Kusuri Zen
Ziapengu of the Zen Brotherhood

Inazuma no Kobun
Hsien-jin of the Xian Mun
Ryoken of the Cool Jade Figurine
Advisor of the Court of Emerald Eyes

Description


Hotei: ~Zen -- the just and virtuous -- stands with a humble quietude that keeps the young Japanese man under the radar. He appears to only be in his early to mid-20s, but dresses in sharp, custom-tailored Italian suits. Colors include black, gray, and blue, as he maintains conservative tones like any good "young turk" would. Kusuri Zen steps onto the scene with shrewd clicks of leather shoes. A pair of dark sunglasses typically hide his baby-brown eyes, which stare disconnectedly at sights he cannot see: he is blind. A sturdy rattan cane supports his steps and aids in navigation. Slow steps keep him from stumbling...usually. Still, Zen comes across as a determined and keen young man. Self-confidence and an empathic awareness generate a veneer of wisdom around the well-dressed man. Life is too short to weep over spilled milk and lost sight, and Zen has things to do.~

OOC: Appearance 3; Pakua 2; Rank 11

Wani: ~All humanity is shed save for the light in the hirayanu's canine golden-brown eyes. The suit is shed for thick brown fur so dark it is virtually black. The only present garment is a pair of large black silk shorts that maintains some dignity on the hound-like being. Zen's body mass does not increase much, except to grow highly defined in musculature and reshape to resemble that of a man-sized mastiff perfectly capable of bipedal movement. His muzzle boasts sharp, carnivorous teeth. Though those sightless eyes remain blind, Zen's wet canine nose and those flapped ears are more than adequate for sensory perception. His forepaws -- the arms -- end in deadly little bone-white claws. The Ryoken's long, brushy tail wags slowly as he stands tall and ready. And should his readiness demand it, Zen can assume the Mask of Shintai. The beast's hackles rise, the tail straightens, and his muzzle salivates with hungry anger. A low and primal growl escapes his throat, and those strong claws flex in anticipation. The light in his eyes brightens until they blaze with jade-white fire and the very air about Zen seems to tremble in terror at this outraged little god. To paraphrase the survivor: run. Run your ass off.~

OOC: Appearance 0; Pakua 2; Rank 11

Animal: ~Broad-shouldered and strong, Zen appears as a dark-furred Tibetan mastiff. The animal's fur is predominatly dark brown -- so dark it's almost black -- with lighter splotches at his points. The large dog, prized for hunting and guardianship alike, stays as out of the way as he can. He marches slowly through the environment, the curse of blindness present even in this form. His tail wags by the emotions he feels, his tongue lolls when it's hot, and his ear flaps perk at sounds and smells of interest...like food! Only the bright golden-brown eyes, blind as they may be, marking the animal as "exceptionally intelligent", give clue that this is Kusuri Zen, Ryoken extraordinaire.~

OOC: Appearance 3; Pakua 2; Rank 11

"Villains? There are no villains here, trust me. I can smell them."

History


Youth

Burakumin continued to exist as the unspoken "untouchables" in Japan even into the modern era. The Nakayama family shared this poor legacy. Zen's father, Shinyu, barely made ends meet as a construction worker. He just barely provided for Zen and his younger siblings, Jiro and Sumi. Zen's mom, Shizu, stayed at home to care for the children. Born in Sendai, Zen lived in this city for most of his young life in a poor home. They had the bare necessities, but Zen never enjoyed the frivolous spending so many other families take for granted.

As Zen grew up, he attended public schooling like his brother and sister. Unfortunately, he never could maintain decent grades. He demonstrated some artistic talent, namely painting, but his school didn't help him develop it. The emphasis on academics in his school soon deteriorated his interest in class altogether. Pressure from his parents at home resulted in an irritable youth. Normally, Zen behaved in a good nature and remained pleasant and respectful. But he started hanging out with rebellious teens his age, kids who often participated in petty theft, disturbing the peace, and vandalism. In fact, in his mid-teens, he and best friend Masaman pulled off a brash crime indeed. They stole the monitor and VCR unit from the school's AV room. Unfortunately, they were caught red-handed by the principal, and though they ran away (minus the merchandise), they were identified. And so Zen was expelled from school.

Now that he was kicked out of high school, Zen's life was freed up some. However, his outraged parents insist that he at least work and support the family. Zen worked as a bagger at a grocery store in the city. It paid crap but it was a job and he was legit…for now. He still hung out with Masaman and other friends of that caliber. Why not? He had fun with them and they respected him. Eventually, Masaman introduced Zen to Hairyu Akira -- a local yakuza street boss. For Akira, Zen and Masaman ran a variety of minor but often illegal errands. They delivered packages, messages, and merchandise to various criminals and yakuza on the streets. And these jobs paid quite well. Zen was able to pay for all the nice things he once lacked: cool clothes, music, and video games. He made enough that he could leave his family behind if he wanted. Akira promised to initiate Zen and Masaman into the gumi if they continued to do well.

But Zen felt obligated to his family still. He didn't want to shame his parents by becoming yakuza. One day, however, Zen and his friend were spotted by police as they delivered a package of drugs to a street corner dealer. They were chased through the city on foot. Masaman made the mistake of drawing a gun in the hopes of giving the cops pause. He fired shots at them, and they fired back…and Masaman went down. Infuriated by his friend's death, Zen seized the package and gun. He fled, firing shots into the air. Zen made the delivery successfully, apologizing for its lateness, masking his misery as professionally as he could.

Yakuza

Though Zen lost his best friend that day, Akira provided the seventeen year old his way into the Inazuma-gumi. Zen accepted the invitation and left his family behind. He underwent the standard sakazuki initiation ceremony, which involved the exchange of drinking from a sake cup. During this, he pledged allegiance and loyalty to the oyabun, Tsuyosa Saburo. He was advised to alter his surname, and did so to "Kusuri". Zen discovered, to his preference, that the Inazuma honored all the olds ways of the yakuza. That included the code of honor, giri-ninjo, which instilled a sense of obligation in the agents of the family. Zen learned from Akira and other yakuza that this included treating common folk with dignity and to protect them from abusive police and unaffiliated criminal slime balls.

Of course, Zen still lingered on the bottom rung of the family. He continued to run errands for the business, though these were a bit more vital. Zen was paid better, too. He also sometimes helped Akira on the streets, acting as a bit of extra muscle. Zen was pleased with his new lifestyle. Living in the family compound, Zen was able to save plenty of cash. But he wasn't greedy and often sent checks to his parents. They wondered what he was up to and why he changed his name. However, they loved their son regardless and appreciated the correspondence. Through returned letters, Zen discovered that his siblings struggled through high school and were now working hard at menial jobs. He didn't envy them much, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of shame that they stayed legit. Zen was thankful that the Inazuma-gumi was progressive enough that certain practices, such as slicing off fingers for failure of duty, were being dropped. That way, he had less chance of being identified as yakuza, and shaming his family.

Unfortunately, in 1997 a gang war sparked up in Sendai. Zen was only nineteen and still low on the family tree. Another yakuza gumi, the Nekkyo, was starting trouble, threatening assets and security. The struggles tried to stay diplomatic at first. But Zen soon found himself amidst violence that spilled out onto the streets. Innocents were getting caught in the crossfire of gunfights and explosions. To Zen's dismay, neither gumi showed much respect for bystanders. Both sides were at each other's throats, intent on victory. As weeks ticked by, Zen watched the tides turn in his family's favor. He fought alongside Akira and others more than once, trying his best to keep stray bullets away from bystanders.

Ultimately, the Nekkyo nearly won with a surprise attack. The Inazuma gathered in the hotel compound to discuss their future strategy in finishing the Nekkyo off. The Nekkyo launched their own suicidal assault, dying to the last man -- intent on taking out as many Inazuma as possible in the process. And many did in fact fall. Tsuyosa himself was shot in the head, dying first in a sniper's leading attack. As the rest of the gangsters stormed the room, Zen was up in arms. He put down one Nekkyo before catching a few bullets to the sternum and gut. And Zen went down. His vision blurred and then blackened. He died.

The Kun Shou

Yet that wasn't the end of Kusuri Zen. Spiritual circumstances directed the soul of a Ryoken slain a few months past to Zen's dying body. As the young man expired, this hirayanu "moved in". Zen coughed up blood and recovered at death's door. The Nekkyo all fell and the remaining Inazuma were already calling for paramedics. Zen recovered in the hospital, then returned to the hotel on bail. The compound was in shambles. But Zen, blended memories of mortal and hsien still mixed up, was confused as he recognized a few of the new faces in charge of the surviving gumi. The new oyabun, Hosho Shomichi, and his saiko-komon (lieutenant), Sakebi Oinu, hailed from the larger nation-wide gumi, the Yamaguchi. And they were also Ryoken. The two realized Zen was one of their kwannon-jin soon enough, as the survivors of the Inazuma pledged their loyalties to the new boss.

So they took Zen aside and helped jog the hirayanu's memory. He soon realized who and what he was exactly. They offered to tutor him back into the ways of the hsien that he forgot. And Zen also relearned that he was long an associate of these Ryoken, involved in the Xian Mun Court and its administration of human affairs…such as 's memory. He soon realized who and what he was exactly. They offered to tutor him back into the ways of the hsien that he forgot. And Zen also relearned that he was long an associate of these Ryoken, involved in the Xian Mun Court and its administration of human affairs…such as yakuza syndicates. Eager to recover all his previous incarnations' knowledge, Zen joined with Oinu and Shomichi. In fact, Zen was promoted to a higher rank within the family, placed as Oinu's assistant in daily affairs (basically his bodyguard and whip).

Meanwhile, Hosho-san brought honor back to the Inazuma. He restored giri-ninjo, which Tsuyosa-san neglected with that disastrous turf war. Hosho-san even offered compensation to the public for civilian damages. The "charity funds" were put to public restoration works. And Zen was honored with the task of helping to oversee the proper dispersal of those funds. He embraced giri whole-heartedly and became almost fanatical to the concept of duty, honor, fidelity, and justice -- harsh as it could be.

With his fellow Ryoken, Zen also explored the nature of his supernatural essence. They developed their mystical Alchemies in secret. The Tao Te Hsien was a key they could seek one day, Hosho-san advised, but the protection of humanity came first. That was Heaven's demand of the hsien. And mankind often needed to be protected from itself. Thus, controlling crime syndicates controlled the flow of illegal and sinful elements into society. The Ryoken were also to help humanity through behavior, by providing a good example of an honorable, dutiful, and loyal person. All of this Zen agreed with and promoted on a daily basis, through professional and personal life. Zen continued to send checks to his parents, even though any actual filial love long since disappeared since the passing of Zen's human soul. Zen also developed his fighting skills, learning how to fight with modern firearms as well as a touch of more old-fashioned combat. In all, he grew strong and fierce.

Tiger-Dogs

And that was potency he would need in the trials of 2002. Another new gumi tried to move into town, seizing territories and assets from the Inazuma: the Kawabe syndicate. These modernized, corporate-style yakuza had no care for giri or most traditions at all: it was all about capital. Zen and his fellow Ryoken soon discovered that these new gangsters weren't just thugs like the Nekkyo, but backed by shen the way they backed the Inazuma. Only the Kawabe had backing of Genji vampires! Despite the horror that those gaki freaks posed, the Ryoken refused to give up and run with their tails between their legs. Wisely, Hosho-san opened lines of diplomacy and negotiation with the Kawabe.

After some deliberation, the Kawabe agreed to call a truce if the matter was settled by ritual combat. A duel of old-fashioned swordsmanship with bokken (wood swords) was called between the Kawabe's best fencer and, as Hosha-san chose, Sakebi-san. Zen watched in earnest as his elder engaged a brilliant young swordsman. But the Ryoken's fiery spirit helped Sakebi-san prevail. The Kawabe fighter was knocked unconscious. Not pleased by the outcome, the Kawabe nevertheless withdrew that night with grace.

However, when the gaki behind the affair considered the suspicious behavior of Sakebi-san in the duel, they suspected shen were involved. And not just involved, but compromised the honor of the ritual by setting a supernatural creature against one of the vampires' mortal servants. It was not a fair fight in their mind, although Sakebi-san used no magic. Thus, to get even the vampires dispatched their own Devil Tigers to slay the suspected Ryoken one-by-one. And Zen was the first unfortunate target.

He was ambushed on the way home, dragged into the alley by that rotted-breath demon. The Kuei-jin sought to rip Zen's ki energy away, not realizing how precious it was to the hsien. Zen fought viciously, though not before some of his essence was stolen away. He staggered off after dealing the vampire a vicious blow. Zen made it to the compound and warned his fellow Ryoken. The human gangsters were dismissed so that the secrets of the Hidden World would not be exposed. The Devil Tigers manifested from the spirit worlds and assaulted the three hirayanu with voracious glee. The Ryoken responded by changing into their true Wani forms and presenting the Kuei-jin with terrible adversaries armed with canine weaponry and raw elemental fury, found through their magics.

The battle was over soon. Three gaki were slain and Sakebi-san joined them in death. The oyabun survived, as did Zen, though neither were unscathed. Oinu was given a proper burial, while Zen wondered when he might take that advisory position. Hosho-san didn't think Zen was senior enough yet, however. And the vampires? Their bodies were sent back to the Kawabe in pieces. Though outraged, the opposing gumi withdrew…for now. The two Ryoken were glad another turf war was averted one way or another.

Lost Vision

Even so, the Sendai police had enough. Or perhaps the Genji had unexpected reach. Starting in 2004, they opened a full campaign against the yakuza. They targeted gambling, prostitution, and drug-related businesses and made dozens of arrests. The Inazuma were getting hit hard. Some kobun were even arrested. A warrant was issued for Hosho's arrest. The oyabun ignored it, however, and holed up in the compound with Zen and other kobun at his side. The police demanded their surrender, but the stubborn Ryoken refused. Zen sided with him all the way. The police eventually stormed the building, dropping flashbangers in the room before firing rubber bullets into the gangsters.

No one died, thankfully. But everyone was arrested, even the two Ryoken. Worse, one of the flash bombs went off right in Zen's face. He couldn't see a thing ever after. Otherwise, he sustained no lasting injuries. But the white-hot fire of that bright, burning moment lingered with Zen for months. The doctors determined that he would probably never regain his vision. Eventually, every one of the Inazuma so arrested was freed on technicalities. Though usually not in this family's discreet fashion, Hosho-san encouraged all of his men to enact the infamous demukai ritual as they were released. The yakuza greeted each comrade as he was released from prison. Zen joined his Ryoken brother in their out-of-town compound, on a nice little estate home.

There Zen received another prognosis from his oyabun. Due to his blindness, his usefulness to the family diminished greatly. So reluctantly, Hosho-san reassigned Zen. He was to be sent abroad to America to oversee some of the family's investments in Dairin, incorporated. He would represent and protect these small-time corporate investments in Kansas City's Little Asia district. To that end, he was assigned two men, Joji and Haru Keiba (cousins), as aides and guides (due his blindness) while working in that city…indefinitely.

Fortunately, Hosho-san knew of a hsien Court established in that district, among a coalition of all sorts of shen. He suggested that Zen join that institution and benefit from the teachings and shared kernels of wisdom from the traditionalist Shinma. Zen just needed to keep his Xian Mun loyalties secret, due to the dislike that the Shinma held for their "near-blasphemous" court. So in late summer of 2004, Zen moved to this distant location in the American Midwest. He slowly settled into his surroundings, trying to adapt to this Asian-American culture among different shen. At the same time, Zen sought to improve his knowledge of magic and find a way to overcome his new debilitation. The world of sight, color, and movement was forever gone to him. With what vision would he replace his sight?

Jade Talismans


White
Level: 2
Chi: 2 Yin
Origin: It was given to him as a gift from his Ryoken elders when he left Japan for America.
Description: This is a small ovaline piece of jade, smooth and milky-white, afixed to the base of the grip of his favorite pistol.

Fortunes Favored


Style: Meditation
Examples: Light and inhale incense, drunken insights, breathing regimen, fast and reflect

Significant Other


The recently blinded Ryoken may be a member of a yakuza family, but he is still highly dependable and trustworthy. It’s in his nature. And that brings dignity and respect back to the gumi. He met the medical student, Miyo Hideyo, in summer of 2004. The two began to see each other despite her reluctance. And eventually, their relationship blossomed into a shy romance. Now they live together, as Zen feels a natural need to protect Miyo from her abusive family. They don’t know how far their feelings will take them. And it’s too early to tell for sure just how well these two will fit together. But better or worse, Zen is Miyo’s guardian, and Miyo takes care of him in return.

That inevitably ended when the conflicts between their dangerous families resulted in a terrible tragedy: a Chinese tong trying to capitalize on the discord attacked Zen and Miyo in a drive-by. She perished in the hail of gunfire and he mourned her loss. To date, he remains unaware that her spirit persists, but she is still coming to grips with the unpleasant nature of that afterlife.

Miyo

Weakness
Blind Faith


Zen's true blindness is the faith and loyalty he upholds for the Inazuma gumi. Though the oyabun is an honorable Ryoken like himself, most of the kobun ("soldiers") like himself are not. Even with the Ryoken's best efforts, they are still modernized gangsters, and prone to ignoring the concepts of giri and other virtues. They are little better than common criminals. And yet Zen would never abandon them.

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Zen does not pursue greedy ambitions like many yakuza. Still, he's in that world, facing with their dirty secrets and trades, and forced to turn a blind eye to it all. That creates a hole in his soul, a hole of guilt, which cunning Yomi can exploit. His disconnection from the gangsters' usual day-to-day business due to his blindness is actually a blessing, since it lessens his exposure to this corruption.

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