At the age of seven Kaori was sent to the Doji Courtier School at Kyuden Doji, following in the footsteps of both her parents. She was a natural at the courtly skills and practices taught; this was another manifestation of the Lady's blessing.
When Kaori was ten her parents were blessed for a second time with the birth of a son, the boy that would one day be called Tetsuo.
Before Kaori reached the age for her gempukku her father had arranged with a friend of his in the Dragon Clan, Mirumoto Vejita, that Kaori would marry Vejita's son, of roughly the same age as her. Unfortunately, the boy was sickly, and died of plague before coming of age.
Kaori passed her gempukku at the age of fourteen and immediately began attending the court of Doji Kuwata, daimyo of Kisarazu province and thus of Kaori's family. The Courtier School had prepared her well for the hostile environment she would serve her lord in; one clothed in the finest silks and luxury, but which could be as deadly for a samurai as any battlefield. Her brother was four years old at the time, and "Tetsuo-ko" ("Little-Iron-Man") , as she called him, loved hearing stories of the courts. He looked forward to his own schooling in the arts of the courtier. Of course, this was not to be, as the death of their mother's brother Kakita Kurosawa and the circumstances of his inheritance ensured he attended bushi school instead.
As Kaori grew older, her parents became increasingly obsessed with finding a good match for her. Ryu had hoped to marry his daughter into the Dragon Clan, strengthening the ties between Dragon and Crane as well as bringing honour to his family and to his lord. As Vejita had no further sons, Ryu called upon his friend's help to find another Dragon willing to marry Kaori.
Kaori was now in her twenties, and had flowered into a beautiful maiden in the finest tradition of the Crane Clan. This counted in her favour. But counting against was the relatively low status of her family, coupled with her advancing age - in marriage-market terms Kaori was past her prime.
The culmination of much negotiation was the betrothal of Kaori to a member of the Kitsuki family, Tokemizu. He was an influential Magistrate, and of higher status than Kaori, but Mirumoto Vejita knew that he was more lecherous than a samurai is really supposed to be, and hence somewhat likely to marry for beauty. It took only one (carefully stage-managed) meeting with Kaori for Tokemizu to agree to the match.
In the years since reaching adulthood, Kaori has learned the basics of the martial art of Mizu-do from her mother, a practical woman and skilled practitioner of the art who knew that her daughter would need some way to defend herself from the many perils in the world that could not be overcome by words. The non-lethal form of Mizu-do suits Kaori's nature, for her heart is soft and she lacks a 'killer instinct'. So far, she has never been called upon to take a life, and the prospect of ever having to do so horrifies her. Nevertheless, since Tetsuo became an Emerald Magistrate, something in that way of life - adventure, danger, excitement - has begun calling to her. Perhaps it is her Destiny catching up with her?
And now Tetsuo is dead, after first enduring the most terrible of punishments a samurai can suffer - to be cast out from his family and Clan. Kaori would never dream of questioning the wisdom of her betters, but she cannot believe that her brother deserved such a fate. Surely a terrible mistake has been made, and if nobody else can see this, then it is up to her to correct it. In fifteen years as a courtier, Kaori had collected many favours. Almost all of them were called in to get her close to those who knew him and were present for his disgrace; into the position formerly held by her brother as a Magistrate of the Emerald Champion.
Her quest: to discover the reason for his shaming in order that the decision be reversed to restore the name of Doji Tetsuo, her brother the hero.
Of course, Doji Tetsuo no longer exists - his name removed from the records of the Crane to the great shame of his family. Thus the ronin Tetsuo was no relation to Doji Kaori, and to say or even imply such would be to bring further shame and dishonour upon her. This makes it very difficult for Kaori to discuss the subject with others. But suppose one were to refer to a samurai called, say, 'Tetsuo-ko', one could not be referring to Tetsuo since that was not his name. Until such time as Tetsuo's honour is restored, 'Tetsuo-ko' is a means of referring to him without acting dishonourably.
Kaori's time as a Magistrate may be brief, for soon in her future lies her wedding to Tokemizu. What exactly the arrangements are is unknown to Kaori, as they are in the hands of Ryu, Vejita and Tokemizu. Once she is married, Kaori will have other responsibilities to her new husband and family.