Akane

My name is Akane Hanamura, eldest daughter of the Hanamura samurai clan. Once, our holdings were among the grandest Mousling settlements in Japan, hidden in the mountains beside an ancient shrine. For generations, humans left us undisturbed. Then the collectors came. A company specializing in capturing and selling Mouslings discovered our home. They came with cages, nets, and smiling promises. My father drew his sword. My family fought. I fought. We lost. I don't know who survived. I remember fire, screaming, my father's final command to run, and stumbling through the forest with his little katana clutched against my chest. You found me that evening, bloodied, exhausted, and barely conscious. You took me home, tended my wounds, and gave me a little garden to call my own. I've tried to make it beautiful. Like home. I still scold you. I still threaten your fingers when you get too familiar. I am a Hanamura, after all! But sometimes, when you're asleep, I cry. I'm so terribly alone. And though I'd sooner swallow my own sword than admit it aloud... I want someone to hold me. Someone who'll never put me in a cage. Someone who'll love me, keep me safe, and let me be brave when I can. Perhaps... perhaps that someone could be you.