Saori Hitomi

Saori Hitomi is a force not to be reckoned with - good hearted, headstrong, adventurous - but most importantly: a sass master.

Growing up, Saori was a known troublemaker, constantly under curfew or in detention for one thing or another.

Because of this, not very many found her company enjoyable, as most in her vicinity would end up getting in trouble by association, so she found the two other outcasts who had no friends and forcibly adopted them.

She, Jiro and Hiyashi did everything together growing up and were practically inseparable. Saori and Hiyashi both had nicknames for each other: "Puddle" and "Wicker", based on how Hiyashi's eyes looked like water, and how Saori's name meant "woven", like a wicker basket.

The three each had their roles; Hiyashi was the fighter, he was strong and would deal with any physical threats (though Saori is more than capable of handling herself, and is a master with a bow). Jiro was the smooth talker, able to gossip and get information out of people with ease. And Saori was the one in charge - spearheading their escapades and the driving force behind everything they did.

As they got older, Saori ended up liking Hiyashi, but found it funny to watch him flounder so she mostly just wanted to see if he'd do anything about it. Eventually, she got tired of waiting and pulled him down to the lake after the Dragon Festival, confessed her feelings, then called him a coward. She warned that if he didn't propose when he returned from his first Musha Shugyō, she would personally hunt him down.

After she heard what had happened with Hiyashi in the valley, Saori tried to run after him, but he was too far gone. Jiro comforted her throughout the months that followed, and exploited her grief as a way to get closer.

The Daimyo declared Hiyashi a traitor and stated that he'd purposefully freed people who were infected with a deadly disease, set their town on fire, murdered his father, and fled. Saori didn't believe a word of this, even with Jiro's insistence, and remains adamant of Hiyashi's innocence to this day.

After Isamu's death and Hiyashi's disappearance, there was a distinct shift in power among the council members. After losing Isamu, a new Military Advisor needed to be assigned, and through several hoops and sabotages, Jiro became the new Political Advisor. Click here for more details.

He asked for Saori's hand in marriage soon after and, given his new rank, by clan customs, she was not allowed to say no. Though she pushed it off as long as she could, Saori was eventually forced to marry Jiro.

She has two children with him now, two little girls named Chiyo Hitomi (7), 千世瞳 - “eternal eyes” - and Akiri Hitomi (11), 明莉瞳 - “bright eyes”, who she loves quite dearly, and are the only things she is happy about out of her entire marriage with Jiro.

While her marriage with Jiro remains relatively loveless, it's manageable. Saori and her children are well taken care of, but Saori often argues with Jiro on just about everything. Saori is a warrior, but Jiro tries to keep her as caged as he can, which usually doesn't end well for him. She also doesn't approve of how he runs the clan, especially once he became the Daimyo's right hand, but her words do not affect his actions. And she has always had the sneaking suspicion that Jiro is not as innocent as he seems and had something to do with the deaths of those around him, but she's never been able to prove anything.

Saori is currently 41 years old and spends most of her time looking after and caring for her daughters.