Home
Characters
Fiction
Artwork
Timeline
Nandai wo?!
Join
FAQ
Updates
Get in Touch
Links
Forum

The Kagetai Home

Name: Kurohane Hikaru (kuro=black; hane=wing; hikaru=light)
Birthdate: September 11, 1855
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 107 lbs.

Appearance:

Has a pale, finely-featured face, with arched eyebrows; full lips; high, chiseled cheekbones; and eyes of a startling shade of green, a trait of some members of her mother's clan. Her hair is dark brown except for a white lock above her left brow, almost a complement to the faint scar that runs from her hairline to her right temple. When in combat, her hair is held together by poisoned hairpins, but outside of battle her hair is in a loose ponytail except for the white lock, which is braided. She usually wears, when not in kimono, a dark blue hakama paired with a black gi, both articles of clothing patternless except for a tiny stylized sumire (violet, the flower) embroidered into the gi's collarband. Her body structure is slender, almost slight, but she has a lithe frame owing to her training.

Background:

Born Kiyotake Sumire (kiyo=pure; take=bamboo; sumire=violet) in a remote region of Hokkaido, she grew up in a family that was untainted by any politics despite her mother's being a cousin of Matsudaira Katamori, daimyo of Aizu. Her mother, Shiroe Keiko (shiro=white; e=creek; keiko=beautiful child), had been distanced from her family because of her defiance of an arranged marriage and subsequent elopement with the pharmacist Kiyotake Shigeki (shigeki=fidelity, trust). Keiko erased all links between herself and her clan, changing what she was called from O-Kei-san to Keiko, and she and her husband moved to Hokkaido where they lived in obscurity.

When Sumire was almost five years old, the relative tranquillity of her family's life shattered. A spy discovered Keiko's whereabouts and, upon learning that she was Matsudaira's favorite cousin, abducted her as a prospective bargaining chip. When the spy reached Aizu with his captive, however, he discovered that she had commited suicide using a poisoned brooch. Keiko's death was swiftly followed by vengeance: Saitou Hajime killed the spy and his superiors, and a messenger was sent to Hokkaido with an offer of Roushigumi protection in exchange for Shigeki's services -- aside from his experience as a pharmacist, Shigeki would have been a masterswordmaker if not for their move to Hokkaido. Shigeki accepted, moving to Kyoto with his daughter. Later Shigeki also had several rooms in the headquarters itself, the Yagi Gennoujou estate in Mibu. There, in Kyoto, they met the highly intelligent geisha Taiou Asako (taiou=powerful ruler; asako=child of the morning), who would 'adopt' Sumire as her younger sister and play an important role in the girl's life.

Sumire grew up in an environment of steel and poison; despite that, she developed into a girl with exceptional intelligence and a keen interest in the higher arts, sheltered from the harsher side of the Shinsengumi by Matsudaira's invisible influence. Her father, being unconventional in more ways than one, began to teach her how to defend herself when necessary. His gift to her when she turned six were two steel fans -- tessen -- whose specially-tooled blades could be anointed with poison, and on her next birthday he gave her a set of elaborate lacquered hairpins that were designed to act as poisoned darts in case of emergency. Despite all his good intentions, her father could not teach her kendo. This step in her training was taken up by Niimi Nishiki, who was reminded of his comrade Serizawa Kamo's iron fan as he saw her struggling with the weapons.

A model student, Sumire was a quick learner and showed much promise, grasping the principles behind the techniques despite her age. She never was to realize her potential in Shintou Munen Ryuu, however. A few days before Sumire's tenth birthday, Niimi was ordered to commit seppuku. Serizawa was asssassinated on September 18. Following close on the heels of those fatalities was her father's mysterious death. It was maintained that he had mistakenly ingested one of his own poisons, but there were rumors that Shigeki had been killed because of his association with Serizawa. Sumire herself, being a student of Niimi, would have been in a position of prospective danger if not for Matsudaira who signaled that the girl was too young to know anything, being prompted by his guilt over Keiko's suicide.

The orphaned girl was told about the Shinsengumi who took part in the deaths of Niimi and Serizawa, but surprisingly she held no grudge against them at all. It was Matsudaira she blamed for her sensei's death, but even then she seemed to understand the reasons behind his orders. Matsudaira became an unforgiven figure only later, though Sumire was not deaf to the rumors of her father's alleged murder. With a maturity that had been unknown to her before the triple deaths she acknowledged that whatever association her father had with Serizawa was his own choice. She could not conceal her shock and grief, however, and spent several days confined in the apartments at the Gennojou estate.

A Shinsengumi member who knew of Matsudaira's relation to the girl told her about her mother's cousin in hopes of helping her discover her identity as daughter of a Shinsengumi and a member of the Matsudaira clan. A few days after the revelation, she went to Matsudaira with a companion, Haitai Kenichi (hai=ashes; tai=valley; ken=sword; ichi=first), prospective Shinsengumi, to see Matsudaira and was attacked by assassins on her way to the daimyo. Even though she was taken by surprise and Kenichi slain while protecting her, Sumire managed to survive her encounter with the would-be killers and trace them to her uncle. Matsudaira's actions were supposed to have been started off by rumors linking him to Sumire and threatening to expose their blood ties -- something he could not allow -- or pressure on him because of her alleged loyalty to the assassinated Serizawa and his now-broken up group.

Few knew what the flashing-eyed girl said to the lord of Aizu when she arrived and demanded audience with him, but after that she took a new name -- Kurohane Hikaru (black wing, from the shape of her tessen) -- and guarded the secret of her relationship to the daimyo with a caution that was unlike her volatile personality. One might have said that she was rejecting her relationship to him and the rest of her mother's clan; if anything, the mere thought of Matsudaira's influence even remotely touching her life repulsed her. Hikaru was determined to survive on her own even in the midst of bloodshed and chaos.

Sumire, now Hikaru, was very mature and intelligent for her age. Through Asako, one of Kyoto's most successful geisha, Hikaru sold her mother's heirloom jewels to buy an inconspicuous house in Edo, a haven of refuge, as she called it, if it was ever necessary for her to disappear from people's sight. She began training in the Shieikan several weeks later.

Asako died, poisoned, more than a year after Hikaru entered the Shieikan, plunging the girl into lonely grief once again. Hikaru stopped training for a few weeks to mourn this shattering death, and even those closest to her could not tell if the death was increasing her guilt -- after all, the most probable reason for Asako's death was her helping Hikaru in this move of rebellious independence. She would have gone mad if it had not been for Kondou Shuusuke, the Shieikan's owner, who persuaded "the woman in the form of a child" to go on.

Hikaru completed her training in Tennen Rishin Ryuu by the age of seventeen, her proficiency level nearly equal to that of Menkyou Kaiden or a very high Mokuroku (Inka) -- 6th or 7th dan, despite her earlier lessons in Shintou Munen Ryuu. However, she was not given any rank because of her qualities that would stand out -- her age, her gender, and her proficiency in another style -- and the fact that the distinction went against her desire to keep a low profile.

Still insecure about her skill because of that, Hikaru went back to Kyoto and chose to join not a political group but Saitou Hajime's Kagetai. Saitou had, without her knowledge, been keeping an eye on Hikaru since her move to Kyoto, acknowledging her as someone of remarkable ability and a possible new member of the Kagetai. In addition, those who knew her well said that a strange kinship had developed between Hikaru and Saitou, the man who had avenged her mother's death and was one of the few Shinsengumi who knew of her true background. On her entrance into the Kagetai, Saitou presented her with the katana her father had made for her, the weapon Shigeki had been planning to give her on her eighth birthday. Reunited with old friends, she efficiently carried out Saitou's orders and made a name for herself as the Kagetai's Kurohane -- the Black Wing.

Side note:

Rumors abound of Hikaru, even before she was known as the Black Wing, having a mysterious understanding with the young Hitokiri Battousai of the Ishin Shishi, something that had less to do with politics than common idealism and thought. These reports will have to be confirmed with Hikaru herself.

Preferred style:

Tennen Rishin Ryuu, though her slight knowledge of Shintou Munen affects her fighting style, giving it a strange duality.

Weapon of choice:

Katana, though she also likes using her tessen.

Attacks:

Modified from the two styles she has learned to suit her economy of movement; renamed and developed through practice. When using her tessen, her motions consist of tightly-controlled slashes and curving sweeps of the arm. Because of her being taught two styles, her sword technique, while versatile and unpredictable, lacks the focus that comes with mastery of only one style. Her greatest strength is the flexibility of her weapon use, and it is very difficult to second-guess her.

Personality:

Hikaru's personality is that of fire -- impulsive and truthful, generous to a fault, headstrong to the point of insanity, fiercely loyal to her friends, destructive to her enemies -- softened by a petal-like touch, for she is still a dreamer, her soul winged and her beliefs idealistic despite the strife she has survived. When she sheds the disguise of the elegant, distant lady, her unusual eyes show the full range of her emotions she no longer has to hide, lighting up with laughter often (her sense of humor is very... anou... < sweatdrop > freaky?), sometimes flaring in anger, but always alive with the strength of her will. A hopeless romantic at heart (though she persistently denies this), she smiles often, but rarely with real joy and even rarer with poignant sorrow. Her parents' deaths have made her indifferent to the idea of dying, but she meanwhile lives her life with a vibrance that is reminiscent of the flame in her green eyes.

Likes:

The violet is still her symbol, the last link to her childhood past; after that flower her next favorite is the iris. She loves simplicity and subtle beauty, this being the reason behind her mastery of the arts of ikebana, painting, and poetry. Lavender silk kimono, scented candles from the West, sunsets and sunrises, long letters from friends, and strawberry mochi are also some of her soft spots. She adores cats, taking care of five at her house and adopting any strays she comes across. She also has an uncharacteristic weakness for anything even remotely kawaii (i.e. "< coming out of nowhere > koneko-chaaaan! < huggle > wai wai wai! < proceeds to ignore the stares >").

Dislikes:

Constant insecurity, guilt, and being lost to despair, all of which are her personal struggles. Being patronized or needing watching over, as she perceives Matsudaira's unseen hand and sometimes Saitou's indifferent concern with irritation. Pretentious hypocrites; cynicism. Serrated edges of knives and other weapons ("...they don't cut clean, and the wounds look awful..."). Having to wash bloodstains out of her gi and hakama ("Ugh! Laundry. It's almost as bad as cooking."). Ants ("...they crawl over flowers, and steal my mochi. Mou!..."). Being confused or in the dark ("Ack... what's going on?"). People pulling her hair or messing with the white streak ("...stop it; you're messing with my hairstyle..."). Dogs, although she likes wolves and foxes ("Aiieeee! A dog! Hide me... meow meow meow?").

Rivals:

None (yet... ehehehe... -_-;;;)

Current sketch:

Hikaru is one of those women who appear to be ageless, looking almost the same at twenty-five as she did at seventeen. She divides her time between her still-surviving house in Edo/Tokyo and the house Kiyotake Shigeki bought in Kyoto when she goes on assignments for Saitou. She makes a living on what she receives for her paintings and ikebana arrangements, preferring to keep her poetry to herself. Her nature, sensitive to emotion in spite of being as volatile as fire, has helped her nurture old friendships and develop new friendships. One of her newer friends is Kamiya Kaoru, who she met when one of Hikaru's delicately-rendered watercolors caught the younger girl's eye. From time to time she receives warnings that her relatives on her mother's side are looking for her; when that happens she simply disappears for a few days then returns, quietly eluding those she does not want to know.

Mannerisms (to guide fic writers):

A fiery, often-defiant person, Hikaru is easy to get along with nonetheless, being affectionate and tolerant of other's faults. She frequently acts like a little girl -- albeit an adorable one -- with her frequent "Mou!"; "Ne..."; and unoffending speech (eh, this girl wants to please all her friends... I don't know what's wrong with her.) She calls her acquaintances -san, her male friends -kun and her female friends -chan,if they let her, and she prefers, insisting even on it, to be called Hikaru-chan in normal situations and Kurohane when she is on a mission and in her business mindset. Her sense of expression is very highly developed too, which is why she never hesitates to use the full range of her voice that, though clear and melodic, is powerful.