Difference between revisions of "Shigure Shiratsuyu"

The Shiratsuyu household is a rather well-appointed house on the upper end of Tokyo, a suburb overrun by ritzy beneficiaries, businessowners and their noveau riche children. In the case of Shigure Shiratsuyu, she lives in a very traditional Japanese manor with her particularly stern and disciplinarian single mother -- Narumi Shiratsuyu.

'Single', at the very least, as far as Shigure can remember -- her mother told her her father died in the line of duty in "some war", and didn't seem to be particularly inclined to tell her ("I'll tell you when you're responsible for yourself," she always said), and it was always a particularly bitter topic to bring up.

Life in the household was... clinical, one could say. The house was always kept in pristine order, with nary a speck of life or vivaciousness ever besmearing the walls of their particularly well-appointed two-storey, eight bedroom manor -- a space that was entirely too large for the two of them, without servants or maids as what one might expect of the one-percent.

Narumi brooked no protest or rebellion from Shigure; she raised her to what she perceived to be the highest standards, granting -- and pressuring -- her into the highest forms of education, starting from a very early age. She enrolled her into Infinity Institute when she was of age, and encouraged her to explore the various clubs and acquire high-skill disciplines. She insisted that she take cram school as well, to prepare her for larger burdens, expecting her to enter elite fields of education.

To her dismay, Shigure embraced music at an early age. She gravitated to songs, to piano, to music -- no matter what Narumi did to dissuade her, to distract her with other topics of interest. When Shigure was five, Narumi put a strong foothold and ruled that she was not permitted to sing, no matter what. When she asked why, in tears, Narumi did not answer her. No singing. That was the only ironclad rule she ever inflicted upon her.

Though this deeply bothered Shigure, she still -- struggled against it, found loopholes. She still joined the Orchestral Club, reasoning to her mother that playing an instrument was not singing. She still wrote lyrics in private, and endured the lashings whenever her mother found them. She didn't give up. She traded her grades and impeccable performance in exchange for being able to learn instruments and compose music.

This unhealthy pattern continued until Shigure was fifteen, in the present day. For her fifteenth birthday, she found her mother in a good mood -- and tried to dare ask her for a present that she wanted above all else: She wanted to sing her a song.

Narumi's good mood melted instantly, and she lashed out at her daughter again, verbally, physically. Shocked and betrayed, Shigure planned the most ambitious plan of rebellion she ever had: she'd gathered friends together for an amateur Idol Concert that she'd planned for a year -- to be hosted at a local park nearby Infinity Institute. It would be her first performance.

It was nearly her only performance.

She was dressed in a flimsy costume that she made in secret, with her friends joining her. A few bystanders at the park had come, curious enough to see what was up... but when she brightly raised her voice into song, the ground started to rumble. The skies darkened, and trees were felled -- people started to scream as mysterious, strange monsters the like she'd never seen before emerged from the air, surrounding them.

Terrified and uncertain of what she'd gotten herself wrapped up in, Shigure and her friends attempted to run -- but the monsters grabbed hold of them and tried to constrict and destroy them. While gasping through the pain, Shigure swore she could hear the echo of a song in her mind--

--and she sung back to it.

She heard a voice and saw someone she hadn't seen before -- someone shouted at her to 'catch', and a crystal had been thrown into her palm. She squeezed it into her hand -- and in an instant, a flash of light engulfed her, and she was sheathed in a miraculous, magical garb like none before.

A heavy greatsword appeared at her hands, seemingly spurred and powered by her soul -- or more accurately, the song that had come from the depths of her soul. Though clumsy, she tried to swat, bat at the monsters, cleaving through inexpertly.

Other garbed women had joined the battle, and in moments, it seemed like the battle had been won. Exhausted, Shigure collapsed onto a heap as she felt the power wash away from her, disappearing into a thin red crystal in her hands...

When she awoke, she was in an infirmary in a place she'd never been before. The one who had thrown her the crystal -- Doctor Sakurai -- was next to her mother, who was trying her best to keep a stern, stony face. It didn't work -- Shigure knew that she'd done what she'd feared most.

That was when she learnt the truth of her family: her father, Norimaki Shiratsuyu, was actually one of the members of the 2nd Division Mobile Disaster Response Corps, and was killed by Noise in the line of duty -- something that had soured Narumi Shiratsuyu to the point where she vehemently wished to decry in her daughter anything remotely associated with the Symphogear.

Especially when they informed her that her daughter was potentially in tune with one of the Symphogear relics -- one of the reasons that Norimaki was recruited into the organisation in the first place.

She insisted on having no more contact with the organisation and was intent on isolating Shigure from the entire incident, insistent on never telling her the truth.

The Symphogear relic, Claiomh Solais, had a remarkable synchronisation with her -- to the point where Shigure was inadvertently able to summon it to her side in a time of danger, though she hadn't even encountered it up to that point.

Her song was special. Her song had 'power'. The power to awaken the relic, to banish evil and fight against the forces of darkness. And Shigure was granted an offer:

Join the Tuners. Fight the good fight.

At that time, Shigure looked towards the wounded figures of her friends, laying on the beds beside her, and she made a resolve. She would.

It isn't later that the doubts would start creeping up on her...

Narumi Shiratsuyu - When's all said and done, what is Shigure's relationship with her mother now? For fifteen years of her life, she's been a nigh-on authoritarian, dictating almost every single aspect of her life, and she hasn't forgotten that. She hasn't forgiven her. But some part of her feels desperately, deeply lonely when she tries to think of life without her mother, and for all that she's done, she /has/ provided for her, clothed her, fed her, given her education.

It's complicated. When she saw her washed-up face when she first awoke after attuning to the Relic, it was as if she could see her mother for who she really is for the first time in her life. A tired, beaten-down, weary woman who lost her husband to forces she can't rightfully comprehend, and could also lose her daughter as well. She hasn't moved on.

She wants to try to mend that bridge. It'll be slow. It'll be awkward. But maybe they can do it. Maybe.

Kotori Mogami is Shigure's closest friend, a friend ever since they met in Infinity Institute's elementary school. She's been the light in her life for a long time, providing her comfort and someone she can vent to whenever her mother has been extremely punishing. She's more cheerful and outgoing than Shigure is, providing a more extroverted counterpoint to the girl's introverted nature.

Kotori was injured when the concert happened, and Shigure still blames herself for what happened. Kotori is one of the few people she can say she'd fight for without any hangups, right now -- anything to prevent her from getting hurt again.

Niramo Umokeshi - Shigure first met her at a cafe, but she doesn't know that she's actually the Magical Ladybug Sourisi! She was happy to have been there for her at a time of need, and she's lightly envious of her upbeat, positive nature... she needs to be able to muster that kind of willpower if she's going to fight the good fight, herself.

Usagi Tsukino - Shigure first met Usagi when she was ambushed at her concert, and wound up saving her from the Noise. She really values her as a friend, and like Kotori, Usagi often helps her try to come out of her introverted shell. She doesn't know that she's Sailor Moon, but Shigure looks up to her as a role model...