Hirara

Hirara, a tragic streak of crimson in the Scarlet Shadow, walks the path to hell in the guise of a geisha. Seeking the ultimate power to "save" her master, she willingly sacrificed herself to wield the forbidden Great Armament, "Ukifune." In her twisted mind, death is the ultimate salvation. She loathes the rot that the fleeting world has inflicted upon Hanabi and is resolved to perform a grand ritual of death to carve her master's beauty into eternity. ''I am but a dancer beneath the Meisen. Life is as fleeting as the morning dew, and death, serene as the autumn leaves. I only wish to burn away the crimson leaves, to carve your peerless beauty into eternity.'' Hirara knew that "sky" all too well. Within the illusion created by the Great Armament "Ukifune", there were no stars, only a river, the "Meisen," hanging upside down in the sky. She walked barefoot across the scorched land, the searing pain sending tremors of ecstasy through her body—the same feeling as when crimson stained her gaze as she beheld the Higanbana. In the hellscape within the fans, the world's most magnificent Noh play was performed without end. ''"Come, it's tonight's opening act."'' Hirara snapped open her fans, and the evil spirits descended upon her. Enthralled by Hirara's dance, they sought to tear her apart and claim that unfading beauty. Hirara, smiling amidst her twirls, gently shredded them before absorbing their essence. Upon this scorched ground, cruelty was the pinnacle of elegance. The madness of this scene always reminded Hirara of her teacher—once the most renowned geisha of the Flower District. Her teacher lived in terror of aging, until one night when she set the teahouse ablaze. ''"Never forget, 'erosion' is the most vile curse in this world,"'' the teacher said, holding the young Hirara. ''"Only by becoming ash can fleeting beauty be saved."'' As silk turned to ash in the fire, Hirara did not scream; instead, she greedily inhaled the charred scent—she seemed to understand the lesson in this destruction. Suddenly, a crimson figure cleaved through the sea of fire. It was , covered in soot. Though they had never met, she grabbed Hirara's wrist without hesitation. The warmth of her hand burned hotter than any flame in that inferno blaze. Afterward, Hirara was brought to the Scarlet Sect where she volunteered to become 's personal guard. When Hirara asked about that night again, Hanabi said she was simply saving her. To repay this grace, Hirara wished to save Hanabi in the most profound sense of the word. Shielding her from blades was not enough; she must save her from "erosion," the inevitability of decay. One moonlit night, an unexplainable obsession drove Hirara to push open the forbidden gate and reach for the "Ukifune" fans—the hellish armament forged from ''"Kaerazu"'' and ''"Meisen-e"''. If she could control them, she could save Hanabi, she reasoned. Power surged through her the moment she touched them. Hirara got her wish, but her physical body fell into an illusion—a hell beneath the Meisen, born of the Great Armaments. Here, amidst the endless slaughter, she found herself in ecstasy. The connection between the Great Armaments gave her, the master of "Ukifune," the privilege to freely spy on the "Higanbana" blooming above the Meisen. At first, her gaze held only awe. As the heir to the Scarlet Sect, was as dazzling as the sun. But as time passed, she saw Hanabi stumbling through rain and snow for the "honor" of the Scarlet Sect, chasing the phantom called "victory" while being knocked down again and again, only to struggle back up... The cruelty of this fleeting world was like a dull blade, chipping away at her. This was "erosion," the vile curse that her teacher spoke of. It had entangled Hanabi after all. How could this be permitted? The Higanbana should never be allowed to wither. Hirara was devastated. She must return to the living world. And to do so, she used "Kaerazu" and "Meisen-e" to slaughter countless evil spirits and assimilate their power. It was during this carnage that her teacher's twisted words became her delusion—beauty will erode; only death can stop it. When betrayed the Shadow Sect, Hanabi was severely wounded in their clash. Desperately seeking the power to protect her clan, she submitted to the armament in her hand—the Higanbana. As her consciousness sank into that pitch-black river, thought it was the dead pulling her down. No. It was, in truth, Hirara's most "gentle" embrace. ''"Let me save you from this crude, fleeting world,"'' Hirara called softly from the bottom of the Meisen. But Hanabi did not hear her. A streak of moonlight suddenly awakened her, and she broke through the armament's illusion to return to the living world. Watching the Meisen return to deathly silence, a smile flickered across Hirara's face. This was the Hanabi she adored—the girl whose soul was fiercer than fire, who would do anything to protect others. Since her embrace could not hold someone of such determination, she would sail against the current, break the shackles of the fleeting world, and ferry Hanabi to a place free of erosion: "hell." Hirara gave herself wholly to the armament, letting her soul sink into its hell. She was no longer herself, but a spirit walking the living world, a calamity existing solely to "save" Hanabi. At last, the seal on the armament shattered. Hirara stepped over the corpses of her Scarlet Sect kin and stood before , just as she had wished. The childhood companion thought dead had returned. The shock and sorrow in Hanabi's eyes eventually congealed into cold, killing intent. For the sake of the Scarlet Sect, Hanabi hurled her Higanbana without hesitation. Ah, it was everything Hirara had dreamed of. She unfurled her fans, adorned herself in crimson maple and the Meisen, and rushed toward a reunion she dared not disappoint. ''"Please, embrace me!"'' Hirara opened her arms to the cold gleam. Since her gentle call had been spurned, she would fill that void with the clash of flesh and blood. This pain piercing my body was the embrace you denied me at the bottom of the Meisen. ''"Please, save me!"'' Facing the imminent blade, Hirara's tears trembled with emotion. I understand now—just as I sought to seal your beauty through death, you also could not bear to watch me erode. This fatal blow is your deepest, most merciful protection. ''"Please, kill me!"'' Hirara screamed in bliss, offering her frantically beating heart to the blade's edge. Her fans merged in embrace and thrusted toward Hanabi— Now that I've received your kindness, please... accept my devotion, Hanabi-sama!