Akumu Shiki- A work in progress

Name: Shiki Akumu (始期 あくむ, Akumu Shiki)

Aliases: Saiyaku, Thanatos, Osiris

Age: 7,861

Visual Age: 24

Gender: Male

Appearance:


Shiki stands fairly tall at five foot eleven, his build being rather thin but with a muscular tone to it. His hair is a pitch, empty black with a chrome hue, allowing light to softly reflect from it. His eyes, a deep crimson seem to stare emptily at everything around them. He wears a rather form fitting dark grey shirt, a short sleeved leather jacket adorned over it. The jacket fits almost like a cape with it's elongated tail and it's heightened collar. He wears a belt, a dark brass one that suspends his tight leather pants. Around his neck is a necklace holding up two crosses, one held closer to his neck than the other.

Personality: Shiki has been known to have a complex personality, but this is speculated to be due to his inner Hollow. His age has granted him an odd wisdom, and has made him rather calm. He can retain his cool under many situations, not allowing anything to break his hard demeanor. He can be rather unpredictable at times, with no one capable of determining his next course of action. Shiki also tends to remain aloof, rarely letting any information of any sort escape his lips, be it personal or business. He prefers to keep those around him on their toes, guessing what he's going to do next. He does not care to be subjectified or categorized into anything, he likes to establish his place as an individual in this large world. When in the company of close friends Shiki has also been known to crack crude jokes and have a bit more positive energy.

Likes: Silence, sweets, destruction, anarchy, himself.

Dislikes: Loud people, illiterates, religious fanatics, bright lights, instructions.

Special Characteristics:

Previous Division: Before becoming a Vizard, Shiki was the Taicho of the second division of the Goteijusantai; Nibantai.

History:
Shiki's life as a human was quite some time ago, several thousand years even. He was born into a family indebted to the King at the time, the name of the country eluding Shiki's mind. But a majority of his family were either servants, body guards or soldiers in the front line. You had to work your way up from a servant, to a soldier, until you became a guard for the king. Shiki had gone through his services as a servant and began to fight in the king's name on the battlefield and he was joyous to do so. He seemed to have a natural talent in combat as he became a decorated combatant rather quickly. He became feared by the rivaling nations until the king decided on Shiki's twentieth birthday that he'd become his own personal guard. Though he was far ore than happy to protect the leader of his nation with his life, Shiki couldn't help but his mind be plagued by the horrors he'd faced in the war, especially at his young age. Shiki worked with another one of the king's guards, one roughly twice the age of himself. Shiki was both praised for his talent. but often beaten for his growing violent personality. It was around this time that the other guard began to plot and conspire, using Shiki's PTSD as a cover for himself. The guard grew tired of taking orders from the king, and when he and Shiki were supposed to be guarding him in private, attempted assassinating the king. The other guard was able to get one slash into the king before being struck down by Shiki with surprising ease. The king, barely holding on, thanked Shiki for avenging him as he breathed his last breath. Just as Shiki sheathed his blade, he was spotted by the guards. They took notice of the dead bodies by Shiki and he was blamed for two counts of murder and treason. Shiki was imprisoned by the very nation he'd protected with his life, and he spent a few years in the prison before succumbing to an illness and dying.

There was a bright light after his death, and he slwoly embraced it before waking up. He was in a strange place inhabited by many people somewhere in Rukongai. There he lived for a few years trying to become financially stable and afford a decent home and whatnot. It didn't take more than a few years for there to be a Hollow attack on Shiki's home. It began it's rampage, causing colossal to his home until word got to the Gotei. They had dispatched a Fukutaicho to rid of the Hollow, saving Shiki in the process. Since that day, Shiki was awed by the Shinigami and aspired to harness his spiritual energy and become one of them.

It only took Shiki a couple years to graduate from the academy and become an unseated rank of the Gotei's technology and research division. It was there he began to truly develop his powers, growing knowledge of multiple Kidou. His main focus was his speed, which he utilized to practice his stealth to sneak upon his enemies and deal additional damage. After a few years, the SoTaicho got wind of Shiki's progress in his stealth abilities and transferred him over to the Nibantai, second division of the Goteijusantai. After a year or so of practice Shiki was deployed to the human world to exterminate a small group of mischievous Hollow. He was able to near effortlessly eliminate the most of the Hollow. However, he overestimated himself and became subject to one of the Hollow's counter attacks. It had slashed at Shiki with razor sharp claws, leaving quite the wound as Shiki hid the ground with a loud thud. With a small groan he had shut his eyes and drifted off.

Opening his eyes, Shiki shook at the sight. The world had become dark, corroded and polluted. The world was as vast as ever, yet it had seemed so...Empty. He couldn't find a single source of life. Getting up to his feet he heard a dark, whispering voice, one that he couldn't seem to track down.
"Call my name, you must."
"What...Who is this, who's there?!"
"Silence, young one. Enough chat and call my name."
As the ominous being spoke it's last word, Shiki opened his eyes to find himself in the human world, the two remaining Hollow lunging at him. He was instinctively holding his Zanpakuto outright to defend himself and without a second thought he shouted,
"Desecrate, Yomotsukami!"
Suddenly, his Zanpakuto began to glow a dark green color before fading leaving nothing but the original blade. It was then that a thick, dark green cloud began to envelope the blade of his Zanpakuto. As the mist formed, it also shot out a small cloud of it, much like a bullet. It had pierced the mask of the Hollow, going through and piercing the other as well. Moments after initial contact, the Hollows' masks slowly began to erode and crumble away, killing them.It took Shiki a few moments to realize the events that had transpired, but he got it; He called forth his Zanpakuto and thus activated his Shikai. As a small smile crept along his face, his eyes slowly shut causing him to blackout once more from the wounds he'd sustained.

Hours later he woke up, finding himself in the Gotei's recovery unit.
"They must have sensed something was wrong and sent somebody after me..." He thought to himself.
After a few minutes of small talk, the nurse guaranteed him that he could go home, just not to do any straining activity. With a nod he walked out the door and went home. He spent several days there recuperating from the battle he'd just barely won. He was joyous to know he'd been promoted to a seated officer for his success, but what they didn't tell him was that if he didn't sustain as many injuries as he had, he'd have been applicable for the rank of FukuTaicho.

It was around this time of year, centuries later that Shiki had earned the title of Taicho that he desperately longed for. He wanted to protect the Soul Society like that FukuTaicho had protected him that one day, many years ago. Shiki had also learned his Bankai, though he could hardly control it much less use it. But it was a joyous day, full of friends and loved ones as they hosted a party to celebrate Shiki's promotion. As they celebrated, a Hell Butterfly was sent to Shiki and as he got the message his eyes grew wide. there was a traitor in the Soul Society, somebody Shiki knew growing up. Apparently this man was jealous of Shiki's promotion and had claimed to be going after him. The ground was shaking, there was some screaming and as he turned his head, Shiki saw him. The Shinigami had used a Hado technique, destroying a portion of his home The result had killed several people simply trying to have a good time and enjoy the party. As Shiki blindly rushed at him, he was caught in a Bakudo spell, and before he could burst free, some other Shinigami had come to his assistance. The sight of Shiki's backup caused the traitor to flee.

Shiki was scarred at the events that had gone by, as he had to clean up all of the damage done and he swore his revenge. He'd go behind the Gotei's back and research and try to determine the Shinigami's location until he found it. The Shinigami had taken recluse in Hueco Mundo. After vast research and training, Shiki was able to successfully use Keikaigi to travel to the barren sands of Hueco Mundo. There he began to scan for the traitor's spiritual pressure. Closing in on him, Shiki began to devise a plan to sneak attack and immobilize him before he got to kill him. He heard once, the urchins singing that revenge solved everything, and he was going to put it to the test. Tracking down the Shinigami in a blind fury, he was unaware of the counter attack against himself. Before his eyes, there were many Hollow, ranging in the tens, probably around thirty in his eyes.
Shiki hacked and slashed at the Hollow, they were weak but they had strength in numbers. Shiki figured it was time, shouting the release command for his Zanpakuto and thus activating his Shikai.

With it's activation, Shiki was able to cut down a majority of the remaining Hollow while the traitorous Shinigami hid. As their numbers began to die down, the Shinigami took advantage of Shiki's fatigue and began his own assault. Overwhelmed, Shiki was sent to the ground, wounded greatly. All that remained in proximity was him and the traitor when suddenly Shiki shakily held up his Zanpakuto, pointing the blade at the Shinigami. The thick, corrupted mist surrounding his Zanpakuto shot out, like it had when he first released his Zanpakuto. The bullet of toxic gas shot through the Shinigami's shoulder, and it began to slowly rot away at the bone and muscle around the wound. Shouting in pain and cursing Shiki, the Shinigami was able to use his hand to launch a Hado spell at Shiki before his arm rotted off. The Kido that was launched at Shiki seemed to have finished him off, as the traitor quickly tried to make his escape, gravely injured as well.
Shiki would groan loudly, his eyes slowly opening as he heard a dark voice talking in a soft, yet loud and demanding voice.
"Puny Shinigami, fallen by one of your own brethren."
"Screw...You..." Replied Shiki, albeit hardly.
The voice roared with laughter, "Screw me?! You're the one on your death bed! I could easily end you right here and now you insignificant worm."
Shiki motioned to strike the source of the voice despite the fact he could hardly move his body, "What...What do you want? Like you said...You could kill me right now. What's stopping you, or a-..."
Shiki was cut off by the voice, "What do I want? You may not be able to tell in your condition, but I'm a Hollow. In fact, I'm a Vasto Lorde, one of the strongest Hollow."
Shiki coughed, small amounts of blood shooting out of his mouth as a result, "That still doesn't tell me...What you want with me..."
The Vasto Lorde chuckled, "I'm near the limit of my power, and I've grown bored with this mundane existence. Being the good Samaritan that I am, I've come to you with a proposition."
A soft sight escaped Shiki's lips, "Let's hear it..."
"As I said, I've grown tired of this existence, there's not much left for me. But I don't want all of my life to have been a waste, and as I can see, you're in a delicate state. I want to grant you my power.
Shiki nodded solemnly, unaware of the negative effects it'd have on him, and the true intent of the Hollow. The Vasto Lorde himself was actually injured greatly as well, but he had the time to search for a solution whereas Shiki did not. The Hollow had plans on taking over Shiki's body and abilities when they formed together, but he too was unaware of Shiki's own willpower. Shiki began to fade out of consciousness as the Hollow reached toward him, emitting a bright light. To this day, it's unknown to Shiki how the Vasto Lorde completed the process of making them one, and he's never gotten a straight answer.

Shiki woke a day or so later, his wounds almost entirely healed. Sitting up, he ran his hand across his forehead, trying to remember the events that had gone on within the past few days. He couldn't entirely remember he conversation he had with the Vasto Lorde, but he knew it had something to do with the new power he felt inside of himself now, another consciousness it seemed. After a few minutes of recovery, he stood up and began to use Keikaigi to open a Garganta. Summoning reishi around his feet, he stepped into the Graganta and made his way back home.

Upon his arrival, he went unnoticed for some time, at least as he immediately crashed, passing out in his own bed in the comfort of his home. Not many hours later there was a loud knock on his door, but before he could open it the door came crashing down. Several Officer ranked Shinigami had made their way into Shiki's home unannounced. They presented Shiki with court orders, he's been tried for treason for his sudden leave to Hueco Mundo!
No, no. There's been some misunderstanding. I went there for business."
"Well then, would you please care to state your business?" An officer replied, loudly.
"I had some matters to take care of, whelp! It's none of your concern what a Taicho does and when!"Shiki had suddenly snapped, that was out of character.
"State your business in Hueco Mundo or you'll be forced to either present your case in court or rot in prison,"another officer chimed in.
Shiki groaned, "You guys are a pain in my arse..."
"Wait..." an officer said. "You feel that? There's a Hollow here..."
Shiki blinked, "What on earth are you talking about? I sense nothing..." Shit, he wasn't used to being a Vizard...
One of the officers pointed at Shiki, "It's coming from him!"
Huh, what?!" Shiki exclaimed before he was assaulted by the group of officer ranked Shinigami.
Without breaking much of a sweat Shiki was able to cut down all but one of them, killing them in the process. It didn't take long for the surviving officer to report what had just happened, and after a small fallout with a fellow Taicho resulting in his death, Shiki escaped and lived in exile. He was frowned upon by many a Shinigami for not only his inner Hollow now, but his treason and despicable actions. In exile he hunted down as many Shinigami and Hollow he could to satiate his lust for revenge. All of the slaying felt empty as there was no one in particular he was striving to kill. He had gotten wind that his old enemy, the traitor couldn't fend for himself in Hueco Mundo in the condition he was in. There was truly no name Shiki wanted to see on a grave stone.

In the passing years Shiki, with tremendous practice eventually learned to control his Bankai and inner Hollow, though the latter was at a lesser effect. The years have made him cold, even outside the influence of his inner Hollow. He made few friends of various races though his demeanor was callous to outsiders. He slowly became capable of controlling his inner Hollow, to an extent. At will he could summon the beast's mask for his personal use, boosting his own abilities. Despite the power it gave him, he rarely used it unless he deemed his opponent worthy which is an incredibly rare case. Despite mastering his Shkai and gaining mastery of his Bankai he rarely used them as well for the same reasons. He believed them to weaken his raw strength and his natural talent.

He roamed the realm of the human world, though he seemed inclined to visit the spiritually powerful town of Karakura the most, or at least the location. He resided there for quite some time in peace before being disturbed by some rebellious, vigilante Shinigami. They've heard stories of Shiki and wanted to claim his head to bring back to the Gotei. These Shinigami had seemed powerful, or at least more so than the average Shinigami after him. Relying only on his skills in Zanjutsu, Shiki was able to dispatch the lot fairly easily. He knew the likes of them, if they had ever succeeded they'd turn on each other for the fame, a concept that sickened him. They were better off dead then plaguing this world; His world. Despite his malice towards the Shinigami, he would often dispatch of the Hollow either to cure his boredom or when he felt kind enough to save the pathetic humans.

After many other battles held at his home, he decided it was time to move. Since then, he's never stayed in one place for long, always traveling, yearning for somebody capable of battling him on equal ground; Not these pathetic excuses sent after him. Often enough, he'd use a Gigai when in the Human world when he felt he needed the comfort of conversation and interaction. Some of his travels took him to Greece, where his presence caused the death of many. Those around him seemed to mysteriously die, unbeknownst to them it being a cause of his spiritual power. The many deaths he'd caused there often made him praised as a deity or sorts and righteously feared. the name that many had given him was Thanatos; a personification of death. Shiki enjoyed his status and the Greek culture, but not enough to lend a helping hand as he watched the civilization slowly crumble. With it gone, his name carried on but was spoken far less often. His travels took him to many other places, all around the world. His short stay in Egypt caused another, though hastily shortened high status. Shiki inspired the the belied the worship of Osiris, He sat around the area for a while, though not long enough to it's downfall like he had with the ancient Greek civilization, instead he went to travel again.

Tired of all the needless praise, he studied on how to control his spiritual power so that it wouldn't kill anymore with it's raw strength. Alas, his reiatsu was too powerful and massive for him to fully control on his own, so for quite some time he used limiters to seal off a majority of his power until needed. Sealing it off also helped his dream of fighting those on equal ground, though not significantly. The few Shinigami capable of tracking him down were able to last in battle with Shiki slightly longer than those prior to him using limiters. It was good enough for now, he thought. For now it was the best he could do with doing something drastic such as amputation. No, he didn't want to be impaired, he simply wanted a fair fight in which he was at least capable of losing or causing him to release his powers.


RP Sample:

The setting, a forested area located somewhere in Karakura. The sun has begun to set so the sky is dimming with a tint of orange. Of course being in a forested area with the trees and their leaves blocking a majority of the way it appears to be much darker. A rustling sound is made and birds along with various other little critters skimper away. There's a yawn accompanied by a small thumping sound. The Vizard known as Shiki has made his arrival.

The thumping sound, made by Shiki landing on a tree branch quietly echoes through the forest, causing more frightened animals to take their leave. The Vizard slides into a sitting position, the tree itself supporting his back. He gives his arms a lengthy stretch accompanied by a small groan. Though it's well known that Hollow and their subtypes are not great big fans of settling in the human world, Shiki didn't mind. As long as he wasn't being bothered, he wouldn't bother them for the time being, he too enjoyed to relax and enjoy the scenery every now and again.

When finished his stretching, Shiki's eyes, a deep shade of crimson in color, scan the surrounding area. Nothing in particular catches his interest, sadly. A small growl was heard, though it wasn't hostile. No, not all all. It was rather the man's stomach, considering it had been a while before he had eaten. With a frown stretching across his face, he lightly rubs his belly.
"Don't worry, I'm going to find something to eat soon..."
Of course he didn't want to cause a scene, consuming an innocent soul. That of course, is when he heard a tremendous roar, one all too familiar.

Ever so conveniently, or so it seemed, a hollow had begun it's destructive rampage throughout Karakura town. Shiki's mouth widened slightly, showing a small grin as he pushes his long black hair behind his shoulders. With it done, he'd slide down the trunk of the tree until his feet touched the ground. Not even seconds after his feet made contact with the floor, he had vanished in a soft buzzing sound. Only moments later he would reappear near the cause of the sound. What do you know, there it was; a newly born hollow. Shiki's tongue slightly poked through his teeth, swiftly licking his lips, he was indeed hungry, that's a fact. But he was bored as well, so he decided he'd play with his food.

The hollow hadn't seemed to notice Shiki, not yet at least. It rattled it's large masked head, bellowing out a loud shriek. It was so blood curdling that even Shiki had to cover his ears. The hollow spared no moment to take advantage of Shiki's defenseless situation. It had already tackled him and bitten into his right shoulder. Shiki chuckled, he wasn't the only hungry one. He a fair amount of force the Vizard had managed to kick the hollow off of himself. He gave a small grunt as he gave his gaze to his shoulder, it wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. He clearly wasn't going to use that arm for swinging his sword, he didn't want too much blood pumping through that one.

He looked back over at the hollow just in time to see that it was charging at him again. Shiki charged a small amount of reiatsu into his left fist, punching the hollow away just as it neared him. Again, he disappeared into a soft buzzing sound and reappeared right by the hollow again, he wasn't going to give it a chance to do anything else. He charged more reiatsu into his elbow, smashing it against the hollow's solar plexus, or at least where it would be if it were human. This sent the hollow flying down onto the ground, cracking the concrete ever so slightly. He took the opportunity to slide his zanpakuto free from it's sheath and hack away at the hollow's limbs, leaving it defenseless. With a small grin plastered on his face again he begins to slowly eat the incapacitated hollow.

Minutes later he would rise up from his kneeling position, wiping his face with his sleeve, he was a bit of a messy eater at times. By now, not much had remained of the hollow, so he decided to break it's mask with one swift motion from his zanpakuto. It didn't take long for the hollow to disappear into nothingness. Shiki winced lightly at his shoulder, thinking that he'd rather just wait for it to heal on it's own. He tore off a piece of fabric from his clothing, wrapping it tightly around his new wound. The Vizard slowly stretched his legs before looking around, everyone had panicked and fled. His lips parted slowly as he spoke,
"Well, at least my stomach is doing better, though I think I could have handled that hollow a bit better. I suppose I should leave this area soon, just in case a Shinigami had been given information about the hollow attack."

Shiki began to slowly walk back to the forested area where he had come from. By this time, the sun had nearly set all the way, the sky was no longer a magnificent orange but rather tinted purple. As he reached the forested area, he began to climb into one of the trees, the leaves of it nearly blocking out all light. He slumped back against the trunk, sitting on the branch as he began to rest. It hadn't been too eventful of a day, but he still felt tired anyway. Shiki lightly patted his now full stomach as he eyes began to slowly shut and sending him into a light slumber.