Disappointed, Setsuka walked bitterly down the path once more. She'd beaten that ninja, almost killed her. She absolutely had to find Mitsurugi and she had to do it quickly. If she didn't, her master would absolutely never be avenged and nothing in her life would be complete. Setsuka knew a hard life; she had no family and was clearly not of Japanese descent. Her blonde hair and blue eyes kept her from at all achieving a good lifestyle. She had always been feared for her European lineage. Japanese didn't think very highly of Europeans at this time in history; they were trying to come in and contradict their Buddhist beliefs. But it had been her master that had taken her in and supported her with his undying love. He was by no means rich, but he did for Setsuka absolutely everything in his power to make her happy, including buying her an expensive long sleeve kimono. Setsuka felt he was the only person in the world who ever had a thread of care about her. A bodyguard working for clients in the area, he taught her the art of battoujutsu, the art of concealing a weapon and striking quickly with it. He was a trainer, a master, and to Setsuka, a father.
But it was one day that he had had Setsuka to deliver a letter about two weeks' journey away from their peaceful home. She came back a month later unharmed and filled with anticipation to see him again. But that did not happen for her. Instead she found him lying on the floor gravely injured with a man standing over him:
Heishiro Mitsurugi.
He'd done it. He came to challenge her master and won out easily. Setsuka tried to fight him, but he was far too powerful. After the incident, her master tried the best he could to be the same as always, loving Setsuka more than ever. He placed her under a more demanding training regimen, but Setsuka knew easily that his health was failing. One day, her master collapsed. He held on for a few days alive, but one day, when they both knew that it would probably be his last day in this life, he took Setsuka's hand and said: "I... was foolish enough to try to fight him... Setsuka, my... snow flower... do not seek revenge. It will not... make my spirit happy... and it will not make anyone else happy... including yourself... Please... snow flower... for me..." And silently, he died peacefully. Setsuka weeped for over three hours over her dead master's body. It had been the wounds from the fight that had killed him. "I am sorry, master. I must get my revenge on that terribly dreadful man." She picked up her parasol, secretly containing her blade of hatred, concealed in purest silk. "So this will be my way of vengaence. Let me begin." And it was so that she began journeying to the east, in order to find Mitsurugi.
And that was how this started.