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Name: Kirari aka Kiyotaka

Nickname: Ki

Gender: Female

Age: 19 but passes as a 16 year old

Appearance: Black well kept hair that is about chest length and always pulled back into a pony-tail.
Hazel eyes.
Shorter than most guys but tall for a girl. She dresses as a man in order to be a member of the Shinsengumi. Wears the hakamas of a swordsman and, when off duty, just a plain off-white kimono but when on duty she, of course, wears the bright blue and white kimono.

Fears:

Ambitions:

Personality: A relatively happy person, she can be taken to moods of depression, however. When she draws her sword, however, she intends it to draw blood. If she doesn't intend to draw blood she never draws it.

Strengths: Swordsmanship: She is extremely adept at her swordsmanship and it has gained her quite a reputation.

Weaknesses:

Past: For many years Kirari lived with her elder brother. She didn't remember her parents and her brother refused to speak of them. Her brother had hired out his sword for petty jobs, mostly just uneventful escorts in order to feed the two of them. Kirari had just tagged along most of the times, except when he believed it was too dangerous, then she would be forced to stay behind. During this time, her brother taught her swordsmanship skills in order to defend herself while her brother was away. It was one of the times she was told to stay behind that he didn't come back. She had recieved no word from the one's who had hired him but it soon became obvious that he wasn't coming back. She had continued training with the sword by herself.
One day during one of the few times when she was in town, she was asked by a woman of noble birth to escort her somewhere for coin. Naturally Kirari agreed. At this stage she wasn't hiding her sex, however the woman (and thus Kirari) was attacked on the journey by two men. Kirari killed one and was called a demon boy by the other before he fled. She figured it was because of the masculine way she dressed, and she wasn't exactly clean. Thus she started taking on the identity of a guy and started hiring out like her brother was.
Her reputation as a fierce swordsman spread, but along with her famous sword skills was her famous modesty. It became known that the ronin known only as Kiyotaka was very shy when it came to bathing and the like and would only do so in private or not at all.
Word of her skills spread to the shinsengumi and, interested, requested if she would be interested in joining. Seeing a chance for food and shelter she took up the offer and has been working there since.

Kirari's eyes swept left and right, searching for any hint of trouble. Her, or rather Kiyotaka's, reputation as an extremely skilled Ronin who hired himself out most often as caravan guards had earnt her this job, guarding some high lord, his groom and personal servant. She didn't know the details of the journey but nor did she ask, prefering her own company, though the child wasn't too bad company either. He reminded her a lot of herself as a child, berating her older brother for stories of his travels. She found she often shared the ones he had shared rather than her own tales. After all it was her brother's name she was using.

It was somewhat lonely though in these parts of the travels. She was the only one hired, no other swordsmen for company, not that she usually kept their company but often their talk was interesting enough, the groom beside her paid her no heed, something about a filthy Ronin. She guessed it was true, she hadn't found a private moment to have a bath, her feet were bare and filthy in her sandles and her clothes were old and worn, but she didn't really seem to care. Kiyotaka had a well known shyness that didn't allow him to be even partially naked around other people, a rumour that Kirari helped to spread. She would have the money to buy new clothes after this particular job but up until then all her money had gone to food and lodgings until the next job. It meant she had travelled all around Japan, but never in her travels had she come across a boy like this one. Looking back behind her she could see him hanging off the back of the carriage, head sticking out to the side slightly, eyes wide and mouth again. With a small smile she turned back to the front.

In time to see an arrow lodge into the grooms throat beside her, splattering her with blood. The horses whinnied and reared, the sudden shock no doubt throwing the young boy from his precarious hold. Swearing she leapt down from the seat and loosened her sword, slipping into her fighter's stance without thinking. "Bandits!" she called out to the master within the carriage, warning him to stay put. "Pan, get under the carriage!" she added. No doubt she would be reprimanded for ordering the man's servant - he seemed somewhat strict - but that way it would slow them down. Damnit, she knew she should have pressed her case of hiring at least one more guard but she had been goaded, called a coward for wanting backup and foolishly went against her instincts.

She drew the sword and slashed at the harnesses holding the horses. They bolted but being linked together they wouldn't get too far. She then moved around to the back corner of the carriage. She couldn't watch both doors into the carriage but at least here she could watch one and keep a half eye on the other. So long as the master inside had the sense to have bared the doors. "Pan, stay close to me but remain hidden, no matter what you hear or see," she said quietly as a bunch of them approached.

"Get under the carriage," Kirari snapped feeling him standing behind her. "I can protect you easier if you're somewhere they can't reach easily," she explained in a calmer voice. Her whole stance appeard to be calm as she waited for the bandits to reach them, though adrenalin was now pumping through her system, making her senses sharper and her reactions faster. She wasn't so worried about the master inside the carriage - most lordlings recieved at least a rudimentary skill level at arms, enough so that he could slash at anyone who got past Kirari's guard - but Pan was a young boy who would either be captured to go on the slave market or killed to save the hassle.

All too soon they were upon them and Kirari's sword slashed out, blade turned up it pierced the man infront of her, turning her back, she pulled her blade upwards, turning it into a downward strike through another man's collarbone, turning the blade sideways she tore it out of that man and slammed it into and through another. In one fluid movement three men lay dead or dying before her, blood seeping into the ground, splattered on her and, if Pan hadn't taken her advice, on him too.

"They're bandits," she had explained calmly as she fought. "Criminals usually, cast out of town and preying on travellers. Especially rich-looking, lightly guarded carriages like this one." He brother had talked to her throughout any fighting when she was a child and travelling with him and it had taken her mind off the killing. She hoped it would be the same for Pan.

Holding her Katana by her side in one hand she stood facing the remaining four men. Seeing a glint in the trees she spotted an archer and frowned; she didn't have a bow and even if she did she was quite useless with the thing. Swords were her skill, not shooting. She could do nothing about him but try to dodge the arrows and kill those infront of her. She charged forward and had managed to block three atacks and kill two of them before the remaining two fled. She went to give chase but instincts moved her to the side slightly, just in time to avoid an arrow to the chest. Instead it grazed her arm and lodged itself into the carriage behind her with a loud thunk. By now the two men were too far away for her to chase them down since that would mean abandoning what she was being paid to protect.

"They'll be back," she muttered before knealing by the men she had killed and searching through their pockets. There was precious little to be had unfortunately; only one of them had a purse on them and it was very light. Nonetheless she added the coins to her own and turned back to the carriage. "It's safe for now," she said to Pan in a reassuring voice, though undoubtably she looked less than reassuring. Her hair loose, blood splattered and bloody sword held unsheathed in her right hand. She wanted to check on him but to check on him before the man who was paying her would be rude so she opened the carriage door and looked inside. "Are you harmed sir?" she asked. "The remaining survivors have been driven off for now." She didn't add that she believed they would be back, likely with a bigger number. She didn't know who this man was or what he might be carrying but even she knew it was foolish to travel with only one hired guard. Still there was more money to be had if it were just her.

Kirari, after ensuring that the master was unharmed, went to the back of the carriage once more and knelt down behind it, looking under. Hopefully her blood and gore splattered face and body didn't look too terrifying to the small boy.

"Pan," she said to get his attention. "You can come out now, it's safe. I need your help to secure the horses once more. Hopefully there's some spare harness straps," she added as an afterthought; cutting them to set them loose had seemed like a good idea at the time but now if there wasn't a spare strap they would be forced to walk which was not a prospect Kirari looked forward to. And then once they were underway she could clean her sword once more. And maybe at least the worst off herself as well until they found a sheltered stream or spring where she could bathe in private. She had no doubt if the master found out she wasn't a boy he would refuse to pay her.

Kirari gave Pan a quick look over seeing the blood down his face but the head injury didn't seem to be too bad or he would be sick with a concussion as well. She would tend to it once they got underway again.

She shook her head to his question, and lead the way in the direction they ran. "I cut the harness that was holding them to the carriage so they didn't bolt at the smell of blood and take your master and the carriage with them," she said, though in truth maybe it would have been better if that did happen. She couldn't say she liked the master much but he was paying her so she had to remain civil and do her job.

"Don't look at the bodies," she said as they passed the dead groom, the arrow through his throat pining him upright to the carriage. "Focus on searching for the horses. We don't need you being sick when we have to leave quickly." Really, what sort of fool takes a servant so young with him when travelling in such dangerous times? If the boy hadn't seen the country-side before she was certain he had never seen a dead body as well let alone one mutilated by the sword in her hand.

Kirari's eyes slid to Pan. "It's my job, Pan. Your master is paying me very well to protect him and make sure he's alright. If I don't do that I don't get paid which means I don't eat. The horses are important but they are secondary to protecting you and that man," she explained.

If the horses were stolen they would likely be taken out of her pay, Kirari thought bitterly. She didn't say that though, naturally. "If they were stolen we'll have to walk. Don't worry, if that's the case I'll do the explaining. Frankly though it would be easier to protect you all if we were walking, and would attract less attention that way but..." she leant in with a conspiratory smile and whispered, "your master seems like a prim and proper lordling who doesn't want to get his pretty shoes dirty."

Hearing a horse snort, she looked up and smiled, pointing. "Look there they are. Wait here while I fetch them," she said. She knew the boy hadn't been around horses before and she didn't want him to risk hurting himself with frightened horses. Moving forward making shushing noises the horses simply reared and neighed, their harness caught on a bush so they couldn't go anywhere. Kirari frowned. She wasn't a horse whisperer by any means but normally they liked her well enough.

But of course. She was covered in blood. "Plan B," she said turning to Pan. "You'll have to get them. They smell blood on me and it spooks them. Just walk forward slowly keeping your arms outwards and making soothing noises. Don't make any sudden movements and you'll be fine."

Kirari watched with an intrigued smile on her face as Pan calmed the horses as though he were born and raised around them. "You're a natural," she said as he came closer. They nickered and pulled a little at the smell of blood once more but seemed so much calmer than they would have otherwise. "That's good because I'll need you to drive the carriage now. I can't do that and keep an eye out for trouble and the groom was killed. Hopefully your master isn't too angry with me for that," Kirari said, more talking to herself than to Pan.

They led the horses back to the carriage where Kirari found a spare harness so they could hook them up once more. They seemed eager to leave and Kirari didn't blame them, what with the dead bodies scattered around. She ripped the arrow from the groom's throat, dislodging him before pushing him sideways to land with a bodily thump when he hit the ground. "Good ridance to bad rubbish," she muttered under her breath, careful for it not to travel inside the carriage incase the master heard her.

"Up you hop," she said, helping Pan up onto the seat before climbing up herself. "Hope you have some idea how to drive this thing because I have no clue," she said as she reached under the seat to pull out the bag that held her meagre belongings she carried with her while on a job. Inside were some medical supplies. Her arm was now burning where the arrow had grazed her and she had to tend to Pan's head which she did while the carriage was moving, cleaning the wound and fastening a bandage around his head. It didn't look too bad, the blood made it look worse, but head injuries always bled a lot and if he wasn't dizzy or ill or tired then he likely wasn't concussed so it wasn't serious.

Her own arm would be a bit of an issue though. If she were at home she would just drop one half of her kimono and bind the thing but to do that now would reveal the bandaging around her chest that hid her femininity. She glanced to the boy, then decided to act on the safe side and simply wrapped a bandage around the outside of her kimono. It wasn't ideal and there was a chance of infection but she could tend to it properly in silence, when she got a chance to bathe.

"Of course, my lord," Kirari said absently, not really paying much attention to his demands and complaints.

"Maybe he cant," Kirari said with a smile to Pan's comment that his master couldn't see her. "But I know of someone who can. I don't like undressing around people, it makes me uncomfortable. Besides I'll have to wash as soon as we find a spring so I'll bandage it properly there," she said. It wasn't that she didn't trust Pan, well in many ways she didn't, but she had hidden it for so long and trumped up countless excuses as to why she always had to bathe alone and never took her clothes off around others that it was second nature now. She was Kiyotaka, the shy ronin.

"So... do you know why your master is travelling?" she asked curiously. "Either way it has to be more comfortable sitting here than clinging on to the back like you were." It would take a test of willpower for most people to be able to hang on so well.