Yamahana

"I couldn't figure out for a long time why I would lose that. But over the week I've learned to stop and feel things before trying to say anything. To stop and… think about what I really mean, and not to say anything if I'm not being genuine about it. "
Yamahana is a player turned reaper from Week 14 of the Reaper's Game. They currently reside in the Ueno district, trying to heal from the post-traumatic stress they suffered as a result of the events of their Game. 
==Appearance==
Bright green eyes and bubblegum-pink hair, Yama is a sight for sore eyes-- especially in one of the biggest fashion-centric cities in Japan. They're often found sporting thousands of accessories accompanied with simple, yet cute, apparel. They often wear skirts and blouses, flowers in their hair, and keep up to date on the newest "cute" fashion trends. 
Their hair is naturally a deep brown, but they keep up to date on bleaching and dying it- blonde on the short trimmed sides and a mound of curling pink on top. 
Their glasses are notably not prescription. 
==Personality==
Yamahana is a quiet and reserved reaper, not one for butting into conversations or making their presence known. They speak softly and with a bit of hesitance, and tend to keep to themselves more than anything. When prodded or plied with a one on one shopping trip, a glimmer of a very different person can be seen. 
A selfish streak often battles with their nurturing side. More likely than not, they'll let themselves be inconvenienced for the sake of other's happiness, but they won't be pleased with it, harboring bitterness as a result. 
They aren't quick to make friends, and when they're not actively thinking about their entrance fee it often gets the better of them, causing them to lash out and say some very rude things. 
Something in their eyes says they regret something. 
But what? 
==History==
===Pre-Death===
Their parents were kind, caring, compassionate-- everything you'd ask from a young couple raising their pre-adolescent child and his older sister. Yamahana- at that time a very young boy, had begun to experiment with their gender expression, but was met with "You'll grow out of it," and not much more. It wasn't that big of a deal, nor traumatic, but Yamahana began to look at clothing magazines a little more secretly from then on out. 
Everything was shaping up for them to have a wonderful, if slightly poor, life. 
When Yamahana was ten years old, they got a call from their aunt, saying that their parents had gotten into a horrible car accident. Weeks later, dozens of hospital visits later, it was determined that neither parent would be able to walk again... and they had no money for in-home nurses or physical therapists. The government covered the bare minimum home-care for them, which amounted to providing them with medical equipment and wheelchairs, but no more. 
With their parents mere shells of the happy, boisterous people they once were, Yama's 14 year old sister slowly fell into a depressive rut that not even the cheery younger sibling could rouse her out of. She became aggressive and rude, calling her younger sibling a plethora of violent slurs and insults on a regular basis. She spent her time either at school or in her room, taking little to no part in daily family life or the care of their parents. 
Months passed, and years, and it seemed like all Yamahana would ever do with their life would be taking care of their parents. They'd cook, clean, dress and bathe them-- all without hesitation. Day after day after day. With their sister's lack of presence, Yama had to quietly drop out of high school in the first year, picking up a part time job and becoming a full-time caretaker for their parents. 
Slowly, they became fed up with their situation, and grew to resent their family incredibly. They started squirreling away pennies, whatever money they could, and eventually had up enough to buy a train ticket and never come back. 
And then, the night before they were set to leave, they left the gas burner on the stove, coaxing the fire up into the drapes. The entire family perished in the fire that ensued, including Yamahana. 
=== Pre-Game ===
They awoke some time later in the Underground- faced with a second chance at life, and not so sure that they should take it. 
They had some time to think on it, however, as the next game wouldn't start for another five months, due to the sporadic nature of soul-claiming in Shibuya. They picked up a part time job, a boyfriend, and tried to go on with their strange un-life as if everything was just going to magically be all right again once the game rolled around. Their boyfriend, Naoki became a good distraction, until Yamahana realized that he was too good of a distraction and cut him out. 
Yamahana had no problems making friends, money, and generally having a good time. 
It would be those days they would come to miss. 
Week 14 dawned bright and early-- and seemed to come up out of nowhere. One day they were hanging out with Tabitha at Taboo and the next? 
===Week 14===
Day 1
Yamahana suffered a huge blow of an entry fee: the ability to be kind without being genuine. Often used as their signature tactic in order to sway conversation and heavy feelings away, they found themselves acting bitter and mean without that crutch. Snapping at several people, Nora, Kin, and Yuji included, Yamahana assumed that they had lost their kindness altogether. 
Thankfully they had made a pre-Game promise to pact with a new lost soul in Shibuya, a young man named Shinken. With his entry fee of enthusiasm, and Yama's kindness taken, the two of them likely wouldn't have pacted if they hadn't promised to beforehand. But they did, and both relaxed into a terse and barely-cordial partnership. 
When approached by Jean, however, Yamahana lost all form and shape of a filter, and purposefully triggered his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, causing a severe emotional whiplash for the two of them. Many of their pre-Game friends now turned their back on them, and without fully understanding why, Yamahana decided that it was for the best, anyway. 
Day one passed much like that, as the players formed pairs across the board and prepared themselves for the penultimate week of their life. 
Day 2
Having made friends with the most unpopular harrier reaper, Sunao, Yamahana opened up to her about their previous relationship problems. Sunao then took it into her hands to teach Naoki a lesson, dragging him into an extremely unfair fight and beating him senseless. Yamahana and the rest of the players watched, helpless, as Sunao explained that they were doing it to avenge Yamahana's grudge. In that moment, Yama realized that they didn't need to hurt Naoki in order to get over him. They just needed to talk to him. 
However, the fact that Sunao would do that for them guiltily struck a small chord in their heart. 
During the battle with the drakes, Yamahana and a fellow player named Kit begun to dance together. At the end of their dancing, Yamahana spun and dipped- and later on Kit kissed them. Unsure of how to respond, the two of them departed with pink cheeks. 
Not bothering to censor themself, they're often seen bickering with Shinken, calling him names and generally being rude. Shinken takes it all in stride with no hurt feelings, and if he could smile throughout, I bet he would have. 
Day 3
After the chaos of Day two, Yamahana felt like they needed to be more wary around the players. They felt distrusted. For all they knew, all of them thought that Yamahana had orchestrated the cruel and bitter battle of the previous day, and wanted it to happen. They weren't too sure that that wasn't the case, after all. 
During a wall ran by Sunao, Yamahana had a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen, and couldn't bear the sight of the young and enthusiastic Mikoto offering themself up to open the baskets that Sunao had laid out before them. Mikoto only wanted to pet the snake... but Yamahana had a gut feeling that that form of Sunao was as tricky as her wingtips. Yamahana volunteered to open the basket instead, explaining their distrust of Sunao. With a unanimous vote, they stepped forward to do so. 
Sunao, however, slithered right past Yamahana and dragged Mikoto into the noise plane anyway for another spectacle of a beating. Yamahana began to wonder if every day was going to be like this, and if it would continue to be seen as their fault. 
According to Sunao later that night, however, the incident with Mikoto was not, as they had feared, Yamahana's fault. They felt a bit more at ease after that, though they were still reeling from the whole incident. 
During the fight with the leviathan, Yamahana became more confident about their battling abilities. 
Day 4
This day started off like any other, and Yamahana and Shinken participated in the mission (their bitterness and bickering causing the spectating reaper's eyebrows to furrow in concern.) up until Uso, Sunao, and Orion threw them and another pacted pair (Hotaru and Mika) into the noise plane. 
It was clear from the get-go that Hotaru was the main target, and Shinken was going to be taken as collateral damage, leaving Yamahana and Mika to re-pact. (This was confirmed later on that evening by Sunao herself, much to Yamahana's dismay.) 
The fight was extremely rough and Shinken came very close to erasure. Usa's insistence on erasing the clown, however, saved their lives, and she got her wish: Hotaru was erased. Her parting words echoed in everyone's mind for days to come. 
Yamahana encouraged Mika to stand up and fight, and Shinken proceeded to make a spectacle of himself, drawing more attention to him rather than the others. 
Hand in hand, the three fought up until Mika's last minute to avenge Hotaru. As the time ticked down and the battle seemed lost, Yamahana fell to the ground beside Mika and held her as her time ran out, feeling, in that moment, that she'd rather die in the arms of someone she'd fought alongside of than to die alone. Shedding genuine tears, Yamahana wept, and her form was replaced with a pin. Poison Skull. 
Standing up, Shinken and Yamahana spoke words about accepting their fates, as the battle was not over yet. However, Sunao, displeased that things had not gone her way, dispelled the Noise and bid them from the Noise plane. Protesting, Shinken taunted her to finish them, but Yamahana took the chance to escape, dragging a stone-faced Shinken along with them back to Shibuya. 
The city wept for the ephemeral firefly. The shock of the first erasure shook everyone, Player and Reaper alike. Suddenly everything was real again. 
During the boss fight, Yamahana, caring little for "Pokemon", hardly participated, skipping a good portion of their turns. However, when it came time to catch one of the elusive "Pokemon" they acted, dubbing it, "Hotaru." A good name, for a good... whatever it was. They kept the pin, tucked it away as a memory. 
Later that night, Yamahana confronted Sunao, learnt of the plans she'd had, and asked for a one on one spar. During that fight they confessed that they'd begun to feel a motivation to live once more. 
Sunao seemed pleased with this. 
Shinken was none the wiser. 
Day 5 
The next day passed in much of a blur for Yamahana. During a wall, Jean asked the players what they thought they'd learned from their entry fee. At first, Yamahana had thought that their lack of kindness wasn't negotiable- that they couldn't work through it, but they distinctly remembered moments in the past five days where they could be kind. They confessed to Jean that they'd realized it was the kindness that was in-genuine that was removed from them, and with sincerity believed that they could overcome this, if they just learnt to think before they spoke, and to try and behave with genuine compassion and empathy for others. 
In the next heartbeat, they confessed that they had, indeed, decided to live again, and the tangible relief over Jean's face was enough to break anyone's heart. They embraced, and Yamahana cried. 
What seemed like moments later, but may have been hours, Kit and her partner, Kanon, were erased. Yamahana sat there, stunned, as a girl they'd talked to, flirted with, shopped with, and done hair with, was just... gone. Just like that. 
It seemed as if romance was just not their strong suit. 
During the battle with the lion and the fox, Yamahana struck the final blow on one of them, exclaiming Kit's name in a euphoric manner, releasing their feelings for her into the sky along with it. That potential energy, that unspoken charisma... it may never come to function, no, but it had happened. And Yamahana, surprisingly, felt okay with that. 
Day 6
The sixth day dawned with a heavy note in the air. The new reaper, Nathan, had still yet to forsee an erasure, and he immediately targeted Naoki and his partner. Yamahana watched in disbelief as Nathan erased one, to leave Naoki standing there. They recall him shouting something about cowardice, but everything else was a faint buzzing as the announcement rang out. Naoki had seven minutes. 
They felt like the world had come to a standstill.
Everyone in the area rushed towards Naoki, taking him in their arms and fussing and crying over him. Yamahana stood from a distance, debating whether or not they should go over to him. In the end, deciding that he'd rather spend his last moments with the people who had stood by him through everything, and not with someone who'd broken his heart, they remained away, saying a parting few words to him in their mind. 
Was this the cost of the Game? Was Yamahana going to lose everything before the seven days were through? 
Day six wasn't even half done. 
During the wall missions, Shinken was informed that someone needed to see him. He refused at first, toying around with the informant, and it seemed as if he knew was what going to happen. Unsure of whether or not they should follow, Yamahana lingered. 
Of course, they were bid to follow. 
In that moment, Yamahana knew what was to come. This walk to Hachiko wasn't just a walk. It was a death march.
At the statue where Shinken had spent most of his time during the week, they were encountered by Haozi, the lovely Tanuki who'd graced everyone's presences throughout the week. Except that Haozi wasn't calm now, they were absolutely bristling with rage. 
Yamahana listened in absolute terror as Haozi and Shinken hashed out Shinken's lavish plans for the UG. Shinken had mentioned his "Dream" before, but Yamahana had no idea of its extent. Was this the man that they had tied their fate to? 
Was this the person they'd promised to believe in? 
Behind Haozi stood a faintly familiar figure. Nue. Yamahana couldn't place where they knew her from, but after a few choice words from her red lips, they remembered a cold sidewalk and some words about living. 
The odds were heavily stacked against them, and during the battle instead of focusing on winning, Yamahana used their turns to conjure flowers from their bouquet, dedicating each one to a loss they had suffered in the week, paying tribute to every Player that had been erased. They even gave a flower to Nue, saying that they didn't blame her for what she had to do. 
They knew Shinken was going to be erased. 
They accepted their own demise as well.
Despite this acceptance, however, panic set in as the announcement rang out. With a shaky voice, they asked Nue to bring rain to Shibuya. For some reason she agreed. It began to rain, and it calmed them. Gave them something to focus on. With their heart beating out of their chest, and only seven minutes left to say their goodbyes, Yamahana stepped out of the noise plane. 
They were immediately greeted by Tabitha, and all of their other friends from before. They'd seen Yamahana's growth throughout the week, seen their loss, and grown themselves and none had harsh glares when they saw Yama standing there, trembling. 
Their eyes locked with Jean's and they reached out to him, instinctively. 
They begged him to hold them. 
"Don't let me die alone." 
"You're not going to die alone, Yamahana." 
Wiping the tears from their eyes, Jean extended more than just his hand. 
He offered them reaperhood. 
Panicked and afraid, with less than a minute to go, Yamahana did what all people who want to live do: they grabbed the rope offered, and hung on. 
As their wings grew in and the skies cleared and everyone scooped the newest Shibuyan reaper into a hug, Yamahana kissed Sunao, laughed, and cried. For the moment they were fine. They would hold onto that for these precious few moments before night fell and they were alone again. 
With everyone on emotional ropes, the boss for that night was cancelled and everyone broke off into groups to rest. 
Day 7
Yamahana spent the majority of the day with Tabi, getting to know her partner Chiyo. After a cheery makeup session in which Yamahana and Tabitha dubbed Chiyo, "The Black Widow," they all felt just a little better for the battle to come. 
It was a rough battle, but Yamahana was already emotionally checked out from their suffering at this point, and could only cheer on their few remaining friends. They knew that if Tabitha and Chiyo ceased to exist, that would be the last straw. 
Subsequently avoiding Sunao for the majority of the Game, Yamahana's focus was true. 
And somehow, with the siren's shrieks still echoing in all of their ears, they won. 
They did it. 
It was over. 
=== Post-Game ===
Reeling from so much loss and their sudden change to a Reaper, and with Sunao still unable to be the person that Yamahana needed her to be, the new Shibuyan reaper fell into extreme depression in the weeks following their Game. No longer taking enjoyment from their existence, they lay, stagnant, in bed for 90% of their day, only getting out of bed when Carel or Jean forced them to eat, and sometimes not even then. Even the discovery of their Phoenix noise form was tainted by Yuji's reaction to it and his insistence that it should have been Naoki there as a reaper, not Yamahana. They agreed with him and clung onto that hatred that they thought they'd gotten rid of during the game. 
Yamahana, once more, wanted to die. 
After a long conversation with Jean, they decided it was best, after what transpired during and after the Game, if Yamahana transferred out of the district. Ueno opened them with open arms. 
It truly was a new beginning now. 
==Relationships==
===Jean ===
At first, Yamahana felt like Jean could be the father figure they had been missing out on. He carried them to his shop, gave them a place to stay, but inevitably the two of them could not get close enough to seal the deal. A misguided attempt at forcing the relationship led to an even bigger rift, and they spent the rest of the time between Yamahana's death and the Game ignoring each other and avoiding awkward situations wherin they would be in the same room together. With all of the drama surrounding Naoki and their own desire for erasure, Yamahana started to feel bitter that Jean could not be there for them. Day one of the Game imploded in their face, and when Yamahana tried to reach out to Jean, they ended up doing the complete opposite. However, a few days later, they tried reaching out again and were met with understanding and compassion. While Jean may never be a father figure to Yamahana, there is hope for the two of them, yet. Currently they see him as protective and understanding, though he will always be a little distant, probably. 
* Jean offered Yamahana reaperhood after Shinken was erased. 
=== Shinken ===
Yamahana's partner from their Game week. They met before the Week officially started and bonded quite nicely with Yamahana's bubbly personality and Shinken's complementary near-tsundere one. They went out to dinner a few times, went shopping, and Yamahana even gave him fashion advice and gifted him a pocket-watch as a token of their friendship. Still getting over their break-up with Naoki, Yamahana was relieved when Shinken asked to become partners when the Game officially started. They were worried that Naoki would have asked them to uphold the promise that they made months prior. 
Afraid no longer, Yamahana went into Day 0 confident, cool, and collected, with Shinken by their side. However, after fees were taken and the reality of their situation set in, their relationship as partners immediately soured. Yamahana was no longer able to front a nice attitude about their partner- and Shinken was no longer able to give a fuck about anything but himself. Even after Yamahana learned niceness as a genuine form of expression, they were still unable to treat Shinken with any respect, feeling as if he deserved none for his actions. 
Fortunately, they were able to put their differences aside enough to be functional partners, if aloof and cold to each other. Shinken dropped using Yamahana's name entirely and begun using the endearment, "Partner," which was both upsetting and relieving to Yamahana. If it made him feel better, they didn't care. They just wanted to get through the Game week. 
Shinken helped very little with Yamahana's desire to be erased post-game, and during the Game they were forced to seek other forms of encouragement. They found friends outside of Shinken, but the unfortunate thing about the Game is that no one, not even those close to you, are required to stay alive. Yamahana lost friend after prospective friend, and Shinken was hardly a warm comforting place they could turn to. 
It seemed as if Shinken was also hiding something, dissapearing for hours on end and mumbling about a "dream" of some sort. As the Week passed, Yamahana started to resent how much they hated him, and made a better effort to become the partner he deserved. They promised that no matter what happens, they'd uphold his Dream. Because that's what partners do. So when the final hours game and they faced imminent Erasure, Yamahana stood by their partner. "I'll believe in your Dream, Shinken- even if I can't believe in you!" And as the final blows began to struck their partner, Yamahana shed a tear for him regardless. Regardless of how shitty his Dream was, regardless of how much he had hurt them throughout the Game, Yamahana made it that far because of Shinken's passion, his strength, his unending desire to see the world torn apart. 
And even now that Yamahana has become a reaper, they still hear his words echo off their bedpost at night. They still feel his hand in theirs and they still see his bright eyes, staring at them always from behind the static curtain. 
=== Hawk ===
Before Week 14, Hawk gave Yamahana some important advice, even though it had been grudgingly. He sat them down, explaining them the gravity of the Game and how they can't just give up. He inspired them with a brief explanation of the game, and the relationship between partners during it. "More than your own life is at stake." They kept this in mind when they promised to be partners with Naoki- saving their self-erasure plans for post-win instead of giving up on playing the Game entirely. During the Game, they came to him for comfort, advice, and the occasional early morning Green Tea. When they felt at their lowest, Hawk was there with a stern tone but fair intentions. They didn't need coddling- they needed a reality check. And that was exactly what Hawk would come to provide. 
* Yamahana currently has two handkerchiefs, given to them by Hawk. They will treasure them forever. It's not weird. 
=== Carel ===
While alive, Yamahana loved to spend time at Ribbonshades when they had a free moment away from home. They got to know Carel on a first name basis, and was incredibly surprised to learn of her Underground secrets. Pre-Game, they stayed at her shop, working part time for room and board, and some yen to boot. While brash, she's inherently kind, and she helped Yamahana through a few rough spots when Jean could not. 
* Postgame, Carel offered Yamahana continued employment and housing upstairs instead of in the guest room. Yamahana took the offer happily. 
* Even though Yamahana is in Ueno now, there's always a standing offer at Ribbonshades for whenever they want to visit. 
=== Naoki ===
The two of them met shortly after Yamahana died, in the park. Naoki had been plucking flowers to find love, and Yamahana stepped in on the flower's behalf. From then on, they went shopping, ran around town- and eventually fell in love themselves. Everything was going well, until Naoki moved into Ribbonshades with them. Suddenly afraid of the closeness, annoyed by his constant gushing about them, and unsure if they wanted to live in the first place, led to them breaking off the relationship. Naoki, instead of realizing that Yamahana just needed space, he decided to send them gifts, pledge his love, and generally give them hell trying to win them back. This led to them growing even more angry, finally blowing up on him in the middle of Taboo, much to Nora's displeasure. From that moment until the game, the two of them avoided each other. During the game, Yamahana let slip to Sunao that Naoki had hurt them, and the vindictive reaper attempted to erase Naoki as a result. Feeling incredibly guilty (of both that and the fact that they had considered asking her themself) they approached Naoki and the two of them resolved their differences. While Yamahana will never love Naoki again, they thought that perhaps the two of them could be friends. After that day, while not growing closer, they stopped being toxic to each other and shared a few meaningful looks. 
On day 6, Naoki was erased, shattering any potential of Yamahana gaining closure or his continued presence in their life. Completely devastated, they set out to honor his memory as best as they can, though with their behavior towards him in recent months they aren't so sure they deserve to miss him as much as they do. 
* For their respective birthdays, they exchanged glass objects of their favorite animals. Yamahana now has both of them. 
=== Tabitha ===
Yamahana and Tabitha met while the two of them were in Pre-Game limbo, and the two of them quickly became fast friends. Despite their differences and distance during the Game, they were able to see it through and both come out of it as reapers. However, post Game Yamahana began to distance themself from Tabi's seemingly happy-go-lucky attitude about the state of things, and soon severed ties with her completely. 
=== Sunao ===
An icy blue transfer from Harajuku, Yamahana and Sunao immediately bonded over fashion pre-week, and though Sunao behaved in a violent, terse manner during the week, she showed care and affection for the pink hued player. After attacking Naoki, intent to erase him for hurting Yamahana in their relationship, they became even closer, often bickering but ultimately realizing they had a lot more in common than they would originally expect. Postgame, the two of them dance between admitting they like each other, admitting they want to try, and completely assing it up. Yamahana finally confessed that the relationship wasn't worth the effort, and the two parted on none too kind terms. 
=== Kit ===
Another fellow player that they met pre-Game, Kit and Yamahana were tangoing around the idea of dating when Kit was Erased. Still feeling her kiss on their lips, Yamahana wasn't sure if any of their friends would make it out alive. Or even if they would. 
=== Mika ===
The distant partner of Hotaru, Mika was irrelevant in Yamahana's life up until Day 4, when the two partner pairs battled for their life in a fight against two reapers and a plethora of terrifyingly strong noise. When it was clear that Mika's partner was the target, Yamahana felt a surge of compassion for her and offered their hand. The emotional battle had it's ups and it's downs, but Yamahana refused to let go, going so far as to hold the girl in their arms as she faded from existence, finding nothing but a pin in their hands when she had gone. 
=== Hotaru ===
They say hindsight is 20/20, and Yamahana certainly has a lot of time to look back now. Hotaru was a strange player from their week, and due to entrance fees and other priorities, Yamahana never got to be really close to her. Never knowing their impact on her emotional state, Yamahana said some cruel (albeit honest) things in regards to the .... zealous clown. During the intense battle on Day 4, Yamahana tried desperately to put aside their qualms about Hotaru and to fight for her sake, too- but it was blatantly obvious that Hotaru wasn't going to make it. They let Hotaru take the stage and give her final performance, vowing along with Shinken, to never forget the ephemeral firefly that had been Hotaru. 
==Trivia==
*Their surname comes from a Japanese form of poetry, a 5-7-7 patterned style of writing. 
*May or may not have developed a slight keptomanic habit. 
*Since they dropped out of high school, they have about a middle school level vocabulary and struggle with reading complex books/papers. 
*The only ambition they have currently is to pursue modeling. 
*They had never been outside of Shibuya, but dreamt of visiting Harajuku 
*Their noise form is a phoenix: Ignis Morendo. Jean thinks it's fitting. 
(TW ARACHNOPHOBIA)
*Yamahana had a pet red backed spider during their life. Aka-chan, however, perished in the fire. Yamahana still has many pictures of her on their phone, however, and even a selfie of her in their hair. (tw arachnophobia in link) 
==Gallery==
Yama.png|w14 appearance (by nessa)
bondage yama.png|loool day three bondage pantsu (by tess)
ueno buddies!.png|wahooo (by cin)
yamanhohonoana and haozi.png|trauma can't touch us if our feet aren't on the ground (by Cin!)
yams with wings by ghost transp.png|baby done went reaper (by ghost)
yama noiseform.png|Ignis Morendo (by Tess)
ignis morendo.png|Ignis Morendo (by Nessa)
Category:Players
Category:Week 14