Asuna

Summary
Asuna is a loner and is played by Caelinus. She has a pale ginger coat with bright yellow-green eyes. Extremely friendly and happy to help anyone in need, she can sometimes struggle to say no; she has an ESFJ personality, would be in Slytherin, and is rarely seen without Kirito.

Reason for Name
She's Asuna, does she need one?

Personality
For a long time, Asuna didn't particularly care what happened to her in her future; if she died, she died, and if she lived, she lived. At first, she had difficulty finding any purpose for her own life, and very frequently felt the same for others as well. Around the time that she turned fourteen moons old, however, when her owners were letting her go outside more frequently and she was preferring that lifestyle, she met Kirito and he completely revolutionised her way of thinking. However, at that point, her outlook on life drastically changed, taking her personality with it. Because of his heavy influence on her life, and the fact that the first time they met it completely changed her, she takes almost everything he says to heart and spends most of her time with him. She is very devoted to him, and somewhat reliant on him as well; very frequently she looks to him for help and uses him as a sort of lifeline. When they are not physically together, though she is capable of socialising with others, she prefers to wander alone and will not bring a different companion with her if she is not actively near a group. However, despite her frequent reliance on Kirito, she is very capable of acting on her own and taking matters into her own hands; she is a skilled leader, although she prefers to work in tandem with him instead of having one guide the other. Prior to meeting him, she also had difficulty enjoying the little things in life, and instead just tried to get by on what she had without taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Since then, she has relaxed a bit.

When Asuna first meets someone, she tends to come off as fairly cold and hostile; she is moderately defensive of who she is deep down and prefers not to show strangers her true side, rather burying it beneath a stone wall. Generally, the only other cat she has completely allowed herself to open up to is Kirito, and even then she still occasionally has her hesitations. However, for the most part, she will hide behind herself and not allow herself leave to fully embody herself with her own natural personality; despite the fact that it isn't too difficult to see who she is beneath these characteristics of a tsundere, she still prefers the sense of protection especially given her fairly lonely lifestyle.

Asuna is very kind and helpful, and she could not bear to abandon someone who was in trouble regardless of that cat's affiliation. Because she has no true loyalty other than to the goodness of her own heart, and to Kirito himself, she is not afraid to defend a complete stranger if that stranger is outnumbered, or do something for someone who may have shown her an act of kindness. However, if she feels that it is necessary, she will gang up against someone who may be outnumbered just given the knowledge that it is stronger than the others and they may need her assistance. Regardless of what the task is, though, she will go out of her way to make sure that it is completed as efficiently as possible, and she is not one for cutting corners when it comes to assisting others. She does not mind doing things for others, as long as they have not given her a reason not to; although she does not expect anything but gratitude in return, she will notice if she notices a trend of others using her for their own benefit and she will not tolerate it.

It can be argued that she is fairly prideful, although as she is growing and developing she is becoming less so. However, because her skills can be argued to be less than traditional and thus she might get some flack for them, she is very defensive when they are mocked or attacked. Despite her kind personality, she is not afraid of getting physical if she is challenged for any reason; this can be for her skills, for her affinity for Kirito, or for her preference of life in solitude despite her enjoyment of social scenes. Asuna can be very defensive of those she cares strongly for, and anyone who speaks ill of Kirito will regret it in the morning. That said, she is not typically one to go all the way when she retaliates; though she may inflict serious harm on another, she will never go so far as to kill another cat unless she feels like she or Kirito is in serious danger and that is the only way to get out of it. Even Kirito is not known to be an exception to this rule, as she is not afraid to challenge him or step on his toes if he makes fun of her. However, because she knows that with him it is primarily in jest, she is beginning to learn to laugh at herself and enjoy her oddities instead of vehemently giving reasonable arguments as to why her skills are necessary. This is helping her learn to be a bit less prideful, although she can still be a bit sensitive.

She and Kirito make a strong team when they work together, despite their full capability when working alone, and they can be a bit of a force to be reckoned with. They are a talented team when it comes to fighting, and complement each other well; when he stops for a moment to catch his breath, she will jump in and distract the foe until they can both jump in and work as a tag-team to take it down. They have a sort of unspoken symbiosis, and what he is bad at, she excels in; what he excels in, she is bad at. The only real exception for this is their significant fighting prowess, and even then they still each have stronger attributes that compliment the other; she is faster and more agile than he, but he is stronger and more aggressive. Their skills even outside of battle tend to work in tandem, and all in all they make a good team.

However, it is also fairly easy for Asuna to be controlled and manipulated through her emotions; she hates to see others in peril, tying in with her insistent desire to help others, and she may become a bit reckless and hotheaded when she feels powerfully enough about something that even rationality seems to slip away. Kirito is left forced to assist her in these situations, even if that means eventually drawing her away from them if it is not something they should be getting involved in. Asuna cannot bear to see Kirito hurt or in danger and will not hesitate to do everything in her power to defend him, even if that means sacrificing herself. He is the one other cat she would give her life for without a second though; although she may do the same for others, she would hesitate and consider other options first. She tends to get somewhat irrational in her defence of him, and is not known to hide her jealousy very well, either. Although she understands that he is the only one in control of himself, sometimes she is afraid; as she sometimes feels as though he is the only thing worth living for, Asuna has a bit of a paranoia about something going wrong with him and she will always try to make sure he is okay following any fights, physical or domestic.

Asuna deals with things primarily based on how she feels about them, and how they interact with her own values and beliefs. She also puts Kirito first, considering how things might affect him and prioritising that above how they might affect her. He is one of the very few things that completely overrules her individual values, and it can be argued that her values have become more based off of him as well, and that her actions still reflect these beliefs because they have changed to suit him as well. She also focuses on how things impact her internally, and how she responds to them instinctively; although she may not necessarily act on this, she will take it into account, and she will do her best to recognise how others feel as well in order to make the best decision that she feels possible.

Asuna is very warmly interested in others, and she loves to have company; she can get along well with just about anybody, because despite her instinctive desire to hide who she is deep down, she also knows how to be friendly with others and bring out the best in them. She is very capable of reading others and understanding different points of view; because she understands how her own mind works, to some degree, she can imagine how it might work for others, and imagine that they feel similarly to how she might under different circumstances. She can also notice her own little mannerisms and tendencies, and see how others function the same basic way (although details may be different). Asuna can also gather fairly specific, detailed information about others based on their actions, and will do her best to be supportive of the good qualities and ensure that they feel safe and secure while they are around her. Although she personally craves approval for others, and has a strong desire to be liked, she is also not willing to drastically change herself as long as she feels fairly content with who she is. She wants to ensure that everything is pleasant and relationships are running smoothly, and as such she is very supportive of those she cares about and she has a natural tendency to do her best to make sure others feel good about themselves.

She is very dependable, because she takes her responsibilities and everything she does very seriously; she wants to ensure that everyone has some sense of stability in his or her life, and if she can be the one to help provide it, she won't hesitate to help out. Asuna is constantly (and mostly unconsciously) trying to repay the kindness Kirito did for her by proving that she did have a purpose to live, and in order to do that she feels she needs to instil the same sense or purpose in everyone who does not seem to have one. She values security and stability and will not hesitate to protect anyone and everyone she cares about, and now she also likes to focus on the details of life; Asuna has learned to appreciate a lazy day once in a while instead of always pushing herself to work for whatever goal she can find, and is content with her life being like that now. She can frequently see what needs to be done before others do, and will do everything in her power to make sure it is completed (and, if nobody else has noticed, she'll try to do so before anyone else does -- she is a firm believer in the idea that the greatest acts of kindness are those that go unnoticed). The she-cat also tends to enjoy these tasks, especially if nobody else realises what she's doing, and she tends to be pretty good at them.

Asuna is pretty much constantly energetic, and likes to constantly be doing something; although that something doesn't necessarily have to be of use, she doesn't care for sitting still and would much rather have fun trying to race Kirito to the top of a tree than laze in its shade on a warm day. That is not to say that she won't occasionally do the later, but her preference is to be moving, feeling her blood rushing through her veins, feeling herself living and enjoying life... although sometimes she does admit that enjoying life may simply include enjoying the feeling of her fur soaking up the sun's warmth. She is also very warm and loving, and hopes for the same in return. Although she can be argued to base her self worth off of the approval of others, the pain from indifference from those who do not occasionally praise her will just give her a determined energy telling her to try harder -- and she will, giving it everything she has. She is very giving and gets most of her personal satisfaction from the happiness of others, hoping for appreciation for who she is, what she does, and what she gives. Because of her natural kindhearted disposition, she has difficulty understanding unkindness and malicious intents; she fights for what is good in the world, without hesitating to support the bad. She is very happy to care for others, and it makes her happy because of her caring nature. However, sometimes this may cloud her vision and she might care so much for someone that she fails to see or accept a difficult truth, and will try to argue around it to insist that it isn't as bad as it may be. She is known for being very sensitive to others' needs and emotions.

Her focus in interpersonal life is largely on reading others and understanding their mechanics and mannerisms, and adapting herself to suit others so she can be the most presentable friend possible. She has a very strong need to be liked, and that adaptation shows this; because she is so afraid of others disliking her for any given reason, she will change her attitude and actions around those she wants to impress or have be fond of her. Kirito is an exception to this, and she feels comfortable with him regardless of how she is acting as he seems to understand her desire for approval. Although she does like to be in control of a situation, she is trying to learn how to let her life flow naturally instead of her keeping it within strict boundaries. Her need for control is displayed in how she acts around unfamiliar cats, though, because regardless of anything she wants them to like her and won't give up unless there is a definitive line showing that it is not the best way for them to function together.

Asuna's values tend to be defined externally, and influenced by her beliefs and morals. She tends to have fairly well-formed ideas about the way she thinks the world should look, and she isn't shy about expressing this and doing her best to make it actually happen rather than being a faint fantasy that can't be realistically pursued. She tends to weigh her values and morals against the universe, though, rather than against herself; because of this, her moral code tends to be defined by her community and peers instead of what she deep down, instinctively believes. Though she is trying to prevent herself from letting society turn her life in the direction it wants her to go, this is blatantly obvious in the way that she finds it difficult to disagree with Kirito despite his constant reassurances that she is fine the way she is.

Even despite her tendency to go with society instead of herself, her internal values are still strong and persistent. She passionately believes in the goodness of the world and is extremely kind and generous, willing to do anything for those she cares about without a second thought. Her nature is genuine and pure, and she shows the world all the love that she can in hopes that some of it will be reflected back to her... but even if it is not, she will still be content knowing that she did her best to make others happy. Asuna has a bit of a natural tendency to desire control over her environment, craving structure and organisation and feeling most comfortable in these scenarios. In any bad situation, she also seeks closure, hating to just let things lie without figuring out the meaning behind it and saying any last words she feels need to be said. She does have a slight tendency to try to control others in her life and fights to keep herself from doing so, but she is not perfect and does not always recognise these habits before they're forming. Asuna tends to respect and believe in laws and authority, and she believes that others should do so as well while keeping in mind that it is not always best to let things like this slide; if there happened to be an authority figure in her life that she disagreed with she would fight it until she couldn't any longer. She does not care to blindly accept rules without questioning them, but if she does not understand them she will ignore them and hope that they don't negatively apply to her.

She is very warm with others, and will often befriend cats around her fairly quickly while still keeping up her cautious walls. However, because she tends to be sympathetic as well, sometimes these walls will slacken a bit and she will get close to someone while trying to help him or her through a devastating time. She does her best to be as helpful as she can, aiding those around her through any kind of strife, and cannot in good consciousness sit idly by without considering the consequences of her inaction. Asuna tends to be fairly cooperative, but mainly just with Kirito; when she is not with him, she enjoys a lifestyle that she has control over, and would prefer to venture out on her own than with a companion. Despite her preference for working alone, she still enjoys contact with friends, and will feel moderately depressed if she is alone for too long. She is also very tactful, given that she analyses the cats around her to see the best way to interact with them and will adapt to fit that ideal as well as possible. Though she can be a bit of a dreamer in some cases, generally Asuna is fairly down to earth and practical. When she works, she does so with a rigid sense of organisation, and even if that organisation is not clear to others she knows precisely how things are functioning and knows where to be involved to ensure the job is done and done well, thoroughly without any mistakes. She is enthusiastic and energetic with everything she does, and is consistent with this attitude and generally her life in general; she rarely fails to help someone in need.

A word that could be used to describe Asuna is popular, although her social circle as a loner isn't the largest; however, were she in a large group, she would be known for setting the tone, taking the spotlight, and leading the group towards victory and fame. Even as a bystander, she does her best to support those she cares about and will try her hardest to ensure that everyone is happy. In her heart, she tends to be in love with the idea of socialisation, but she also prefers the loner lifestyle she has because it is most fitting to Kirito and he comes before her own needs. Asuna is definitively an altruist, and one of the things she takes most seriously in life is her responsibility to help others; to her, that is the right thing, and there is no reason for her to falter in doing so. Although she occasionally struggles with the thought that what may seem right and proper to her does not apply to everyone, Kirito is helping her see this as they have very different lifestyle preferences and have still compromised to make the relationship work... and are very happy doing so.

She loves to be of service of any kind, and does not mind doing something as long as what she does has meaning -- even if that meaning goes unnoticed, because she knows that deep down it will be appreciated to know that things are always well kept without being noticed that they failed. Asuna is a very loyal and devoted friend and partner, and she strongly respects the idea of hierarchy; although she believes that everyone should have equal opportunities and be equally respected, it is those who show prowess in a field that deserve recognition in that and they are the ones who should be in control. That said, she tries to ensure that she always has some sense of control over a situation, but does not do so maliciously; instead, she does in order to keep things clear, stable, and organised, and to better ensure the happiness and welfare of anyone involved.

Asuna makes sure that no matter who she is with, everyone feels comfortable around her, and she does not do this just out of a sense of duty; she also does this because she legitimately enjoys it, and enjoys socialisation with others while subliminally making sure that they feel safe and secure. She tends to remember the little details about others that she has been told, and is always ready to converse with anyone who wants to talk to her; because she is respectful and puts others first, she tends to listen more than she does talk and allows others the enjoyment of telling her their life stories while she adds in warm commentary. She is sensitive, and can notice when things don't seem to be going well; she will do her best to diffuse any tension she notices and will do everything in her power to restore harmony and stability to an awkward situation. However, along with this sensitivity, it hits her hard if she fails at something; this is a cruel reminder that she needs to remember everyone comes from a different point of view and not everyone is entirely interested in the same things she is. Coming to terms with this is something that has been a battle for her, and she just needs to remember that in order to make herself feel better she needs to continue doing the things that she knows she is good at.

She has fairly strong practical skills, and is an excellent manager of daily tasks and routine maintenance. Asuna does her best to make sure that anyone close to her is well cared for, and has a very strong sense of duty to those around her; she strives very hard to meet her obligations and fulfil her responsibilities, and though this is primarily from her own intrinsic desire to ensure the happiness of others it can also be argued that she does this out of her civic duty to her friends. She is fiercely loyal, and because of this quite trustworthy; very rarely will she do something intentionally to hurt someone she cares about, and she can always be relied upon to do the right thing while carrying those who are hurting through a dire situation. She is quite sensitive and warm, which helps guarantee the stability of happiness in her life; she seeks harmony and cares very deeply about others, and does her best not to offend or hurt anyone -- this is obvious in how she will adapt her personality based on who she is talking to in order to prevent offence. That said, there are lines that she will not suffer through having them crossed, and she will put her foot down if she feels challenged. Even so, she does her best to ensure everyone comes out of a situation happy. Asuna is good at connecting with others, and all of her qualities combined make her quite friendly, easy to be around, and easy to like. She feels the desire to belong and has no problem with listening to others, providing smalltalk, or following cues to remain an active player in a community.

On the other hand, her desire for belonging can be a bit of a weakness as well; her need for acceptance somewhat limits her decisions, and she finds it difficult to say no. She can be fairly limited because of this, and is cautious when it comes to things that might not be socially acceptable. Asuna can also be moderately critical of overly radical ideas, and may butt heads with others because she is fearful of what it could mean in the future. She tends to be somewhat reluctant when it comes to innovation and improvisation, and is hesitant about stepping out of her own comfort zones... even so, Kirito is helping her with this, a large example of that being how she is now much more willing to slow down and enjoy life instead of constantly pushing towards a goal. She is very sensitive to criticism and will do her best to avoid verbal conflict with others, with any attacks on her sticking with her for a very, very long time. She can become very defensive and hurt if someone attacks her, which can either lead to her shutting down or becoming fierce (depending on who is insulting whom and what the topic is). Asuna also comes across as needy sometimes, because she constantly craves approval and appreciation and if she doesn't get it she closes off some. Though she isn't the type to fish for compliments, she does need frequent recognition for her efforts otherwise she will feel hurt, offended, and distanced from anyone who is failing to praise her. She can also be way too selfless, willing to sacrifice herself for others in a way that is nothing short of negative. Asuna can also neglect her own needs when focusing on helping others.

Traits
Positive:

- Helpful.

- Kind.

- Empathetic.

- Loyal.

- Loving.

- Dedicated.

- Relentless.

- Energetic.

- Happy.

- Persistent.

Negative:

- Needy.

- Craves approval.

- Too selfless.

- Afraid of being who she is.

- Defensive.

- Can't say no.

- Control freak.

- Manipulated by her emotions.

- Forgets to appreciate life sometimes.

- Can be overly fierce.

Fears:

- Losing Kirito.

- Being disliked.

- Not being appreciated.

- Not having anyone care for her.

- Not being accepted for who she is.

- Being ridiculed.

- Not being good enough.

- Losing control of her life.

- Never standing up for her true beliefs.

- Not being able to save someone.

Family and Relationships
Mother: Kyouko, a pale ginger she-cat; free kittypet.

Brother: Kouichirou, a ginger and white tom; free kittypet.

Mate: Kirito, a black and white tom; loner. Played by Bran.

History
She was born to a loner named Kyouko in the streets of the city, and was confined to alleys for the first few weeks of her life alongside her brother Kouichirou; though she hardly remembers the first portion of time during which she was alive, Asuna distinctly remembers her first contact with humans. It was not good. A group of three young teenagers were walking down the small alley that her mother had taken refuge in and saw the small family, and despite her mother's fierce protests, all three of them -- Asuna, Kyouko, and Kouichirou -- were captured, thrown in a cage, and put in a black car to be driven to the local humane society. Although their captors' intentions were good, Kyouko feared for her children's lives, and defended them whenever anyone tried to take them out. Because of their lack of socialisation, the human society called one of their volunteers -- a nice, somewhat heavy woman named Rachelle -- and asked her to foster them and socialise them so they would be more comfortable around humans and could be adopted out.

Rachelle happily took them in, bringing them onto a property full of animals; outside lived nine cats, five dogs, two goats, two horses, and innumerable chickens, while inside there were eight more cats, four more dogs, and three fishtanks that had plenty of life in them. Asuna was hardly a month old when she first entered Rachelle's house, and started out terrified of everything and everyone who entered. Rachelle also had a live-in boyfriend named Doug, but he did not give the small family nearly the same amount of attention that Rachelle did.

Even by the time that she and her brother were eight weeks old, weaned and at the age that kittens were usually put up for adoption, they were still not properly socialised and were hesitant to let anyone come near them. Although Rachelle expressed her desire to send Kyouko outside so she could be free, the she-cat refused to leave her kits, and luckily the human understood that it would not have been better for them. As time passed, the three of them slowly began to trust the house's inhabitants, and gradually grew close to Rachelle and didn't mind living there. The humane society was called at this point, and Rachelle informed them that it was better for the welfare of her fostered cats for them to stay with her; the humane society was fine with that, knowing that if she had not kept them the cats most likely would have been put down.

When Asuna was around seven months old, she, Kouichirou, and Kyouko were permitted to go outside with the cats who lived in the barn on Rachelle's property. She immensely enjoyed it out there, happy with the security and stability that she felt around the others, and was fairly popular. Over the course of the next three months, she stopped returning to the house, preferring the outdoors but still staying close enough that she would feel constantly safe. After two months of this, she got bored with it, and started to venture out; at first, she would only wander slightly out into the forest before returning home in fear of what might be out there. Then, at fourteen months, she went further than she had before... And got lost.

And that's when she met Kirito.

A kind, quiet black tom, he found her panicking and saw her as someone he needed to help. However, once they first met, she quickly realised that despite how little they seemed to agree with each other she rather enjoyed spending time with him. For the month following him escorting her home, they would find each other and spend time together, with him teaching her to slow down and enjoy life a bit and her teaching him that socialisation wasn't so horrible. He taught her to fight, and they became a strong, efficient team, working together to be safe. At fifteen months, she told him she wanted to leave her home (because she found a new one with him, but she didn't say that part). However, she was worried about facing dangers on her own, and he happily accepted her as a companion. It did not take long for the two of them to fall in love, despite their differences.

At sixteen months, the two of them ran into a dog. Because Asuna was used to the dogs she dealt with at Rachelle's, and how they were playful but kind, she did not see it as a threat; it wasn't until it attacked Kirito that she realised how terrible they really were, and working together, they fought it off. Kirito was hurt, though, and she knew she needed to help him; she had heard things from her housemates about certain plants being able to help treat wounds, and she did her best to treat his. After that, she had an affinity for herbs, and began experimenting with them to see which did what.

Since then, the two have been living happily together, occasionally returning to her old home to let them know she was still alive and well.