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The Kagetai Home

Name: Hikegami Aoi
Date of Birth: 11th May 1855
Height: 189cm
Weight: 60kg

Appearance:

(Bakumatsu no Douran): You see the tall, lean frame of a boy not yet sixteen. His long, smooth hair is tied up in a long ponytail, favored by many other samurai, and his face a flawless picture of perfection. Dazzlingly handsome, Aoi was remarkable among others his age, his height dwarfing most and giving him a distinct advantage over his opponents. His arms are long but slender, lacking the masculine build that other swordsmen packed and his legs powerful and sturdy. At first glance, his icy blue eyes sparkle with life and light, showing the promise of a boy not yet reached the years of his manhood, and of his destiny.

(Meiji Ishin): Older, more rugged features line his face, maturity overriding the smooth creases of youth. Barely the age of 21, his eyes betray the glint of a man who has seen much more, the cruelties of life, and all that it comes with. His build takes on a slightly more muscular build from years of struggle, but the unmistakable tall, lean frame remains, easily recognizable to those who knew him, and yet difficult to make out for those who don’t. His long, flowing hair has now been cut brutally short, his ponytail gone, his remaning hair cropped short very attractively, his only concession is short bangs hanging down in front of his forehead. His fine features are now marred only by a deep scar, running down from his right eyebrow, down the bridge of his nose, to the lower part of his left cheek. A lesson he calls it, a lesson he would never forget.

Background:

Born in Kyoto, Hikegami Aoi grew up in the wealthy family of Hikegami, though he can never be sure how it was that the family got wealthy. He has only hazy memories of spending his first two years in a small, dirty house. After that, his memories were flooded by visions of grand vistas and lush homes, decorated with thick carpets and ornamental decorations worthy of a Royal Family, living with the Emperor. Aoi, since he was very little, remembered little about the two people he called ‘Otousan’ and ‘Okasan’. He knew one thing, though. Every day, every night, every moment of the day, he would be drilled into the fact that his parents were patriots, and they were fighting for the betterment of Japan, and for everlasting peace.

Aoi accepted the constant drilling with no objections and viewed his parents as gods that deserved his respect. However, he also accepted the fact that because his parents were fighting for the greater good, he also didn’t see them very much.

Shielded from harm every since he was born, Aoi lived a very pampered and sheltered life, his parents entrusting him to guardians whom never let Aoi go near any form of violence. But one day, when he saw two women being bullied on the street by two samurai, his life took a drastic change, for better or worse. Aoi, pampered child that he was, knew only that he had to follow his lessons and protect the weak, but he never knew that he was one that numbered among them as well.

He tried to stop the samurai but of course, he was beaten to the ground, with one fell swipe of one of their hilts. Aoi tasted his own blood for the first time in his life and could only sit there in confusion and shock, watching everything. Just then, a young swordsman named Sejuuro Hiko came along and dispatched the other two samurai. After that, he simply smiled and mentioned something about his luck in helping little kids from evil men and left. After that, Aoi made a decision in his life. He knew that he would have to get stronger, so strong that no one could stop him, and only then would he be able to help people. And only then would he be satisfied.He demanded a teacher and was given one. The teacher taught him many arts, kempo, judo, jujutsu, and kendo. But it was only the last one that Aoi wanted most. After being shown the different aspects of kenjutsu, Aoi again decided that he would be willing to learn one thing other than the basics of kenjutsu. The art of battou-jutsu. He believed that the essence of defeating your opponent is to kill him before he even can react or can draw his sword.

He spent the rest of his years, practicing and training only in the arts of battou-jutsu. He read and re-read the only scripts and learned and re-learned every known move, and practiced every aspect of battou-jutsu. Soon, he was so confident, as he had learnt every technique there existed and had attained near mastery in all of them.

What was interesting was that he believed that only offence could win a bout, and he only practiced offensive techniques, never studying the contrasting side of defence. Many said that if they could defend or deflect Aoi’s initial blow, he would have no way of defending against a counter-attack. But none could ever defend against that devastating initial strike. Aoi was known to draw his sword so quickly that it created a supersonic thunderclap that had the sound and impact of a hurricane.

Many others, teachers and wanders alike sparred with him but all found themselves on the losing end of his blade. What was exceptional about Aoi was that he had the ability to execute battou, or the drawing of the sword and such an incredible speed that no one could see his blow coming, and all that remained was the moon-shapped arc of his blade and the falling of the corpse of his opponent. Hence, he was nicknamed ‘Inazuma Tsuki’, or ‘Lightning Moon’. Aoi heard many tales of the one known as Battousai and always lamented that he wanted to meet this man in one-to-one combat and defeat him and he would be known as the true Battousai. At this time, Aoi was only fifteen. He had not seen his parents in more than five years and when he heard from an informant that his parents had come to town on a mission, he smiled triumphantly and awaited eagerly their return, so that he could show them how strong he had grown.

On the night of their return, Aoi decided to prowl the streets to find them himself, unable to contain the excitement within him to see his parents who had left him so many years ago. But the boy was distracted from his goal by shouts and screams of terror and fear coming not too far away. Upon reaching the source, he saw the horrific sight of many women and children, almost forty, being rounded up, tied and then gagged and herded into a circle in the middle of the road.

Aoi, still young and innocent to horrors Japan had gone through in the midst of the Bakumatsu no Douran, watched with appalling realization. With his young, naďve ideals, Aoi shouted and demanded a stop to this. A man, wielding a katana shouted back to Aoi, telling him that they were policemen, rounding up hostages taken by terrorists and told Aoi to go home. Aoi would have believed him and was about to leave when he saw the summary execution of one of the ‘hostages’. The man had just sliced his sword through the woman’s neck, lopping off the head in a fountain of blood.

Unable to restrain the sudden fury within him, Aoi’s anger overtook him. How dare they dishonor me by killing a woman in my presence on the day of the return of my glorious father! Then, to his utter shock, Aoi realized that it was his father who had killed the woman. In a state of complete revile and disgust for everything that he had been taught and brought up to believe in, Aoi struggles with his own inner self, shock overwhelming him. Enraged beyong words that he had lived his whole life based on a lie, Aoi readies his sword, swearing to kill his father to save at least his own personal honour.

But, then, a strong, imposing hand lands on his shoulder. “ Boy, go home. This is none of your business. The Shinsengumi are here.”

Aoi turns to see the dark features of the ‘okami’ known as Saito Hajime, Shinsengumi Sanbantai Taichou. He immediately falls to his knees and swears allegiance to the Shinsengumi, saying that he would like to join with full effect, immediately. “ The Shinsengumi is not child’s playground, boy. Go home and mind your own business,” Saito repeated, waving for him to leave.

“ This is my business!” Aoi protested, “ And I am not a boy. I will prove it to you. Give me the chance to kill that man, and I will show to you that I am worthy of the Shinsengumi!” Figuring that he had nothing to lose, and seeing a fire within this boy unlike any other, Saito agrees and gives him one chance to attack. He would only have one strike at the man, and he would have to leave after that. Aoi agrees and says firmly that one strike is all he needs.

Masking his face with a silk scarf given to him, Aoi challenges his own father to a duel. The latter does not recognize his son behind the scarf and accepts. Aoi launches forward in a standard battou-jutsu attack but then slaughters his own father with one clean strike.

“Otosan, I created this technique out of honor for you. Now, I kill you with this technique out of honor for you.” Aoi’s trademark move, the ‘Midnight Moon’, is executed for the first and only time, and Aoi’s father falls to the ground, dead, and in two distinct pieces. The rest of the Ishin Shishi are horrified that one of their Hitokiri had fallen so quickly under one of their enemy and immediately fled the scene.

The Shinsengumi accompanying Saito are overawed at the incredible talent and skill that this young boy possessed and quickly change their opinions, inviting him to join the Shisengumi and fight against the Ishin’s Hitokiris. Looking down at the decapicitated corpse of his father, Aoi is suddenly struck by the the realization of what he had done. He collapses onto his knees, his eyes welling up with tears. In sadness and anguish for his doings, Aoi screams out his father’s name and then keels over, sobbing uncotrollably.

The other Shinsengumi are stunned at the boy, but Saito quickly realizes what had just happened. Saito orders his men to clear up the scene and takes Aoi back home.Later, at Saito’s house, Aoi finally speaks softly.

“ I committed myself to a cause and have gone against everything I believed in for that cause. Please, let me join the Shinsengumi.”

Saito, upon hearing this, simply smirks knowingly and flatly rejects Aoi. “ No. The Shinsengumi, as I said, is not a child’s playground. The men and women who serve are loyal, dedicated samurai. You are just a boy and know nothing of such dedication.”

Devastated, Aoi leaves Saito’s house, his heart shattered and terribly confused. Saito realized that while what he said was true, it wasn’t the real reason that he refused to accept Aoi. The boy had just been betrayed in the worst way possible by his parents, and by his own hand, had slain his very own father which raised him. Though he didn’t show it, the boy must be going through much inner rage and frustration at himself and his life, as well as much confusion. Someone like that was mentally and emotionally extremely unstable and would be prone to going out of control, something of which could never be accepted in the Shinsengumi. If he went out of control on the streets and killed innocents, how could they stop him?

Thinking it over, Saito was satisfied that he had made the right decision in rejecting Aoi. But then, Saito realized that he could use Aoi’s talents in more dangerous and darker ways, as a hitman and soldier for the Kagetai. He quickly sent a messenger, and Aoi returned to Saito’s residence a week later, and was accepted into the Shisengumi Kagetai.

What followed was a series of events that built the legend behind the ‘Inazuma Tsuki’, the ice-cold Kagetai that had never been defeated. After a flawless duel with the Ishin Shishi Hitokiri, Battousai, Aoi disappeared from the world, never to be seen again and no one ever saw the moon-arc of the Inazuma Tsuki ever again…

Personality:

Before the night of the murder of his own father, Aoi was and always had been a bright, cheerful boy, always willing to help and upholding the strict moral code that he lived by. But after the tragic incident, Aoi grew withdrawn and reticent, hardly speaking, and never seen with a smile on his face. His once sparkling ice blue eyes now are dulled and colder, lacking the fire and warmth they once possessed. They often said that by killing his father, he had killed his own soul as well.

The Kagetai that Aoi becomes during the troubled years of the Bakumatsu is a cold boy, hardly speaking to his colleagues if never necessary. He takes orders and gives them with equal tone, never one to add and extra comment or joke.

(Meiji Ishin) Older and more mature from the trials and tribulations of his past, the new Aoi has changed a lot. He has learnt to speak more, though he still remains so silent that many Kagetai mistake him for being a mute, just like Midori. When gathered together, while the rest of the Kagetai would talk and laugh, Aoi likes to keeps his thoughts to himself, though he does enjoy occasionally showering a random target with his dry wit and sarcasm, creating rather humorous situations. At all social occassions, Aoi would be the one who sits in the corner, watching everything quietly, taking in everything and everyone.

Throughout the years, Aoi has also attained a notion of greatness about himself and his accomplishments. This notion has grown into somewhat of an ego of pride and arrogance. Aoi prides himself immensely on being the best and also on the fact that he survived through a duel with the legendary Battousai without any injury, the first one ever to do such a thing.

Because of this pride for himself, Aoi looks on all others, be it slightly in the case of the other Kagetai, or more heavily in the case of many others not reknowned for their fighting prowess. When Aoi speaks, he talks to others in a very confident tone, even to Saito, as if they are his juniors or subordinates, which he very much believes is the case.

When he’s not on a mission or has any time of his own, Aoi prefers to spend his time alone in the large mansion that his parents left behind for him and all the family heirlooms that they possessed. Isolated away from the rest of the world in his house, Aoi takes immense pleasure in sitting down and reading the classical canons and silently enwrapping himself in the world of literature. On occasion, Aoi takes on the mood and begins to write his own literature. But, of course, he would never let anyone read it, to the dismay and irritation of many of the Kagetai.

To go along with the enjoyment of his books, Aoi also enjoys a good cup of tea, something which he often bothers the gentle Kitsune, Takashi, about.

Techniques:

Inazuma Battou-jutsu: Aoi’s own special style of battou-jutsu, it focuses only on the act of pulling the sword from its sheath and the act of killing the opponent. Aoi keeps his technique a secret, teaching it to no one else, but he firmly believes that his techqnique can only be executed perfectly with his sword, the Ryuga (Dragon Fang), a old-fashioned, straight-bladed tsurugi, specially crafted by Shaku Arai without a guard.

Inazuma Battou-jutsu, though extremely lethal, also puts extreme exertion onto Aoi, tiring him out and his body very quickly. The recovery time in between executed moves is creates a lapse for large swarms of enemies to attack him and Aoi has to depend on other members, Shinsengumi or Kagetai to protect him before he can attack again. Because Inazuma Battou requires Aoi to move at almost god-like speeds, he has to employ semi-Shukuchi or even full Shukuchi, and increases the exertion for certain moves. Later, when he meets Shirobana Setsuna, he practices Shukuchi with him and the exertion lessens slightly. Aoi has many variations and moves of Inazuma Battou, but these are the few employed most often and is considered by him most effective.

Midnight Moon: Aoi’s trademark move. Only with the correct state of mind and speed can it be executed. He has refused to show it to anyone other than those he killed with. But the dead can’t talk. However, one thing to take note is that Midnight Moon, as compared to the rest of the technique, is by far the one with the most physical effort required and exertion on his muscles will immediately deplete Aoi of strength. After executing Midnight Moon, Aoi will fall unconscious for a short while due to the strain.

Ice Moon: Aoi pulls his sword, battou-style and slashes his opponent repeatedly before he can react, severing all the nerves along the opponent’s body, ‘freezing’ him by paralysing all the nerves that control bodily movement.

Eclipse: The broad-edge of his Ryuga has been painted a dark blue, after the color of his name, and does not reflect light. Aoi attacks from the shadows, keeping the broad edge towards the light source, making him and his weapon invisible and slashes his opponent with a battou attack.

Multiple Moon: A variation of Shinomori’s infamous Kaiten Kembu, except that only four images of Aoi is formed. All four images execute a battou attack and the opponent is slashed from four sides.

Continuous Moon: The second variation of Kaiten Kembu. Four images again, but this time, Aoi runs in a straight line, and two images are used for attack and two images are used for defence. The first two slash at his opponents while the back two deflect attacks. Good for employment against multiple opponents or even whole squads.

Full Moon: An arial attack devised when whole mobs of Shishi swarm Aoi. He leaps from higher ground, and pulls his sword battou-style in 8 different directions,, slashing down at the enemy below him so quickly that 8 separate moon arcs are created and it is the perfect shape of eight different cross-sections of a moon, creating a real sphere that looks like a full moon. This is very good for use against bunched up enemies, though the physical exertion is tremendous.

Likes:

Peace and quiet, a good book for him to engage himself in, writing his own book, practicing Battou-jutsu, real samurai who uphold their code of honor, people with strict moral codes such as his own, giving his fellow Kagetai members a good helping of his own style of sarcasm, tea.

Dislikes:

Dishorable people, scum with no morals, a lot of noise, people who make a lot of noise, people disturbing him when he is meditating or reading, people reading his writing, undisciplined people, arrogant people who have nothing to back their arrogance with.

Rivals:

A master of kempo, kyujutsu and kenjutsu, Aoi Hikagami has no rivals because he doesn’t feel that anyone else is strong enough to match up to him and be his rival. Though it is his last wish to have a duel to the death with Battousai, the only opponent that he could not kill in his lifetime.

Current Sketch:

After the Bakumatsu no Douran, Aoi decided that he no longer wanted to be involved in any more fighting, as he had already seen too much and had committed too many sins which he could never repay. He disappeared into the shadows after the Bakumatsu and the start of the Meiji Ishin, and most thought that he had perhaps died or gone insane, along with Battousai and several other great warriors in the Bakumatsu.

But Aoi was found and recalled by Saito for one last Shinsengumi mission, to settle the demons of his past once and for all. After that Aoi told Saito that he wanted to have nothing else to do with the Shinsengumi, which was now disbanded, and also he would not care about anything related to it. But he would offer his services to the Kagetai if they ever needed him. Aoi now resides back in his large mansion back in Kyoto, spending his time reading literature and writing some of his own. He also works as a hitman and point man for numerous Kagetai operations operating currently.