Takehiko Rokujo

Takehiko Rokujo (Rokujo-六序 for Sixth Order Takehiko-岳彦 for Mountain Prince) is the current head of the Rokujo Noble Family, and Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. Very rough spoken and humble for a noble, Takehiko takes pride in both his ruggedness, and his artistic talents, and feels his role is to protect others not to lead them.

Appearance
Takehiko's Shihakushou and Haori are ripped and torn from overuse, as he refuses to buy or use new clothes unless he absolutely has to. He wears old samurai armor over his uniform, and often wears the ripped Haori of the uniform tied around his waist with a thick rope yobi sash, and as a personal preference, has dragons embroidered in the pants of his shihakushou.. He has scars on his body, and has a very rough and worn appearance to his skin.

Personality
Takehiko is a very rough man, but firm in his upholding of the law. He's not quick to judge, and does not make decisions lightly, asking for the opinions of his subordinates and comrades, and he values the opinions of even commoners. He's more likely to invite you out for drinks than to argue with you, but if you get him riled up, his dislike of you will be seen plainly on his face. He tries to be friendly with everyone, but he's no saint, and his barbaric attitude may offend some people. When necessary he will show the knowledge of the arts that he possesses due to his upbringing as a nobleman. Takehiko is a natural born leader, but has never aspired to be more than he is. His comrades have often followed him into battle when they lacked the guidance of their Captains and Vice-Captains, and his knowledge of tactics and strategy as well as the abilities of his Zanpaktou makes him an ideal field commander.

History
Takehiko was born in Soul Society, into the Rokujo clan, a noble family in the Seireitei, but found early in life that being a noble did not suit him. After his prodigious early graduation from the Shinigami Academy, instead of joining the Gotei 13, Takehiko left his family home to wander out into the Rukongai, and eventually beyond.

He spent 50 years out in the wilderness, living on a mountain far from the Seireitei, training and eking out a living from nature. His training progressed quickly, since all of his spare time was devoted to his development. By time half of his self imposed exile had elapsed, he was a master of his Shikai, and slowly gaining mastery of his Bankai.

When he finally returned to Seireitei, Takehiko ignored the business of his clan unless the law required him to do something, and joined the 11th Division in order to protect the Soul society and the Humans, the one thing he truly viewed as his "duty". During the next few decades, he became known as the Rokujo Mountain, due the the translation of his name, and because of how his time on the mountain had come to effect his personality and attitude. He has remained unseated this entire time as well, refusing promotions, viewing his duty as being on the front lines to defend his comrades.

During the time of the Onigami rebellion Takehiko had been assigned to patrol Karakura, a long term assignment to protect the citizenry from the Onigami threat. During this time, he was wont to walk around the town in a Gigai, to break up the monotony of his patrols. It was during this time that he met a woman, Masami Haru. He developed feelings for the Human, and spent much of his free time with her. He married her in secret, and fathered her child, but would soon return to Soul Society. He visited her often when he was given leave to enter the World of the Living, and helped to raise his son as best he could, giving young Masahiko the nickname Akio, hoping the boy would admire the glorious hero's of Soul Society, and one day join them.

When acting Captain Commander Nonko Ryuuza had said war was imminent, Takehiko was fully prepared. As was his custom, he made sure to protect his comrades, and of course the humans who were being attacked. It was not long into the battle however, when Take was forced to abandon a comrade for his duty...up in coming Captain of the 11th Division, Daisuke Narukami, and a good friend had prevented Takehiko from engaging the enemy commander, so that the mountain man could focus on the defense. In an effort to isolate the battle his friend was in, Take had inadvertently doomed the boisterous man. Kyoshin then engaged Takehiko, who was forced to use Bankai just to keep the Espada Commander from causing further mayhem, or from running to the defense of a "favored" comrade. While he knew that Daisuke's death could have been avoided if he insisted on taking the Arrancar on from the start, Take had given in to authority and in his mind, killed his comrade.

Fully expecting to be punished by the Central 46 once he returned from the battle, Takehiko was met with a surprise when the government of Seireitei commended him for his valor and performance in the battle. Apparently, the speeches he had given to keep morale up had been reported to the 46, as were the precautions he had taken to defend nearly everyone on the battlefield. The death of Daisuke had been eclipsed by these things, and despite his protests, the Central 46 appointed Takehiko Rokujo, as the new Captain Commander of the Gotei 13.

Unprepared as he was, no one else seemed surprised when Take was put in charge, and no one was surprised when he quickly began to patch things up in their broken army. During the course of the next few years, Takehiko had been completely integrated to his position, and had been approached by a Human boy who had taken part in the battle. The boy brought to light much information about the war that had ended, including the motives of the enemy, and the one who had defeated the Espada's leader. In exchange for the information, Takehiko agreed to an alliance with a group the boy was building around Clyde, the one who had defeated Karzan, and caused the explosion that had triggered the mutual retreat from the battle. Takehiko also ordered 12th Division's Captain, to allow the Humans limited access to the database.

In the final years of recovery, Takehiko began to sort through all the paperwork of his predecessors, stumbling onto something from former Captain Commander Fensake's files. Nonko of the 12th Division was apparently hiding a research facility in South Rukongai. Takehiko immediately ordered that the facility be made known to the other Divisions, as well as accessible. Knowing the eccentricities of the man behind the facility however, Takehiko allowed the lowest levels of the facility to remain restricted, unsure if he even wanted to know what Nonko kept so well hidden.

During the time after the Invasion, Takehiko took steps to protect his wife and son in the Human world, using his new authority to better hide them from prying eyes. When his son's Spiritual power was beginning to grow to the point where it could no longer be hidden, he approached Azerik, then Vice-Captain of the 12th Division, and had him Spirit-proof the family's home, as well as giving his son a pendant which would hide his Reiatsu from anyone or anything that might seek to do him harm.

All things taken care of to restore to Gotei, Takehiko resumed his training and quickly destroyed his Captain's haori, deciding to wear it tied around his waist just as he had with his shihakushou's upper garment. When the incident with Teisuke occured, Takehiko played an integral role in the battle, actively aiding the other Captains, and planning the battle out step by step with the use of his Zanpaktou. His plans did not include the Reiryoku bomb however, and like everyone else he was not expecting it, nor did he expect a defection from someone who had previously held his position, even if it was only temporary. With all the cleanup and reorganizing the Gotei had to do, Takehiko would hold off the investigation into Nonko's defection, knowing that with the time displacement between realms as it was, the mad scientist would have comparatively little time to mount any sort of attack or defense in the time they would take to reestablish themselves...assuming he stayed in the World of the Living.

Names and Descriptions
Sealed: A simple Katana, it's hilt is wrapped in purple cloth, which also adorns the top of the black sheathe.

Shikai: Gokushou (語句創) = Wounding Words

Upon uttering the phrase "Grasp the Truth" and speaking his Zanpaktou's name, the sheath is replaced with a tightly rolled scroll tied to his waste by a crimson sash, and the blade becomes clear as crystal, with a noticeable flow of black ink inside. Hidden in the hilt of his sword is also a Japanese calligraphy brush, which draws ink from inside the blade when removed from the pommel.

Bankai: Shougami no Goku (焦神の語句) = Words of the Impatient God.

The ink in his sword blade becomes blood red, and the scroll on his waist vanishes, as the surrounding terrain is blanketed in similar scrolls, in a 300 foot radius around Takehiko. The blanket of scroll is immovable, except when Takehiko leaves the field of scrolls, in which case, they reappear with him as the center again.

Zanpaktou Spirit and Inner Realm
A simply robed man, painting on a scroll, Gokushou symbolizes Takehiko's pride in his art, and his love of nature, and speaks much more politely than his master. It lives on a rust colored mountain surrounded by a lush green forest, representing the two extremes of Takehiko's soul.

Shikai

 * Keiryaku (計略) = Plot: By striking a person or object with his sword, Takehiko can release a spurt of (harmless) ink. Anything the ink touches is plotted on his scroll. Opponents and allies splashed by the ink are displayed as labled dots on his scroll.
 * Rosen (路線) = Line: By taking the calligraphy brush out of his sword hilt, and drawing a line on the scroll tied to his waist, Takehiko can cause an inky black barrier to appear between him and his opponents. Using this ability he can also draw shapes on the scroll to make differently formed barriers, how ever, the first line drawn must always be an ink wall at least 5 feet in front of him, and are no more than 10 feet high.
 * Hanagata (華方) = Flourish: By making a flourished stroke on the scroll, Takehiko causes a force as strong as his sword swing to strike at the area.

Bankai

 * Junbi (准彌) = Reserve: By slashing and successfully cutting a person -himself included- Takehiko can increase the amount of ink in his blade, which is usually at a constant trickle. 1 cut to himself will fill 25% of his blade but will weaken him for a short time, while 5 cuts to an opponent will do the same. (If used on self, -10 Speed and Attack for 3 posts)
 * Rosen (路線) = Line: Now instead of drawing on the scroll, Takehiko need only slash at the air, and a barrier will be erected 3 to 10 feet in front of him. The barriers are also blood red instead of black. When the blade is 50% filled or less from use of Junbi, the barriers can be made 15 feet high instead of 10, and if the blade is at least 75% full, they can be 20 feet high. Use of this ability in conjunction with Junbi will decrease the reserved ink by 25%.
 * Hanagata (華方) = Flourish: Now instead of a flourish brush stroke, Takehiko can send an inky red blast at his opponent with sword slashes. Although the blasts look like blood red ink, they are actually Kido like energy attacks. The blasts function in a similar manner to Cero blasts. If the blade has no Reserve Ink, then the blasts are as strong as if he had fired a Cero without charging it. When his blade is 25% full, from use of Junbi, the blasts are as strong as a fully charged Cero, and if the blade is 50% full, Takehiko can put more energy into the attack, as if he had fired two Cero. If the blade is 75% full, the blasts can be more like a Gran Rey Cero, more powerful but unstable and explosive, and if 100% full, then the amount of energy able to be used double again, as if two Gran Reys had been fired. Use of normal Cero strength attacks depletes the reserved ink by 25%, and use of Gran Rey strength attacks depletes it by 50%.
 * Sumie no Yochi (墨絵の世地) = World of the Ink Paintings: When his sword's blade is 100% full, Takehiko can stab his sword into the field of scrolls, and pour all of the blood red ink into it. The ink will begin to pool beneath Takehiko, and will move with him. If Takehiko gets within 5 feet of his opponent and maintain that for 2 posts, on the third post the ink pool will begin to suck his opponents in like quicksand. Only those with 100 Reiatsu more than Takehiko can escape being trapped.
 * 1) Once an opponent has been sucked into the pool of ink, it will flow back into Takehiko's sword. Opponents sucked into the pool will be represented on the field of scrolls as a Japanese brush painting of themselves, and will see only black, unless Takehiko draws something on the scrolls. If Takehiko does not enter to Ink World himself in 5 posts, the ability will be reversed, and his prisoners will be set free.
 * 2) Takehiko can draw things on the scrolls, and they will come to life in the Ink World. In this manner, he can attack his opponents with beasts and warriors, but they are not very powerful. As an alternative to entering the world, Takehiko may draw a likeness of himself on the scroll, which will act as he does, and he can see what it sees, as well as what he sees normally. If his prisoners defeat his Ink proxy before the 5 posts are up, then any damage taken by the proxy will be done to Takehiko on their return to the normal realm.
 * 3) If Takehiko enters the Ink World before the 5 posts limit is up, the limit will become null, and he and his opponent will fight in a strange ink drawn landscape equivalent to what the field of scrolls lies on. Takehiko can use his blade's ink reserve to alter the landscape as he sees fit, however, neither he nor his opponent may use energy attacks of any kind, and can only use melee. When one person remains standing, Takehiko's Bankai will disengage. (If any creatures/objects Takehiko drew before entering the ink realm remain, they will be present for his battle and under his command)

Passive Abilities

 * Zahyou (座兵) = Coordinates: Takehiko's position on the battlefield is always marked on his scroll, and by splashing ink on his surroundings, he can create a detailed map. (Shikai Only)
 * Kaiseki (解析) = Analysis: All combatants on the field of scrolls know the stats of each other instinctively. (Bankai Only) [Until we choose to reveal his stats, all characters will be unable to discern Takehiko's stats, and his strength will simply be hidden, as if he were hiding his power.]