Michiko Yuzuki/Synopsis

## History

Michiko's childhood was relatively normal. In school, she was a jack of all trades, and did average or above in all of her classes. She was sent to martial arts lessons two times a week, and she excelled, gaining her first degree black belt before the age of 12. She also took lessons for the piano and the saxophone, and has moderate skill in both instruments. She often spends her spare time drawing or painting. Her art is usually inspired by the rise and fall of heroes (and occasionally villains).

Michiko was raised by her father, a humble (and quirkless) gardener and her mother was the no.3 (at the time) popular and well known hero, Reflecti. At a young age, her mother and father had split, and she lived in her father’s house. She didn’t see her mother often, but regardless she had great respect for her. This respect contributed to her developing obsession with heroes and their quirks, she believed it was ‘beautiful’ for heroes to be forced to develop their quirks in unique ways, expressing their individuality in creative ways. Her mother’s title would follow her everywhere, but she accepted this with pride and she would use it to gain popularity. Consequently, the friendships she had in school were mostly shallow and unrewarding. To her dismay, her mother and father grew further apart, and she only saw her mother in person once a year. She didn’t realise it but the respect she held for her mother was warped: in her mind, her mother became whatever she wanted her to be.

Although she kept it to herself, her obsession with the concept of ‘individuality’ also extended to a select few famous villains. When her father found out, he confronted Michiko. Michiko, being an preteen filled with angst, didn’t take this very well, and a rift began to form between them. From this point, her relationship with her father became even more strained. They disagreed about many topics, and her father tried in vain to stop her problematic behaviour. She saw him as quirkless and therefore useless.

After a particularly heated argument, she left the house in a huff. She was only gone for a few hours, but when she returned she discovered her father lying dead in the garden, embraced by the plants he had spent his life nurturing. It was a death of natural causes and despite her sorrow and regret, Michiko was glad his death was peaceful. She remembered thinking that this was the ‘right way’ for him to die. To recover from her grief, she would paint the scene of his death. She saw it as an apology: his death had made her realise that the concept of beauty she had originally sought did not entirely depend on quirks. At this point, her mental state had begun to deteriorate, and deep down she realised she had scorned the only person who had showed her genuine compassion.

Time passed and she became more and more depressed. She had tried and failed to form human connections with any real value. She grew more and more distant from acquaintances at school. She stopped painting. She had lost any inspiration.

One day, she saw news of her mother’s death. Since it was in the local area, she sprinted to the scene to see it for herself. Her mother and the villain had fought near a church. Her body parts were scattered on the cathedral windows, and the windows were stained in more ways than one. In her delirium, she felt as if the colours of the broken glass reflected her mother’s individuality, and she couldn’t help thinking that she had never seen her mother look so beautiful. She felt no sorrow for her mother, after all, she had stopped seeing her as one many years ago.

People at the scene assumed that she was under shock, and she was taken to therapy several times over the next month. Michiko didn’t listen: she had found the inspiration she was looking for. Now that she had felt this feeling twice, she knew it couldn’t be ignored, she had to chase after it. She had to feel ‘inspired’ again. She formed a theory: throughout her father’s life she had failed to notice his individuality, but at the scene of his death it had never been more clear. She become convinced that someone’s true nature is only demonstrated when they are either dead or at the brink of death. She had to test her theory, and what better way to do that than murder?

Her first victim was a fellow arts student, two years below her. As discreetly as possible, Michiko began her study of the student‘s individuality. His corpse was found mounted upon a strange boat shaped structure, bent on impossible angles. People who knew him would whisper that the scene resembled his art, even if in a grotesque way. She killed several more after that.

She knew that if she continued, the risk of getting caught would only increase. She met Nocturne shortly after this, and with his kind offer of hospitality, she could continue working on her projects with the protection and guidance of The Organisation.