[Bixir] Hara Murakami

”To what shall
I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected
In dewdrops,
Shaken from a crane's bill.”
Dōgen Zenji


Name:
Hara Murakami
Gender:
Female
Race:
Shinigami
Canon/OC:
OC

Visual Appearance:



Physical Description:
Hara is a tall, limber woman of the sword. Her body is compact and flexible, more built for agility and endurance than any beauty one may expect from someone like her. Hara cuts a striking figure in spite of any such inconsistencies; for those that can recognize the features in her eyes, face, and how she carries herself in general, they can identify her as royalty, even if that royalty is forgotten to those who neglect the history of Soul Society. Her hair is tied up in a long flowing ponytail, a raven black that is reflected in her warrior’s gaze.
Clothing/Misc. Items:
Hara wears the traditional uniform of the Shinigami, a black Shihakushō. However, Hara wears a blue tunic underneath her robes rather than a plain-white outfit, emblematic of her previous life. Similarly, she wears golden strands as earrings, the only remaining token of her heritage barring her Zanpakuto. Among Hara’s personal effects is a crane feather, primarily white fraying black at the edge, stored in a ritual tin at a small altar in her room. In the occasions where Hara humors casual attire, she prefers a black T-shirt and fitting jeans. Should Hara ever visit the World of the Living, she could easily pass as a punk girl.

Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Goals:
Ever since the betrayal of Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen, only one thing has been on Hara Murakami’s mind: restoring order. Vengeance or retribution for what they did doesn’t factor into things at all, even if those things may be bubbling in her thoughts. For Hara, the Gotei 13 must re-establish their strength and presence in the Seireitei and the Rukongai when this - inevitably - happens again. They will need strong leaders for what is to come; Hara Murakami needs to become one of those leaders.
General Personality:



Hara is a serious, solemn person. Nothing gets by her, and she has little patience for games. She is curt and to the point in what she says and does, seldom allowing herself to get caught up in small talk or trivial things when she is involved in her duties. She takes being a Shinigami very seriously, and upholds the responsibilities of Division 6 with a reverence that closely follows Byakuya Kuchiki’s own dedication. Though Hara has many reasons to eschew what she has strived to uphold in the past, her sense of justice is ironbound, and her faith in order and the integrity of law is nearly as great. To say the least, she thinks the worst of criminals, even those who try to excuse minor felonies. Injustices are the worst in Hara’s eyes, those who knowingly broke their contract with Soul Society and everything they claimed to stand for. There is a personal darkness in her heart for Aizen and his ilk.

Meanwhile, Hara’s royal background dogs her commitment, compelling her to give everything of her to her role in Division 6, even if she is only Third Seat. She does not balk from who she is, and will not bristle if others attempt to mock her for her heritage; she is completely confident in who she is and what her former identity means to her, and no one can take that away. However, Hara will rush to the defense of Division 6 and its reputation, especially after the fiasco with Aizen and his co-conspirators. Indeed, Hara will viciously defend every Division of the Gosei 13, and the other institutions of Soul Society, sword drawn if need be. She won’t tolerate Shinigami who don’t respect the orders that the Shinigami strive to uphold; no one should.

As a person, Hara is surprisingly down to earth. When she isn’t maintaining her authoritative demeanor, Hara is a laidback woman who enjoys her peace and quiet, and even some recreation, when she is able to make time for it. The burdens that she has borne, from her life and those that she has since taken in Soul Society, wears on her, and she has no desire to bear them all the time. Sometimes, she is content with being another lady in the crowd. Hara is rather withdrawn about her personal self, however, and does not trust easily. There are only a handful of individuals in Soul Society that have earned her trust, which includes Byakuya Kuchiki, Shunsui Kyōraku, and before he betrayed Soul Society, Kaname Tōsen. Hara does not let many people see this side of her, though she is often seen at ease when she is off-duty around the Seireitei. Hara is also an obsessive food connoisseur, and takes great lengths to appreciate the modern delicacies of the World of the Living when those opportunities present themselves. She is especially fond of noodles.

History:




The Sword


Hundreds of years ago, the relationship between man and spirit was much more tangible, established understandings between Earth and Soul Society of the way of things. Even then, these connections were rare, and those few humans who held the honor of knowing of Shinigami - and more pointedly, conducting accords with them - were legends unto themselves, whether or not those around them believed in the divinity they parlayed with. The Murakami family was one such group. Hara’s father hailed from a long line of daimyo who had upheld a steady line of tribute and cooperation with the Shinigami of Soul Society. He and his fathers before him cared for the peace and order of their realms just as the Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto cared for warding agains the Hollow threat. For many generations, they had maintained an alliance, the Murakami and their ilk training their finest warriors akin to Substitute Shinigami, proxy agents against encroaching Hollows when Soul Society could not afford to do so itself. In exchange, the Murakami clan and those under it paid reverent homage to Soul Society, making sure that their works were well known throughout the land, and that they were given the respect and reputation that their deeds deserved. Although this agreement began under formal pretenses rather than any necessity of the Murakami offering aid, it had made for lasting respect between the mortal world and the afterlife.

This was the world in which the girl Hara Murakami was raised. She took after the enigmatic Shinigami that would often visit the palace to pay their respects and train Substitutes-to-be. She was the second of three children to the Murakami clan, an eldest son and a younger daughter alongside her. She found herself between their duties, becoming a worthy heir to the companion vanguards against Hollows, and a dutiful maiden to ensure the future of her family in this trying period. Though Hara often seemed more warrior than princess, her identity was evenly stretched between these two lives. She had no desire to completely abandon her ladylike qualities, something that drew consternation from all sides. Her siblings, for trying to act too much like one or the other; the nobility, for threatening the expectations of a woman of her station; the Shinigami, at the time apprehensive towards the audacity of a woman to join their ranks; and her father, who remained unconvinced that Hara truly knew what she wanted for herself. Suffice it to say, Hara Murakami quickly became something of a taboo among the Murakami, coming to be called the “Sword Princess”. The mocking title would in time become her defining reputation.

While Hara struggled to maintain this uneven division between masculine and feminine, she became increasingly skilled in both. She knew that she would likely never amount to her brother’s skill with a katana, nor the extent to which her younger sister could weave silk or hold an audience. To be witness to both sides, however, gave Hara a deeper appreciation for what the Murakami clan represented, and the ways in which she would be able to contribute to that greater whole. Hara did this alone, estranged as she was on all sides. One of the only people blind to her woes was the Murakami swordmaster. A man blind himself, he treated Hara not as a girl or princess or pariah, but as an individual, there to learn the way of the sword, and to do so through discipline and focus. Skills that could not be cheated, nor limited to any sex or social standing. The stern equilibrium of the swordmaster, whose name escapes Hara to this day, stayed with her more than anything her mentors in ladyship imparted, let alone her own father. It became clear enough which side of Hara’s life she more easily clung to.

The nature of the swordmaster’s lessons forced her to spend time with other trainees, within the immediate Murakami clan as well as vassals beneath the daimyo. Many of them looked down at her as did most in the realm, though that was not the case for all of them. Some were more curious than resentful, though few of these men interested Hara enough for her to consider opening up to them. Her circumstances had quickly closed herself off to any social kinship, as much as she wanted to believe the good will of these boys. Many of them were not genuine with their intentions, and were quickly found out for it with a curt beatdown by way of boku. The boys that were genuine with themselves were nearly as ostracized as Hara was, merely for attempting to reach out to the petulant “Sword Princess” when they needed to worry about their own futures, or so the rest of the trainees claimed. The only one who was not turned away by this pig-headedness was a ginger-haired lad named Eiji. He was a no-nonsense kind of person, who hated insensitivity almost as much as he hated Hollows. The first time that Eiji met Hara, he remarked that the way she fought was like a crane, elegant and fierce, standing above and apart from the shambling sheep who thought themselves wolves. It was then that she knew that there was at least one person in her world - her age, at that - who did not bemoan her existence. Their budding friendship notwithstanding, the matter of Hollows - the reason for their training in the first place - brought the two closer together, when the time in their training had come for the next step towards becoming Substitute Shinigami.

The truth of Hollows was a closely kept secret of the Murakami clan; while the existence of these feral creatures and where they come from was more or less known among the common people, the extent of their power and what they were capable of was known only to those involved in formally hunting the creatures. The spread of hysteria was the last thing any of the involved parties wanted, the Murakami and Shinigami going to significant lengths to underplay the threat of Hollows to those who might grow bold enough to face them. This was the greatest threat that trainees faced; many believed themselves more than prepared for these monstrous opponents, only to be cut to ribbons in their first encounter. Hara and Eiji were paired together in the first of many trials against cursory Hollows that occasionally prowled the border of Murakami territory. Even the basic Hollows were grotesque, frightening things, not fighting like any human, let alone dying like one. The more Hara faced these things, the more she thought not of her duties as a lady Murakami, but as a protector of the realm. Eiji seemed similarly troubled, feeling that the appearance of these things would only grow in time. The way of things had begun to change with their generation, and it only stood to reason that these Hollows were but a part of these developments. He couldn’t have been more right.



In the years that followed, the Murakami hegemony began to fray. Hara’s father had become more vindictive towards those who questioned his claim to authority. The Hollow incursions had inexplicably become more belligerent in their frequency and intensity. The Substitute Shinigami and subsequent trainees could not afford to keep pace with the attacks, and word of the severity of these creatures had begun to leak to the public through unknown means. Many vassals and their leaders abandoned Murakami entirely, seeking asylum in bordering fiefdoms. Soul Society was not satisfied with these developments to say the least; many of the Shinigami abandoned the Murakami outright, warning that if order was not restored soon, that the family memory would linger only in this final rot. Though Hara had always been distant from her father and his concerns, she could not help but fear for him, and what would come of the family. She realized, too little too late, what her choices had reaped for the Murakami clan. Eiji was quick to dismiss these paranoias, reminding her that whatever fate would decide for them all, that no one must admonish themselves for following their heart. He assured her that, in spite of what yet awaited them, he would be able to rest knowing that he had made his own choices, removed from any authority that dared to tell him otherwise. It was this charge that he offered to Hara the only token he believed worthy of her heart: the feather of a crane.

Hara did her best to rekindle her relationship with her father, mother, and siblings, though as she had feared before, their hearts were closed off to her by now. Eiji’s promises helped her stay the course, the two doing what they could to assist the remnants of the Substitute Shinigami forces to halt the Hollow incursions, and to keep the peace wherever they could. It was clear enough that the nobility that had stayed behind did not do so out of loyalty. Word had spread that by the end of this moon, the Murakami, and the foundations that they had built, would come to an end. By the time Hara was able to break through the insurgent forces and Hollow hordes surrounding the palace, only her brother and her father were left standing. Eiji stayed behind, facing what could only be described as the end of days. In the Murakami grotto were over two dozen assassins, and dozens more already lying dead at the hands of the clan’s dwindling loyalists. Hara lost count of how many men fell under her sword that night. She watched her brother fall. The last of the Murakami warriors. Then, finally… it was over. Her blue tunic looked like it had always been red, to say nothing of her hands and face. All of the assassins lied dead… that was when Hara felt the sword plunge through her back. The voice crept down her spine as all feeling left her as she fell among the cherry blossoms, soon to catch ablaze. As she looked past his crooked silhouette, she saw a snow-haired woman, in a kimono much like her own… and then, nothing.


The Crane

When Hara opened her eyes, her surroundings looked just like home, yet as she noticed the men (and women!) in black-and-white kimonos running at her, she knew that this was something else. Hara’s circumstances were promptly explained to her, and the options that lied before her. Her final deeds had drawn particular attention from Soul Society, and divisively at that. The Murakami Tragedy, as it had come to be called, had become a contended issue among the Gotei 13 and the other branches of leadership within Soul Society, many reasons for which directly involved Hara’s role at the different steps of her brother’s betrayal of centuries of tradition. Many of the Captains believed that the blood was tainted, and any Murakami who manifested in Soul Society was to be condemned to the Nest of Maggots. Others argued on the behalf of Hara’s actions speaking louder than her heritage, not to mention her skill as one of the finest mortals that they had ever witnessed; not even her father or father’s father had lived up to that degree of swordsmanship. To throw that potential away on blood’s whim seemed a cruel mistake. It was Twelfth Captain Kisuke Urahara’s vote of confidence that swayed Central 46 to grant Hara freedom after death. It was the least that she had earned, after what she had endured, for their sake as much as for her own.

To the surprise of many in Soul Society, Hara did not hesitate for a second when she was asked if she wished to join the ranks of the Gotei 13. Many of the Shinigami did not think she would want to return to duty after her own family had betrayed her through that purpose. Hara would not take no for an answer regardless, and immediately enrolled in Shin’o Academy. As in life, her background provoked rebuke and disdain from her peers, persisting throughout her training. She had become hardened to such pettiness, however, and proved herself exceedingly capable. She had no patience for those who did not understand the importance of their training, or those who failed to understand who they were dealing with. As it turned out, Hara’s swordsmanship was only the foremost of her skills. Hara possessed apparent talent in unarmed combat - something that the girl did not entirely understand herself - and more interestingly, an affinity for Kidō. As someone who had learned to hone her body energy in life, further improved by her steadfast will forged in her mortal strife, Hara took to Kidō more quickly than most Shinigami. Amid these talents, Hara was a drifting soul, still reflecting on that final vision in the cherry blossoms. One day, with her Asauchi in hand, Hara left for the open plains to ponder, as she often did. Hara never learned why that time made it different, but it was then that she saw that same woman from her final moments in life. The maiden introduced herself by holding the feather that Eiji had given Hara, lost in that final triumph; it was all that she needed to know.

Hara went on to skip numerous classes, pursuing further audience with this spirit. Hara’s reputation made it all but impossible for her absences to go unnoticed. In truth, Hara did not have the slightest idea what she was doing. The only thing she knew for certain was that the woman in white held answers to questions she needed to resolve if she was going to be at peace in this new life. Though she had been exposed to Shinigami, understanding their ways was another matter. As far as Hara was concerned, the amount of learning the ins and outs of Soul Society and conventional Shinigami techniques came second to understanding her spirit and this woman-in-white that was disturbing it thusly. Many of the “exchanges” like the initial meeting were hardly that, the woman hardly looking at Hara, if she appeared at all. Hara was normally a patient woman, tempered by her former training as a Substitute Shinigami. Her sheer unfamiliarity with what she was dealing with brought out Hara’s anger for the first time since adolescence, to little avail. No matter how much Hara screamed or swung her sword, that mysterious woman remained impassive. If anything, there was a cold, painfully familiar judgment behind those silver eyes.



It was at that point that the Shin’o instructors stepped in. Hara needed to return to the academy routine, or she needed to abandon the career path that she had been so set on before. And, for the first time in her life, in this one and the last, Hara Murakami relented. This experience drew the attention of Tessai Tsukabishi, who admitted upon meeting Hara that he had developed an interest in her case as early as her days as a Substitute Shinigami. However, it was her decision to walk away from her Jinzen fixation that convinced Tsukabishi that she was someone truly special. He invited her to join the Kidō Corps once she graduated from Shin’o Academy, free of her past debts. She proudly accepted, the Kidō Corps a change of pace that she felt was well-deserved, considering her history with the Shinigami of the Gotei 13.

Training under Tsukabishi was an experience that Hara was not prepared for. Though she took a liking to Kidō faster than most Shinigami, coming to terms with it was worlds apart from understanding and mastering the blade. It required her to understand life in an entirely new perspective. While Tsukabishi was similar to her former master, Hara felt a deeper kinship here. It had nothing to do with having feelings for him - there was nothing of the sort - rather, the realization that serving Soul Society held more weight, naturally, than any mortal service could hold. After serving within the Kidō Corps for several years, Hara’s thoughts eventually lingered back to that plain, with that woman, that feather. But then, Hara never left her quarters as she experienced all of this again. As ever, the woman was standing there; she was smiling. No words needed to be said. As Hara looked around, she could feel the Reishi in the very air. This world, spirit, blade… it was all the same. This was what the teachers had meant, when they explained the Zanpakuto. Mūnkurēn. Suddenly, how Hara knew White Crane Style wasn't as much of a mystery anymore.

Realizing the name of her Zanpakuto helped Hara accept that there was so much more to learn and appreciate as a Shinigami, with that much more to lose. Hara came to appreciate Tsukabishi’s teachings that much more, and in turn cared very deeply for the Kidō Corps as a whole. She was quick to lash out whenever other Shinigami took the division’s name in vain, whether or not it was in jest. There was nothing Hara would not do to ensure that these adepts, even though their methods differed from the Gotei 13 and the Onmitsukidō, deserved the same amount of respect as the most prominent agents of Soul Society.

When the machinations of Aizen and his associates fell upon Tsukabishi, Urahara and the other Captains of the Gotei 13, Hara was among the most vehemently outspoken. She was hindered by diversions set elsewhere by Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, and was not able to join her mentor in investigating the mysteries circulating Captain Shinji Hirako and his allies. Hara knew from past experiences that the matter was not at all as the story appeared once the dust had cleared; the fact that she had been able to do even less here than she had in life only did more to burn away at Hara’s sense of honor and duty. What difference was there between the mundane and the immortal if both lacked justice? What good was this order at all, that Urahara and her mentor faced exile for trying to uphold it? This series of developments, augmented by Hara’s increasing frustration with the Gotei 13, drove her to resign from the Kidō Corps and join the former’s ranks. If Hara had to reform their bullheadedness from the inside, then that was exactly what she would do.

It had been so secret, as far back as Hara’s status as a Ryoka, that she harbored ill will towards the Shinigami. She did not hold them responsible for what happened to the Murakami or anything so foolish, though she did not forget how they abandoned her people in their hour of need. Nor did she forget their continued mistreatment of her as she acclimated to Soul Society. Worst of all, however, was the verdict that was passed on Captain Uruhara and Tessai Tsukabishi in the recent Hollowfication incident. Throughout her acclimation to the authority of Seireitei, Hara earned no shortage of antagonists and rivals, though none so pernicious as Ikkaku Madarame of Division 11. If it was not his crude addiction to combat, it was his distaste for those who swayed from the authority of one’s betters. If it was not his crass, belligerent behavior, it was his refusal to reform the decadent Gotei 13 that he played a vital role in. He and Hara clashed numerous times over the years, a rivalry that only became more heated when she formally joined the Gotei 13. A member of the now disgraced Kidō Corps, claiming to know what was best for a group she was only now deciding to grace with her presence? Who was she kidding, thinking that Central 46 would grant such a ludicrous request? She was green... and he was repugnant. A bitter representation of everything Hara despised about those who claimed to defend the righteous. If the next tragedy happened to claim Ikkaku Madarame’s soul, then Hara Murakami would consider it a small blessing.


The Oath

Yet, with all these sentiments in mind, Hara’s appeal to join the Gotei 13 was granted. She was placed under Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, as the Third Seat of Division 6. Being placed under the sternest of the thirteen Captains proved to be the sobering adjustment Hara sorely needed. Hara sought to do everything in her power to see the Gotei 13 adjusted for what had unjustly happened to Urahara and his friends, and Byakuya simply did not have time to waste on the petty dreams of someone who had never kept true peace. The Seireitei was not her home clan, nor were the Shinigami her family of betrayers. Though there was room for everyone to learn from this relationship, Byakuya made it clear that his voice was the final voice… a judgment that Hara begrudgingly came to accept.

Hara’s relationship with the Shinigami of the Gotei 13 was not entirely marked by bitterness or rivalry. There were many in that organization, even Captains, that she looked up to, Shinigami that even she could look up to. 10th Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, for all his oafish quirks, was a, to put it mildly, short-mannered model for Hara’s integrity as a newly made Shinigami of the Gotei 13. More inspiring still was 9th Captain Kaname Tōsen, whose treatises on justice - and later, his striking insights on cooking - spoke to Hara’s deeper sense of self. His opinions were not what one would consider popular, but that didn’t matter to someone like her. If anything, the controversy of Tōsen’s philosophy spoke more strongly to Hara, someone who had had more than her fair share of being estranged for having a differing mindset. Tōsen’s publications, along with Hara’s own concerns for the Shinigami as a whole, drove her to become an active member of the Shinigami Women’s Association. She never understood why an oddity like Yachiru Kusajishi was the President of all things - and did not hesitate to voice her displeasure, considering how it’s because of her that the organization never has any funding - though Hara was an active member all the same. Advocating for the rights of Shinigami and various ways in which the Gotei 13 and other organizations could be improved was one of the reasons that Hara had transitioned into the 13 in the first place; though Hara did not necessarily expect any real progress to be made through the Women’s Association, she also valued it as an opportunity to get to know some of her fellow women Shinigami. Even if some of them were… less than ideal.

Still, Byakuya’s ultimatum to Hara, of her disposition towards the Gotei 13 and the so-called “order” it upheld gnawed at her. She respected Byakuya a great deal, in some regards viewing him in a light similar to Tōsen (if more crass and not as attractive). She had no desire to go against his wishes, even if she could not understand why he was so set in his ways in a system that he surely had to recognize the flaws in. This tension reached a tipping point when Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai one day returned with Byakuya’s own sister, seemingly slated for execution. For Hara, seeing a third tragedy present itself in her path, was too much for her to yet again stand idly by. She didn’t give a damn what Byakuya thought of her going against the grain, what he thought of her “greenness” in Seireitei matters. She knew in her heart of hearts that this was wrong, even if Byakuya failed to see that. Hara had been betrayed by the only family she had left; she could not, would not allow the same to happen to Rukia. Though Hara did not know the girl well, she did not have to know someone in order to stand up for them. It could not have been a more perfect opportunity for her to prove to the Gotei 13 why they needed to change.

Ever since Urahara and Tsukabishi had been ousted from Soul Society, Hara was among the few Shinigami in Seireitei who had maintained close contact with them, occasionally apprising them of what was transpiring in the Seireitei. Though Hara could not directly do anything that would draw the eye of Byakuya or the other Captains, she would not sit idly by and do nothing. Hara resolved to investigate Central 46 on her own terms. Her relationship with the judgment of Soul Society was ambivalent at best, nor did she expect to be able to speak with them. The fact remained that there was undoubtedly something going on behind the scenes, and if Central 46 wasn't involved, then they were a grave liability that needed to be protected.



By the time Hara arrived, signs of forced entry into the conclave prepared her for the worst. Before she could move inside to investigate, she was assailed by a shrill ringing; were it any other Third Seat Shinigami, they likely would have fallen then and there. Hara Murakami continued to stand as none other than Kaname Tōsen himself. Hara was heartbroken, to say the least. The one Shinigami to speak of justice among his incorrigible peers had now put to death those who doled it out. However much Hara might have held Tōsen in regard before, she did not hesitate to draw her Zanpakuto against him once she had recovered from his Shikai. He was by far Hara’s superior, and yet the Third Seat kept pace with the 9th Captain’s strength and agility. Hara felt her Zanpakuto quickening, invigorated by how far she had come as a Shinigami, though more importantly, what stood to be lost if she failed here. Hara Murakami would not falter a third time! Though, as fate continued to speak, what she willed could not amount to what loomed over her. Tōsen’s Zanpakuto resounded in kind, and she was enveloped in his Bankai, numb and helpless in the spiritless void. There was only her Zanpakuto’s own rekindled fury, kept short of testing Tōsen’s vacuum by his superior treachery.

Tōsen made a point of ensuring that Hara was not found until Aizen’s plans had accelerated to near fruition. Out of respect - and in some measure, pity - for the failed Shinigami, he did not kill her, as Gin or Aizen surely would have. He saw her to a forgotten resting hut, where she would be left to sleep and heal from her wounds, far too late for her to interfere again. Her absence was overshadowed by Byakuya and Renji’s own distractions in Aizen’s unveiling, leaving few to question the whereabouts of the Third Seat of Division 6. When Aizen and his co-conspirators departed for Hueco Mundo, Hara joined the rest of Division 6 for the part she unwittingly played in Aizen’s fourth-dimensional chess. Hara knew that she was no pawn, and was not even indirectly manipulated by these cowards; Hara’s only sin was the continued Murakami trait of failing to live up to the task.




The Moon

The past several months were exceptionally cruel on the Crane Princess. She exercised near complete seclusion from the Seireitei entirely, only appearing for her mandated duties before retiring to the open wilderness, yonder and within the eye of her Zanpakuto. The landmark achievement of Bankai lingered in the woman’s mind but as a reminder of her latest deficiency in the face of the evil she seemed so eager to destroy. That pessimism is sorely buried behind her. Those who walk the just path must look away from the dusk, towards the horizon. In the wake of this grand betrayal, perhaps there was finally an opportunity for Hara Murakami to make real, lasting change among the Gotei 13.


That opportunity came in the form of a tournament at Soul Society. Hara had participated in such events before; vain displays of prowess and bravado, brought on more by ego and bullishness than any sincere intentions of honor or dignity. The idea that the new Captains of the absent leadership were to be determined by trials by combat was almost insulting. The immediacy of it, following what had happened, did not endear Hara to the idea, and yet she had been personally invited to take part. Hara would not refuse a direct invitation from Captain Kuchiki of all people... or an opportunity to let off some steam. It was clear from how Hara fought, even before the tournament had officially started, how much of a toll the events of Aizen and his followers had continued to take on her. It was not an unbridled rage, but rather a striking conviction, finding an inner zen that she had not achieved before in all her years as a Shinigami, let alone when she had carried a sword in the land of the living. That unerring determination saw Hara through each round of sparring, until she was at last crowned the victor of the tournament as a whole. It cemented her skill as one of the most prolific swordsmen in the Seireitei, even among her far more experienced peers. Being placed in the 5th Division was particularly apt, for one so driven to succeed by the very thing that continues to cause Hara Murakami so much anguish. One could only imagine where it would take her yet, and those now under her remedial leadership.


Faction:
Gotei 13, 5th Division (Formerly Kidō Corps)
Rank:
Captain





Physical Abilities/Power:
Swordsmanship
As the trained blade of the Murakami clan, and would-be Substitute Shinigami prior to her training at Shin’o Academy, Hara had a wealth of swordsmanship experience under her belt before she became a Shinigami proper. From then on, she has proven herself one of the Soul Society’s finest swordsman, a fact that rankles the Shinigami of Division 11 to no end. Following the tournament that placed the new Captains of the lacking Divisions, Hara Murakami's skill in swordsmanship has risen to expertise short of Kenpachi Zuraki himself.

Crane Master
In addition to her training in the sword, Hara undertook Fujian White Crane, the “White Crane Style” of kung fu from her Zanpakuto. Although she has spent significantly less time learning White Crane than she has in how to use a blade, Hara has honed her expertise to the point where her own body is a deadly weapon. Even if Hara is somehow disarmed, she can still use White Crane as a dangerous changeup in her combat tactics.

Kidō:
As a former specialist in the Kidō Corps, Hara’s skill level in Kidō is on the level of “Expert”. She is an advanced combat specialist and has integrated a wide variety of spells into her swordsmanship and other battle tactics.

Bakudō
1. Sai
4. Hainawa
8. Seki
9. Geki
9. Hōrin
30. Shitotsu Sansen
39. Enkōsen
58. Kakushitsuijaku
61. Rikujōkōrō
62. Hyapporankan
63. Sajō Sabaku
77. Tenteikūra
Tanma Otoshi

Hadō
1. Shō
4. Byakurai
11. Tsuzuri Raiden
31. Shakkahō
33. Sōkatsui
58. Tenran



Zanpakuto:



Mūnkurēn is the spirit bonded with Hara’s soul, representative of her legacy as the Crane Princess. The weapon itself is a pristine curved sword, towing a fine line between a fully-formed katana and traditional curved swords. This allows the blade to be used as a formal piercing and bludgeoning weapon without losing any of its versatility as a slashing weapon, at the cost of lacking the greater edge in most Shinigami weapons. Mūnkurēn’s spirit form is that of a cold, white-haired maiden, with shortly kept hair and a snowy kimono, held taut by a butterfly ribbon. She somberly wields her own blade, though never seems to draw it. Her persona is distant, echoing the inner temperament of Hara Murakami. This only changes when Mūnkurēn’s sealed form is released in her Bankai.

Mūnkurēn’s sealed form is an enormous, majestic white crane spirit. Its wingspan is as long as any dragon’s, its plumage, neck and head as dark and unfathomable as the void of Hueco Mundo. Mūnkurēn is an aspect of the moon, and is as powerful as that nature implies. She is massive, unable to physically manifest unless her wielder is in an open space that allows for Mūnkurēn true nature to reveal itself.

Shikai:
“Mūnkurēn, flash!”

Channeling this chant through Mūnkurēn’s blade generates a vacuum of black wind between Hara and her target. The two are drawn towards the vacuum at respective angles in an instant, forcing the opponent into a position where they are exposed to a direct attack from Hara’s Zanpakuto, infused with mystic wind for a single strike. During this process, the curved sword will shine white-hot, enveloped in a black aura. After the sword enters the vacuum effect, its visual aura disperses, accompanied by a shrill crane’s call. This chant may be abbreviated for successive strikes after the first, though the effectiveness of the vacuum and Mūnkurēn’s blessing upon her blade will be increasingly lessened.






Bankai:
“Mūnkurēn, memory of the plains, keeper of the lost air… reawaken.”

Mūnkurēn’s Bankai releases her sealed form, allowing her full power as a Zanpakuto to be unleashed. While the Bankai is active, the sword maintains its Shikai aura, remaining permanently empowered with increased agility and intensity in all of its strikes. Hara’s physical parameters are similarly boosted, allowing her to react to imperceptibly fast attacks, and can attack just as quickly. She becomes immune to any effects that hinder her speed or senses, and can seamlessly move through the air without relying on channeling her Reiatsu.

The active effect of Mūnkurēn’s Bankai is the ability to generate a “pressure typhoon” in the surrounding area. The affected area is treated as a vacuum singularity, meaning that Hara may use an improved version of her Shikai within the area seamlessly. Enemies trapped within the vortex are also at a gross advantage, liable to be sucked into the storm as if caught in a naturally occurring hurricane. This effect may be resisted, dependent on the target’s capacity to move through the air with Reiatsu as well as their physical resistances. Finally, the initial release of the Bankai unleashes a “vacuum blast” in a wide thirty-feet cone directly in front of Hara. Those caught in the cone are trapped in a “vacuum bubble”, applying crushing pressure to those inside. The vacuum bubble is incredibly dense, and can only be resisted by the most willful opponents. The pressure generated by the vacuum bubble - and in turn, the pain it inflicts on its targets - generates the storm at large; when the subjects can no longer resist the vacuum bubble, or somehow manage to break the bubble itself, the Bankai’s effects cease.

The primary caveat to the Bankai is that the “pressure typhoon” feature can only be activated if there is sufficient space for Mūnkurēn’s physical form to manifest on the battlefield. The massive crane’s spiritual influence allows for the storm to exist, and bars anyone outside the area range of the Bankai to interfere. To waylay the fully released Zanpakuto crane would be akin to challenging an elder dragon.

RP Sample:
N/A