Editing Kemuri Aki (section)

== Background ==

'''Backstory:''' The founder of the Kemuri clan was said to have married a smoke spirit, which is why it is claimed to be impossible to keep a member of the clan out of anywhere they seek. While they have gone 'legitimate' centuries ago, better known as guides and courtiers in the know, every so often a member of the family displays the same tastes of the founder, finding themselves with a man or woman as elusive to hold as vapor yet preferring to stay by their side. Their children often become retainers of the family as ninja.

Kemuri Aki is not one of these half-breeds. Aki's parents were perfectly normal members of the family, though very distant cousins that married with family approval... until their first born began to show the magical traits of a half-breed. The clan is split on if this is a good or a bad thing, but Aki lives due to the protection of Shirou Izumi, the one half-breed the family has sired in the last century, who took Aki under his wing. Aki has actually had a happy upbringing because of Izumi-sama trying to give her the joyful childhood he didn't get because of his nature. There's one quirk. Aki passes most of the time as a young man, not the woman she is. It doesn't help that she looks the part of a young man usually. She gets a few awkward stares and insults from people aware of what she really is, but normally, people assume Aki's a young man.

The Black Tigers have Aki on retainer due to Master Koji calling in a favor from Izumi, who calls it good training for Aki to be serving another family for a time. However, Izumi isn't aware of Aki overhearing one key detail: Their clan is not aware of the nature of what new training she will be doing. It may be because he is hiding the fact that the Black Tigers are still alive, or he is planning something else, but there is something there.

There's a good reason why Izumi is trying to keep Aki away from the clan for a while, and working for the Black Tigers. The Kemuri clan still has a little smoke in their veins, which often weakens their will and makes them easier to control. To counter this, the family uses lessons and magic to hardcode an inability to betray the family into every member. Due to their treatment of Izumi (and the kindness of others, including Master Koji), he shook it off and he has been helping Aki unwittingly avoid most of the brainwashing. If the Clan finds out that Izumi and Aki are not under its control, both will be in deep trouble.

'''Appearance:''' Aki passes as a perfectly normal, handsome young man, since she prefers to wear her hair short and to dress like her uncle, Izumi. If someone actually gets her in a kimono or other traditionally feminine attire, the change is stunning, but that tends to require orders or the need to occur. She even speaks more like a man than a woman, even when dressed as her real gender.