Miyazawa, Ai Muro - Shinigami

Shinigami

For the Record

Name: Miyazawa, Ai.
Age: Three-hundred thirteen (313) years old. Appears twenty-one (21) years old.
Gender: Female.
Loyalties: Herself.
 

Character Parameters

Height & Weight 162.6cm and 54.4kg
Hair & Eye Colour Straightened maroon coloured hair falls to her waist. Maroon eyes.
Noticeable Difference Standing at roughly one-hundred-sixty-three centimetres, she has a slender body but firm structure. Ai has dark maroon hair that falls just passed her waist. She is very meticulous in keeping it clean to give it a soft, shiny appearance. This also ends up helping Ai keep it free of annoying curls and unsightly knots so she can let it hang loose. Despite her slender appearance Ai’s body is well toned, a testament to how she exercises daily. She has a medium length mid-section, medium sized breasts and somewhat long legs in appearance. Along with her hourglass figure, this makes Ai very pretty to look at. Her skin also seems to naturally radiate energy and glow. Ai also possesses big, bright red eyes that can seemingly capture someone’s gaze.

Unlike most Shinigami, Ai wears a Gotei Six uniform she has customized herself. This uniform includes a white shitagi, a black kosode, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji. The black hakama that is normally expected is absent, leaving Ai with a mini-skirt like kosode that is belted by a pink ribbon on the waist. Her top is also worn slightly loose to reveal some skin but not too much of it to be considered inappropriate or distracting to others. During formal occasions or if she is summoned she will tighten her top so nothing is showing. On the inside of her uniform is the insignia of the Kido Corps. This prevents anyone from stealing or “borrowing” her clothes. It also serves as a security measure so Soul Reapers in other squads who have an identical uniform can be identified and be prevented from entering forbidden areas to them. As Ai is part of the Kido Corps, she is also an honorary member of the third squad. To fulfil her role as a medic she will sometimes carry glass vials in sets of three on her pink ribbon-like belt. She can also be seen carrying a white backpack at times filled with other medical supplies.

After ascending to the rank of Kido Corps General, Ai’s clothing has changed slightly to reflect her rank. As this separate division is not officially considered part of the Gotei 6 Ai wears a different uniform than the other captains. Atop her regular Shinigami uniform, she wears an ornate blue and gold robe with the symbol of the Kido Corps placed on both breasts while the symbol of captain is imprinted on the back. Next to her robe, Ai wears a straw hat called a sakkat, wooden crescent moon earrings hung from each ear lobe via a small metal chain as well as a white choker. The choker is made from silver-white windflower light silk. 

Positive Traits

• Reliable: Though regarded by a slacker by some, Ai is actually very reliable. When the time arises to step up she will without hesitation.
• Cautious: Simply put, Ai won’t rush head first into battle if she is edged on. She will also play it safe and avoid making any risky moves unless necessary.
• Strategic: Even though Ai is cautious, she is also a strategic individual. She will always plan for the worst case scenario while devising methods to defeat her opponent.
• Pacifist: Ai likes to avoid conflict whenever possible. She’d rather be diplomatic and discuss matters to come up with a non-violent solution rather than place herself or those around her at risk of injury.
• Nature Lover: This is more of a way of life for Ai than even her daily routine as a member of the Gotei 6. She considers nature to be a moral teacher, one that can teach others what is right and wrong if they look hard enough. Without nature there would be no beauty in the world, no moral teacher or life. This is why Ai will defend nature against anything that it cannot defend itself against or is not part of the “circle of life.” While some consider her a tree hugger she is very different from the environmental organizations of the twenty-first century in the way that she will immediately resort to beating an aggressor or aggressors senseless until they give up or are incapacitated.

Negative Traits

• Lazy: Despite having been one of the seven Captains of the Gotei Six, Ai is quite lazy. She hates paperwork and will avoid it anyway she can.
• Indecisive: It has always been difficult for Ai to solve a problem presented to her. Every action and potential solution must be weighed against each other and their negative effects considered. This makes it nearly impossible for the Shinigami to confidently make up her mind on matters that must be decided upon on short notice, and does lead to long wait times between the problem’s presentation and its conclusion.
• Avolition: Her motivation is in tatters. Following her shameful surrender to Gilgamesh and the damage it has caused Soul Society she has lost her drive. She no longer possesses the same motivation to complete things of importance or change Soul Society for the better. They could be handled by someone better than she.
• Overly Tolerant: She lacks the hate for Arrancar and Quincies that are drilled into Shinigami from the very beginning of their academy days. Rather than slay one on sight in order to preserve the balance, Ai will judge each being on a case-by-case basis; often letting them go for their lack of negative intentions at that point in time.
• Suspicious: Pursued by the Golden Court for several months Ai as a wanted convict has become suspicious of the intentions of those around her. Will they betray her like Mitsutaka and Lancelot had? Or maybe even like her former best friend Hikari? She can never be positive and treats everyone she comes into contact as having shady intentions.

TMI?:

Personality:

Ai tends to be a slacker that dislikes paperwork or any difficult work, for that matter. She also loves to drink. Despite her appearance, Ai is very modest about her looks and refers to herself as just average and nothing special. This also helps Ai to keep herself well-grounded and not overly arrogant in what she can get away with. She is not above using her feminine charm, however. Though, she dislikes using it unless she is in a desperate situation and it doesn’t really help when in the presence of other females. Instead, she may have to become a bit of a pervert to annoy a woman into getting her way. In this way, she is very easy-going and laid-back in most situations.

She is also known to be empathetic to the people around her. Despite her laid-back easy-going personality, Ai can become quite serious when it is appropriate to be. She can also become quite motivated and spend hours reading to improve her knowledge of Kido and history or painting. While she is lazy and this sometimes impedes her judgement, Ai is surprisingly observant and a capable analyst but doesn’t reveal this often. Ai prefers to be seen as normal even if this diminishes her standing in comparison to other individuals who aren’t as observant but regularly show it off and bring attention to themselves. These individuals are the ones who end up with the expectation of working hard and performing superbly while Ai is tasked with easier jobs and reveals her intellect very little to avoid this and have an advantage when sparring.
 

Bond Undeniable

Zanpakutō Spirit: Named after the Roman goddess of earth and fertility, Libera takes on the form of a beautiful sixteen-year-old woman. She has long, shinning, blond hair that falls just passed her waist. In her hair are two light blue roses with one above each ear. Sitting upon Libera’s head are lush green vines that wrap around to form a crown. Adorned with small yellow flowers the crown is thought to be very plain when seen from the rear but this perspective quickly changes when it is seen from the front. The crown jewel of the vine-like crown is a beautiful lotus. While a regular lotus is pink, Libera’s is rainbow and brightly glows like a precious diamond. When hit by light from Ai’s inner world the flower can be seen from the real world equivalent of two-hundred meters. Aside from her crown, Libera holds a platinum staff with a bardiche blade head on the end. It is also adorned with dark green engravings resembling vines that twist their way to up the staff and stop at the bulbous tip, which is shaped like a seed. This ends up giving the staff a more organic look.

Libera’s eyes are dark green and like the lotus on her crown, they are bright. They are also quite large so it is easy to get lost in their warm gaze, as Ai has done in the past and are further accentuated by her thick eyelashes. Libera is five feet and four inches in height, making her average. While Ai has taken note of how light Libera is, she does not appear skinny or overweight. She is “just right.” However, this isn’t the most striking feature of Libera’s body. Besides the bright “glow” of her fair skin, Libera’s figure is stunning. Every one of her body parts are in perfect proportion with another as well as perfectly level. Clothing wise, there isn’t much to mention. Named after a goddess of fertility and earth Libera plays the role by wearing as little as possible because “nature is not meant to wear clothing.” Despite this statement, Libra wears a short white leather skirt with a small part of her outer thighs exposed from the slits where the black threads hold the front and rear section of the garb together. A white leather bra-like shirt also helps to keep her “cleavage” hidden.

Libera’s personality is somewhat odd. She is extremely wise and intelligent but at the same time she is very fun to be around and is able to convince Ai to stop working so hard and enjoy herself once and awhile. However, this “fun” can sometimes go a little too far and ends with Ai in trouble. Whenever Ai attempts to chastise Libera for her part in the incident, she simply brushes it off responding happily that it was a good learning experience and one that neither of them would forget anytime soon. This puts a strain on their relationship at times but they usually make up within a few hours and Libera goes back to her happy self. On odd occasions, Libera will even encourage her wielder to be a bit seductive to get their way for “what man or even women for that matter could resist them?” An interesting fact that Ai is somewhat unsettled by and doesn’t reveal is that while she is an Asian female, Libera appears as a Caucasian female.

Inner World: Ai’s inner world is made up of a large field of various trees and flowers. The temperature there is quite warm, not too hot nor cold. It is constantly raining and the sky is always grey. Due to the constant rainfall, the air is filled with the scents of earth and moss. This makes for a nice relaxing effect for Ai and Libera. While the constant rainfall does cause the ground to become muddy and difficult to tread without slipping her inner world makes up for this in beauty. Wrapped around each tree are dark green vines with white flowers constantly blooming to replace any flowers that eventually perish. The most common flowers seen on the ground are blue roses, tulips and golden irises. At times of peace, the clouds will part as the rain stops to reveal the moon as it bathes the field in pale white light. It is during this time that fireflies come out and the crickets begin to chirp.

Venturing further into the heart of Ai’s inner world the number of trees and flowers quickly recede and finally end at a large very-clear fresh water lake. Floating a top of the lake are pink lotus flowers and lily pads. On further analysis, one can even see fish, turtles and frogs due to how clear the lake is. Compared to the warm temperature in the air the water of the lake is quite chilly and gets colder the deeper the depth. To venture across the lake there is a path of round, white stepping-stones that seemingly float atop the surface. To support a person’s weight the stepping-stones are two feet in diameter. Strolling across this path will lead to the heart of Ai’s inner world, where a huge tree stands. The tree is so huge that its branches seemingly extend high into the sky passed the clouds. Continuing forward a small opening in the tree will reveal a large spiral staircase that stretches upwards.

A top the spiral staircase is a large room the size of a banquet hall filled with a “field” of flowers surrounding an elevated wooden throne where either Libera or Ai will sit. Compared to some of the other parts of Ai’s inner world, the throne is very plain with only a single pink flower at the very top. Interesting to note is that the throne is directly attached to the ground, making it a living part of the tree. Travelling up the spiral staircase even further one will find him or herself at the top level of the tree with a bird’s eye view of the entire inner world when the clouds part and moon begins to shine. On these clear nights, mountains can be seen in the distance, revealing that the field is actually a valley of lush plants and fertility.

Sealed Zanpakutō: Ai’s Zanpakutō takes the form of a standard katana with a dark green hilt in its sealed state. The hilt is of average size with a titanium grip and custom hand guard. The hand guard is made up of two curved extensions with a flower in the centre. On the pommel of the katana is a small metal chain with a ring at the end, so the sword can quickly double as a flail. The katana’s blade itself is slightly larger than normal at sixty-six centimetres rather than sixty. The blade is also slightly curved. This gives Ai a slightly longer reach than normal without any added weight that would prevent her from performing slower than a member of similar rank and skill level performs. A rather unique feature of Libera that separates her from other Zanpakutō is her blade has a reddish pink tint to it. Ai carries her Zanpakutō in a black and green sheath located on her right hip.

Shikai Appearance: In its Shikai state, Libera takes on the form of a large staff. Its composition is that of white coloured platinum giving it a very expensive and precious look. Despite its appearance, the staff is actually very durable and can parry Zanpakutō in their sealed states without so much as a scratch being laid on the fine metal. The staff is seventy-two inches or six-feet, making it larger than Ai herself but surprisingly light. Ai is capable of lifting the entire weapon over her head with a single hand. Along the rod section of the staff is a thin layer of moss where Ai’s hands are when she wields the staff. To protect her hands a rectangular hand guard is located on each side of the staff. On the ends of the rod, the staff splits into five pieces, spiral and form an opened bulbous section before coming together to form a long tip. Due to Libera’s “fancy” appearance, not many people believe the staff is dangerous, but this is just a charade. The staff has a hidden features that Ai attempts to keep a secret. The staff can be twisted and split into two pieces held together by a short metal chain. When released, Ai gains an identical floral crown as Libera wears minus the lily.

Release Phrase: “Grow and spread natural tranquillity, Libera!”

Shikai Abilities: Libera is an earth-elemental Zanpakutō. When it is released into Shikai, form Ai gains the ability to manipulate plants as if they were extensions of her body. Libera's ability is called Overgrowth. The ability Overgrowth is performed by Ai striking either tip of the staff against the ground. When struck against the earth Libera will amplify the small amount of reiryoku that Ai has released and sends it directly into the ground. When encountering a targeted plant or plants the reiryoku will seemingly be transferred to it causing an immediate growth spurt. This small boost Ai gives them works wonders. Libera can also absorb reiryoku from plants in a unique way that causes them to shrink. When Ai has shrunk or grown the plant(s) to her desired height, she can then manipulate her “borrowed” reiryoku within them with movements from her hand or staff to cause the plants to move in a desired way. Ai can also use this ability by sending reiryoku through the air but larger amounts will be necessary and the effects will be slower and less satisfactory than usual.
 

FLASHBACK

Ai was born in the year 1710, to two very prominent and wealthy parents as the older of two twin sisters. This was both a blessing and a curse for the young infant. Ai’s mother had trouble conceiving, taking several years to finally get pregnant without losing them in a natural spontaneous abortion. Just managing to carry the two children to birth and living through the experience was a miracle. However, their were complications after the birth. Due to the damage caused to her reproductive tract from the twins’ birth, Ai’s mother could no longer bear children. This left the family in a huge dilemma. Ai’s father lacked a male heir to take over as head of the Miyazawa family and had no ability to “try again” with his wife’s condition. It seemed to be a hopeless situation that was destined to last for the rest of the middle-aged man’s life. In such a situation, he had no choice. He loved his wife too dearly to “get rid” of her and remarry again. Instead, he chose to accept his family’s misfortune and groom his oldest twin girl, Ai, in the hopes that she would be married off to the male heir of another prominent family. This would ensure both his daughter’s well-being and ends up keeping his family within the upper class of Japan. Ai would be the golden girl that would get him out of this crisis while Yukira was nothing more than a nuisance, a curse he would have to live with until he could get rid of her but that would take years. In those few years, Ai’s father did nothing but shun her little sister, an action that would lead to a curse and a string of tragedies stretching a mile long.

While Ai does pride herself for her close to photographic memory, her time in the human world is somewhat blurry. She remembers key events, places and people that affected her while she lived in the world of the living but not the minor details. Everything that wasn’t important besides common knowledge simply faded away with time. The first of Ai’s memories, and the longest one she has retained happened when she was roughly four years old and is odd even by Shinigami standards. Walking along the wooden floor of the main household out to the gardens the young girl happily spotted a familiar face, her grandfather’s. But something was off about the elderly man that Ai wouldn’t learn to discern until she entered Soul Society twelve years later. Approaching her grandfather happily, she warmly greeted him with a “Konnichiwa, Ojiisan.” Turning towards Ai with a shocked expression on his face, he simply nodded to return the greeting just as she clutched his hand. It felt ice cold to the touch and light. Due to her age, Ai thought little of the feeling blaming it on the man’s age while totally ignoring her grandfather’s face as it turned almost into shear panic. For the next few minutes Ai gently lead him to the garden and began to talk non-stop. What they talked about though, remains even a mystery to Ai but she believes that she was talking about how beautiful the flowers had become. Ai’s grandfather was the one who had taught her to respect nature and how to take care of it so it would last. She deeply adored him for this and considered it the greatest gift she ever received. Of course, this gift even continued to influence her after death and eventually became a way of life.

Tugging her grandfather’s hand once more, Ai finally felt some resistance causing her to turn and ask, “What’s wrong Ojiisan?” Her grandfather just looked at for a moment and smiled before pulling his hand out of the girl’s grasp. “Nothing, Ai-chan. But I can’t stay much longer. I promised someone I would be quick.” Letting her grandfather’s hand slip from her gap Ai stood there confused as her grandfather slowly walked out the entrance of the garden. He had never visited the family for such a short a time before and he didn’t even bring her a flower like he always did. Maybe he just forgot was the only explanation a girl as young as Ai could make about her grandfather’s absence. In an act fuelled by adrenaline and curiosity, Ai waited until her grandfather left the gardens before stealthily following him. It worked. He didn’t even make it out of the property before she had caught up to him and another funnily dressed middle-aged woman wearing a black uniform of some sorts. Everything about it was so plain except the shiny katana that loosely hung loose from her right side. Spying on the pair from behind a sakura tree Ai watched as her grandfather was consumed by a white light once the pommel of the woman’s katana was pressed against his head. Within a second the woman likewise, vanished into thin air. Even more confused about what happened Ai walked up to the same spot as her grandfather had been a moment before and attempted to use all five of her senses to discover the trick but came up short. Now sitting on the ground, tears welled up in her eyes when all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and she blacked out.

The Shinigami from before had been watching events play out from her perch on a roof and decided to take matters into her own hands. By knocking the girl out, it would make what transpired before her seem nothing more than a dream, an ethereal illusion that no one would believe. But who would have thought a little girl could see spirits? The chance of coming across one of these individuals was very rare even by Shinigami standards. Playing around with the idea the Shinigami opted to leave the girl be and not include this incident in her report before discreetly opening a Senkai gate and leaving. The girl would never have an ordinary life again if she did. The Central 46 would make sure of that. Any human with the ability to see spirits was considered a danger to them but Ai wouldn’t have to worry about that. Waking a few hours later with a doctor by her side Ai looked around the room before asking the usual “What happened” before letting out a groan. Her head was pounding and everything fuzzy. “You hit your head and passed out” was the only answer she received much to her dismay. She didn’t hit her head! Someone hit her from behind, she was sure of it, but no one would listen. Bed ridden for the next few hours Ai angrily sulked under the covers until she received tragic news later that night from her mother. Her grandfather had passed away the night before in a hotel a day’s journey away. It wasn’t possible! She had talked to him earlier that day. This made no sense! Becoming so traumatized over the event Ai never mentioned it to anyone while she lived. It didn’t stop there, though. Every now and again Ai would see people that no one else could and this became more frequent as she grew older.

Ai’s second memory is that of a cold, rainy day where she quietly studied mathematics and practiced the Japanese tea ceremony in front of a tutor while her twin sister was off playing in the other room. She was now fourteen years old. While somewhat overblown, Ai felt jealous of Yukira’s freedom. Unknown to her, Yukira felt the same way, which was starting to cause an uneasy tension between the two everywhere they went. Sitting cross-legged with her back against the wall Ai slowly proceeded to dip the tip of her brush in black ink when she felt the ground tremble. Stopping mid-action, she stared out of the open door when another tremble occurred the only difference this time was it was followed up by a loud roar. Something was coming towards the manor, something big. From here, her memory becomes very cloudy. She is still uncertain as to what happened but she distinctly remembers a fight break out as she ran between a man in a black uniform and a large beast with a white face and bright, glowing yellow eyes later known to her as a Hollow. As to the reason Ai only remembers half of this frightening ordeal is still unknown to her. She hypothesizes that the Shinigami who fought the Hollow was just a trainee and failed to adequately wipe her memory due to her own spiritual powers or just not being a proficient Kidō user. In any case, this has placed a small tinge of fear of the Hollows within Ai though; she is more frightened of not being able to protect a child from one rather than herself.

Ai’s last memory occurred when she was sixteen years old. It would be her last as a living, breathing human being. During the two years between her second and third memory the atmosphere in the manor rapidly changed. Ai was now sixteen years old and old enough to be married off to a male heir from a wealthy family. The tensions between Ai and Yukira also stretched to the breaking point exploding into several large arguments over the course of six months. Neither would even dare to look at the other for fear of starting another argument. Things were very different now and it was beginning to show. Sitting on the patio area of the manor indulging in sake Ai sat happily watching the birds fly over the flowers with help of her alcoholic beverage. It was to be a good day. A potential suitor was coming to visit in the evening and she had to make a good first impression. Even if she didn’t like him she would do it for her family and her honour. In reality, the thought disturbed her in a way nothing else could. Taking another swig, this time from the bottle Ai let out a sigh before a sense of cloudiness began to take over. Her eyesight became fuzzy and every breath she took caused intense pain in her chest. “What’s happening to me?” she asked aloud only to get no response. She was starting to panic. Unable to think from the intense pain and added panic Ai slowly slipped into the darkness with the last thing she saw before blacking out: her twin sister.
 

Post-Death

“What happened? Why am I here?” Was the first thing Ai remembers saying after her death. Looking around Ai could tell she was still in the same room she had been previously but it was late at night and no one was up. The corridors of the manor were completely devoid of anything. It seemed like death had made its way into the whole estate or so the young girl thought. Nothing made sense. Was everything that just happened a nightmare or was it a trick her sister played on her for revenge? Either way, she had no time to think of why but what she was going to do. Suitors were coming and she appeared to be the one who was late. But that was impossible! Her parents would have woken her long ago if that was the case. Ugh… The entire day made no sense to Ai at this point and without a moment to spare; she carefully stood up and began to walk towards the gardens. Even in this darkness, she could see a small glimmer of lights in the distance. They were coming from the river that ran by the whole family’s estate. Odd… but this whole day had been as well and Ai wasn’t going to complain. Fixing her hair up slightly and letting out a nervous sigh, she put a smile on her face and elegantly strolled her way to what appeared to be a huge party but again something seemed off. She had the same feeling whenever she crossed a new grave and when she saw her grandfather. It still hadn’t clicked yet that she was dead and throughout the next few minutes Ai began to panic. Everyone was ignoring her even when she talked to them. It was as if she wasn’t even there. However, the worst was yet to come and nothing could prepare Ai for what was about to happen but it would continue to haunt her for the next three decades.

She could hear her mother calling her. “Ai, can you come here for a moment? I need some help.” Pushing through the small crowd of people Ai came within ten meters of her mother before stopping: the same weird feeling from before caused her muscles to lock up. What was going on? Pondering the situation over for a moment, Ai felt a sharp bump against her shoulder causing her to stumble as someone walked by, but it wasn’t a stranger, she knew this individual quite well. Turning her head up in shock, she stared wide-eyed as her twin sister elegantly walked to their mother and spoke softly “Of course, okaasan. What do you want me to do?” At that point, Ai snapped and started to scream at both of them to no avail. No one could hear or see her no matter what she did. It finally clicked. She was dead just like her grandfather several years earlier but this time there was no one with the ability to see the dead. But where was her body? Yukira couldn’t have moved it too far. The thought of it caused tears to well up in Ai’s eyes and finally stream down her face on the desolate walk back home. She was alone. Managing to walk into the manor Ai was consumed by a sense of despair. She had so much to live for and it was already over. She never even had a chance to live her life to the fullest. Why her? It didn’t take Ai long to find the body. It was in Yukira’s room, as she originally suspected. What she didn’t expect to find was a sword through “her” body’s stomach and blood covered suicide note. The bitch even mutilated her body so it looked like Seppuku!

What followed was intense rage. What had she ever done wrong to deserve to die? Yukira was a cold-blooded killer who ruined her life and replaced her. The ingrate was going to pay for what she did! Within hours of that fateful promise Ai’s body was discovered and quickly disposed of. No one even bothered to check which of the twins it really was. They just assumed it was her second-class sisters and disposed of it without much thought. Their was a wake, of course, but no one seemed to care. Everyone was pre-occupied of the joyous news of Ai’s, the fake Ai’s, engagement. This is when Ai finally lost it and began to take action. Revenge had never been so sweet. Using all the powers at her disposal Ai began to turn the manor into a living hell for her twin sister by throwing heavy objects at her as she walked by and never allowing her to sleep. Not receiving the reaction she was going for her violent activity continued this time she began to lash out at the servants and even her own parents for their “carelessness”. In the midst of these acts, fear began to break out amongst the household. Something supernatural was at play and no one was willing to fight it. Instead, servants began to leave and soon a heaviness hung over the household eventually coming to a climax when a katana “fell” from the wall into Yukira’s right hand days before her wedding. This final act managed to turn her treacherous sister into a sobbing, heavily disturbed mess. But all was not well for Ai, either. But all was not well for Ai, either. With every bad deed she completed the hole in her chest grew larger causing an agonizing pain within her chest. This trend continued for one more day until she was saved by a Shinigami.

Life In Soul Society

Pain. It was the first thing that greeted Ai when she awoke a few hours later drenched from the rain and covered in mud. This must be karma, she thought. Maybe the Buddhists really were right. She should have listened more. Sitting up the pain in her head instantly cleared and she let out a sigh of relief. Lifting both her arms an awkward weight on her right hand caused her to turn. Expecting to find a twig Ai was greeted by a ring around her middle finger. However, this wasn’t any ordinary ring. It was connected to a chain, which was further connected to a handle. Pulling the handle from the mud, she immediately discerned it as a katana. Why did she have a katana? Only those spirit people in black uniforms and samurai carried katanas. Whatever. She had better things to think about now like where she was. All she could tell was that she was in the world the dead traveled to after they left the Earth. She knew that much from what happened to her grandfather. Now she just needed to find her place in this new world whatever that might be. But first, she needed to find someone. From where she was, it looked like countryside. Finding anything besides plants was going to be a challenge. Holding up the incomplete katana in the air Ai wiped off the handle. If anything went wrong, she could defend herself with this even though she’d feel guilty using a weapon that wasn’t hers to begin with. She wondered who gave her the broken object in the first place.

Managing to get to her feet Ai wondered under the cover of some trees. She was in the middle of nowhere and she couldn’t see anyone. It was as if she was the only person here. Hopefully, it wasn’t so or this really was a personal hell. The thought scared her but she quickly brushed it aside and concentrated on happier things. Flowers surrounded her and the smell of damp earth hung in the air. It was soothing and quite beautiful as simple and plain as it was. If she could live in harmony with nature like this, she wouldn’t have a complaint. Lying against the tree Ai’s eyelids slowly shut and she drifted off to sleep and began to dream. Ai dreamt that she was once again falling from the sky into a lush valley but instead of crashing into a lake, she landed in the branches of a giant tree that seemed to touch the sky. What a beautiful land this was even though it was merely a dream. Clambering down the branch Ai managed to make her way to the trunk only to find a large opening with a flight of stairs. This was indeed an awkward dream she was having. Standing in front of the entrance Ai felt as if she was being pulled towards it and following her instincts took the first step into the tree followed by another and another and then another until she was standing in the middle of a banquet hall sized room filled with flowers. It was all so beautiful and then Ai noticed her: a blond Caucasian woman sitting on what appeared to be a wooden throne and carrying a staff. She was beautiful to say the least but what was wrong with her? Her mouth was definitely moving but no sound was coming out. Was she mute? The dream ended right then and Ai awoke. It was morning.

Over the next few days, Ai continued to travel the countryside to no avail. She couldn’t seem to find anyone and with each night she dreamt the same dream this time meeting the mysterious woman in several different places but still could not hear her voice. And with each dream the remainder of the katana began to materialize causing a blade to sprout from the hilt. It was all very odd for Ai. She had no idea what was happening but she couldn’t bear to throw the sword away. It felt as if they were connected somehow. Maybe it was for the best. She could use the sword as if it were a real threat now. That was a bonus for sure. This lonely trend continued for the next week until Ai could see the outskirts of a large city surrounded by a huge white wall in the distance. Where there was a town there were people, preferably ones who could answer some of her questions. This after-life didn’t seem as grand as it was made out to be. She must be missing something or she really was suffering for what she did to her twin sister, as traitorous as she had been towards her. Tired from the journey Ai took shelter under some trees. At least it was warm in this place at night and it hadn’t rained since she arrived. Sprawling out Ai shut her eyes, drifted off to sleep, and once again began to dream with little progress. The next day she awoke well rested but sore. This morning was different for Ai, though. This time a woman in a white haori using a light kick awoke her rather violently.

“What are you doing lying around here asleep? Where’s your uniform and what squad are you from anyways? Jeez, your Zanpakutō could have been stolen the way you were sleeping. So, what do you have to say for yourself?” Ai was confused at that point. What was going on, who was this and what was a Zanpakutō? The response that came from Ai’s mouth was shaky and confused “I’ve been here less than a week and what’s a Zanpakutō? Do you mean this katana?” She held the sword in the air in front of the Shinigami causing a look of concern to cross the woman’s face before a look of relief. She sat down cross-legged and began to explain. “This is Soul Society, the place everyone goes to when they die. And a Zanpakutō is simply a katana with special powers that reflect its wielders personality and talents. Usually you have to be given one at the Shino Academy but yours seemed to materialize. While not usually documented humans with spiritual powers can, form a Zanpakutō upon entrance into Soul Society.” The words spiritual power seemed to strike a chord with Ai. She had powers before she died. “By special powers, do you mean like seeing dead people?” The Shinigami nodded. “How long have you had these powers?” she asked. “Since I was a child. I’ve always been able to see dead people and other things…” The woman’s face hardened, “What sort of other things?” Ai recoiled but answered truthfully “Monsters and people wearing the same uniform as you. One hit me on the head when I was younger.” That statement visually angered the woman greatly. Shinigami were not to harm humans. “That idiot that hit you on the head was a Soul Reaper. We are in charge of defending Soul Society, spirits and guiding them here. What happened to you should have been reported and you normally would have had your memory wiped. You’d also have been watched to make sure those “monsters” didn’t come after you!”

That was shocking, to say the least. She only remembered one time that she encountered a monster and that memory was grainy. Maybe they did erase her memory to a degree, anyways. It wasn’t really like she could ask for that memory back, anyways. “So… what am I supposed to do with myself?” Ai asked meekly. She had no idea what to do but she did know she didn’t want to live a bad life in some city for the rest of her life. “Well, you have a Zanpakutō. You should go to the Shino Academy to become a Soul Reaper so you can help others. Also, those with Zanpakutō that aren’t Soul Reapers are usually… eliminated. So make your decision wisely.” Shifting the Shinigami in front of her seemingly vanished into thin air but in reality this was nothing but a flash step. Still, Ai had never encountered a Soul Reaper before especially one of that level. Pondering her options for a moment Ai let out a soft sigh. She didn’t have much choice in the matter it seemed. That Soul Reaper said they killed anyone with a “Zanpakutō” who wasn’t part of their group. What a barbaric practice that was but there was probably a reason for it. Oh well, this was probably for the best. Maybe she would finally get some more answers. She wanted to know who those two women were: the one she just encountered and the one who she kept dreaming about. She had a feeling the blond had something to do with her sword but she couldn’t be too sure. A few hours later Ai ventured into the town and headed to the Shino Academy where she was immediately accepted.
 

Shino Academy

The next few years at the academy seemed to fly by for Ai. Everything was relatively simple and she was making her way to the top of her class. Being rich in the real world really did have its benefits in Soul Society. She came into the Shino Academy possessing the proper study skills gained from her private tutoring. This already gave her a huge advantage to her less wealthy peers or the ones who joined after many decades of living in Seiretei. Ai’s best developed skill in her academy days was Kidō, which came almost naturally to her after becoming skilled in controlling her reiatsu. Remembering the incantations was the simplest part of the techniques while manipulating her reiatsu came in a close second. This already separated Ai from the rest of her class. She seemed to be the only one who excelled in Kidō while everyone else could barely use it properly. It was also during these few years that the progress she made (unknowingly) with her Zanpakutō’s spirit came to a screeching halt. This troubled Ai for she became excited at the thought when she found out who it was that she dreamt of all those long nights a few years earlier. Maybe it was her excitement that stopped the progress or was she somehow disconnected? Either way, she would deal with that later. Studying was what she needed to do now. She would also need to pick a squad she wanted to be a part of. There were so many choices, though but in the end she decided to join the Third Division’s Kido Corps branch. That was going to be her goal. Two years later, Ai graduated as one of the best in her class but not at the top like, she had hoped. Her lack of skill in hand-to-hand combat made sure of that.
 

Post-Graduation

After Ai graduated from the Shino Academy, she quickly enrolled herself into the Third Division. After receiving some medical training from the higher-ranking officers, she was transferred to the Kido Corps branch of the squad. Her abilities to manipulate and control reiatsu were more valuable in a position where she could heal fellow Soul Reapers and assault any individuals who would bring harm to them or the rest of Soul Society. From here, Ai was able to slowly improve her Kidō using abilities whenever she had time with help from her more experienced squad mates, of course. On one of these training excursions, Ai decided to train unaccompanied by others. Relying too heavily on someone else was going to get her killed. After setting up some targets Ai began to progress. After several hours and multiple failed attempts, Ai became frustrated. She had no idea why she was getting it wrong but it was starting to annoy her to no end.

“Do you wish to master Kidō and grow stronger?” a silent voice whispered in the wind. Instantly, Ai found herself sitting in a flowery field surrounded by bark. This was her inner world, the one she saw almost ten years before and right in front of Ai was her Zanpakutō’s spirit. “Hey, answer the question already. I got stuff to do… like lay around and relax” the voice added. Analysing her partner for a moment Ai could pick out several key things: her figure was stunning, she looked beautiful and while dressed meekly nature seemed to adorn her as if it were jewellery. “I do” Ai answered rather embarrassingly. “It’s nice to finally hear your voice by the way,” she added. Sucking up wasn’t going to do her much good in this situation but it was worth a try. However, it was met by a foot shove, causing Ai to fall over and then followed by laughter. “Sucking up will do you no good here. And you should blame yourself for that. You removed yourself from nature and me.” That one statement struck Ai like a hammer. She had forgotten all about nature when she began her life in the Shino Academy. It all made sense now. She was surrounded by nature when she was making progress as she was now. All that time she spent waiting was over something stupid. “What is your name?” Ai asked. “I am Libera. The Zanpakutō who grows and spreads natural tranquillity” she answered truthfully before pinching Ai’s sides, causing her to squirm.

Before being able to react though, Ai was back in reality with several targets standing in front of her. It had happened so quickly Ai was somewhat baffled but she had no time. Libera had given her the clue she desperately sought these last few years. Remembering the last statement Libera made she called out the words “Grow and spread natural tranquillity, Libera!” The blade began to glow and flower petals began flow out of the blade as it extended and took on a new form. Once the glowing died down the blade stood at seventy-two inches in the form of an ornate platinum staff with two hand guards and some of it was covered in a thin layer of moss. Lifting the staff off the ground, it seemed incredibly light. It was the same weight as her katana had been before she released. Appraising the staff happily, she was met by a very faint voice. “Use me as a medium to concentrate your spell until you can do it yourself.” Following the instructions given to her Ai spoke the incantations as a white light formed in one of the staff’s bulbous endings. Almost on cue, Ai lifted the staff horizontally above her right shoulder, took a step forward and jabbed the tip into the centre of a target. What resulted was a discharge of energy that ended up disintegrating the target completely. Withdrawing the staff Libera was converted back into her sealed state in front of Ai’s very own eyes. Ai had accomplished what she had sought to do from the very beginning of her time in the Shino Academy: gain Shikai.
 

Roleplaying Sample: What a day, what a day. All hell seemed to have broken loose within the Kido Corps' barracks. Quite surprising what one mispronounced word within an incantation could do to a spell. She almost got caught in the cross fire but the person in front of her ended up being the one getting hit and thrown across the room. A fight broke out after that but Ai fled before fists started flying and spells started being incanted. There really was no point being caught up in such a pointless fight. Both members were going to receive some sort of discipline after and it was just a simple mistake. Everyone in the Kido Corps' valued their spell casting abilities and would never intentionally fire a “Way of Destruction” at a team mate or make a mistake during the incantation. This was going to end badly for everyone in the squad. Oh well, it wasn’t like she could do anything about it now. Glancing at one of the windows of the Kido Corps' barracks, she could see the faint glow of lights. They were still going at it. What the hell was going on? A fight between two weak Shinigami never lasted this long.

Allowing curiosity to get the better of her Ai slowly crept up to the window and peeked over the windowsill to see what was going on. Watching the events unfold in front of her eyes Ai could see the fight had grown from two to ten Shinigami. It was now, officially, a small brawl. They were really going to get it when someone told the captain about this. Standing to her full height of five feet, four inches Ai let out a sigh and gently rubbed her eyes. Pulling her hands from her face Ai’s vision was blurred by a blue light followed by a cloud of smoke. Flying three meters through the air from the force of the explosion into the mud, she let out a hoarse cough. That was the last straw! Someone had to stop these idiots before they blew something up and she did have the obligation to avenge her hair. Being hit directly in the face with a Kidō spell would wreck anyone’s hairstyle and she put so much time into keeping it clean and perfect. But first thing, first. Ai ran her fingers through her long hair easily feeling parts that ended up receiving burns. She would heal it later, being a pseudo medic had its advantages.

Managing to get to her feet Ai rubbed the soot from her face using her uniform’s sleeves and proceeded to sneak around to another window. Crouching as she ran alongside the wall, Ai made a sudden stop under another windowsill. Poking her head over the windowsill once again, Ai’s eyes lit up. What luck! Someone was standing right in front of the window with his back to her. Extending her arm and pointing at the man’s back Ai whispered “Bakudō thirty, Beak-Piercing Triple Beam.” Erupting from her finger a golden triangle formed at the tip before being discharged. Cutting through the air with lethal intent the golden star slammed into the male Shinigami’s back, sending him flying into a statue and pinning him against the surface. Success! Ducking out of sight and running to another window Ai could hear the cursing and the statement. “Someone’s shot me through the window!” Giggling Ai peeked her head through another window, repeated the Bakudō spell from before and discharged it. However, this time it didn’t go according to plan and only managed to hit another of the participant’s legs causing him to trip and face plant on the wooden floor. While it was a success she was spotted and before she could duck a white light pierced the wall.

Exploding in front of her Ai was tossed several meters through the air and landed hard on the ground. It took Ai, tremendous effort to lift herself up. The beam had punched a hole straight through the wall and managed to burn away the left arm of her uniform and some of the flesh on her shoulder. Luckily, it wasn’t a powerful Hadō spell but she had taken a direct hit. Ai clutched her left shoulder with her free hand and groaned. She was in pain but she had to keep going. Groaning once more Ai slowly but surely got to her feet. Wobbling slightly, Ai regained her balance before attempting to peek into the room again. Only two left. One of the ruffians ended up being beaten by the other two. Served him right for joining a fight but karma aside, she wasn’t in great shape. Taking a direct hit from even a weak Hadō spell was taxing on the body, not to mention noticeable. The Captain was going to kill her for this later and she wasn’t going to complain. She deserved it for being hit by such an easily avoided attack. Staring down at the ground Ai noticed some flowers in full bloom. Ai smirked, remembering she was not alone in this endeavour.

“Grow and spread natural tranquility, Libera!”

The Zanpakutō erupted in a flurry of blue light and multi-colored flower petals. Extending to five feet the ends of the rod split into five smaller pieces that spiralled into seed-shaped bulbs with a large pointed tip. Clutching the staff with her good hand Ai twirled it. It felt so light compared to how it actually looked. Managing, with much effort, to clamber through the window Ai felt and looked exhausted but she had to put the fight to a stop. Someone was going to get severely hurt if this kept up but she had a plan to end it all. It was a very simple plan, really. Pulling her shirt open a bit to reveal more “cleavage” Ai gracefully walked in between both men as they fought, grabbing one’s attention as his eyes almost locked onto her chest but that was all it took. Within a second, he was laying flat on the floor. He was so distracted he ended up being hit by a Kidō spell. One down one to go she thought. Wouldn’t be too hard either by the looks of it. He was running right towards her just like a little puppy dog expecting to get a treat for what he accomplished.

“Ai what happened to you? Did you get into a fight? Let me patch you up.” he said sweetly. “I got hit by a Kidō spell. It came right out of the window and caught me off guard. I got hit, badly. Who would do something like that? I didn’t even do anything,” she complained. “I’m sorry about that. Someone was firing Kidō spells at us through the window. We didn’t mean to hit you but let’s check the rest of your body out… just to make sure it’s alright. Let’s start with your chest” What a pervert! But she had him right where she wanted him to be. Boy, was Ai going to enjoy this. “I guess you’re right” she replied. “You do have medical training after all.” Pulling on her shirt to expose even more cleavage Ai watched as the male’s eyes dropped to her chest. She had him and he didn’t even see it coming. Ai, why is your Zanpakutō rele…” he didn’t even have a chance to finish his question. Using her right leg to propel the lower section of the staff towards her and right arm to spin it forward the bulbous ending dropped atop the male’s head with a sickening “CRUNK” followed by a loud “THUD” when his body hit the floor. The pervert had it coming and Ai guessed that made her the winner of the brawl. Seduction was always the answer in tough situations.

Giggling over the idea a dark shadow loomed over Ai. It took her a few moments to notice but when she did, her blood ran cold. Turning she gave a half-hearted wave. “Hello... Taicho... fine day we’re having, isn’t it?”

OOC

Player Alias: Ai
Desired starting GP?: N/A
How long have you been roleplaying?: Six years
How did you find out about us?: Google
Were you referred here by anyone? If so, by whom?: No
Please tell us any other approved characters you have on BG: Amber Liddell