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Kuchiki Rukia
Name: 朽木ルキア (Kuchiki Rukia)"Real" Name: 花田詩織 (Hanada Shiori)
Room: F7
Age: Looks about 16, but is at least 150 to 200 years old.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Grey-purple
Height: 4'7" (144cm)
Weight: 73 lbs (33kg)
Birthday: January 14, year unknown
First, I should note that not all of this follows canon. Renji-mun and I have worked on filling in some of the huge gaps in the Rukia and Renji's history, but I'll consider it accurate for the purpose of RPing in Landels.
Backstory
Rukia died as an infant, more than 150 years ago. Upon her death, she went to Soul Society, where the spirits of the dead exist. Unortunately, Rukia ended up in the 78th district of Rukongai, where mere survival for the spirits there was difficult. Her older sister, Hisana, who died with her, chose to abandon Rukia to increase her own slim chances.
Luckily for Rukia, she was soon found by an old man, who took her in and cared for her in his own gruff way. He kept her clothed and fed, but provided little in the way of affection. Still, Rukia came to call him 'Grampa'. One day, when Rukia was still a small child, the old man disappeared, and she never saw him again. Left on her own, she managed to survive by stealing, running, and hiding.
Eventually she happened upon a group of boys her age. She helped them steal some water, and quickly became a part of their little family. She was always closest to Renji, who was the oldest of them. Due to the many dangers of Rukongai, Rukia and Renji’s companions all “died” in one way or another. When they were the only two remaining, Rukia suggested that they try to become Shinigami, to escape the “life” in which they had been trapped.
They both passed the entrance exams and were admitted into the Shinigami training academy. Rukia proved to be extremely talented in kidou (magical incantations) but only moderately skilled in zanjutsu (swordmanship), and was admitted into the Second Class. Renji, with his superior zanjutsu, went into the First Class, which served to separate them for the first time in all the years they had been together. This time was also Rukia's first real taste of feeling inferior, and alienated. She was happy for Renji, that he was doing so well, but felt excluded, all the same. She tried not to show it, though; she had to believe they had made the right choice by working to become Shinigami.
One summer evening shortly before Renji's birthday, he accidentally told her about the presence of his zanpakutou, Zabimaru. Rukia is probably the only person who knows much of anything about Zabimaru, even to this day. That night, Renji kissed Rukia, and she started to see things in a new light.
The next day, however, Rukia was suddenly approached by the Kuchiki Family. They wanted to adopt her. The first person to hear the news was, of course, Renji, but his response was not what Rukia expected. She felt betrayed when he encouraged her to accept the offer, and felt like he hadn't meant what he'd said the previous night.
Her adoption into such a noble family was a surprise to everyone; there seemed to be no explanation for it. Rukia was moved out of the student dormitories and into the palatial Kuchiki estate, where she got little attention, and certainly no kindness, from her adoptive brother, Byakuya. This physical isolation was made worse by Rukia’s confusion at Byakuya’s coldness, and her desire to be worthy of adoption. He was both lord of one of the most powerful families in Soul Society, and Captain of the Sixth Division. What, she wondered, was so special about her to merit adoption?
After graduation from the Academy, Rukia was placed in the Gotei Thirteen’s (the Shinigami military, so to speak) Thirteenth Division, under Captain Ukitake. Her direct superior, however, was Shiba Kaien, Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division. Rukia quickly came to respect, and eventually love him. It nearly destroyed her emotionally when she had to kill him. He had been possessed by a Hollow, or evil spirit, and the only way to free him and destroy the creature was to kill the body it was inhabiting. Just before Kaien died, he came back to himself, thanking Rukia for what she had done, but she was never able to forgive herself.
That night, Renji came to find her. It was the first time they had spoken in the months, perhaps years, since her adoption. Rukia was crushed by what had happened, and refused any comfort, but eventually Renji was able to bring her to a bath house. Had Rukia not been so physically and emotionally exhausted, she might have seen the affection in Renji's eyes for what it was. Her strongest memory of that night are the words to the poem, "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven", by WB Yeats, that Renji recited for her.
Several lonely decades later, Rukia came upon Renji in the forest of Seireitei. Their meeting ended in another kiss, but Rukia ran away this time. She was afraid; afraid of the restraints binding her to the Kuchiki Family, afraid of change, afraid of her own feelings for Renji, afraid of feeling much of anything at all.
Shortly thereafter Rukia was sent to the living world on a mission to locate and destroy Hollows. She soon met Kurosaki Ichigo (who bears a striking resemblance to Shiba Kaien), and, having mysteriously lost her Shinigami powers, stayed with him for some time. The two grew quite close, developing a sometimes violent love/hate relationship while Rukia helped Ichigo find Hollows to destroy.
Rukia was both confused and frightened by the loss of her powers, but was positively influenced by Ichigo and his classmates. Rukia was, for the first time in 40 years, treated like a normal person, rather than a noble. She couldn't help but open up around the teenagers, and discovered that she was happy with them, happier than she had ever been as a member of the Kuchiki Family.
After only a couple months, though, Byakuya and Renji, who had been made Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division during Rukia’s absence, came to retrieve her. Without her powers, and terrified of her brother, Rukia could do nothing to stop them, and Ichigo was nearly killed trying to save her.
She went back to Soul Society as a prisoner, and was sentenced to execution, an unheard of punishment for simply disobeying orders. At first, Renji was cold to her, and Rukia was left to assume that he hated her for her crime. Renji soon realized what he would lose, should Rukia be executed. Rukia, too, realized what she would lose, what she had already lost, or so she thought. During her imprisonment, Renji came to see her, and spent an entire night just outside her prison cell.
Ichigo and three of his friends from the living world (Orihime, Ishida, Chad) soon came to Soul Society to rescue Rukia. Their greatest enemy, so they believed, was Rukia’s own brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, who swore that he would carry out the law, and would see Rukia executed. During the confusion it was revealed that Rukia’s body housed the Hougyoku, a powerful stone that allowed the fusion of Shinigami and Hollows. One way to release the stone was to harness the Soukyoku, a powerful tool used for executions in Seireitei, so three of the Captains (Aizen, Tousen, Ichimaru) had secretly arranged her execution.
Just when Rukia had accepted her imminent death, Ichigo appeared and stopped the Soukyoku, saving Rukia for the time being. Renji, now allied with Ichigo, attempted to take Rukia to safety, but they were caught and brought before Aizen, the leader of this rebellion. The traitor defeated both Ichigo and Renji (as well as a number of other powerful Shinigami), nearly killing them. He then removed the Hougyoku from Rukia's body without harming her, but told Ichimaru to kill her anyway. Byakuya, who had changed his views about his sister, lept in to save her, taking a grave wound. Shortly thereafter, Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen escaped.
Most importantly for Rukia in this series of events was that Byakuya had put himself in danger for her. Laying there, wounded, he told her a story. Rukia’s sister, Hisana, who had abandoned her all those years ago, had been Byakuya’s wife. Simply marrying her, a commoner, had been a blemish on the Kuchiki name, but Byakuya cared for her too much to let that stop him. Hisana died after they had been married only five years, and on her deathbed she begged him to find Rukia, if she was still alive, and protect her. Thus Byakuya had adopted Rukia. This was yet another shame upon the Kuchiki name, though, and Byakuya made a vow to his dead parents that he would never again allow their name to be tarnished. When Rukia was ordered captured and executed, Byakuya acted to uphold the vow to his parents, rather than the promise to Hisana. Almost too late, he had realized that no vow was worth the life of his sister.
It was a huge shock to Rukia to hear the story, but even more so to hear Byakuya apologize to her for his actions.
During the following weeks Rukia and Byakuya’s formerly icy relationship began to show signs of thawing. This change gave Rukia more self-confidence, lifting a heavy weight off her shoulders. For years she had been burdened with her position, and Byakuya's cold treatment of her. Now, though, she was more free to live for herself.
The day after the botched execution, Rukia went to visit Renji in the Fourth Division's hospital. Renji was wracked with guilt for having played a part in the traitors' plans, and having betrayed Rukia. She had never blamed Renji though. In her eyes, she deserved all the malice he had directed at her, and then some. She had betrayed his trust by running away from him; she didn't deserve any trust in return. Renji continued to blame himself though, and finally Rukia gave in, telling him he was forgiven. Slowly, their friendship became something like what it had been, all those years ago.
Soon, Rukia, Renji, and several other Shinigami went to the real world to deal with the Arrancar, the Hollow/Shinigami hybrids that Aizen created with the Hougyoku. Rukia's Shinigami powers had returned, and she surprised Ichigo with her fighting skills. Soon, however, Orihime was kidnapped by an Arrancar. The General Captain of the Gotei Thirteen suspected that she had gone of her own will, and ordered Rukia and the other Shinigami back to Soul Society to prepare to battle the Arrancar. As Rukia stepped through the portal, fully planning to come back with Renji and help Ichigo find Orihime, she found herself a patient in Landel's Institute.
Personality
Rukia is strong-willed, and not easily intimidated. That is not to say, however, that she is reckless. She knows when to fight and when to run, and tries to consider every aspect of a given situation, from the cause to the possible outcomes. She can be a very calculating, even manipulative person at times, but she will do nearly anything to help others, particularly the people closest to her. Even with her friends Rukia tends to take on an arrogant, condescending tone, but she usually means well. She just can’t tolerate it when people act like idiots. Despite her sometimes cranky nature, however, she is not judgmental. Having lived for a long time in a very poor, dangerous area, then joined the ranks of the Shinigami, and shortly thereafter been brought into a noble family, she is able to appreciate the circumstances of others. One of the only people capable of bringing out the more vulnerable aspects of her personality is her adoptive brother, Byakuya. With him, she always feels somehow lacking, inferior.
At Landel's
Rukia, of course, no longer has her zanpakutou with her, which dramatically decreases her fighting abilities. As with the other Shinigami at Landels, her reiatsu, or spiritual power, is somehow blocked, making it difficult to use even the most basic kidou. Even sensing the spirit threads of others produces vertigo. She still possesses impressive skills in martial arts, however, and knows how to fight dirty.
Rukia arrived at Landels on Day 22, in the afternoon. She quickly found Renji, who had been sedated by the nurses. Eventually he was able to explain their situation to her, and soon they were joined by Eric Draven. During the course of the next shift, Rukia met Qui-Gon Jinn, who helped her talk Renji out of trying to murder Ichimaru Gin. She and Renji had an argument, which ended in Rukia telling Renji that she needed time to sort out her feelings. Next she found Kurosaki Ichigo and Matsumoto Rangiku in the Courtyard. They didn't have much time to talk, though, before dinner shift, when Rukia met Kairi, her new roommate.
During Nightshift, Rukia fought two cat-monsters with Kairi and Sora. After the fight Rangiku and Claire showed up, and the group headed off to M26 to meet Renji. They discovered upon arrival that Renji and Sora's friend, Nowe, had disappeared. He was simply gone.
The next morning, at breakfast, Rukia met Adelheid Bernstein and used her limited kidou to heal his feet. Renji got into another argument, and Rukia discovered that Ichigo had disappeared as well. She had gotten quite close to the teenager during the months she had known him, and never would she have expected him to go down without a fight. Terrified, and now more than a little paranoid, Rukia dragged Renji off to the library to talk to him. She tried to get him to stop burdening himself with so much guilt, but she was the one who ended up in tears.
The next shift was spent in the Game Room with Aidou, who succeeded in getting her to storm off by implying that she and Renji were romantically involved. Next was Shower time, when Rukia was faced with yet another reminder of her feelings for Renji. River Tam came to her, asking her to thank Renji, and to focus on what was really important.
At the beginning of Nightshift 23, Rangiku met Rukia at her room, and they're waiting for Sora.
Special Telepathic Information
This information will, of course, only be available to Landels patients who have telepathy. As with Rukia's history, there is all kinds of stuff that is non-canon.
- Rukia doesn't remember her sister, Hisana. She wishes, now, that she had known her. She feels like it might have helped her understand Byakuya a little better.
- She occasionally wonders what exactly happened to "Grampa", the old man who took care of her when she was a baby, but the memory of him is so faded that she doesn't feel sad any more.
- Rukia's childhood friends were named Daisuke, Jun, and Shuichi.
- Daisuke was small and weak, and the first to die. He ran off one day while Rukia and Renji were having "one of their infamous knock-down drag-out nasty shouting matches" (stolen from Renji-mun), and was murdered. Rukia still feels a little guilty about that; they should have stopped fighting and gone after Daisuke.
- Jun died next, of illness.
- Shu died last, in a brawl, and shortly thereafter Rukia suggested that she and Renji try to become Shinigami.
- That's another sore spot; Rukia never knows if that was the right decision. Were they really happier as Shinigami? She often feels like she's just going through the motions; does she really belong?
- Rukia loves small furry animals, especially rabbits and cats.
- She is sensitive about her height, and will quickly yell at anyone who makes fun of her. She doesn't entirely dislike being so small, though. While it may be inconvenient, it often lends believability to her "sweet and innocent" act.
- Rukia's biggest source of insecurity involves her adoptive brother, Byakuya. She constantly struggles to please him, but he's not an easy one to please.
- She also feels insecure about her mediocre zanjutsu abilities. When Renji was put into the First Class, all the way back in school, and she in the Second, Rukia felt very weak. She and Renji had always been equals until then.
- Though she won't admit it to herself, Rukia was in love with Shiba Kaien. But he was married, and her Vice Captain, so she never even entertained the idea that he might feel the same toward her.
- Killing him is the most traumatic thing that's ever happened to her; she still has nightmares about it.
- Rukia hates to admit that she's wrong, or apologize for anything.
- Rukia blames herself for all that happened to Ichigo. If she hadn't shown up, he might have been able to continue a normal life. And because several of Ichigo's friends were also involved, Rukia feels like she was responsible for them as well.
- Rukia is terrified of Ichimaru Gin, and always has been. Something about his empty smile makes her want to peel her own skin off and wash it.
- Rukia has very slowly come to admit her own feelings for Renji. Had she not been adopted by the Kuchiki Family, things might have turned out differently for them, but they grew apart after that. Rukia, intent on trying to be the perfect sister to Byakuya, avoided any real relationships - platonic or otherwise - with anyone (Kaien was the only exception, and that ended badly). The one time Renji was brave enough to show her how he felt, Rukia ran away, afraid of her own feelings. She felt like she was bound up in other people's expectations, and Renji's sudden admission left her head spinning.
- Since Byakuya rescued her, though, and told her about Hisana, Rukia has felt like maybe his coldness toward her was not because of her at all, but because Byakuya couldn't deal with his own pain any other way. With this new understanding, Rukia has been able, little by little, to let go of the cool front she's hidden behind for so long.
- Deep down inside, though, she resents Byakuya a little for all the years of indifference. On the other hand, she loves him dearly, and wants to make him proud of her.
- Despite having hardly seen each other for over 40 years, Rukia has always felt that Renji was her family, and her closest friend. And now she knows that he is much more than that, even...
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