Like Lovers

Shin’s relationship with his sister, Maya, has often been compared to that of lovers than siblings. There is no denying that Shin has a severe sister complex and that his devotion towards Maya is borderline dangerous. Maya is as comparable to the air that Shin breathes and if she should cease to exist, Shin would most likely die.

“…Not to mention the man has an extreme sister complex, is selfish, stubborn, and an unpredictable schizophrenic. On top of that, he’s a murderer.” – Mana Kuzunoha.

Maya is partly to blame for Shin’s off and on insanity. She did not emit any of the Ryuugan’s (Dragon’s Eye) powers and was thus entrusted by her father with the Reiki to keep it away from Shin. She had failed to do so and this had eventually leaded to Shin’s erratic behavior and downfall.

How did it all begin?
As children, Maya had allowed Shin to touch Reiki thus initiating the awakening of his Ryuugan. However, he was unable to control his newly born abilities and became unstable. For fear of the other families of the Takayanagi Flying Phoenix finding out, Shin’s father, Kaima Natsume, locked him up in an underground dungeon. His father was terrified that death would be brought upon Shin and their family if his lack of control of the Ryuugan was revealed. However, unknown to his father, Shin’s Ryuugan plagued him with the ability to see the spirits that resided in the dungeon thus doing him more harm than good. It had driven him to insanity.

Maya was the only one allowed to visit Shin, bringing him food or simply keeping him company. As a result, he became very attached to her. His father had eventually made arrangements for him to stay with some distant relatives. However, unbeknownst to him, Shin had become strongly attached to Maya. As a result, once Shin was released from the dungeon he took that opportunity to use the Reiki to slaughter his parents. Maya had become so precious to him, that the thought of separation threatened his means for survival.

To protect at all costs…
As Shin and Maya grew older, so did his over-protectiveness. He constantly interfered in her battles in his obsessive duty to protect her. In frustration, Maya rebelled, attacking the members of his Katana group. However, it only served to heighten Shin’s erratic behavior as he attacked his own comrades to prevent them from getting revenge on her. It soon became clear to those around him that everything he did, every bit of insanity he exuded was all for the sake of Maya. He became jealous when others grew too close to her. He went insane when anyone injured her. He would kill another if that’s what it took to keep Maya at his side.

Forever and always
Despite everything, Maya loved her brother and always remained at his side. Though she had become miserable from him taking his overprotection too far, she was definitely hurt by his death. He will always have a place in her heart.

My Thoughts
I think Shin’s isolation as a child partly served in the tainting and fragmenting of his personality. He never had the love and bonds of a normal family, being caged in a dungeon like a wild animal. His own family had betrayed him, thus planting that seed of distrust in his heart. Maya was the only one who cared for him, who showed him love, who treated him as a human being. And the threat of losing the one thing that preserved his humanity drove Shin insane. I won’t compare his dependency on Maya to that of a lover, but perhaps more to that of a child.