Daria Inashiki

Unknown to many, including Mimoko herself, Daria was born as Daria Inashiki, the 4th and youngest daughter of the current Inashiki matriarch, Benichiyo Inashiki. The Inashiki family of Tochigi was famous for always producing children with high IQs, yet while Daria was born with a higher IQ than the average human, compared to the rest of her family, she was an idiot. She could never quite find something she truly excelled in, quickly earning her ire due to the strict nature of the the Inashiki family. 

Though she'd try to smile and laugh it all off, her mother's constant berating along with bullying from her older sisters truly ate at her. That was until April 23rd, 1999, when at 15 and just a few weeks into her first year of high school, Daria discovered her talent at long last.

"Hey Michiko, whatcha doing?" a young, red-haired Daria smiled as she strolled into Michiko's room. 

"Who invited you!? Aren't you supposed to be swamped with homework now that you're in high school?" a 6-year old Michiko snarled as she attempted to solve a chess puzzle. 

"Who cares, I wanna play with ya to relieve the stress... Hmm..."

"It's chess. I imagine you haven't heard of it since chess is not that well known here compared to shogi."

"How do the pieces move?"

Michiko immediately lit up and gleefully explained her knowledge of the game as Daria listened intently.

"...In fact, I can name every named opening out there listed in the ECO."

"'ECO'?"

"Encyclopedia of chess openings. Heh, must feel embarrassing to know less than a girl nearly 10 years younger than you."

"Wow, you're so smart. So you solve this puzzle?"

"Not yet, but-"

"Oh, can I give you a hint?"

The offer caused Michiko to burst into laughter. "Please, this is a grandmaster level puzzle."

Daria began to throw a tantrum, causing Michiko to sigh and allow her a shot. Yet much to her horror, she solved it instantly.

"Yay! I was right!"

Michiko began to grit her teeth, but relaxed a bit. Surely this was just beginner's luck. After all, she had been playing this game since she was 3, while Daria had only just laid eyes on a chessboard. And what better way to prove it than in a quick game.

"Daria, wanna play some chess? I'll let you go first."

"Sure! But, I should go second since I'm older and smarter."

"Oh, but in chess I'M the smarter one. See, kids can start their chess careers as young as 3. In fact, I already have a rating of 1500, and should cross 2200 in the next few years."

Daria sighed and agreed to the proposal. Yet to Michiko's horror, Daria not only beat her, but played so perfectly, her father, Sodeshiro, an international master and influencial member of the Japanese Chess Federation at the time, decided to challenge her to a match himself. It was through beating him that Daria's talent for chess was discovered.

"You're a prodigy! Our nation's own Fischer, or perhaps I should say Kasparov. It matters not, as soon your name will be the holy gospel of chess players worldwide!" Sodeshiro proclaimed.

"Am I really that good?"

"YES! The way you played... It's miles beyond modern theory! Why, it's like you're a saint of the very sport itself! Come, I'll organize an exhibition tournament immediately!"

...

Moscow, December 10th, 1999...

A man collapsed in despair before Daria.

"The match has been decided. Daria Inashiki of Japan... is the winner," the commentator meekly trembled.

This was the end of the year that saw the metrical rise of Daria Inashiki, the 15-year old girl from Japan who only first played chess just 9 months prior. Yet in those 9 months, she had not only achieved the grandmaster title, but also swept reigning World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov, along with every other top chess player out there. She was a monster, and this was only the beginning of her reign.

...

August 4th, 2002...

Now 18, Daria was the iron fist of chess. Not one could beat her, with only a few being able to so much as draw her. Daria was too good. So good in fact that her overwhelming presence was demoralizing chess players everywhere, turning many prospective youngsters away from the sport. It was also having a negative effect on Daria, as with each passing day, she became colder and colder, both on the board and off it.

Slap!

"Don't give me that face, girl!" a woman with greying long point red hair angrily trembled.

"Why are you disappointed? I'm a success," Daria coldly glared.

"'A success'!? You're a tyrant!"

"And? None can topple me. Thus, I remain in power. You always said I was nothing but an aloof fool, so why complain when I've finally achieved not just a pinnacle for us, but women as a whole?"

"You call THIS a pinnacle!" the woman fumed as she shoved a newspaper in Daria's face.

The headline read, "Chess federations report 3rd straight year of decline in memberships. Japan's Inashiki listed as top reason why."

"You're destroying the sport! You're too good!"

"And why is that bad? Success is all that matters."

The woman scowled and rolled up the paper in order to smack Daria across the face with it. "Get out. You're not my daughter! You're some ice cold yokai that stole her skin!"

"I fail to comprehend. Is a genius not one that dominates with intellect? Is that not what you taught us all?"

The woman smacked Daria across the face with the rolled up paper. "Genius is using your smarts to make a good living wage and contributing to the greater good of humanity. All you're doing is bringing shame for your cold uncaring nature... You're like a damn robot. I don't need our bloodline being tainted by you further. Get out. Get out and never use our family name again!"

"What idiocy. Senility has begun to rot you. Though you need not worry about grandchildren. I see the need to reproduce illogical and fraught with nothing but economic strain. Why divert my resources to a young when it's better to keep them all to myself?"

"And that's why you'll forever be intellectually inferior to the rest of us. Get out."

With an uncaring shrug, Daria left. 

In the coming days, Daria was then hit with a ban. The reason given was that it had been discovered she had been cheating the whole time and had even bribed opponents to lose to her. This was both a complete lie, and big mistake by those who orchestrated it as it led to Daria publicly challenging all those involved to a simul chess event. There, she completely dominated, disproving the cheating claims instantly, but at the same time, worsening the chess ecosystem and her infamy. 

...

August 10th, 2004...

For the sake of the sport of Chess, Daria Inashiki was officially banned from tournament play for being "Too good". However, that still didn't keep Daria down. While she couldn't play in tournaments, she did partake in exhibition blindfold chess matches, where yet again, she dominated. However, it was at one such event that she met a certain someone.

It was just an average looking young bespectacled salaryman with dark brunette hair, yet he managed to fight Daria to three draws in a row. At a glance, this was noteworthy, but nothing extraordinaire, unless of course you took a closer look at the moves and saw the body language of both players. This man was choosing to draw Daria. Daria herself knew this, which began to fill her with frustration.

"Who are you!?" she shouted as the man began to leave.

"That, is a secret."

"A "secret"!? Don't screw with me!"

"Then you may simply refer to me as Himitsudono."

This would be the last time Daria would see this man until nearly a year later. As for this mysterious man himself, he eventually made his way to a prison.

"Back to visit Fischer again? He's been having crazier fits ever since you beat him so soundly."

"Is he not in a state to play at his best?"

"Doubt he'll ever be after what you did to him. Or could just be his prior crazy taking hold. Some Russian guy also came by, Boris Spassky, I think his name was, begging me to let him play chess with Fischer. Of course, I had to send him away as unlike you, he didn't get permission from any officials."

"Then I'd ask if my authority can extend to Mr. Spassky so that he can play his old friend. And give him my contact info next you see him, assuming he has already left."

"You want to meet him?"

"I want to become the best there is in chess, and who better to act as a second than the 10th World Chess Champion himself."

...

September 2nd, 2005...

Around this time, the WWCF had formed, unifying the chess world. With Raymond now at the helm of it, he invited Daria along with six others possessing similar prowess to her to what would soon become known as the maestro project. It was there, that Daria and other super grandmasters like her fought it out to see who would end up being the very best.

Upon reaching the finals, Daria found herself pitted against that very man who had frustrated her so long ago. And in that final, something insane happened.

"I have White. This match is over," Daria glared as she opened the game by moving her pawn to c4.

"Oh do you? Going first doesn't equate to victory, even though you start off with the advantage," Himitsudono chuckled as he  moved his pawn to e5. 

Daria responded with a typical cold and lifeless stare as she moved her knight to f3. Little did she know, this would be the moment she'd begin to melt. 

"This is what I practiced for. Behold. Daria Inashiki, today I win your humanity back," Himitsudono declared as he moved his king to e2.

Everyone stared in shock, all except Daria who shot Himitsudono a death glare. "Are you mocking the holy sport of chess?"

"Yes, I'm saying I can beat you with this, and then some."

"Cease your jokes," Daria scoffed as she moved her knight to f3.

"It isn't a joke. Now care to make a wager? I win, you rediscover your old charm you discarded on your warpath to the throne of the chess world, and... No, we'll just start with that," Himitsudono shrugged as he moved his knight to c6.