ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ + ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ

[millecigognes]

HISTORY

Takeda Chizuru (武田千鶴), born October 9, 2046, is the second child of Takeda Sousuke (奏介) and Ueshiba Isako (植芝偉子). She has two sisters, Honoka (百海) and Mao (萬尾). Chizuru's mother and her older sister, Honoka, are Keepers of the Vigil. Isako is licensed with Methuselah, and Honoka with the Midnight Riders. Chizuru recently graduated from Balamb, but has not gone through initiation rites in any conspiracy. She currently does not have a blade, and is looking for one before she licenses with Netsach, the conspiracy she would like to join. In 2012, when members of Methuselah defected to Netsach and allied themselves to Aidan Clayce, a branch family of the Takeda Clan moved to the Philippines with them. Takeda Shigure, then head of the family, was a Watcher for the Methuselah, and had not liked the direction the Conspiracy was taking. He joined his friends from Methuselah when they moved to Falner Estate, and brought his family with him. He also brought with him his dojo, where he taught Aiki-jujutsu, a martial art passed down to him by his father. In 2040, Shigure appointed his only son, Sousuke as the head of the family as well as the dojo. Sousuke, who had trained with his father in the martial arts, opted to teach Aikido before teaching senior students Aiki-jujutsu. At this point in time, Sousuke and Isako were already married and expecting their first child. Chizuru was born a few years later, in 2046. Sousuke and her older sister, Honoka, were the ones who raised her, as Isako, who was a Keeper of the Vigil even before she married Sousuke, had to take engagements with the reformed Methuselah during those years. And because Sousuke also had to take care of his dojo during those years, he had his daughters train with him at the dojo, instead of closing shop to tend to his girls. Chizuru took to Aikido and Aiki-jujutsu like a fish to water, which made his father proud-- he would have someone to pass down the family tradition to, since Honoka showed no interest. Chizuru's childhood, despite it being the Darkest Vigil, was actually very pleasant. Her father doted on her and taught her the core principles of the family's martial arts style. Her father's students also treated her fairly, not holding back when sparring with her just because she is the headmaster's daughter. Growing up surrounded by mostly boys, you would think that Chizuru would grow up tomboyish, but it was exactly the opposite. She was a little shy around the boys in the dojo, and Honoka made sure that Chizuru grew up to be a proper lady, to Isako's approval. The two girls enjoyed their mother's company for a full year, during Isako's pregnancy with her third daughter, Mao. Chizuru became an older sister in 2051. Isako permanently returned to her normal post in Methuselah's Philippine base after the Darkest Vigil. Her participation in many engagements abroad inspired both Honoka and Chizuru to pursue becoming Hunters. Honoka graduated from Balamb in 2061 and joined Netsach and the Midnight Riders a few years later. In the same year after her sister graduated, and after taking her 1st Dan exams and passing them, Chizuru decided that she would "take a hiatus" from martial arts, and enrolled herself in ballet. She consoled Sousuke by reassuring him that he will have the heir he would like in Mao, who was turning out to be the tomboy he had hoped Chizuru would become. The next year, Chizuru entered Balamb's regular program. In the events of 2063-64, Chizuru's older sister had to return to Falner after sustaining a grave injury during Zhong Yuan Jie. Honoka and the rest of her blade had to be pulled away from further engagements during those months. As a result of her injury, her arm had to be amputated and replaced with a cybernetic limb. In the months that followed, Chizuru took care of her older sister and helped with her recovery. Chizuru graduated from Balamb in March of 2066. However, interpersonal relations notwithstanding, she did not graduate with a blade. This stopped her from taking her initiation to Netsach. In the meantime, she spends her time at her father's dojo, continuing her training, but refusing to take 2nd Dan. At least, not until she becomes a full-fledged Hunter within a conspiracy.

PERSONALITY

Chizuru is a caring individual. She genuinely cares for people, and goes out of her way to help. On the other hand, she does not yet know what she wants to do with her life. It's one of the reasons why she stopped taking Aikido (her father had called it "taking a hiatus") and moved on to ballet. She still helps around the dojo, but has not taken her 2nd Dan exams, even if she is already qualified for it. The phrase, "Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned," is very true for Chizuru. You do not want to cross her, ever. She has an awful temper and can get very destructive when provoked. Fortunately, it takes a lot to anger Chizuru, as she gives a lot of people second chances and benefits of the doubt. Despite being easy to get along with, Chizuru actually has a hard time connecting with people. She does not have as much friends as her image might show. She knows a lot of people, but has not made any real connections. It's one of the reasons why she has yet to find a blade. Her current goal is to make enough friends and be a part of an existing or a new blade before going through her initiation as a Netsach operative. She'd chosen to enter Hunter school to follow in the footsteps of her mother and older sister. Chizuru feels that her true calling and purpose might be in the Vigil, which is why she chose to pursue schooling at Balamb.