Saya (
Appearance
Saya was a little girl with light-pigmented yellow hair and orange eyes. Due to her illness, she had a very frail body. As for attire, she wore a simple robe.
Personality
While being bedridden because of her sickness, Saya tried to cheer herself up whenever she felt sadden by closing her eyes and envisioning things she liked; whether it was a domestic cat, a person she loved, or a family member.
Relationships
Family
Yuzuriha
As siblings, Saya cared deeply for her elder sister. She was aware of Yuzuriha's willingness to become a kunoichi for her sake and became worried for her as she came home exhausted. During her last moments with Yuzuriha, Saya's dying wish was for her elder sister to live out her life freely as she felt guilty that she had spent most of it looking after her.
Others
Noramaru
Saya enjoyed the company of the stray cat she named Noramaru while Yuzuriha was away on her missions.
History
At a young age, Saya had contracted an incurable disease that left her bedridden for the remainder of her life. After the death of her parents, Saya was looked after by her older sister Yuzuriha who secretly became a Kai shinobi in order to earn enough money to purchase a special medicine that could cure Saya's illness. She also took in a stray cat named Noramaru who kept her company while Yuzuriha was off working. At some point, she became aware of Yuzuriha's job after Noramaru had discovered her blood-stained kunoichi uniform she kept hidden but could not to bear to tell her that she knew.[1]
Sometime ago, after Yuzuriha came back from a mission, Saya was fed and asked by her sister if she desired anything. Saya answered that she wanted to see fireworks but felt depressed after realizing that her condition would make it impossible for her to go outside. The next day, Saya worried for Yuzuriha as she noticed that she was feeling exhausted and told her not to push herself too much, only for Yuzuriha to assure her that she was doing okay and that she would continue to take care of her. After Yuzuriha had returned to her house from giving a deposit to a peddler to secure the special medicine, she noticed Saya coughing up blood as she tried to feed Noramaru and that her body was becoming light, which was a sign for her that Saya's condition was worsening and that she had to quickly obtain the special medicine. A few days later, Saya watched and became overjoyed as Yuzuriha granted her wish to see fireworks by putting on a display for her using the firearms she stole from the Kai clan. The moment soon came to an end after Yuzuriha rushed over to Saya coughing up blood. Saya then thanked her sister for what she had done.[2]
After a few days passed, Saya's condition had gotten worse and only had a few moments left with Yuzuriha at her bedside. Saya told Yuzuriha that she knew about her dangerous job as a kunoichi to support her and requests that she now live her life freely, as she apologized for the time she spent pushing herself for her sake. Yuzuriha then watched as Saya closed her eyes as she passed away.[3]
Legacy
Yuzuriha chose to bury Saya next to the graves of their parents and mourned her death before leaving her house. Honoring her late younger sister's wishes, Yuzuriha lived her life solely for herself and put the people around her at arm's length. After Saya's death, Yuzuriha killed the peddler who lied to her about the special medicine and tricked her into becoming a Kai kunoichi. She then invaded Sagiwa Castle where the feudal lord and the Kai chief were meeting, as the two also had a hand in cheating her. After killing the Kai chief, Yuzuriha spared the life of the feudal lord in favor of watching the fireworks going off at the castle town.
| — Yuzuriha referring to Saya's words to console Senta before he dies |
Yuzuriha was then arrested for her crimes and was given the death penalty but not before joining in on a competition mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life from an island for the shogun in exchange for an official pardon. During the mission, Yuzuriha mentioned her past with her younger sister to one of her competitors Gabimaru but wrote it off as a lie after she failed to convince him. Later, Yuzuriha held Yamada Asaemon Senta in her arms as he was about to die and referred to Saya's words in having him envision something beautiful to pass away peacefully. Around the time the surviving criminals and executioners gathered together, Yuzuriha revealed her backstory about the time she had with Saya to Sagiri, who was moved to tears by the end but became slightly disappointed after Yuzuriha decided to lie stating that it was a made-up story.[4] After her battle against Ran of Lord Tensen, Yuzuriha flashed back to her memories of Saya and apologized to her deceased sister as she believed that her life was about to come to an end after being wounded badly and overexerting herself.
References
- ↑ Jigokuraku: Namima no Tsuioku Chapter 2
- ↑ Jigokuraku: Namima no Tsuioku Chapter 2
- ↑ Jigokuraku: Namima no Tsuioku Chapter 2
- ↑ Jigokuraku: Namima no Tsuioku Chapter 2