| — a soon-to-be-dead person, probably |
 | |
| Birthday | December 11 |
| Gender | Female 
|
| Age | 42 (appears 12) |
| Race | Japanese |
| Species | Wraith (former human) |
| Handedness | Right |
| Complexion | Pale |
| Hair | Light Brown |
| Eyes | Red |
| Height | 4' 8" |
| Weight | 85 lbs |
Appearance[]
Ikiru looks every part a pale, frail young girl. She has blonde-brown hair and bangs that are swept to the left side of her face. Her hair is medium-length and quite fluffy. People seem to enjoy petting it. Her eyes are large and slanted a bit downwards, and an intense candy-apple red shade. Combined with her round cheeks and button nose, Ikiru is naturally quite cute.
Ikiru's primary outfit appears to be a nurse cosplay. She wears a white mini nurse's cap with red piping and red buttons down the left side, and a short-sleeved, form-fitting white minidress with the sleeves rolled up to her upper arm.
Ikiru also has fancier outfit, designed by Estelle, consisting of a white headband and veil, a very frilly red and white off-the-shoulder dress, white gloves, red and white stockings, and white Mary Janes. Furthermore, she owns the shrine maiden's outfit she wore when she was alive, unfortunately also modified by Estelle, consisting of a short, frilly white and red garb with white detached sleeves, high black socks and sandals, and a decorative flower clip.
Personality[]
Ikiru greatly prefers solitude and quiet, and rarely speaks unless spoken to first. While this may give off the impression of somebody who is shy, Ikiru acts this way because she is utterly indifferent towards other people. Because of this, her sense of morality is skewed, and she rarely feels guilt for any questionable things she does. She will often find a sadistic pleasure in watching karmic retribution or somebody who she feels has wronged her suffer.
She is quick-witted, analytical, and rarely holds back her sharp tongue. She is downright awful at sympathizing with others, and has trouble understanding things like sentiment and romance. She has the potential to be very cruel, but she is rarely so without provocation. Ikiru us much more reactive than proactive.
Despite her self-proclaimed detachment from others, Ikiru is possessive of the few people who aren't driven away by her attitude and stubbornly insist upon spending time with her, though she would rather swallow glass than admit it.
Ikiru is quite studious and diligent. When tasked with a duty, she will fulfill it to the best of her abilities, even if it is something she doesn't enjoy. She enjoys reading, warm places, and sweet-smelling flowers like lily of the valley. She strongly dislikes loud, noisy people and being touched without her permission or proper warning. She views this as justification to drain anybody who touches her suddenly.
Backstory[]
Ikiru was born to a family that served the Shinto god Kagu-tsuchi, and received her familial affinity for swordcrafting as a result of the god's blessing. She was raised as a priestess in a shrine in Kyoto. As a child, Ikiru was largely the same as she is now. Quiet, stern, and utterly apathetic to everyone.
The only exception to Ikiru's sweeping misanthropy was her older brother Nagi. In her eyes, he was incapable of doing any wrong. As she progressed through adolescence, her admiration morphed into an obsessive, romantic love. He was the axis that her world rotated around, and she would do anything he asked with no hesitation.
When she was ten, Nagi collapsed and was hospitalized. While his prognosis seemed optimistic at first, his condition rapidly deteriorated and he was confined to bedrest within a year. Nobody could even diagnose his illness. During this time, Ikiru prayed fervently to the gods, visiting him every day without falling behind in her priestess duties.
As the disease ravaged his body, Nagi lost his vibrancy and became unable to deal with the pain. While it was a joke at first, eventually, he earnestly asked her to put him out of his misery.
Using a pair of scissors sharpened with her magic, Ikiru slit his throat with surgical precision, and then turned the blade on herself. To her surprise, she woke up in the same room some time later. Rather than lash out or attempt to end her life again, she accepted this fate as a form of divine punishment for her sin.
The hospital would be shut down after a few months, due to a series of unexplained deaths, the last one being that of an influential politician's son. Ikiru was the core cause of this, appearing before terminally ill patients who wished for death and taking their life from them. Brimming with energy, she remained in the shell of a building and claimed it for herself, killing any stray animals or insects that tried to take residence.
She rarely left the premises after that. Over time, an urban legend of sorts was born: People who entered the hospital alone would be swallowed up and disappear without a trace. Somehow, a stipulation was appended to the legend: the person brought a book with them and left it at the entrance, there was a chance that the spirit living inside would spare them. It would become a spot for local teenagers to perform tests of courage.
Despite her best efforts to live out her days in quiet peace, the efforts of a certain club led her to enrollment in Osaka Gakuin.
Abilities[]
Ikiru possesses abilities characteristic of a Wraith, such as levitation and the ability to pass through inanimate objects. She can only drain life from living beings through direct contact.
Her nurse outfit isn't entirely for show, as Ikiru is rather skilled with first aid and caring for others. She is also quite organized and can cook and do chores well. Other than reading and crafting, her hobby is folding origami.
Purification[]
As she was raised as a priestess, Ikiru has extensive knowledge of barriers, protective talismans, and exorcisms. However, she is unable to use any of this knowledge, considering her current state of existence.
Weaponsmithing[]
Due to her bloodline, Ikiru has a strong affinity for swords. If there is some technique or theory she does not know regarding swordmaking, learning it comes easier than any other subject to her. She is able to use only her spectral energy to sharpen a blade to perfection with ease, and will often do so for acquaintances in exchange for some plants or an animal. She is also able to repair broken blades with her energy, but this is more costly and difficult for her.
Ikiru is capable of making swords from scratch and imbuing them with her power given the correct materials and setting, but this is a long, intensive process. The blades are durable, lightweight to their owner but quite heavy to anyone else, and razor-sharp. Depending on the materials used, she can also give the swords special abilities.
Finally, Ikiru can use her energy to manifest weapons from scratch, but this requires so much energy that she hasn't accomplished it yet.
Despite her ability in making swords, she is scrawny and petite, so she can only use smaller, lightweight blades. She is not particularly skilled in combat.
Notes[]
- Ikiru's name means "to live" in Japanese, which is kinda-sorta ironic. Furthermore, the "kiru" in her name is the same as "to cut," which refers to her suicide.
- Her surname means "holy."
