Izumi Date

Shinigami Dossier:

Family Matters:His family is a strange one as they have practices most wouldn't believe. Children are cast out of the family at a young age to go begin dueling people. To hone their skills as a martial artist this is done. It's believed in large part to aid them in development as warriors. Izumi has never spent time with his family but he does hold a reputation as a famous duelist among his family. Capable of fighting extremely skilled with his katana and the style he uses. After they've gotten one thousand wins they are able to return to their family. This is a general belief, Izumi has gotten four thousand and hasn't returned. He believes that the Clan's practice is outdated and needs changing. Winning or losing isn't important factors of the training. Izumi believes this practice doesn't foster growth. But he does believe a journey does help a person come to terms. Learning swordsmanship or finding your road to happiness. Everyone's got different opinions and practices that make them enjoy life. But the Date way by Izumi's belief is an outdated model. There was more to life than fighting and things like that. Besides just dueling people didn't refine or make him a better swordsman. It was encountered by people who he didn't duel that had larger impacts. The Date Family at large has been searching for Izumi for some time. Keen to get him back into their ranks due to his record. Sadly for them and their headhunters, Izumi has always been skilled at keeping a low profile. His appearance doesn't often inspire much in the way of presence. So them locating him has been an ongoing task since he vanished from most of the world. Izumi didn't really have that type of personality that popped out at people. He tended to act differently and very carefree. Almost like he was enjoying the world around him. But in terms of the Date family, locating him is likely to never happen for them.

Name: Izumi Date
Alias: Bodyflicker Izu, Izu.
Age: 960
Organization Associations:

• Gotei: He served the Gotei for some time period due to his friend being there. Not desiring a high rank only to be able to give her a hand. She didn't ask him to help with her ambitions he merely did so. Despite the personal risk her served as a seated officer for Tsubine Koezuka before her time as Head Captain. And was present for a short period afterward. Sadly his family realized where he was and the hunt for Izumi had begun here. This ended his time in the Gotei, where he'd not revealed his power or shown his zanpakuto. He'd decided that it was best to stay with his friend. Help her quietly so she could accomplish her goals while he could. One could say you'd have to look hard to notice the hidden strength of Izumi in situations. He never showcased it or brought it out unless needed. Izumi believed a blade for a friend was much better than one that sat idle rusting.
  
  
  
  

Appearance: Some people would hard pressed to believe Izumi is as old as he is. Age has treated him fairly perhaps due to his lack of stress. Despite his situation, Izumi seem's to take it all in stride with a smile on his face. Izumi has a lithe and slender frame that almost seems fragile to the touch. If one saw him they'd believe him sickly and small. His appearance aside from being deceptive and catching people off guard. He is very fit underneath his outfit choice. Izumi prefers an outfit as shown below. Izumi's body seems to have this strange air being intuned with something. He doesn't tend to showcase much skin or anything like that. His eyes have this strange nature to them. He seems able to almost relax people with eye contact or bring them into his mindset. Izumi's never had the look of a man who is serious or takes the world as such. He believes it's one step at a time and your physical body should replicate that.

Relationships:

Tsubine Koezuka: He owes a lot to Tsu and she may never know it. But she helped him see something that he didn't see at the time. Just how flawed the Date was and gave him the courage to live and run. Though she may never know this fact as he won't tell her. Tsubine was the light which illuminates his pathway for only a while. Now that he knew where to walk he knew to do it alone. His joining of the gotei despite his strength or his skills. He decided to remain a seated officer despite being a capable Lieutenant possibly more. As he'd obtained his bankai during this period also. They had numerous encounters and each one showed him a new side of things. She taught him a lesson that she may not realize. But those are the most powerful lessons. One's learned from seeing another's actions, not their words. This allows a person to evolve and grow. Because of her, he was able to ignore the tradition and fight back. She gave Izumi the strength he needed to disappear from this world. They've not encountered or seen one another since her ascension to Head Captain. Izumi's been presumed dead by her and all around him due to the circumstances. A body looking like his was found along with two others. They bore the Mark of the Date Clan. This was sadly the gift he left her along with a note. Making sure the Gotei never questioned who he was or why was there. Tsubine was the goal in this instance and helping her was an honor as a friend. Had he truly died there it would have been a fine way to end things? But his duties and responsibilities called him deeper then any has traveled to the Outlands. Far removed from this world almost dealing and fighting his families corruption. Because she gave him strength and courage to do so. That his blade could accomplish much more than just dueling street thugs.

Izanami: This was a friendship that came not from the most subtle or quite of backgrounds. He met Izanami and dueled her to a loss on his end. Back when he was still relatively young and figuring things out. It was through her he discovered much of his own style and development. This was something that did indeed bring about a good friendship Them sharing the last name despite the difference in era and being from different clans. They both did bond and see things from a different light. Swordplay didn't have a single path but she helped him define and find a way. Izumi up till this point had very little interaction or understanding. Losing to her opened doors and gave him experience. For fighting people much stronger and taught him something important. That his zanpakuto wasn't suited to certain situations. It simply wasn't able to do that sort of thing freely.

Aiko Kyoraku: Perhaps one of the more interesting cases of an encounter. Aiko became a friend of his during his travels and some time spent within the Gotei. He does hold an interesting distinction between never being distracted by her body. In truth he treated Aiko more as a person, not noticing her or freaking out over things. His carefree nature sort of blended well with hers. He learned that everyone has a cross they must bear with Aiko. He does enjoy her company and to some extent finds himself drawn to her mind. She seem's a fun and kind person. Who is far to often judged for appearance instead of brains. She's made strides in a world where few tend to make them. These are the things that have allowed for Izumi to see different sides of people. Aiko is perhaps a bond that is strong and maybe she'll remember him. But if not it's alright with him. Being a creature of the background has never been bad. Sometimes the most help comes from the unexpected places.

Personality:

Carefree: Some people seem to have this air about them where they can smile. Izumi has always learned to smile no matter how hard it gets. He believes the strong have a right to smile and love life. So he tries his best to come at it from this angle when he can. Despite everything in his world, he will smile for those who cannot. And come through it ready and prepared to be strong. The ones who smile can carry the burden of the lives taken. Being like a cloud in some cases he's been called that. Nobody's ever been able to truly capture Izumi and stop him from his wandering tendencies. He is happy with the role he's played in small things. Though he doesn't need to be a Captain or a centerfold for this world. Izumi accepted his job as a backstage hand at best. It wasn't for lack of power, but perhaps a lack of ambition. Izumi just didn't have that hunger to be a leader. People counted on him for different things. Izumi could be something that people could rely on to be that breath of fresh air.

Izumi is able to almost instantly life morale up with his nature of where he is. People often claim he is both invisible and yet present at the same time. Izumi seem's capable of this strange existence that nobody can grasp. He is best defined as a cloud within the heavens by many who've met him. Catching him seem's almost impossible and he goes about his business without concern or sorrow. Something about those emotions only causes pain and suffering. Perhaps this is the only way to live in truth with the blood spilled. A carefree and happy life where you move forward day by day. Not getting absorbed into conflict or confrontation without reason. Izumi has always lived this way and tried openly to object to war in it's ugliest form. This isn't because of some particular reason in general. Izumi's not a pacifist and has fought and killed on occasion because it was needed. But he believes unneeded violence solves nothing. No man walks into a battlefield without a resolve to kill and be killed.

This element is what makes life something that goes on. People bind themselves and instead of helping friends or doing the right thing. They end up getting involved where they shouldn't. They blur the lines between good and evil so much so they lose sight of it. Izumi knows better then most what it means to lose vision of things around you. As one who must battle an eternal war of a different nature. Izumi is wielding a cursed zanpakuto and despite this. He continues on with his smile and carefree nature. Being someone who raises morale and doing what others cannot. Izumi believes that this nature should be normal for some. To be free of this idea that you have an image to maintain. The image is perception and if that is a reality. It's not worth taking not for so long as you hinder yourself. Izumi's curse has made him more aware of the world. Was he to be a King or a leader, maybe that was a destiny for another. But Izumi didn't see that as the potential outcome.

The Cloud can never rule or be a King, it isn't meant to be bound. It's something he learned and understood. Tsubine made this evident as she became a leader. It wasn't something for someone like Izumi. The one who leads must smile and be ready at all times.