Kageaki is an adopted child of the Minato family, his real parents having died in the war. Though he is not their own child, the Minato treated him as if one of their own. Kageaki has a sister, Hikaru, who is the very reflection of a warrior. Though she is a girl, and thus is not required to learn the way of the sword (she is to succeed her mother as kannagi of the Minato family), she was able to learn just from watching Kageaki practice, and was even able to beat him a few days later. After some time, her skill was acknowledged whereupon she began formal training. Her skill with the sword is unsurpassed by anyone Kageaki knows. Everything was fine, until she was struck with a severe illness that had left her bedridden, with periodical violent spasms, her consciousness sealed in what's pretty much a coma. Everyday, Kageaki and his mother, Subaru, tends to Hikaru. Within Hikaru's consciousness, she sees always the same dream, that of her birth, and of her father being taken away from her. Her mother, Subaru, repeatedly denying him as her father. (The father at some point offended the Head Family and no longer lives in the Minato residence. The Minato family head is also always the woman). She wants to take back her father, but in the law of human society, taking the father away from the mother is wrong, and taking him by force will not allow him to acknowledge her. Thus Hikaru stays in her coma. One year later, bandits "attack" and demand food and supplies from the town, which has been suffering from the government's food rationing. Kageaki knows Hikaru does not have much time, as her physical condition worsens. Again and again, he asks for help from the Head Family (Minato being a branch family) to ask for a foreign doctor to heal Hikaru. With the bandit problem, the head family promises that if he can get rid of them, they will acknowledge him, and allow a foreign doctor to tend to the next heir of the Minato family (Hikaru). Kageaki lets his mother know, who responds that, if he really is going to do it, he is not allowed to kill anyone, or let himself be killed. Since killing only breeds ruin, and an endless cycle of hate. Kageaki promises Subaru that he will not take a single life. After some attempts, he manages to convince the bandit leader, a musha woman, (the bandits are former Rokuhara soldiers) to stop their supply demands, and even get the town to accept them into the society. With a written and signed promise from the bandit head, the Head Family sends a foreign doctor to the Minato family. For the first time in a whole year, Hikaru finally has a peaceful night asleep. Though chances of her recovering is still slim to none, at least now it is not within the realm of impossible. With Hikaru's condition much more stabilized, the Head Family proceeds with the ceremony of passing the leadership of the Minato family from Subaru to Hikaru (despite the latter still being incapacitated, but tradition is tradition). The Minato family has a sacred duty, and that is to oversee the two sealed "evil" tsurugi, the Muramasas. It is part of the kannagi's duty to keep them sealed. A chance encounter occurs within Hikaru's consciousness when her hand accidentally brushes Muramasa 2nd's body, and their thoughts coincided. Through conversation Muramasa 2nd, Hikaru learns of Muramasa 2nd's view on the "warrior's path". According to Muramasa 2nd, a warrior is nothing but a blade that wreaks destruction. A being that crushes the weak, and strives for strength. Hikaru replies that she was taught differently, but Muramasa 2nd sees it as a corruption of the original. Hikaru asked Muramasa 2nd what lays at the end of this path, and Muramasa 2nd replies that, perhaps it is God. This gives Hikaru a realization, that if she becomes God, she is effectively exempt from the laws of society, and thus she can take back her father. The ceremony ends without a hitch. Hikaru's condition gets better at an accelerated level. Kageaki, who was one of the few who noticed the fault during the ceremony, suspected whether it was the work of one of the tsurugi, but decided that it was impossible as Hikaru has not gone through the rites to bond with one. A few days later, Hikaru awakes, and Kageaki was filled with joy. Subaru was also happy for her daughter's recovery, but for reasons unknown, Hikaru, unlike before her illness, viewed her mother with hatred. Some days pass by but the underlings of the bandit leader rebel, with the younger brother of said bandit leader taking over and ordering a full scale attack on the town. The bandit leader managed to reach the Minato residence to warn them of the threat, before dying in Kageaki's arms. Before Kageaki realizes, Hikaru and Subaru were out of sight. Subaru attempts to stop Hikaru, who has entered the shrine where the Muramasas were kept. Hikaru reasons that, the only way to fight back a fully armed military force is with a tsurugi. She will kill them all, so that there won't even be any grudges. Hikaru declares that, as she cannot toss away her hate for her mother, and that she will not kill out of hate, that she will have Subaru die with love. Hikaru knocks Subaru out before unlocking the seal. Kageaki arrives, but he was not able to stop Hikaru. Though he tried to use Muramasa 3rd, just touching it gave him a horrible feeling of disaster. In the town, Hikaru arrives, and within seconds, turns everybody mad, and completely dominates the only tsurugi that the bandits had. Hikaru knocks the tsurugi in the direction of the Minato residence. Back at the shrine, the tsurugi lands, and its pilot recognizes Kageaki as the one who "caused all of what's happened". He attempts to kill Kageaki, who again, tries to use Muramasa 3rd, but can't. Just then, Subaru wakes up, and at the worst location possible, as she was literally beside the enemy tsurugi. Left without a choice, Kageaki touches Muramasa 3rd again... 我が銘は村正 I am Muramasa 我、鬼に逢うては鬼を斬り I, The slayer of demons 仏に逢うては仏を斬るもの也 and the benevolent 我、善に非ず I, Oblivious of virtue 我、儀に従わず I, Neglect of law 我、正道を征かず I, Disregard of justice 我、正邪を諸共に断つ I, Cleaver of both right and wrong. 我、一振の凶刃也 I, The blade of ruin. 我との契りを求める者 One who desires my pledge 我と共に凶刃と生る覚悟ありや Prepare thyself to live as I do 無かりせば去れ Withdraw if you do not 在りせば If you do 己が覚悟を宣誓す可し Then swear by the oath. 鬼に逢うては鬼を斬る Slay the demon you meet 仏に逢うては仏を斬る Slay the altruist you meet ツルギの理ここに在り That is the law of the Tsurugi. Kageaki had only one thing in his mind, and that is to protect his mother. He swore the oath, without knowing its meaning. With Muramasa, he completely dominated the enemy tsurugi, and in his rage, he destroyed his target. Moments later, his body reacts without his control, he targets Subaru. Muramasa explains to him that, for every evil, every enemy, every person you hate, that you kill, you have to kill someone who is good, who is an ally, who you love. Kageaki tells Subaru to run away, but Subaru stays, saying that she won't push such a fate upon others. In her dying moments, Subaru tells Kageaki that he's not at fault, that if he didn't use Muramasa, she would've been killed anyway. She explains a bit about Muramasa's curse and in her final words, she tells him to take care of Hikaru.