Yousuke Haru
⌈The price you must pay to change this world is, always has been, and always will be blood.⌋
⌈The price you must pay to change this world is, always has been, and always will be blood.⌋
⌈Age⌋
187
⌈Appearance⌋
Yousuke Haru stands at a hulking six feet and five inches, with thick muscles to fill him out. He's a massive and intimidating looking man with wild unkempt hair and a bestial stare to boot. His world eating grin sometimes graces his otherwise scowl set features, the man can't even smile without seeming vicious. But in this awe inspiring visage there is an untamed beauty, something majestic and wild in his form that is admired by those that have a taste for it. This beauty is particularly shown when he is in the midst of training and best observed in battle, where his fluid cutting movements serve him best.
Yousuke's clothing is humble, not at all what a lord should be wearing, but more like what a commoner would wear, and hardly put on properly either, he can get lazy with his appearance. Yousuke's wavy hair is hardly even put up these days, preferring to let it down and rest on his shoulders. He has a beard he sometimes grooms but mostly leaves scruffy. Perhaps once in a blue moon he might shave, but only if the scratchiness of his beard annoys him. His body is tanned and chock full of very old scars, it's been a while since he's received any knew ones, well, all but one. There's a long thin scar that is maybe a few years old that runs across his chest that a young soldier inflicted upon him. If Yousuke remembers correctly he took the boy's arm in return, but left him alive out of respect for his prowess, that technique for one so young had taken him by surprise.
⌈Likes⌋
Sake - It takes quite a bit of it to get him buzzed, but all the same he enjoys the flavor of well made sake.
Aesthetic - This is a broad term, but to specify he has an appreciation for observing the beauty of the world. He finds the unruliness of nature beautiful as much as he finds the prim well kept beauty of a Geisha. He appreciates out of place beauty and beauty perfectly in place all the same, so long as it is beautiful. This is entirely up to him however and some things he does not find beautiful, you can never tell what it might be that he'll declare ugly.
The hobbies of others - Haru has lived to an age that humans would consider ancient and youkai would consider infantile, in all this time he has dabbled in things others would consider hobbies. But more than participating Haru actually prefers to observe others and watch them enjoy their little hobby.
Technique - This ties into the hobby fascination, Haru has a great deal of respect for the technique involved in things. He particularly has respect for masters of their own art. He is not in the mind frame of looking down on any sort of art or mundane activity, be it gardening or brewing sake. It's true that he personally enjoys swordplay but it isn't the only thing he is fascinated by.
Misfits - He has a soft spot for the misfits of the world, being one himself.
Rice - "I am a simple man with simple tastes."
Scars - He purposefully allows those he faces that he finds worthy to cut him so he may remember them. Occasionally one leaves a scar that wasn't intentional, those are his favorite.
⌈Dislikes⌋
Decorum - The warlord is not of a noble family, and makes no efforts to pretend otherwise. He looks down on others who concentrate more on decorum than on important matters.
Fussiness - He's not pointing any fingers, but his paige is a bit of a fussy little shit. He's a laid back man who moves at his own pace, stop insisting he get dressed for the day or eat breakfast in the morning. You can be assured if the warlord is hungry he will eat at his own whim and get up at an hour that suits him. Meetings and reports be damned.
Arrogance - How can one be arrogant when there is such vastness in the world, how can one not bow their head to the rising of the sun and kneel at its setting? Every arrogant person he's ever met are not nearly as important or strong as they think anyway. At least back up what you brag.
Yokai - Most yokai anyway. He is often disgusted by their behavior and attitudes toward his kind.
Unnecessary Cruelty - Cruelty is necessary in his world and for his vision, but he won't tolerate it from himself or his men if it is not.
When one hears the term "Warlord" one imagines an intimidating and scary figure, possibly intense, most likely noble; Yousuke disappoints on that level. At least he would if you were to ever meet him regularly. On the battlefield is another monster entirely but his regular self, the man you'd come across is rather laid back. Most likely that term applies literally, because it's not entirely uncommon to find that Yousuke has been lounging in one spot for days. He looks like a big giant lazy oaf, annoying serene neutrality etching his face. He did learn noble manners, even applied them at one point, but that was for the benefit of a friend who is no longer in this world, and he wouldn't care to mention that person anyway. In fact Yousuke doesn't care to mention his past to anyone at all, save small tidbits offhandedly to Amaya, who appears to be the exception to every rule. He's made it abundantly clear that his men are to obey Amaya as though she were himself, and allowed protests to this only once. The one time he allowed people to voice their displeasure at her appointment he made them a deal, defeat her in single combat and she would be removed. It proved to be one hell of an entertaining night, Amaya made it clear where she belonged, right at the warlord's side, no lower.
The past is painful to Yousuke, and he broods about it, more than he should. He's aware that it's possible to get lost in one's past, and sometimes it can feel like falling into a pit, but de-secluding himself is enough to pull him out of it. Nothing gets rid of the guilt though. More important than the past is the future, and if he can see his vision through - it, all of it, would have been worth it, none of it would be in vain, and that's why he is relentless in the spread of his influence. He can not allow what he's done to be in vain. Innocent blood has been spilled, he even feels for the blood that was not so innocent, it'd be a heinous offence to allow that bloodshed to be for nothing. He wants a better world, a united existence, a free and whole Nippon. And this land can not be whole without coming to terms with the realm that lies right next to it in existence, the yokai realm. There is a ritual you can perform with the right ingredients and the right blood, a ritual performed at a yokai realm gate that will shatter the boundaries separating the realms and merge the two into one. It is Yousuke's hope to perform this ritual and unite the realms, but doing so will create chaos and likely death. That is why preparations must be made first, the right leaders need to be prepared, alliances need to be made. The heads of each of the yokai houses must be cut off clean off to make way for the new order. There is much to do, it is an arduous task that Yousuke has set himself to, but it is the most important thing in his life, and the only thing worth really doing in his opinion.
Yousuke's army is extremely loyal to him, he takes in disgraced Samurai and beggar alike, anyone who is misplaced anywhere else can find a place either in Yousuke's army or set to some sort of work somewhere in his territories. He doesn't turn people away and makes an effort to find a comfortable solution for everyone, he's seen as extremely reasonable. That isn't to say he's ever a doormat however, while looser than bushido there is still a moral code he holds his men to, there is a level of respect they must show others upon pain of severe punishment. His men do not rape, they do not burn, they do not pillage, they act like men, not animals. In some cases there are even women soldiers, though those are highly uncommon. Yousuke is able to drink and joke with his men, but he keeps it impersonal and a distance that some have noted, he's a likable person, charismatic and philosophical, if a bit grumpy and blunt at times. He makes a good listener and doesn't mind handling small matters himself, he likes to check in on people he's left in charge of handling things to make sure everything is being done fairly and well, the commoner is an important person to Yousuke. Once he conquers a territory he does his best to restore and even better it for the regular working person to enjoy, this has made him popular as far as Daimyo go.
⌈Relationships⌋
Yousuke tends to address all under his employ with familiarity, but there's a certain impersonal distance he keeps from everyone. He has no family to speak of. If one person close to him were to come to mind it'd have to be Amaya, his adviser. He is automatically unguarded around her due to her status as a hanyou, and is completely at ease around her company. They've always had a clear and honest understanding when it comes to their goals, which are one and the same. He makes it clear that he values her opinion and input above that of anyone, and holds respect for her abilities. She certainly wouldn't be his adviser otherwise. There are rumors that their relationship is that of lovers and that Amaya is a simple concubine, but no one dares make such a jest to his face. In terms of feelings Yousuke can't pinpoint exactly what it is he feels for Amaya, but it's desperate, whatever it is. He gets anxious when she goes to the Yokai realm and outright annoyed if she's late, her safety is of a paramount to him, even though he's fully aware of how strong she is. She's the only one he'll mention his past to, maybe she's some sort of redemption to him, she's his need for forgiveness perhaps. Maybe he's protective because he considers her his responsibility, he does slightly think of himself as her mentor, a little, despite the great respect he has for her prowess. She'll betray how young she is if you pay close attention, and if its anything to do with Amaya, Yousuke does indeed pay close attention. He has sometimes had a recurring dream where Amaya kills him as his request, and he dies happy, what a strange dream. He wouldn't mind it becoming reality if he's honest with himself.
⌈Equipment⌋
Samurai and Ronin alike are terribly attached to their Katana, apparently they believe it to be an extension of themselves, something even containing a soul in the more exaggerated cases. He can see why they would, but this is not so with Yousuke, he has no attachments to any blades or reverence for any swordcrafters in particular. For someone as strong as Yousuke it makes no difference what he yields, it could be a tree branch and you would still be dead. As if to emphasize that point he carries around and does battle with a wooden training katana. They break of course so the one he has now is only a couple of years old. If he gets serious about cutting something down in his way he'll ask for or take someone else's steel, but that hasn't been the case for a very long time.
⌈Strengths⌋
Strength is definitely a word that comes to mind when regarding Yousuke, he's just plain huge for one, and fast to boot. Even something simple like the way he moves speaks volumes to what this man could do with an ounce of killing intent. He has his Oni ancestry to thank for this. And not only is he physically gifted but mentally as well, he's a thoughtful and wise man who knows politics, plots, and war. He has a goal, and so far he's been unstoppable at achieving it.
⌈Weaknesses⌋
Weaknesses are a bit difficult to decipher when it comes to Yousuke, but if you pay close attention you can make out a few. When it comes to battle plans Yousuke favors ones that keep his men safe, he doesn't like unnecessary risk. He's got a few tactics he'll recycle too, and if he were facing a shrewd opponent who knew his battle history his tricks would be useless. For the most part he conquers ruthlessly but will allow survivors to flee the territory, he's soft despite the blood he's willing to shed. These survivors may be willing to come back for a second go at him, which creates problems. Yousuke can also be self punishing at times, privately and very subtly, he's denied himself companionship for a number of years now, and during battle he would search for worthy opponents to give him the death he feels he deserves, he'd settle for injuries, but to no avail. It's been a couple years since his last battle however so he takes that frustration out on "sparring" with Muga occasionally, a frightening site for any who witness it.
⌈Home⌋
The Kobayashi abode is his now, and it is where he has been the past few years. That's where his living place is now, but he wouldn't call it his home. Home is a tricky subject.
⌈History⌋
Every living thing's beginning is a bloody one, that's just the nature of birth; but as fate would have it for hanyou, it is also often a cruel one. Yousuke was born while a battle raged, his father fighting for the right to live in peace with his human wife. Someone slit his mother's throat while she gave birth, and almost slit his. That day his father committed fratricide, an act he would never forgive himself for, but one he only regrets he did not do sooner. There is very little Yousuke can remember of his father, having been left by him so early, but what he remembers is vivid. His father's hair was sunset red, he would always tug on it. He father was never angry, always patient. His hands were big, big enough to only need one hand to lift him safely above his head so he could pretend he was flying; and he always smiled whenever he did this, the biggest smile. Eight short years Yousuke spent with his father, always on the move, only at night, never on any roads, always going from mountain to mountain. His father was looking for a means for his son to survive, chasing a ghost of a rumor of another hanyou of the house of earth who made their home in a remote cave. This hanyou would be older than even him, and surely one who had lived for so long could ensure that his son did the same?
When they eventually found the man Yousuke's father convinced the hanyou to look after Haru until he was old enough to fend for himself. The elderly hanyou was lonely enough to accept. Yousuke's father left him, one of the most upsetting events that Yousuke can recall and one he assumes was done because there was no other way. From then on, Yousuke has recounted his past in terms of chapters, each new one beginning with the meeting of a fellow hanyou, and ending with their death.
Musashi
Yousuke was young, and not contented to live out his likely to be long life out on a mountain, and he was disgusted that Musashi was. This notion that hanyou were just lucky enough to be alive was deplorable to Yousuke, and it made him angry the more he learned of the youkai and human worlds from Musashi. They would argue often as Yousuke became older, Musashi telling him to be grateful and Yousuke telling him that this was hardly living. It always ended the same way, with Musashi telling him that if he wanted to leave he was more than welcome to. But a bond had grown between them that kept Yousuke tied to that damnable mountain, until at the age of sixteen he became too hot headed and left in a rage. This little exhibition down the mountain did not last long, maybe a week before the first human contact he was met with sent him back up the mountain covered in blood that was not his. Just his luck, first people he meets are bandits, he killed them with his training "sword" that was actually just a well carved tree branch. As the very least he earned his first steel, a katana, the trip hadn't been a complete waste. But Musashi seemed disappointed when Yousuke came back. "Why did you come back." He had asked. Yousuke had thought that was obvious, he wasn't just going to leave the old man all alone. A strange expression came upon the old man's face when Yousuke said this.
The next morning Yousuke woke to find Musashi dead outside of their cave, having eaten poisoned plants. It was a suicide, there was no way it wasn't, Musashi knew all the plants and knew which ones were safe and which ones were not. He did not understand the event until much later in his life, and at the time Yousuke felt abandoned and angry. He has never returned to that mountain.
Yanagi Mizuhara
Belonging or no, Haru was perfect to fit the role of a guard, brothel owners and merchants thought he was perfect to protect what was theirs and readily hired him. The job was boring but it gave him money, something he found could trade in for his newfound favorite drink, sake. It was in drinking sake that Haru met Yanagi Mizuhara, a wealthy merchant who revealed himself to be hanyou. Haru didn't ever think he would find another hanyou, but according to Yanagi he himself had only ever met one other in his lifetime, and they didn't get along so well. Yanagi's mother was a hebi, a snake yokai, she was smart and resourceful enough to raise Yanagi in secret and ensure his success in the human realm. He had a business selling sake with an added ingredient from the yokai realm, the sap of a tree located only in the land of the sun. It was wildly popular in the human realm and Haru could see why. But more than the sake Haru was interested in Yanagi, he was an intelligent and traveled man while Haru was an ignorant bumpkin from a mountain. Haru suspects Yanagi enjoyed the flattery of being looked up to and took him under his wing. He taught Haru more about the yokai realm than Masashi had, Yanagi seemed to even know the political workings of the different houses, courtesy of his loving mother who visited him once or twice a month. These visits were highly annoying to Haru, as Yanagi's mother hated and looked down on him in the most passive aggressive manner possible, it made little sense considering her own son was hanyou but Haru hadn't come from her belly. Yanagi was a passive person himself, and although he considered Haru his friend made no effort to hold back on teasing him, something that was easy to do to a young Haru.
Apparently the sap from the land of the sun was something Yanagi retrieved himself, and the idea of adding it to sake came from the Yosei, who were known for their frivolities and festivities. Thankfully yosei were also strangely unconcerned with anything, hanyou included, and were either enjoyed or ignored by other yokai, but never taken seriously. Their penchant for not killing hanyou made them excellent business partners. Haru made the trips himself once he began working for Yanagi, and learned how to locate and pass through gates, which gates were unguarded and which ones it was suicide to attempt to go through. He learned a bit about chi magic that other yokai were capable of but also learned he was utterly incapable of it, he couldn't even open a gate himself. Yanagi had a good laugh at him for that. The two worked together for a good while, hardly anyone attacked Yanagi's cargo with Haru traveling with it and if they did they were cut down swiftly. Yanagi paid Haru remarkably well but Haru never had much use for the coin.
Haru was 88 years old and still particularly young looking when his friend was murdered. He had gotten back from a trip early to the smell of blood coming from somewhere in Yanagi's estate, Haru found Yanagi's mother weeping over her dead son, his golden brown eyes wide and stiff. There was blood on her mouth, and though Haru could guess what had happened he couldn't believe it, Yanagi's mother was doting and loving, why did she do this? Haru stared at them both until she finally spoke, telling him her family had found out her secret and that if she didn't kill Yanagi they would have. She wanted his death to be quick and painless, unlike the death that awaited him if the clan got their hands on him. Haru drew his sword at that point, expecting to have a fight, but she only laughed at him, calling him a blundering fool. "Go to the Kaga province, you'll find something there, Yanagi told you about him right? Go before I change my mind." To this day Haru is unsure if he could've taken that hebi on, but something leaves him with the impression that she would've made mince meat out of him.
Togashi Yasutaka & Renko
An indulgent womanizing no name who can beat off master swordsmen with a wooden stick doesn't go unnoticed, he tends to gain a reputation. This reputation brought Togashi Yasutaka to the suite in the brothel Haru was sleeping at one mid morning. Haru doesn't know how long Togashi had been there, but he was sipping on tea by the time Haru woke up, comfortable as could be. Mind you Togashi was dressed in the clothing of a nobleman and having known what a hanyou's presence felt like could tell full well that Togashi was one too; so the whole sight was odd indeed. Togashi didn't greet him, simply commented on what a heavy sleeper Haru was. They spoke for a while, idle chit chat about what Haru'd been up to, until the grog of sleep lifted enough for pieces to click in Haru's mind. Was Togashi the thing the hebi woman had meant for him to find? A quick question about whether or not he'd ever known another hanyou named Yanagi answered everything. Togashi was that hanyou that Yanagi had mentioned not getting along with, apparently Togashi was a political man and Yanagi liked to keep his head down, there was also apparently some discord about a woman, Renko, who in the end chose to marry Togashi despite being in love with Yanagi. But that was something Haru wouldn't learn about until much later, and was something he considered none of his business, though it explained Renko's strong reaction to hearing about Yanagi's fate. Despite not getting along Togashi was sorry to hear about it too, if only because their kind seemed to always be doomed one way or another.
Togashi Yasutaka was the great great uncle to Togashi Masachika, the current Daimyo warring to get a hold of the Kaga province. His family knew what he was, and he was a well kept secret, acting as the family's backbone and working out of public eye, changing identities and faking a death every so often to avoid suspicion, since he did not grow old in the way humans did. He was taking a break from helping his nephew retake the province when he heard of a peculiar person and decided to investigate, Togashi wanted Haru to join his army, and from then on call him Yasutaka. Haru, having no other direction in life at all, consented without hesitation or thought. As it turned out however, Haru needed some fine tuning. Yasutaka taught him technique, after seeing that his fighting style was more or less throwing his strength and speed around, which was highly effective to be sure but childish and embarrassing for Yasutaka to witness. He also taught him proper manners and put him in noble clothes, which Haru hated every minute of, but his reward for cooperating with etiquette was sword lessons, and so Haru was put on a reward based regimen, like an oversized and uncute puppy. Yasutaka wasn't just some smiling good natured man, he was an intelligent man, extremely wise, and the more time Haru spent with him the more he learned. It helped, perhaps, that Yasutaka kept him close, as a sort of incompetent and ignorant right hand man. He didn't stay ignorant forever though, and quickly grew to become rather useful, especially on the battlefield. Haru helped in the retaking of the Kaga province, and so did Renko, a well learned hanyou in her own right. As much as Haru knew about Yasutaka, he never did learn much about Renko's history, he got the impression she enjoyed being mysterious.
After the taking of Kaga province there was a peace for a while, and Yasutaka retreated to the shadows in a supporting position, but unfortunately it soon became clear that his nephew was corrupt, and a poor choice in leadership. Haru, who had branched away from his small social bubble and made friends with other human leaders, and others convinced Yasutaka to do something about it. Loathe as he was to take the spotlight and betray his nephew, the province was suffering, there was too much poverty. They began raising rebellion in secret, gathering men and the will to take the province away from the greedy Masachika. They hatched a clever plot to draw Masachika away and make the province vulnerable, by creating a fake conflict in Ōmi province and getting the unbeknownst cooperating ally Daimyo Ashikaga Yoshihisa to call for his aid. Once his forces were drawn out they made their move, the rebellion was a difficult one, and more than once it looked like they might lose, but fortunately they came out on top, ousting Masachika and making Yasutaka the new Daimyo.
From then on the Kaga province became known far and wide as "the kingdom of peasants", and though it faced political discord with Daimyo Yoshihisa, was ultimately left alone for the next 16 years, until Yasutaka's death. If you will recall, Yasutaka had to fake his death every so often in order to keep other humans outside of his family circle from finding out his secret. Unfortunately, this death would be very real, and at the hands of Haru himself.
He didn't want to do it.
It broke his heart to do it.
But Yasutaka left him with no choice. It was during Yasutaka's reign that Haru had settled himself as a political figure and developed his own ideas and philosophy, he was over 100 years old now and had changed quite a bit from that flustered and blundering boy he was when Yanagi first found him, changed drastically even from that rowdy trouble making man Yasutaka dragged out of that brothel. Haru had seen what they could do with a province and wanted to do
Amaya
No one called him Haru anymore, he was Yousuke now, a lord. He left Kaga with his men and proceeded to conquer two other small Provinces, earning the title of Warlord with them. He built his forces and ruled his provinces, searching for things he let one in on, acquiring strange specialized warriors with crazy strength like his own. Eventually he chose to take the province ruled by the Kobayashi family due to its geographical location, pulling a similar trick he had way back in the Kaga province, faking trouble in one part of the province to draw forces there and taking the unguarded territory. In order to keep the element of surprise however it had to happen fast, within days. He encroached upon the Kobayashi estate and finally raided them in the dead of night, killing the Daimyo and his heirs, he hadn't intended to kill the lady Kobayashi as well but she made it out along with a few others. He let them be, so long as they left the province he was fine with them being alive. Not much they could do in their state anyway.
Yousuke tried to settle down the province to its regular daily life and routine as quickly as possible, even making appearances down in the village at the bottom of the mountain that the estate was located on top of. It was during its annual shogi tournament that Yousuke got a familiar whiff of a hanyou, a smell he didn't think he'd ever have the privilege of encountering again, one he didn't think he deserved either. He observed overtly and from a distance at first, but the hanyou, a young woman, was an excellent player, and by the end of the tournament was facing off in the last round, everyone's eyes had to be on her. She really was masterful at the game, he had to mask a smile at that. She was dressed in men's clothes too, what was he supposed to make of that? She was so fragile looking she looked like she could break if you were too rough with her, but she was a hanyou and alive, she wouldn't break easy. In the end she won, and he presented her with her winnings publicly, but once the crowd dispersed they were able to talk freely, he offered her rooms at his estate and they talked more during her stay, she was interested in his longterm ideas especially. Amaya has proven herself a worthy adviser time and again, and Yousuke has been unhesitant in making her his second in command, given that as a hanyou Amaya is as close to his cause as anyone can get.