Post by elkat on Jan 10, 2010 4:03:38 GMT -5
To the tell of one of them, it is impossible to not mention the other. Tachiko was raised in the prestigious Kagetora clan, renown for it's swordsmanship world over and was subjected to the clan's fierce and numerous expectations. Sthingy fed the ideals and opinions of the clan since she was young enough to remember, she was forged with a steady hand, not once allowed to waver from her family's expectations and did everything she could to prove herself. Despite this, she felt as though nothing she could do would be enough. In a sense, she was right; by being born a girl, she ruined her family's great dreams and hadn't it been for her older sister, Kenko, she would have been smothered soon after she came into the world so that the clan could hide the embarrassment of having not once, but twice failed in producing an heir. Thus her family never were satisfied with her no matter how much effort she put into mastering swordsmanship just to recieve their approval; a futile dream, but she hadn't realized such yet.
By her adolencent years, her family had given up on her as they had their eldest daughter, considering disowning her so that their next child (to whom they hoped to a boy) shall have the rite of inheiriting the clan as they had with their daughter. However, fearing that the next child might too be a girl, they stayed their hand, but didn't treat Tachiko better than a simple servant, often sending her to run errands when Kenko couldn't. It was on such an event that she discovered the body of a young girl no older for herself laying face-down in a stream. Mistaking the girl for a corpse, she had began to give the girl a proper burial- despite knowing that she'd be strictly reprimanded for taking the time for doing so. It wasn't until she was in midst of removing the torn and blood stained kimono she worn to replace with a spare kimono she carried that the girl awoke, looking at the girl with curoisity. Soon after her stomach growled loudly and Tachiko decided to share the little food on her with the girl. The girl devoured the measily rations without thought. When Tachiko asked if there was anything else she could do for her, the girl's eyes filled with tears of joy as kneeled before the heiress and swore her unerring loyality. Thus began the odd master and servant relationship between the two girls. It was needless to say, Tachiko was severely punished for her actions though the girl- who had introduced herself as Nekomi, sought to defend her new-found master's honor and only restrained herself at the command of Tachiko.
Nekomi, a young kunoichi of a mysterious past, never really stated her clan name or position though that may be because Tachiko never asked, happy to just have a friend. The girl lived off of the Kagetora sisters' kindness, Kenko especially overjoyed to meet the young girl and asking her to protect Tachiko in any event. Tachiko of course swore an unbreakable vow to do just that and sought to protect her young master through thick and thin, often not allowing the girl any privacy especially when she had to use the privy. Tachiko didn't mind so much, drunk off of the number of compliments the girl gave her on her hardwork and endurance. However, the pair's happy days were short lived.
The Kagetora family had fallen on poor times. As a clan whose reputation and wealth was based purely on their swordsmanship they suffered a great defeat when the country they hailed from began to grow into a era of peace, limiting the need of samurai. The family soon grew desperate too maintain their wealth and sought to merry their only heiresses (as it seems that they were no longer capable of producing any more children after Tachiko) to families of secured wealth and reputation. As they deemed the tomboyish and strong willed Kenko as a lost cause, they turned their hopes to their daughter who was willing to serve the clan, happy to serve them though Nekomi opposed them.
Never once accepting Nekomi, they thought they could kill two birds with one stone by selling her to a brothel (since they valued her no more than some cheap prostitute), but Kenko, who had been listening in on the conversation to decide this, was infuriated. Waiting for night fall, she woke Nekomi and Tachiko, pressing them to be quiet as she rushed them out of the family's residence and into the woods where she gave them enough money to pay for a voyage accross the sea on at the nearest port. She then departed, telling them that it was about time for a heartless to come to an end. The last the pair ever heard upon boarding their ship that they Kagetora had been wiped out in a single night and the individual suspected for this was Kenko who, with Tachiko and Nekomi, had disappeared. The ship left the harbor before anybody could learn the location of the two girls.
By her adolencent years, her family had given up on her as they had their eldest daughter, considering disowning her so that their next child (to whom they hoped to a boy) shall have the rite of inheiriting the clan as they had with their daughter. However, fearing that the next child might too be a girl, they stayed their hand, but didn't treat Tachiko better than a simple servant, often sending her to run errands when Kenko couldn't. It was on such an event that she discovered the body of a young girl no older for herself laying face-down in a stream. Mistaking the girl for a corpse, she had began to give the girl a proper burial- despite knowing that she'd be strictly reprimanded for taking the time for doing so. It wasn't until she was in midst of removing the torn and blood stained kimono she worn to replace with a spare kimono she carried that the girl awoke, looking at the girl with curoisity. Soon after her stomach growled loudly and Tachiko decided to share the little food on her with the girl. The girl devoured the measily rations without thought. When Tachiko asked if there was anything else she could do for her, the girl's eyes filled with tears of joy as kneeled before the heiress and swore her unerring loyality. Thus began the odd master and servant relationship between the two girls. It was needless to say, Tachiko was severely punished for her actions though the girl- who had introduced herself as Nekomi, sought to defend her new-found master's honor and only restrained herself at the command of Tachiko.
Nekomi, a young kunoichi of a mysterious past, never really stated her clan name or position though that may be because Tachiko never asked, happy to just have a friend. The girl lived off of the Kagetora sisters' kindness, Kenko especially overjoyed to meet the young girl and asking her to protect Tachiko in any event. Tachiko of course swore an unbreakable vow to do just that and sought to protect her young master through thick and thin, often not allowing the girl any privacy especially when she had to use the privy. Tachiko didn't mind so much, drunk off of the number of compliments the girl gave her on her hardwork and endurance. However, the pair's happy days were short lived.
The Kagetora family had fallen on poor times. As a clan whose reputation and wealth was based purely on their swordsmanship they suffered a great defeat when the country they hailed from began to grow into a era of peace, limiting the need of samurai. The family soon grew desperate too maintain their wealth and sought to merry their only heiresses (as it seems that they were no longer capable of producing any more children after Tachiko) to families of secured wealth and reputation. As they deemed the tomboyish and strong willed Kenko as a lost cause, they turned their hopes to their daughter who was willing to serve the clan, happy to serve them though Nekomi opposed them.
Never once accepting Nekomi, they thought they could kill two birds with one stone by selling her to a brothel (since they valued her no more than some cheap prostitute), but Kenko, who had been listening in on the conversation to decide this, was infuriated. Waiting for night fall, she woke Nekomi and Tachiko, pressing them to be quiet as she rushed them out of the family's residence and into the woods where she gave them enough money to pay for a voyage accross the sea on at the nearest port. She then departed, telling them that it was about time for a heartless to come to an end. The last the pair ever heard upon boarding their ship that they Kagetora had been wiped out in a single night and the individual suspected for this was Kenko who, with Tachiko and Nekomi, had disappeared. The ship left the harbor before anybody could learn the location of the two girls.