Yumeno

"Being ignored's just... like being invisible. I'd rather be noticed."
Yumeno Yamanaka (Kiryu) is a Player from Week 14 of The Reaper's Game. She became a Reaper at the end of her Game after she won. 
== Appearance ==
Yumeno is a bit above average height, though looks slightly taller because of the boots she wears. She is somewhat thin, but her build is largely hidden underneath layers of clothing. Since her death she has been wearing the same outfit leading up to the start of the Reaper's Game. This outfit is a yellow dress with a square cut low neck and long sleeves (striped hems, magenta then dark red, with multicolored bars across the chest section and pink edged lace on the hem), a pink cropped hoodie with puffy sleeves, an oversized decorative plastic aquamarine belt, a pair of purple thigh highs with yellow stars down the sides of the legs, and white ankkle boots with two-tone soles matching the hem of her dress. She also wears a scarf around her neck, plus a pair of shorts under the outfit, though it's impossible to tell she's wearing shorts because of the length of the dress.
Yumeno wears manba style makeup (layers of white and pearlescent eye-shadow around her eyes, with a layer of pink on her upper eyelids and dark, winged eye liner plus darkened eyebrows, as well as white lipstick), plus magenta contact lenses and very obvious amounts of fake fan lotion that give her skin a tan, but slightly orangeish color. Her hair is blonde and worn in twintails, accented with a hibiscus hairpin on one side and yellow and orange star flower hairpins on the other. 
Yumeno always carries around a red heart shaped bag with a blue background on one side bearing the text 'Aloha Sky' in block letters, along with a drawn hibiscus flower matching the one in her hair and pink and orange star shaped flowers (also matching her hair accessories). Her phone matches the design on her purse, but in gel case form with more sparkles.
As the week has gone on, she had acquired some new clothes, including a shirt, given to her by Yuji, that reads 'Nobody Knows I'm Gay.' Though the threads she has bought clashed with it, she still wore it. 
As of post week, she's returning to her natural skin and eye color and wearing her red glasses, though she'll be keeping her hair pins and hair style, as well as her blonde hair color, as she enjoys how it looks and is going to change herself because she wants to, not because it will make other people notice her. Her purse now has an omamori handmade by Hana tied on it that she will never remove, as well as the pins she acquired during her Game.
== Personality ==
Yumeno is kind-hearted and insists on repaying those that have helped her in any way, even if they insist she doesn't have to. She acts relatively confident, though her hesitation to speak when feeling uncertain is quite obvious at times. She enjoys baking and dabbles in writing surrealist fiction, though she isn't very good at it. She enjoys the works of H.P. Lovecraft and has an admitted problem speaking to people at times. 
== History ==
=== Pre-Game ===
Yumeno was born and brought up in the Toshima ward of Tokyo, the daughter of a salary-man that would eventually be promoted to manager and a housewife. Due to her father's work schedule and her mother's frequent departure from home for various reasons that Yumeno never inquired about, she spent a large portion of her life being raised by her grandparents, who were very traditional values and believed that raising Yumeno to be the best possible example of a traditional women was exactly what she needed, which included lessons in traditional things such as tea ceremonies and flower arranging (as her grandparents were very traditional individuals who highly valued Japanese traditions, regardless of their age). 
Because of her grandmother, Yumeno spent a large portion of her life being trained to be a 'traditional' woman and a 'traditional' wife. Cooking for bentos, learning how to clean and sew and perform tea ceremonies. For nearly all of her life, Yumeno was brought up with the lessons and harsh admonishments when she couldn't do something right or didn't get good enough grades, sometimes so harsh that she'd break down into tears until she learned how to control her outward emotions so no one was know what she was really thinking. 
The most independence Yumeno had up until about age 16 was the weekends she would sometimes be able to spend with her parents, who didn't encourage traditionalism. Because of them taking her to Shibuya at a young age and her seeing ganguro girls and a ganguro magazine (that they allowed her to by), Yumeno always idolized the subculture. She wasn't able to do anything to pursue her interests, and she had to hide the magazine under her bed, only taking it out to stare at when her grandparents were out of the house. She also had an Easy Bake Oven for a short time before she burnt out the light bulb because she had so much fun making the brownie mixes. Her grandparents tossed it out because they deemed it 'too Western.'
Yumeno was never really good at school though, doing average at best but being horrible in English, just managing to scrape by passing a year of school because of non-core classes that she could take because she wanted to. The pressure of getting good grades on top of doing things 'properly' made it hard for her to make friends, having no real interest in common with her classmates. During her middle school years, she discovered more about the collection of novels her father kept, mostly surrealist works. She fell in love with the works of H.P. Lovecraft for its masterful use of twisting the language and the surreal landscapes in it. She also found that she enjoyed horror movies, once she was allowed to watch them (she saw 'It' at a young age, which gave her a mild distrust of clowns for fear they were secretly aliens, that slight paranoia has never really gone away). 
When she was 16, Yumeno's grandparents moved to Hokkaido in order to retire, trusting Yumeno to be old enough to look after herself while her parents were busy. Over the next year, Yumeno rapidly stepped up her already low key main method of stress management: baking and eating. She'd been baking for years, off and on, insisting to her grandparents that it was for her classmates or just for her own lunch. She'd always eat what she'd make if they were out of the house, so they won't find it, because tasty food helped her calm down. With them gone, there was no one to stop her from cooking whatever she felt like, whenever she felt like, and spending all of her allowance on buying special ingredients or cooking utensils.
With the stress building with college so close on the horizon, Yumeno, after years of expectations and average at best grades (plus average at best, in her own opinion, looks, with classmates who would just ignore her and always steal the food she bought with her because she was too quiet and polite to tell them to not), finally snapped. She tore down all the posters of idealized men in her room she was expected to have, ran out of the house, and bought a large pile of makeup with her savings. Over the next month, Yumeno began testing her manba look in secret, not telling her parents what she was doing so they wouldn't worry about her (or, worse, try and stop her).
Shortly before Golden Week, Yumeno went out and dyed her hair and purchased some magenta contact lenses in her prescription. With these, people she passed started to notice her. She liked being noticed, even if some of the comments could be quite rude. She didn't care. She didn't feel invisible anymore. People were noticing her.
During Golden Week, Yumeno dressed up in her full manba look (for about the fourth time in her life) and went to Shibuya. While there, she passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition while exploring the city she'd always idolized for being one of the origin points for the style she adored.
=== Pre-Game ===
Yumeno spent her time pre-Game alternately wandering the city trying to figure out where she was and talking to people. She made a few friends, first meeting Yuji, and later meeting an assortment of other Players and Reapers alike. She learned about the Reaper's Game mainly from Yuji, but learned more aspects of it from others as time went on. Her baking skills allowed her to make cookies enough that she could offer them to people in an attempt to get them to talk to her, since being invisible to most of the world for real, on top of having to play a game for her life, got to her really quickly, though she did her best to hide it.
During that time, she spoke with a number of individuals, and had heartfelt conversations with Shin, Yuji, and, after she finally admitted that she likes girls, Uso. A lot of those she met helped push her toward new things. Games. Anime. Manga. Yumeno absorbed all of it, quickly growing to love food anime (Food Wars above everything else she watched before the Game began), surrealist video games (because of Yume Nikki), and shoujo-ai manga (Sakura Trick in particular). The experiences of that week made Yumeno break out of her shell a bit, opening up to Yuji and growing close enough to him to decide to be his partner before the Game began. And then the Game began...
=== Week 14 ===
Day 0, for the most part, went without too much issue for Yumeno, at least mentally and emotionally beyond the intense anxiety over not knowing what would be taken from her as her entry fee. And when Day 1 finally rolled around at midnight, her fee was taken, though she didn't realize what it was. With Yumeno's entry fee taken, her anxiety and nervousness became apparent. She began to pause more, speak slower, doubt herself more, to the point where she openly admitted to feeling pathetic and worthless. She was comforted primarily by her partner, Yuji (as they pacted as soon as possible on day 1), and Uso, who gave her a lot of good advice that got through to her despite tears and anxiety and stress. 
On day 1, Yumeno struggled with her fee, though she didn't realize what it was and just thought her anxiety was more intense than normal because the Game had begun. She broke down crying over her perceived worthlessness and her uncertainty about if she was going to be able to actually win and not just drag her partner down. She still managed to talk to a number of shopkeepers and prepare some melonpan to give away to Players and Reaper's alike. (She was also momentarily incapacitated by Takumi leaning really close to her face as the Reaper tried to figure out what Yumeno's color was.)
On day 2, Yumeno had another breakdown and was comforted by Uso, the small Reaper's words once again giving her a lot to think about and making her feel like she wasn't worthless. Speaking to Uso made Yumeno seriously begin to consider the possibility of dropping out of school to have a career instead. During the day's mission, Yumeno got to serve as Jean's 'best man' in a mock wedding between the Composer and the Conductor. During that same mission, Yumeno saw Naoki break down and nearly get Erased, which shook her quite badly. 
On day three, for the most part things were simply in place for a good day. Aside from the fact that she and Yuji became rather severely injured in a fight against two Corehog Noise, but Yumeno and her partner overcame the challenge through teamwork and dancing, though Yumeno took enough damage to hit adrenaline. The resulting adrenaline rush was something she cannot say she didn't enjoy, but it worried her. Speaking with Miira, YUmeno is at least fairly assured that wanting an adrenaline rush is not something that is weird or wrong, and that if she wins the Game she is going to go to an amusement park with Miira (for the first time in Yumeno's life, she was never allowed to go to an amusement park while she was alive).
Aside from the dance off with the Corehogs in tiny sombreros, Yumeno joked around with Yuji (though it took her a bit to realize his attempts to be ultra kawaii shoujo anime were entirely not serious, but once she did she happily joined in on the joke), participated in a few walls, narrowly losing in a battle against Eliot in Pokemon Go (she quickly became determined to learn the game better and go back and beat him) during the day. While she was shaken once again by a fight that may have lead to the Erasure of another Player (this time Mikoto), they survived it, and Yumeno was able to calm herself down. The fight against the Leviathan was painful, but working together with so many people was an experience Yumeno genuinely enjoyed. However, with day four fast approaching, she's hoping that the good vibes of the week so far will hold out (More to be added later)
The Erasure of day four hit Yumeno fairly hard, even though the rest of the day hadn't been horrible. There were missions, and playing hide and seek with the Reapers had been fun up until they got stuck at a wall (as Yumeno and Tabitha tried to get Kin to spill some kind of secret so Hawk would let them advance) and they watched the pair of Hotaru and Mika get Erased. Seeing someone actually get Erased shook her, and Yumeno didn't sleep very well that night as a result. She did, however, greatly enjoy the Pokemon challenge they were given, and even though she didn't catch her current favorite Pokemon (Umbreon), she was delighted to catch the Espeon that did so much damage, even if she does feel a bit bad about keeping it after it hurt some of the other Players so much. 
Expecting to see more Erasures as the days pass, Yumeno put her contact lenses away, putting her glasses (red frames that are slightly rectangular in shape) on instead, making it very obvious that her natural eye color was not the bright magenta she had been sporting for most of the week, but instead a very dark brown. Her current threads are a bit clashing, but she's working with it, and wearing her hair in a loose ponytail to compensate for her new hat. (It also hides the fact her roots are starting to show, even in death hair dye doesn't last forever.) She has kept her hair clips, but pinned them into her ponytail instead, though she isn't wearing much makeup as of the morning of day five, not wanting to ruin any more of her clothes from crying so hard her makeup runs. (Though she still is sporting winged eye liner and a bit of pink eye shadow, since those are unlikely to run once she starts crying.)
Day five was like the prior days in the sense that it seemed to be going well. They were clearing walls. Before missions even started Yumeno was... with friends. Having fun. Despite the pain of seeing Players be Erased, they were pushing through it. Things were... generally okay. They went through the missions, did some silly things at walls, and... things seemed to be fine, up until Kit and Kanon were Erased. Once again the Erasures hit her hard, even though she didn't know either of the pair well. She cried even more, and the boss fight against the pair of Noise... hit her in a way she didn't expect. She got angry. Really angry. She swore, wanting to kill the Noise that had hurt her friends, hurt her partner, and stolen her partner's face while her partner was looking like his cousin. How angry she got scared her slightly, but... she understood what Uso meant, about channeling her anger. It didn't make her any stronger, it was only the feeling of partnership or friendship that seemed to fuel her pins, but she understood why Uso spoke of channeling her psychs in such a way.
On day six, Yumeno began her day by talking to Uso, asking her about a few things about being a Reaper, and then... admitting to Uso after Uso admitted to liking her a lot that she felt the same, though she was still a bit confused as to what those emotions meant and couldn't articulate them. After that, they took a trip to a grocery store with Seikyo and later Sol, stole a lot of ice cream, baking ingredients, and (because Uso took them) half the sprinkle aisle. Yumeno attempted to make a crepe cake (strawberries, cream lilies, cut into a heart shape) and a swiss roll covered in hearts, but she was too tired, though still managed a solid enough cake roll to give to Uso and share with the others. Their collective lack of ability to bake well resulted in there not being a giant ice cream cake. Instead they all stay around ate ice cream together.
During the daily mission, Yumeno triumphantly played the role of an attorney/interrogator while investigating which Noise has stolen Nora's wallet, putting her skills learned from her years of reading stories that had detective aspects, even if they were Lovecraftian or surrealist, to good use, and she honestly had a little bit too much fun with it. Alongside Yuji, they fought the Noise, but managed to convince the pair of Popguins (Mr. and Mrs. Blueberry) to return Nora's wallet so that neither of them had to be Erased. She's not too sure what she referenced by yelling 'objection,' but she's glad she did, it fit, and she'd attribute her finding the contradiction to careful note taking and trying to question enough to cover all the angles. She, however, passed out for a portion of the mission due to exhaustion.
When she came to, Naoki and Natsu had been Erased. Their deaths hit her harder than any of the prior deaths, but she didn't break down sobbing immediately. She felt... numb. She couldn't believe it. Naoki, who she had been friends with, discussed aspects of Yuji's fee related transformation with, just... gone. And there was nothing she could do about it. She broke down sobbing once the reality of it set in. But with their deaths came the further determination to win. She wouldn't let herself die. She'd win, make sure they were remembered. Victory for the fallen. Victory for the friends and family that couldn't make it through. She was not going to let their memories down.
Yumeno awake on day 7 to find that Shinken - someone she'd talked to before the week began and who she had hoped would get through the Game - had been Erased. She felt numbed by all the death around her, but the group of Reapers and Players that all camped out in Uso's living room to have a mini picnic and stuff their faces full of food before they had to go and fight Clair helped her focus. They were as ready for this as they could get. And then... it was time.
The fight against Clair was not an easy one, as no one's heart really seemed to be in it. Yumeno held out the hope that Clair would change her mind and let the group win instead of Erasing them all, since they had all come so far. Clair had been a nice person every time Yumeno had spoken to her, so she decided to do the one thing she could think of that didn't require fighting - giving Clair hope. Both encouraging Clair to do the right thing with her words and literally giving her hope - by giving her the Hope card that all of the Players had gotten at a wall the day before courtesy of Amaryllis. Soon, other Players joined in, and working together they managed to defeat Clair and only lost one of their number - Sai. 
After the Player's victory - and some bizarre revelations about both Mikoto and Sai and a few other things that Yumeno didn't understand at all (though once she got her fee back she realized it was her ability to hide how she was feeling, and she decided she didn't really need that anymore, but she decided it would be better to have the option than not and simply choose to not use it) - Yumeno decided to become a Reaper, having nothing she felt any need to go back to. Her parents were rarely home and she had no friends in Toshima... plus she had made promises, and had no desire to leave any of the friends she had made, ever. Her parter also decided to become a Reaper, and now that they have both won... the two are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. (Yumeno is determined to open up a bakery/cafe where Players can stay during the Game alongside Sol, who also elected to become a Reaper, at some point in the future though.)
== Relationships ==
=== Yuji ===
Yumeno's partner during the Week 14 Game. While Yuji may not have had the best of intentions at first, his knowledge and willingness to tell Yumeno what was going on made her want to help him and, over time, he had a change of heart. The two now consider each other siblings, to the point where Yuji has given Yumeno a new surname to use. During the Game, Yumeno did her best to help her partner out with dealing with his entry fee and making sure he doesn't lose himself to his anger when he gets too upset.At the end of their Game, they both elected to become Reapers, and she is very supportive of Yuji's decision to alter his appearance into something he is comfortable with.
=== Uso ===
Small Reaper friend who has introduced Yumeno to manga that made her feel more secure about her sexuality (and also made her want to read a lot of manga). Yumeno may be working through a lot of things in her head, but Uso's words of encouragement (and hugs) have been a big help in allowing her to express the emotions she's been bottling up and slowly start working toward figuring out who she is. During the week, Yumeno tried to figure out what her feelings for Uso are, as she wants to make the small Reaper happy and make sure she survives the week, but there were also feelings she wasn't sure of what they even were. Now that the week is out, she is sure she has some kind of crush on the small Reaper and wants to make sure she is happy and that her world is happy and calm. 
=== Hana ===
While they have only spoken within DreamScape, Yumeno thinks of Hana as a friend. A friend with very good fashion sense who is very nice and has some fascinating talents. She is very thankful for Hana's supportive words and treasures the omamori she was given, drawing strength from it during the fight of day 7 of her week.
=== Miira ===
Yumeno confided in the shopkeeper of Stardust about her uncertainty about enjoying battles while fueled by adrenaline. Her promise to Miira to go to an amusement park once Yumeno wins the Game has motivated her to work even harder toward winning. Yumeno considers Miira to be a good friend, and a very helpful and supportive friend to. She's extremely grateful she has someone she can ask about the Game that's played it before.
=== Sol ===
One of the other Players from Yumeno's week. The two have agreed to open up a bakery/cafe together (or at least Yumeno will work for Sol, but a co-owned bakery is an idea that she can't help but consider), an idea agreed upon during day 7 before their final battle against Clair. Sol also elected to become a Reaper at the conclusion of the Game. Partnered with Seikyo.
=== Seikyo ===
Another Player from Yumeno's week. Sei was one of the four Players that ending up living in Uso's apartment during the week of their Game. While they might not have talked that often, Yumeno considers Sei to be a good friend. Unlike his partner, Sei chose life, and Yumeno is very happy for him and hopes he'll go on to do what he wants to with his second chance. Partnered with Sol.
== Trivia ==
* Yumeno shares her name with part of the pen name of a surrealist writer, and attributes her somewhat odd name to her father owning a number of works by that author.
== Gallery ==
Category:Players
Category:Week 14