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express-archives · 5 months ago

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RISUMI AKATSUKI, the demon slayer corps' current wisteria hashira.

a kindhearted and tender person who is widely regarded as the corps' unofficial big sister. her polite and soft manner, almost comparable to that of kagaya ubuyashiki himself, endears many of her peers, leading to her being quite universally liked. though it is hard to feel adequate in her presence, her juniors cannot help but feel motivated when she watches them train and encourages them as she does so—"you've got this, sweetheart. keep working hard, okay? no-one becomes skilled overnight. do not be discouraged. it matters not how many times you fall; what is important is that you get up again every time you are knocked down. breathe, rise to your feet, and try again."

✧ I: GENERAL.

risumi, known to her family as 'mimi,' is a kindly and gentle young woman aged 19 with short white hair as soft and full as clouds and slightly downturned maroon eyes. though the way she carries herself is delicate, under her uniform hides pure muscle refined through years of rigorous training. it is said that the haori draped over her shoulders, various swirling shades of purple with a white trim, once belonged to her mother. a long, jagged scar runs along the length of her neck, oftentimes hidden away by her collar; the occasional glimpse caught of it tends to lead to questions, but risumi prefers not to talk about it, and the corps members do not pressure her to. it is rumored that not even all of the other hashira know exactly what happened. secrets do not stay secrets forever, however. the truth will come out one day, but for now, risumi is content never sparing so much as another thought to the cause of her scar.

she is the moon on a cloudless night, an ever-present guiding light for the lower ranked demon slayers and even sometimes for her fellow hashira. though it could be said that the long nights are any demon's ally, with risumi present, it is hardly true—the corps' tranquil moon battles using a breath style that resembles the very thing that deters demons. her breath style is wisteria breathing, created by her mother and derived from flower and wind breathing. regardless of how closely allied demons are with the night, the moon will always ally with the corps in the form of risumi.

✧ II: HISTORY.

over twenty years ago, risumi's mother—rin—held the position that her daughter currently does. rin was known among her peers for being fierce and temperamental, and it was perhaps those traits that were her greatest weakness; a battle with upper moon one, driven largely by her rage and disgust at the path he had chosen in life, left her critically injured. though she survived and recovered, her body never returned to the way it was before, and she was no longer capable of performing her duties as a hashira. she was therefore forced to retire early at the age of twenty-five. her husband, katsuo, a promising hinoto, retired alongside his wife to care for her.

it took quite some time for rin to adjust and settle down. once she did, her heart became set on a new goal—though no longer as strong as she once was, rin desired to prioritize building and bonding with her family now that she was no longer a hashira. katsuo shared this wish.

the two already had one three-year-old daughter named yuzuki, who was largely tended to by those who worked at her estate. now retired, rin and katsuo were more than happy to spend more time with her.

a year later, the eldest son, yuto, was born. it was at this point that katsuo began to attempt teaching yuzuki the art of the blade, given that she had recently turned four, but he was quick to realize just how frail she was. it was clear as day to him; his eldest daughter's fragility could not be attributed to her age. her body was not strong enough to handle his training, and he did not dare push her any more than he already had. yuzuki was then taught by her mother—who was still learning herself—about how to handle household affairs. from domestic things like laundry to financial responsibilities such as managing the household's yen, yuzuki learned it all with her mother right by her side, learning along with her. the experience caused the two to grow extremely close.

when yuto was old enough to hold a blade, he too began to learn the art of the sword from his father. yuto was clumsy and nervous, but his body was in better condition than his sister's, so katsuo saw no issue with increasing the rigor of his training. he showed great promise, and his father was not keen on letting his potential slip by untouched.

a year after yuto began to train, when he was five, risumi was born. like those before her, risumi would begin to train with her father once she became of age.

two years following her birth, risumi's younger sister and tsuguko to-be, kana, was born. she—no different than her other siblings—would also begin training at the age of four.

risumi's relationship with her father was quite rocky growing up—he was always tough on her, yuto, and kana, and she hated how cruel of a trainer he could be. her little sister would often end up crying to her over the painful bruises she would receive during practice. often times, risumi would be caught attempting to sneak away to her cousins' house. each time, however, she was caught and severely reprimanded by her father for making such irresponsible decisions, especially when she made her attempts at night.

'you know what is out there, risumi,' he would snap. 'don't be stupid. you'll get yourself fuckin' killed.'

yuto and risumi's training went on for years, but the former's... stopped, unexpectedly halted due to a problem that hadn't even been considered:

despite all the work he had done his entire life, upon faced with his first nichirin blade at the age of thirteen, yuto could not change its color. as disappointing as it was, yuto did not quit. rather than completely neglecting to join the corps, he chose to join the kakushi and has since been working as a skilled healer among them who also happens to have practical martial arts skills. years of training does not magically dissipate upon being unable to change one's blade color, after all.

risumi's training went on, as did her anger towards her father and her frequent escape attempts.

it wasn't until the age of fifteen that she grew to understand his actions.

at thirteen, risumi had successfully joined the corps, turning her blade a lilac color once she received it. she worked dutifully for two years, slaying demons with great poise and skill.

one day, when she was away from home on a mission more distant than usual, disaster struck.

a demon slipped onto estate grounds and slaughtered yuzuki before rin could behead it. once she did, however, her body was wracked with immeasurable pain and she was bedridden for weeks following the incident. at the time, rin was also carrying her final child.

(which unexpectedly turned out to be children, a set of fraternal twin boys named haruto and haruki.)

it was then that risumi understood her father, and though her rage toward him did not completely dissipate all at once, it began to lessen.

he was only a man who wanted to see his children live.

from that day forward, risumi resolved to never let another member of her family be stolen away by demons again.

...but unfortunately, risumi could not possibly be everywhere at once.

at the age of seventeen, risumi received the news that a demon had brutally killed her younger cousin, yuichiro tokito. his twin was being tended to at the master's estate, and risumi was told that she was more than welcome to come see him, if she so desired.

she was heartbroken to find that he did not recognize her, but it did not deter her nor her kindness. risumi helped muichiro stand on his own again, and she was more than happy to aid him in training to join the corps—for this, muichiro was grateful. despite not recalling her, his heart knew. it recognized the doting and kind older cousin that used to braid his and his brother's hair, that used to run away from her house at night to come see them, that used to sneak them extra snacks even if her aunt had already lightheartedly scolded her about spoiling them with so many treats.

it recognizes mimi, and though he may not, he trusts his instincts.

he knows mimi, and he will remember her one day. but for now... she is content just being the unfamiliar but gentle guiding light in his darkest moment.

kagaya ubuyashiki had asked her many times to become a hashira. she politely rejected each offer, but when it came up once again shortly following muichiro's arrival at the master's estate, she could no longer think of any reason to reject it.

shortly following the loss of one of her cousins, risumi killed her first kizuki with ease.

it was lower moon six, but a lower moon nonetheless. when offered the promotion once again, risumi could no longer refuse under the guise of 'not being strong enough.'

that day, the vacant wisteria hashira position was finally filled again.

✧ III: PERSONALITY.

risumi is unwaveringly kind and gentle in all that she does—there are even times in which her slaughter of demons is gentle, because risumi recognizes that while they should be held accountable for their vile actions, demons are not inherently evil. demons start off as humans, and risumi truly believes that evil is not inherently written into humanity. many demons are victims as well. she recognizes and respects this.

her kindhearted, patient, and graceful nature is often something people admire, and for good reason. it enables her to look at situations with objectivity and wisdom. furthermore, her serenity is a valuable tool in battle—very few things get underneath risumi's skin, and she is very hard to rile up. her virtual constant state of clarity makes her a formidable foe and ally in battle.

mimi, however, is imperfect as all humans are. getting under her skin and disrupting her clarity is difficult, not impossible.

talking about her family—particularly those that she failed to protect—is a particularly effective way of doing so. she is fiercely protective of those that she loves, but ferocity is not always a good thing.

after all, it was that very trait that destroyed her mother. it will destroy her too if she is not cautious.

✧ IV: RELATIVES.

rin akatsuki (mother; alive).

katsuo akatsuki (father; alive).

yuzuki akatsuki (older sister; deceased).

yuto akatsuki (older brother; alive).

kana akatsuki (younger sister; tsuguko; alive).

haruto akatsuki (younger brother; alive).

haruki akatsuki (younger brother; alive).

yuichiro tokito (younger cousin; deceased).

muichiro tokito (younger cousin; alive).

✧ V: FRIENDS.