Kassie is a very reclusive person, only really interacting with one person in her life - her younger brother Eric. Losing her parents at the age of fourteen in a tragic car accident caused Kassie to become a very cynical and jaded individual with no faith in humankind whatsoever. This tends to give her a rather sarcastic nature and lands her in all kinds of trouble with her peers at work. Having to conceal her ability to control the winds around also proves to be another trial set on her shoulders, and one that she resents and so has spent quite some time trying to suppress the power.
Having to drop out of high school at the age of seventeen to support herself and her brother, she tries to make it in a world where there seems to be very little offer. She's fiercely determined to make sure no one comes to try and put her brother into foster care, because he's only now sixteen and still a minor. During her free time she spends quite a bit of time at the gym working out, and taking martial arts classes to help her focus. Whatever is left out of her day is spent behind the computer, where it is that she truly lives. She rarely tells people her true story because, she doesn't want their pity.
As Sailor Zephyr, Kassie is a strong force to be dealt with. She shows little to no compassion for anyone, and any sign of weakness could make her turn on her fellow Sailorsenshi. She sometimes sets her own personal standards too high and becomes frustrated when she can't reach her own unrealistic goals.
WARNING: The story of Zephyr's origin is directly tied to her life on earth in present day. Spoilers may and likely are present; proceed at own risk. As with the awakening, this is taken word for word from the Sailormoon Vengeance chronicle itself.
"I can't believe this. They never should have gotten past the first Outpost. What the hell was everyone doing? Playing cards?!"
Tobias watched his princess have her rant. "It isn't as if the armies were out on leave, Illiandra," he said in the same ever quiet voice, steely blue eyes watching her pace in impotent fury while her kingdom was overrun by the forces of evil. "I'm certain that the Outposts did everything they could."
"It wasn't good enough, damn it!" the princess cried, whirling on him. "We worked hard to achieve what we had! We were communicating with all the other worlds! Even Acheria! And it's out on the damn border!"
Tobias sighed and pulled her in against his chest, letting her storm. He wanted to tell her that it would be all right. That everything would turn out in the end. But he didn't know. He turned his head down to look at her, chocolate-colored hair falling in his eyes as it always did. "I don't know what to tell you," he said quietly. "I can promise that I'll stay with you no matter what the outcome."
"My father ordered you to," she reminded him bluntly, a bit of a wry smile on her face. "You don't really have a choice. I know you'd rather be out leading the armies."
He shook his head. "Even after all this time you still don't understand me," he said. "I belong here. I am your guardian." Much more he wanted to add, but didn't know how. Tobias was not a man prone to emotional speech. Or emotions, most of the time, Illiandra throught wryly.
The princess sighed, the hard exterior back in place once more, her face an impassive mask of emotionlessness. "Foolishness," she snapped. "We should be out there fighting with them. My scythe could make all the difference."
"How often must Lord Aikedo remind you that you're not to interfere with the natural course of our people? Especially not using the Aisha'damu?" Tobias reminded her gently. "I think at this rate it's going to take a swift kick to the behind to make you realize that it isn't your place to decide our course of history. It's not my place, either." He fell silent for a moment. "Chikatte is going to break his seal. And it was foretold. Not even the Gods can change that."
"I don't like it," Illiandra insisted stubbornly. "I don't like it at all."
"I know you don't. But, as Aikedo reminded you when Acheria fell, you don't get a choice."
"Oh, stuff it," Illiandra grumbled in a most un-princess-like manner, and Tobias nearly smiled. She only grumbled like that when she knew he was right.
"Come here," he said, taking her arm and pulling her to him once more. "We are fated to have an ending. The course of events has already been set, the winds are already blowing. So stop storming, stop trying to have things as you want them, and accept it. Spend the end here with me...instead of out there."
She paused her tirade to look up at him. Since when was Tobias so...sincere? It almost seemed as though he were...worried? "Tobias...I am here. I just..." she sighed, shaking her head. "If we fall, the Trinity falls. And without the Trinity, our worlds have no hope. It is the greatest power that our peoples possess. I just wish I knew what to do."
"I know," Tobias said, tightening his grip on her. "Mayhaps the Gods have something in mind for us. We're just going to have to trust in the wisdom of the Father-God and hope that He won't just let His insane Brother destroy the galaxies. Darkness as permanent as that can't be the end that Holy Irrin would want for any part of His universe."
"No, He wouldn't," Illiandra murmured, comforted a little by that. "Perhaps our next cycle will just be a little different from this."
Tobias nodded, and then crooked a finger beneath her chin in a surprisingly gentle gesture, tilting her face upward so he could press a soft kiss to her lips. "When we meet again, remember that," he murmured gently. "And remember that I love you."
The end was coming. Illiandra could feel it. Tears in her large violet eyes, she pressed her face into Tobias' chest, fearful now. He held her tightly, one hand threading its fingers through her long, raven-black hair.
And around them, Anila crumbled.
Aikedo was not happy about the conclusion to the dark war. He sat beside the fallen bodies of his chosen protectors, looking up at the sky with severe distaste in his glittering black eyes. His deep violet hair tossed around him as he sat in silence, simply waiting for Irrin to let him know what would happen next.
'Aideko, my son, your silence is louder than any cry I've heard so far,' Irrin finally called down to him.
'I do not wish to ask what you are already aware that I desire,' Aideko replied simply. 'Why add my voice to the cacophony when I wish naught but that my brother and sister Gods wish? This end must not be. Give us reason, Father.'
'My sister, Chikalle, even now works to give our children another life. There is a suitable world across the galaxies from our own star that will be instrumental in Chikatte's defeat...or in his triumph. It will depend on our children. They must live again to fight alongside other soldiers in the battle for light. Will you attend your warriors?'
'I will, Father,' Aideko vowed. 'They will not stray to evil for my sake.' And he shimmered as the crystaline souls of his chosen flittered up to the sky, becoming the violet fox that was his totem, and took to the heavens, following sparkling points of light as they arced away toward a small, blue globe visible only in the eyes of the Gods and Goddesses of Mendhai as they went, soaring through the galaxies toward a small, non-descript world where the moon was called Luna and the sun called Sol.
To Earth.
WARNING: The story of Zephyr's awakening is taken word for word from the Sailormoon Vengeance chronicle itself; spoilers might be included, but if so, they are small in number and importance.
Kassie was in shock as she picked herself up off the concrete. The boy with the dark brown hair and steely blue eyes that she had been seeing so often at the gym had just thrown himself in front of her, sending them both rolling in a bruised heap to the side as the out of control car swerved and smashed devastatingly into a nearby lamppost.
"Holy crap," she whispered. There was no one at the wheel. The boy stood, a scowl on his face. "You're in danger," he said quietly, and the voice hit a nerve in Kassie's subconscious, making her shiver just slightly. "You should run. Now."
"I don't run," she retorted sharply, turning to glare at him, and was once again struck with a jolt of familiarity. She'd seen those eyes before.
Now wasn't the time. "We should both get out of here," Kassie said, nearly swallowing her tongue as her heart leapt in her chest.
The car was oozing pure darkness. It collected in a garish little puddle beneath the engine and slithered slowly toward Kassie and her mysterious savior.
"I told you to run!" the boy barked, shoving her harshly backward. "Now do it!" and he changed. Flickered just briefly, a wave of wind and darkness washing over him that left him garbed in black armor, a cape the color of a raven's wing fluttering around his ankles. The deep violet lining of it was barely visible as it moved in a breeze that only seemed to exist where the boy stood. In one of his hands was a long, silver rapier with a needle-sharp point. He dropped into a defensive stance, eyes never leaving the shadow that was slithering toward him. Without turning, he growled, "Run. NOW."
Kassie felt like she was frozen, stuck to the spot where she stood. She broke from the daze and took a single step backward, images and sensations flickering through her mind. She should know this. It felt familiar. Recognized. A part of her that was missing. And she knew without knowing how that it was directly related to her ability to control the winds. The ability she'd been repressing since she was little. "Eric is never going to believe this," she muttered sourly.
She watched in something akin to horror as the shadow puddle rose from the ground, taking on an almost human shape; a grotesque facsimile that couldn't quite mimic true humanity. It made her shiver, and she wasn't sure why. It hissed at the boy who was trying to protect her, and lunged for his throat. The pair was soon locked in a life or death battle that Kassie knew, somehow, would affect the rest of her life.
The shadow had the upper hand. Utterly tireless and damn near unstoppable, it soon had the boy's sword out of his hand, the blade embedded tip-down in the concrete not far away. "No..." Kassie whispered.
The creature swung a hard uppercut that sent the boy flying backward to land hard on the concrete. There was a hard crack of bone against pavement, and he slumped down, unconscious.
His aggressor slithered over to him, one hand sinking right through his chest. It retrieved a little crystaline shape with a glimmering bead of blackish-violet at its center.
Starseed. Anila. Aikedo. "AIKEDO!" Kassie cried, still not knowing the names that kept coming to her mind. Tobias. The Royal Trinity. Aisha'damu. Abraxas. Mellissandre.
"I was beginning to think it would never sink in," a voice said from behind Kassie. She turned around -
- and blinked when she saw no one there. It was then that she realized that the voice had spoken from the direction of somewhere around her kneecap. She turned her eyes downward and was fairly unsurprised to see a little violet fox - glowing - sitting beside her right leg. "Search for the words."
She nodded, knowing that now was no time to argue, that the boy's life - Tobias's life, and who the hell was Tobias anyway - depended on her not asking stupid questions.
Not right now, anyway. She shut her eyes, listening to the memories that she didn't understand, until one set of words jumped out in stark relief against the rest of the jumble in Kassie's mind. The words flowed from her mind, down her body, humming to the tips of her toes, and she let them come. "Windsong and Shadowcry, decide my fate!" she cried, eyes widening greatly at the swirl of wind and darkness that rushed around her, tossing her hair, changing her clothing, changing Kassie.
When it faded away, there was a different figure there. Still Kassie, but not. Her hand closed around the staff to a great huge scythe with a silver blade that hadn't been there a moment before, and with a practiced twirl she sliced the creature of darkness in twain.
That's what it got for attacking Tobias. Everything made sense. "As the voice of the winds and the hand of shadow, I walk the line between light and darkness! I am Sailorzephyr, and your life is over!"
Name :: Kasandara Ashkevron Meaning :: Beloved Bringer of Darkness Gender :: Female Height :: 5'10" Eyes :: Deep violet Hair :: Black Birthday :: Feb. 5 Age :: 19 Sign :: Aquarius Blood type :: A+ Favorite Food :: Fried Okra Least Favorite Food :: Green Beans Favorite Gemstone :: Amethyst Goals :: To become successful as a web/graphic artist Strengths :: Fierce determination, loyalty to those who earn her trust, design skill Weaknesses :: Solitary nature; Kassie has a need to do things on her own to the point of putting herself in danger. She's very suspicious of people and has a tendency to be overtly cynical due to her struggles growing up. Hobbies :: Art, spending insane amounts of time in exercise, computer graphic work Family :: One brother, parents [deceased]
Princess Name :: Illiandra Name Meaning :: "Of Wind and Shadows" [Appendix A] Planet :: Anila [Appendix B] Senshi Name :: Sailorzephyr Name Origin :: The West Wind [Appendix C] Colors :: Violet, Black Guide :: Violet fox, "Aideko" [Appendix D] Weapon :: Silver-bladed scythe, "Aisha'damu" [Appendix E] Collar :: Black Tiara :: Silver Tiara Gem :: Black Earrings :: Black star gems Choker :: Black, silver star in center Brooch :: Black star crystal Gloves :: Fingerless except index finger Right glove :: Violet Left glove :: Black Upper bodice :: Black; violet stripe and black stripe at hemline Skirt top layer :: Black Skirt bottom layer :: Violet Skirt bows :: Black ribbons, green bow Boots :: Black, silver star in the center of each boot Left Boot :: Line at top of boot :: Violet Right Boot :: Line at top :: Black Henshin Mantra :: Windsong and Shadowcry, Decide My Fate! Power Realm :: Air, with powers coming from wind and shadows Power Counter :: Earth, light Windswept Shadowcry :: This attack calls on the powers of both of Zephyr's realms of influence; wind and shadows. The blade of Aisha'damu glows bright violet and calls to life the shadows cast in the night...a different breed of shadow than those created by sunlight. Zephyr has full control of the shadows that she calls to be, and they don't stop until they've ripped limb from limb the creatures controlled by Chikatte's dark gems. Zephyr has to be careful with this attack and continue to refine it as time goes on. The shadows she calls forth have a difficult time differentiating between friend and foe; this is mainly due to Zephyr's own lack of confidence and trust in her fellow Sailorsenshi. She depends only on herself to get the job done, and the shadows are fed by Zephyr's emotions on the matter, causing them to sometimes react to her disdain for the techniques of the people she works with. Zephyr is working with Sailoretherios to try and get a rein on her cynical, mistrustful outlook...one day it could get someone killed. Nightshadow Madness :: This attack is exactly what it sounds like. A more powerful version of the Windswept Shadowcry, this calls forth the vicious shadows of night once again, combining them together with the energy created by the force of wind to bring to life a single, impossibly powerful entity forged from wind and shadows. It has the capacity - as do the attacks of only two other Mendhaian Sailorsenshi - to stop one of Chikatte's dark generals. The shadow creature that Zephyr calls forth has but a rudimentary capacity for thought and follows her orders explicitly, obeying none else. The mind of the shadow creature created by the Nightshadow Madness is, as would be predicted from an attack name such as this, mad. Utterly and completely devoid of sanity. It has no capacity for rationality, and once set into attack mode, will not rest until its target has been completely destroyed...and sometimes in quite a messy manner. Galeforce Fury :: This attack is Zephyr's most powerful strike. Based closer to the wind side of her power than the darkness, it is fueled by Zephyr's own life force - in line with Abraxas' Berserker Rage Inferno. The Galeforce Fury creates a being made of pure wind energy, manifested and visible only in the shadows cast by moonlight. It is less a being in itself and more of a shield or armor for Sailorzephyr. When surrounded by the Galeforce Fury, she is as unstoppable as Abraxas in the Rage Inferno. The attack lasts as long as Zephyr has breath, and is as dangerous to herself as it is to friend and foe. The wind that surrounds her, though not even close to harmful to Zephyr, is razor-sharp and has the capacity to cut through any material. It renders Chikatte's legions impotent and must be kept under close watch by allies; just as likely are Zephyr's fellow Sailorsenshi likely to get caught in the whirlwind of her rage as the foe. Opening Theme :: "I'm Still Here" Vertical Horizon Image song :: "Destiny" Stratovarius Dance Club Mix :: "Lost Complex" Iceman Memory Retrieval Mix :: "Tears in May" Missing Heart Romance Mix :: "A Love Before Time" Coco Lee Background Mix [happy] :: "Trouble" Pink Henshin Mix :: "Night of Fire" Dream [Japan Techno] Evil Mix :: "Devil's Trill Sonata" Vanessa Mae [Yami No Matsuei] Fight Mix :: "Lies" Evanescence Angst Mix :: "Rain" Cowboy Bebop Death Mix :: "When I Look To The Sky" Train Heartbreak Mix :: "Behind Blue Eyes" Limp Bizkit Background Mix 2 [sorrow] :: "Kagome to Inuyasha" Inuyasha OST Track 33 Fight Mix 2 :: "Supernova Goes Pop" Powerman 5000 Angst Mix 2 :: "A Stroke of Luck" Garbage Sorrow Mix :: "Long Way From Home" David Lanz Fight Mix 3 :: "Firestarter" Prodigy Evil Mix 2 :: "Break Me Shake Me" Savage Garden Fight Mix 4 :: "When Worlds Collide" Powerman 5000 Background Mix 3 [tense] :: "Angel" [opening theme] Darling Violetta Final Fight Mix [end] :: "Viva Forever" The Spice Girls Aftermath :: "Full of Grace" Sarah McLachlan Closing Theme :: "Calling All Angels" Train Appendix A - Illiandra/Name Meaning :: The name "Illiandra" is a direct corollary to the power that Sailorzephyr wields. The Princess Illiandra from birth had the ability to influence the winds and the shadows that crept into her bassinet at night. She formed shadows into shapes of her infant imagination as playmates and caretakers, the winds into the loving mother's caress. Illiandra was a solitary child, preferring the company of few more than the company of many. The one individual always found in her life was her guardian, the head of the Anilan royal guard, the knight Tobias. He was her constant companion, and the only person who truly aw past her cool outer exterior. Illiandra was a perfect counterbalance to the darker half of the powers of the Mendhaian princess Mellissandre. And the royal Trinity formed by Illiandra, Mellissandre, and Brighid was one of the most powerful Trinities seen in millennia. Mendhaian historians had never written of such a great capacity for overcoming evil. It is truly a pity that the Trinity did not survive Chikatte's coming. Had they been able to remain together, nothing the Dark God tried could have broken them. But with the falling of the Outposts and Midpoints, Anila was left with no front guard. Illiandra fell before the Trinity could assemble to save their worlds. The first princess named Illiandra, the current Anilan heiress was a willful girl, headstrong, stubborn, and cynical. Her outlook was only tempered by three individuals: her knight, the aforementioned Tobias, Brighid, Princess of Light and heiress of the crown of Aira, and Mellissandre, Princess of Balance, and heiress to the throne of Mendhai. [top] Appendix B - Anila :: [Pronounced "ah-nee-lah"] This name means in Mendhaian tongue "children of the wind." A fitting name, the people of Anila are protected by the god Aideko, a God of Winds that bears a fox as His totem animal and violet as his totem color. The Anilan people are a people shrouded in constant wind. The surface of Anila is strangely flat, lacking much in the way of mountain ranges over its miles and miles of surface land. As such, the winds swirl almost constantly, creating an entire way of life based around the festivals of the Winds - one for each season. Anila is also a world that spends a large portion of its time in darkness. Due to its orbit being in such close proximity to that of Mendhai, Anila is almost constantly eclipsed by the innermost planet, spending a mere two weeks in the sunlight. This is one of the reasons that when a guardian for the world was chosen, not only was she given the power of the sacred Winds, but also that of Shadows; a twin force for good in the universe. The choice was also made by the Gods that a child of a world of shadow should be the counterbalance to the darkness sealed inside of the original Princess Mellissandre for her own safety, just as the heiress of Aira was chosen to be the amplifier of the light within Mellissandre to aid in keeping the darkness at bay. The Trinity was originally created as a protection over the seal that held the Dark God Chikatte bound. When the seal was broken, the Trinity was dissolved, but when Chikalle sent the children of Mendhai to Earth, the Trinity was reformed and the seal re-created at least in part; it binds half of Chikatte's power and keeps Him from His desires. If He were at His full strength, the universe would already be covered in eternal darkness. [top] Appendix C - Sailorzephyr/Name Meaning :: "Zephyr" is the name given by the Anilan people to the west wind. The western wind is said to bring good fortune and good weather to farmers and workers of the earth. The people chose this name for their world's protector to remind her that though she might work in shadow, she is part of a universal force of good in the Mendhaian star system and that she must never forget that she does indeed serve the greater good. It is indeed important to remind the current Sailorzephyr of this; she has antisocial tendencies and has a deep, abiding mistrust and intolerance of her fellow Sailorsenshis' tactics when it comes to battle, often coming close to being openly scornful of their maneuvers. Sailorzephyr is an odd combination of light and darkness, often preferring darkness over light. It is curious to note that if it were not for the existance of the other Senshi and the royal Trinity, that Sailorzephyr may have chosen a different path than that of the service of light. [top] Appendix D - Violet Fox, "Aideko" :: [Pronounced "eye-deh-koh"] Aideko is the patron God of Anila and the Mendhaian God of Wind. He exists to guide Sailorzephyr and does so in the form of a small, violet fox, his totem animal. He must often be stern with Zephyr and remind her of her duty, for she has a rebellious streak that constantly sets her at odds with her comrades and sometimes her God. She has a horrible tendency to ignore orders; often unwilling to listen to anyone, she is a fierce whirlwind of stubborn resistance, fighting on her own terms and no one else's. Indeed, one may muse that Aideko might just have his work cut out for him. [top] Appendix E - Silver-Bladed Scythe, "Aisha'damu" :: [Pronounced "ah-ee-shah dah-mu"] Aisha'damu is a scythe with a silver blade that is the third weapon given by the Gods to the royal Trinity on Mendhai. The name of the scythe translates to "life blood", and it is a direct counter to the Aisha'nura, Sailoraine's silver glaive ["life-light"]. The two weapons counter each other, balance out the light and darkness, and provide an extra amplification for Aisha'avari ["life from the heavens"], Sailorabraxas' silver sword. The Aisha'damu is a very powerful weapon, at its strongest in the night. It controls shadows cast by the moon and stars, and has a blade so sharp that it will cut the very air in twain. It is not a weapon to be handled carelessly, as Aideko so often reminds his charge, and is a powerful force for good or evil in the universe. [top]