Munegumi Kokoro (胸組 心)

Sagacious Counselor

Biography

Munegumi Kokoro has been a Bakeneko for a long time. She was in Osaka decades before the Ryūzōji arrived, and though she sympathized with their cause, she could not bring herself to get involved. Tokugawa Ieyasu had taken one of their own and planned to marry her against her wishes; a sad tale to be sure, but what reason was it for Kokoro to endanger herself? She had been living in peace for centuries now, and had no intention of breaking that cycle for the benefit of a bunch of kittens.
One day, as she was walking the rivers at the border of Yamashiro, however, Kokoro's mind drifted back to a distant memory. An eon ago, surely, at this very spot, she had encountered a strange creature. With the head of a monkey, the body of a tiger, and a snake for a tail, it was by far the most bizarre Yōkai she had ever seen. The creature ducked into the water and, curious, Kokoro decided to follow it. She had always been, for want of a more delicate way to say it, quite busty for a woman of her size, and so swimming was not something that came easily to her. Still, she was able to get the Nue's attention, and it dragged itself up on the bank before her, a pair of heavy stones gripped in its paws.
The creature dropped the rocks on the ground in a rough pile, and looked at her meaningfully. Having had some experience with wild creatures thanks to her bond with the Goddess of Nature, Kokoro understood. Deep in its eyes, the Nue was challenging her. She didn't understand its motives, but she had already come this far with it, so she accepted, and began building her own pile of stones. As she worked, however, she noticed that the Nue was not playing by the rules she had assumed. While she was meticulous in making sure to only take stones that were not owned by the Nue or the home of some other creature, her opponent was more rapacious in its gathering. It darted around, stealing stones from creatures' burrows, and even her own pile, to build up its own. She lost the challenge that day, and the Nue left her without even a backward glance.
Thinking back on it, however, the little monster's behavior reminded her of a certain someone. Tokugawa Ieyasu, too, was taking things that didn't belong to him, and disrupting the lives of all those affected. If the Nue's behavior bothered her that much, how could she in good conscience allow Ieyasu to continue? Still, she was weary of the young Bakeneko's antics in Osaka, and couldn't see herself following such an immature leader as Ryūzōji Takanobu.
Kokoro's life had taken her through many professions, and most recently she had been trying her hand at carpentry. Her works were good enough to catch the eye of a group that called themselves the "Black Ocean Society". They were an organization of wealthy philanthropists, as she understood it, and she sometimes did commissions for them. Through her contact, she had learned about the Hashinara Clan, and how they apparently were at war with the Tokugawa for similar reasons. Even if their own leader was not much more mature than Takanobu, surely in such a large clan she could find someone to support.
Her path seemed clear then. Perhaps the memory was a vision from Ame-no-Hiboko herself. Perhaps the Nue so long ago had been her agent. Such a blight on nature as Ieyasu could not be allowed to continue, despite her own misgivings at getting involved. Having come to a decision, she twirled her umbrella and cast a minor spell. The dew on the grass around the river came together by her will and formed a roiling cloud under her feet. Rising into the air above Yamashiro Province, she set her sights on Yamato Province, not so far away. Whatever aid she could lend them against Ieyasu would be the right thing to do, and then she could return to a peaceful life without a weight on her conscience.
Just as she was about to begin her journey, something below her caught Kokoro's eye. There, sitting on the bank of the river, was a Nue. This wasn't the fearsome beast she had met all those years ago, but a small fluffy thing, its face a picture of innocence. Still, some yōkai could change their shapes, so why not this one? It was a stretch to believe it was the same one that she had met in this river, but the idea wouldn't leave her head. She lowered herself to the ground once more, and grabbed at the creature. It did not resist, and indeed, began to purr softly as she cradled it in her arms and rose once again. It might have been her imagination, but the little thing seemed to wink knowingly at her. Truly the Goddess of Nature acted in mysterious ways.

胸組 心

General Rank
B
General Type
Adviser
Deity
Ame-no-HIboko

Current Location

Nijō Castle

Species

Nekomata

Ethnicity

Japanese

Year of Birth

1287 272 Years old

Current Residence

Nijō Castle

Gender

Female

Eyes

Amethyst

Hair

Long, natural, lilac

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Fair

Height

5'5

Weight

125 lbs

Aligned Organization

Silver Meteor Storm

Other Affiliations

• Hashinara Clan
• Ryūzōji

Character Recipe:

• Race: Bakeneko
• Province: Yamashiro
• Organization: Black Ocean Society
• Profession: Carpenter
• Descriptor: Busty
• Span of Time: Eon
• Creature: Nue
• Verb: Swim
• Challenge: Collecting Rocks
• Goal: Defeating the Tokugawa
• Mode of Transport: Cloud
  

Recipe Author:
Ryūzaki Sanosuke