[EDGE OF THE FOREST — PRESENT DAY]
Snow crunches under Kaoru's boots as he leaves his childhood home behind. Fully geared as a young Frost warrior, he carries his father's old blade at his side. Each breath mists in the crisp air, drifting into the tall pines.
Behind him, the Mikage house grows smaller and smaller. At its doorstep, Ayame stands, watching her son disappear into the trees she once forbade him to wander alone.
Kaoru pauses, turns back, and calls softly through the drifting snow.
> "Will you be alright living alone, Mother?"
Ayame just smiles, waving him forward — her eyes warm yet shining with unspoken worry.
> "Don't worry about me. Just go — and keep your promise. That's enough for me."
Kaoru bows his head slightly, a quiet smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
> "Alright… then I'm off."
He turns again — and the forest swallows him whole.
---
[FOREST TRAIL — HOURS LATER]
By midday, Kaoru walks a narrow trail that winds deeper into ancient woods. Strange moonflowers bloom along the path — their faint glow hinting he's wandered far from familiar ground.
He stops, glancing left and right, scratching his head.
> "Did I… take a wrong turn?"
A sudden whistle — sharp and fast. Kaoru's eyes widen — he ducks just in time as an arrow rips past, grazing his shoulder and burying itself in a tree trunk behind him.
> "Whoa — that would've taken my head off!"
He straightens, senses on high alert. The forest hushes — then a flicker of movement above. Instinct screams — Kaoru leaps back as a shadow drops from a low branch, striking exactly where he stood.
Steel rasps — Kaoru draws his sword, feet braced on the snow-covered earth.
> "What the hell… Who's this fast?"
Leaves and snow swirl as the figure steps into view — a young woman maybe twenty-one, with long purple hair catching stray beams of light between the branches. Her posture is calm but the sword in her hand gleams with sharp intent.
Intricate crescent symbols mark her guard — unmistakable sign of the Moon Clan.
---
She narrows her eyes.
> "Who are you? What are you doing in Moon Clan territory?"
Kaoru lifts his free hand in a half-surrender, half-peace gesture, forcing a crooked grin.
> "Whoa, easy! I'm no intruder — just took a wrong turn, that's all."
But the woman doesn't flinch. Her gaze hardens. Her blade rises.
> "Lies."
She lunges — Kaoru reacts on pure instinct, parrying the strike. Steel rings out under the ancient trees — sparks flicker between them as their swords clash.
Kaoru grits his teeth.
> "Hey! Listen to me for a second!"
But the woman's expression is stone-cold, voice like frost.
> "Speak with your sword!"
She spins — her strikes fast, precise, testing him from every angle. Kaoru counters clumsily at first — then steadies his footwork, blocking her blade with the hilt of his father's sword.
They circle — clash — blades lock, breath steaming in the winter air. Kaoru pushes her back, but she feints low — sweeps his legs out from under him. The ground hits him hard — snow melts under his shoulder. Before he can move, her blade is at his throat.
Up close, her eyes are sharp as moonlight.
> "You're no Sun Clan warrior… what are you then?"
Kaoru glares up at her, half annoyed, half amused despite the sword to his neck.
> "What do you think I've been trying to say for the last five minutes?!"
She blinks — the frost in her expression cracks just a little.
> "…Oh. You really are lost?"
Kaoru sighs, rubbing the back of his head against the snow.
> "Obviously! Now do you mind moving that blade — or do you plan to finish the job?"
The woman flushes slightly — awkward now that her misjudgment sinks in. She lowers the sword with a soft clink.
> "…My mistake."
Kaoru sits up, brushing snow from his shoulder, muttering under his breath.
> "Great first welcome to Moon Clan territory…"
Their eyes meet — the tension fades, replaced by an awkward hush broken only by drifting snow.
Somewhere in the trees, moonflowers glow — the only silent witnesses to the frost warrior and the moon blade's first clash.