---

---

Nickname(s)/Alias(es): N/A
Gender: Female
Role: The Spiritual Guardian of Earth
Age: 17
Spiritual Animal/Bond: Spiritual Animal of Earth, Bearer of the Curse of the Soul.

---

---

Height: 5 feet, 9 inches.
Weight: 131 pounds.
Build: Lithe and light, with a clear slant towards her limbs. She's very flexible and agile, but despite her deceptively fragile appearance, she also has more strength than she lets on.
Eye Color: Varies. Her usual eye color is a piercing, icy blue, as shown in the first picture. However, when she uses her powers, her eyes turn to a burgundy shade, as shown in the second picture.
Hair Color: Pale, glistening silver.
Scars/Tattoos/Piercings: Just one major scar - a slash wound running from the front of her left shoulder at a slight diagonal, cutting along the edge of her breast down to a point a few inches above her navel. This scar has long since healed, however, due to the properties of the weapon that dealt the injury, the serious wound has remained an ugly shade of dark, dark red, with the flesh ever so slightly twisted and warped along the course of the cut, almost but not quite similar to a burn scar.
Description: NOTE: The pictures work as follows. The first picture shows her usual hairstyle, expression, and normal eye color, while the second and third show a somewhat more accurate picture of her outfit, with the second displaying her backless kimono and her burgundy eyes when utilizing her abilities, while the third shows her flowing, detached sleeves and the ofuda pasted onto her hakama, as well as her high collar and the sarashi she wears under her main outfit, something which should but doesn't show out of the back of her outfit in picture 2. Sorry for the confusion. X.X

Standing at a fairly tall height for her age, the serious young lady certainly presents a rather notable image, what with her unusual and striking hair and eye colors. Her build is slender, yet mature, which, combined with her calm, cold demeanor, gives her an air of self-reliant, world-weary experience that contrasts sharply with her relative youthfulness. This same attitude and appearance is also evident in her bearing, for, in every inch and contour of her body, from her long, lean, and limber legs up through her slender waist, flat stomach and gently arching back, to her curving upper body and her narrow, laid back shoulders, she exhibits an attitude of almost paradoxical calmness combined with rigidity. She keeps herself extended and firmly upright, but drops back her limbs at the same time, holding her head high while not overextending or over-tensing herself. This bearing makes her seem tremendously proper, and, at the same time, tremendously prepared, as though she expects to be attacked at any moment, and isn't afraid of that prospect, either.

Although her white hair and serious, cynical attitude have earned her the mocking epithet of "old lady," her countenance is actually somewhat more youthful than one might expect, given her mature build. Her skin is soft and a shade at a midpoint between tan and pale pink, with very few blemishes to mar its surface thanks to her almost obsessive routine of self-improvement, which includes, naturally, a tremendous amount of self-grooming to improve her image. Her face, blending angular features such as a petite nose, chin, and ears with curves, like her ever-so-slightly rounded cheeks and small forehead, could probably be called rather cute if she smiled. Unfortunately, smiling isn't something she does often, and her rosy lips usually find themselves pursed in a look of stoic indifference at best, and barely concealed annoyance or disgust as their default, concealing her vibrant white teeth behind an irritable frown.

Her eyes and hair, as mentioned above, are probably her defining features. The former varies in color depending on how much of her spiritual energy Ran is letting out. While normally a very pale blue shade - a color which, combined with her direct, piercing gaze generally manages to invoke the image of ice in most who behold the twin cerulean orbs - their color becomes almost exactly the opposite when she activates her powers as a priestess, turning a shade between vermillion and burgundy to match the madder hues of her spirit and gleaming faintly with their own light.

Her hair, meanwhile, is an equally unusual shade: pure silver, like new-fallen snow glistening in the light of a full moon. Her hair seems almost metallic in hue, catching the light and doing all but shining with its own radiance. That is, unless she starts using her abilities, at which point her hair literally seems to glow white, like a rippling mane of moonlight. (Image of a completely different character for reference as to what I mean by glowing hair.)

Her hair is very straight and very long, with her bangs combed back and trimmed just enough that they don't get in her eyes, but can cover them if she lowers her head. At the same time, her tresses are combed down on either side of her face, framing it in a silvery curtain. In the back, however, to keep her incredibly long hair under control, she has gathered it up around the base of her neck and, tying it into a single, long ponytail, wears it either behind her or, more commonly, draped down over her left shoulder and running down to her hip, as shown in the first image. The fastenings holding this tail in place are decorated with two large golden bells, items consecrated by the priestess herself so that the sound of their quiet jingling serves to drive out evil spirits, and, more importantly, to soothe the soul of her somewhat panicky partner slightly. Although the curse is far too powerful for her low-level banishment abilities to nullify, she can at least reduce its effect by wearing these blessed bells. This has made the two bells faint ringing an almost constant sound around her, and a usual herald of her arrival.
Preferred Clothing: As shown in the pictures, Ran favors the traditional attire of a priestess, but with a few concessions made to lightening the otherwise thick garb, and to her own personal preference. Although the normal uniform consists of a red kimono underneath a white haori, she dispenses with the former item and with the sleeves and back of the latter. Wrapping her body tightly in a sarashi - which she does in a somewhat unusual manner, starting at her chest and then winding the thick cloth down to her waist, but then tying it back up over and around her left shoulder several times before fastening it at this spot, serving the purpose of concealing the scars she bears there - to preserve her modesty, she wears this significantly lightened garment due to the ease with which it can be donned or removed. Its collar is much higher than a normal haori, reaching up past her chin and, if she lowers her head slightly, actually covering her mouth and the bottom part of her nose, allowing her to simply pull it over her head and then fasten a few strings at the bottom beneath her hakama, thus securing the garment without having to fumble about with countless small ties and sleeves and other such nonsense. It also makes the outfit considerably easier to move in, as the haori, being an outer garment, is made of somewhat thinner silk than the under-kimono, making it less bulky. In addition to this garment, she usually wears a pair of short detached red and white sleeves, fastened just below her elbows and reaching up past her wrists to partially cover her hands, especially when she folds them, at which point her sleeves entirely cover both of her interlocked hands. These sleeves, while not very long, are very, very wide, as shown in the third picture, trailing out into long, scarf-like strips of cloth and ending in decorative tassels. Although this would seem to counteract her love of mobility and freedom of movement, they actually serve to conceal two bundles of ofuda within them, which, due to her powers - explained below - actually allow her to control them at will to keep them from inhibiting her, as well as allowing her to quickly draw the charms for her use, or to simply deploy them where they currently are to instantly channel power into her arms without need for preparation.

Her lower garments, a simple pair of dark red, silken hakama, fastened in the back by an equally simple red bow and decorated only by a pinstripe pattern running down each leg, operate on a simple principle, as, all along their outside, they have at least a dozen more ofuda pasted onto them, as shown in the third picture, for the same reasons as her sleeves. Topping these off with a simple pair of silken stockings and straw sandals, Ran's outfit is at the same time relatively normal and also tremendously unique.

---

---

Oddities: The main thing that strikes most people as odd about Ran would be her somewhat paradoxical demeanor. On the one hand, she acts perfectly calm and composed, and very civil to those who currently outrank her. However, at the same time, she's bitterly sarcastic, intensely cynical, and one of the most standoffish people you could ever meet. She keeps herself aloof and distant, shying away from interaction with others, and, if forced to speak to someone, instead trying to drive that person away from her by dodging whatever questions might be asked of her and being generally rude. Yet, even at these times, she doesn't lose her composure, always speaking in a matter-of-fact manner and thinking her statements through before she speaks, giving her a completely contradictory demeanor of politeness even when being intensely antisocial. This demeanor does not extend, however, to physical contact that she herself does not initiate. If you touch her without her permission, expect her to suddenly become angry, sometimes even violently so, a demeanor that completely contrasts with her calm, composed facade, and lets slip her underlying paranoia and distrust of others. This same temperamental side, one she desperately tries to keep under control, also shows itself when she's embarrassed or trying to hide something, two things that she's very bad at handling, and which almost always cause her to lose hold of the carefully crafted, isolated mindset of superiority and cynicism she otherwise maintains without a hitch. Consequently, she runs hot and cold, so to speak.

Two other quirks of Ran's personality are her mindset, and how she handles it. Her personal, cynical view of the world is that everything revolves around power, be it status or literal strength. She loathes relying on the strength of others, fearing betrayal, and so single-mindedly strives to improve herself, training to become stronger, working to keep her composure and crush her temper, and working on her outward image, trying to create for herself an identity of competency, confidence, coolness, and beauty. At the same time, she tries to vent any excessive or unneeded emotions she feels, ridding herself of what she views as flaws upon her composure. She doesn't believe in things like love or affection, instead thinking of them as weaknesses that allow people to betray her much more easily. As a means of calming herself, she's actually managed to turn singing - an old and cherished hobby of hers from happier days - into a means of pseudo-meditation, clearing her mind and allowing her to think much more clearly, almost as though the unwanted feelings she puts into her songs are then cast out from her being for the time being. But, on the other hand, she's also very self-conscious, so she only sings in private, and rarely lets others know of her hobby.
Skills: Ran is a tremendously capable individual in many regards, due to her universal campaign of self-improvement. A skilled cook, housekeeper, singer and musician - she plays the piano, a somewhat out of place instrument in her traditional lifestyle - and generally very resourceful when it comes to solving problems, she also possesses a considerable stock of knowledge, and is an avid reader and collector of books. And, due to her paranoia and desire to be able to protect herself, she's also become a capable martial artist, able to hold her own in hand-to-hand combat, even against multiple opponents or enemies larger and stronger than herself. Nevertheless, her skill as a priestess is far and above her greatest talent, as, despite her relative lack of potential, she has trained herself to the point that her spiritual abilities are truly peerless for her level.
Powers: Unlike most priests, who have a wide array of spiritual powers ranging from the casting out of evil to the consecration of weapons and items, Ran's abilities are somewhat more limited. Lacking potential in most other areas, Ran is nevertheless prodigiously talented in one field, and one field alone: the creation of holy barriers. Derived from her desire for isolation and self-protection, Ran is capable of forming tremendously powerful fields of energy fueled directly by her very heart and soul. In addition to being powerful, however, Ran's barriers are astonishingly versatile in their many uses. They are capable of protecting against almost all varieties of threat, corporeal or incorporeal, physical or energy-based, and even mental or soul-based assaults such as curses. It is this last principle upon which her bells work, fighting against the curse upon her partner. However, her barriers' effects are limited in this department if the curse is already in effect, making her usefulness limited, especially against such a formidable malignancy.

However, their usefulness isn't solely in defense. Actually, Ran can control her barriers so well as to alter their form at will. And, as they exist both on a solid and a spiritual level, this essentially gives her a field of physical energy which she can manipulate at will, allowing her to create barriers that cut what they touch like blades, or other weaponized shields. Alternatively, she can surround something with a barrier, and then telekinetically manipulate it. This allows her to create interdiction fields that restrict and crush down on targets, as well as reinforcement fields that can accelerate, toughen, and strengthen a given subject, usually her own body. Yet another useful application is sealing a barrier within a consecrated object, like the bells in her hair, or the ofuda she carries all over her person. In the latter case, this actually allows her to store energy in preparation for when she needs it, and then to deploy it remotely. As she can control objects via the barriers sealed within them, she can actually use ofuda as ranged weapons, throwing them like blades despite the fact that they're just slips of paper. Or, by pasting them onto a surface, she can create remote energy fields that can even be used to attack by slicing out at the area around them, carving away at everything they can reach, turning everything around them into a fine dust by cutting it countless times, almost as though there had been an explosion of some sort at that location.

On the flipside, however, Ran's shields do have several limitations. As they're derived from her need for self-isolation, her fears, and her loneliness, they're not exactly good at protecting other people if they're not also protecting her, making their range somewhat short unless the one she's trying to assist is somehow important to her, like someone she's been tasked with protecting, or someone who she needs for some other reason. Similarly, her reinforcement abilities also don't work well on allies, as she distrusts even those she's fighting alongside. And, if she's feeling uncertain, her barriers weaken as a consequence of her loss of conviction. On the other hand, if someone managed to, despite her aloof exterior, win over her heart, her barriers might well work even more effectively in relation to this special person than they did in regards to herself.

Finally, her barriers have to be channeled through a focus to work properly, as her soul needs a foothold through which to manifest itself. This focus, moreover, cannot be just any item. Rather, it has to be something that holds a tremendous meaning to her, an object that, due to its importance to her specifically, has actually transcended reality and become an aspect of herself. Although she can channel energy through this object to imbue it into other things, like her bells or her ofuda, that does not mean that these other objects can be used as a focus, unless said object happens to already meet the criteria, in which case imbuing it with power is unnecessary, albeit possible. Essentially, if she were ever deprived of her focus, all she'd be able to do is utilize energy already summoned, either in the form of currently active barriers, or through objects imbued with her power. Once these ran out of energy, however, she'd be powerless until she got her focus back.

At the moment, she has only one object eligible for use as a focus: a medium-sized, elegantly decorated folding paper fan, pictured here. See backstory for the reasons why.

Fears/Phobias

• Atychiphobia: Fear of failure.
• Atelophobia: Fear of imperfection.
• Haphephobia: Fear of being touched.
• Androphobia: Fear of men.
• Philophobia: Fear of falling in love.
• Above all else, however, Ran suffers from a fear of betrayal in any regard, such that she finds trusting anyone to be nigh impossible.

Likes

• Singing. It allows her to forget her troubles and reach a state of composure she lacks in ordinary life.
• Succeeding, no matter what it is she's accomplishing. It assures her of her own strength, and briefly banishes her lingering self-doubts.
• Being trusted. If what she's doing is important to somebody else, it means they're in no position to betray her.
• Improving noticeably. Increasing her renown as a priestess, or otherwise rising in rank, as well as simply doing things she was unable to do before, provides her with pride and reassurance.
• Reading. It's both educational and enjoyable, fulfilling two of her goals at once.
• Discharging her duties as a priestess. It gives her a purpose, and helps her control both her temper and her spirit, all the while doing good for others.

Dislikes

• Being alone. It's odd, but despite her aloof facade, she has very little self confidence, and if people hate her, no matter how much she hides it, she still feels like a failure. She hates herself for relying on the opinions of others to gauge herself, viewing it at a weakness, but, nevertheless, she yearns for companionship, even if she doesn't want to admit it.
• Failing, or otherwise showing flaws for the world to see. It crushes her pride and her self esteem, and, in her opinion, leaves her open to be passed up by those aiming to steal her position and her strength.
• When people know too much about her. If someone knows about her flaws, and especially if somebody knows about her scar or the reasons for her fears, it shames and degrades her to no end. However, this also extends to simply "if people get too close to her, either physically or emotionally," since it means she's exposing herself to attack, and it becomes hard for her to push them away in the latter case, thus becoming very embarrassing to her.
• Being mocked. It injures her pride, shaming her and making her want to retaliate, making it hard for her to compose herself in the face of insults.
• Being embarrassed. It's the antithesis to her ideal composure, and is, in her eyes, a weakness. Whenever she gets embarrassed, it makes her angry, and she tends to lash out to try to hide her inner shame.
• Her temper. Try as she might to deny or control it, it's still there, and is another crack in her carefully created mask of composure and levelheadedness.

Hobbies

• Singing and playing the piano. As mentioned above, it helps her calm herself, and she enjoys it greatly, even if she's embarrassed to admit it, since it seems overly emotional or puerile in her opinion.
• Dancing. Ritual dances can be a form of prophecy or of prayer, which is why she learned in the first place, but the graceful motions, the elegance of the performance, and the calm, focused mindset it brings over her has, like singing, caused it to become a favorite hobby of hers. Usually, her meditative singing sessions are accompanied by a sort of psuedo-dance that helps her concentrate, and that she enjoys.
• Cooking. She loves a great variety of food, and, due to her need for self-reliance, will almost without fail attempt to recreate any dish she tastes and enjoys, so that she can make and eat it without the help of others. Over time, she's gotten surprisingly good at it, and, due to her love of trying new things, has created several meals of her own.
• Training. Due to her desire to grow stronger, she incorporates spiritual practice into every day's routine.

Personality: Ran is a very... complicated individual. On the one hand, she's intensely insecure and constantly feels the need to improve herself, always worried that she's not good enough as she is. On the other, she hates other people and finds it impossible to trust them, despite the fact that their harsh opinions of her are the measuring stick by which she gauges her own (in)adequacy. Always terrified of hidden intentions behind even the most innocent of actions, and fearing that any reliance on other people at all might result in being let down or betrayed, Ran tries her best to do everything herself, no matter how hard it is, simply because she doesn't want to risk betrayal for the sake of expedience, at the same time trying to drive others as far away from her as possible, or to, at the very least, discompose potential threats - everyone she meets - and lure them into revealing their true intentions and how much they really hate her. Ironically, although she justifies her aloof, antisocial, cynical and sarcastic beliefs by the number of people who currently do loathe her, thinking of her as an insufferable, arrogant bitch, it's her own paranoia and inability to believe in others, and the very demeanor she assumes to protect herself, that leads others to despise her, not because they hated her to begin with. But, she refuses to accept this, and instead acts perpetually world-wise and sarcastic to distance herself from her peers, assuming a curt yet polite demeanor in regards to superiors only for as long as they outrank her.

Despite this facade of calm indifference, however, the real face of Himura Ran is somewhat different from the act she maintains during social interactions. Despite her isolationist behavior, deep down, she feels lonely, and despairs of ever managing to connect with other people. Hyper-critical of herself and envious of those around her, she feels as though she's never good enough to do anything she needs to, yet, due to her terror at asking others for help, spends her days feeling isolated, always keenly aware of the inevitability of an eventual mistake that might well ruin her. And yet, she can't let any of these feelings show, since her self-doubt would break the composed image she's worked so hard to build, and show those who she fears are plotting against her exactly how weak she really is. It isn't because she feels wronged by insults that she is so quick-tempered. Rather, it's because she fears that those who are mocking her are right, and just wants them to shut up before they break down what little dignity she has left.

Actually, contrary to one might expect given her seemingly low opinion of her fellow man, Ran is a tremendously empathetic, kind soul, one who wants to see people around her happy, but is afraid of helping people lest she grow attached to them, then end up being betrayed. She tries her best to assist those who need it, but, nevertheless, finds herself unable to even reach out to people in this capacity very well, and so takes up a somewhat reluctant attitude, as the quotes above demonstrate, claiming that the only reason she helps others is because she feels like it, or because she thinks she might gain something from the action. She's not exactly very convincing though, as she finds herself ashamed at the thought that others might be viewing her as weak because she chose to help someone she didn't have to, and tries to cover it up through her usual means of seeming forceful and uncaring, and ends up becoming suspect due to her over-the-top manner of denying accusations of weakness or softness that nobody ever made. This extends to other scenarios as well. For example, if somebody's relying on her, or, more unlikely, she is relying on someone else, she always tries to distance herself as much as possible, and comes off as very Tsundere in the process no matter how hard she attempts to maintain her composure.

Ran also has a very guilty conscience due to a traumatic event in her past that ended with her being betrayed and nearly killed by someone she was in love with, forcing her to kill her beloved in self defense. She tries her hardest to cover up these hated memories, and to conceal the knowledge of her past from everyone around her, fearing that it might be used against her. The scar she still bears from the incident is a hated hallmark of her weakness, and something she's deeply ashamed of. Consequently, she feels disgusted by herself, reasoning that, despite her justification in the event, she is nothing but a murderer, and driving her to hate even her own character in addition to her capabilities. Although she hides the reasoning well, her self-loathing is hinted at in some of her more cynical remarks, perhaps showing that she's not quite as proud as her know-it-all loner demeanor would make one think.

---

---

Relationship Status: Single, but, currently, somewhat asexual.
Family: Deceased.
Personal History/Background: Born to a wealthy farming family that had risen to the head of its community after acquiring a Spirit Animal servant, the young days of Ran's life were filled with luxuries and pleasures. Raised in an environment of tradition and culture, Ran's father was originally pleased with her very mature yet kind attitude, hoping that she'd become an ideal daughter who he could marry out to form alliances with other, more powerful families. Her mother, on the other hand, was less enthused by the prospect. Being exactly such a bargaining chip herself who hated her overbearing, and oftentimes even abusive husband, she was loath to see her beloved daughter suffer the same fate. But, there was very little she could do. That is, until Ran developed a certain friendship and mentality that threatened to overturn all of her father's plans.

Ran befriended the Spirit Animal of the Himura clan, a young Kitsune who took the form of a girl Ran's own age. The Kitsune, Yuuka, was at first very humble and even afraid of her "young mistress." However, Ran, a very kind, cheerful girl by nature, swiftly won over the young Spirit Animal, and came to befriend her as an equal rather than a servant, despite her father's insistence that Yuuka was nothing but a beast and a slave, and wasn't to be treated like a Human being. Her mother, however, was overjoyed by this, and secretly encouraged her daughter, giving Ran the confidence she needed to stand up to her father and to continue her friendship with Yuuka.

However, as things went on, Ran came to understand the truth of the world she lived in, and, bit by bit, her youthful naivete and happiness was slowly snatched away from her. Yuuka, worn down by countless meaningless battles, eventually curled up in her good friend's lap, gave a tearful thanks and farewell, and then, lacking the strength to maintain her spiritual existence any longer, simply shattered into nothingness, leaving her only companion heartbroken and disconnected from her father, who in turn grew abusive and spiteful at the loss of his Spirit Animal. Even though their family no longer held any power, he became detached from reality, slowly losing his mind as he frantically schemed to take back the title of nobility he had lost with the death of Yuuka. He strove obsessively to bring his rebellious daughter to heel. At the same time, he began to blame Ran's mother for the change wrought in his once meek and submissive child, and began to abuse her as well. Finally, he descended completely into madness, and, snapping in rage, brutally beat his wife to death, then attempted to kill his daughter, too, when she refused to obey him. Made wild by grief, rage, and panic, the 11 year old Ran took up a burning firebrand from the hearth, and, when her father attacked her, she fought him off with it, dealing a blow to his head and, more importantly, searing off half of his face and briefly rendering him insensible as he writhed in pain on the ground. Dropping her makeshift weapon, Ran fled in panic from her home, and into the woods on the edge of her family's grounds. Spending a night in the wilderness, she was awakened the next day by a distant red glow which she soon realized was the light of a raging inferno, coming from her old home. In her panic, she'd lit the Himura clan's mansion ablaze, leaving her insensible father to die amidst the flames, and the family's few remaining retainers homeless and destitute. Grieving for the loss of her mother and overwhelmed by her guilt, Ran fled aimlessly into the wilds, unwilling to face her fellow Humans after the traumatic incident.

It was at this point where she stumbled across a hidden village she'd never heard of, and her life abruptly changed. Sentaku no Shinai, the city of choices, appeared to her just as she was about to collapse from fatigue. The villagers found her sprawled near their homes while returning from gathering firewood, and, when Ran awoke, she found herself surrounded by astonishingly kind, caring people. Yet, even though she was soon taken in by an old, childless couple in the village and nursed back to health, she still felt distant from her fellow Humans. Any one of them might secretly be plotting something terrible, like her father, whose betrayal had left her unwilling to readily trust others. This fear of other people was only made worse when she began training to become a priestess - she chose this path out of a desire to help people, originally - where she, with her limited spiritual abilities, was the laughingstock of her peers, shamelessly mocked and bullied by those who thought themselves better than her. She found herself derided as useless, and, with no abilities to disprove this claim, she eventually began to believe it. She probably would have fallen into despair and simply given up on ever succeeding in her training if she hadn't been found by two young lads in a similar situation - two priests-in-training named Akihiko and Hisoka.

The two were already fast friends long before they met Ran, having known each other even before they came to Sentaku no Shinai. Akihiko, like Ran, was a former noble child, while Hisoka had been his personal servant and first friend. Disliking his family's injustices both toward their subjects and the Spirit Animal they controlled, Akihiko and Hisoka had run away from home, searching for somewhere that they might actually be able to help people. It was then that they came to Sentaku, and both of them resolved to become priests. However, although they'd been striving towards this goal since a very young age, they had yet to succeed in achieving their dreams when they found Ran. They, like her, had very little spiritual potential despite their best efforts, and were greatly mocked and shunned for it. Taking pity on Ran, who seemed about to break beneath her shame, they took her in and became her first friends in Sentaku, treating her kindly and reassuring her when the insults and the bullying became too much to bear. Slowly, Ran learned to connect with other people again, and, regaining her lost confidence, strove with redoubled effort to achieve her goals. And, to the surprise of her peers, these efforts paid off, as she was recognized and nominated to become a low-level priestess.

It was then that it had happened. During her friendship with Akihiko and Hisoka, she'd begun to develop feelings for the former, who had been her constant companion and comforter. When, shortly after her nomination, he called her out to a solitary spot far beyond the boundaries of the city, she had been elated, barely daring to hope that he might feel the same as she did, and resolving to confess her own feelings, even if he did not. And yet, like the happiness of her young life, she found this naive hope shattered by cruel, heartbreaking reality. Akihiko, despite his efforts to reassure her, had slowly begun to fall into despair, and, pushed over the edge by her acceptance when he was once again denied from carrying out his dream, he began to hate his friend, and resolved to kill her for "stealing his dream from him," then himself. His specialty had always been the consecration of weapons based on his feelings. Now fueled by his hatred of Ran, he filled a sword with his desire to kill, and, taking it to an isolated spot, called her out there. When she arrived, he pretended everything was alright, stringing her along right until the very end. Then, just as she worked up the courage to confess her feelings... Ran found the blade of a sword carving across her chest, its hateful power burning into her very soul as she was knocked to the ground, unable to believe what was happening. Her closest friend, the boy she loved, explained to her incredulity and her horror what he intended to do. He told her he hated her, that he had always hated her, and that now, he was going to kill her. The blade's curse was already working its way into her heart, and would soon end her life. Every last ounce of hope she had ever had was dashed before her eyes.

At that moment, Ran's heart broke for good, and something snapped inside of her. She hated people. If everyone around her was just waiting to betray her, then she wanted to be alone for the rest of time. She needed strength, needed to seal herself away from the rest of the world. And so, through her desire to isolate herself, she did exactly that, sealing her heart away from the outside world and purging her body of the curse, while at the same time saving herself by creating a barrier of overwhelming strength to fend off Akihiko's killing blow. What she didn't count on was the uncontrollable power of her fear and her despair, and the size of the barrier she had unconsciously created. And so, when she came to her senses at last... she found that she'd unintentionally ripped the boy she loved into tiny pieces.

But her misfortune was not over. Hisoka, seeing Ran leave and suspecting some kind of tryst, followed her as best she could, hoping to discover what his comrades were up to. By the time he caught up to her, however, he found her wounded by Akihiko's sword, but standing over a mangled body that could not even be recognized before swiftly passing out. He couldn't believe his eyes, but the blade he found at the scene of the struggle was unquestionably his master's. He was forced to believe that Ran had murdered his closest friend, and reported thusly to the highest authorities in the village. Ran's nomination was revoked, and she was jailed. Plans were even made for her execution. And yet, upon investigating the wound she had been dealt, the truth was discovered, and the blade's curse proved her innocence. That didn't mean, however, that Hisoka ever forgave her. The angered boy, grief-stricken at the loss of his closest companion, eventually killed himself from despair, cursing Ran unto his very last breath.

Even after her release and recovery, Ran was never the same. She spoke to no one, and strove solely to grow stronger, now fighting not only against her old feelings of inadequacy and dread of failure, but also against a new terror: that of certain betrayal. Every single person she had loved had eventually either turned against her, or had in turn been betrayed by someone close to them. It seemed to her that trying to trust another soul was a hopeless prospect, one that would only lead to ruin. And so, she gave up on other people, too scared to approach them even as she began to break down under the loneliness and the strain. She became single-minded, cynical, and reserved, trying to forget the past even as she became overwhelmed by a consuming fear of repeating it. It's quite likely that she might simply have snapped from her own internal despair were it not for a sudden development: the arrival of a trio of Spirit Animals. While normally, such a cynical, aloof priestess would never have been chosen for such an important job as caring for the esteemed new arrivals, another unexpected turn of events resulted in a seemingly insignificant decision that ended up being Ran's salvation. Namely, one of the Spirits was in a very similar condition to herself, his soul cursed so as to be unable to trust anyone or anything. Hoping that she might learn something from the arrangement, Ran's elders assigned her, much to the outrage of her peers, to serve as the personal protector and caretaker of this new spirit. Although she herself was yet reluctant to speak to another person, she perhaps felt some sort of unshakable kinship with the terrified, paranoid boy she met. Whether it was her own loneliness, pity for the boy's condition due to her own experience with the same, or simple obedience for the sake of rising in rank, Ran accepted this assignment. Little did she know that the second member dysfunctional partnership into which she was about to enter might have been just a little too similar to her for either of their own good. Yet, at the same time, perhaps her elders had been right? Maybe this was exactly what she needed to open her heart, which had been sealed off from those around her for far too long? Maybe this experience would finally allow her to do the unthinkable, to face her fears, and to try to trust another person one last time...
OTHER: Ran's fan was a gift given to her by Akihiko at the time they met. Even after his betrayal, she still cherishes it, holding it as a monument to her greatest failure, and to the certainty of betrayal.

Main Theme: Pandora Hearts - Yuki Kajiura

Battle Theme: Contractor - Yuki Kajiura

Image Song (I.E. This would be her singing, if she actually had a VA. XD It'll just have to do, though.): To Death in Love - Buta-Otome

Time is coming to an end
“Everything is far too late.”
My blood drenched words stick and
Dry against my throat, as I’m unable to breathe

If only it were a lie, if only nothing had ever begun
Please, please… Give it back!!

Unable to protect my heart filled with love
Unable to open my eyes, I was killed; My heart is dead!
There is no more to this dream laid to rest
Even your brilliant smile turns to ash and rots!!

No matter how harsh and painful the road, one day I will forget
But my heart cries and weeps, if only we had never met!!
Just end it all!!!

I can’t make my tears fall, I even give a stiff smile
All that’s left for me is destruction!

If all the sins I birthed could be forgiven
Then my heart in love might sublimate and finally rest
But as I watch my dreams end, there is only your brilliant smile
Burned and rotting!!

Even in this dead world, the truth is
I want to embrace and love everything, yet
For all my awful karma I draw only contempt
I just want your love…
If all the sins I birthed could be forgiven
Then my heart in love might sublimate and finally rest
But as I watch my dreams end,
There is only your brilliant smile
Burned and rotting!!

Translation courtesy of Kafka-Fuura.