Ayano Sakuraso

Ayano Sakuraso is the current captain of the 12th Division. She also serves as the Head of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. She seldom is seen outside of the complex but when she is outside of it she serves as the President of the Shinigami Women's Association. She is slated to make an appearance in Bleach: Roaring Conflict.

Appearance
Ayano is a beautiful Shinigami with short, layered brown hair that stops in the middle of her ears and trails gradually around the back of her neck. Her bangs are just a bit shorter than the sides of her hair, and they frame a pair of emerald-green eyes that shimmer like the sea. Ayano isn't particularly tall or short - she stands at just over five feet five inches and has never disclosed her weight, although it would likely be what one would expect of a fit woman her size. Her figure has curves in all the right places, but she doesn't go out of her way to show them off. If anything, Ayano is somewhat shy about the way she looks, despite being beautiful. Her light, fair skin is always blushing whenever she receives a compliment or someone looks her way as she passes. Her most striking feature might just be her smile. While her lips are somewhat thin and meek, there is something behind them that insinuates a more powerful spirit than one could possibly discern from looks alone. Her smile can range from cute and innocent to sly and terrifying.

Like most Captains, Ayano wears the white haori of her class. An alteration to her personal haori is a hood that she always has draped over her head. This hood is just low enough to obscure every facial feature but her mouth and nose in an almost unnatural shadow. One can tell that she is beautiful, and that the sides of her hair is black, but her emerald eyes and upper face are almost always obscured. What makes it even harder to see is the fact that Ayano always looks down while she walks. Underneath her unique haori is the normal black uniform of the Shinigami.

Personality
Captain Ayano is a very shy but very stern kind of woman. She doesn't like to bring attention to her looks because she doesn't know how to deal with being complimented on her beauty. Because of this, Ayano always seems to hide her face in some way. It's a sign that she feels comfortable with another individual when she lets her hood down; an act so rare that only a few outside her Division have ever laid witness to it. As a Captain, however, she is incredibly skilled and she definitely knows it. Her dual-bladed Zanpakuto wrote her ticket to her current position, as did her abilities in the Shinigami arts. Her meek views on her looks are completely separate from her personality about her skills. Enemies of Ayano are quick to discover her willingness to bring out her Zanpakuto to settle their differences, even though she doesn't particularly enjoy injuring others. Her kindness still shines through though towards those she is well acustomed to on the battlefield when she allows even the worst enemy to surrender.

Relationships
Daite Hattori Onigokua - In her eyes, Daite is the love of her life. She is willing to do anything for him, and wants him with all her might to be in love with her, but Ayano is too shy a person to even tell him how she feels about him. Her feelings for him are way too heavy on her that she can't stand being alone with him.

Equipment and Inventions
Reisu (麗津 Spirit Life Bean): Ayano's revolutionary invention. It's a small pea sized bean that can replenish a lieutenant's power after one use. Though the pros of the invention are quite good, the drawback is quite hasty for those with a zanpakuto. The user's body begins to reject the foreign reiatsu after an hour causing paralysis until the body can expel the reiatsu, unless of course the user uses all the reiatsu up. No adverse effects have been recorded for humans or other non-zanpakuto wielding species.

Shunijichou (主虹蝶 Primary Rainbow Butterfly): One of Ayano's initial inventions. Derived from the Jigokuchō. They are as their name implies butterflies whose wings are a shimmering rainbow. They function similiar to their counterparts but the have the added ability to deliver items as well as Ayano's other invention, Reisu.

Anti-Hierro Armor: A protective armor designed especially to engage in direct battle with enough durability to smash through an Arrancar's Hierro. It is also rather effective defensively, able to protect the wearer's said body part from damage, even if the armor itself is destroyed in the process

Powers & Abilities
Genius Intellect: Ayano has proven herself to be the most intelligent being within Soul Society in recent history. She has shown to be able to perfectly replicate past inventions, even with little to no blueprints and just the basic understanding of their function. Much of her intellect results in scientific invention to deduction of situations and combative skills and tactics. Her genius intellect makes her a master inventor and scientist, as well as a master strategist and tactician. This is a result of her being able to calculate various scenarios simultaneously, as well what happens when independent variables are entered into an equation. Her intellect also allows her to think things well in advance, and make decisive and accurate decisions quickly in battle.


 * Master Scientist/Inventor: Ayano has also proven herself to be a talented inventor and scientist, having created a number of devices or techniques to aid herself and others in battle or otherwise. Her knowledge has led her to an innate understanding of the abilities of others as well as what happens when independent variables are entered into an equation.

Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Ayano has the capability of being a very high level of ability in sword-combat. Her skill comes from the fact that Zanjutsu is one of her preferred methods of combat, as well as being the most used. Commonly, she will fight with her sealed Zanpakuto, rarely using her Shikai or Bankai.
 * Master Strategist & Tactician: On more than a number of occasions Ayano has shown herself to be a very insightful and cunning woman. Highly intuitive, she is quick to discern any incoming danger and react to it in time. Always thinking a few steps ahead, she is more than capable of deceiving both allies and enemies alike to reach her objective.

Shunpo Expert: Ayano has enough skill in Shunpo to be on par with her fellow captains.

Expert Kidō Practitioner: Ayano is proficient in regards to Kidō, able to use Kidō into the 60s without incantation and well into the 80s with incantations.

Kitsune Transformation: An ability that she developed from synthesizing Yoruichi's DNA and is similar to her own Cat Transformation. In this way she is able to take the form of a slender fox that is white in color. The fox state completely masks her spiritual signature from being tracked by others who don't know about her ability. While in this form she retains her strength.

Zanpakutō
Tamashiino Kage (魂の影, Soul Stuttering Shadow) is one of those incredibly rare Zanpakuto takes the form of two separate blades, even while it's completely sealed. Each one of her blades is a full-length katana. One of the two swords has a blue and white, crisscrossed grip while the other has a similar one, only with red instead of blue. Both of these blades are tied to Ayano's left side by a plain white sash.

Shikai: After the release command "Blend and warp" Ayano's zanpakuto turns into a dual fan-type weapon. The blades run the length of the fan and are wrapped at the base in cloth of varying shades of green. The fan of each weapon is a deep red color. The blades are black on both weapons and each contain a heart shaped cut-out about half way between the base and tip. The blades themselves are jagged and thin. Each fan is about two hand lengths long when closed and are able to snap open and shut.

Shikai Ability: Tamashiino Kage is a unique illusion type zanpakuto but is commonly mistaken as a wind type. It has the ability through cutting the opponent. When Tamashiino cuts the opponent it attaches a string of reshi to the point of contact. This allows Ayano to put some force of control on that area. More attachments means more control.
 * Kemuriwo Chissokuno Gamen (Screen of Choking Smoke): A simple smoke screen created by spinning the weapon a high speed, it has no adverse effects other than to lower the visibility of the battlefield.

Bankai Tamashiino Kage, Shisha no Aabita: (魂の影使者無しアビタ, Soul Shade, Arbiter of the Dead)

Bankai Special Abilities: TBC
 * Shi no Gensou (Death Illusion): The opponent must make contact with Tamashiino Kage, Shisha no Aabita for this technique to work. When contact is made, the enemy is enveloped by a surge of smoke. Within the smoke the opposition becomes entranced in an alternate realm of their mind; the enemy's sense of perception are slowed and their nervous system is enhanced.

Trivia

 * Ayano is the eldest of a set of five sisters.