Harumi Kazuki

Harumi (春美, Springtime Beauty) Kazuki (一樹, Harmony or Radiance) is a of the Ryū Order. She is the daughter of Yoshiro and Momoko Kazuki.

Appearance
Harumi has long, flowing black hair that spills down the majority of her back unhindered; though in recent appearances, she has also began wearing it in a rather long ponytail. Her figure is quite slim and curvy, with many boys within Horiwari and remarking on her looks; with Jinta Kanō calling her "stunning". Her eyes are a sapphire blue coloration, and match the color of the beads she usually wears in her hair when she opts for a ponytail instead.

Whenever in her Gigai, she has been seen wearing many different outfits, among them tomboyish clothing like jeans and sleeveless shirts depending on her mood, and also dresses of various length and cut if she and her friends happened to be going out a night. Her most seen outfit, though, is the school-like outfit with a long-sleeved jacket that hugs her figure tightly, colored violet, with a short skirt colored a deep shade of red with no tights worn. She generally wears black knee-length socks with an average pair of shoes to complete this particular outfit.

When in spiritual form, Harumi has been noted to wear an outfit similar to that of a Shihakushō (死覇装, Garment of Dead Souls), but noticeably different. Her kosode is a bustier camisole with a matching lace-fluted edged cardigan with a multitude of colors including turquoise, mauve and lilac that give the clothing itself a coloration with peacock overtones. Harumi herself believes that the color scheme, as well as the clothing itself serves to represent the deity known as Saraswati, a being believed to represent benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge; all traits Harumi herself embodies in some shape or fashion. Instead of the usual hakama Shinigami tend to favor, Harumi instead ops for a pair of hot pants with the same coloration as the aforementioned kosode, with the knee-length tights also being of the same peacock influenced color scheme. Instead of basic straw waraji she ops instead for a pair of flat footed shoes with a delicate yellow design at the front.

Personality
As a child Harumi was a naturally quiet girl, preferring to stay in doors and study as opposed to spending time outdoors. She would spend her days sequestered away from others except her closest family, reading and writing, practicing Kidō spells with her mother and, on occasion, receiving martial training from Yoshiro and Momoko both. She was taught growing up that "to train the spirit, first train the body." This was taken a step farther by Harumi though, as she also decided to train her mind. Her reading and writing was eventually replaced with puzzles of ever increasing complexity, as she has even solved various "impossible puzzles" not even her father or mother could solve without help.

Her quietness and reserved nature has lessened considerably since she met and subsequently befriended Kentaro Hiroshi, [[Jinta Kanō and Riki Nagakura however. With them she began to 'come out of her shell' so to speak and fostered a love for the outdoors, not to mention pranks. Her intelligence was often the sole factor that caused the four friends to escape punishment for their actions, for they were hardly ever caught. And when they were Harumi was usually capable of working the situation to her advantage that got at least some of them off the hook.

When she does open up and gets to know someone, she has shown herself to be quite playful and happy, regularly plotting pranks and schemes which only serve the purpose of annoying those around her for her own enjoyment; behavior which has only gotten worse since meeting Jinta and Riki. Naibu is often the target of said pranks, though he takes it all in good steam and refuses to rise to the occasion, which only serves to intensify her attempts to annoy the elder. However, this childhood attitude is only present when Harumi herself wants to have some fun, demonstrated during a meeting with Azami Satonaka, where Harumi attacked the latter with mud after their sparring session. But despite these childhood tendencies, when the situation calls for it, she is often one of the only ones in her group to act with a degree of maturity and seriousness in light of the potential catastrophes caused by Averian and his army; which usually clashes with the more or less happy-go-lucky attitude expressed by some of her comrades. Her general benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge has often led Naibu to refer to her as 'Saraswati given flesh'.

Whilst a member of the Rukon Patrol Teams, Harumi really only conversed with Kentaro on a regular basis, though she was never shy nor socially backward as many seemed to think, as was the case in her youth. Kentaro explains that she just prefers the peace of her own thoughts as opposed to a clamor of voices, though her focus has sharpened over the years. So much so, in fact, that her amazing focus now allows her to effectively shut out everything from her surroundings and devote all of her considerable mental power to whatever problem demands her attention, especially in the case of books and puzzles. Her sheer ability in this regard has allowed her to predict or otherwise come to understand events - sometimes before they even occur.

Harumi is also quite kind-hearted, spirited and energetic; evident from her prankster behavior and will to help others with her healing skills, the former of which prevailed more strongly in her youth. Jinta describes her as a ball of energy, and has admitted that he can barely keep up with her energetic nature at the best of times, stating that she wears him out. She is also highly intelligent and quite observant, usually being the first among her group to arrive at a conclusion and quickly seeing the faults of others. Her powers of observation alerted Riki to various Kidō nets linked to an alarm system spread throughout the prisons of Kōhai Tochi, which ultimately allowed Riki to warn Kentaro in time to prevent the latter walking into a trap.

Since Akiye's abduction, Harumi has also undergone some notable changes, as the childish aspect of her personality have lessened quite considerably, giving way to a more serious persona that matches some of Jinta's own changes in personality as well as showing signs of further maturity not seen in her companions. She rarely plays pranks at all now and has shown remarkable insight. She can quite easily see gathered information in such a light as to pick out the various linkages and inconsistencies, allowing her to free fact from rumor and ultimately see the much larger picture. Naibu has often compared her to a chess champion as well, as she is always multiple "steps" ahead of her closest opposition or allies in terms of mental ability.

History
Kentaro fought against Haruki Satonaka sometime before the Collapse as part of their ongoing rivalry, with the result unknown, the conflict being witnessed by Harumi and Jinta Kanō. Unknown to all involved however was the fact Kenji and Van observed the match from afar as well, whilst comparing the rivalry to their own.

Synopsis

 * Main Article - Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Introduction Arc

 * Averian Strikes Back: Kentaro attacks Kenji!?
 * The Footsteps of Fate
 * Out On Their Own: The Conflict That Brought Them Together

The Hidden Shadows Arc

 * Wandering Aimlessly: Meeting the Mysterious White-Haired Girl
 * A Rock and a Hard Place: The Old Swordsman
 * Bestiality with a Kind Heart
 * A Time for Forgiveness
 * A Bold Scheme: The Best Laid Plans

Soul Society arc

 * A Diabolic Preparation
 * Soul Society arc: Infiltration
 * Soul Society arc: Exploration
 * Soul Society arc: Unification

Invasion of Kōhai Tochi arc

 * Challenging the Vices Saga

Equipment
Kidō Amplifier: A delicate silver ring with ivory inscriptions in an unknown language which Jinta originally bought from a merchant in Kōhai Tochi who did not know its true purpose or value, which he soon gave to Harumi as a gift. The ring is worn upon Harumi's middle finger on her right hand and strengthens each and every Kidō spell she uses regardless of type or elemental affinity, the upside being without increased energy consumption. The full power up is unknown as of yet, though judging by Harumi's reactions when she received it, the ring is indeed powerful. She has worn it ever since and is rarely without it.

Powers and Abilities
High Spiritual Energy: Harumi's spiritual energy is extremely large for someone of her young age and actual limited experience and she can control it exceptionally well, a feat which is usually attributed to her heritage and own impressive control over the flow and usage of spiritual energy as a whole. The sheer strength of her spiritual energy easily allows her to stand against seated officers and contend respectfully against lieutenant-level opponents, both as a consequence of her growing rivalry and friendship with Jinta Kanō and her tutelage under Naibu Shizuka. Surprisingly, Harumi possesses a rather forceful spiritual power, which is directly inherited from her mother, who was well known for her temper tantrums being directly linked to her spiritual energy; which in itself serves to intimidate those Harumi meets.

Swordsmanship Specialist: Having been trained from a young age by her father and Kenji Hiroshi, Harumi's skill in swordsmanship is very high in comparison to others her own age, which allowed her to easily hold her own and often overpower her fellow classmates whilst in the Academy. Her style of combat uses a great deal of movement, including flips, somersaults and twists in order to make her strikes unpredictable; giving her a great deal of dexterity. The fact she mixes it with Kidō attacks only adds to its complexity and devastating potential. Harumi usually utilizes an unorthodox style which includes the usage of her sheath, which is a style Kenji taught her based on his own experience as 's student. This style of combat has allowed her to become ambidextrous, which only serves to further confuse her opponents considering her acrobatic style, especially since she is fit to perfectly balance the individual strength of her hands which she takes full advantage of during battle situations.

Hakuda Combatant: Harumi hates using her hands during combat, but has shown a high level of skill with kicks, which has only advanced farther due to training received from Naibu. Her leg strength is high enough to dispatch low-level Hollow with a single kick, and due to this, she can jump incredibly high without the aid of Shunpo; a trait which sits well with her acrobatic usage of swordsmanship. Her sheer leg strength is often compared to the likes of Karis Nishiki, who also favors kicks.

Kidō Master: Despite her young age Harumi is a truly gifted Kidō prodigy whose sheer skill incorporates all known fields of Kidō usage. She is as dangerous with destructive spells as she is as masterful in the art of healing, and can quite easily alternate between the use of spells depending on the situation. Her greatest ability however is by far silent casting of spells and the ability to multi-cast, which is not to be confused with casting multiple different spells at once. Multi-casting allows Harumi to utilize the same spell multiple times per-single incantation, while retaining the full strength of each individual spell. Using this method she can layer barriers to drastically increase their defensive qualities; while silent casting allows her to use spells incredibly quickly with the element of surprise working in her favor. Suffice to say that Harumi's prodigal skill in Kidō is matched by few and bested by fewer, as at current, only Ino Hiroshi and Harumi's own mother have more skill and ability.


 * Fureaahoshi (フレアーほし, Flare Star): A unique Kidō technique created by Harumi herself and later refined within Kōhai Tochi. She generates several orbs of energy which glitter like stars, hence the name, which surround her body. By waving her hand, these orbs begin to spin around her before shooting towards an enemy following the shape of a wave. Each orb is created with minimal spiritual energy compressed multiple times which spins with incredible speed, which lends each sphere incredible cutting power. When contact is made even one orb is powerful enough to cause aggravated damage to powerful individuals, with sufficient explosions capable of leveling whole structures without trouble. Before and during the rescue of Akiye, Harumi refined the spell further into various sub-spells, each with varying effects. Jinta even remarked that the diversity of the spells formed where like a second zanpakutō.


 * Fureaahoshi: Jigoku no Kangoku (フレアーほし地獄の監獄, Flare Star: Hell's Prison): a defensive variation originally designed and utilized as an offensive to trap a target behind walls of spinning flames orbs which proceed to detonate violently. Harumi has also demonstrated using the circling formation of orbs as a form of array similar in many ways to the fabled wielded by one . This latter usage allows Harumi to encase herself and others in an ever moving array of fiery orbs that makes her all but immune to damage from even the fiercest of attacks.


 * Abiseru (浴びせる, Fling): the verbal command Harumi uses alongside the defensive use of Fureaahoshi: Jigoku no Kangoku. With this Harumi can literally "fling" orbs away as they spin, which explode with all the ferocity they were originally intended to erupt with.


 * Fureaahoshi: Jōshōryū (フレアーほし上昇龍, Flare Star: Rising Dragon): a much stronger and faster offensive variation of Fureaahoshi and one of Harumi's most recently revealed signature attacks, based somewhat on Kentaro's Kuroienmuryū and inspired by Jinta's Samazamahi. Instead of creating the orbs around her body as is normal, Harumi conjures them beneath her foes feet instead - with each orb giving birth to a single large, serpentine dragon cloaked in searing flames that assaults a single enemy apiece with fangs, claws and flames before twirling around to slam them into the floor, where the usual explosion occurs. All-in-all, the attack causes immense damage should the entire sequence take place.


 * Enjeru (エンジェル, Angel): A unique Kidō technique created by Harumi herself. When the technique is used, the energy forms around her back which takes the appearance of an angel spreading its wings for flight. This energy then flies into the sky, where it then falls upon a target, healing their wounds and restoring some of their spiritual energy. By using more energy, Harumi can use this to heal multiple targets quickly, although this latter version drains her own reserves of energy. The severity of the wounds in question also plays a part, as healing even some of Yurei Mizuki's wounds in Soul Society tired her out to the point that Ashni forbid her trying again until she had rested herself sufficiently.

Shunpō Specialist: Harumi's Shunpō is advanced enough to allow her to keep up with Kentaro's Sonído for extended periods of time. She often employs this to spring into the air before delivering a strike, in order to attack from an aerial standpoint, or to surprise her enemies. Her litheness and dexterity is nothing short of amazing, as she can run rings around most opponents of her own level.

Zanpakutō
Kasukaeizou (かすかえいぞう, Hazy Reflection) is the name of Harumi's zanpakutō. Its sealed appearance is that of a basic katana blade, though the blade's length is actually closer to that of a nodachi; with white hilt wrapping and a plain, circular shaped guard to protect her hand during battle. The base of the hilt has a slight, decorative bend that sports a dirty yellow-colored horse-hair tassel that blows lazily in the wind.


 * : Kasukaeizou is released by the command, "It is our illusions that create the world". Her sealed zanpakutō remains, and a second, small dagger-like blade with a thin guard with two forward pointing, looped circles appears in her free hand. The weapon is attached to the base of her sealed zanpakutō via a long, durable chain. The release of her zanpakutō covers the entire area in a thick haze that allows Harumi to use her various illusions and water-attuned abilities.


 * Shikai Special Abilities: Kasukaeizou is water-illusion-type, allowing Harumi to employ various optical illusions as a form of misdirection in battle situations by manipulating the mist to show various things which aren't actually there to begin with. Upon the release of her zanpakutō, Harumi shrouds the entire area in a thick haze that limits an opponents overall visibility, and ultimately their ability to fight back. By merging with the mist itself, Harumi can attack an opponent without revealing herself to them, while at the same time appearing as though she is attacking from countless different directions all at the one time while remaining relatively safe from counter attacks. While the illusions conjured by Kasukaeizou effect only one of the five senses, this makes them quite potent, as the power of the illusion is not effecting several of the senses at one time; making the mist-based illusions more difficult to break, though someone skilled in the use of illusions can indeed break them, as shown by how Naibu Shizuka did just that, though not easily.


 * Water Manipulation: Harumi can also utilize water as a weapon, seemingly by drawing water molecules from the air, believed to be inherited from her father. When in this state, she can direct the liquid like a stream via hand motions and make much more potent uses of liquid in general, like drowning her enemies. This water is also very respondent to Harumi's own Kidō, and can take different forms depending on what form of elemental Kidō, an example being electricity, is used in conjunction with it.


 * : Not yet Revealed.