Byuuto Voruta, a 7th Division history

OOC: I always like to make a very informed history of my characters, and the one I wrote for Voruta is a bit lacking, about 300 years of his life are completely left out. This continuation leaves out some of the mundane things about his life, but shines a light on others.


Voruta was known as a prodigy among shinigami, his sword fighting abilities were feared by most of the shinigami he graduated with. The fact that he severely lacked skill with kido, but still graduated from the academy early made it known that there must have been something amazing about him. The first time he walked into the 7th Division barracks, he was quickly informed that all of the squad's seats were taken and given the run down of the way that he could take another shinigami's seat. Voruta felt that taking another man's seat was wrong anyway, and he would wait patiently for 14 years, doing menial work, until the 12th seat died in a hollow attack. Voruta was promptly instated as the division's twelfth seat by the captain, even though the 13th seat should have gotten it. It was during this time that Voruta realized that even after having left the academy, he still carried a small amount of weight amongst shinigami. His abilities at the academy were spectacular, but even in the Gotei 13, he was still an above average fighter, even without knowing his shikai and bankai.

Over the years, Voruta became close to the captain of 7th squad, who would later on die in the Great War against Kensei. He and the Captain became the best of friends because both of them enjoyed nature and battle. Voruta could barely stand against the Captain in 1v1 combat, but sometime during the 105 years that Voruta occupied the 12th seat, he became to be able to fight on par with the Captain in his unreleased form. After besting the captain in unreleased combat, Voruta was advanced to 3rd seat by the Captain. Voruta remained in the third seat for five years before taking a temporary hiatus from the Gotei 13 for training purposes. At this time, Voruta still hadn't even figured out his zanpaktou's name. His hiatus was allowed by the then Captain-Commander, so Voruta left for the real world. So, Voruta would "vacation" in Antarctica, planning to come back with his shikai found.

Voruta stood on the frigid ice covered land, almost freezing to death in the severely cold climate. He looked down at his snow white zanpaktou and the strange black gem that was embedded in the bottom, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in a desert of white sand, surrounded by nothingness. This is the place I've heard so much about... The place where hollow come to consume each other for strength... This is Hueco Mundo

Voruta was shocked. The inner world of one's zanpaktou was supposed to be a place that the owner recognized, wasn't it? He had heard things about Hueco Mundo, but he had never actually been there. Now that he had taken a second to look around, this place couldn't be Hueco Mundo, that place had always been described as chaotic and barbaric, this desert was actually pretty peaceful. The occasional breeze and the sound of sand moving through the desert was kind of relaxing. This tranquility was quickly destroyed though, when Voruta sensed an enemy near. At the last second, Voruta turned and blocked the fist of his enemy with a single hand.

"Damn..." the muscular, afro'd man said. "Being cooped up here has really taken a toll on my strength."
"Cooped up?" Voruta said. "Look at this place, how the hell are you cooped up?"
"There's nothing to fight, nothing to do." he said, sighing "I was wondering when you were going to come visit me."
"Visit... Who are you?" Voruta questioned.
"Ah, I figured that was coming." the man said.

Voruta had now noticed that the man had no legs, his legs were replaced by an ethereal tail, like that of a ghost.

"I am Zabara, the copy-cat holl-" the man frowned. "I guess I'm not a hollow anymore... Just call me Zabara."
"Well, Zabara, I'm Byuu-" Voruta was quickly interrupted.
"I've been lying in your sheathe for over 100 years now, you think I don't know who you are!" he said, laughing. "You, my friend, you haven't seemed to show any interest in me until now though."
"I'm sorry... I just didn't think that I needed your power until now." Voruta said, rather bluntly.
"Didn't need?" Zabara laughed again. "Once you find my true power, you'll realize how much you needed me!"
"Now... I'm sure you're here to find out my name, but I already told you that anyway. All you really need to do is find out my release phrase." Zabara said
"Hell, I've seen you fight, I've got to say that I'm a fan of your skills. I'd love to see what you can do with my abilities... When you get out of here, speak the words 'Scream, Zabara.' You're gonna be a new man."

Suddenly, Zabara screamed and released of his reiatsu, quickly bringing Voruta to his knees. Voruta was booted out of Zabara's inner world and he heard Zabara's voice say "Come back when you think you can stand that reiatsu."

Voruta looked around, finding himself back in Antarctica, standing with his wooden sandals almost completely embedded into the ice. Had he really just been standing here this whole time? Only one way to find out...

"Scream, Zabara."

Suddenly his pure white zanpaktou joined with its sheathe to create a white bo staff as tall as himself with black gems adorning the top and bottom. He could feel the strength of the weapon surging through his body, he had rarely used any staff before, but he had a feeling that that was the point of the transformation. He would have to learn to use this weapon to the best of his ability, He held the staff in his left hand and suddenly swung it, feeling a small amount of energy come out of the staff as he did so. This weapon was so light that he could use it proficiently with just one hand! Voruta began going through a regiment of show-offish swings and throws that would've amazed his fellow squad members if they were there to see it. He stayed there for a week, discovering the abilities of his shikai. He found that he could use thin strings of reiatsu to throw and control his staff. He also found that his staff released small amounts of spiritual pressure when it was swung, but that spiritual pressure release didn't take any energy out of him.

Upon returning to the 7th Division after two weeks in the real world, he realized that his shikai was a full-time release, he couldn't go back to his sword even if he wanted to. Luckily, he quickly became proficient with the staff and didn't feel a need to return to his sword. He showed the members of 7th Division what his shikai could do, and a few curious shinigami from other divisions came as well. The former third seat of 7th Division came as well, who was also somewhat well-known because he was one of the few seated officers who had found his bankai. The Captain had replaced this amazing shinigami with Voruta and he had made i known to everyone that he was displeased with the Captain's decision.

"Well, this seems as good a time as any..." said the former third seat, Shikimachi Keichii. "I challenge you."

The crowd fell silent, as they were very right to do. Normally, shinigami challenged captain's for their seat, so that they could become captains. Very rarely did a seated officer challenge another seated officer, this was no longer a matter of status. Keichii had challenged him over pride, and Voruta knew that a man fighting for pride rarely stopped fighting.

Without hesitation, Voruta spoke. "I accept."

The crowd that had formed to watch Voruta's shikai demonstration suddenly widened greatly to give the two shinigami room to battle. There were at least 400 people in the crowd, but they all moved at the exact same time and length, as if they were one sentient being. Voruta looked at the man who stood 10 feet away from him, knowing that Keichii wasn't likely to give up. He would definitely have to fight to the death. Keichii was the only member of 7th Division that hadn't recognized Voruta as a great shinigami, and Voruta was quite used to it. To him, being underestimated was one of the most normal things in the world. Voruta wrapped his zanpaktou and tied it to his back diagonally so that it couldn't touch the ground. Voruta bowed to Keichii and Keichii only laughed.

"You honestly think you can fight me without your zanpaktou?" he said, smiling viciously
"I'll probably need it sooner or later... Just not now." And with those words, Voruta kicked off the ground, coming down upon Keichii with a kick to the face. Keichii immediately unsheathed his sword and began slashing at Voruta with anger. In response, Voruta only dodged the slashes with a look of serenity upon his face. "You won't get far without your shikai." Voruta said, dodging Keichii's attack again and kicking him in the stomach, sending him about five feet from Voruta. Keichii, without missing a beat, dashed at Voruta and attempted to slash through Voruta's neck. Voruta quickly caught the sword with his hand and spoke "If you attack me again without your shikai, I will destroy your zanpaktou." With this, Keichii backed away, shocked. Voruta almost smirked, but he knew that it would be wrong of him. Keichii should have expected this amount of power from Voruta, hadn't Voruta only gotten the 3rd seat because he bested the Captain in unreleased combat?

"Roar, Souzen." spoke Keichii.

Immediately, Keichii's incredibly average-looking sword split into two beautiful short swords. The blades looked as if they were the fangs of some incredibly large animal, and the hilts were now the head of a black dragon. The grip and pommel extended from the dragon's mouth, making Souzen a quite strange looking zanpaktou. Keichii held the swords and charged at Voruta again, who actually decided to smile this time. He dodged the onslaught of blades for the most part, but his flesh did meet the blades a few times. Luckily for Voruta, they were incredibly shallow cuts. Voruta's tortuous smile continued on as his red aura suddenly tinged the landscape around him. The onlookers gasped upon seeing Voruta release part of his reiatsu, something that maybe thirty shinigami had ever seen. He flash stepped behind Keichii and slammed his leg into the side of his face, making Keichii fall to the ground. Voruta attacked with a second kick right into Keichii's stomach, making him cough up blood. Voruta walked away, sighing, and just as he was about to leave the crowd, he heard Keichii stand. Keichii grabbed both of his swords by the blade, pointed the dragon's mouth at Voruta and spoke "DOGOU!" (angry roar). Flames liberated themselves from the dragon's mouth, heading straight for Voruta with incredible speed. Keichii must have known what he was doing, if Voruta dodged then the flames would incinerate the crowd of innocent onlookers behind him. Voruta quickly released his staff from his back and began twirling it, releasing a large amount of spiritual pressure and wind at the same time. Once the flames met Voruta's staff, they began to move back toward Keichii. Flames continued to pour from the mouths of the dragon, so Voruta had no choice but to kick up his reiatsu. His small red aura grew into a conflagration of red, yellow, and orange, propelling the flames back to Keichii and bathing him in the flames.

Voruta immediately lowered his reiatsu to make sure he didn't harm any of the onlookers with his high spiritual pressure, but they just all looked amazed.

"Someone get 4th Squad out here to take care of him." Voruta said, while walking over to his opponent, who was now writhing in pain upon the ground.
"Good fight." Voruta said, as the crowd split to let him exit. Keichii spent a month in the 4th Squad barracks, recovering. Upon his complete recovery, he left 7th Division and joined 4th Division as an unseated officer.

(OOC: For those of you wondering why my posts are kind of short, they're supposed to be like little "episodes". I think up a vague idea, then write about it so that I can make it more detailed.)

After Keichii's loss at his hands, Voruta began finding more and more ways to utilize his shikai, he actually got to the point where he could convert Zabara into pure reiatsu and use his own, weaker form of shunko. A year had gone by since his battle with Keichii, who was left so weakened after the battle that the only squad he wouldn't be a burden on was 4th Division. On this day, Voruta was walking through Seireitei when he felt that familiar reiatsu.

"You..." he heard Keichii say. Voruta's hand immediately went for his zanpaktou.
"I don't want to hur-"
Keichii quickly interrupted, as if he had rehearsed this and didn't want to forget. "I should have known how strong you are... I guess my pride just got the best of me." Keichii's hand was outstretched and he looked as if he needed Voruta's forgiveness.
"Its fine." Voruta said while shaking Keichii's hand. "I never did get to see your bankai though."
"No one ever will." Keichii said while holding up his zanpaktou, one that Voruta had seen countless other shinigami with. "The Captain-Commander took my zanpaktou after he saw that I endangered that crowd. I'd rather it be this way anyway, the Captain-Commander should have kicked me out of Gotei 13 for the way I acted... Having that sword did crazy things to me."
"Now, I'm 4th Division's unofficial combat trainer. I decided to be unseated, having a position of power might just go to my head."

Voruta smiled, happy that his former enemy had finally found peace. But, this conversation had confused him a bit, he would have to talk to Zabara about it.
"Good luck, if I see some better fighters coming out of 4th Division, I know who to blame." Voruta said, beginning to walk away. "See ya."
"Goodbye and good luck, Dai San Seki Voruta!" Keichii said.

Voruta smiled again. That was the first time that Keichii recognized him as 7th Division's third seat.

A few days after his talk with Keichii, Voruta was alone and not busy for the first time in a long time. He decided to take this time to converse with Zabara. He quickly found himself in Zabara's version of Hueco Mundo, ready to stand against his reiatsu.

"About time you came back, I was starting to miss you." Zabara said.
"Sorry, but I had to make sure I could face you." he said hesitantly. "Zabara, can zanpaktou spirits take over their user's behavior?"
"I expected this... You're curious about Keichii, I presume?" Voruta nodded. "Yes, but in Keichii's case, it was partially his fault. His power and status went to his head and made it easier for his weapon to manipulate him." Zabara said. "This is why I'm happy that I belong to one such as yourself. You're so sincere, you completely fit in with those who a man who was weaker in morals would never speak with."
"You're third in command of your division, but you don't act like you're better than your subordinates." Voruta only smiled in response to the flattery. "So, I'm hoping that you won't be angry when I tell you that that staff isn't your shikai... Hell, that zanpaktou isn't even your real one." Zabara said while Voruta stared at him blankly, confused.
"That zanpaktou is only a very small shard of my soul, a minuscule bit of my power. I had to test you before offering you my full power." Zabara said.
"Aren't the ability to gain shikai and bankai supposed to be the tests?" Voruta said.
"Not for me... If you would have used my true form against Keichii, he would have been dead within the first five minutes." Zabara said. "You may be a bit confused about why Hueco Mundo is my spirit world." Zabara said, Voruta nodded in response.
"As I told you when we first met, I used to be a hollow. You probably realize that most shinigami have zanpaktou that are the extension of their own souls. You are the exception to that, technically." Zabara said.
"Technically?" said Voruta
"Yes, technically. We basically share the same soul, which is why my reiatsu is your reiatsu, and vice versa. If you wouldn't have conquered my soul, I'd be your inner hollow, and our discussion right now would be a lot less civil."
"Wow." was all Voruta could say.
"When you leave here, my true form will be revealed." Zabara said. "Don't tell anyone about our little secret, just tell them that you can transform your shikai into other weapons."

Voruta stood still, stunned by this information. Zabara went on. "When you can defeat this reiatsu... You'll know what to do." Zabara released his full reiatsu and the deafening roar forced Voruta from the inner world. Upon returning to the 7th Division barracks, Voruta looked at the sleek, 3 foot long katana in his hands. The blade was crimson red with three black gems inserted in its middle, and the blade was so thin that you could see the gems from either side. He noticed that his sheathe had returned, and it was made of minuscule flecks of the black gem. He slashed with the sword and felt its power ripple throughout his arm. He had finally found his true strength.

At this time, we may remember the shinigami who performed Voruta's soul burial. Voruta had not seen her during his entire time as a shinigami, but she was watching. She had always been watching over him. So, let us change point of view for just a moment and see Voruta's world from the eyes of his mother... Byuuto Nanake, former Captain of 2nd Division and a member of Seireitei's Royal Guard.

Nanake walked through her home, Voruta was fast asleep, he must have been the best behaved two year old she had ever seen. Nanake was a very secretive woman, but no one knew if her secretive nature made her become 2nd Division Captain, or if being 2nd Division Captain made her become secretive. She made sure that her neighbors never saw her, and blanked the memories of anyone who she thought was even a little spiritually aware. She had relinquished her status as Captain by faking a defeat at her lieutenant's hands. The Captain-Commander accepted her request to be the shinigami protector of a small Japanese village, and he did it with a smile. So, here she stood, married to a human man who was the only one who knew of her secret. She was a human shinigami herself, though she was around three hundred years old, she looked like she was in her early forties. They had a child together, the one who now laid right in front of her with a look of serenity upon his face.

With tears in her eyes, she spoke. "I'm sorry." She held the memory chikan over the toddler's peaceful face. It had been specifically configurated to make him forget her face, her voice, her smell, and anything else he might be able to remember about her. She had memories of her conversation with the Captain-Commander replaying in her mind like a nightmare.

"They know of your power... They claim that with your natural abilities, having you as the protector of some pathetic village is a waste. Their words, of course... They say you're perfect for the Royal Guard." he said.
"And if I refuse?" she said.
"Refuse?! Refuse and they'll force you to join!" he said. She knew exactly what he meant by the look of terror upon his face.
"There's nothing I can do, my student... I'm sorry." he said, as Nanake left.

"I'll be back for you, I promise I'll come back for you one day." she said. Voruta opened his eyes and smiled at her, unable to see her tears in the darkness, but knowing his mother's scent. POOF

Nanake walked up to the wondrous castle that the king lived in and knew that he would not be a humble man. She sighed, but walked on anyway. It would be much better for her if she just spoke of what an honor it was to be accepted into the Royal Guard and just outright flattered the king. She couldn't let anyone know that she would much rather be at home with her child right now. She rapped upon the doors that led into the castle and they promptly opened.

"Please enter." said the shinigami.

Nanake replied with a radiant smile and a quick thanks, as she entered, but was slightly confused. Did the Royal Guard have so many shinigami that they could just make some of them do menial jobs like open doors? She didn't have much time to think about it, because as she followed the shinigami who had opened the door for her, two rows of shinigami greeted her. She could feel their low reiatsu... These couldn't be Royal Guard shinigami, they were just simple servants dressed in shinigami garb, likely to scare away anyone who might think of stealing from here. As they arrived at a door, the shinigami/servant stood aside and opened the door for her.

"The King awaits you, as does the rest of the Royal Guard." he said

She entered in a quick, but dignified manner and knelt before the King and the two rows of Royal Guard shinigami who seemed to be in a kind of meeting. She noticed that within the shinigami, there laid an empty spot for her.

"I apologize for interrupting, your majesty. I will be more punctual in the future." she said.
The King spoke with a coldness that chilled Nanake's soul. "There is no need for an apology, just know that you better improve your punctuality quickly. Take your spot."

She rose and stood next to the other members of the Royal Guard, they all seemed to stand like stones, without emotion. It would be hard to work for this man, yes, but it would be even harder to protect shinigami who seemed to be heartless. She listened to the King drone about duties for the next twenty minutes, and not a voice interrupted him. Once he finished, they all left immediately to do whatever he had told them to do. Nanake flash stepped as fast as any of the other shinigami, but the next seventeen years went by with an incredible slowness.