Kouen Kouyaku
From Inga no Kusari wiki
| Kouyaku, Kouen ♀ | |
|---|---|
 Unseated, 12th Division | |
| Date of Birth | 10th March, 1986 (26) |
| Place of Birth | 75th District - Burning Tree, East Rukongai |
| Zanpakutō | Asauchi |
| Player | Haku |
| Shinigami | |
Contents |
Appearance
Kouen has Coquelicot hair, with a matching sash, and Palatinate Blue eyes. She is an imposing six feet tall, and her arms are thicker and longer than average, befitting her choice of fighting style, while also possessing small hands with dexterous fingers, helpful for her profession. She wears a shihakushou typically worn by a member of the Onmitsukidō, and though she is not a member; she finds it to be a comfortable choice. Whilst in the lab or otherwise working with volatile chemicals, Koeun makes sure to wear the standard lab coat of the Twelfth Division, as well as a set of high tech, complex goggles. Naturally, all of her clothing is fire-retardant. She wears two hair clips that are each actually devices of her own invention. Each one is a reiatsu converter that, depending on which switch is pressed, can either issue forth an extinguishing spray, or produce a small flame like a lighter.
Personality
Kouyaku Kouen is a gem of many facets. Though well versed in the art of hand to hand combat, and indeed, quite the avid practitioner of it, Kouen's true love is the science of fire and all of its wonders. She enjoys experimenting with all of the possible uses of pyrotechnics, as well as its practical application. Kouen isn't the scientist you would expect her to be though. While intimately familiar with the exact workings of chemistry and eveything related to it, she is very unwilling to impart that knowledge upon others; she doesn't like to prattle on about the specifics of her work, preferring instead to work quietly and enjoy the beauty of its results. This often leads her to make fireworks. Their yield is a lot closer to the way she practices her art. The stars align and the ingredients come together to produce a wonderful result. While she can easily fill out a report about the process of her experiments on paper, she had a very hard time brining herself to talk about them, and will avoid doing so if at all possible.
Though shy about the manners of science, her truest love if there ever was one, Kouen is an otherwise outgoing young lady who is willing to socialize with others. Of course, she has her quirks about her during these encounters. She doesn't like to talk in any sort of formal tones as she wasn't raised in any formal sort of society. As such, she may sometimes upset people with her unusual speech. Kouen also has found an interesting way of dealing with stress; she suffers from the rare mental disorder pyromania, and will impulsively set fire to random objects if under a lot of stress. Usually this is channeled safely via her profession, and she has never threatened anyone's safety when she does partake in random combustion.
If Kouen is not in her lab, she can often be found in a training area practicing her Hakuda, or even in the Eleventh Division brawling with the Shinigami there. Though only a social drinker, as she has a very hard time holding her sake, Kouen gets in many bar fights from time to time, and the barkeepers tend to keep a close eye on her; in at least one incident, she purchased a bottle of alcohol for the explicitly stated purpose of fashioning a Molotov, though it was only for an experiment, or so she claimed.
History
A girl born to unknown parents and left abandoned in an alleyway in the 75th district of Rukongai, Kouyaku Kouen was adopted by a group of pluses who had lived in an odd peace in the district for quite some time. The fire-bombing of Tokyo led to a lot of simultaneous deaths, and many of those victims ended up in Burning Tree, a fitting name for their district. Over the course of 40 years, many of them had adopted a rather humble lifestyle. They raised Kouen throughout her childhood, not paying a whole lot of mind to the gender identity she took on. The pseudo-family enjoyed her presence; it bathed them in a warmth they hadn't truly felt in a long time.
As Kouen grew older, she grew into a very outgoing young woman. She was often seen brawling with the other kids, and actually won most of her fights. Though scolded by the older women who tried desperately to make her as feminine one could be growing up so deep in the Rukongai, Kouen thoroughly enjoyed herself. When she reached maturity, she left for the Shinou Academy and began educating herself in the art of the Shinigami. Kouen barely passed the entrance exam, more or less a product of a luck rather than actual knowledge; she guessed most of the answers and miraculously got enough of them correct. Placed in the lowest class, she then proceeded to use the opportunity she had been given to study and hone her knowledge.
A skilled fighter since childhood, Kouen never truly lost her knack for combat, but after spending the greater majority of her free time studying just to pass the exams, she began to fall behind on the practical tests. Still, there was an upside to her endeavors. Kouen's intelligence grew and it became easier for her to catch on to ideas and study. She found herself thoroughly enamored by the pursuit of knowledge.
Soon enough, Kouen began to take more and more classes related to the sciences. Though she had initially set off to join the Eleventh Division, the Twelfth was in fact becoming her destiny. Kouen excelled in academics, finding a place in the honors classes taught at Shinou. Especially prevalent were her skills in anything that involved pyrotechnics. The girl was unable to find much in the way of specialized classes, but was told that if she wished to further pursue the career, her best bet would be the Twelfth Division. Accordingly, she focused her studies in chemistry and mathematics. This dedication did not go unnoticed.
As her combat skills began to falter, Kouen made sure to practice them at least five times a week, though for smaller increments of time, keeping her muscles well conditioned for when she decided to pick up the art again later. In the meantime, she focused on finishing up her studies, even going so far as to read books while practicing Hakuda. It was during one of these sessions that a recruiter for the Twelfth Division happened to be looking for her. He was an odd looking man with bolts in various places one would think they shouldn't be. Apparently, he had been tracking her progress since informed of her high grades, and was scouting out her potential as a recruit. Impressed by her apparent genius in the line of chemistry, the recruiter began processing the paperwork to have be placed early into the Twelfth, as well as join its Research and Development institute. Kouen was permitted access to their resources, further improving her studies in the specialization of her choice while finishing up her last years at the Academy.
Combat
Strengths
Pyromania - A lover of anything related to fire, one of Kouen's favorite strategies is to burn her opponents. This is most often executed via the attempt to light any part of them on fire with whatever is on hand, usually her hair clip.
Bruiser - Kouen's arms are perfect for two thing: delicate procedures and delivering painful punches. She relies on her size and fists to get the job done.
Incendiary Expert - If given the chance, Kouen will set up a fiery death-trap in moments. Her proficiency with combustion allows her to do this very quickly and very effectively.
Weaknesses
I Left it in my Other Shihakushou - Kouen doesn't make a habit of carrying incendiary compounds with her. In spite of her love of fire, were her robes to ever ignite, she would be putting herself in extreme danger. Consequently, unless on a mission that explicitly requires her expertise, Kouen usually is forced to improvise with whatever is on hand or lying around.
Playing With Fire - Kouen, though an expert in the field and prepared with anti-fire equipment, is far from immune to its effects. She puts herself in danger every time she has to light a flame.
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