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This article, Kaede Kiseki, is property of Zf6hellion |
| Overview |
| Kaede Kiseki | |
| |
| Race | Human (Quincy) |
| Birthday | May 25 |
| Age | 25 |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 180cm (5'11") |
| Weight | 69kg (152lb.) |
| Blood Type | AB |
| Professional Status | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Wandenreich |
| Occupation | Store Clerk |
| Epithet | "P" — "The Polymorph" |
| Military Branch | Sternritter |
| Partner | Haiiro Hoshi |
| Base of Operations | Silbern, Seireitei Maken Apartment Complex, Inaba City |
| Personal Status | |
| Relatives | Kabashiro Kiseki (Father) Kirari Kiseki (Mother) |
| Education | Quincy Techniques University Level |
| Primary Skill | |
| Spirit Weapon | Reishi Rifle |
| Signature Skill | Shapeshifting |
| First Appearance | |
| Story | Bleach: Equilibrium |
| Roleplay | Balance of Souls: Collapse |
- "Shapeless Perfection."
- —Hellion
Kaede Kiseki (奇跡 楓, Kiseki Kaede) is an Echt Quincy and member of the Wandenreich. She is designated as Sternritter "P" — "The Polymorph". She hails from Inaba city in Tottori Prefecture of Honshū, Japan. Her partner is Haiiro Hoshi, a fellow Quincy that she has known since childhood.[1]
Appearance[]
Kaede is a young woman of Japanese descent that is taller than most of her peers with an athlete's physique; properly toned with clear muscle and fat distribution for her weight class. She has black hair with red dyed tips that reaches as far as her neck, it naturally frames the sides of her face and curves into frills at the ends. Her eyebrows are thin and slightly curved, immaculately groomed at all times, her eyes are amber in colour and rather sharply angled in shape. She has a small nose that curves sharply as it nears the end, she has thin nostrils that look almost like thin cuts. She has small lips that naturally appear pursed often covered by a light gloss that accents their natural redness with shine. She wears a highly customized variation of the Wandenreich uniform that consists of a white cap with a black peak, an extremely long white scarf that wraps around her shoulders twice with each end hanging down from behind either of her shoulders, the left end is emblazoned with the Wandenreich symbol. An article of clothing she shares with her partner. Instead of the typical trench coat, Kaede wears a white leather jacket with long sleeves and a raised collar. A simple black half cut t-shirt is worn beneath, protecting her modesty though leaving her midriff exposed. A Sanrei Glove rests on her left hand, black in colour, it covers the majority of her hand though leaves the index and middle fingers as well as the thumb exposed, it also appears to open up at the center of the palm. A belt wraps around her waist, looping around twice and hanging down at an angle towards the left, her assorted Seele Schneider and a pouch containing Gintō tubes are attached to them. Her legs are covered by plain white trousers and sleek, black combat boots.
Personality[]
- "Hahaha! Look, Haiiro, my article, it's perfect! Right, right?"
"...Not again Kaede."" - —Fourth wall breaking with Haiiro Hoshi and Kaede Kiseki.
Kaede Kiseki.
Described as being wise beyond her years for much of her younger life, Kaede pushes forward on being a generally mature and grown up young woman. She acts with proper manners and terms of respect as noted by whatever relationship she has with the people around her, the only exception being that of Haiiro Hoshi whom she speaks to on a first name basis and without the use of honourifics. Whilst genuinely polite on a basic level and more than capable of being able to tell when someone is winding her up, she nonetheless suffers from a very short temper and can quickly lose her cool in a matter of seconds at the slightest annoyance. Often times at Haiiro's expense when she takes out her frustrations on him with physical force. In fact she carries around a lengthy line gauge just for the effort of punishing those that offend her sensibilities for long enough, she affectionately refers to this particular punishment aid as Batsu-san (罰さん, Mr. Punishment).
Kaede is a perfectionist to a rather obsessive degree, in her eyes everything has to stand up to a perfect standard, anything falling even the slightest touch short is a failure, plain and simple. Her streak is extremely excessive, spending three hours every morning making sure she has everything she needs in perfect order seems completely normal to her but crazy to most others. Her perfectionism pervades much of her daily life and is even present in her duties as a Quincy. Her uniforms are always immaculate, the store where she works gleams with cleanliness and every shelf is stacked in some kind of order or another that differs from aisle to aisle. She sometimes dips into the maladaptive side, setting herself up for lofty goals that are more or less physically impossible even for someone as spiritually powerful as herself. Depression is quick to set in when she realizes this which leaves her at her most vulnerable until she comes to grips with the situation and moves on, its at these times that her relationship with Haiiro takes a less one-sided twist as she often relies on him more heavily in the interim.
In spite of her obsession with perfection in everything and her hair trigger temper Kaede is actually rather casual normally, whilst she refers to those around her with respectful terms, the rest of her speech is laced with flippancy or a lack of seriousness. She prefers to be on a friendly basis with almost everyone she meets, this is perhaps an attempt to rail against the rather fearsome reputation she has obtained around Inaba as the "Chishima Enken" (怨魂血縞, Blood-Streak Fiend), a result of her abusive tendencies towards Haiiro and others at times, bringing up the name within earshot of her is an even quicker way to make her blow a fuse however. Though she is generally energetic, she is quick to fall into boredom when in areas of relative static or where there is little for her to actually occupy herself with. Most notable is when she is working, when the store falls into a lull she herself becomes rather grey and dull, even speaking in depressive tones. Outside of work, it is easy to tell when she's bored as she takes to messing with Haiiro's hair, often trying to form the spikes on his fringe into the shape of a star, much to his vexation.
In combat she is far more reserved, reacting calmly to whatever situations might arise during a battle. She prefers to take step lightly and pay heed to every motion that goes on, reacting step by step to a field that is ever changing, though she is terribly lacking in foresight as a result and often times forgets that those not physically present on the battlefield can affect it regardless. She is very much a ranged combatant, preferring to make use of her mastery in Gintō spells and the great range afforded by her Spirit Weapon. By default she acts as the support to Haiiro's primary, boxing in opponents or making it difficult to hamper him by raining down Heilig Pfeil if not a barrage of Gintō. Using her unique ability she can draw herself into a more front line position, transforming into various tools and weapons for her partner to use. Though she is capable of great versatility at close range, she ultimately despises being close to her opponents which can cause her to act frantically when the gap is closed if she has little warning preceeding it. In addition, while it appears muted for the most part, her hair trigger temper remains exclusively in reaction to whenever Haiiro does something deserving of her (easily earned) ire. Unlike her casual self, she isn't prone to hitting her partner instead she simply fumes in place, stomping around and causing a scene, to the confusion of both Haiiro and her opponents. She has a deathly fear of blood, often mentally locking up at the mere sight of it if not irrationally freaking out, though she sees thankfuly little of it as a result of spiritual attacks being more akin to burning and bruises than cuts or scars.
Kaede is an avid swimmer, which she says is how her hair ended up naturally frilling up as it has. She has an early morning routine that she rarely deviates from, consisting of whatever preparations she specifically needs each day as well a constant morning jog, included among these duties is to wake up Haiiro earlier than he would naturally, usually with the aid of an alarm clock, or several. She is a skilled cook though she has a nasty habit of experimenting with the meals she makes to disasterous effect. She loves mitarashi dango, often eating more than a dozen in one sitting if given the chance, though her favourite dish happens to be deviled crab which she makes a habit of having at least once a week. Other than swimming, she is a fan of general travel and uses her duties under the Wandenreich as an excuse to visit places that she otherwise wouldn't. One of her dreams is to drag Haiiro on a round trip across the world. She also has a secret guilty pleasure in enjoying Mahou Shoujo series. When writing she signs her name in a manner similiar to her partner, written as "Kiseki◎Kaede".
History[]
Kaede was born some twenty five years ago into the Kiseki family, a clan of pureblooded Quincy with widespread influence through Inaba city. Though they respected and followed the traditions of their people, they preferred to remain a neutral party overall and so remained unconnected with the Wandenreich. Amongst other things such as a vast knowledge of Gintō and control over Kishi, that was unique to the clan, they also held the maintenance of a pureblooded lineage as a priority. To this end, they made a habit of meeting with other Quincy clans through out Japan in order to strengthen relationships. This would include the Hoshi family, another group of Quincy that lived within Inaba and regularly met with the Kiseki household.
Kaede had her first run in with the family at the age of six when she encountered Haiiro Hoshi being picked on by a group of bullies. Being as boisterious as she was, Kaede attacked and chased them away. The two introduced themselves before Haiiro's mother, distraught at having him go missing temporarily, scolded and took him away. They would meet again not long after at a meeting of the two families, upon recognizing each other they decided to become friends. Much to the delight of both families, who had professed an interest in an arranged marriage in the near future. During this time Kaede grew close to her father, Kabashiro, through a joint love of both swimming and jogging, only for her father to disappear suddenly coinciding with the disappearance of Haiiro's mother. Unbeknownst to the two their parents had joined the Wandenreich, an act that had the Kiseki's disowning Kabashiro.
As was traditional within the family, Kaede was to be trained as a Quincy, with a priority on developing her spiritual control and master over the Quincy art of spell casting known as Gintō. She started at age eight, and could already form the basic Spirit Weapon, Kojaku (弧雀, Arc Sparrow) before even a year had passed. Her training under her family was cut short a few years later when she returned home one day to find the family compound devastated, the entirety of her family slaughtered at the hands of an unknown assailant. Though she never saw the assailant, she had felt a Hollow-like Reiatsu moments before arriving home. Though it would prove little in the way of help due to the pervasive nature of Hollows across other beings such as Fullbringers, Visored and even Togabito. Nonetheless the trauma of seeing every part of her family decimated led to her developing an extreme fear of blood as well as a subtle but blooming hatred for most if not all spiritual beings. The aftermath of the attack affected Haiiro as well, distraught at his friend's depression he created the mask of a constantly positive personality in order to cheer her up to varying degrees of success.
Though she ultimately declined an offer to stay with the Hoshi household, she accepts the support they provided her during her return to her own home. She would continue training in the Quincy arts using the knowledge and equipment that her family had stockpiled over the years in addition to rigorous training with Haiiro. Together they took up the role as Inaba city's protectors, slaying Hollows when they became aware of them and scaring off whatever Shinigami was assigned to the area. They even had enough time to graduate highschool, in spite of frequent absences and "anti-social" personalities as deemed by the school they attended. Life continued, with the pair of Quincies enrolling in university.
In the proceeding years they found themselves approached by Roshan Bamshad, an emissary from the Wandenreich who informed the duo that their parents had joined the organization and were subsequently killed in battle. He offered them a chance to join the group if they were willing to go through an initiation test, eager to prove their mettle, the duo accepted. They were transported to Hueco Mundo for the duration of the exercise where they were pitted against Hollows of varying class, by accident they happened to run afoul of the greatest of the lifeless realm's denizens; a Vasto Lorde. While the duo were ultimately incapable of defeating the powerful Hollow, the fact that they could fight it to a stand-still let alone withstand its massive spiritual pressure was a testament to their potential. Deciding to interfere in the events, Roshan assisted in besting the Vasto Lorde. Once he had gotten the drop on the creature, he held him at point blank but allowed his Spirit Weapon to dissipate in response to the beast's demand that he simply kill him without wasting time, Roshan would cite that he was simply an observer before Haiiro and Kaede struck suddenly with a pair of Seele Schneider each, severing several vital areas at once.
With the Persian Quincy's recommendation, the pair were entered into Wandenreich as Soldat. This created a struggle between their duties with the organization and their roles as students in the World of the Living, forcing the pair to eventually drop out as a result of a low tolerance policy and their loyalty to their joint heritage coming first.
After proving themselves a cut above the rest, and over a few years of service, the two were enrolled into the elite forces of the Wandenreich, the Sternritter. Kaede was granted the epithet "The Polymorph" in contrast to her father who had been known under "The Therianthrope", her partner Haiiro, was known as "The Underworld" as well.
Plot[]
Balance of Souls Arc[]
Kaede and Haiiro are at the Musō Dōjō in Inaba on the night that the Balancers break free of the Muken. Kaede had fallen asleep watching the Kendōka go about their practice, giving Haiiro the idea to prank her by stealing one of her dango before jostling her away. Unsurprisingly she reprimands him physically and verbally, slapping him across the face with her signature ruler.
Eating the flavoured dumplings she hits Haiiro again as he claims the punishment was worth it for the look on her face. Moments later, a shockwave ripples through the city, scaring the other attendants of the Dōjō and causing the Quincy to heave as if to be sick. They recognize a presence of Reiatsu and hastily leave the building in order to investigate, with Haiiro pestering Kaede about her Seele Schneider on the way.
Arriving at the source, they come face-to-face with Balancer Marshal, Sūn Zhōng who had been basking in the sights of the Human World after having broken free of his prison in Soul Society. He vanished from their sights, spiritual energy and all, leaving the two Quincy lost with Kaede commenting on it before both of them feel a hand grip their shoulder. Instinctively they flee from the grasp, twirling around to face the Balancer once again. Stating that they will not mar his view, Zhōng activates a previously placed Netsu Tenohira spell causing both Quincy to explode.
Kaede emerges from the cloud in a descent, having activated Blut Vene to defend herself, she quickly corrects her positioning whilst summoning her Spirit Weapon, Kamishita Mushūben before unleashing a volley of Heilig Pfeil at Zhōng only for him to counter with Zunōka Akudō, a spell which conjures a group of massive snakes of fire. The spell intercepts Kaede's arrows causing a series of explosions in the air, which dissipate to reveal that the snakes have doubled in number.
Kaede breaks into a flight, utilizing the power of Hirenkyaku to evade the burning spells while fending them off with further Heilig Pfeil only for them to continue increasing in number. Seeing her attacks as fruitless, she gives up on trying to destroy the snakes with force and continues her flight into a nearby building, using Blut Vene to smash through the window without damaging herself. She escapes out of an opposite window, becoming shocked as she witnesses the apartment ignite in flames as the serpents penetrate its confines.
With a temporary reprieve, she retrieves a Gintō tube from a pouch on her waist and uses it to perform her signature spell Reichsadler. Numerous eagle-shaped projectiles take shape from the spiritualized liquid, fanning out and then converging on Zhōng. In that time, the flame snakes were able to break free of the building and continued their relentless pursuit. Fumbling, Kaede drops a second Gintō which happens to clash with one of the snakes. The container disintegrating under the heat causes the liquid contents to pour out, dissipating the snakes in the process.
Returning her attention to the Balancer, she notices that Haiiro has been caught in his grasp, screaming for him to move somehow. Its too late as her Reichsadler consumes both men in a powerful explosion. She watches on as a single figure darts out of the cloud, revealing itself to be Haiiro having activated his own Blut Vene at the last minute. He berates her for attacking him whilst she fumes in response for his lack of attention for the situation.
Making it clear that he survived the explosion as well, the cloud left behind is consumed by a purple cloud of miasma, conjured by his Jiūkǔndao, Wēnyì.
Haiiro murmurs that they need to give it their all in response. Kaede gives a moody nod in response before complaining about not wanting to user her power so early. Her body breaks down into Reishi as she makes use of her power, the The Polymorph in order to transform her body into a sword for Haiiro to wield. Using it, Haiiro briefly clashes with Zhōng before breaking off after realizing that the source of the purple cloud is the man's dagger. Noticing Haiiro gasping for air, Kaede asks if he's okay to which he responds that she needn't worry about him.
Later, after being consumed by the purple cloud, Haiiro is left on the ground, coughing and clamming up. Kaede asks if he is okay once more only for him to confirm that he had breathed in the gaseous substance during the fight. Zhōng attacks again, briefly colliding blades with the male Quincy before knocking the sword away from him, sending Kaede a fair distance away. Witnessing her comrade being stabbed, Kaede converts herself back into Human form in order to rush to his side. Seeing the blood seeping from his wound, Kaede becomes shaken and inert, memories of her family's demise playing over and over in her head.
They are incapable of preventing Zhōng as he begins to cast Mokushiroku Yomo no Kabe, though he stops the spell when he is interrupted by the arrival of Hán Fāng, Hán Zhāng and Dàn Tài Sin.[1]
Some time later, Ho-jin Kwon happens upon Kaede and tries to question her with nary a response in light of her hemophobia. Ho-jin offers her a medicinal vial, which she weakly takes and has Haiiro ingest causing his wounds to seal up in seconds. The Korean Quincy tries to question her a second time but still receives no response. Waking up from his injuries, Ho-jin and Haiiro go over the events in an attempt to discern what had occurred but little is uncovered beyond Zhōng's name and apparently high rank within whatever organization he is apart of. By the time Ho-jin's squad return, Kaede's reaction has died down somewhat allowing her to question Ho-jin on the severity and spread of the attack on them and other Quincy.
Ho-jin reveals that there have been attacks on other Sternritter in Europe and Hueco Mundo, telling them that they should return to headquarters for more information on the situation. Agreeing, they exit the area through the use of Schatten.[2]
Kaede and the others arrive in Soul Society, at the Gate of the Sun where they are quickly surrounded by other teams of arriving Sternritter and Soldat, including the acting Regent, Roshan Bamshad. Kaede watches on, attempting to keep calm as the situation becomes increasingly chaotic. Failing to do so, she screams at them to stop acting like idiots. Aileen McFarlane agrees with her, claiming that rather than bicker like school children, they should be planning for a counterattack against their new enemies. With some annoyance, Haiiro eventually agrees as well. She shudders, hearing Roshan pop his dislocated shoulder back into place.[3]
Later, at the meeting in Silbern's throne room, Kaede chats idly with Aileen and Haiiro, discussing the power of the Balancers' rank-and-file. Haiiro offers up the belief that they won't be much of a fight and Kaede replies that they might be able to give them a run for their money, clearly thinking about the situation. She remains quiet for the rest of the meeting until Roshan asks for volunteers for their excursion into Hell. Kaede is quick to raise her arm, only out paced by an eager Amala Kshatriya.
Together with Haiiro, Timothy Jones, HK-105, Kerri Byrne and Girado Riendo Mariposa, Kaede is chosen to accompany Zetsubō Usuguraiboshi into Hell.[4]
Gathered in the hall outside of the throne room, Kaede asks Timothy what their plan of action is given his role as their leader for the assignment. After a briefing of detail regarding their mode of transport and Hell's wardens, Zetsubō creates a portal into the underworld with Enkaiō Sakeme, each of the team entering it at their own pace. Haiiro comments that they should move so as not to be left behind, agreeing she grabs him by the arm and pulls him through the portal.
Once in Hell, Kaede comments on the dense and oppressive Reiatsu blanketing the area, noting that it feels mangled. Haiiro jeers at her which she responds to with the usual punishment. A Kushanāda notices them and begins to approach, only for it to be cut down by Zetsubō. Kaede attempts to remark that they should avoid getting on his bad side but she is cut off by HK-105 as it warns the group that the Kushanāda survived the attack as more of them begin to arrive.
She gets the feeling that battling the Hell wardens is futile after their most powerful attackers fail to disable even one of them, stating as much to Haiiro when he comments on the need for a stronger attack when they get home. With Zetsubō unable to conjure his portal for the time being and Girado unwilling to wait around, the group attempt to flee towards a gaping hole at the heart of the dimension.
With Haiiro ushering her to move, Kaede complains that things are going to get stupid from now on before following him. All of them escape through the abyss, finding themselves emerging in a sea of yellow clouds.
When the group decide to continue onwards, leaving behind Timothy and HK-105 to face Dan Tai Sin and Daisuke Takeda, Kaede questions if its really right to leave them, Haiiro claims he knew she had a crush on Timothy while Kerri states that they should be fine. Obviously annoyed, she berates Haiiro for his antics before striking him with Batsu-san. Girado then forces Zetsubō into the sea surrounding them, and Kaede does the same to Haiiro before diving into the water herself.[5]
Kaede and Haiiro emerge from the sea of the Second Level, arriving in the sky of the Third. Coughing up water, Haiiro demands that Kaede never do that again. She nags at him playfully telling him that this was the perfect chance to teach him how to swim.
With Girado wiping Kerri's earwax off on Haiiro, the boy seethes, claiming that he'll be on the receiving end of Batsu-san for this, though Kaede denies him, stating that it only responds to her putting on the airs of a sage before saying that she could never let it near Haiiro's wax fingers. They all continue on to the next level as Zetsubō creates another portal which deposits them in the Fourth Level of Hell. Deferring to Zetsubō, Kaede asks which way they should go remarking on the skeletal pillars in the distance.
The group fall into a position of readiness when their spiritual senses flare up, Haiiro attempts to give Kaede his gathered Gintō as he says that she's better at using them than he is. She complains that he would be better if he stopped giving them to her all the time but reluctantly adds them to her own supply.
As Black rises up before them, Haiiro asks Kaede to tell him he's dreaming. Too shocked to reply, she absent mindedly pinches his cheek with her fingers. When the beast lets out a deafening roar, a rippling effect passes through the group, striking at the balance of the Reishi composing their bodies. Feeling this effect, Kaede vomits. She yells out in confusion after the fact, wiping at some minor bits of puke left behind with a handkerchief.
With the battle beginning, Haiiro states that they should go and she grabs onto his arm, both of them using Hirenkyaku at perfect pace with each other. Zetsubō and Haiiro attack together, using Sōren Sōkatsui and a flurry of Heilig Pfeil respectively. Using her power, Kaede shifts into the form of an arrow, masking herself in with Haiiro's attack. The combined attack has no effect, Kaede shifting back into her normal form, complaining about the hardiness of the beast as she rubs a sore spot on her head.
Shrugging off the pain, she draws out a pair of Gintō saying that its time to test out her latest spell. She splashes out the liquids freely to create a haphazard circle that mends itself before activating Spaltung. She leaps away from Black, forming her Spirit Weapon before calling on her allies to focus their attacks on the point of her spell, unleashing a storm of Heilig Pfeil of her own. As her allies follow her command, she recites the incantation of the spell in order to trigger it. The force of the blow causes Black to be knocked to the side but suffers no real damage. When it retaliates, Kaede flees from the area with Hirenkyaku.
As they are intercepted by Black unleashing several Cero, Kaede attempts to escape once more by shapeshifting into a featureless black box, allowing herself to plummet towards the earth through gravity. A second Cero fires out ahead of her descent, knocking her right out of the sky with its sheer power. The damage caused her to revert to her Human form, a trail of smoke streaming off of her as she crashed towards the ground at an angle. She skided across the ground, ruining her jacket and severely damaging her arm causing her to bemoan her lack of success.
Before she could return to the frey, she was snatched up by Girado who had been using Sonído to escape harm on his own. The Arrancar ordered Kaede and Haiiro to acquire the rest of their allies and to bring them to a specific destination which he marked with use of a small indigo Cero. Breaking up, Kaede goes after Zetsubō, arriving by his side moments after the Tsumikami suffered a heavy blow from their Hollow opponent. Seeing him try to continue the fight with raw power, Kaede tells him that they don't have time for that. She is shocked to see him respond to her so easily, and her composure further breaks after witnessing Girado utilize the power of his Reflejo technique. Shrugging it off, she leaves with Zetsubō.[6]
As a powerful shockwave ripples through the canyon they had taken refuge in, Kaede shuts her eyes in order to prevent the rising dust from getting into her eyes. Cautiously opening them only after she was sure it had settled. Her eyes scanned for details, looking for Kerri and Haiiro whilst she spoke up and asked if Zetsubō was okay. The Tsumikami asks why she would care and that she should be more focused on the livelihood of her friends. Responding, she states that she was simply being efficient, using her eyes for them and her voice for him before saying that he should be glad at least one of them care about his well being.
With the arrival of Girado, they begin planning on how to deal with the gargantuan, and now empowered, Black. As Girado brings up that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto once fought him, Zetsubō claims to have killed the former Captain-Commander, though Kaede contests this believing that Yhwach had done so. Eliciting a negative reaction from the powerful Togabito to which Haiiro states that they shouldn't question him. Kaede affirms his statement and readies to move towards the battle.
Leaving the canyon Kaede, and the others, are assaulted by an enormous aura of Reiatsu, pulling all of them to their knees with Girado mockingly stating that they should come up with a proper plan of action. During her fall, Girado was able to grab Kaede and suffuse her with spiritual power, seemingly possessing her in the process. Girado speaks through her, telling them that he can bolster the Reiryoku of the younger Quincy in order to allow them to fight, as he himself cannot currently. Kaede then reaches out for Haiiro, causing the same to happen to him.
Girado becomes silent after commanding the group, allowing Kaede to control herself once more, she shoots off toward Black with Hirenkyaku. She stops using the technique in its more effort capacity, opting to fly through the air as she draws closer. Forming Kamishita Mushūben, she attacks with a swarm of bullet shaped Heilig Pfeil which do nothing to harm Black, but nonetheless earns its attention. The creature retaliates with a Cero which Kaede avoids followed up by a swing of its arm. She avoids this too, narrowly, only to be assaulted by the winds swept up in the power that the creature carries. Unable to fight free of the torrent, she is smashed hard against the ground though she is able to mitigate some of it and quickly rights herself afterward.
Girado reveals that his presence has given them "gifts", before her new wounds regenerate instantly. She ignores his attempts to chat afterward, remaining focused on fending off Black. Haiiro regroups with her and they quickly become targets once more, the colossal Hollow bearing down on them with Cero Escisión. They beat a hasty retreat, carried on by the beast's impetus for fear that they would be eradicated by its own momentum if they slowed down for a moment.
Witnessing the blast that they had just escaped, Haiiro quips that they should've made a plan of attack, Kaede asks if they could really plan around Godzilla. She takes out several Gintō at this time, reciting an incantation in order to cast Reichsadler, a wave of Reishi eagles flying out to attack Black, it responds by wiping out the spell with a continuous onslaught of Cero before dropping down onto all fours to better pursue its prey. The creature attacks them with its massive and powerful jaws, causing them both to flee with Hirenkyaku, Kaede using her spiritual senses to track and follow Haiiro. She appears beside him just in time for Black to swing down with its arm in an attempt to crush them. Reacting on instinct, Kaede activates Blut Arterie and delivers a powerful dropkick to Haiiro's head, pushing the boy out of its path, the force of her kick allowing her to escape in the opposite direction. Right into the path of its maw, which closes over her, consuming her in darkness.
Later, a series of explosions erupt around Black's mouth, a shapeshifted Kaede breaking free in the form of a small orb that quickly becomes lost in the rubble of the conflict. She shifts to Human form and escapes to a better vantage point after seeing Black writhe in pain. When Haiiro finally notices her return, he yells out in disbelief, she yells at him in turn asking rhetorically who else could it have been. She manages to restrain herself from anything more than verbal abuse and demands that he refrain from attacking his allies.
As Black assaults the area with his Artillery Spikes, Kaede weaves through them, evading them as they attempt to spear her. As Black cornered her partner, she attempted to get close in order to provide assistance but repeatedly finds her path blocked by descending spears. She yells his name as her Quincy comrade is engulfed in a sea of spiritual fire and attempts to rush towards him in spite of the consequences. Her flight is cut short and she finds herself smashed into the earth by one of the spikes, though saved from impalement by Blut Vene. She is further wracked with pain as Black's death knell echoes out through the air, an explosion of tremendous spiritual power.
She pulls herself together, stressing that she'll never do something like that again as exhaustion quickly takes over her body prompting Haiiro to ask about her well being. She remarks that he should check back in a year, or three, and they'll see by then. As the group decide to leave, Kaede finds herself commenting that Ho-jin will be a jerk about their failure.[7]
It is during the conflict in Soul Society that Kaede and the others return, emerging in the Einsicht labs with Girado's use of Hell Kidō. Zetsubō remarks that the Balancers have already invaded, and Kaede points out that they are all across the Rukongai, sensing numerous spiritual presences.
Though exhausted, she forces herself to move and tells Haiiro that they're leaving, intending to head out to the battle. Before they can get far, Girado stops them and offers them vials of Vida Sopa, stating that he had a way to give them a "boost" before departing on his own. Throwing caution to the wind, Kaede is quick to inject herself with the drug and watches as its effects quickly wash over her, greatly healing her wounds and rejuvenating her previously exhausted form. As she flexes off her recharged system, Haiiro calls her compares her to a cheesy manga protagonist. Unoffended, she asks if that would be so bad. She is quick to shrug off Zetsubō's attempt to leave Kerri in their care, instead leaving her care with the nearby scientists as she leaves the lab.[8]
Equipment[]
Kaede's cross.
Quincy Cross (滅却十字 (クインシー・クロス), Kuinshī Kurosu; Japanese for "Destruction Cross"): A symbol that sets each Quincy apart, as well as the source of their powers. It is believed to grow in power alongside its wielder, possibly even changing in shape to reflect that growth. Kaede's cross closely resembles a coptic cross with eight points extending from the center, all four at the diagonal points turning into crosses at the end. The Northern most arm is used as the top and is attached to a chain that wraps around Kaede's wrist on her right arm.
Seele Schneider: (魂を切り裂くもの (ゼーレシュナイダー), Zēreshunaidā; German for "Soul Cutter", Japanese for "That Which Slits the Soul"): A thin silver-coloured tool with a small rectangular hook on the bottom, large enough to fit a single finger, is a weapon used by the Quincy that bears great resemblance to a sword when activated, in particular by generating a beam of spiritual energy that takes the shape of a blade, but is in fact a very powerful arrow. The Reishi that makes up the glowing blue blade of a Seele Schneider travel at an amazing speed, making three million round trips across the edge per second. The vibrations generated by this are not only meant for cutting, but also to weaken the bonds between the spiritual energy of whatever it happens to cut thus making them easier for a Quincy to capture. A battle for the Quincy is one of gathering surrounding Reishi to use as a weapon making the Seele Schneider the most potent manifestation to this principle. Its functionality as a spiritual weapon makes it better against those who are physically powerful as spiritual impact will always over power a physical impact of equal strength. Though she carries a staggering twelve Seele Schneiders, Kaede is not a melee fighter, and has her unique abilities in shapeshifting to fall back on in the event that she does end up close to an opponent, she does not use them for close ranged combat instead keeping them exclusively for use in her Gintō spells or as backups should Haiiro lose his in the frey.
Bankai Stealing Medallion: A seal that takes the form of a simple badge, developed by the Wandenreich as a way to counteract the ultimate weapon of any Shinigami. On average they are believed to be able to capture any Bankai that emits a spiritual wavelength above a certain point. The lower that wavelength, the more difficult it is to capture the weapon. In addition to the requirement of a high enough spiritual signature, those who had achieved Bankai Mastery or had an otherwise perfect bond with their Zanpakutō were incapable of having their Bankai stolen. As a member of the Stern Ritter, Kaede carries one of these Medallions, but has yet to make use of its power on account of having met no Shinigami capable of using Bankai.
Kaede's Sanrei Glove.
Sanrei Glove (散霊手套, Sanrei Shutō; lit. Spirit-Scattering Hand Envelope): A simple looking but otherwise powerful piece of Quincy equipment, the Sanrei Glove is the gateway to the ultimate abilities that they can acquire, namely the Quincy: Letzt Stil and the Quincy: Vollständig. Naturally the Sanrei Glove repels Reishi making it far more difficult for Quincy to form their signature Spirit Weapons whilst it is worn, this is part of a week long training sessions where the Quincy has to not only keep their Spirit Weapon formed for the entire period but also fire Heilig Pfeil as often as possible during that same period. If successfully completed, the Quincy gain the potential to further increase their power to a greater degree. Kaede wears hers on her left hand and does not typically use it form the Sanrei Bow, as her own Spirit Weapon, Kamishita Mushūben surpasses it in general overall strength.
Powers & Abilities[]
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Master Marksman: As with those who use the bow, those who wield guns become more accurate and adjusted to using them the more that they make use of them, though the hurdles they must overcome are different. Though bows require a strong arm to properly pull back an arrow in order to loose it a great distance, guns are heavier and generate kickback, or recoil, with each shot forcing the user to readjust constantly. Coping and overcoming these drawbacks in order to remain precise and accurate is the skill of a marksman. Kaede not only believes herself to be a master but outright claims that she has achieved perfection as a marksman. As her skills in generating Spirit Weaponry improved so too did the quality of the guns she would make use of, originally utilizing weapons like pistols and submachine guns, as her body grew and strengthened she moved onto whatever unwieldy weapon her spiritual energy could handle before it finally settled on its current form as an assault rifle. Her skills were such that she could almost entirely eliminate the recoil each shot would generate allowing her to fire in successive bursts or automatically and still hit her target in whichever area she designated. She could fire at targets in all directions and easily hit them all at the same time, often equating her skills as too graceful to fail.
Great Intellect & Excellent Athleticism: Her skills with her Quincy abilities aside, Kaede has a greatly developed mental capacity and an even better physical peak. Having the competency to reach university level in spite of her perceived flaws is an achievement on its own and further still being able to manipulate something on the scale of a Garganta takes insane mental effort as a testament to what Kaede can do when she puts her mind to it. She is great at setting up plots and traps for enemies in a battle, making full use of her partners and her own abilities in the process. Having embraced physical activity as consistent hobbies, her body is more than ready for the challenges of stress and exertion. Though she is hampered by her aggressively critical nature, stressing over inconsequential things and wasting more energy than is required of specific efforts. Spiritual Awareness: The ability to sense spiritual energy and percieve spiritual beings is a rare skill that primarily manifests in humans after long exposure to a quantity of spiritual energy above a certain point. Most, if not all Quincy, are born with spiritual awareness and Kaede is no exception. Great Spiritual Power: The spiritual power of High-Spec Humans, even Quincy, is typically much smaller than their spiritual counterparts but it is not a state that is set in stone as made clear by the sheer power presented by Wandenreich's Stern Ritter who were clearly on par, if not above, Shinigami Captains in strength. In spite of her relatively young age, Kaede has spiritual power on par with Captain-level Shinigami and is strong enough to allow her to withstand the overbearing power of a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow. The Kiseki family is known for having great control over spiritual energy, something that was passed down to Kaede as well, she is able to make use of many Quincy abilities in succession or even in tandem without a single mistake, never overdrawing or underdrawing on the energy she needs. Though in spite of her control over it, she has a hard time masking her emotions contained in her Spiritual Pressure, often roaring out in a haze of feelings given any particular situation. Prominently displayed through her spirit weapons and various abilities, her spiritual energy is red-violet in colour. | |
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Reishi Absorption & Manipulation: All spiritually powerful beings utilize Reiryoku when fighting, but they are also paired with secondary aspects in order to create entirely divergent fighting styles and unique abilities. In the case of the Shinigami, they utilize the spiritual energy generated from their soul alongside a Zanpakutō to combat their enemies; essentially a power from within themselves. In direct contrast the Quincy draw in Reishi from the environment around them in order to form weapons and empower various techniques; a power garnered from the outside. They absorb this energy into their bodies and shape it according to their whims to devastating effect. This not only makes them a threat to Hollows and Shinigami on a general level, but when in places such as Hueco Mundo and Soul Society it essentially makes them living Gods, as these realms are composed entirely of Reishi and thus subject to the Quincy ability to absorb and transform it. When coupled with such a power as the Quincy: Vollständig they can even absorb the bodies of spiritual beings to take on their characteristics. The Kiseki clan do not only pride themselves on their unique grasp over Kishi but Reishi as well. Kaede has been rigorously taught through the methods of manipulation to the point of being defined more as an art than anything else. She has a masterful degree of control over the spiritual particles around her to the point that she could easily analyze the forms of Spirit Weapons and copy them to the deepest level. Her strength is such that Reishi and Reiryoku are ultimately the same in practice to her.
  Kaede as an explosive.
Gintō Master: Gintō refers to two things, a type of spellcasting, similiar to the Shinigami Kidō, and the tubes that contain liquified spiritual energy in order to perform this spellcasting. It is a powerful art, with spells as wide and varied as those used by the Shinigami but it is also a lost art with many of the Quincy having died following the first war between the Quincy and the Gotei 13, much of the records of those spells were lost and their practitioners with them. Kaede is perhaps best described as a prodigy when it comes to the art of Quincy spell crafting, not only is she adept in their use, but she has also constructed spells of her own with strength to rival any other spell, all while being mostly self-taught following the loss of her clan. She can recite incantations instantly from memory and empower her spells with tremendous power, she has no particular field of expertise, making a concentrated effort on being a master of all kinds of spell from defense to offence, and suplimentary to transportation.
Schatten (自己韜晦 (シャドー), Shaten; German for "Shadow"; Japanese for "Concealing One's Position"): A power supposedly restricted "to the chosen ones", it allows the Quincy to form a portal from their very own shadows, raising their hand to cast it over a surface which then extends far above and forming into a Quincy cross. The portal is capable of transporting entire groups of people. Kirchenlied: Sankt Zwinger (聖唱 (キルヒエンリード・サンタズイガー), Kiruhienrīdo: Santa Zuingaa; German for "Church Hymn: Saint Ward", Japanese for "Chant of the Gods: Santa Zwinger"): The ultimate defensive spell in any Quincy arsenal, said to bring down the might of God upon anyone foolish enough to enter its radius. Learning this spell is no easy feat, requiring an unparalleled level of skill and talent to be able to successfully train and master its intricate potential. While it is a spell made for defense, it is also a very capable offensive technique as well. To utilize it, small four rods are placed at set points on a battlefield and then reciting the proper incantation causing the spell to activate. In an instant a massive fortress composed of the Reishi in the surrounding area forms around whoever is foolish enough to be caught inside. A massive cross forms within the center of this spiritual fortress to ensure that the victims are trapped inside, incapable of escaping before its ultimately too late. Sankt Zwinger, works by turning the spiritual energy, specifically the Reiatsu exerted by those trapped inside against them. All of the Reishi within the fortress, including what is generated by those trapped inside is focused and compressed at the centre, essentially flooding opponents with so much spiritual energy that their body cannot handle it and begins to leak out energy which, finally, triggers the Sankt Zwinger to implode all around them causing horrific damage, if not instant death, to both the body and soul. The spell is best used on those who with large amounts of spiritual pressure, as the larger it is, the stronger the spell becomes those its compression of nearby Reishi can still be devastatingly lethal to weaker opponents. The major drawback of the spell is that it requires lengthy preperation in order to work, making it more suitable for large scale battle or traps. | |
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Kamishita Mushūben (髪舌無臭瓣, Lorikeet of the Scentless Petals): By drawing in the Reishi within the surrounding area, Quincy can form their signature Spirit Weapons. Kaede summons an assault rifle that closely resembles an AKMS, the metal of the gun appears as typical soul-synthesized silver but retains the red wood parts that appear almost as a signature characteristic of Russian weaponry. It retains all parts of a working weapon, even mounting a BS-1 Tishina underslung grenade launcher and three laser sights mounted around the barrel that emit a red-violet colour instead of the typical red lights expected of them. Though a powerful ranged opponent, the power of Kaede's Spirit Weapon is lesser than others of her level and usually requires multiple shots to kill even weaker Hollows or Shinigami. It is also limited by the fact that it actually needs to be "reloaded". Settling for no less than a perfect representation of her weapon, Kaede's bow utilizes a magazine made out of Reishi and periodically needs to regenerate it by sucking in more Spiritual Particles before firing again. It is little more than an aesthetically placed limitation but one that is present nonetheless. The barrel of her Spirit Weapon can hold a Seele Schneider for firing, or as use as a bayonet though the latter function renders her ability to form Heilig Pfeil temporarily unavailable.
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Tamiel (神の完 (タミエル), Tamieru; Japanese for "Perfection of God"): Activated through the Wandenreich-marked Sanrei Glove she wears, a positively massive level of Reiatsu is release, forming into a grandiose pillar of red energy that ends in the shape of a Quincy cross, when the energy dissipates Kaede emerges in her Quincy: Vollständig form. Her appearance is drastically altered by this form, her shirt extends to cover her midriff whilst a chestplate now rests over her upper chest, a pair of pauldrons appear on her shoulders, each emblazoned with a symbol in the same shape as her Quincy cross. She gains a pair of plated greaves over her trousers and the combat boots are reinforced by the appearance of a pair of metal sabatons. Her head is obscured within a bascinet-style helmet with an ovular frame and triangular face guard. It has two eye holes though the right is permanently obscured in shadow while the left emits a faint red light. Six wings appear behind her back in the shape of extremely long reuleaux triangles, the wings do not attach to her back and instead gravitate behind, a short distance away from her body. The wings are red-violet in colour, whilst all the armour generated by the transformation is black.
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Statistics
| Offence |
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80/100 | |||
| Defence |
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50/100 | |||
| Mobility |
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80/100 | |||
| Reiryoku |
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90/100 | |||
| Intelligence |
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80/100 | |||
| Strength |
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60/100 | |||
| Total |
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440/600 |
Trivia[]
- Kaede Kiseki can be translated as "Maple Marvel", making both her name and its translation alliterative.
- Kaede is partially based upon Tsubaki Nakatsukasa from Soul Eater, both of whom are characters capable of transforming into a variety of weapons or tools. This is also reflected in her partnership with Haiiro Hoshi, similiarly based on Black☆Star from the same series.
- Kaede's birthday of May 25th is the same date as Towel Day, a day where participants carry around a towel in tribute to Douglas Adams and his book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It also marks her as a Gemini.
- In Japanese, Kaede would refer to herself with the atashi (あたし) pronoun, which is informal in nature and often considered cute in Japan.
- The colour associated with Kaede is Amber, a shade of orange which, within Japanese colour culture, represents energy, warmth, flamboyance, and balance.
- Kaede's Vollständig is named after Tamiel, or Tâmîêl, a fallen angel and the fifth mentioned of 20 Watchers in the Book of Enoch. His name translates to "God is Perfect" or "Perfection of God".
- While Inaba city doesn't actually exist, Tottori Prefecture, where Kaede hails from, contains what was formerly known as Inaba Province, this is intended as a rather backhanded reference to Persona 4 as Inaba city is the primary setting of the game.
- The "team theme" for Haiiro and Kaede, as chosen by their authors is Ihojin no Yaiba from the Sword of the Stranger OST. A secondary theme serves as a cue for when they perform some incredible action or the success of a strategy takes place, that theme is Never Lose Myself from the Soul Eater OST. In the event of Kaede's death, the author imagines that Deai would be played.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Equilibrium, Collapse Part 3
- ↑ Equilibrium, Restitution Part 3
- ↑ Equilibrium, Restitution Part 4
- ↑ Equilibrium, Incursion Part 3
- ↑ Equilibrium, Incursion Part 4
- ↑ Equilibrium, Incursion Part 6
- ↑ Equilibrium, Incursion Part 7
- ↑ Equilibrium, Relapse Part 5
- ↑ Equilibrium, Deterioration Part 6
Battles[]
| Participants | Chapter(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Kaede & Haiiro vs. Sūn Zhōng | Collapse | Loss |
| Sternritter & Zetsubō vs. Kushanāda | Incursion | Draw, Quincy Retreat |
| Kaede, Haiiro, Kerri, Girado & Zetsubō vs. Black | Incursion | Win |
| Kaede & Haiiro vs. Sun Zhōng (Rematch) | Deterioration | Ongoing |