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Yanagi Renji had always been the quiet type. Not a shy boy by any means, but calmly self-assured. He'd never felt the need for self-advertisement, nor thought much of physical or verbal affirmation. Data always spoke for itself.

He had his notes, literature, and academic standing (according to teachers: "a brilliant mind"); his family - and his best friend. They were going to go to the same high school, and compete for first place in the rankings. They enjoyed engaging hobbies like people-watching, and were going to start a club for it. They weren't joined at the hip, and didn't share everything - each had his own secrets (which suited Renji well: there was less engagement to be found in an open book after all). But there was mutual respect and friendship, and they were as close as any two could be.

There wasn't much more a boy could ask for, and Renji generally found himself upwards of 95% content.

Even by his best scenarios, this fact only meant that things weren't going to last.

And neither was Renji surprised when the long-expected changes all occurred within a matter of weeks of each other:
  - Junior high graduation.
  - Father's relocation.
  - Mutation.

He left Sadaharu behind without so much as a goodbye, and was almost able to fool himself into thinking that it was for the better.

This, despite the fact he'd wanted to stay. And Yanagi Renji rarely wanted anything. Due to his father's job (high-paying though it was) in the fickle finance sector, he recalled moving house every three or five years for as long as memory served. It wasn't uncommon: company and client security necessitated the shuffling of employees every so often. Several times only across the city, since they'd been lucky; after that, from Tokyo to Kanagawa - their current residence. But now...

His father had managed to avoid a major move for nearly a decade, in the interests of his children's education: indeed, they'd never had to change schools. But the next relocation came with a promotion he couldn't refuse, and with Renji's older sister having just graduated, moving out for university, maintenance of the status quo did not bear so much weight.

Renji himself had been nearly sixteen by then, and almost old enough to leave the roost. The option arose to live with a relative in Tokyo and finish high school in the same area, and he'd thought to take it up, too - until that first manifestation.

It had begun with a headache like no other, in the guidance counselors's office. The two of them had been deep in discussion, regarding the possibility of separating from his parents and home, versus attending high school in Tokyo. Renji had already weighed up the pros and cons for himself, but had wanted a third party to discuss them with - yet unwilling to burden Sadaharu with such indecision.

The migraine had begun somewhere behind his eyes, and Renji had been initially puzzled by it - he knew his body and its limits, even as a teenager, eating well and keeping hydrated. Not even the stress of the matter at hand should have accounted for such pain. Nevertheless, he determinedly ignored it with a barely-furrowed brow, until he became aware of the counselor watching him closely with what appeared to be growing trepidation.

Rarely self-conscious, a hand rose partway to his face. "Is something wrong, Sensei...?"



Without even meaning to, he ended up making her forget his entire existence.


It had been a most unnerving experience, watching the lady shred his notes with a vaguely perplexed expression - the very same sheets of paper they'd been discussing from mere minutes earlier - oblivious to his presence by the door. Renji's typical, analytical logic refused to make head or tail of it, but the vague suspicion that he was a mutant was confirmed when he arrived home and looked into the mirror. Having left school 56 minutes early, head down and 181cm height hunched over, the train ride home had been the longest half hour of his life.

Renji:
  - didn't return to Tokyo after that.
  - moved away with his parents after all, despite becoming vaguely estranged from them.
  - dropped out of school, studying at home for two years (largely alone).
  - had never been so terribly wide-eyed in the first place, but
    became adept at functioning with his eyes downcast/minimally open.
  - occasionally conducted experiments with his powers.
  - returned to formal schooling for final year.
  - got bullied a bit for having his eyes shut all the time.
  - took it in stride as an invitation to experiment all the more.
  - qualified for university, and moved out of home.
  - obtained a business degree
    over the course of which he first came into contact with the Brotherhood.
  - is now a certified public accountant like his father
    though does not necessarily (or even often) work as one.
  - since graduation, has moved house several times more.
  - accepted transfer from Fukuoka, after a request for people (of sorts) from Tokyo's arm of the Brotherhood.
  - lives in the Nakamura building, as of 12th Nov, 2007.

Renji possesses a power similar to that of the mutant Mesmero: psionic hypnosis via direct eye contact. His physical appearance is unchanged, except for his eyes being completely black. (Hence why he tends to keep them shut. Even )

(1) A glare at a subject will instantly induce fundamental effects such as migraines/dizziness.
  - The angrier he is, the harsher the effects.
  - In theory, like Mesmero, Renji may also possesses the ability to perform psychic blasts; however, he has never been that angry yet.

(2) By locking eyes with someone for long enough, he can:
  (a) Change belief: [THINKING THINGS] Given enough 'force' behind the 'command', he can go so far as to make a subject believe they are elsewhere; know/forget items of information; believe something, or change an opinion.
  - The bigger the change, the harder it is for Renji to plant. ie. opinions on issues the subject cares about will be harder to change than indifference.
  (b) Give suggestion: [DOING THINGS] Like Death Note... without the death and paper. Suggestions can be made, that the subject will carry out under hypnotic influence. Variables can be defined. Unlike traditional hypnosis, it does not require the subject's cooperation/consent.

[x] Regarding (2), Renji must deliver verbal commands. In theory, the hypnotic suggestions could be conveyed by any given means - but since his subjects sometimes feel as if they are falling forwards through a black tunnel towards him while he holds their gaze, verbal commands have so far proved the most reliable. (They may or may not remember this vague 'falling' sensation, when the gaze breaks away.)

[x] Regarding (2)(b), adequate variables must be defined for full effect. eg: "You will fall down the stairs." may not work, but "You will become dizzy upon approach, and fall down the flight of stairs at your station on the way home tonight, as you run to catch your train." probably will. (Renji had always had something of a mindful personality, but since that first inadvertent memory block, he tends to take even more care that nothing is left to chance.)

[x] The further "against the grain" of a subject's personality that the suggestion goes, the more "convincing" they'll take to succumb. (For example, it'd be harder for him to convince a guy like Yagyuu to skip class, as opposed to Niou. Slightly.)

[x] His power can be overridden by those with stronger mind control abilities: either his suggestions are re-written (eg. a memory unblocked), or the hypnotic effect of his gaze is nullified in the first place.