Gensoukyou:Kanako Yasaka

Background
“If I could meet myself those millennia ago, would the past me believe that she’d be able to reach this point?” I thought to myself as I gazed upon the setting sun, watching the red-tinted world around me gradually sink into darkness. Being the patron deity of one of the oldest shrines of Shinto faith, I could only guess at what crazy idiot lined up all of these opportunities for me. I know how much effort I put into the entire process, but I always wondered if I was sleeping a wake-less dream when I see such a perfect day as this one. Having said that, being the main god does come with its many responsibilities, as I soon found out. Only elder gods would know how much fun Suwako had watching me flounder awkwardly during the early days of my administration. I can’t say I regretted it though. It was a world that I had never believed I would be able to enter, let alone play a main role.

For I was less than significant, so many thousands of years ago. I was unimportant, minor, tasked with the simple role of maintaining the atmosphere that life breathed and lived in. Not being one to carelessly argue with my superiors, I did as I was told. It was an uneventful life, and envy would grip my being when I heard other deities jovially discuss their eventful encounters with the not-so-intelligent life in an almost a mocking tone. During my breaks, I would often hole myself up in the Celestial Archives, seeking to compensate for my lack of experience with knowledge instead. “I’ll show them,” was probably what crossed my mind at the time, so bent I was on surpassing them. The Archives were huge, housing billions of years of recorded knowledge. Some subjects, such as literature and celestial history, bored me. Others, such as the sciences and mathematics, tickled my imagination. However, the one subject that I absolutely adored would have had to have been management. To have people revere and to worship you, it was a common dream among young deities to become an elder god, more so to have assistants at their bidding. The allure of authority was too tantalizing for most to resist, and even I would occasional dwell upon childish fantasies of sitting back and letting others do the work. I could not fathom why a few of the gods seemed to openly revile the people that so worshiped them. Delving into the archives, a possible reason was brought to my attention. There was a lot of unspoken work that even the highest gods were required to do. It was because of their coordination and foresight that they were able to systematically manage a mass of assistants and get their job done. The gears of society, delegation of roles, how to instill confidence in your employees. There were many theories and many texts, but they often capitalized on a single point. In order to succeed, one must satisfy the customers’ needs. “So, my job is to regulate the atmosphere. So who are my customers? Obviously, it’s everything that lives on the planet. But… are they satisfied?” I had thought.

At the time, it seemed like a perfectly logical thing to do. After all, I’d spent centuries reading up on it all and I was certain that I was capable of doing so myself. So, on that one day, I descended to the surface world, seeking to reveal myself in front of the first group of people I had seen. It so happened that I encountered a warrior tribe that called themselves the Wa, who were camping by a small river at the time. I don’t really want to remember what happened on that day. Apparently they thought I was some manner of abomination, descending upon the air to wreck doom upon them. All of those spears just flying up towards me, the looks of apparent terror on the men’s faces, there was a lot of screaming and wailing. It was enough to make a young innocent girl fear for her own chastity. In the end, I mustered up my courage and simply slapped a few of them to their senses, though catching them was a chore in itself.

After wasting 2 hours of time with pointless running about, we managed to sit down across each other, a small bonfire in the center of the area, separating me from the others. It was within a walled enclosure, bamboo lanterns speared into each corner of the hastily constructed pen, nervous guards sneaking glances towards the center of the room as they stood on the lookout for external attacks. I guess smacking the one with the ridiculous headpiece a little longer than the first few men I captured did the job, though I only did that because his defiant attitude towards me when I had successfully captured him irritated me. Men hiding behind their bravado telling me that he “didn’t care what I did with him” made me want to dunk him headfirst into the nearby river and then slap him with the first fish that swam past. Thank goodness that it didn’t come to that. He sat before me, with a couple of bruises and a black eye for his trouble, looking at me with trepidation, unsure of how to start. He swallowed several times, and then asked me a question.

“What is it that you wish of us?”

That particular question puzzled me for a moment. My brows furrowed as I tried to understand the question. The leader probably took it the wrong way, as he continued.

“We are sorry for any offense that we have caused towards you. Please tell us how we can appease your anger so that we may continue our journey in peace.”

I guess that was the real turning point in my life. 'In order to maintain a competitive advantage, one must seek to secure any opportunities available to you before your competitors can.' Those words echoed in my mind as I opened my mouth once more, an air of bravado filling my very being as I spoke the words that would change my life forever.

“I have decided to be the goddess that will oversee your futures. Leave your doubts behind, and trust in me, for I will bring you success in your endeavors.”

I surprised even myself at that; I didn’t expect to be able to pull it off without a hitch. Though the same couldn’t be said for the people before me. There was a hesitant murmur. Why would this strange goddess suddenly decide to descend upon them? Doubt filled the air, and my only choice was to keep up the bravado and to gamble with everything I had. I raised my right hand meaningfully and in a slow motion, closed my hand into a fist, as I crushed the air that fueled the lantern fires, creating a small trail of oxygen from each one towards the central fire. The men gasped in fear as the area suddenly became darker, and 8 small threads of flame snaked from the lanterns towards the center of the room. I then lifted my right hand up in a showy fashion, as oxygen condensed in the central fire, causing it to blossom upwards in a pillar of flame. That action took the entirety of my concentration and focus, but in the end, it had achieved its purpose. The people of the tribe of Wa no longer had doubt in my capabilities.

With a new tone of respect, the leader asked of me what they should call me. A small smile crept across my face as I stood up and declared before them.

“I am Yasakatome no Mikito, the one that governs the heavens and the air that you breathe! I am the raging gale of progress and the storm that sweeps away resistance! Have faith in me, and I will guide you to success!”

“We leave our lives in your hands,” they chanted. I had to admit, it felt pretty good at the time. Little did I know what the future held for me. For the Wa relied on me far more than I expected. Thinking back, this was probably the reason other deities preferred to have a more detached relationship with their worshipers, but young and enthusiastic as I was, I accepted their tasks as personal challenges. For most things, I provided indirectly, providing a slight breeze to ease their exhaustion, or protecting them from sandstorms. However, they soon began to ask of more ludicrous things. Water was one of the first problems that I was beset with, much to my dismay. For they had used their supplies quite lavishly, so much was their faith in my abilities. How would I create water for them? Should I use an existing source? How could I deliver it to them? Could I call upon the rains? I was a Goddess of Wind after all; water wasn’t within my scope at the time. Burrowing my eyebrows in irritation, I set about figuring out how to provide for the people with my ability. I recalled an excerpt, from a text I read before, about low pressure systems and high pressure systems, how they interacted with each other to create changes in weather patterns. And so I steadily flew through the skies, searching for these strange pressure systems. I was under a foolish illusion that they’d be easy to notice, and for a while, I flew around aimlessly, looking for an obvious sign. After a few hours, I sat floating in the air, exhausted and frustrated. And then I felt it. I was quite lucky actually. For where I was sitting was exactly where the two systems overlapped. I could feel the air slide over me, as if drawn to the low pressure system. And then, everything fell into place. With the remnants of my power, I took hold of several clouds in the area, and forcefully towed them across the sky, towards the people that looked up to me. And then, I simply pushed air away from the area, forcefully generating the low pressure system that was required. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the consequences of my actions, as the clouds billowed and roared into a terrible rainstorm, water pouring down in sheets.

After the event, the Wa had refilled their water supplies, but was still shaken by the intensity. Though I guess it was a good thing in this case, as the Wa no longer asked trivial things of me. They probably thought that I was furious with them for squandering their supplies and irresponsibly relying on me for everything. With that, I was able to sit down for the first time in a while and overlook my choices at this stage. Would I still sit high on my seat, feeding my people lies about my competency, or should I tell them the truth? The former option would keep morale high, yet put a harsher workload upon me, the latter would sink the people’s hopes in me, but my job would be simpler. Over the course of the next few weeks, I ruminated over these thoughts, unsure of which path to pick. When I saw my people struggle, I would take a respite from the topic altogether, and pitch in to assist them with what little my powers were able to.

Over the course of the next few months, the Wa tribe kept me quite occupied, conquering various smaller tribes and slowly adding to their main force. All of these little side trips, the needlessly long treks and the growing resentment that lingered in the air as conscripted warriors murmured their discontent behind their oppressor's backs. They too were living organisms too, and I graced them with my presence. Needless to say, the presence of physical goddess seemed to have shocked them, and somehow, these warriors had managed to delude themselves into believing that their oppressors were blessed by the heavens above, and that it was divine intervention that had brought them into this holy conflict. I definitely was not amused in the slightest when I was called upon to give these warriors a rousing speech to motivate them before each and every battle. Though I couldn't deny that it raised morale to a point where the people were stupidly giddy with the sensation that they were blessed, I found their manner of worship almost repulsive at times. It could have been worse, I realized, I could have been saddled with a tribe of warriors that offered human sacrifices to their deities. While it was not as prominent in this part of the world as it was in Central Africa, it was still a possibility that I was thankful not to have been afflicted with.

And so our little force grew steadily, and along with it, my power. For each successful conquest, their victories were attributed to me despite my lack of actual intervention, and powers which was inaccessible to me previously were now casually dancing along my fingertips. Surprisingly, I wasn't all that impressed with my own growth. It had seemed too easy, a collection of good fortune. It had little to do with my own prowess, I could not honestly say that I felt in charge. Is this real reason why the some of the elder gods seemed to be almost sick of interacting with humans? That they felt less like a god, and more like a tool? Just a symbol to be waved about and a place to offload unneeded refuse from their spoils of war?

Personality
Strong willed and willing to use any method to secure what her people desire, Kanako is intelligent and thinks laterally to solve problems that she is faced with. However, she lacks the wisdom that other older deities possess. However, Kanako is aware that her position is not as solid as Moriya Suwako's has been, and works hard to keep people's trust in her.

This does not mean that she is inept, far from it. To replace the void created by lack of experience, Kanako has bolstered herself with knowledge instead, relying on the texts passed down through the ages. Armed with this knowledge, and reflecting fully on her past mishaps, Kanako is able to compete in the political sphere with much vigor and energy. Lying, misleading, exaggerating, downplaying, Kanako will use all tools of the trade in an attempt to grasp her targets insecurities and to take advantage of their temporary moment of weakness.

Kanako is an adept businesswoman, striving to take advantage of opportunities and weaknesses in her competition. She takes risks and invests in many projects that have a questionable chance of success, while at the same time, seeking to expand her organization as far as it would be allowed. She is quite ambitious, and seeks to build an even greater empire than the one that she had left behind.

However, she still possesses a hint of her old humility, and opts to settle disputes through negotiations rather than through a show of force. Despite this, Kanako is quite assertive, at times a bit pushy with her pitch. Conserving power is one of the reasons, but her main priority is to make as many allies and vassals as she possibly can to reinforce the position of the Moriya within Gensoukyou.

When Kanako first took over the Moriya administration, she was unsure of herself, but forced herself to put on a proud look for her new subjects. As time passed, Kanako gained more confidence in herself, however, the nipping of insecurity would always continue to haunt her. In a sense, that was a good thing, as it helped Kanako to reign in some of her more radical plans.

The Six Hexagonal Onbashira
The onbashira are logs that gained spiritual significance and power through the annual festival of the same name. Spanning 12 meters tall and with a 3 meter diameter, they are a medium for Kanako's powers and can be manipulated individually. It is to be noted that as that as the onbashira are spiritual mediums, they can also channel Kanako's spiritual energies, meaning they can inflict physical and spiritual damage simultaneously. Contrary to the original legend, Kanako does not need to physically throw the onbashira. During periods of peace, the 6 logs are situated evenly around the Moriya Shrine, standing upright.

The Shimenawa Ring
The shimenawa is traditionally an object used to seal in impurities, and it continues to serve that function even in its portable form. It purifies the surrounding area around it of lingering malice and jyaki, but it serves no purpose against offensive magic.

Power/Combat
The heavens are broad, encompassing many factors such as the weather, climate, even the particles that dance in the atmosphere. Kanako possesses various powers from her time managing the skies above, but with her rise to the head of Moriya, her powers have increased since.

Creation of Air
Kanako is able to create quantities of any gaseous particle that would usually be found in the planet's atmosphere, such as oxygen, ozone, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, water vapor, helium.

Compression and Decompression of the Heavens
A power which came from manipulating and instilling high and low pressure systems in the atmosphere, Kanako is now able to bring that ability to a new level. Kanako is able to compress large quantities of gases into a small palmed sized orb, which can be later tossed as a pressure bomb. At the same time, she can make the air within a limited radius be deficient in gas particles. This effect can also be applied to water vapor, allowing Kanako to create powerful channels of water.

Manipulation of Natural Winds
Tying in with her manipulation of pressure systems, Kanako can generate winds and gales by altering the local climate systems.

Creation of Lightning
Similar to the above, Kanako can generate thunderstorms to a degree, but is unable to generate the lightning itself. However, Kanako is able to manipulate the charged air particles that are left in the wake of a lightning strike, and use those to guide the path of the next lightning strike.

Divine Aura
Like many other deities, Kanako is able to project an aura that distinguishes her from other species and informs others of her divine stature.

Sanae Kochiya
Descendant of the Moriya's own line of priestesses, Sanae was born long after the conflict that had placed the command of the Moriya into Kanako's hands. Young, energetic and full of youthful enthusiasm, Sanae is a loyal follower of Moriya and its values, and treats Kanako with fervent, but at times, stiff respect. This is troubling for Kanako, who has some maternal feelings for the child who was brought up in such a regimented manner. Kanako finds herself worrying over Sanae's mental development as well as her social development, as her life as a shrine maiden had alienated the child in both worlds.

Moriya Suwako
The native goddess with dominion over “earth” and the original ruler of the Moriya kingdom, Suwako was pushed into a supporting role when her empire was conquered by Kanako and her army of stupidly optimistic misfits. After Kanako had managed to weaken her prided iron rings, Suwako quickly surrendered as to minimize damages to her empire. However, Kanako had found much trouble in her attempts to tame the great cluster of curse gods, the Mishayuji, and Suwako found her services being sought to manage her old empire. With all of the main administrative roles being performed by Kanako, Suwako had ample time to relax and to dabble in her hobbies and interests.

Reimu Hakurei
The lone shrine maiden who did not even know the name of her patron deity, Kanako was impressed by the young girl's skill and maturity for her age, wishing that Sanae would be able to learn some of the other shrine maiden's good qualities.

Tenma no Myoujin
As the patron deity of the Tengu and their collective leader, Kanako's relationship with Tenma can be considered to be conflicted. Filled with an aura of superiority and certainty of herself, Tenma is a difficult opponent to mince words with.

Marisa Kirisame
A prideful magician that tagged along with Reimu during the enactment period of the Moriya Shrine, she had created a branch shrine for the shrine out on a whim. Having much greater power that would be usually expected from that of a human, Kanako could not help but be slightly intrigued by the progress of this anomaly, and the future she holds in the dangerous environment of Gensoukyou.