Suzume's Zanpakutou

[-&-Yori;]

Zanpakutou Name: Karasumaru
Sealed Form: Unreleased, Karasumaru looks 'normal' by wakizashi standards. However, its tsuba is decorated with what looks like feathers. The feathers look as though they have been plucked straight from the bird, so they look stranger. The blade is sharp and has a blade length of forty-five centimeters. The hilt's length is about fifteen centimeters and rests along the width of Hiyori's lower back, much like her captain's.
Release Phrase: Hae
Shikai Appearance: Appearance-wise, Karasumaru stays the same, except for the blade which turns to a black tint with gray kanji written down the hilt. The kanji reads as follows: "In the darkness of the era, one must have strength to let go." Hiyori has no idea what the quote means or why it is even on her zanpakutou, however, when she defeats someone with her shikai activated, she repeats the quote from memory.

Hiyori only uses her shikai when she is forced to, and it is quite reliable in sticky situations. She likes to try to end things quickly and hopes for her shikai (and bankai) to use a really flashy ending.
Shikai Abilities: Karasumaru's first shikai ability, is called 'Jun za kaze' (literally, 'Order the winds'). Jun za kaze is more towards the close to middle range combat. With every strike of Karasumaru, a gust of wind comes towards the opponent with feather-like touches that are actually so sharp they can be lethal if it comes in contact with a vital spot.

The second ability of Karasumaru is for long distance combat and is called 'Arashi no Kaze' (literally 'Wind's Storm') and with every movement of Karasumaru that looks or appears to be a strike, a stronger gust of wind comes at the opponent and also cuts the skin. It's lethal if it's used for closer combat, however it can be lethal if it hits a body's vital spot.

Hiyori uses her reiatsu to form her attacks and the tiny blades are transparent. They cannot be seen and even passersby can be hurt from the attacks. A wild and dangerous zanpakutou to be sure.
Bankai Release: Bankai, Sanyaiba no Karasumaru
Bankai Appearance: Once the phrase "Bankai, Sanyaiba no Karasumaru," is issued, Karasumaru's blade disappears completely. However, the form itself is three invisible blades of wind that surround her on each side (left, right and behind her). The blades can become solidified in one of the attacks, but most of the time you can just pass right through them, taking slight damage, but still can pass through them with VERY little damage to one's self.

Each blade stands at about eleven feet three inches tall, five feet wide and two feet thick. The pure reiatsu blades will lose their composition after 5 minutes due to her recent gaining of Bankai. Only being able to hold her Bankai's form for a few minutes at a time actually puts a lot of stress on Hiyori, so she wants to get stronger to help with this. The time will eventually increase with the amount of training she puts into it.
Bankai Abilities: Satsubatsukaze (Bloodthirsty Wind)- The primary attack that solidifies the blades and sends them towards the adversary. The blades can either bond together or attack one by one depending on how far they have lost their composition. The measurements of this one new blade is the same as the three blades. This solid blade can also be cut by Captain-rank shinigami, vizard and arrancar. The sharpened blades can cause moderate amounts of damage but they disappear after the attack and Karasumaru turns back to its sealed form due to the loss of reiatsu. Bankai is draining for Yori, and this one doesn't take it all, but it does take so much where she can not hold bankai form any longer. Even if her attack misses or is avoided, Yori is forced to use sealed Karasumaru unable to use shikai or bankai.

Buro-kun Yaiba (Broken Blade)- The blades split into several smaller ones and attack the adversary one by one. There are nine blades in all that pretty much do the same things as the original three except they have a more concentrated attack. A stronger attack that does more damage, but Yori will usually pass out afterwards. Buro-kun Yaiba is by far the most draining of all of Sanyaiba no Karasumaru's attacks. If this attack misses or is avoided, Yori loses the battle automatically for she is unable to continue her fight after releasing this all out, last ditch effort.

Defensively, Sanyaiba no Karasumaru provides a rotating shield (very slow at this point and easy to get around) that enhances her defensive ability if only slightly. As her bankai mastery raises, so does the speed of her shield. Also, if an adversary attempts to attack her using shunpo or sonido, the blades will harden and block the attack. Another thing that is enhanced while in bankai state is her strength.

Overall, Yori fights harder with combos of hakuda and her bankai, but she does take slight damage from using her bankai as well. Karasumaru's consequence for using bankai in a battle without complete mastery over it. If Yori doesn't pass out after using her bankai, Yori will generally be come slower because her body is too weak to continue on. Sanyaiba no Karasumaru has the hardest ways to fully obtain mastery and Yori, content with just achieving it, is not concerned about mastery over it. Her attacks can be avoided and they can miss. Wind is not one to trifle with, and even so it's hard to control and Hiyori understands this. Her bankai CANNOT use the wind from the air; all of the wind is reiatsu-made and automatically makes her body weaker. Fuller mastery would fix this problem but Yori is not too keen on using bankai for a good while.