little by the sight, as if she had never seen it before, despite the fact she has seen it daily for decades. Yet, for some reason, this time it felt like she were gazing out into the horizon from upon high in Los Noches for the first time. Why it felt this way she did not know, it just did - a slight confusion befell her. Albeit, in another moment, the sensation passed, and she moved on.

The little pitter-patter of her feet faintly heard carrying her onward down the grand hallway she walked in. There was no introspective moment for her, no epiphany for her to discover, just silence. A silence she was satisfied with, not everything in existence has to be a grand moment of insightful realization. Something of a day dreamer herself, she knew this better than most, some times just momentary experiencing some new is just a small indulgence.

[Ai]

AT LONG LAST, APP DONE!!! IT ONLY TOOK ME A LIL' OVER A MONTH!!!

[kenpachi]

Approved,

High Level, Average.