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Much like Kagura, Hatsuharu is two sides of a coin. At first glance you'll see the guy is aloof, most likely lost trying to find his way to the nearest bathroom. He's cool, mellow. Doesn't talk much. His jewelry, consisting of spiked bracelets and choker necklaces, makes him look dangerous, especially with the trench coat, black pants, boots, and shirt unbuttoned to expose his collar as his usual outfit. His wild hair reflects the two sides of his personality. At first glance one might assume he's a hard rock band member in the wrong side of town. Though he may not be a crazed musician, chances are he is in the wrong place. This guy's got the worst sense of direction known to mankind. When she first met Hatsuharu, Tohru mistook him for being an old man because of his white hair. She was surprised to find that he was a teenager her age, and was even more intrigued when he told her who he was searching for. He had been on the lookout for Yuki and Kyou, and meanwhile was missing from his school for three days, wandering around town, trying to find his way, lost without hope. Tohru took him to be a calm, mature kind of guy. Quiet and possessing a somewhat introverted, active mind. He didn't say much to her but got straight to work in putting together a simple yet effective trap to catch Yuki and Kyou when they came down the street. Little did unsuspecting Tohru know... When Hatsuharu finally met up with Yuki and Kyou, Kyou managed to bring out his temper. This was known in the Souma family as, "Black": Black Haru. Haru had exploded and he and Kyou were at each other's throats, brawling for all they were worth. Yuki explained to Tohru that when he lost his temper or got worked up about something, Haru's Black side emerged. Normally Haru was an easygoing, dazed guy, but when he exploded, no one could stop him. Tohru asked him if Haru's temper was like Kagura's, to which Yuki replied, "No. It's much worse." They then had the honor of witnessing it first hand. The calm and proper Haru had done an 180 degree flip. He was rude, vulgar, violent, loud, and possessed a vocabulary no proper gentleman would be heard uttering. Black Haru was everything White Haru wasn't, and vice versa. Haru's temper was truly worse than Kagura's. The only way it was put down was when Yuki's fever acted up and he collapsed. Instantly Hatsuharu stopped his violent rampage and ran to Yuki, his concern overriding his rage.
Haru realized it didn't matter what the people around him said; a legend was simply a legend. Haru noticed that as the Rat of the Juunishi, Yuki wasn't deceitful or sneaky. Yuki surprised him by being unlike what he had imagined him to be, and "melted away the shackles on his mind." He saw that his hatred for Yuki was unnecessary and he was glad to have resolved it, instead of continuing to hate without proper knowledge of Yuki's true personality. Haru realized that he had done to Yuki exactly what the rest of the Souma family had done to him. Yuki eased Haru's mind with his words, and Haru's explosive Black side stopped emerging as often as it had been. Now Haru claims Yuki to be his first love. Haru's care for Yuki is shown throughout the series in subtle ways. Being a naturally quiet and subtle guy, Haru tends to work in discreet ways. If he feels like something is bothering Yuki, he indirectly gets rid of the problem. He once transformed into his Juunishi form (the ox; in other words, a gigantic cow) and carried Yuki on his back through midday public, just because Yuki's bronchi acted up. He enjoys showing his care for Yuki in these small ways, and though he's not seriously pursuing Yuki as a love interest, he still cares deeply for his well-being. Haru was the first one to notice that Tohru had been a definite positive impact on Yuki and Kyou's lives. When he visited Shigure's household and saw the way the two had changed, he immediately understood that it was because of Tohru's presence. For you see, thought Haru may seem like a dazed guy, underneath that unmoving, somewhat uncaring and neutral expression is a mind that picks up on everything. Haru knows what's going on; the only time he's not in control of the situation is when he's 1) lost; or 2) exploded to his Black side. Haru's got a cool, calm, quiet way of watching things and calculating the atmosphere around him. He's a sharp guy. At the same time, he's extremely stubborn. It's this stubborn part of his personality that ends up turning him Black most of the time. When the student council president is pestering him about his unusual hair color, his Black side emerges. Haru vehemently denies that his hair is dyed (the Souma family all have a hard time convincing their school that their hair colors are natural), and instead "shows" the student council president the truth (i.e.: the white hair is all over his body, even in those places). Haru's touchy about his hair; it's quite a sensitive topic. Certainly, Haru is a person of extremes. Normally, he's extremely
laid-back, dazed, go-with-the-flow, quiet, subtle, the works. However,
when his Black side explodes (the opposite extreme, in this case), he's
gone over the edge. He'll do anything to get what he wants
(or to get his point across) when he turns Black. This means he'll fight
Kyou to the pit of Hades if he has to, or expose to the student council
president some parts o If there's one thing Haru's got, it's definitely style. He's easily recognized with his eye-catching long, dramatic coats and contrastingly dark clothing underneath. His jewelry and hair on their own will grab your attention. Haru's got a certain aura about him, one that's hard to penetrate. Nothing seems to unsettle him other than something extreme, which turns him Black. There's almost no middle ground with Haru. It's either extreme calm, or extreme rage. Stuff in the middle doesn't faze him. He's honest, modest, and makes friends easily. Being so easygoing, Haru doesn't have much respect for authority. It's not that he lacks respect; in a way he simply doesn't care. He easily defies the school rules with his hair and jewelry. He doesn't mind standing out from the crowd. It's no matter to him if school authority tells him he can't wear something or his hair is against the rules. Haru doesn't have drive to break authority with aggression; he goes with the flow. But when something purposefully stands up to him, he stands stubborn against it without wavering. Haru is quite a character. He's extreme, unpredictable; an enigma. When he walks down the school halls, girls mesmerized by his presence clump around him. He's the kind of person who easily attracts people with his style.
- - - - - - - - - -> Back to Characters |
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- - - - - - - - - -> Souma Hatsuharu
This
is where Haru's childhood and love comes in. As a child, Haru was mocked
throughout the Souma family because of the Juunishi legend. In the
legend, the Rat snuck a ride on the back of the Ox to get into the
party. Because he was tricked by the Rat, the Ox was seem as inferior.
"The Ox was stupid and dumb enough to be used." Hatsuharu
eventually grew an extreme hatred for Yuki simply because he was the
Rat; Yuki became his unconscious enemy. Haru became ill-tempered and it
was at this point that he developed his dangerous "Black"
side, as the Souma put it. When Haru met Yuki for the first time, he
blurted out his blame and hatred for the Rat. Yuki only replied to this
with, "Really? Are you really stupid?"
f
his body that aren't meant to be exposed. One has to be very careful of
offending Haru and becoming the victim of his mad rage. There's a
certain thin line with him, where anything in front of it is alright,
and anything past it is like pressing a pressure point. Haru is
definitely unexpected and unpredictable to those who don't know him
well. He'll be so mature one moment, and the next thing you know he's
spouting out vulgarities which end up getting him plummeted into the
ground by either Yuki or Kyou.