ASUKAI KAORU

"The fire I began is burning me alive..."

Personality

Extroverted | Impulsive | Angry | Idealistic | Sardonic | Bold | Existential | Passionate

Once a pure-hearted boy, the events of Arc 6 and onward have slowly but surely caused Kaoru to put an armor of rage around his heart. It's easier for him to feel anger than any other emotion, making him comfortable with it over everything else. There are scarce few that can bypass his temper, those few being the ones who've known him the longest and thus know him best--these are the people he cares deeply for, and he tries very hard not to let his fiery anger lash at them.

His own lack of inhibition terrifies him, but he hasn't yet gotten a grip on his impulses. He speaks his mind without restraint, and will be completely honest with you--unless you are special to him and he believes that to do so would be to burden you with troubles he sees as his own. Deep down, he struggles with an intense amount of insecurity born from his inability to keep people safe or make a difference, which juxtaposes his natural reason and instead deposits him in the hands of his unruly temperament and impulsiveness.

Still, he's retained his sense of perspective for the most part. He refuses to believe people are inherently bad or evil--he's simply coming to the conclusion that they are inherently stupid. Not sheep in need of a gentle shepherd, but beasts in need of a firm, unyielding hand if disaster is to be avoided. Thanks to his negative reaction to feeling helpless and weak, Kaoru has begun to develop a desperate need for control...

Preferences

Biography

His father, Hayate, is a severely pacifistic man who grew up with very strict, argumentative parents who were only together through an arranged marriage. He was a highly sensitive and empathetic child. Raised under the same beliefs as every Main House Asukai, Hayate initially believed what his parents said about the Branch house, the Kitsune, and everything else. But after seeing the negative effects of these beliefs first hand, along with seeing how his parents couldn't even bother to get along (despite both being Main House members), he found himself loathing all the pointless conflict and avoiding it at all costs. That coupled with the loss of his wife in the birth of their first child, Hayate quickly became a recluse--he rarely left his home or interacted with anybody, even his own parents or his late wife's family. He raised Kaoru primarily by himself, in hopes of shielding him from the poisonous prejudice of the outside world. This was mostly successful, but has had adverse effects later in Kaoru's life as there are conflicts Kaoru goes into without a firm grasp on the realities of what could go wrong.

As a child, Kaoru spent much of his time going on "adventures" by himself, often wandering into places he didn't belong. He made many acquaintances this way, from non-clans who seemed to hate his guts (one beat him up once and poured ink in his hair), to Kitsune who were loud but not nearly as gross as his clan peers lead him to believe, to fellow Asukai, Main and Branch alike. He often visited Asukai Tsurugi and his family, as Tsuru's aunt (???) would give him sweets--which he adored. Having never experienced a mother or siblings, Kaoru found this atmosphere fascinating and engaging. After the incident with the clan heirs, Kao was devastated that he couldn't just visit them freely like he once could.

Hayate is a good friend of Asukai Shibui--so much so that, when Shibui was busy (as he often is), he would leave Karigane in Hayate's care. Kaoru sees the younger boy as a brother. While in the academy, he once had an unofficial spar with an Aoki girl who knocked him down. He ended up breaking his arm. She carried him to the nurse, much to his chagrin. However, from that day, that girl earned both his respect and his affections. He learned her name was Tamie. When he was 12, he also sparred with Asukai Shinya--and lost. And vowed to beat him one day.

Though Kaoru grew up without his mother around, he was unaware of the difference and thus her absence in his life doesn't impact him much. This was largely thanks to the positive relationship he had with his father. His upbringing was firm but largely sympathetic and encouraging, and Kaoru was always game for a challenge. He idolizes his father and his skills, and wishes to match and eventually surpass him. What does bother him about his mother's absence is that he feels his existence is somehow to blame for it, as if he was never conceived, she never would have died and Hayate wouldn't have experienced such profound loss.

Kaoru holds high standards for himself. He doesn't like how small and weak he is, and therefore takes measures to compensate--this usually ends in trouble of some shape or form.

Family Line

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Name 【KANJI】| Born #, Died # | Role | Relation

Trivia

• He loves making other people smile.
• If he laughs too hard, he gives himself the hiccups.
• If he was allowed, his wardrobe would consist primarily of rich reds and golds.
• His favorite colors are red and pink.
• Despite Physical Touch being neutral on his LL scale, he's a very instinctively cuddly person.
• Strong people make him fanboy. None more than his girlfriend.
• He has a strong aversion to bows.
• His VA is Bryce Papenbrook (as Eren Jaeger)
• A character of the roleplay group Hidden Lantern Village