Shizuka Hibiki - R&D Division Vizard

» Name: Hibiki, Shizuka (last name, first name)
» Alias: Shi, Shizu
» Age: 127, appears to be in early-mid 20’s
» Gender: Male
» Association: CURRENT: Unseated - 3rd Division - Gotei United PRIOR: Shirazumi-rengokai (maintains connection/reputation through his sister)
» Appearance Written: Shizuka is tan-skinned, almost the same shade and tone as heavily creamed coffee. He is 5ft 6in, with white hair that is coarse, straight, and wholly untamed, and cut just long enough to hide his eyes. Despite his stature, he is broadly built, well-muscled, and defined, but not bulky. His close-set eyes are such a dark brown they’re almost black, and angled upwards at the outside corners, enough to give him a predatory appearance, though his impish, lopsided grin lessens the effect.
Deep purple symbols would be visible on multiple extremities, but are almost never seen, as his full-body wrap of gray bandages cover everything below his eyes, down to his ankles, with his feet remaining bare and openings in the wrapping for his nostrils and lips
Shi likes to dress light, but always protected. A long sleeved gray compression shirt is covered by a sleeveless leather chest piece. Overtop this is a form fitting, single piece black gi, replete with a gray sash around his waist.
» Appearance Image:


» Personality: Shizuka is the poster child of chaotic balance, exemplified most easily by his love of a good fight and his duty to his research meshing together more often than not. Foremost of the lighter side is pragmatism, gained from an early age, which taught him control of the mind, body, and spirit were paramount to survival, and that without it, he could potentially hurt others. Internalizing this, he makes every action, thought, and reaction as deliberate as possible. You can’t be pragmatic without order, and Shizuka shows this both in the way he thinks and in his daily life, with work and training carefully organized and maintained. The last of his controlled traits, efficiency, not to be confused with taking shortcuts, is his best friend. If it can achieve the same goal, without as many steps, then that’s the way he'll do it.
On the flipside are the traits he gained from his time alone and his role model/sister, Kira: the battle-crazy Collector in the Shirazumi-rengokai. Knowing careful thought and planning are essential, life often demands reaction in the moment, and he gives himself over to that when he feels the tug of his instinct, letting it do its job. His curiosity and eagerness can tinge his thoughts, and he’ll deviate wildly from the original course, eventually finding his way back. His sister's influence is seen in the way he treats everyone, like a family member or distant relative, unless they’ve done something to make it on his shitlist. A high level of intelligence combined with a giant sense of humor makes for a silver tongue, a subtle barb, and plethora of witty (usually not witty at all) comebacks.
Never one to say no, he has a “drop everything" attitude when he is needed, an ear to listen when someone needs to talk, and a word when someone needs it, whether it’s a kind one or admonishing. He is fiercely competitive, most often with himself, and relishes a challenge. Like a leaf on the wind, if there is potential fighting, adventure, or knowledge involved, you can get Shizuka to follow you just about anywhere.

» Likes: Food, training, puns, debates, pushing boundaries (personal, authority, other people's), reading, practical and theoretical research, inventing, physical order (cleanliness, assigned locations for items, etc, a quirk of blindness)

» Dislikes: Quitting, uncleanness, intense smells (overly floral, strong fish, decay, etc), laziness, people who are too serious all the time, limiting order (set rules/limits, over-regulated authority, micromanagement), self-serving people, disloyalty


» History:
Human Life:
Shizuka did not have an actual human life, passing away in the womb at 9 months from a Hollow's venom, when his Superhuman mother perished aiding in a Hollow attack. The Hollow's venom had already infected his soul, causing damage and starting the process of creating the Hollow within him.
Early Life - Adolescence:
Arriving in Rukongai as a newborn, he was placed in the care of the local orphanage. Obviously blind, and initially assumed deaf, as he never cried, only making a sound when he was hungry or needed changing. His lack of noise is what eventually determined his name, Shizuka, which means "quiet," or "silent." His need for food made it clear he had some level of spiritual power, but to what extent was unknown, at the time.
He exhibited his first sign of being a Vizard when a portion of his face became masked during a childish tiff. Having learned from the past that uncontrolled Vizard can be a danger to others, the orphanage sent him to a specialized dorm, where he began training to control his Hollow. Each child is tested for aptitude as a Shinigami at the facility, and this test is what led to the discovery of his Reiryoku leak condition.
Excelling at Reiryoku control, an adaptation of his blindness, he could exert advanced control over his spirit, already able to sense the spirit of others. Kido was an issue, however, barely able to cast even basic Kido, and what he could cast was weak compared to the level at which his peers were able to achieve. Subjected to a spiritual scan, his spiritual damage was discovered. The venom that had torn at his spirit proved caustic to his Reiryoku channels, causing engorgement and holes that were eaten into them in some areas. His death had actually mitigated the damage, his transition to a spiritual body halting the venom, but could not repair the holes in the channels. These holes cause his Reiryoku to leak out in a trickle – enough to limit his use of it to a scant level of power. Unconsciously, he had been using this phenomenon daily, to 'see' around himself, sensing how the field around him fluctuated as he moved.
This circumstance led to his dreams of becoming a full fledged Shinigami to fade as quickly as his Reiryoku. And he eventually decided it was best to cut his losses. At 13, he ran away from the dorms, back into Rukongai.
Teenage Years - Academy:
Shizuka eventually found himself in Shirazumi-rengokai territory, though he didn't know it at the time. Unlike other areas, where it seemed more destitute, District 66 East was bustling, and Shi had no problems making ends meet. He did what was required to survive, and began to enhance some of the physical skills that were of less focus at the Vizard facility. Rapid getaways getaways to avoid getting caught taught him speed and freerunning as a mechanism of escape. Self-imposed physical training had him pushing to his absolute limit for speed. A white-streaked blur, now, most only glimpsed what seemed like a floating head of white hair that made no sound as he made an escape.
As with all things, it was only a matter of time before he picked the wrong pocket, or in his case, the right one. Aiming to snag a few coins from her purse, he had been caught by Kara. Her spirit, now unveiled, was initially flickering angrily, but quelled quickly.
Realizing he was not only a vagrant, but also blind had been humorous to her, and she had decided, without Shizuka's input, that he was now her adopted brother. She had whisked him away, and from that day forward, things progressed quickly.
At some point, he put together that she was both a "Collector" and a fighter in the Shirazumi-rengokai, and was additionally part of a research team. That meant she was paid well for her day job, paid even better for her moonlighting job, and not paid at all for her third. Over the next several months, Shizuka would become an acknowledged member of Kara's family, which only included the two of them, and by extension, family to the Shirazumi-rengokai, until he turned 18 and was allowed to become a genuine member, if he chose.
Once he was settled in, Kara asked him about his life before, and he told her his story, including his inner Hollow, and the facility that trained children like him to control them. He also broke down his condition, and she had nodded thoughtfully, then had him carry on. Once finished, and all questions directed at him were answered, she began discussing his future with him, and how she would help him develop, assuring him he could definitely still be a Shinigami, he would just have to work harder than everyone else.
A fighter through and through, combat and martial experience were top of her list, then specialized training, focusing on his talents, and finally weapons training. Intermixed were educational studies, teaching him to read braille, he covered Shinigami history, anatomy, Kido, and his favorite and most valuable, Reiryoku and its applications. In her off time, Kara went to work on mitigating his condition, and came up with the Sekkiseki bandages. Over the next few years, Shizuka was outfitted with this stabilizer and was trained… mercilessly.
Working with Kara, he learned how to use his Reiryoku as a mechanism of sight purposefully, rather than unconsciously. They eventually settled on a sort of spiritual echolocation that put together a rough approximation of sight. With practice, he made the process more efficient, where he could run it indefinitely, though he found that bare feet aided in the process greatly, so that became his default.
While already fast, Kara instructed him he needed to be faster. Equipped with his echolocation, he only had a limited distance and time to react within his range. Subjecting him to unorthodox methods of training, he conducted long runs while strapped to increasingly heavy carts, or, Kara's favorite, setting wild animals known for their speed on him, while restricting him to ground level. For reflexes and reaction, projectile training was conducted, starting from just outside his echolocation range. Shizuka made it through the first two methods, mostly out of need for survival, but he delved into his studies with fervor, devouring knowledge on kinesthesiology and body mechanics such as proprioception, going so far as to have Kara perform some of the movements he studied so that he could visualize it using echolocation. She’d drawn the line at letting him physically feel the muscles as they moved, making one of her many acquaintances sub in during those days. In time, he could almost keep pace with his older sibling, entirely free of spiritual reinforcement. During this time, Shizuka found that Kira had been a Shinigami when the Demon War began, and was an aid at the Academy. She had left after discovering her family had perished entirely, except her, eventually finding family again with the Shirazumi-rengokai.
For martial skill and zanjutsu, Kara emphasized precision and quantity over strength, stacking damage rather than striking hard. This meant training a technique until he got it down, then doing it faster, and faster, then using it on the fly. As he grew more competent, Kara trained him on him on virtually every weapon type and combination, until they settled on dual wielding tanto, capitalizing on his melee prowess and being able to seamlessly combine it with martial skills. Once identified as his weapon, he was given a set of tanto, purposefully made absurdly heavy, with eyelets on the bottoms. He was told he would only use those from then on, and Kara even explained the eyelets, where her mother had used chains of Reiryoku to bind them together for versatility.
A number of years later, he could hold his own against Kara, who still that time declared formal instruction was over, and having learned the foundations, Shizuka was instructed to develop his own style using what he'd been taught. Before long, he had developed something that he felt fit, combining the Zanjutsu, movement techniques, and the ability to be used hand to hand as easily as with a blade. He dubbed the fledgling Zanjutsu style Dervish, a nod to a comment Kara made that he seemed to dance as he fought.
At 18, he officially joined the Shirazumi-rengokai, as a Collector with Kara, then on his own. His combat skill was soon recognized, and he became an Enforcer. It was during this time, an incident occurred that changed his course in the organization. He had executed a prominent Chef and a another member of the Sharazumi-rengokai when he discovered they were involved in harvesting Soul Chains from Pluses, and selling the refined product to noble houses for them to attempt to turn their most promising Shinigami into Vizards.
While he exposed a weak link in the organization, he still violated a tenet by killing a member. No longer allowed to work as an Enforcer as recompense, Shi was relegated to something he enjoyed, becoming a permanent fixture of the Shirazumi-rengokai fighting pits, on the entertainment side of things, and he used this to further polish his already unique fighting style.
Years later, he applied for and was accepted into the Academy. He excelled in all classes, except Kido, and was doomed to wash out. A surprise visit from Kira, where she came to bounce ideas off him about a research project in the works, set him on the course to discover SCHISMs.
The research was a concept of a container like the Quincy Reishi containers, but for Kido, and Kara described the process. Shizuka theorized he could do the same thing on himself, and weeks of research later, he attempted and succeeded in applying his first schism.
Working with Kara, who was initially furious at his recklessness, but delighted at the success, they landed on calling them Spiritually Cauterized Holistic Incantations as Symbolized Markings, or a SCHISM/schism for shorthand. The first success was just one of many, and Shizuka refined the process with each schism he added to himself.
Just before graduation, he made his final breakthrough, finally connecting with his Zanpakuto, Kōkyōkyoku, and unlocking his Shikai, but his Zanpakuto gave him no further aid in her usage, aside from her name, his new passive ability of Sight, and the explanation of the risks it posed. Upon graduation, Shizuka joined the 3rd Division of the Gotei United, where he now is set on advancing quickly, aiming for a seated position.


»Hyper-Kinesthesia: Blindness, combined with thousands of hours of training reflexes, speed, and precision, have turned Shizuka into a fine-tuned machine, hyper aware of his surroundings using his remaining senses, far more spatially aware than most, and beyond-normal control of his physical body, even compared to a spiritual being, all without any spiritual reinforcement. Able to accomplish feats of acrobatics, outlandish levels of economy of motion, and measured application of force to preserve as much energy as possible, Shizuka's base abilities go far beyond standard. (Please note this is specifically in reference to Shizuka's bodily awareness and reflexes/reaction time, NOT indicative of his speed)
»Spiritual Control: Shizuka has been manipulating his Reiryoku and Reiatsu, either unconsciously or purposefully, his entire life, granting him an astounding level of control over his spirit, even if he is not able to utilize it fully due to his condition.

» Racial Abilities:
»Razor’s Edge: Meditation Technique – Adept Level: Born with a Hollow inside, it is something more integrated into his being than someone who became a Vizard later in life. As such, he learned a meditation technique that keeps him straddling the line of lack of control and complete control. It translates extremely well into daily life, from making it easier to enter a combat trance, or for hyperfocus on a given task, the Razor's Edge technique is one that is difficult to master, but invaluable once the concept is grasped. [The following is yet to be learned]Outside of controlling one's mental and spiritual state, it also allows for near instant shifts in control, being able to slip into utilizing the Hollow, or snuffing it out instantly.
»Pseudo-Shunpo: Unable to utilize true Shunpo due to his blindness, he has adapted the concept for extremely short range, allowing what would almost seem like teleportation in the 10 foot radius of his echolocation range.
》Shizuka has certain skills that are locked at specific skill levels, due to his spiritual damage. The below are the locked skills and their explanations:

Spoiler:

» Zanpakutō Name: Kōkyōkyoku (Symphony)

Spoiler:

» Zanpakutō Spirit: (The following information is yet unknown to Shizuka, save for Kōkyōkyoku’s base appearance/form)
Kōkyōkyoku is a female Zanpakutō spirit, with a unique characteristic; her form changes in accordance with abilities being utilized or dependent on Shizuka's emotional state.
In her standard and most common form, Kōkyōkyoku appears as a purple hued woman made of ethereal energy, with wisps and tendrils coming off her at random, symbolic of the formlessness and potential of what she can become in Shizuka’s hands. She wears no clothes, but has no sexual organs or features, her entire form one solid, smooth surface in the form of a woman. Her eyes remain constantly veiled in a dense cloud of energy. In this form, her voice evokes images of tinkling chimes, and there seems to be an ever-present, barely audible sound of a harp as she speaks. She is gentle and kind, with a guiding hand that does not give you the answer directly. She refers to Shizuka as her “Little Songbird,” and dotes on him, showing great patience and compassion, and is the embodiment of his Sight ability.

Spoiler:

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”Fuchōwa – Embodiment of Discordance”:

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”Fukyōwaon – Embodiment of Dissonance”:

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”Chōwa – Embodiment of Harmony”:

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”Sakkyokka – Embodiment of The Composer”:

» Inner World:
Shizuka's inner world is that of an ancient and massive amphitheater, dwarfing even the Roman Coliseum. The ground is ultrafine sand of silver, and the stone seating is smooth, black, volcanic rock. The structure itself is not in pristine condition, nor is it entirely in disrepair. As if a massive battle took place, much of the seating is cracked, pitted, or broken, and the viewing towers have either caved in, or crumbled, but remain standing. There is the ever-present sound of a symphonic orchestra, pervading the atmosphere, subtle and almost unable to be heard unless you focus. The world outside of the amphitheater is in a permanent state of dawn, with an unnatural ruby red sun, arrayed against a black void of starless space, while billowing storm clouds of deep purple blow across the sky. The landscape is devoid of any actual structures, instead dominated by a ceaseless expanse of desert, this sand a deeper shade of purple than the skies above and dotted with rock the same silver as the sand of the amphitheater. Within the massive structure, a wispy audience seems to sit among the stands, silent, and watchful.
» Sealed Zanpakutō Appearance:
Shizuka wields identical dual tanto, each shaped like one half of a tuning fork. Both the inside and outside edge of each tanto are sharpened. Devoid of guards, both grips are dark metal, housing full tang blades, each bound in thick leather cord of deep purple. Through the bottom of each grip is a small ring, attached to a freely rotating and spinning swivel, with a much larger ring attached to the bottom of the same swivel. The bottom ring is just large enough Shizuka can fit his hand through, wearing it like a bangle. Forgoing a traditional waist sheathe, Kōkyōkyoku is housed in a wooden breakaway sheathe, attached to the inside of each forearm, with the grips toward each hand, in such a way that by flexing his wrists backward, he is able to snap each blade from the sheathe to rotate into his palm. While in the field or on assignment, he may forgo the sheathes altogether, letting the blades dangle freely.
Kōkyōkyoku is a permanent release type Zanpakuto, so the appearance described above is standard. The appearance only physically changes during two of Shizuka's Shikai releases, Fukyōwaon and Chōwa, when instead of two blades, he instead wields a gauntlet on each hand, form fitting and made of deep purple metal plates that overlap, ending in plain fingertips. In Chōwa’s form, the fingers are tipped with talons about 1 inch long.
***Shizuka is only able to have one form active at a time, and if he wished to switch, he would have to revert to his standard release, and wait a total of 3 IC combat-related posts before he was able to use another form. He can only shift his Shikai form once per thread.***

» Shikai Release Phrase:

• To draw out the abilities of Fuchōwa, the release phrase is “Ring, Fuchōwa!”
  
• For Fukyōwaon, the release phrase is, “Reverberate, Fukyōwaon!”
  
• Chōwa’s release is, “Harmonize, Chōwa!”

» Shikai Appearance: While Fuchōwa is his active Shikai, there is no change to the blades themselves, but they emanate a faint but Spiritually visible purple haze.
While Fukyōwaon is being used, his blades become gauntlets of overlapping and segmented plates, cast from metal a deep shade of amethyst. The gauntlets themselves have nothing visually special about them, and extend up his forearm, a few inches shy of his elbow. However, both gauntlets have a deep hum, at a very low, almost unheard decibel for even Shinigami, but noticeable to those with acute sense of hearing.
Almost identical to Fukyōwaon’s form, Chōwa is the same gauntlets, but each finger is tipped by a talon, approximately an inch long. Along with the visual difference, rather than a deep hum, there is an uncomfortable and eerie absence of sound around the gauntlets, even the plates scraping against each other making no noise, but the sound can still be felt, like a bass echoing through the bones.

Spoiler:

» Shikai Abilities:
Sight - Worldsong:

Spoiler:

Fuchōwa’s ability – Kakinarasu/Strum:

Spoiler:

Fukyōwaon’s Ability – Taiko/Drum:

Spoiler:

Chōwa’s Ability – Kyōwa/Harmony:

Spoiler:

» Bankai Name: Kōkyōkyoku no Joō – Queen of the Symphony/Sakkyokka – The Composer
» Bankai Appearance: Shizuka's Bankai is a compression type that alters his physical body and does away with the Zanpakuto entirely. His skin takes on the same shifting purple hues as Sakkyokka, and he sprouts two sets of wings identical to Fukyōwaon’s. Around his waist is a ruffle of feathers, similar in style to what adorns the shoulders of Fuchōwa, the feathers of which stretch down to his knees. His leather chest piece is all that remains of his previous garb, and he wears a pair of faulds, cut off at the knee. His shins, elbows, and knees are reinforced with silver-hued metal that seems to grow out of him. On his brow, a half-circle of silver horns identical to Chōwa’s protrude. His hands are scaled and silver like bird of prey, still with opposable thumbs and four fingers, and tipped with talons. His feet are the same, but three-toed and with a rear claw. His eyes remain closed, but the same ethereal energy as Kōkyōkyoku’s body leak from the outside corners, in streamers similar to smoke or steam.

Spoiler:

» Bankai Abilities:
Dōtai – “Conductor"
Shizuka's Bankai ability allows him access to all of his Shikai Abilities simultaneously and eliminates several of the limits attached. He can create up to 10 strings for Strum, and the maximum limit for Drum's threshold is now 10 total attacks of full strength from a captain level opponent. The left/right requirement is removed for Harmony, meaning he can use the same fist, or even foot to apply the attack, and the nullification requirement is reduced to 1 successful application for all below Captain, and 2 for Captain Level. Aside from the limits being removed for his Shikai, he gains an increase in the duration of his Sight, able to keep it consecutively active for 5 IC posts, and requires a 2 post cooldown. The same limits before he incurs damage still applies, i.e., every other post reduces consecutive usage and increases the cooldown. Lastly is the increase to his physical abilities, as a compression type Bankai. During his transformation, Shizuka has an increase to Elite for speed and martial ability for General Skills, Focus for Will Skills, and Hakuda (by proxy of martial skill increase) for Shinigami Skills. Shizuka's Bankai can only be active for a total of 10 posts per thread, consecutive or not. If dismissed and reactivated, any usage limits from the prior activation carry over (i.e., he uses Sight for 4 posts during first activation, dismisses Bankai, then activates again later, he only has 1 post usage of Sight before cooldown).
• With his Vizard mask active during Bankai, no limits apply to the abilities, but the same mechanism for madness affliction starts immediately if he goes over his current maximum post limit for donning his mask.


» Inner Hollow Name: Chinmoku – “Silence"
» Inner Hollow: The antithesis of Shizuka, Chinmoku is built for power and strength, standing at a towering 6 feet 9 inches. Though humanoid in build, his features reflect his nature as a Hollow. Scaled armor in a deep shade of purple ensconce all of his extremities, leaving his chest bare. The armor itself is seemingly organic , growing from and seamlessly blending into deep gray skin. Long hair the color of a purple night sky can be seen behind a Hollow Mask identical to Shizuka's. Viciously curved and sharp horns grace the forehead of the mask and as if trying to one-up Shizuka, he has three sets of deep black wings, speckled with glowing purple. Chinmoku is armed with a single ridiculously massive blade, twice his own length, and 3 feet across. The sword is identical to Shizuka's tanto if he were to place the hilts together, forming what can only be described as the world’s largest tuning fork. His hands and feet are taloned, with rear facing knee joints. Though his visage is nightmare fuel to the adolescent, his demeanor and personality diverge from the image greatly.
Intelligent, cunning, carefree, and crass, He emulates the general persona of his host, easily personable, able to crack jokes, and a drive unparalleled. Whenever he is present in Shizuka's inner world, he often uses the his blindness to mess with him, changing his location from one moment to the next, making Shizuka look around himself constantly. He is much more devious and ruthless than Shi, and wholly uninhibited by general morals, a feral human by all accounts. He urges Shizuka into acting more on impulse, trying to push him closer to a more instinctual and vicious demeanor.
Though he enjoys exerting control and influence, Shizuka's condition generally prevents him from taking over entirely, as the damage to Shizuka's spirit causes issues with his own power filling the body. Unbeknownst to Shizuka, if the Shinigami is at full capacity of Reiryoku, it would be easier and possible for Chinmoku to brute-force control, though this has never happened, thus far. Despite his demeanor, there is the ever-present fear of ceasing to exist, so he tries to maintain a semi-symbiotic relationship and protects Shizuka when he can, solely out of self-preservation. His ultimate goal is to either fully control Shizuka or have a true shared symbiotic relationship with him. He would prefer the latter, as this would further his goal of accumulating power, but will settle for taking the reigns entirely and becoming a full-fledged Hollow if required.
» Inner Hollow Powers: Unmitigated use of all of Kōkyōkyoku's abilities, including Sight, and he maintains a stronger fundamental understanding of these abilities, as he is linked more inextricably to Shizuka’s soul, therefore to his Zanpakuto.
» Hollow Mask Appearance: Shizuka's Hollow Mask is like the visor of a helm, but devoid of any hinges or eye slits. Nothing else adorns his mask. It appears physically the same as below, minus the adornments and eye.

Spoiler:

» Vizard Powers: The power is a benefit to his Sight ability; donning his mask acts like wearing shades in bright light, allowing slightly extended use of Sight. If he uses Sight with the mask active, and is not already over, it does not count toward his usage limit of the ability or for adding to the madness affliction. If he is already over the limit and uses Sight with the mask, he instantly jumps a rank of madness affliction.
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»Equipment: Spiritually Cauterized Holistic Incantations as Symbolized Markings/S.C.H.I.S.M/schisms are ready-to-use instant cast Kido, cauterized below the surface of the skin, with an appearance similar to a tattoo.

Spoiler:

» Equipment: Simple cloth bandages, interwoven with ground Sekkiseki dust.

Spoiler:

» Equipment: A simple, sleeveless leather chestpiece, with no additional special features.

Spoiler:

General Skills
» Durability:
» Speed:
» Strength:
Martial Skill:

Will Skills
» Willpower:
» Deduction:
» Focus:[/list]

Shinigami Skills
» Hoho:
» Kidō:
» Zanjutsu:
» Hakuda:
Vizard Skills
» Power Augmentation Beginner – No Hollow Abilities, only the 50% increase to power applicable
» Hollow Control:

» Roleplay Sample:
As usual, the Academy training hall was almost entirely devoid of other students this hour. Shizuka was one of the few that took advantage of the 24 hour facility, as during the day, too many of the fighters destined for the squad dedicated to such craft wanted to spar ‘the blind guy.’ Not for an easy win, but for the fact he had proven time and again that, compared to the majority, he excelled in combat. To avoid repeated requests, he had taken to night training, where he could focus and hone his skill in peace. Tonight, though, he trained with a knot in his core.
Of all the students in his class, he was one of 2 that had yet to connect with his Asauchi, his Zanpakuto spirit entirely silent. He’d meditated, fought like a demon, studied, and asked for advice on what he could do, to no avail. Graduation was looming, and he knew if he did not connect with his Zanpakuto, he would be stuck as a holdover until he did so. The thought simultaneously frustrated, frightened, and angered him. Once again, he was in danger of losing his goal. Pushing the negativity from his mind, he prepared himself for a session that would hopefully leave him too exhausted to do anything else but sleep.
He began his routine, static and active stretching followed by calisthenic warm-ups, finishing up with his martial and blade kata. When he was thoroughly loosened up, he took deep, calming breaths, slipping into his Razor's Edge meditation technique. He activated the training simulation as the sounds of the world faded to background noise. A construct materialized, and immediately jumped into it’s pre-selected setting, continuous attacks from melee range. He avoided each strike by a hair's breadth, ducking, bending, and twisting, until he found himself slowly transitioning to his 4th Dance, the newest addition to his budding Zanjutsu style. He gave himself over to the trance, losing all track of time. Around him, he heard whispering, likely drawing an audience from the few other students present, but he paid it no mind. He could feel the dance moving him, rather than he moving himself. The only things that mattered now were the beat of his heart, the careful measure of steps, the cadence of his breathing, mixing with the crash of metal, thudding of wood, and a hum that accompanied everything, something he'd not heard before. Altogether, it was a beautiful song, his dance moving in time, elegant, efficient, and deadly.
The whispers grew louder yet remained indistinct. The pent-up frustration at everything lent itself to his fervor. The thoughts of being less capable than everyone else, of failing. The fear of always being seen as defective compared to others, blind and spiritually crippled. The whispers were like muffled shouts now, and that damned ringing kept getting louder, like a single note being held on the world’s largest and clearest harp string. Intending to loose a pulse of Reiatsu strong enough to show the noise was an irritation, as he pulled in his invisible sphere he used for echolocation, the whispers and ringing increased in volume, but seemed to grow clearer, and he thought he could make out the words, “not lead your dance,” and, “Songbird.”
Through this all, he held his dance, never breaking his rhythm. That’s when the thought hit him, the whispered words echoing in his mind. This was his rhythm, a dance made for the song he was writing. More than just this instance of training, this applied even to those dark thoughts. He need not worry about others’ thoughts, and sure as hell didn’t need to worry about being considered ‘defective,’ his skill in combat far exceeding average for those of his level, and capabilities overall proving the equal or better of most others in the same class. He would dance to his own music, and write his own song. As he thought the last word, still carefully enraptured in battle rhythm, the whispers cleared completely, becoming a woman's tinkling voice, and the ringing became a gentle note behind the whispered words that echoed through him,

”Yes, dance, my little Songbird!”

And he did, filling himself full of the note that permeated his soul. He incorporated it into the beating of his heart, the rush of blood in his ears. He meshed it beautifully with the measured breathes he took, and used it to fill the gaps in the battle music that followed a clashing of blades. He composed his song, using the world as his instruments, as if he were a one-man-band. No, that idea didn’t feel right. It was more like he was the entirety of the piece, every section blending perfectly…

”You know who you are, my Songbird! Who we are!”
He was the choir, the strings, the brass, and the woodwind, the full ensemble. He was, at his core, the same as his Zanpakuto – for he knew that’s who was speaking to him.

“Call out to us!”

His spirit swelled, as he let it loose while he called out the name that was now etched into his being,

“Sing, Kōkyōkyoku!”

Just as he felt a [i]shift in his spirit, as if he were opening up a part of him that had been there, but closed off, he felt the change in his Asauchi… no, in his Zanpakuto, that he knew was her spirit echoing through him. His world of darkness was suddenly lit up, an entire world arrayed before him, as if it had been awaiting his arrival. Almost immediately, it returned to darkness, as physical, mental, and spiritual exhaustion seized hold and unconsciousness claimed him. He awoke in a world dyed purple, and a figure made of energy stood before him, her body shifting shades of amethyst.

“Welcome, little Songbird, to our shared world. We have much to learn, and more to teach.”