Tomoe Hotarubi
From Inga no Kusari wiki
| Hotarubi, Tomoe ♀ | |
|---|---|
 3rd Seat, 13th Division | |
| Date of Birth | 12th June, 1890 (121) |
| Place of Birth | Kyoto, Japan |
| Zanpakutō | Onisatsu Tamagushi |
| Player | Megaton 1.0 |
| Shinigami | |
Contents |
Appearance
Hotarubi Tomoe is the kind of person who would cause quite a stir wherever she goes. According to general opinion, she is considered rather stunning (beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, though). Shiny, long, mauve-colored hair tops her head and descends down to the small of her back. Her hair is swept neatly away from her face and held just in front of her ears by two hair clips. She has large, mild light-green eyes which give her a gentle, harmless look. Most times, she is seen wearing ring earrings, although she may wear other studs on her ears, aside the ring ones. She wears a pink, spherical pendant round her neck. Tomoe is graceful in form, with apparently no well-developed musculature to make her appear physically strong. She has a rather large bust, with a slim waist, finely-rounded hips and (according to most male folk) an amazing backside. Over her heart, Tomoe bears a tattoo of the kanji 'nin', meaning endurance.
In the way of clothes, Tomoe wears a rather altered version of the Shinigami uniform, which begins just below her armpits, revealing her shoulders and a good portion of her ample bosom, including some part of the nin tattoo. Instead of the standard thin sash worn by the average Shinigami, she wears a graceful obi. Tomoe wears no hakamas; instead, she wears a very short skirt. Her white socks are knee-high, and she wears waraji sandals on her feet, with high-heeled wedge-shaped soles. Perched on her nose is her pair of spectacles which make her paint a correct picture of a very studious individual.
Tomoe always carries a parasol with her; white with pink cherry blossoms for designs, although the shaft of the parasol is a bit thick and jet-black. This is actually a handy weapon and the sheath of her zanpakutō. When her blade is sheathed, it is hard to guess that Tomoe is carrying a weapon, although there is a gold ring at the point where the handle of her weapon meets the wood of the parasol shaft which may hint that Tomoe's umbrella is more than it appears to be. At the end of Tomoe's zanpakutō's handle is a two-foot long pink ribbon.
Tomoe carries herself with a bearing of simple elegance and effortless grace. Her graceful, though scanty style of clothing and her refined manner of speech and behaviors serve to impress her as a strange being in the mind of an observer: mild, yet noble in her own way.
Personality
Anyone who knew Tomoe when she just graduated from the Shinigami Academy would be greatly surprised at the level of change which she has undergone. She is still shy, quiet, obliging and sweet, but her confidence is noticeably greater than what it was before. She seems to be fully in control of herself now, no longer giddy and unsure of herself. Even when embarrassed, Tomoe will still manage to bear herself elegantly. Her manners are almost overdone, as usual, and she will refer to everyone, even her inferiors with the title 'dono', but her superiors will bear 'sama', even if she manages to attain their level.
On the battlefield, Tomoe is now quite in control of herself, and while she still prefers peace to war, she will fight without hesitation unless some factors (which will be stated in the strengths & weaknesses section) are involved. Her bloodthirsty mode is apparently gone now, and she carries her grace into the battlefield on the edge of her sword. She holds bonds dear, and will relentlessly attack anyone who tries to harm her comrades in any way, and will attempt to shield her comrades from harm. This can make her a bit overbearing at times, especially to wounded Shinigami who still intend to fight in spite of their wounds. She will force them out of the battle as gently as she can and choose to carry their burdens alone. Her desire to serve and protect makes her self-sacrificing, going so far as to throw her life away for those she holds dear. She is loyal to a fault.
Tomoe is still not very used to company, though she will make attempts to belong. She is capable of instigating small talk on her own, but most of the time, she will prefer to be quiet and listen to discussions, unless she is talked to. Tomoe still loves reading, and spends her spare time in the libraries.
Tomoe loves peace, cleanliness and order. Her precision and intelligence make her a good leader if she must lead, though she doesn't think she's that gifted. She smiles a lot more now, and despite her reserved nature, Tomoe is rather warm when approached. She forgives easily and is always willing to share knowledge and to learn. Tomoe is very skilled in the use of her hands and can fit into almost any role she finds herself in.
History
Hotarubi Tomoe was born to an average Japanese family in Kyoto, in the Meiji era of Japanese history. With an average income, her life was expected to be comfortable, more or less. But she was a weak child, and she was always falling sick. So, it was no surprise when at the young age of five, she quietly passed away, one cold winter. And although her parents were grieved, they knew it was inevitable. Now, little Tomoe could not really understand what was going on. For here she was, standing on the street of her house, with a strange chain attached to her chest, and no one seemed to be able to see her. Like this she wandered for a few days, before she was met by a grim-looking chap in black robes, with a sword and an even more dangerous looking scowl on his face. As soon as he saw the girl, he drew his sword. She turned to run but there was a sound of wind, and he was before her, tapping her once on the forehead with his sword pommel. Then there was a white light....
And the next thing she knew, she was in a street in a fairly crowded place. This time, people could see her, but they didn't seem to care and ignored all her questions with stony faces. So after wandering for a while, she walked into the first bar she found and begged for a job, so she could at least eat something. At first, the barkeep stared at her like she was crazy, but on seeing her condition, he softened up and gave her a job as his assistant, in exchange for food, a little allowance and a place to sleep. His name was Gouki, and he seemed to have been a fighter, for his face had so many scars and he was covered in tattoos for the most part of his skin not covered by his clothes, but underneath the hard exterior, he had a good heart.
As time passed, Tomoe learned she had died as a human and now was in Rukongai, District 64, which was quite rough, but not as rough as some further districts, according to Gouki. He also told her of the Court of Pure Souls, Seireitei, from where Rukongai was administered by people called Shinigami. Surprisingly, in this Rukongai, food wasn't common, and soon Tomoe discovered that most folk in Rukongai didn't get hungry. Only those who got hungry had a chance to live in Seireitei, so Gouki said. As the days went by, Tomoe felt a little odd, different, and she desired to go to Seireitei. Life as a bar attendant was fine, though, and for the most part, Tomoe was protected from harassment by the bar patrons, thanks to Gouki's watchful eye.
One day, on returning from an errand, Tomoe found Gouki lying on the floor of his bar, a wound in his side. Apparently he had been wounded by a bunch of goons who tried to break in and steal something. She bound his wound and wanted to leave to find a doctor or get help, but Gouki bade her stay, telling her that he knew he would die very soon. He told her that she could stay and keep his bar if she wished, and that she must always endure, no matter what life brought her. Before he died, he gave her a pendant shaped like the kanji symbol, nin.
That same night, she packed what belongings she had and left for Seireitei, paying her transport fare with the little she had saved during her working days. On arrival, she requested to enter Seireitei and become a Shinigami. She passed the Academy exams rather easily and became a Shinigami hopeful. Shunning the more physical methods of combat (since she didn't like them), she focused on kidō, and her good reitasu control and high intelligence made her stand out in her class. Things seemed good, until the field operation day, when students would hunt a hollow under supervision. Everything seemed to be going as planned, and the students were just about to kill off their designated hollow, when a Gillian stepped into view. It immediately attacked the group, and of course, there were many casualties and deaths. By the time help came from Seireitei, those of the students who weren't dead needed medical attention. Of them Tomoe's condition was the worst.
The 4th Division couldn't do anything for her, and it seemed she had no hope. So the 12th Division stepped in and took authority over her body. They wanted to see if they could create an ideal soldier, and if they failed and she died, well, she would have died anyway. So for months, Tomoe was worked on by the 12th Division. By the time they were done, she was an entirely different person from the frail-looking Academy girl who had been badly injured by a hollow's cero. She was much stronger, faster, more impervious to harm, with a reiatsu sense that could enable her to even operate with closed eyes and, well, according to the Division 12 guys, it was good to have an 'attractive' Shinigami about. However, her new body didn't come without its problems. Firstly, for reasons unknown, she was critically myopic. Secondly, her body seemed to be an oven of sorts, generating a great deal of heat. Annoyingly, the 12th Div guys didn't see any problems with that, especially since it meant she would have less clothes to put on. Thirdly, the 'mental conditioning' they'd tried to implement had failed utterly, and wiped all her memory with it. So far, all that came out of it was her submissive behavior and elite mannerisms, along with the disturbing habits like talking to herself, not to mention the bloodthirst which arose in protracted battles. Oh, and the embarrassing position of the 'nin' tattoo, which they explained, seemed to be very important to her, since she was always wearing that 'nin' pendant before her accident. They had supposed that having it over her heart would remind her that endurance was a very important thing to her... although they could have had other motives for placing the tattoo there.
When asked if she had any problems with the work, Tomoe was quick to say no, seeing that she was, by now, very dreadfully afraid of the 12th Division. Returning to the Academy, she finished without any extra hassles, except the new and unwelcome amount of attention she was getting often. At the end of the day, she got posted to the 13th Division which was fine by her, since any other Division but 12 was alright.
Not used to company and not keen to battle, Tomoe endured her life as a Shinigami for a long while, until a day when she was sent to Earth to hunt a hollow named Moonfang, along with two other Shinigami. She lost both of them in the battle with the hollow, though she managed to survive. Of course, she blamed herself immensely, and would have opted to punish herself drastically but for the quick intervention of her Captain, Sho Kasuke. Inspired to get stronger and avenge the deaths of her two fallen comrades, Tomoe began training and striving to build her confidence and skills. She made acquaintances and friends who helped and inspired her on her way.
One day, when she was sure she could face the hollow that had killed her companions on that fateful night, Tomoe went in search of it once again. Alone and unaided, she slew Moonfang, despite the fact that it had grown much stronger than on the first night when they had met. Now more confident of herself, Tomoe strives to become stronger, so that no other colleague would die on her hands.
Combat
Strengths
First of all, Tomoe has, thanks to her modified body, an insane strength level. She can carry objects heavier than she is, up to two hundred kilograms in weight.
Secondly, Tomoe can fight perfectly without the use of her eyes, having her reiatsu sense honed to razor sharp dimensions.
Thirdly, with Tomoe's interest in detail, and her analytic mental faculties, the battle field surrounding is a haven of endless possibilities. Coupled with her amazing umbrella of wonders (which contains grappling hooks, a hidden blade and a needle launcher which shoots projectiles laced with a dizzying poison), she always has something up her sleeves.
Finally, confident of her abilities, and having a large endurance pool, Tomoe can fight for extremely long periods of time without being cowed or intimidated.
Weaknesses
First of all, if Tomoe encounters something that scrambles reiatsu, she is as good as blind, as she will be unable to sense her way around. So, she will have to rely on her glasses, which can easily get knocked off her face.
Secondly, Tomoe is rather weak against heat and fire-based attacks, due to the nature of her body.
Thirdly, Tomoe will be almost unable to raise her sword against one who she has identified as a comrade, even if such a person has chosen to forsake whatever bonds bound them together.
Finally, Tomoe's self-sacrificing nature makes her take unnecessary risks in the name of protecting her friends. If she sees a friend on the losing side of battle, she may leave what she's doing to aid such a one, leaving her open to attacks.
| |||||
