Aoi Chrysanthemum

**"Insignificant being be gone!"**

**Aoi Chrysanthemum** (Japanese: **黄菊 (キク)  葵 (アオイ)** , *Kigiku Aoi*), also known as the **Pious Maiden** (Japanese: **アムブロシアー ()  巫女 (みこ)** , *Amuburoshiā Miko*); is the **Flower Paladin** (Japanese: **花 (はな)  義侠の士 (ぎきょうのし)** , *Hana Gikyounoshi*) of the **Twelve Paladins**, serving as their resident field operative and master-level swordsmanship teacher. Physically the oldest of the Paladins of the major deity: Konohana Sakuya-Hime, she is also the most powerful of Konohana Sakuya-Hime's many Paladins. She was the personal bodyguard of Daichi Futakuchi; the older of the Futakuchi brothers. The Futakuchi siblings are the children of the main Futakuchi household's head (Régine Futakuchi) and her consort, Mr. Futakuchi. Out of all of the Twelve Paladins; she is reputed as the least lethal Paladin due to her signature magic not being potent at all. Despite that; her sword techniques are stated to be incredibly deadly and even the most experienced of warriors dare not to face her on her own turf.

## Appearance

Aoi was a girl with a rather slender build, much like her younger siblings, having been rather tall for her age during life. Her very noticeable red lips were accented by her pale complexion, another trait possessed by her younger siblings. Her long, straight, black hair reached down to just below her waist area, being worn down without anything tying it back, with two shorter clumps resting on the back of her haori, which hung from her shoulders. In addition, arched, ear-length bangs hung from either side of her face, further accenting her pale complexion. Large and gentle in appearance; her eyes were a pale violet and appeared to slant *quite* sharply towards either side of her face. Similar to the eyes of her twin brother; her were incredibly bright and bug-light, as several noticeable white sparkles reflected light off of them, making them shimmer in the sunlight.

## Personality

    In contrast to her incredibly strict and firm younger siblings, as well as her stoic twin brother; Aoi was rather kind and easygoing in regards to her personality, as she was almost always seen with a gentle smile on her face, rather being relatively unbothered by the pyro tendencies of her fellow Paladins, or even against the possibility of taking care of an emotionally broken and unstable pair of siblings. Her biological younger siblings were notably annoyed with her easygoing nature in their youth; as shown in several flashbacks where both of them scold her for taking in a pair of emotionally broken and unstable siblings, even when her younger siblings were the ones that rescued them from slavery. She cared deeply for all of her family members; adoptive or not, wishing for them to live happy lives away from the duties of a Paladin, in fact she even once snapped at Sakura, one of her younger sisters, telling her to quit the Twelve Paladins and marry into the Futakuchi Family so that she could live in comfort and be protected by Aoi. Most notably, she doesn`t seem to approve of Sakura, Giyu, or any of her adoptive siblings joining the Twelve Paladins; even telling them to quit. In truth, she is rather worried about their safety and believes due to the high number of deaths within the Paladins, that they are not safe from being killed off. Underneath her gentle side, is a much stricter person, who was raised in a conservative environment; she is steadfast in her loyalties and rarely-if-ever falters in her duties, making her a relentless person when it comes to fulfilling her respective missions. One of her favourite things to do, was butterfly watching; something continued in the Futakuchi Complex by the branch families after her death.

## History

Aoi Chrysanthemum was born in Tokyo, Japan during the height of the upheaval of Yōkai-Human relations to the Yuki-Onna Yōkai, Kiyo, and the nephew of Lord Sakuya (né **Futakuchi**), Lord Minamoto Futakuchi. To protect their children; their parents sealed away their Yōkai`s snow manipulation powers, while allowing them to retain their immeasurable strength and natural battle prowess. Her first cousin, Hana Sakuya, was also born during the height of the upheaval of Yōkai-Human relations to a different Yuki-Onna and the younger brother of the siblings` father. Furthermore, Aoi was adopted into the Chrysanthemum Household as a Tsuguko as part of the Tsuguko program; she would grow up underneath the guidance and teachings of the major deity; Konohana Sakuya-Hime, who believed that flowers are a gift and a curse upon this world, as well as how to utilize them in poison's.

### Death

While out patrolling the Sakuya siblings are caught off guard and ambushed by the second most powerful of the Seven Demon Lords; the Demon Lord known as Yuki. In the ensuring battle; Yuki managed to mortally wound both Kanao and Sakura`s bodies to the point where even their naturally high healing rates were ineffective and break several of Sai`s bones. Yuki fled the scene of the attempted murder with Enyo Hime-sama (Sakura`s sworn deity) coming across the three injured siblings and granted Sakura, Sai, and Aoi temporary demigoddess/demigod-status so that their fatal wounds could heal. Unfortunately, Yuki had managed to pierce both of Kanao`s lungs, with Kanao bleeding to death on the ground in front of them, with the added fact that her demigoddess healing was kicking in too slowly for her fatal wounds to heal.

### Post-mortem and legacy

After her death, several statues, paintings, pieces of music, family photographs, books, stories, and legends were unveiled and shown to the whole of the other families in the One Thousand Families Alliance; a special crypt was erected and built in her honor, commissioned by the Futakuchi Family`s main household. Several pieces of jewelry belonging to Aoi, including both of her pink and green butterfly hair ornaments were given to Daichi. Daichi reportably ordered for Aoi`s hair to be styled in the same fashion as Sakura`s hair, with her hair been fastened by one of her pink and green butterfly hair ornaments, the one pink and green butterfly hair ornament being given to Kanao Chrysanthemum.