Shojiro Izanami [Fourth Division Captain]

Just my name will do, thank you.

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26

Squad 4, Medical Assistance and Supply

Captain

HAKUOUKI SHINSENGUMI KITAN -- Toshizo Hijikata

183 cm (6'0")

11 st (164 lbs)

Shojiro is a scantly tall man with an air of elegance about him, he is lean bodied, but his lack of fierce persona more or less conceals any possible threat that he may pose to other people. He has peculiar purple colored eyes which almost contradicts his pleasant character, 'powerful' is one way to describe being stared at by those ominous eyes of his, where as another would be 'chilling'. His skin is of a fair white complexion, being radiant and beautiful, dazzling all those who look upon him, and even earning him the envy of some ill mannered women.

Shojiro has a full set of hair, and then some, leaving his fine, beautiful jet black locks to flow freely down his back. He wears his hair in a pony tail that is held together tightly by a piece of white ribbon, with the front portion of his hair being parted down the middle, forming two near identical bangs of hair that shrouds portions of his face. The captain lacks any sort of wrinkle or skin deficiency, such things were beneath him, for he had the appearance of a beautiful young man, in fact, very few would find it believable that he was over eight hundred years old. The man lacks any sort of facial hair, barring his beautiful locks and his thin eyebrows, whether this is because he shaves regularly or just doesn't grow facial hair is up for debate, either way, no one knows.

When it comes to clothing, Shojiro is one for tradition and order, and as such he wears his Shihakusho with pride. This jet black uniform is every bit as bold and elegant as he is, it's fine spiritual texture, it's exceptional stitching, yes, this is a Shihakusho that stands above the rest. As customary of any shinigami to do, he generally wears a white undergarment known as a shitagi. This is all bound together by his personalized golden sash, which he ties into knots, this sash acting as a bind for the sheath of his beautiful Zanpakuto, having it tied to his side. As much as he would like to stick to tradition however, he doesn't have much love for it, so he would like to spice things up a bit here and there, hence the sash. Just for the sake of it, Shojiro wears a pair of black fingerless gloves that stretch and cover most of his forearms. For footwear, Shojiro is content with wearing standard white tabis and traditional straw woven sandals.

Like all captains, Shojiro wears the highly esteemed white Haori, his specific version being long sleeved and having his squads insignia imprinted on its fine silken back. As much as Shojiro doesn't mind it, he can't help but forget to wear it from time to time, often resulting in a stern talking to by anyone who happens to pick up on it.

-:- Peace and tranquility, where people can just relax and enjoy the deliciousness that is tea.

-:- Tea, herbal green tea preferably but doesn't mind the other varieties, in fact, a little change is nice.

-:- Nice, open fields with an abundance of greenery and wild life, just an ideal place to sit down and enjoy some tea.

-:- Sweets of all kinds. Sometimes has a lollipop in his mouth, as creepy as that sounds.

-:- His squad, he is very friendly with all of his members and would like nothing more than to see his members be treated with respect.

-:- Anyone who likes tea is a friend to him, even the most unlikely people.

-:- Reading, after all, who doesn't like to sit back and read a good book now and then? Just the little things that make down time more enjoyable.

-:- Music, he absolutely loves to hear a good jam now and then, it doesn't matter what sort of music it is, so long as he can enjoy it.

-:- Meat, he loves to eat meat more than anything and would hate not having meat form at least part of his meal.

-:- Swordsmanship, he claims to enjoy practicing for 'artistic purposes'. but truth be told if he were a painter, the only color he would use is red.

-:- Likes puppies and other small animals

-:- Is not one to pass up a good cup of sake.

-:- People who makes fun of tea and or the people who drink it.

-:- Squad 11, mostly because they seem to love picking on his little subordinates, which he finds unacceptable.

-:- Brutish people who do not have a single strategic thought in their head

-:- Loud mouths who do not know when to shut up, especially when concentration is required.

-:- People who cannot be reasoned with.

-:- Anyone who threatens a member of his squad.

-:- Greatly despises vegetables, especially asparagus, in fact he would only eat vegetables if there was a helpful portion of meat to go with it.

-:- Hates losing more than anything, in any regard for that matter. Be it losing a competition or losing a life that was under his care, after all, losing sucks.

-:- Is a self proclaimed pacifist and will grievously beat up anyone to prove his point.

-:- Oddly forgetful of certain things, such as his Haori or even his Zanpakuto.

-:- Has a bad habit of giving people chocolate, no matter who it is. What's more creepy is where he manages to hide it.

-:- Has the capability to be utterly terrifying when pushed far enough, some say he has a wide array of torturing know how, others say that he likes to improvise.

-:- Falls asleep at the most inappropriate moments, only to wake up immediately a few seconds later...being the chief of medicine is taxing.

-:- Makes really bad jokes...on purpose

-:- Too easily amused.

-:- When he is angry, he will lash out at anything, so it's best to just leave him alone at such a time.

-:- Doesn't know how to read signs, absolutely terrible at reading women, for instance.

-:- A die hard romantic that wants to settle down, often falls for women quite easily, unless you know, they're trying to kill him.

-:- Prone to embarrassing situations, because of all of the above.

-:- Would rather sit on the side lines than join a fight, as even if he enjoys the activity, he doesn't like exerting himself in order to partake in such things, so sometimes he may try and diffuse the situation by asking if the person wants some candy.

-:- Despite what his appearance would lead people to believe, he is a horribly vicious fighter when he gets down to it, resorting to brute strength and his superior fighting prowess to crush his enemies.

-:- Incredibly perceptive -- as a shinigami who excels in medicine and curing the body, he 'has' to have an excellent ability in working out what's going on and why, this works well on the field of battle.

-:- Great working knowledge of the human body.

-:- Very charismatic and charming; can come across as an almost fatherly or brotherly sort of person.

-:- Deeply cares about soul society and all of its inhabitants

-:- Treats his patients with care and diligence.

-:- Is firm in his belief that people who carry a noble goal should do everything in their power to achieve it, no matter the cost. He tries to instill this belief into his squad members to make them stronger. Like a parent who wants their child to succeed.

-:- As casual and easy to talk to as he is, when it comes down to business he immediately gets to the point and does his duty without fail, he also quite quick to reprimand those who commit a crime, even members of his own family.

His habit of giving chocolate to random people stemmed from when he was a child, his mother forbade him from eating candy of any kind as it would have made him fat like one of his brothers. As a result, when he finally managed to taste one as an adult, he decided that everyone should at least have what he couldn't as a child.

Medical pack: Though not exactly a weapon, this pack is essential for any squad 4 member to carry. It contains a full role of bandages, swabs, antidotes for common poisons and pills to help cope with pain. This small white pouch is stored behind the captains sash, just under his haori.

name: Tenku Ikari (天空怒り; Heavenly Rage)

sealed form: Tenku Ikari is a gracefully long weapon, being a 79 inch nodachi like sword, with 10 inches of it being the hilt. The blade is finely crafted with no chips or dents, with its sleek shape designed for slicing through things swiftly and cleanly. Right at the base of the blade, a gold imprint of an unknown beast like creature is visible; the shimmering gold in which it is imprinted means that it shines and glints in the sun light. The blade is silvery white in color, with not a spot of black. The hilt on the other hand, is of a red/brown woven pattern. The guard is glimmering gold in color and takes a thin, oval shape, with curved line length slits inside.

SPOILER: Click to show

spirit: Deep within the corroded, empty temple that is Shojiro's Inner World, there exists one entity that by all definition baffles him, his Zanpakuto Spirit, Tenku Ikari. His spirit takes the form of a fair young maiden, gowned in a yellow kimono with various flower patterns printed across her garb. She has a pale white complexion that almost mirrors his own, and the same crimson red eyes that intoxicate all who catches her gaze. She has a beautiful voice that matches her visage, and appears to be a quaint person. She is soft spoken and friendly towards her partner, and even somewhat flirtatious, as she 'presents' herself to him whenever he visits his least favorite place of all time.

Despite how she appears, she has a very strange sense of humor, as she sometimes appears as a man. As strange as that sounds, her male form is almost exactly the same as her female form, where the only difference being that she sprouts a penis and has a deep voice, like her name could be Jerome. Shojiro learned this the hard way, because during his youth, before he had even learned his swords name, his spirit would often appear to him in a dream. Now, being the hot blooded youth that he was, he worked his charms on her, and since it was a dream, it worked out well, or that was his reasoning at least. When it finally got to the point where she was being undressed by him, layer by layer, more skin was revealed, until finally, all 10 inches of raw manliness jutted out from her lower region, almost bludgeoning him to death from the sheer force of being contained under a layer of fabric. The youth was horrified, and the spirit? she laughed away like a maniac...she never let him live it down...where as the trauma had made it more difficult for him to learn his swords name.

That embarrassing story aside, the pair work well together and whenever Shojiro is uneasy and conflicted, she will guide him like any teacher should, though, in her own way of course. After all, despite all her treatment of him, she is deeply infatuated in him.

inner world: Shojiros' Inner world can only be described as a desolate, ruined temple surrounded by nothing but ocean. This temple, although vast, has all but crumbled away, leaving only the very tallest of its buildings in one, albeit fragile, piece. The land which the temple resides on is quite vast in itself, being a large island that is several feet out of the waters grasp, with lush blades of grass to fill the land. The Ocean is very restless, crashing against the island every so often, much to the annoyance of the shinigami who has to put up with it, after all, he hates all that which disturbs peace and quiet. Almost unsurprisingly, the clouds above were just as restless, often sneering with every clap of thunder that happens to sound off. All in all, Shojiro's inner world is not a good place to relax or think.

If the location wasn't horrible enough, there exists one being who by far annoys him more, his spirit, Tenku Ikari, who goes out of her way just to irritate him, however, she possesses the power to 'mute' the sounds of the surroundings, so if she is feeling somewhat generous, she would do that for her partner.

release command: Resound through the air with the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and erase all creation

description: Shojiro's Shikai takes the form of two identical katanas. These katanas, separately, are slightly shorter than his sealed weapons form, being 72 inches tall, 10 inches of which belonging to the hilt and thus the remaining 62 inches being for the blade. The blades beautiful silver is tarnished and ancient looking, taking on a more dirt colored gold or brown instead, though never the less being remarkable to look at. At the base of the blades, there are two identical gold imprints of a swirl pattern that goes up the side of the blade until around 1/4 upwards, just to add to that imperial feel.

The guard has changed greatly from its old oval appearance, now taking on a more circular shape, with eight evenly spread out prongs jutting out and having its own sharp bar of metal attached to it, just to add to that more regal look. The hilt itself still retains that red/brown pattern in a manner that all Katanas would, however one thing worth mentioning is the carving of a snarling wolf attached to the end of the hilts, being silver in appearance and looking quite ferocious.

Overall, his zanpakuto is both durable and powerful, the smaller blade size making it easier to handle and thus easier to deliver attacks, and the fact that there two of them only means that the enemy is a pretty unlucky mite. Shojiro can execute fast and precise strikes with his twin weapons of mayhem, which surge with pent up electricity that reveals itself in the form of thin trickles of lightning that course through out the blades. The lightning that passively flows through these weapons mean that it is very possible to electrocute victims who find themselves in contact with the blade. At most the area of contact would be quite sore from the shock but otherwise the only real effect is to distract the victim. Despite how nimble the weapons look, the raw yellow lightning that they command beckons them to be more suited to be a power type, capable of wanton destruction.

SPOILER: Click to show

type: Lightning

techniques:

For: Shikai
Name: Wave Crash
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 3 Posts, 6 posts if both blades are used.
Cost: Semi-Medium, High if both blades are used.
Range: Long
Description: One of Shojiros signature attacks, in which he merely swings one of his zanpakuto at a desired target and emits a wide arc of pure lightning, given form thanks to being compressed within the blade of one of his zanpakuto and released abruptly. This attack is capable of cleaving through land and flesh alike, as it is raw energy given the shape of a large sickle, and as it is made out of lightning, the attack emits high levels of heat that can burn the target as well. Has a range of up to 40 meters. Shojiro can opt to use both of his blades to fire a wave, either compressing it to form one extremely large wave, or using two waves simultaneously to throw the target off.

For: Shikai
Name: Lightning Fission
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 4 Posts
Cost: High
Range: Medium
Description: This attack requires Shojiro to swing one of his Zanpakuto in an upward manner, immediately releasing a potent wave of lightning that skewers the sky itself as it blasts forward, destroying the terrain and anyone unfortunate enough to stay within the range of this attack. This is Shojiros more powerful attack and will completely overwhelm the a target if his HAN is 3 points lower than Shojiros SEI.

For: Shikai
Name: Blades of Thunder
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: N/A
Cost: Medium, used whenever Shojiro uses his Tenku Ikari to attack.
Range: Short, sword length.
Description: Whenever Shojiro swings either of his Zanpakuto, the elegantly crafted blade is clad in lightning as it is swung, meaning that should a target be struck by his sword of lightning, they are electrocuted mildly, but enough for it to singe the area of contact, making for a more horrific wound. His shikai constantly being clad in lightning means that it produces a great amount of heat which results in this singeing ability. This ability can be turned off at will, should Shojiro require to preserve some of his energy.

For: Shikai
Name: Raging Bolt
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 2 Posts.
Cost: Medium
Range: Long Range
Description: By pointing one of his blades at a target, Shojiro is capable of directing a powerful bolt of lightning at whatever direction the blade happens to be pointing towards. This vibrant bolt of yellow energy is a super heated blast of lightning that is designed to pierce and severely damage its target. The blast can travel for 50 meters and the width is overbearing enough to cause serious damage to any foe whose HAN is 3 points lower than Shojiros SEI.

name: Kami no Botsu, Tenku Ikari (神の罰、天空怒り; Punishment of God, Heavenly Rage)

description: Activating Bankai causes the spiritual power within Shojiros very being to well up tremendously, before surging out into a potent pillar of pure yellow reiatsu that touches the sky itself. This outburst of power sends dust and debris to scatter wildly in an outwardly direction, while the sky itself darkens from its interaction with the pillar of reiatsu. A twisting black maw of death forms from this pillar, which continues to shine through as the Bankai is initiated, until finally a large billow of thunder and lightning blankets the sky in darkness, being around 100 meters in diameter. After this fairly quick procedure is over with, the dual swords that are firmly within the shinigamis hands gleam a bright yellow, before dissipating completely into frenzied sparks. These wild sparks of electricity then coil around the mans arms, before it too disappears and leaves two intricately wrapped bandages to coat the mans arms and fingers, with two plain metal bands to occupy his wrists.

These bandages, despite their feeble appearance, are actually made of a very durable type of metal, meaning that they are not at all easy to cut through and provide his arms with decent protection from ordinary attacks, not to mention the added offense that these titan class gauntlets provide. With a simple hand gesture, Shojiro is able to summon an immense bolt of lightning from the conjured thunder cloud, being capable of charring or even incinerating people who are unable to withstand its might.

These gauntlets grant Shojiro command over vast amounts of lightning, most of which are being compressed within the fabric of those bandages, allowing him to wreak unspoken havoc on those who have pushed him far enough to use that dreaded bankai of his. After all, this Bankai is purely meant for one thing, total annihilation. As his bankai compresses the destructive power of his lightning into two simple bandage woven gauntlets, his physical abilities are peaked to the point that a mere punch would come about with the resounding roar of thunder. That is not to say that his gloves are only capable of guiding bolts from the sky or heightening his physical powers, as his gauntlets are also capable of emitting his lightning in anyway he may see fit. The thunder cloud produced by his bankai is purely static (heh), and cannot be moved from the area that it had been summoned, and it also dissipates once Shojiro undoes his bankai or if an outside power disrupts the clouds in some way.

type: Lightning, Weather Manipulation

stat upgrades: +3 HAK, +3 HOH, +2 SEI

techniques:

For: Bankai
Name: Scattering Clouds
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 2 posts for the lightning explosions (upon impact)
Cost: Low, used whenever Shojiro uses physical attacks with his gauntlets.
Range: Short
Description: Shojiros most basic Bankai ability. By simply striking something with one of his gauntlets, his attacking hand is clad in lightning thus greatly increasing the force of the blow. For punches, his swing emits a crashing boom akin to a thunder clap, with the lightning from his fist erupting into a violent outward explosion upon impact, releasing the mound of lightning and heat at unsuspecting foes. As there are vast amounts of lightning stored within the fabric of his gauntlets, Shojiro can release it as a potent burst or explosion whenever he is able, causing great devastation. In order for the more active part of Shojiros technique to work to the best of its ability, Shojiros SEI must be at least 3 SEI higher than the opponents HAN.

For: Bankai
Name: Parting of the clouds
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 4 posts
Cost: Moderate
Range: Short-Long
Description: By holding his palm flat, Shojiro can channel a compressed cluster of lightning that takes the shape of a shape blade, using his fingers as the focal point for the piercing attack. This move allows the user to slash at enemies as if his arm was a sword, which can also extend for up to 50 meters, cleaving and piercing through mostly anything that the man can wave his arm at. The heat generated by the lightning makes it easier to carve through objects, as well as greatly burning the area of contact. In order for the blade to cut through opponents effectively, their HAN must at least be 3 points lower than Shojiros SEI. This weapon can last so long as Shojiro allows it or until it breaks, in which case he must wait for the full cool down to subside before using it again.

For: Bankai
Name: Crashing Thunder
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 4 posts
Cost: High
Range: Long
Description: By making visual contact with the target and facing its general direction, Shojiro holds one of his gauntlet clad hands out, as if he was waiting for something. After finding a target, he swiftly brings his open palm down, gesturing the 100 meter brood of black clouds above to send down a powerfully crushing bolt of lightning. The bolt of lightning that it sends down has the diameter of 25 meters. This attack is fairly swift once it is performed, as an incredibly large bolt of lightning rains down from the heavens in order to smite the unforgiving enemy. This bolt of lightning is strong enough to completely engulf a target and bear down with such force that escaping is incredibly difficult once they are caught within the blast. To the untrained eye, the bolt appears as a flash of yellow that comes and goes in no time at all, greatly damaging and burning opponents, with the more grievous and possibly fatal injuries occurring to those whose HAN are 10 points lower than Shojiros SEI. This technique only works if both the opponent and the user are under the black thunder cloud.

Shojiro was born within the Seireitei, as a true blooded nobleman of the Izanami Clan, a lesser branch family of the Izanagi Clan. Despite their status as a lesser form of nobility, they were treated with respect and admired for their old fashioned code of honor. The lad was born to the Head of the Izanami Clan, being the third son of Shoken and Shima Izanami. Shojiro had two older brothers named Todo and Hakuren, both of whom were already in their young adolescence by the time he was born.

The family lived in reasonable comfort, as they amassed a decent amount of wealth through their main business, the 'Water Silver', a store which sells expensive clothing, accessories and furniture. Shoken laid out an intricate plan for his children; His first son would take over as the head of the clan in his passing or retirement, his second son would take over as head of the Business, and Shojiro would marry into a lesser family and take over as it's head.

Despite this great 'strategy' laid out by his lord-father, Shojiro still felt ostracized by the man, as his main priorities lied with his eldest brother, Todo. Shojiro would often vent his frustration out by training, as he felt that constantly exercising and keeping his mind active calmed him down, but no one could deny that he was against the whole plan that was laid out for him, as if he had no choice but to follow it. It wasn't like he wanted to be the head of his own clan either; such responsibilities were best left to his older brother, who was known for his diplomacy.

The only person that he developed any real connection to was his mother, who adored all her children no matter what sort of plan was laid out for them. Shima was Shojiros sole confidant and friend, and he would tell her anything. Shojiro cared deeply for his mother, so when she fell seriously ill, he frantically searched for a way to make her well again. However, as much as he tried to find a way to make her better, she only grew weaker and weaker, until finally, she faded away. The whole family grieved that evening, after all, a prime member of the family had just died without warning, but the one who suffered the most from this, was poor little Shojiro, who would not utter a word for almost a week.

The rest of his childhood was mostly a blur after that, an annoying, gray blur that should not be remembered, because it would only bring back the worst in him. It was sometime after his mothers death that he sought the comfort of a sword, as he knew that he had to break away from the pathetic life that was set out before him. Every day, he would train from dawn until dusk, swing after swing, tree after tree. He would train and practice and hone his skills until his hands bled from gripping his sword too hard, but even then he continued. He hated the feeling he got while his mother was at her weakest, that ill-thought feeling of being powerless...unable to help, unable to do anything but watch. It was because of that did he try so hard to grow stronger, stronger than anyone, all so that he could protect his family, as much as he could not understand why.

After urging his father to let him, he joined the Shin'o Academy after successfully passing the entrance exam on the first try. Unlike other shinigami who had received their asauchi upon joining the academy, Shojiro already had one, as he had received it from one of his Uncles on his 100th birthday; this was the same Asauchi that he had already trained with for a good portion of his life, and as such he was not about to part with it for any reason what so ever. The curriculum at the academy was quite peculiar, as there were two forms of Shinigami combat that he wasn't quite aware of, those being Kido and Hakuda, so it was only natural that it took him some time before he got the hang of utilizing them effectively.

Despite how modest he was, he was definitely a talented student, coming out first in both his Zanjutsu and Hoho classes, where as he fell short of his Hakuda by two places and came in second for his Kido. He completed his education in six grueling yet rewarding years, as they had allowed him to greatly hone his abilities and be more of an asset to his family. Shojiro was a very charismatic person and had quite the number of friends in school, as everyone thought of him as the person with the warmest personality, but that being said, he was quick to anger and often let his rage consume him whenever he was deep in the heat of a sparring match, earning him some discredit for it.

After he graduated, Shojiro joined the 5th squad and was immediately given the rank of 8th seat, as rumors of his skill and prowess had reached its way to the ears of the Captain of that squad. During his time within this squad, he met a peculiar fellow named Sosuke Aizen, who was serving as the third seat. The man was mild mannered, polite and often asked how he was adjusting to the role of a Shinigami, and to that end, he thought of him in a very pleasant manner. The young shinigami continued training as he had always done, however this time he had to juggle his duties towards the souls of the departed as well as to his own squad. Everything was going swimmingly until one fated day where his clan was insulted by a ruffian from the 11th squad. At first he chose to ignore it, but the insults escalated from being directed as his own clan to mocking his cowardice and unwillingness to fight. It was then and there that Shojiro had snapped abruptly, and proceeded to brutally assault the trouble maker, who in a blind rage almost resorted to using his Zanpakuto in order to finish him.

As a result of this gross misconduct, Shojiro was cast out from squad 5 and forced to serve under squad 4, as punishment for his blatant assault. His family was the first to hear of his move to the 4th squad, and viewed him harshly for it, as they were fully aware of the poor reputation that the squad had at the time. Shojiro often agreed that joining the squad was preposterous, as they were merely mild mannered cleaners, not fighters. For a very long time, Shojiro resented the fact that he had to work in such an awful division, but he kept his tongue in check, as there was no greater dishonor than to badmouth the squad that took pity on him.

His early years within the squad was mostly him just ducking out of cleaning duty whenever possible and instead focusing on training himself, after all, he needed to master the shikai that he painstakingly learned not too long ago. This continued up until he was forced to heal the injury of a man who had sustained a great damage to his chest. His chances of survival were slim, but noticing that he had not been pulling in the weight, the other members decided that he should be the one to do it, so that when the patient died, his guilt would make him try harder or not be a burden by leaving altogether.

Shojiro was very nervous about the whole thing, as he had only practiced his healing kido on dummies, he had never actually used it to heal an injury, and even if he did, he was fairly certain that the mans injuries were well beyond him. The mans groans and wailing had got to him though, so he decided to give it a shot, and held both of his open palms near the injury. After some concentration, a green mist of energy surged around his hands as he drew them closer to the injury, hoping that it would do something. Almost miraculously, the injury began to close and the mans frantic wailing had subsided. Before long, the injury had almost closed up completely and the man, now out of danger, was carried off on a stretcher.

The fact that the mans life was saved by his first real life attempt at healing meant that not only was his reiatsu more attuned for healing, but it also meant that he belonged in the very squad that he scorned. Shojiro felt very uneasy that evening, because for the first time ever, he felt what it was like to save a life, instead of take it away. It felt...uplifting, like he had finally gained the ability to do what he could not all those years ago. In that moment, he realized how much of a fool he was, because after all this time, the thing he truly craved was a way to protect and save his family...not superficial power.

After that incident, he took his role more seriously, and adopted a more upbeat attitude about life in squad 4, even showing up on time and doing the dingiest of duties with a smile. It was because of this incredible attitude adjustment that he ended up becoming the leader of the 1st relief team, a duty which he accepted with utmost pride. The Shojiro that was once known as the squad 4 member with the brutality of a squad 11 monster was now known for his excellent healing abilities and his infectiously calm personality, scoring him great points with some of the lady shinigami as well.

As great as it all was, nothing pleased him more than when he was finally accepted into the role of Lieutenant, serving directly under the dutiful Captain Unohana, who was without a doubt as beautiful as they say. Under the captain, he learned many things, such as patience, coping under pressure and how to manage his time effectively. Yes, Unohana was an astounding teacher, and when she wasn't teaching him about medicine, she helped him train more effectively by pitting him against some of the squad 11 grunts, who were polite enough to 'volunteer'.

The relationship the two had was best described as something of a mother-son thing, As he deeply respected and cared for the captains well being, and vise versa. In fact, she was the first to find out that Shojiro had learned his bankai, as grueling a task as it was. As it so happened, a few captain positions were available, but the lieutenant was adamant about not wanting to be one, as his rightful place was by her side. Shojiro continued to serve as the lieutenant of squad 4 until he was in his 600s, where he had to temporarily retire from his position so that he could help his father run their store.

At first, the youth was quite reluctant to do so, but he knew that he couldn't disobey his father, so without much fuss, he went and did that, after bidding his comrades farewell. His time at his fathers store was a very uninteresting one, as although he learned quite a bit about business, it did not help him at all, for his mind was with the squad that he abandoned just to be at that overpriced store of his. It was not uncommon for him to sneak out during his shift so that he could practice extra thoroughly, after all, he had a bankai that needed mastering and he no longer had the captain to aid him. During his time at the store, he constantly overheard his father talk about the supposed arranged marriage that he was supposed to undergo not too long for now, and of course this only made the youth dread even more...He wanted to return to being a squad member more than anything, but nothing seemed to be enough to convince his lord-father that he should return.

Not even the supposed betrayal at the hands of Sousuke Aizen, Kaname Tousen and Gin Ichimaru had caused his adamant father to allow him to return to active duty, he was very dead set on keeping him put, better here at the shop than to have him continue gallivanting about with that shameful excuse of a squad.

It was only after 200 years and after the defeat of Aizen that the young Shinigami was relieved of his duty towards that deathly place, having finally been allowed to resume his position as he was always meant to. He was sure that a new lieutenant would have replaced him by now, but he could not care less, after all, just being apart of that squad was enough to make him feel content, and now, after he had gained the strength to protect the squad, he was more than happy to take whatever seat was available to him.

What happened next would have surprised anyone. When he paced himself through the nostalgic looking infirmary, he was met with cheer and elation, he was finally back where he belonged...but what puzzled him was that the one person he had wanted to see the most was no where to be seen. He searched frantically for the captain who he had devoted his sword to, but she was neither here nor there. It was only after an odd shinigami had informed him of the situation did he truly feel anything. His Captain had retired not too long ago, and a new captain was already being selected...

This was happening way too fast, Shojiro had hardly seen her for over 200 years and when he finally returns, she retires?! All sorts of thoughts were racing through his mind, he hadn't a clue of what to do, but, then he calmed himself, after re-evaluating what his former captain had taught him. After having engaged in deep thought, he knew what he had to do. After arranging a meeting with the head captain, he pleaded with him to let him take the Captains initiation test so that he could take over for the squad that he grew up in.

It was not long before the Captains initiation test that he had undergone came out as a success, with him winning the approval of not only the head captain, but the three elder captains that were present during the ordeal. The test was surely a peculiar one, as he had expected to fight a captain level shinigami in order to prove his worthiness, instead he was bombarded with questions and was then asked to demonstrate his Bankai -- so all in all, things went pretty smoothly. By the end of this whole fiasco, Shojiro had came out a better man than ever before, and now he had the whole of squad 4 to look after, just as nature intended.