Kumiko Hasegawa

Kumiko is one of the few female members of Clan Hasegawa and other then most other members, she was born as a daughter of the clan instead of being adopted into it almost right after birth. The Hasegawa clan has been in the patronage of Daimyo .. for several generations and as such commands some measure of respect and which offers her a respectable position with a good chance of a favourable marriage arrangement.

By maintaining close relations with the Daimyo and ample prove of both their loyalty and quality of service, the Hasegawa clan has been able to accumulate a fair amount of wealth and a small estate on quiet, small slot of land, located in a rural area with trees and undergrowth in abundance. Over time it has become a most ideal place for the Ninja's of the Hasegawa clan to practice their arts and live out their lives.

Woven into the rich culture of Heisei and even more so on the estate, was the art of espionage and individual combat; known as Ninjutsu (忍術), the art of stealth, the way of invisibility. The guiding philosophy of Ninjutsu was to choose the dark, quiet and subtle method over the bold, active and forceful. In this way, the natural order of events was disturbed as little as possible. Suggestions would take the place of force, deception replaced confrontation, and the adversary was guided into unknowingly doing the ninja's bidding instead of being crushed in humiliating defeat. This psychological slant characterized Ninjutsu, and allowed the ninja to accomplish the most while expending a minimun of energy and resources and exposing himself to the least amount of danger. By its practitioners Ninjutsu was also known as 'the art of winning', the way to reach their goals.

Women as well as men were trained in the complex art of Ninjutsu. Known as Kunoichi, female ninja's would pose as dancers, entertainers or servants and were often used for observation or espionage. Many times female assassins were able to achieve their goals by means of the privacy their gender bought them and smart use of both beauty and charm to win the trust of their targets when other means of attack had proven futile.

Over time Kumiko had mastered the subtle intrigues of Ninjutsu, however most of it was done in secret, alone and at night, since both her father and grandfather didn't wish her to become a ninja, it was forbidden for her. With her position, as a daughter born to the clan, she was expected to learn parts of the Okusan tradition and behave like a proper wife, as her father and grandfather hoped to secure a good match for her as the wife of a Samurai, if their liege would allow it.

No matter how hard she tried to keep her secret however, there was one person who noticed, her mother. While her mother would not and could not openly support Kumiko, she allowed her daughter some leeway. She had come to realise that her daughter had an exceptionally sharp mind, quick to pick up knowledge and eager to learn. Over the years, partly thanks to the strict regime at estate, she was also in excellent health and physical condition. At times her mother would provide Kumiko with an opportunity to observe the others training in the yard, often with a small task as an excuse. While these moments were few and often brief, they enabled Kumiko to learn more techniques. Most of her time however, Kumiko was expected to attend her duties and what little free time she had she would spend in the gardens, either by sitting by the pond, tending to the flowers or just listening to the wind.

It was here, in the gardens whilst sitting by the pond, were she first felt a presence she could not explain, it was as if someone was looking at her and yet, when Kumiko looked around, she saw no one. As the time past the 'visits' appeared to be frequent, but only when she was out in gardens. Until one day, when she was outside the walls of the estate in the forest, as her mother would allow on rare occasions if both her father and grandfather were away, she stumbled on a sight she could not explain nor dared to disregard. It felt as if something pulled her to it.

She walked into a clearing, featuring a small lake and the trees and flowers blossomed beautifully. Even though Kumiko was sure that the clearing hadn't been there before, she had walked this path through the woods several times, she was pulled towards a shape that sat on the lakeside talking to a raven. She couldn't yet hear what they were talking about, so she walked in further. The raven was the first to notice her, and it hopped on the shoulder of the creature, it spoke: “Come child..” As she wandered closer the other creature looked upon her and said: “ Patience is a virtue, young one, and so is diligence. Yet I sense that your path is a at crossroad, like the branches of a tree.. ” The raven flew off and the site began to fade, but not before she could hear the raven whisper: “But first you must learn another lesson, do not fear the dark…” When a servant of her mother found her about an hour later, Kumiko lay beside the path under the trees, fast sleep.

A few days later, Kumiko had made up her mind and decided to leave the estate, without the permission of her grandfather and father.