[Spirit Class 7] Komugi Yadou

○ Name: Komugi Yadou (小麦夜道) ○ Title: Yadou Clan Heir (Unofficial) ○ Age: 120~ years ○ Birthday: March 23rd ○ Gender: Female ○ Race: Shinigami (Nekomata - 猫また) ○ Affiliation: Gotei United - 1st Division ○ Height: 4’5 ft ○ Weight: Healthy ○ Hair Colour: Black & White ○ Eye Colour: Yellow ○ Likes: Warm naps, Candied Fish, Baths, Clean laundry smell, Painting, Kids, Spiced Black Teas, Playing (Innocent) Pranks ○ Dislikes: Citrus, Being called ‘Short’, Hiding herself, Her ears or tail being touched without permission, Yelling, Strong Perfumes ○ Hates: Snakes, Cucumbers

One who presents with compassion and virtue, Komugi is a resolute soul of justice and fortitude. Despite her background, she is one to strive for the betterment of those around her and herself, often a friendly face amongst her peers. She does not let her beastly appearance define how she tackles the world, and is quick to give a good earful to anyone who boils her down to such traits, having come from a long history of such judgements cast upon her due to her refusal to hide herself. A true believer that one’s actions in the now is what defines them, she puts her best foot forward to offer a hand of compassion to others, especially the criticized and downtrodden who are open to change.

Because of her history, she has rather strong opinions of what defines a person, believing that one can such as easily become a beast as they could become man, regardless of their shape or background. To those who choose to be beasts, she meets with no mercy - by combat and speech.



Life for Komugi started with death, a bundle of helpless fur swaddled in her father’s haori as the secret newborn was carried away by a lone Wolfman, spared from the household’s gruesome fate by her father’s wit. A kill order was placed on the primary house of the Yadou clan’s head, accused of murdering the wife of their rival group’s higher-ranking members within their home district, their background of assassination and the unclear manner of death calling for a blood price by their members and community alike.

The only thing the rest of the clan knew, was to both disperse, and that the heir was safe.

Carried to be raised in a tiny hidden village of were-animals from similarly unfortunate circumstances that lied in a forest within a middling district, the man whom had saved her alongside his family would be who raised her. Though they themselves managed a syndicate in order to maintain their way of life and safety, the young Nekomata’s aspirations were past petty crime for survival. She hated hiding herself away, even with her clan’s weakness within sunlight, as well as needing to steal and fight to keep everyone fed and safe within their hideaway.

Her uncle, aunt, and cousin were frequently on the receiving end of these complaints, and while responses were understanding, it was belaboring trying to explain to the young girl why things were the way they were - with the shapes they possessed, it was difficult to be employed, let alone trusted by the common folk within the Rukongai. It was only natural they hide their shameful curse and garner influence by other means.

Regardless of how roughly the others of her district treated her every time she came into town, the stares, the whispers, Komugi kept her head high, and looked to those tall white walls in the distance - a place she was told they could never belong. Even so, throughout her youth, she dreamt of her family living in comfort and safety within, not needing to fight tooth and claw just to get by, nor hiding themselves away…

That was when several rumors started coming about through the Rukongai, Komugi often eavesdropping on the syndicate’s meetings with her cousin, amazed by the stories she heard of a group of ryoka busting into the Seireitei, even one of them beat a Captain! But what really drew her interest was that one of the captains was of a beast clan, just like them! Inspired and affirmed in her thoughts and frustrations with how her family thought, the young Komugi went about her district with little more than a bucket of paint and a brush, a spree of graffiti incidents emerging, and the girl getting punished and having to clean her mess quite often…

But her art and messages evoking a yearning for understanding and possibility spoke to several of her friends, and even drew the sympathy of those who previously scorned them for their cursed forms. What was isolated streaks of unwanted graffiti gradually became pockets of proper street art and conversation; though many still held their suspicions and the folk of her village still hid themselves, slowly they were coming together over the years.

During her scoping for more mural sites, Komugi found herself exploring a cranny she somehow didn’t find previously, an old building that had been brought down during a hollow attack a good long time ago that the residents were too afraid to approach, out of fear the hollow was alive. Digging through the wreck, she uncovered a gruesome sight - a long withered corpse, pierced by a fallen beam, with a sword having fallen to the ground. Deciding to take the blade home, it was nothing more than a cool find for her at first, surprised it hadn’t even rusted from how long it must have been.

She wasn’t quite eager to sell it off or do much with it, spending months with the strange blade hidden in her bedding and used away from the gaze of her aunt and uncle. That was, until she started having strange dreams of a world engulfed in cold flames, a menacing presence glowering at her someplace in the darkness. The dreams escalated, from the feeling of being watched, to a voice heard… That was when she decided to tell her uncle about the blade and her dreams.

Though his knowledge was limited, he identified that blade as a Zanpakuto, and if she wanted any further answers… She could try her luck with applying for the Academy - despite his usual stubbornness, he wouldn’t fight her on it. Packed and bid farewell with a small gathering, Komugi journeyed to the Seireitei, and despite some minor difficulties, insisted herself into becoming a student of the academy, her only contact with home being the slow exchange of letters.

Classes were a struggle to get through with the curse, yet she still preserved. She came to know the spirit she had mistakenly imprinted in her years, learning the rather prideful being’s name over the period of her training - Hitsuki. Despite the rather unaccommodating environment, and more saddeningly the opportunity to meet whom she had learned to be Komamura had slipped away with his disappearance, she wasn’t intent on letting this opportunity of seeing her childhood dream of her village living safely within the Seireitei slip away - becoming a Shinigami was the most accessible way she could claw her way up and get the money and resources for it after all, considering the finding of that sword to be fate.

Upon graduating, she didn’t get many offers with her poor or unorthodox performance, ending up in the 10th Division at the time and stationed in the World of the Living, though she wasn’t very impressed having to go around as a stray cat. She thought she’d be happier out and about combating hollows, but time and time again she felt like an outlier, and her homesickness was worse on her trips out. Either way, she performed well, and sent as much money as she could back home.

Years into her service, she moved up in notoriety and rank, eventually transferring to different divisions, performing different lines of work, trying to find her place.. Matters were helped with her cousin Taro enrolling in the Academy, so she at least had someone familiar with her. Saving for a home that’d fit all of them was a difficult task, growing a particular distaste and even some envy for those who had been born here with little worry or concern for what happened beyond the walls. She was stubborn though, and if that meant forming a noble house of her own, she was willing to sacrifice.

Eventually, her efforts got her into a seated position within the First Division, though in the aftermath of the Demonic Incursion led her to take a temporary leave alongside Taro, who had sustained considerable injuries from the affair and needed to recover. They would return to their village to recuperate in relative peace, helping both them and the locals from the nearby town whom had become amicable over the years of work. It warmed the heart.

She would return to her duties following Taro’s recovery, though it was like coming back to a completely different place with the restructuring. Despite her feelings, she was more motivated than ever to achieve, wishing to get stronger in order to more steadily climb rank back up from the unseated position she found herself in once again. Though she had mastered her Shikai by this point in her life, she realized she grew complacent with it, the time apart from her Zanpakuto making her realize the gap between her presently and what she could be.

And thus, she spent the next several years attempting to attain Bankai. Through conflicts and all, she had a secret concerted effort to manifest her spirit, struggling, losing the battle multiple times, yet she stubbornly persevered in this effort. Again and again, her spirit would meet her with the same question: What was she fighting for? If this question couldn’t be fully answered, she could never defeat him.

She wouldn’t find her answer until she heard of terrible news: Ichigo Kurosaki, the man she had admired from her youth and especially after learning about him in her academy days, had resurfaced and attacked a city - innocent people were harmed in what came across as a random attack. This shocked her, she couldn’t imagine a man so dedicated to protecting his friends would do such a thing, she dwelled on it for quite a while, until she fell into a realization, reflecting on her life and experiences.

She didn’t want to allow anyone to have to fall to the wayside like that, to have to do such horrible things to others in order to keep their loved ones safe, or avenge them. She only wanted her family to be in the Seireitei all safe and sound so that they wouldn’t have to resort to petty crime just to survive…

What she wanted was to be a better example.

With this realization, she would go into a bloody clash with her spirit one final time, expressing her intent, her desire as she clashed, and in the end… Her spirit yielded. The usually prideful and arrogant beast held a passionate smile to his wielder fully realized. She knew what she wanted, and would wield him well - thus she attained Bankai.

Presently, she is in recovery from the catastrophe in Africa.



Feline Physique
The Yadou Clan are another sect of souls descended from those whom had committed some form of ‘sin’ and thus were cursed into the beastly shape of Nekomata, alongside bearing a curse that “damns them to walk the shadows, never to meet the glimmer of sunshine with bright eyes”.

And so, this curse proves to be both parts a hindrance and a blessing, as though her shape and physiology is far closer to a feline, it grants her the same boons as such an animal. Her form is incredibly slender and flexible, capable of acrobatics and holding in positions that would be terribly uncomfortable for the average person. She has heightened senses and impressive vision in the dark, though also suffers from poor depth perception and a degree of colorblindness.

Alongside all of these, her sun curse causes her to be drowsier and unfocused when standing unprotected in direct sunlight. Though she has made strides to operate without coverage through sheer stubbornness, to keep at her best she would need to cover up all her skin and have a filter over her face to operate properly during the day.

Speedster
Alongside her physique, she has trained her body to possess a speed far surpassing typical means, with considerable stamina to back it up, as her Hoho studies were rather lacking. She is able to both exert a burst of speed that can dodge even fast-moving projectiles with little problem, and run at an even pace for so long that she could outpace a considerable number of people without getting tired.

Indomitable Will
Above anything else, Komugi is stubborn with a capital S. She has her beliefs and convictions, and isn’t so easy to bend on them - her family and found community within the Gotei are incredibly important to her, and she would do anything if it meant they would be safe and prosperous. She has endured many a battle where she was pushed past her limits into pure exhaustion, yet still kept fighting. It would take a considerably powerful force, be it ideological or potent, to drag her from the path she has decided on.

Animal Instinct
Being in the form of a beast also bore it’s challenges; though Komugi began life far more guided by instinct, she has tamed and sharpened that instinct of beasts into it’s own weapon. Though she isn’t perfect, Komugi has an impressive amount of ability to read the air of a room or sense danger - she is definitely one to listen to her gut and stick with it, especially in the judgment of other people’s character. Oftentimes, that gut is correct and she has the upper hand in the situation as a consequence.

Brutal Fist Fighter
Komugi started life learning to fight bare-handed, with only her claws and wit by her aunt to survive on the streets. Such training has led her down a path of preferring more physical brawls, having a surprising amount of strength to back up her skill. Despite her tiny size, she can certainly dispatch opponents much larger than her with only her mitts, highly skilled martial arts used alongside Hakuda techniques she formed on her own making her a little killing machine without needing to be quick to draw her sword.



Hakuda Practitioner
Due to her small size being rather prohibitive in direct strength matches, Komugi has harnessed both the skill in her youth training as well as her knowledge of Hakuda to develop her power into several techniques to considerably shift the battle in her favor. Her skill and knowledge in such a physical practice are incredible, setting any opponents underestimating her small appearance up for a nasty surprise.

They are as follows:
Nekosanpo (猫散歩 : Cat Walk)- This technique expands the surfaces Komugi is able to effortlessly walk upon. She can walk on walls and ceilings with little issue, and even lie in wait in these positions with very little expenditure in energy. According to her uncle, she apparently unintentionally recreated an improved version of a signature Yadou Clan technique.

Nekotobitsuku (猫飛びつく: Cat Pounce)- Komugi falls on all fours and suddenly jumps at her opponent with her arms or legs outstretched toward them, a seemingly innocent move until a crushing force that could throw a person or entity several times her size through several walls with only the force exerted through her palms or heels. This technique can be used at such a considerable speed that it can catch many off guard.

Nekoutsu (猫打つ: Cat Swat) - With an open palm, Komugi strikes her opponent with multiple strikes, the strength of these capable of shattering defenses within a few hits and causing considerable blunt damage to one’s body.

Tokubetsu no Nekoutsu (特別の猫打つ: Special Cat Swat) - With two half curled palms pressed together by the wrists, most favorably chained with Nekootsu, Komugi can produce a single strike that has the power of ten Nekootsu condensed into one technique, applying a powerful blow to a localized area in order to puncture her opponents with sheer brute force.

Nekozudzuki (猫頭突き: Cat Bunt) - Gently placing her forehead against an opponent for a moment, with a sudden lunge of footwork Komugi can send her opponent flying a shocking distance with minimal contact, the suddenness of execution putting many opponents in an incredible daze as they’re sent flying, throwing off their equilibrium.

Nekotsume Ichida - Nisaki (猫爪一打 - 二先: Cat Claw Stroke - Two Points) - Using two claws, Komugi jabs her opponent with pinpoint accuracy, notably at their pressure points. This causes considerably unbearable nerve pain with temporary interference to one’s flow of Reiryoku at best, or severely damages one’s nerves at worst, enough localized damage capable of disabling entire limbs for the remainder of the fight. The speed and accuracy of this attack enables Komugi to hit several connected points in quick succession to inflict horrible pain and deregulation in her opponent’s body. This, too, resembles a Yadou Clan technique.

Nekotsume Ichida - Shisaki (猫爪一打 - 四先: Cat Claw Stroke - Four Points) - A deadly technique, with the use of four claws, Komugi instead targets an opponent’s vascular system as opposed to their nerves. With side slashing movements who’s apex is directed at a particular region such as an artery, not only does it cut the vessel, but it aggravates the entire region of blood vessels, causing considerably more blood to expel from the wound than normal. The power of the strike can clip into many defenses despite the deceivingly light stroke, and often will kill the opponent via hypovolemic shock. This, too, resembles a Yadou Clan technique.

Nekokaku Netsu (猫掻く熱: Cat Scratch Fever) - The only notable sign of this technique being unleashed is the brief bristling of Komugi’s fur. To a usual onlooker, it doesn’t appear anything occurred, though the most notable sign of this technique is Komugi’s hair appearing to flow a little. The real danger of this ability exhibits when she lands a blow; rather than simply being a blunt attack, a violent expression of her energy rips into the region she makes contact with and takes the path of least resistance to tear into her opponent’s body, often leaving one’s skin around the contact point covered in thin, scratch-like gashes. The average person would have a hole violently ripped into wherever the contact point lies, their innards practically soup and their skin tattered in a single move.



Appearance:



Personality: Nijuu no Hitsuki, or simply Hitsuki, is a very arrogant spirit. His nature is wild and his power is untamed, only seeing worth in those who are worthy of tempering this wild nature. Komugi considers him a representation of everything she must control and use responsibly, lest the violent cold flames sap the lives of those she loves and wishes to protect.



Name: Nijuu no Hitsuki (二重の火月; Twin Blazing Moons)

Appearance: Komugi’s sword transforms into a traditional Daishō-style pair, the tsuba of the longer blade having a feline-like head design with a deep blue tsuka, whereas the shorter blade has a tail coil design and a more cyan tsuka with a dangling cloth. The blades themselves are a bright white, clothed in vibrant blue flames, the metal appearing to almost seep into the fire.

Shikai Ability:

Tsukihonoo (月炎: Moonflame) - The basis of all of Komugi’s attacks, her blades constantly generate bright blue flames that, paradoxically, are rather cold to the touch and emit freezing air. Despite this inverse nature, the flames behave similar to normal fire, although they feed off Reishi and spread quickly across objects or areas abundant in it if Komugi allows. Within the right environment, the field can go from safe to a massive hazard to tread on in moments.

Objects or people inflicted by the flame will have any warmth gradually sucked out of them, as if the flame itself is consuming one’s life force. Direct contact with skin will inflict frostbite wounds, and prolonged burning will lead to those unfortunate to suffer hypothermia symptoms, until finally their organs shut down due to the freezing touch.

With the utility of two swords, Komugi can increase the size and shape of these flames through the exertion of movement and breath, such as dealing an explosive wave of flames with a swing or even directing the flames that have leached onto the field.

Despite their nature, they still behave like flames and are capable of being snuffed out by an equal force, or if they run out of warmth to fuel them.



Name: Saigono Hitsuki (最後の火月; Final Blazing Moon)

Appearance: Komugi’s sword condenses into a single, large flaming Odachi possessing elements of both. Her outfit and appearance change, her clothing transforming to appear much like a traditional male’s hakama, blue flames rimming the outfit and the hair on her head. Most notably, a flowing haori mostly consisting of flames is draped over her shoulders, the characters “家族” (Kazoku - Family) visible on the back in black lettering.

Bankai Ability:

Kookoo no Tsukihonoo (煌々の月炎: Brilliant Moonflame):
Similar to her Shikai ability, Kookoo no Tsukihonoo is an amplified version of the original technique, the flames burning brighter and eating away at whatever life it touches with greater intensity. It is a power only one with focus and conviction can wield, and although the power in itself is in it’s infancy, Komugi has spectacular control of even these wild flames. She wields this much like her Shikai, although the potential scope is considerably increased.



General Skills

• Durability: D
  
• Speed: C
  
• Strength: D
  
• Soul: C
  

Shinigami Skills

• Hakuda: Advanced
  
• Hoho: Beginner
  
• Kido: Adept
  
• Zanjutsu: Advanced
  

Will Skills

• Willpower/Determination: Adept
  
• Mental Deduction: Beginner
  
• Focus: Advanced
  

Was interested in writing a ‘hero’ type character; someone who’d be concerned about more Soul Society-centric issues and primarily would be operating there. Kbity.

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