July 8
Female
Hikari is both a witch and a spiritualist, harboring an affinity for kitsune.
It has been rumored that the miko moonlights as an esoteric Goddess to those who are so inclined, granting good fortune and fulfilling wishes in exchange for worship that involves secret techniques to invoke her black magic. Knowledge of the deepest secrets of her worship are believed to grant unlimited power. The ability to trap a kitsune and force it to perform kitsunetsuki is but one of the powers that Hikari bestows upon her worshipers.
It is also believed that the witch is required to maintain a diet of human hearts, flesh, and blood to survive.
These are, of course, only rumors. For the most part, at least. In truth, Hikari was once a mere human, but has been blessed with many gifts to offer a longer than average lifespan. She is terribly vain and temperamental, but also very secretive of her past and the truth of her humanity.
She can oft be difficult to find, given her wandering nature.
History[]
To this day, Hikari still knows little to nothing about her mother, barring the sparse childhood recollections she has of the woman whose face is little more than a blur in her memories now. At the age of six, Hikari found herself left under the authority of a Shinto shrine, to be cared for by the shrine maidens there. It was no secret that, despite her young age, she had begun to show an inclination towards spirituality and divinative prowess. A strange child, she suffered from temperamental fits, occasionally working herself into such a state of rage that she would make herself violently sick, and remain bedridden for days after. Despite her self-damaging little tantrums, she was, for the most part, a placid and kind-natured little girl; soft-spoken and outwardly shy more often than anything else. It was due to these hysterics, though, coupled with her morbid fascination with the occult, that she was taken in by the shrine inhabitants and given the opportunity to become one herself.
Hikari spent the majority of her formative years undergoing intensive shamanistic training. She would learn how to communicate with kami and spirits of the deceased, as a medium, by being possessed by the spirits themselves. The rituals she practiced as part of her daily routine were designed to teach her how to maintain control over her trance-like state. By the age of thirteen, she had learned the obscure language, discovered the secrets of divination, and, built a secure connection with the kami nearby.
She served as a shrine maiden for two more years before leaving of her own accord only a week before her final initiation rite. She had made a connection with a particularly powerful kitsune during her time spent at the shrine. Enamored with him and his promises of shared knowledge, the young girl left sacrifices and treats in her own makeshift shrine on a weekly basis, though they only met a handful of times over several years. Eventually they struck up a deal. Unwittingly, and unwisely, a fifteen year old Hikari traded one life of service for another.
The witch spent some years training under this kitsune, eventually viewing him as a paternal figure, up until the fickle fox disappeared without so much as a trace. Hikari's training had long since been completed, and knowing her adoptive father had little to nothing left to offer her, she ventured out on her own with the rest of his abandoned clan in tow. She and her companions spent their time enjoying the small luxuries human life had to offer, often engaging in petty theft for fun rather than out of necessity. Through her affiliation with a known terrorist group, she discovered that although she harbored a deep dislike for other humans, she found no satisfaction in violence.
Hikari seemed content to travel, happier with her simple life and her freedom to explore. She spent a great deal of time visiting different shrines and restoring their energy, avoiding detection for the most part. It wasn't until she ventured into the wrong shrine at the wrong time that she was caught. Though, considering the outcome of the altercation, perhaps the timing and the location were destined. The witch was captured by the man who owned the grounds she had intruded upon, though why he had spared her life, she couldn't be sure. Due to an interesting twist of fate, the duo went from captor and captive to husband and wife within a relatively short span of time. Hikari maintains that it was her irresistible charm that won him over, but in truth it has a lot more to do with their tethered souls.
Appearance[]
In her regular form, Hikari has incandescent violet eyes and long, muted pink hair that is tied at the bottom. She also bares fox ears, a gift from her affiliated cohorts, though she notably lacks a tail in this form. Her typical choice of attire is a unique and stylized variation of clothing inspired by the colors of a shrine priestess' traditional outfit. She also wears a golden head accessory accompanied by matching golden earrings.
Though she is somewhat short of stature, she maintains a strong posture, always assuming her full height to exude confidence. Well endowed, with a shapely silhouette, she often dresses to accentuate what assets she has to offer.
Personality[]
Having spent the majority of her life either in service or living with temperamental yokai, Hikari can alternate wildly between submission and a savage disposition depending on her perception of the situation at hand. She can often be unpredictable in her reactivity, sometimes flaring up at the slightest offence, and remaining dispassionate and detatched in regards to things that probably should offend her.
Hikari can be disarming with her charm, even adapting her personality in order to bring herself closer to her person of choice. She will wait and observe until it becomes obvious to her what role she is required to play, and then conform to it until she has obtained what she wanted, and it no longer serves its purpose . She has no qualms about using people in this manner, for she never targets anyone of moral worth, and believes that those she manipulates are fools for being susceptible in the first place.
Conflictingly, Hikari is deeply empathetic by nature and will often take on an instinctive maternal role, immediately jumping at the opportunity to show care towards those she believe deserve it.
Abilities[]
In Progress.
Kuchiyose
Hikari is the contract holder for Kitsune, the spirit foxes of the human realm.
Fox Mode
Fox Mode is the result of a demon fox using spiritual possession and taking over Hikari's body. Unlike Sage Mode, which allows users to tap into the natural force of the world by blending natural energy with one's chakra, creating senjutsu; Fox Mode grants Hikari access to the Demonic Energy of the fox that is possessing her, in exchange for a small portion of her life force.
Hikari's appearance undergoes minute changes while she is possessed by one of her kitsune companions. Most notable of which is that she produces tails, the number of which depending on the kitsune's power.
Whilst using Fox Mode, Hikari's physical strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, perception, and durability are vastly enhanced. The strength of her ninjutsu and somewhat unique Kekkei Genkai are increased by a significant amount depending on her supply of demonic energy. This supply depends solely on the kitsune that is possessing her, as the Yōko are unable to replenish their energy sources whilst possessing a human.
