HIDEKUNI, TSUKIKO

NAME: Hidekuni, Tsukiko.

ALIAS: Tsukihime. (lit. Lunar Princess)

AGE: 193.

APPEARANCE: With long, flowing dark purple hair and hazel eyes, the Lieutenant of the First Division is a beautiful sight to behold. Standing at 6'0" and weighing 145 lbs., Tsukiko's appearance exudes elegance. The Shinigami always keeps herself neat and tidy, hair cut in your traditional Japanese "princess" style. Even her Shihakushou (lit. Garment of Dead Souls) is taken care of down to the tiniest of details. It'd be hard to find a crease out of place or a stray hair laying on her white shitagi (lit. under clothing) and black colored kosode (lit. small sleeve). Despite being kept clean, Tsukiko's uniform is worn in a style similar to a male Shinigami's with the express purpose of hiding her ample bust, save for foregoing a hakama in place of a mini-skirt version of the kosode, which is belted at her waist. Her tabi (lit. foot pouch) socks are replaced by black colored thigh highs (giving her a Zettai Ryouiki), and her waraji are replaced by white colored knee-high boots decorated with a gold trim. She also tends to wear a pair of wrist-high white colored gloves with gold trim. As opposed to the typical Lieutenant armband with their respective division's symbol and number, the First Division logo and number can be found on the top of the gloves' hand areas.

PERSONALITY: Harsh and strict, Tsukiko has been living her life since birth as one who values order and respect above all. An extremely respectful individual who once claimed that she holds a habit of writing someone's name a thousand times every time she forgets to tack on the proper honorific, as a form of self-punishment. Born in the Rukongai yet bred in the Seireitei, Tsukiko is extremely proud of her family name and extremely wary toward the idea of disgracing it. This extends to her duties in the First Division, the proud woman refusing to let a single one of her actions or words shame her Captain or her position. To the other Shinigami of her division Tsukiko comes off as an Ice Queen, trying her best to make sure that they keep themselves in line and reflect their spot as the Gotei 13's head division.

In battle, Tsukiko's demeanor remains largely similar. Her fighting style consists of extremely fluid motions, a First Division Shinigami once claiming her approach as "akin to a delicate dancer upon a moonlit lake." Out of all areas Tsukiko is extremely proud of her proficient skills as a sword fighter, though despite that she claims to dislike engaging in combat unless absolutely necessary. To her, the time it takes taking down an opponent could be put to better use aiding her division with tasks such as paperwork, training new recruits/gaining new recruits from the academy, etc. This does not mean that she is completely against violence, however, willing to use it if it means whipping the Shinigami under her into shape.

Despite her seemingly cold demeanor, Tsukiko is an advocate for peace in the world. She fully understands the balance of souls that the Shinigami are sworn to keep in check, and holds no qualms in cutting down those who threaten that peace. Tsukiko is a woman who firmly believes in the sacrifice of the few to save the many, though this does not mean she will run into Hueco Mundo and start cutting up Hollows for example. While she was born and bred with a severe racism toward Hollows and Hollowkind, her experiences as a member of the Gotei 13 have equipped her with a certain level of tolerance and respect toward all races. Like most Shinigami, however, Tsukiko is willing to put her personal preferences and thoughts aside if it is for the greater good and to help keep the world in check. If this means slaughtering a few Quincy or other individuals who destroy Hollows and upset the balance, then so be it.

ALLIANCE: Gotei 13, though more specifically the Captain Commander.

HISTORY: Tsukiko is not the type of person to talk too much about her own past and rightly so, for this noblewoman wasn't born in the Seireitei or to the Hidekuni family. Tsukiko never knew her parents' names, only that they had been Rukongai residents on the verge of starvation. Eventually the man who would come to be known as Tsukiko's adoptive father approached Tsukiko's parents, offering a year's worth of food in exchange for their daughter. Cowardly as they were, Tsukiko's blood parents gave her up to the Hidekuni family and were never heard from again. Constantly reminded that she was an adopted member of the family and extremely lucky to even be alive, throughout the remainder of her childhood Tsukiko was indebted to the Hidekuni family. She was constantly taught how to properly speak, walk, address her superiors, anything and everything the Hidekuni family could slide into her noggin. By the time Tsukiko reached her teen years, she was expected like every other member of the Hidekuni family to go join the Shinigami Academy.

It was around this time that Tsukiko began to break away from the mundane 'do as your told' routine of the Hidekuni. A high amount of prowess was shown in the Zanjutsu field, primarily due to her one hobby within the Hidekuni: Fencing. Poised and elegant, it was within the Shinigami Academy where Tsukiko began the rigorous self-training method of writing down a person's name with the correct honorific a thousand times should she speak a mistaken one. Due to her prodigious nature in the Academy, all from hard work and perseverance rather than nobility, the Hidekuni family found it easier to simply spread the word of her being a legitimate flesh and blood member of the Hidekuni. When Tsukiko learned of the Shinigami's duty as well as the way souls worked, the Hidekuni made sure to breed her into the stereotypical Shinigami who found a borderline racist attitude toward Hollows and Hollowkind. After graduating from the Academy, Tsukiko instantly shot for and gained the position of a First Division Shinigami. While most of her time was spent studying the mechanics of how the Gotei 13, Soul Society, and her own Division worked, Tsukiko was sent on a few combat missions of her own, some of which involved collaborations with other divisions.

During these missions, despite being a "newbie", Tsukiko prioritized the elimination of the Hollow and protection of the balance over all else. Let the few die to save the many in the long run. Eventually, however, Tsukiko was lectured and punished, being warned both by her own Division and the Hidekuni family to minimize the amount of casualties. Confused and unsure of where to draw the line, eventually Tsukiko met her Zanpakutou spirit and the next few years were spent training and unlocking her Initial Release. A new Tsukiko was born upon the acquirement of her Shikai, one whose personality would persist even to this day. She was strict and firm, rising through the First Division to gain a coveted seated position. Having heard many legends about the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, Tsukiko was taught to hate Hinaai by the Hidekuni family due to the controversy that had initially surrounded her promotion. Eventually Tsukiko was paired up with the Lieutenant of the First Division at the time, sent on one of the many peace campaigns with the Hohlreich. The campaign turned south as both Tsukiko and the First Division Lieutenant had been led into a trap, though the pair survived and made their way back to the Gotei 13.

Much more time was spent toward training her abilities as a Shinigami as the days pressed on, Tsukiko swearing to never allow herself to disgrace her position nor her family's name with such a poor performance again. A series of failed campaigns led by the First Division Lieutenant resulted in him being relieved of duty. This only further drove Tsukiko to rise in strength, though the spot stayed vacated for a good, long while. As time went on, Tsukiko reported to the Captain Commander as she was instructed and finally got to talk to, and meet, the famous (or infamous, in the Hidekuni family's circle) Hinaai Jukan. The woman absolutely blew Tsukiko away and she was utterly shocked. While she had heard many stories and rumors, she could tell by the look in the woman's eyes alone that she had seen many more things than Tsukiko ever hoped to. Something changed in Tsukiko that day, the woman readily announcing her position as an adoptee of the Hidekuni all these years and casting away her family's opinions of the Captain Commander. Not only did Tsukiko swear allegiance to the Captain Commander (which was already obvious enough, being a member of the Gotei 13 and the First Division) but she claimed that, if given the honor of being her Lieutenant, she would take charge of many campaigns all in the name of peace. Granted the position, the Hidekuni adoptee did not let Hinaai down.

Tsukiko became a quiet storm, shaping up the members of the First Division in a wave of class and ice cold efficiency. She made sure each member of the First Division's attire was well kept, their form steady, and their minds as sharp as their Zanpakutou. She dealt with the piles of paperwork directed toward the Central 46 with the neatest handwriting she could muster, and would personally oversee each member that came from the Academy and attempted to apply to the Division. All while balancing her own abilities with her Zanpakutou, among the other Shinigami abilities such as Kidou, Hohou, etc. Due to her beautiful appearance, name, and being hailed as "still as a moonlit pond", Tsukiko would soon garner the alias of Tsukihime, or Lunar Princess. Some time during this period, Tsukiko would push herself beyond her limits and gain the second release form of a Zanpakutou: Bankai. While it still has yet to be perfected, much more akin to say Ikkaku Madarame's, Tsukiko won't rest until she has gained the pinnacle of her power.

When Hinaai went to speak with the Central 46 over the new Hollow Empire, Tsukiko made sure to manage the First Division as best as she could while silently praying the Central 46 understood the Captain Commander the same way she did. Finally, after so many years of bloodshed, the Gotei 13's civil war with the Hollow Empire soon came to a close. Now the foundation has been laid for Hinaai Jukan, as well as her loyal Lieutenant Tsukiko Hidekuni, to rebuild the Soul Society and further support the way of peace.

DIFFICULTY: Hard.