⌈Age⌋
17
⌈Appearance⌋
Fragile is definitely that first thing that comes to mind when you see Kana. Everything about her is small, soft, and feminine, and much to her chagrin utterly unthreatening. Her big doe brown eyes and long lashes, that small tulip mouth, dainty nose, and heart shaped face can't intimidate anyone no matter how much she might try. Her skin has a warm glow to it, easily made to blush or bruise. Her body is lithe and petite, with a nearly flat chest that she has been teased about more than once by rude friends. Ah well. She is youthful and careless about her appearance, often she'd spend her days on the mountain of what used to be her home barefoot and hair loose, feeling the grass in her toes. As of late sandals have been necessary but she still tends to wear her hair in a ponytail or down, like a Samurai would. This never used to be a problem but lately it seems to draw attention and scornful looks from other women. She stands at five feet and one inch.
⌈Likes⌋
Nature- she used to live in the mountains, and nature used to be all around her. She likes the towns and villages, but finds she is most at peace when surrounded by greenery. She especially loves spring.
Dumplings- You'd be surprised at how much this girl can pack away, especially when it comes to dumplings
Rain- It smells nice and feels nice according to her, plus is gives the plants something to drink
Children- She loves them and they love her, she gets along with them fairly easily and treats them like what they say matters. Instead of the approach most people take, which is to write them off as simple stupid children. She gets very protective over children and won't justify hurting one.
Music- who doesn't love music?
Stories- Chinatsu-dono used to tell her all manner of stories, about youkai and spirits and heroes. She loves story telling just as much now.
Her Father- She holds her father in the highest esteem.
⌈Dislikes⌋
Brainless people- thugs and bullies are people she considers to be brainless. If you are not very smart but kind she doesn't mind, but if you aren't very smart and rude we have a problem.
Cruelty- she understands needing to put away one's own heart for the sake of defeating an enemy, but unnecessary cruelty is something she is not fond of. An opponent can always expect a quick death from her.
Killing- that being said, she has never actually killed anyone, and the thought of doing so scares her.
An empty stomach- if you ever want to see a cranky Kana this is the quickest way to do it.
⌈Personality⌋
Kana posses all the pride and tough spirit of a Samurai's daughter, which is said to be another breed of woman. Tough enough to one day be the wife of a samurai, and strong enough to handle a bushi's short life. Although when it comes to marriage she seems to be unwilling to speak of the matter- insisting she won't marry for anything but love. She holds honor high in her heart, and her father is the most honorable man in Japan according to her. But she seems to know that there is a line between honor and stupidity. And can see things from an objective enough point of view that honor won't always keep you alive. Although she has yet to come to a situation where she has had to compromise doing the honorable thing yet, and is unsure of what path she would take should she come to such a situation.
She also holds lady Chinatsu as her role model, often wishing to be just as elegant and poised as her- but that often times does not work out. Whereas Lady Chinatsu was a poised woman who emulated calm no matter what she felt, Kana has never been very good at hiding what she feels. As much as Kana has the strength of a samurai's daughter, she is not the most obedient or feminine acting girl. She tries, but often losses her way in such endeavors. Her discipline isn't the highest and she tends to do only what she wants to do. It's a good thing that she is agreeable enough to be persuaded to do most things when she is told. However when she wants to do something her father doesn't agree with she'll turn into a stubborn and willful mule, sometimes for the sake of rebellion. For instance he was originally against her learning how to handle Samurai weapons, but Lady Chinatsu helped him give in. She has stuck to the art from a young age.
She posses a clever mind, and so finds it impossible to simply sit there and accept whatever is told to her. A logical reason must be behind everything and she's good at working it out. She might be stubborn and willful, but she is also compassionate and generous. Kana is thoughtful of other and their needs. She also empathizes easily with others, also able to tell if they are lying fairly easily- but won't always call them on it right away. Kana is a bold individual who won't be intimidated easily, and has no trouble staring someone down. But she is not immune to fear.
It took Kana quite a while to smile again after her home was taken over, but now a few years older and living in Edo she has gotten better. She still has dreams sometimes, horrible dreams, but for the most part she seems to have toughened it out. Lady Chinatsu however has just gotten steadily worse, and has been relying on Kana to vent to. Kana has had to watch the honorable lady Chinatsu decay into a violent and erratic mess, and it hasn't been easy. She's had to learn to speak soothing words to a mad person, forcing herself to be patient. In other words Kana is more mature than she used to be. Kana has taken up her weapons as something more serious rather than play now. She plans on protecting her father with everything she has, as now she is very afraid of losing him. But she would never admit to it to him of course, he would see that as ridiculous.
⌈Relationships⌋
Her father- She admires and holds her father in high respects, she loves him dearly. Although sometimes she has a tendency to disobey him.
Chinatsu-dono- Much like everyone else did, Kana admired Chinatsu-dono quite a bit. Kana wished she could be as elegant and beautiful, emulating her as best she could. But Kana's nature was always quite opposite to Lady Chinatsu, who resembled a statue of marble perfection, while Kana resembled a whimsical butterfly on the wind. Lady Chinatsu was fond of her however, and played a big part in Kana's loose discipline, often telling anyone who tried to stop her to let her do as she pleased. It pleased Lady Chinatsu to watch the free spirited girl frolic about. Almost as if living vicariously through her.
⌈Equipment⌋
Daitou- that is weighted and lengthened to her, it's lighter and shorter than a Katana but no less effective in battle.
Wakazashi- even shorter second sword
Tanto- dagger, concealed
Tessen- A tessen was actually a steel fan masquerading as a harmless paper fan, which the samurai would use for throwing, fending off projectiles, and even clubbing people with when close. Kana carries it into places where weapons are not allowed, along with her Tanto. Comically enough the Tessen is actually the weapon she is strongest with, although usually going up against her with it results in her opponent only getting knocked out, not death.
⌈Strengths, for now⌋
Speed- What Kana lacks in strength she makes up for in speed, extremely surprising speed
Stamina- those long practice hours payed off
Empathy- she can understand and put herself in another's shoes fairly easily, although this is partly why she has trouble killing
Charisma- she's likable
⌈Weaknesses, for now⌋
Hasn't killed yet- She has sparred countless times, and fought a few, but never has she killed, and so far she seems unable to.
Naive- She came down from the mountains a few times a year, mostly for festivals, but mostly she stayed at home. And this has left her quite naive to how dishonest and cruel people can be. She is also blind to a few customs and cultural regularities. However she catches on quickly, and is no air headed fool. But can still be rather gullible, preferring to trust in people.
Not very durable- physically she isn't very durable and is prone to bruising.
Physical Strength- She is stronger than your average woman, but not stronger than your average man.
Easily swayed- She can see another side to an argument and can see other perceptions easily, and she can be persuaded to think about something in a different way if it makes sense logically. It makes her incidentally morally neutral, with every intention of doing good.
⌈Home⌋
A small house in Edo, near Lady Chinatsu's abode.
⌈History⌋
When asked, Kana was told that her mother died giving birth to her. Which in retrospect might not be the kindest thing to tell a child, but she was always assured that her mother loved her and did not regret it. Kana is inclined to believe this. The reality of the situation is much more mysterious. The very day after giving birth to Kana, her mother disappeared, into thin air is seemed, taking nothing with her and saying no goodbyes. She had gone as suddenly as she had come. But again, Kana is never told any of this- she is simply told all of the good things about her mother instead. And in this manner Kana grew up quite loved and cherished.
Her father hails from a noble Samurai family, one that has served Lady Chinatsu's for many generations. And Lady Chinatsu's family has been the Shogunate who have been Lords of the province under the mountain for an entire dynasty. They have protected and governed it, helping it flourish and grow in grace, honor, and order. And on the side of the mountain there is a dug-in flat where the Chinatsu headquarters is, the main houses and the dojo connecting. The whole place is rather large, and this is where Kana grew up, together with Lady Chinatsu's youngest sons. Lady Chinatsu had no daughters and would treat Kana like one, unfortunately this meant spoiling her a bit and letting her have her way. When Lady Chinatsu's sons started learning how to handle Samurai weaponry Kana was determined to join them, and in time she had her way. But no amount of training could have prepared Kana for the night her home was taken from her by Warlord Yousuke. They came in the middle of the night, and things got out of hand quickly, fires started, she remembers fires, and not knowing what to do. She remembers that helpless feeling the best, she had no clue what to do, until someone she didn't know entered her room. He has red eyes and sharp teeth she recalls, but these features her father says she must have imagined. She thinks she might have imagined them too. But his eyes and teeth didn't matter for very long, his head was sliced off by her father, he told her to grab her weapons and come with him. They were losing this battle and had to flee. The only living member of the masters of the house was Lady Chinatsu, and the remaining men stayed behind to hold off the attackers long enough for Kana's father to get her and Kana away. Oddly enough they weren't even pursued.
Wracked with grief and loss, Lady Chinatsu was barely able to make it through the day sometimes, so intense were her emotions. Kana's father took her to her relatives in Edo, a mother and father in law. The travel there was rough. Lady Chinatsu's grief made her mad, and violent, and sometimes Kana's father was the target of that violence. Kana never was however, and could sometimes calm her down. Sometimes. When they finally got there they did their best to settle in and make a new life for themselves. Kana did not smile for quite some time, but eventually came out and explored the city of Edo and its hustle and bustle. She got to know the people there and became popular among the little ones in her neighborhood. She doesn't feel like it's her home though, and still dreams of the mountain. Those dreams often turn into bitter nightmares though. In her heart she knows what must be done in order to avenge her friends and adoptive family, she prays for the strength to do it.
