[attr="class","body"]Every aspect of his person was lifeless. No, Kizua was not a puppet; in this moment he was a marionette whose strings had been severed and expected to fend for itself. Her Chuunin partner's dolls displayed more passion than the man in front of her did now. If not for the face and voice, Sawako would not recognize him.
Though he inquired after her wellbeing, she was the one that felt concerned. This wasn't an emotion that came to the forefront often, and the genuinely widened blue eyes, the falter in her step betrayed that. Her plan had been to stop some paces away from him, but instead, she closed the distance and stood over him. A pale hand lifted off her hilt to instead reach out to him, as if offering to hoist him to his feet.
".. Are you okay?"
Sawako knew why he was no longer welcome in Iwagakure, the entire village was aware of the grisly details of his father's murder. Even back then, when she heard what he did, she had envied him so intensely it was like a poison. It infected her dreams, the thought of following in his footsteps to solve her own issues.. and yet. And yet, self-preservation held her back. Her own father did not deserve to be the impetus with which she destroyed her adult life like he tried to destroy her childhood. There was clearly some piece of information missing from his story that he should be suffering so much now, but she could not fathom it.
If he did not take her hand, she would stoop down next to him. Regardless of if he did or not, the back of her hand pressed to his forehead to check for a temperature. Worried gaze roamed his body, seeking a wound or some explanation for this, trying in her limited capacity to find a way to comfort him.
[attr="class","body"]Wandering, always wandering. Free time did not come easily to a Chuunin, but the spaces of it she managed to eke out were filled with travel and gardening. Tsuchi no Kuni provided both of these and, it seemed, would never go long without a new surprise.
Blue eyes locked upon the dark gaze. The first instinct was adrenaline, because this was a face plastered in her bingo book. Nukenin, enemy; a target she was meant to subdue or kill. Sawako was always prepared for a fight, and indeed her hand already caressed the hilt of her katana with the reverence of a lover. Yet she hesitated, memories flooding back, pink head cocking to one side as the man spoke. Not just a traitor.
"Kizua?" her voice was a murmur, soft like the pebbles as they conformed to her steps, taking her closer to him. There was a softness to her expression that immediately glossed over, lips quirking into a cold frown. "You shouldn't be here. We aren't far enough away for you to be here. Then, why?"
He could attack, true. Something told her he would not.
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Features: Left cheek dimple | Scar from right ear to under chin
🌸 MENTALITY
Disposition: True Neutral
an individualist who follows her heart, setting aside rules and traditions in favor of her own morals. self is the primary concern in all decisions, although loyalty is extended toward people and organizations she considers allies. sawako considers acts of both good and evil to be necessary forces of change, and as such, can swing drastically in either direction as needed. for this reason, the truly good may view her as evil.
sawako is not an unkind person at heart. she has good intentions but oftentimes pursues them in questionable ways. when she is around people she truly cares for she is playful, considerate, and bubbly; everyone else may only be privy to the cold and calculating mask she puts on. manipulation is, in her opinion, a necessary evil and therefore a tactic she has trained. at baseline, she tries to help people around her if she can ease their burdens without detriment to herself.
that being said, she is perhaps best known for her embodiment of raiton in more than just the physical realm. chaotic and destructive are apt descriptors. when pushed to anger, she struggles to regulate her emotions and will swing between rage and despair. communication during this time can be toxic, either fueling the fire or stonewalling to push away. sawako will hold a grudge until the person has proven themselves worthy again, if they are even given the chance.
sawako considers herself to be a fast learner, able to repeat things with reasonable accuracy after being shown once. she is intelligent and capable of the quick thought processes which make a good shinobi. although she has many acquaintances, it is difficult for her to form true deep bonds, so she does not care much for romance. violence, death, and pain rarely bother her, unless an animal or child is involved. tending to her vegetable garden brings her peace.
🌸 HISTORY
The Kikkawa Clan - a prestigious family fractured by war and reforged in Earth and Stone. For over a hundred years they were exclusively samurai who served the daimyo directly, although in recent years they have relaxed this policy and allowed children to attend the shinobi academy. Various chakra aptitudes seem to run through their bloodline, but kenjutsu is still the primary focus.
Sawako was born the second child to the current patriarch, which allowed her more freedom than her brother even if she was expected to uphold certain traditions. Her father's controlling personality had the opposite effect, producing not a strong yet delicate flower but instead an ambitious, temperamental, and individualistic thorn. They sent her to the academy in Iwagakure partly due to her aspirations of becoming a shinobi and partly to rid themselves of her presence.
She was neither a phenomenal student nor a poor one. Books and theoretical situations were simple; taijutsu came easy, her body honed fit and strong from a young age. However, she struggled to get along with her classmates and frequently argued with her instructors. When they threatened to send her home - for good - was the moment Sawako realized she had to compartmentalize her personality. In the classroom and on the battlefield she adopted a calm, calculating persona reminiscent of her brother, a razor focus that suited her kenjutsu well. In her personal life she remained volatile, acquaintances kept at arms' length and only a few close friends let in who could withstand her mood swings and temper.
As a Genin, she found her persona switched on more and more, a mask that was rarely taken off. Her tactical abilities allowed her to be a liaison between the Chuunin who led her team and the other Genin, especially during tense combat situations. As a matter of policy, she refused to be friends with her partners. This was often brought up as an area she needed to improve: a shinobi cannot work solely for themself. Indeed, it was teamwork in the end that afforded their group the right to advance to Chuunin rank, even if she has not mastered it yet.
Sawako received praise and congratulations from her family, especially her brother, for her accomplishments. Despite this, she holds a great deal of resentment and disgust toward them and has not been home to visit since they sent her away. Her love for kenjutsu is incidental to her heritage as Kikkawa; one day she hopes to surpass them using her own methods. She refuses to accept that her brother will always be seen as better just because he was first, just because he is male, just because he allowed himself to be molded into their puppet.
Proficiencies
🌸 Kenjutsu | JOURNEYMAN ●●●○○○
As part of the Kikkawa clan, Sawako learned swordplay almost as soon as she could walk. Like most samurai, her weapons of choice are a katana and a tanto - a sidearm, very similar to a dagger, which is used when the range of the sword would be otherwise unwieldy. She is cold, calculating, and disciplined, knowing when to hang back and when to strike. However, she has only recently begun to experiment with combining her use of a katana with her lightning chakra. This is a skill she plans to develop since close-range combat among shinobi can be dangerous.
🌸 Raiton | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
Lightning chakra is in her blood; it is said that her grandfather mastered Raiton even though he was not formally trained as a shinobi. Presently, she is capable of physical touch and short-range lightning manifestation, although accuracy decreases as distance increases. Her primary focus at this level is learning to channel the energy safely (for her) into her katana or tanto, and using the electrified weapons with her kenjutsu techniques to increase the damaging power. Sawako understands that this leaves her without an option for long-range combat, which is a major flaw when fighting other shinobi. In the future, she wishes to learn ways to minimize this disadvantage.
🌸 Taijutsu | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
Sawako has little interest in hand-to-hand combat when a sword is so much more elegant. That being said, she believes it is important to train one's body to fully harness the power of kenjutsu, particularly when it comes to agility and stamina. She considers herself a trained athlete, strong and fast, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Additionally, she agrees it would be beneficial to learn how to defend herself better should she be disarmed.
🌸 Stealth | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
Stealth is a basic skill for a shinobi, and one she has practiced to match that of her peers. She is capable of moving silently and blending in with a crowd, but her more practical ability comes in the form of awareness. Kenjutsu demands a form of zen state, which can also be translated to this purpose - Sawako is constantly analyzing her surroundings, remembering spatial locations, picking up on body cues, and so on. She does not have much experience dealing with rarer abilities such as genjutsu.
