Asaka Tsuno

Name: Asaka “Aka” Tsuno
Age: 27
True Age: 193
Sex: Female
Personality: Asaka Tsuno is the proud and honourable daughter of Kamatori and Yuri Tsuno. Asaka is single minded and driven when she puts her mind to something or when assigned a task, and will work towards that goal with the fervour of a zealot. She allows little time for anything else, especially fancies such as relationships or friends. She is often very cold to other people, though she is not shy or introverted. She simply does not have time to waste on mindless chatter. Training in the ways of the Tsuno blade arts, fulfilling her duties to her father and the Lotus, and hunting down the Kuroi Tsuno are far more important to her than making friends. She is very serious, never making light of a situation or taking time for herself. There is no softer side to Asaka Tsuno, only a burning intensity that makes her hard to be around. She is so dedicated to Her father and clan that she willingly took part in the Black Night alongside him. She did not enjoy it, but she felt honorbound to protect her people from the dangers the Shino and their necromantic arts posed. She has never spoken of what transpired with anyone. Asaka is also known as Akai Tsuno, the Red Tsuno, or simply “Aka” a nickname garnered from her years as the Red Lotus captain and a reference to Kuroi Tsuno.

What interaction she does have with people is often brief, unless it's for sparring purposes, in which case she will remain quiet and composed. She takes pride in her skills and enjoys fighting, though she remains as serious as ever. Asaka has a temper beyond reason, easily becoming aggravated with people who continue to bother her, slight her or mock her. However, she will never attack someone out of anger, as she is a master of herself and her whims. However, she considers insults, especially against her family, as a mark on her honour and will rectify that with a challenge of a duel. She has fought over sixty duels in her life, and has never been bested with a blade. Not to say that she’s never lost a fight. Her most significant losses have been at the hands of Kuroi Tsuno and her uncle, who almost ended her life on several occasions, due in part to his greater skill and the fact that he had no qualms with using dirty tactics. She has little time for people who act foolish, or demand respect when none is deserved.

Asaka Tsuno has an ongoing rivalry with Kanetsugu Nakamura. While their clans are on friendly terms, since the day they were first introduced Kanetsugu has never beaten Asaka once with a Sword, though he accels in other areas which she considers beneath herself. While most would grow bored with a lesser rival, Kanetsugu has proven to be a particular thorn in her side, having forced a draw the last time they fought. From the day they met, they continued to test themselves against each other, particularly because Kanetsugu learned the way of the Tsuno blade in her Father’s dojo and she wants to make sure he’s doing the style justice. With each passing fight, he has shown considerable progress and has begun to catch up, and the draw has resulted in her becoming even more dogmatic in the pursuit of becoming and remaining the best swordswoman in Yokuda. It's hard not to see that their rivalry is a sort of friendship, to anyone who’s not Asaka. What’s more, Asaka has, as the years have passed, developed feelings for Kanetsugu, feelings she doesn’t understand and refuses to accept. As a result, she is often extremely cold towards him, hoping to drive him away.

Formerly of the Red Lotus, Asaka is the current second in command of the Lotus, the position her father held for years before giving it up to her in the same way he let her younger brother take over as The Tsuno Clan leader. Asaka has never disputed that decision, as she had no interest in leading the clan and knew her brother was better suited to it. She finds it difficult to keep her temper with Taisho Sanada, who can be rather wearing on her nerves with his carefree nature, but also respects him enough to follow him, as he has shown in the past that he can make the hard choices. The only person of her generation said to Rival her own skill besides Kanetsugu is Hashira Sanada. As they have never fought, it's difficult to decide who the better swordsman is. The Kijin wait in bated breath, for the day this question is answered. Asaka finds Hashira to be extremely annoying both because he is too laid back, but also because he continues to attempt to befriend her despite the obvious hints that she’s not interested. She still treats him with a measure of respect, as he took part in the Black Night, and they share a bond in the terrible act.

Asaka has little interest in the outside world beyond the potential swordsmen she might find amongst the other races, and when given a chance to test her skills against them easily takes up the challenge. But she won't waste her time with diplomatic visits, and leaves it to others to deal with. Thanks to the Black Lotus, they know some things about the other races, and what interests her the most from those is the Eldari Warriors and the Heanta, both ancient and powerful. The tales collected about Ren the Hornless and Dalrodir Shor give insight into what the others of their race are capable of. Humans seemed weak to her at first, given the Kijin had to save them, but she has learned since that they possess warriors as capable as any Kijin, not that she would ever underestimate an opponent. The Asentari are the only real unknowns, since the Black Lotus had trouble infiltrating their lands, but it seems they're unknown to a great many people, only showing themselves several years before the Kijin.

• sword play: it's hard to see Asaka enjoying anything, and though she may appear serious while fighting she does enjoy herself and the time spent studying the way of the sword.
  
• honourable people: she conducts herself with honour in all things and respects those who act the same. This doesn’t make her any more approachable.
  
• Kanetsugu: She will never admit it but she likes his company and the rivalry they share. It has played an important role in keeping her at her best.
  

• Kanetsugu: She dislikes the feelings she feels for him, seeing them as a distraction she can't afford. She does her best to hide them hoping that ignoring them for long enough will make them go away.
  
• being disrespected: its happened plenty of times. Someone will say things about her, her serious nature or her family, and she does not tolerate it. She has fought 30 formal duels over the years and lost none, which makes it less common.
  
• Kuroi Tsuno: A black stain on her family honour, Asaka hates Kuroi Tsuno and will see them destroyed.
  

Fears:

• Failing Her Father: Nothing is more important to Asaka than the respect of her father, and the fear of disappointing him should she fail a task given to her by him haunts her.
  
• Heights: She is afraid of heights, a fear that for the most part has not caused her much trouble up until going to the surface. Crossing the mountains into Mondolin was particularly difficult when the terrain gave them a wide view and a good look at how far down things were.
  
• Spiders: She’s afraid of spiders, especially the big ones that live in the cave systems around Yokuda city. She does her best to hide it, and will leave a room without a word should there be a spider present.
  

Height: 5’6”
Weight: 126lbs
Appearance: Asaka Tsuno has rose pink hair that reaches her shoulders but she often keeps up in a ponytail. It parts to the side, with a long fringe falling over her right eye. She has light blue eyes, and fair skin. She has many thin scars earned from duels and deadly fights. She has sharp features and angry eyes, adding to the visage of someone who is not to be fucked with. She is considered attractive, with an ample bust that often attracts attention, but her general resting bitch face tends to keep people who would desire to court her away. She has a toned body that boasts speed and agility over power and toughness.
Clothing: Asaka doesn’t care what she wears as long as it's comfortable to fight in. Formal and non formal attire follows a similar theme, with the main focus being she keeps a good range of movement while wearing them. Asaka keeps her hair tied with a hair piece consisting of several red crescents that curve to the right. She primarily wears a short blue kimono with long billowy sleeves, a red taiko-musubi bow and a red billowy tasset around her waist attached to a black belt under the bow. She wears knee high black boots with a red and blue flange over black thigh high stockings. Over this, she often wears a Red Haori with the Kanji for her nickname Akai Tsuno (赤い角) down the back in white. This is her preferred outfit when on duty, and she will generally remove the Haori when fighting. When not on duty she wears a variety of more traditional long kimono, and favours a short blue sleeveless Kimono and sandals when training.



General Fighting Tactics: Asaka is a formidable swordswoman, one of the best in Yokuda in fact. She has never lost a duel, though Kanetsugu once managed to achieve a draw against her, and she is considered to be one of the best practitioners of the Tsuno sword style second to only her father. Her knowledge of the blade extends beyond the Tsuno, and she has studied and adapted as many styles the Kijin use as she possibly can. Asaka fights with three main stances formed from the Tsuno Sword style. Her balanced stance(base stats) is a perfect balance of speed and agility, and utilises one or two blades. Her Reactive stance, focuses on agility over speed, allowing her to better deal with incoming attacks and defending herself, and utilises only one blade in a two handed grip, and her assault stance focuses on pure offence, speed over agility, where Asaka attacks with little thought to defending herself.

Outside of the use of her sword, Asaka does not use many magical abilities, only rarely utilising her gifts from the Abyss to strike at opportune times, or defend herself from others magical attacks. She uses no other weapons, as her primary focus is the sword. She does always carry a backup, and while she’s skilled with her Wakizashi she rarely uses it in combat unless she’s lost Mikazuki. While she rarely wears Armour, she favours Medium Armour over heavy or light. She will generally use two weapons when fighting lightly armoured opponents, while favouring a single sword and patience against armoured opponents, biding her time before striking with attacks towards joints and other weak points in armour. In this instance, Mizutsune can come in useful with its straighter blade as it can serve the same purpose as a mailbreaker.

Combat Stats-

Strength || Fair
Speed || Good
Agility || Good
Durability || Average
Stamina || Average
Magical Power || Fair

Strengths:

• Master of the Tsuno Sword Style: Asaka is considered a Master of the Tsuno sword style, which utilises one or two Tachi depending on the situation. Asaka Is so skilled that she is out matched by only her father, though she grows closer and closer to his level every day.
  
• Self Control: Asaka has almost perfect control over herself, from controlling her temper and other emotional whims, to resisting the effects of mental attacks. Mental attacks may jar her, but she's unlikely to react in the intended manner. She can resist the influence of her fears and power through.
  
• Combat Focus: Though lacking natural stamina, Asaka has nonetheless pushed herself to her limit from a physical standpoint through intense training. This means that although she is unable to add longevity to her fights, she has maximised what she can draw from her body in that time. The benefits of this can be seen when she hits Exhaustion stage one. This stage is extended by 2 posts for Asaka. However, her reserves quickly taper out and she cannot enter Exhaustion Stage 3.
  

Weaknesses:

• Adaptability: Asaka’s Fanatical focus on Duty, honour and pride is a core part of her, and while they have given her the drive to work hard towards her own goals and the goals she believes she needs to achieve to uphold them, they have also blinded or restricted her, especially in combat. Asaka’s unwillingness to adapt in combat outside of the blade restricts the way she fights. Her Honour keeps her from using tools or tricks she considers dirty or dishonourable, and her pride has caused her to run head first into traps without thinking of her own safety, all for the sake of upholding her duty to The Tsuno and Lotus.
  
• Cold weakness: Asaka takes 25% extra damage from cold.
  
• Range: Asaka lacks range as she does not use ranged weapons and lacks powers with ranges greater than 10ft.
  

Primary Equipment
Name: Mikazuki (Crescent Moon)
Type: Light Melee weapon
Description: Mikazuki is a Tachi with a 2’ 5” blade and 10inch handle leading to a total length of 3’3”. It has a curved depth of 1.5inches and a round Tsuba. The weapon is decorated with polished gold and blue leather. It’s blade and tsuba are made from enchanted steel, and its handle is made with wood reinforced with steel, with gold sigils on it. It is extremely sharp, and capable of delivering deadly slices, however its deep curve makes it less potent when thrusting.
Enchantments:

Name: Doppelganger Type: Support Damage Category: N/A Description: Mikazuki can create an exact replica of itself, right down to it being as strong as Enchanted steel. The wielder can create the replica in a free hand as long as they are touching Mikazuki or its sheath, and do not need to draw Mikazuki to do it. The replica does not come with a sheath. Only one replica can exist at any time and creating another will make it disappear, as will dismissing it. Duration/Cooldown: N/A

Secondary Equipment
Name: Mizutsune
Type: Light melee
Description: Mizutsune is a wakizashi measuring 2’3” in total length, with a 7” handle and 1’8” blade. The handle and sheath are decorated the exact same as Mikazuki. The blade is not as heavily curved, with a curved depth of half an inch, and is good for thrusts and stabs. She rarely uses this in combat, but it acts as an excellent backup weapon should she lose grip of Mikazuki, or needs to fight in very close quarters, though it is unwise to underestimate her as she's still extremely skilled with it.



Name: Abyssal Surge
Type: Support
Damage Category:N/A
Description: The Kijin harnesses the abyss and merges the power with one of their other abilities, or into their blade. This infusion adds weak damage to their next magical or physical attack, and counts as abyssal energy in regards to resistances. If the next attack is a multiple attack ability, this power only affects the first attack.
Cooldown: 1 post cooldown.

Name: Abyssal Slice
Type: Offensive
Damage Category: Average
Description: Taking a two handed stance with her Tachi, Asaka charges the blade with abyssal energy and performs a vertical or horizontal strike that launches a 3foot long blade of energy towards a target. It has a range of 30ft and deals cutting damage on top of abyss energy damage.
Cooldown: 3 posts



Name: Reactive Stance
Type: Support
Damage Category: N/A
Description: Asaka takes a defensive stance with Mikazuki, focusing on defending against incoming strikes, using the curvature of Mikazuki to deflect as they do. She gains a +1 to agility, but a -1 to speed. This stance lasts until Asaka leaves it, but consumes 1pp per post.
Cooldown: 1 post upon leaving the stance.

Name: Assault Stance
Type: Support
Damage Category: N/A
Description: Asaka takes an offensive stance with Mikazuki and its copy. Attacking in a flurry, she throws caution to the wind and focuses on speed, leaving little room for her own defence as she attacks. This gives her a -1 to agility and a +1 to speed. This stance lasts until Asaka leaves it, but consumes 1pp per post.
Cooldown: 1 post upon leaving the stance.

Name: Dance of Cutting Waves
Element: Water
Description: Asaka is a capable manipulator of water, and using her years of experience fighting with a blade, she has honed that water manipulation into a deadly extension for the Tsuno fighting style, creating a more specialised manipulation. She is capable of unleashing water blades which can cut and pierce flesh and cloth, at the cost of being unable to fire long ranged projectiles. She can still use her manipulation for other things, like creating walls of water, or using water to retrieve her weapons.
Effect: (Liquid based) The user is skilled in the manipulation of a chosen element. They can manipulate their element in several ways, like throwing waves, making a wall of liquid, or making elaborate traps. Asaka does not launch projectiles, but rather blades of water with a range of up to 10ft, that deal moderate physical damage and can cut flesh and clothing like steel.
Duration/Cooldown: 3 post duration with power points reduced by 2 for the duration, 4 post cooldown.


Appearance: No discernible changes.


Name: Abyssal Cuts
Type: Offence
Damage Category: Weak x 3
Description: In a similar manner to Abyssal slice, Asaka performs a horizontal or vertical strike and fires out a 3ft long blade of abyssal energy that deals weak energy. She can launch up to three of these in quick succession, though she doesn’t need to. Cooldown begins at the end of the post, meaning if she fires one she can’t fire two more in her next post.
Cooldown: 1 x number fired.



Name: Surging Wave
Type: Defensive
Damage Category: Strong
Description: Asaka performs a rapid upward slash, causing a crescent shaped wall of water to surge up from the ground between her and an incoming magical or physical attack. The barrier is 6ft high, curving over her head, and 5ft wide at the base, narrowing towards the top. The water is capable of deflecting blades as if it were steel, and it can stop attacks up to strong damage. While it can be summoned rapidly, it also only lasts a few seconds, so timing is key, and it generally doesn’t last long enough to block consecutive attacks.
Cooldown: 4 posts.

Name: Water Zone
Type: Support
Damage Category: Support
Description: Asaka extends a hollow dome of water around her that reaches 15ft in all directions. The water is about 1 inch thick, and doesn’t obscure her. It moves with her, and she is alerted to anything that passes through it, giving her an early warning against projectiles or invisible enemies. Projectiles fired in the dome do not alert her. The ability also nullifies very weak fire attacks, but nothing stronger. It lasts for 2 posts.
Cooldown: 4 posts.

Name: Waterfowl Dance
Type: Offensive
Damage Category: Physical based.
Description: Asaka leaps up and lunges towards her target, swinging her sword as she goes, unleashing a flurry of slashing water blades in a 5ft area around her that deal damage as if they were physical blades of steel, inflicting multiple light cuts to anyone caught in the area. A direct hit from her sword is also possible.
Cooldown: 2 posts.

Boosts: Strength +1, Durability +1, Stamina +1, Magical Power +1


Appearance:


Name: Abyssal Slash
Type: Offense
Damage Category: Strong
Description: A powered up version of Abyssal slice. Asaka takes a two handed stance with her Taichi, and fires a horizontal or vertical slash that’s 6ft long, with a range of 40ft, dealing twice the damage of abyssal slice.
Cooldown: 3 posts.


Name: True Sight
Type: Support
Damage Category: N/A
Description: A skill developed to counter the dangers of the Kuroi Tsuno and others would be infiltrators and illusionists who mean harm to the council. For a single post, Asaka can see through illusions and magic used to disguise or hide oneself, though the ability does not end the effects of those illusions or abilities for other people, and once true sight ends the illusions or abilities return to full effect against her, assuming they haven’t ended. While it doesn’t last long, it takes away the advantage of surprise an opponent gains against her. Her eyes do glow brightly when active. It is not effective against Illusions that attack the mind directly. This can be paired with Abyss Vision.
Cooldown: 2 post cooldown.

Name: Water Stance
Type: Support
Damage Category: N/A
Description: Asaka takes on a stance somewhere between her Reactive and Assault stance, utilising both blades, Granting herself +1 speed and +1 Agility for the duration of the ability. 2 post duration.
Cooldown: 4 posts.

Name: Blooming Lotus
Type: Offense
Damage Category: Very Strong
Description: Asaka surrounds herself in water shaped like a budding lotus that’s roughly 5ft wide and 7ft tall while leaping upwards into the air 15ft, before slamming down into the ground with enough force to create a staggering shockwave that reaches 10ft. Upon impact, the lotus blooms, creating a blast of water and force, dealing very strong damage in a 30ft area. Anything caught directly underneath the flower as it comes down, which has an area of roughly 5ft, takes extra damage from being crushed by the flower.
Cooldown: One use per thread.

New Boosts: Strength +2, Durability +1, Stamina +2, Magical Power +1, Speed +1, Agility +1.

History:


Asaka Tsuno is the second child to Kamatori Tsuno and his wife Yuri Tsuno. Her brother Kitamura Tsuno is the current head of the Tsuno clan, after their father gave up the role in his older age. While Kitamura is a diplomat, Asaka took after her father, training from an early age to become a renowned Kijin warrior. Her early life consisted of learning the traditions of her clan, studying the culture of the Kijin and learning everything she would need to know to prepare her for life. While her mother had plans for her life it became quickly apparent that she had interest in only one thing, the sword. From a young age she watched her father and brother train together, and wanted to do nothing else. When she was finally given the chance, Asaka excelled at the art of the blade, and outpaced her brother in her first year of training. Several years later Kitamura ended his training, and Asaka gained the full attention of her father.

The next few years of her life were tough. Kamatori was an honourable man, and a good father when he allowed himself a moment, but he was a ruthless master who expected the absolute best from his students. He was no more lenient towards his daughter than another student, and his training methods were often brutal. Growing up, her father had always been doting, but Asaka was shown the darker sides of Kamatori Tsuno, the warrior who fought along side Murakumo to unite the clans. But her father’s nightmarish training only strengthened her resolve to become the best, to surpass him and make him proud of her. When she was seventeen, she met her lifelong rival and training partner, Kanetsugu Nakamura. It started with an arranged marriage, one proposed by her mother and the leaders of the Nakamura clan.

The match was a beneficial one that would strengthen the bond between the two families, and at first Asaka was willing to tolerate it for the sake of the clan, however the arrangement came with obligations that drew her attention away from her training, mainly spending time with Kanetsugu, who didn’t seem enthusiastic about the proceedings, and dealing with all of the things expected of a bride. She bore with it for several months, but after a day of particularly brutal training she showed up to tea with her mother and future mother in law covered in cuts and bruises, and her mother told her she would have to give up training until after the marriage, as Suzuku Nakamura wouldn’t want a damaged daughter in law. This was the death knell for the proceedings, as Asaka felt like she was already losing ground on her training, and there was no way she was going to stop completely for something so trivial.

While the arranged marriage ended between them, relations between the two clans were still strengthened. Kanetsugu even requested to train in the Tsuno blade style, and persisted even after Asaka warned him that it would not be a walk in the park. To her surprise he persisted, and managed to make it through Kamatori’s initial trials. He wasn’t bad, showing promise, however it was clear that he couldn’t hold a candle to Asaka, fighting with the Tsuno style or his own amalgamation of the various styles he’d learned. Still, she couldn’t help feeling mildly threatened by him, and saw him as a rival that she would not let surpass her.


As the years passed by, her training intensified, and her skill grew. She sparred with Kanetsugu from time to time, and always remained on top, but did notice his slow increase in skill. With her rising skill, she was given a place in the clan's forces, and also brought into the clan’s war with Yokuda’s most prominent enemy, the Kuroi Tsuno, a splinter group of the Tsuno clan that had turned to banditry, and continued to break the peace. They were led by Eijiro Tsuno, younger brother of Kamatori, and were a black stain on the Tsuno clan. Aisaka was happy to begin testing her skills on her father’s enemies, and she saw her first real combat when she was twenty. It was a quick but fierce battle that took place on the outskirts of the city, when Kuroi Tsuno attempted a raid on a food shipment. She fought well but the fight was more chaotic than she expected, with enemies dying all around her. She came face to face with a young faced man no older than her, and while she expected an honorable duel she cut through him in seconds. She discovered that despite all of her training there was nothing that could have prepared her for the intensity of real combat, or taking her first life.

She didn't have time to think about it in the heat of battle, but afterwards she was left to reflect on what she had done. At first she felt guilty, that he had been no older than her and was probably just dragged into a fight that wasn't his. When she spoke to her father about what she had done he told her that the path she had chosen would inevitably lead to violence, and if she couldn't make peace with that she should give up on it. There was no way she was going to do that, so she accepted his advice and did her best to make peace with what she had done and would have to do for the sake of the clan and her own dream. Time passed, fights came and went and she killed again and again, and she learned to let it go.

With each fight, Asaka became stronger, and her name began to circulate amongst the other clans. But it wasn’t until she was twenty five that her skill was recognized properly. It all started with a raid on a Kuroi Tsuno base located in one of the minor cave systems connected to Yokuda’s cavern. She was part of two teams sent to capture or kill everyone within the base, however they had been lured into a trap, and there was a much larger force than their scouts had discovered.

It was on this raid she met Mitsuru, a young warrior of her clan a few years older than her. While Asaka wasn't much of a people person as her entire focus was consumed by training, she found it easy enough to get along with Mitsuru. When the raid began, they stuck together. It was just as well, because everything went to shit when it turned out the raid had been a trap, and their team was ambushed. Asaka let her training take over and did her best to cut down as many warriors as she could, but the group was still overwhelmed and the team leader Koji Kanato used his remaining power to secure their retreat. Asaka attempted to help him, but he was cut down seconds later.

She would have stayed and fought and probably died, but Mitsuru grabbed her arm and dragged her away. Their path to safety was cut off and they were forced to flee into the caves. As they ran they met a smaller groups of Koroi Tsuno. They cut their way through each pack. As they retreated, a bandit landed a lucky blow on Mitsuru, splitting her helmet and nearly killing her. Asaka cut him down in the next second, and managed to reach Mitsuru as she hit the ground. Asaka was relieved to find the girl alive, but unconscious. Asaka managed to hoist the unconscious form of Mitsuru onto her back and ran, cutting a path to freedom. Or what would have been, had she not ran headlong into the leader of the Koroi Tsuno, her uncle, and a large force of his men.

Her uncles men spread out and surrounded her, and Eijiro smiled as he stepped towards her. "My niece, how lovely to see you. Put down the peasant and come talk to me." He said. Asaka slowly lowered Mitsuru to the ground. "What do you want?" She asked. "Come here, let me get a good look at you." He said. She took a step forward hand on her blade. Someone moved to grab Mitsuru and steel flashed, Asaka's blade slicing through his throat cleanly. The man fell away spraying blood and Asaka prepared to fight as the others drew weapons. "Stop." Eijiro said. "I gave no orders. Leave the peasant alone. Do not interfere." The Kiroi Tsuno sheathed weapons and Asaka followed suit slowly. Glaring, she walked towards her uncle until they were only 10ft apart. "What do you want?" She said again and he smiled.

"Merely to speak to my niece. I witnessed you fighting your way out of my ambush. You are skilled, no doubt your father is proud." He said. "Last I saw you, you were only a baby. Such a cute thing. It's a pity I will have to kill you today." He said, hand moving to his sword. Asaka drew her sword a split second after him and just  barely avoided the slice aimed to take off her head. Heat seared across her throat as the blades tip left a graze. She stumbled back and regained her stance, striking back as fast as she could. Her uncle deflected the strike and countered in a blinding flash, cutting her arm. The fight continued this way, with every attack being turned back on her until she was forced to stop attacking and focus on defending, covered in light cuts that slowly sapped her strength.

Her uncle's next attack knocked her back. She lost her footing and tumbled to the ground. He approached, sword lowered. “A valiant effort. One day you might be able to defeat me. Alas, that day will never come.” He raised his sword to strike the finishing blow, when there was a terrible scream from behind. Eijiro spun around as several of his men fell to pieces. Men retreated and were cut down by a whirlwind of strikes, as Kamatori Tsuno arrived. “Eijiro!” Kamatori shot towards her Uncle and there was a rapid exchange of strikes, blades colliding violently and sparks flying. Lesser blades would have shattered from the impacts, but her father and uncle's swords were of legendary craftsmanship and held up to the brutal display.

Asaka managed to regain her feet, and jumped headlong into the fight, scoring a hit on her Uncle as he tried to defend against Kamatori’s assault. Her surprise attack was enough to turn the fight in her father’s favor, and he delivered a terrible blow to Eijiro. Her uncle staggered away as his blood dashed against the ground. “Don't just stand there!” He shouted at his men. “Kill them!” The remaining Kuroi Tsuno charged them. Her father pushed her down, and within a matter of seconds half of them were dead, and the rest turned to flee into the caves. But they had served their purpose, for Eijiro had escaped.

Asaka limped her way over to Mitsuru and promptly passed out. She woke up several hours later in her bed at home, her mother hovering over her. When she asked what had happened her mother explained that her father’s men arrived shortly after she passed out, and Kamatori had carried her home. She asked after Mitsuru, and her mother told her the girl was fine, and would likely make a full recovery. As for her own wounds, most were superficial. However even after she was fully healed she had plenty of scars from the deeper cuts.

Asaka had experienced many things from her encounter with her uncle, but the only thing she really took away from it was that she was still not good enough. She cast aside fear and pain and focused even harder on her training, so that next time she met her uncle, she would be ready to defeat him. And they would meet again, but not for many years.


Not long after the events of the ambush, her father promoted Asaka to a captain within the clan forces. There were many warriors within the clan who believed she did not earn her place, and at first there was some resistance to her position. Asaka’s father left her to deal with the matter. Fortunately, she was given a chance to prove herself to her men, as the celebration of gathering clouds approached, and with it a tournament to prove her worth.

During a celebration for the anniversary of the Year of Gathering Clouds, a tournament was held in Yokuda and a call was put out to the younger generation of the Kijin to prove their worth and skill in the arena. Among those who entered was Hashira Sanada, a warrior of great skill. Asaka’s own skill had yet to be matched by any outside her clan, but many believed Hashira to be her better. She had heard of Hashira, through her father who was friends with Taisho Sanada, and was looking forward to the inevitable face off that would happen.

When the tournament entry was finished, they were in separate brackets. If they both won every fight they would end up facing each other. It seemed like a deliberate move on the organisers part, though the brackets were supposed to be random. Asaka bested every foe she faced including her Rival, Kanetsugu, who had made it to the semi finals. Their fight was a good one, but much like every fight before between them she was simply too much for her rival. After that, hashira was up, as expected, and both Kamatori and Taisho had a side bet going, to see which of their offspring would emerge victorious.

When Asaka and Hashira entered the ring, a hush fell over the audience. Hashira looked around scratching his chin, a playful smile on his face. He pointed at the crowd, addressing Asaka for the first time. “They seem to be more excited about this than we are, huh?” Asaka didn’t smile back but bowed to Hashira. “A lot will be decided today. But let us give them a good show.” She said in response, hand resting on the hilt of her sword, Mikazuki. Hashira seemed to watch her closely, and she watched him back just as keenly. In a flash both drew their swords, and just as the question on everyone’s minds was about to be answered, Kuroi Tsuno attacked the arena, interrupting the tournament. Almost in sync, Hashira and Asaka turned towards this new threat and began defending the civilians in the arena. It was a sight to behold as, between the two, no one got through. The other combatants along with Kamatori, Taisho and some of the other warriors in the stands joined the fray, and the Kuroi Tsuno were quick to retreat. But they had achieved their goal of stopping the tournament.

Nothing had changed after the fight, and Asaka had earned no more respect from the men who doubted her than before. There was even a rumour that her father had arranged the attack, so that she would not be disgraced in front of a crowd when she inevitably lost to Hashira. She heard the words repeated at a social gathering, by a Kijin warrior from the Shino clan. The cold rage it induced spurred her forward as she backhanded the man, and told him if he ever repeated it she would gut him like a fish. The Shino in question turned out to be Yomi Shino, the second son of Yamari Shino, sister to the current Shino leader. Yomi Shino sneered at her, outraged, before challenging her to a formal duel, adding that it would be a pity for Kamatori to lose his only daughter.

Asaka had no choice but to accept. She had let anger control her but she would not let it dishonour her, even if Yomi Shino was one hundred years her elder and one of Shino's best warriors. Asaka had faced worse than him though in the form of Eijiro. The duel took place a week later, a week of intense training with Kamatori. Her old man was harder on her than usual, except the last day before the duel. That day, he took her to a sequestered hotspring deep in the forest, and told her to rest. There must have been something in the water, because the aches and pains of hard training receded, leaving her refreshed.

The duel took place the next day in neutral quarter dojo, a place where no clan held dominion. Warriors from both clans came to watch, and some from others. Yomi was dressed in full armour, weapons at his side. Asaka carried Mikazuki and a Wakizashi. They stepped into the ring. The rules were simple, the match ended when one of them died, or surrendered. Surrender was considered a disgrace, and she had no intention of doing the latter. She had no intention of losing. On a count of three the fight began, and Yomi charged with a roar. He was fast but not as agile as Asaka who quickly dipped out of his path and countered in an instant, a copy of Mikazuki forming in her hand even as she swiped at the back of his leg. Her sword deflected off armour as Yomi spun around with a cleaving slash and Asaka stepped back out of the way, her own sword sweeping up and back down to strike next to between his shoulder and neck. Yomi’s armour did its job. Asaka backed away as he continued into another strike, diverting the blow with a two handed deflection. She moved straight into a counter again, this time slashing him across the midriff. Steel grated and threads tore as her sword left a deep gouge in his armour, but still there was no cut. However, Yomi was becoming more enraged with each hit, and his own attacks were not finding their mark.

Yomi lunged into a barrage of rapid blows, attempting to overwhelm Asaka. Asaka steadied herself, blocking the strikes with a two handed grip, waiting for her opponent to wear himself down. Yomi began to flag, and as his attacks subsided he staggered back. He lowered his blade and began to struggle with his armour. Concerned that he was in trouble, Asaka told him to ask for a pause in the match, but it had been a ruse. As she lowered her own sword Yomi spun with a roar. The blade cut a thin line across her chest below her neck before snagging on her collarbone, and only her agility saved her.

Yomi’s feigned exhaustion subsided and he went back on the attack, attempting to batter her down before she could regain her footing. However she managed to avoid the assault, as a cold rage enveloped her and she pulled Mikazuki from it’s sheath. She turned away Yomi’s next blow with one blade, and slashed him across the chest with the other. She began to attack with a furious barrage of blows, striking at his armour with both swords so that her strikes began to break through weakened points. Blood began to seep through Yomi’s armour, as she mechanically disassembled his armour with each well placed blow. In a matter of seconds Yomi was on his knees, both of her swords resting against his bare throat. The Shino warrior yielded before begging for her mercy, as if she would dishonour herself by slaying a surrendered foe. Asaka turned her back and left the ring without another word, to a raucous cheer from the Tsuno Warriors watching. Asaka had finally earned their respect, along with another scar.

Things began to quiet down for Asaka after this, allowing her to focus on her duties and her training. But that was not to be her last challenge, or duel for that matter, as over the coming years she drew the attention of other warriors who wanted to see how good she was. She had learned something from Yomi, and that was that she did not like to be disrespected.


Many years of hard training, challenges and tough missions later, Asaka had risen to a place of recognition in Kijin society. She was considered one of the Tsuno’s best swordsmen, second only to Kamatori, and had risen in rank from captain to her father’s second in command. She was no longer a soft child, but instead had become a serious and focused woman, who had little time for people, less for those who did not show her proper respect. She sparred once a week with Kanetsugu, keeping the friendly rivalry going. She was formidable and respected by the men and women who served under her.

By this time, Asaka had focused her efforts on ridding Yokuda of the Kuroi Tsuno, a difficult task. However, she led many successful raids against the Kuroi Tsuno’s operations, but there was always more. Eijiro was always one step ahead of her and her father, but they still dealt considerable damage to his forces. A few weeks after one of those raids, in which Asaka killed one of Eijiro’s top men in a duel, she received a message from her uncle, offering her a chance at his head if she met with him alone. Asaka suspected a trap, but being young and driven by purpose, she accepted his challenge.

She told no one, as promised, and set out to fight Eijiro. She should have known better to expect a fair competition, but arriving at the meeting place she was faced not only with her uncle, but a small force of his warriors. She expected him to attack her all out, however he told her if she wanted to face him, She’d have to defeat his best Warriors first. She knew he was trying to wear her down, but Asaka was in too deep to do anything but agree, and she wasn’t about to run away. She knew she was likely about to die, but she’d take his best warriors, and Eijiro himself, with her if she could.

One by one, Eijiro sent his warriors at her. The first was over in a few seconds, his head separated from his body before he had time to react. The next few were just as easy, but then the warriors became more skilled. She still killed them, but with each fight the next became harder. He sent one more, and while she still won, she took her first hit, an agonising gash to the thigh that slowed her movement. Eijiro laughed at that, asking her if she’d had enough. “Fight me.” breathing heavy she took her stance, and with a laugh he finally obliged.

He didn’t wait for her to compose herself, attacking with a draw slash that she deflected, before turning her defence into an attack with a vicious uppercut slash. He sidestepped and went into a spinning slash that Asaka deflected up. His counter attack caught her wrist and nearly made her drop her weapon, forcing her into a one handed grip as she attempted to thrust past his guard. He deflected the blow and nearly cut her open, sword slashing across her kimono. Asaka backed off a step but not quick enough as his follow up cut across her face, narrowly missing her right eye. Asaka lost her footing and fell backwards.

Eijiro advanced, smiling as he did, calling her a foolish child for coming here. He lamented that she wouldn’t get a chance to learn from her mistake before attempting to deliver a killing blow. Asaka rolled, drawing a Tanto from its sheath and ramming it into his foot. Eijiro screamed, and she rolled away as she slashed wildly at her before attempting to remove the blade. “KILL HER!” He roared at the remaining warriors, who charged at her. Asaka prepared to fight, when black smoke exploded around her, followed by several loud cracks. She seen flashes of light, as a hand grabbed her arm and dragged he away.

She resisted, until she realised it was Kanetsugu who had taken hold of her arm. She let him drag her away, following him as he helped her escape certain death. When they were well away, and finally safe, She demanded an explanation. He told her he’d noticed something off about her while they were sparring. Apparently it had been concerning enough that he followed her, keeping out of sight until it was clear she needed help. While normally she would be angry at someone for interfering in her fights, she felt more surprised than anything. She hadn’t expected kanetsugu to know enough about her to know when she was acting off. Sure they had been rivals for years, but she hadn’t realised that they were also friends. She didn’t have time for friends, but for once she didn’t snap at him, but simply thanked him for the assistance.

While he promised not to mention her foolishness to her father, she decided she didn’t have much of a choice. She was covered in cuts and bruises, along with her more serious injuries, and had to own up to what she had done. When she was finished telling Kamatori what had happened to her, he did not shout or call her a fool, he hugged her, which caught her completely off guard. He told her that next time she fought Eijiro, if there was to be a next time, she would have to be stronger. And so he began training her in the Tsuno Style’s most advanced techniques. Asaka continued to spar with Kanetsugu too and actively helped him improve on his own unique style, and she couldn’t help but feel that ever since he’d come to her aid, something had changed between them. Something in her, atleast.


Years passed for Asaka. There was fights with The Kuroi Tsuno, and endless training with her father, and Kanetsugu. But while everything had remained relatively peaceful for the Kijin, a dark night soon descended on Yokuda. People began to mysteriously disappear around the city. As the clans began to investigate these disappearances the Tsuno went on high alert. During this time a lone soldier stumbled upon a terrible sight: a corpse walking the street. The corpse attacked the soldier and after a struggle, the soldier managed to defeat the corpse and bring the strange news to the clan leaders. After this incident more corpses showed up, bringing with them a wave of panic. Even more worrisome was the fact that the undead were just as powerful in death as they were in life, and Asaka led countless hunts to protect her city from the monsters.

Asaka later found out from Kamatori that the strange events were also met with the arrival of a stranger, a man known as an Eldari, a being who hailed from the surface. This Eldari, known as Merlin, was a Magi of his race, who had been drawn into Yokuda by dark magic. He met with Taisho first, and later Kamatori, since Taisho trusted the Elder warrior and believed he had nothing to do with the undead. Merlin promised that he was peaceful, and offered help in discovering the source of the undead outbreak. Merlin used his magic to track the source of the dark magic, and discovered clear indicators that it was coming from the Shino sector of the city. Upon telling Taisho and Kamatori what was going on, they met with the other clan leaders in secret, and devised a plan to put a stop to the Shino, and make sure no one repeated what they were trying. Out of fear of what the Shino could do, they decided the only course of action was to completely eradicate them, leaving no survivors who could replicate the knowledge.

While initially the Sanada clan vowed to wipe out the threat, Kamatori knew that what was about to happen would mar the clan forever, and decided that his clan would shoulder the burden with the Sanada, lest the other clans decide to force the Sanada out later on. Kamatori asked Asaka if she was willing to help in a matter dark and terrible, but extremely necessary, and she agreed because she would do anything for her father and her clan. Likewise she was joined by Hashira and his brother who had agreed to take part in what would become known as the Black Night. It took place in the dead of night, no time wasted as they didn’t want to give the Shino a chance to find out what was coming for them. Sanada and Tsuno forces dressed in black slipped into the Shino estates, and began a bloody slaughter.

Not a man, woman or child was spared, out of fear that any survivors might have witnessed the dark experiments conducted by the Shino, and somehow pass on that knowledge. It was a terrible loss of life, but necessary for the good of the Kijin. Asaka did her duty, even though she didn’t agree that the innocents couldn’t be spared, and killed anyone who’s path she crossed, and even though their sun was artificial, she swore it woke tinted red from the blood spilled that night.


Life after that night continued, and while Asaka could still feel the blood of the people she had killed on her hands for a long time, she talked about it with no one. She knew her duty, and would do it again in a heartbeat for the Kijin, but it had an almost subtle effect on her, driving her to focus even harder on making sure she could protect her people from calamity so much so that she became even more closed off. She lived for the singular purpose of protecting her family, clan, and city. When she was given a position as a captain in the Lotus, she formed the Red Lotus and forged a host of warriors who rivalled the White Lotus in skill, with the sole purpose of protecting Yokuda and the council from threats outside, and within.

With the forming of the Lotus, she saw less of her ‘Friends.’, and her weekly sparring sessions with Kanetsugu became more sparse, as he became a member of the Black Lotus, and spent a lot of his time out fighting. Asaka had begun feeling something strange for him a long time ago, and it was a relief to see less of him because she didn’t need the distraction. She became even more adamant that whatever these feelings were, they were bad for her, because he managed to force a draw between them during one of their scarce sparring matches, something that left her both shocked and annoyed. She didn’t enjoy him as a rival because she always trounced him, but because no matter how good she’d gotten he’d managed to keep up barely. It was simply a shock that he’d gotten good enough to force a draw, without her noticing.

As the years passed, Asaka kept to her duties admirably, keeping the Kuroi Tsuno in check and the city safe. The Lotus was a much more elite force than any one clan’s standing army, and when the Kuroi started trouble, it was usually stopped quickly. But as the years passed, Asaka noticed that her father’s age was finally starting to show, and the first sign of this was when he handed the clan over to her brother, Kitamura. A few weeks later, he stepped down as second in command of the Lotus, and after much deliberation it was decided that Asaka would inherit the position. Not by right, but by virtue of her actions and the quality of her person, much the same as many expected Taisho’s position might one day go to Hashira. Asaka didn’t really care what the reasons were, she accepted the position, taking on greater duties happily.
Side Notes:

Looks okay to me. First approval at A-5.