Aku Kaimi was born from two opposites in the city of Yong Ping. Her mother, Aku Lani, was a playful, amicable woman with eyes that shined like stars and a laugh dogging her footsteps. In contrast, her father, Aku Hideo, was known to be an unsympathetic man with a glare like ice and unparalleled intelligence. And yet, despite the smiles and joy and cheerful disposition, her mother left without a trace when Kaimi was four.
Kaimi was too young to remember much of her mother, the memories that did remain were nothing more than fragments and flashes (the sound of her voice as she regaled tales of their Li-Ren history, her nimble grace when she danced with paper fans, the feeling of her fingers running through Kaimi's hair as she decorated it with a golden hairpin), but her absence continued to ache like an open wound. Meanwhile, her father never indicated anger or sadness or disappointment at her mother's disappearance. Any emotion was carefully hidden by an expressionless mask and mention of Aku Lani became taboo in his presence.
And so, Kaimi grew up without a mother and a father who was on trips more often than he was at home. She made few friends at school because of her quiet and distant attitude and hours of her time was spent away from her empty house as much as possible. Two weeks after her graduation, when Kaimi was eighteen, her father had finally come back from one of his business trips. Despite the great dishonor and disrespect of her decision, she said her goodbyes and left with the intention of never returning.
