Kaigan Kaede

APPEARANCE:

The most obvious thing about Kaede’s appearance is her scars. With one running down her left eye and the other running across on her forehead. Her shoulder-length blonde hair is always worn with the back tied up by an ornamental hairpiece along with some of her bangs. Her eyes are a soft lilac and she’s almost always seen smoking a Kiseru pipe.

As for her physique: those muscles. Kaede sure knows how to take care of her body. Athletic is one word for it, godly is another. However these muscles are often hidden under her uniform. She stands at roughly five feet and eight inches, tall for a woman yet fitting her physique perfectly. Being a student still of the academy she wears the red academy uniform. However, to show her rebellious streak, she refuses to wear any form of footwear.

PERSONALITY:

Kaede’s all about balls. Having the balls to challenge authority, assert your authority get what you want is central to her very loose and ever-changing philosophy. She can’t bring herself to respect cowards and holds open disdain for ass-kissers, sycophants, bureaucrats and nobility. This leads her to be a fairly stubborn and argumentative sort of person, only willing to take orders from those she believes have earned their authority and are willing to assert it. As such the title of captain or lieutenant alone isn’t enough to earn her respect. You’ve got to slap her around a bit before she’ll concede to your authority.

This might lead one to think that Kaede is a particularly violent and thick-headed girl. In truth, she’s no more or less intelligent than your average shinigami. Once you’ve cracked past her initial belligerence and her foul mouth you’ll be dealing with a much more agreeable person. She’s still as stubborn and cheeky as always, but her warm disposition and charitable nature shows her to be as the kind of woman who looks after her own and is a big proponent of tough love.

Despite her tendency to chain-smoke, Kaede is a big believer in looking after her body and keeps to a strict workout and diet regime. She is unable to spend too much time sitting in one place for too long and has very little patience or self-discipline. Her methods both in and out of combat are improvisational and spontaneous and whilst she doesn’t tend to plan too far ahead in to the future she has a knack for coming up with plans on the fly and keeping a clear head when the going gets tough.

HISTORY:

Kaede is a Rukongai kid. She never really ‘lived’ in any one district and for as long as she can remember she wandered the streets from district to district whilst making a living the only way she knew how. As soon as she was old enough to walk and talk she was stealing food to live and sleeping in alleyways and rooftops. It was a hard life, but soon enough she met up with other wayward kids with the same troubles as her and they quickly formed a small family of pickpockets and ruffians. Though she was far from the oldest or even the strongest in the group she quickly developed a fiercely loyal and maternal attitude towards the scoundrels and would more often than not be the one who stayed behind to take the blame for any botched thefts and the first kid to throw a punch when the gang came to blows with another bunch of roaming children.

As kids grew older, however, they tended to drift away from the group and find work elsewhere and tried to lead a more honest life. Some went on to work at farms or blacksmiths whilst others simply found sweethearts and tried to settle down. The dangerous life of the rukongai wasn’t something that any kid wanted to live in forever, after all. Kaede, however, felt a certain obligation to stay with her crew as she grew older and teach them the ‘tricks of the trade’ as well as protect them when times got tough. Eventually, however, like all the others, Kaede finally found her calling.

Shinigami patrols weren’t anything new in the middle reaches of the rukongai, though the few patrols that did come through were less than hospitable. The few shinigami that Kaede had seen all acted as though they were leagues above the people of the rukongai, an attitude that she did not appreciate. Each time the wealthier shinigami passed through the kids would often clamour for the attention in the vain attempt at being given loose change or food. Each time, however, the kids were either ignored or denied what they asked for and the Shinigami continued on their way. However, this particular patrol was headed by a shinigami who was unusually kind, and was considerably generous in the gifts he gave to the kids.

This philanthropy threw Kaede and in a moment of confusion and jealousy she challenged the young shinigami, demanding to know just who he thought he was. Unsatisfied with the answers she was given, Kaede punched the poor boy in the face. Quickly subdued by the shinigami’s cohorts and with a blade to her throat the Soul Reaper she had pummelled quickly ordered his men to stand down and for Kaede to be let go, seemingly thoroughly understanding of her situation. He explained that he too was a child of the rukongai and that by entering the academy he had been allowed to do more for its citizens than he ever could by just staying there.

Reluctant to leave, yet convinced that what she was doing was the right choice, Kaede left what few possessions she had to the kids and left for the academy. Surprisingly to herself she managed to pass the entrance exam the first time and was admitted entry. The change of scenery was jarring, as Kaede was not used to being bossed around or told to follow instructions on a regular basis, as was having to learn how to wield a sword for the first time. She had never so much as held a knife before, let alone a zanpakuto. She also found it hard to get along with the snobbish and entitled attitudes of some of the students and was frequently in trouble for her delinquent attitude.

Kaede’s performance academically, however, was exceptional. Of course all of her written examinations were difficult as she could barely read before entering the academy. Anything involving combat was something she excelled at, however. Hakuda in particular was easy for her, having grown up fighting in the streets on a daily basis. She was faster and fiercer with her fists than with her blade, in fact. Six years of this training passed until the present day, where she is nearly on the verge of her graduation and being admitted in to a squad. Her studies have finished and she now occupies the waiting period between being a student and a full-fledged shinigami.