Shiba Moriko was a samurai-ko of the Phoenix Clan. She had been betrothed to a diplomat, Asako Nishi, as part of a political arrangement. However, Nishi and his wife-to-be fell completely in love with one another at their first meeting, years after the betrothal had been arranged. Few months later, Moriko died in the battlefield. Her death shattered Nishi, who comforted himself with the idea that she would be reborn. Shiba Yuri, a relative of Moriko, married Nishi.