<div class="floatleft">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Character%20Portraits/Nakaru.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Shizuru<br/><strong>Nickname:</strong>Goddess of War, Red Devil, Death's Right Hand, Walking Nightmare, 'OH GOD THEY'RE ALL DEAD!', etc.<br/><strong>Age:</strong>3200+<br/><strong>Species:</strong>Demon of Violence<br/><strong>Family:</strong>None<br/><strong>Position: </strong>Martial Combat Instructor<br/><strong>Hair Color:</strong>Red<br/><strong>Eye color: </strong>Gold<br/><strong>Skin color:</strong>White<br/><strong>Other tidbits on looks:</strong>Halo of The Sun on back<br/><strong>Height:</strong>6' 5''<br/><strong>Weight:</strong>150lbs<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Shizuru possesses a mellow and somewhat cynical personality, reflected by her easygoing (and at times bored) facial expression. Shizuru practices a tough love approach when teaching her students, causing her to be stern yet caring towards them. The unobservant will think her just a bitch or a hardass, but the dedicated see that she has a passion for combat and for seeing that it is taught and learned the correct way. Though she usually stays out of other peoples' affairs, she occasionally takes matters into her own hands, using the same brute force which seems to run in the tradition of demons born in her circle. She is cool and aloof, a woman of few words. When asked questions, she likes to take long pauses. It might be either to think carefully about what she's going to say - or just to annoy people. Possibly a mixture of both. Shizuru is a lot like a cat, really; she comes and goes when and where she pleases and does what suits her best at the time. Her primary concerns are (1) herself, (2) fighting, and (3) a good drink. While she is indeed mostly concerned with her own affairs, she can be swayed to join a cause with the right persuasion and, for a demon, has a rather strong sense of honor and justice. She will never attack from behind, never strike a downed opponent, dislikes harming innocents, and will handicap herself to make fights more fair and 'interesting'.<br/><br/><strong>Background:</strong>Shizuru is thousands of years old. She was born in the underworld with the rest of demon kind, but it didn't take her three thousand years to find the concept of remaining there distasteful. Hell is a place of fire, brimstone, screaming, nightmares, and blood. It is filled with all manner of beasts both humanoid and monserous, some the size of fleas, others stories tall and quaking the ground with each step. It was not a place to be. She was forged in these fires, fighting every day for survival and gradually growing stronger and stronger. So when the opportunity arose, Shizuru made her way to the surface world. Unfortunately the portal she stepped through was created by a human band of cultists named The Children of Helios, worshippers of fire demons seeking to 'cleanse' the planet in 'holy flame'. As she stepped through she was cursed with a mark called The Halo of The Sun, an intricate tattoo on her back that seals the lion's share of her magical powers. Shizuru overcame the cultists with brute force, but has yet to break the curse. With her magic sealed Shizuru could easily be one of the most powerful demons the world has ever seen. Sealed, however, she's merely just a nigh-unstoppable swordswoman. It's probably better for the world if her power stays sealed.<br/><br/>In any case, after slaughtering the cult, Shizuru started a life on the mortal plane. There she continued her training. Below, she trained under the strongest demons she could find. She did likewise on the surface, both training under and then training herself, a number of heroes and heroines. Her name is writ in human history books many times, some mistaking her for a Goddess of Fire, others for death incarnate. She has seen thousands of battles in her time and fought for causes too numerous to mention. She enjoyed those times. Times when, if one wanted, one could walk for miles without seeing a building or hearing any noise other than wildlife. She has a particular taste for motorcycles ("Iron horses.") but dislikes most other modern technology. War itself has changed as well, favoring ranged weaponry and the like over cold steel. Most days she spent by herself simply wandering from place to place. When she was offered a teaching position, she readily agreed on the stipulation that she be given all the booze she could drink and be allowed to teach how she wanted.<br/><br/><strong>Weapon/Magic:</strong><br/>-Elder Demon: Shizuru is a demoness in the prime of her life and exibits all the traits of such creatures; supernatural speed, strength, stamina, and resistance to mortal weaponry.<br/><br/>-Koryu: Shizuru's sword ("Little Dragon") is her pride and joy. From a demon, one might expect some elaborate and misshapen cutting device adorned with skulls or some such nonsense. Not in her case. She wields a simple katana. Forged by a human sword master and tempered with her own blood, the blade is sturdy enough to stand against anything shy of angelic weaponry and can cut mortal and supernatural creatures alike. She is a master of combat and has reached such a level that most actions in battle seem to be reflex, the sword an extension of Shizuru herself.<br/><br/>-Unnerving Gaze: Shizuru's has a way of looking at people with those golden eyes of hers. It's as if she stares right through someone and into their very soul. To look into her eyes is to gaze upon the Reaper himself. Direct eye contact with her inspires pure terror in the weak-willed and cowardly. Even some stronger-willed people have trouble matching eyes with her. To this end, she usually keeps her eyes covered by wearing shades. Her eyes are also the only feature about herself she cannot change and are a dead giveaway she's not normal.<br/><br/>-Shape Shifting, Minor: Shizuru can change her body in minor ways to accommodate her needs. Mostly this just involves changing the outfit she's wearing, but she can also dispel her wings, horns, and claws to give her a more human appearance. With her magic sealed, she cannot change shape completely. Powers unlocked, she would be able to shift into her 'True' self, a dark reflection of the demoness with all of her magic and combat skills intact.<br/><br/>-Fire Control, Minor: With her magic sealed, Shizuru can no longer bring down firestorms and summon torrents of white hot flame. She can, however, still start small fires with a snap of her fingers and is immune to heat and flames. Powers unlocked, she would be able to call down hellfire and set entire rooms ablaze with a mere thought. Thankfully that is no longer the case.<br/><br/>-Object Summoning, Minor: Again, her magic pales in comparison to what it used to be. Simply put, Shizuru can store physical objects in a kind of 'Thought Space'. It must be an object she owns, she must be able to picture it completely in her mind, and it can only be simple objects with little or no moving parts. The only exception to this is Matsukaze, Shizuru's motorcycle, and that is only possible through intense training and practice.<br/><br/><strong>Ons:</strong>Women, Sake, Fighting<br/><strong>Offs:</strong>Noise, Idiots, Boredom<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Shizuru's Theme</div><div class="spoiler_body">Oki's Theme (Okami) Guitar Cover (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yEF8yrJ5rU#ws)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Shizuru and Matsukaze</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Redheadbike.jpg)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Halo of The Sun</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/HaloOfTheSun.png)</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Koryu</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Katana-1.jpg)<br/>(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Katana2.jpg)<br/>(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Katana3.jpg)</div></div>