Hanabi in OVERDRIVE

As the owner of Higanbana, one of the seven great armaments of the Scarlet Shadow clan, Hanabi is the pride of the Scarlet Sect. To carry on her father's will, she has sought power since childhood. As a result of her single-minded goal, she closed herself off to all feelings and emotions. Even so, she was never truly accepted by Higanbana. Once, when she was pursuing an enemy spy and losing ground, she accidentally stepped into the world inside Higanbana and lingered between illusion and reality. Eventually, she came to understand that power without emotion was volatile and fleeting. She came to terms with herself and embraced her feelings and desires as she became one with Higanbana.
The Shore
Hanabi lore
"The Higanbana blooms on the shore, as if consumed in flames. Unable to relinquish their obsessions, the lost souls plunge into the abyss. They no longer remember their past lives, and the future is a mystery. They are lured to this place, which condemns them to hell."
-Higanbana, Seven Armaments of the Scarlet Shadow
Hanabi knew the river well.
Dark and frigid, yet tranquil. She floated atop the water as if suspended in mid-air. Thick, impenetrable mist swirled all around her. Amongst the darkness, the only light was a cluster of Higanbana off in the distance. They were a brilliant, eye-piercing crimson, red as hellfire, like a fire burning on the distant shore that she would never reach.
It was a recurring nightmare Hanabi had experienced ever since she was 7. That was the year when, due to her inherent talent for cultivation, she unintentionally activated the ancient armament of the Scarlet, "Higanbana". All she remembered was being engulfed by the weapon and tumbling into a vast, nightmarish abyss. When she awoke, her eyes were filled with tears, but despite this, the crowd that had gathered before her cheered and congratulated her on becoming the one deemed worthy of being a successor of Scarlet.
Even at her young age, Hanabi realized what this signified: Within the Scarlet Shadow, there were the Scarlet Sect, who preferred the use of weapons, and the Shadow Sect, with a predilection for Ninjutsu. For generations, each vied for dominance over the other. And if the Scarlet leader wins, the Scarlet Sect wins. All the young Hanabi could do was place her trust in the sect and their plan. She therefore took on this solemn duty and tried her utmost to keep her head held high. Day after day, she trained, rivulets of sweat streaming down her body from sunup to sundown. In competitions, Hanabi was undefeated. Over time, she became accustomed to victory, and accustomed to the dark river that flowered within her dreams. She knew that when she reached that shore, she would harness the power of Higanbana, and then truly become the leader of the Scarlet Sect.
This all ended with the appearance of Hayabusa.
Of all the remarkable individuals of the Shadow Sect, Hayabusa was the most distinguished. Like an apparition, he would appear at competitions, swiftly defeat his opponents, and leave without uttering a single word. It was as if he wasn't even interested in the competitions. Hanabi would often track Hayabusa down and challenge him to a fight. As they clashed, the two of them fleeted across mountain streams and over thatched roofs, their blades clashing and clanging more times than one could count. In the end, however, Hanabi would always be bested, and the black river would begin to swell, the water reaching its banks. With every defeat, Hanabi, filled with resignation, would ask Hayabusa how he managed to outdo her, and every time all he would do is shrug his shoulders and say,
"Because...the moon looks lovely tonight."
The unfettered arrogance, and the complete frivolity of his response made Hanabi blind with rage. She could not lose, just as the Scarlet Sect could not. She threw herself into her training even further; she would do whatever it took to get to that distant shore.
Hanabi lore 2
Then, one day, catastrophe struck.
Hanzo, one of Scarlet Shadow's strongest ninjas, absconded with the Ame no Habakiri, making himself the enemy of both the Scarlet and Shadow. Together, the two sects sent their finest warriors to chase Hanzo down. It was the first time Hanabi had fought with Hayabusa on the same side, and she was not about to miss this chance to redeem herself. She would track down Hanzo on her own, without any help from Hayabusa. However, upon locating Hanzo, he proved more pernicious than Hanabi had expected. Unable to withstand a frontal attack from the Ame no Habakiri, Hanabi found herself struggling to continue evading. She could feel herself slipping, and as the blade swept across her throat, she remembered the dark river.
.