The first note in Hinoka's history is when her family home burned down. By then she already knew Shiba Kaito was her secret half brother, so it was no surprise when he blamed a servant for what happened. But her family saw how she smiled as she watched the flames.

The rest of her history is remarkably unremarkable. Externally she became the picture of an average samurai, always good, never exceptional. Hinoka didn't want any attention on her.

Her family moved near Kaito's and the siblings bond tightened. In addition to her education, Hinoki trained with Kaito in matters of meditation and martial skills. Disaster inevitably struck when during one spar, Hinoka was struck across the back, injuring her spine. Despite that, there were no hard feelings. And of course, to help her with the pain, it was Kaito who introduced her to sake.

Hinoka is small for a samurai and often buried in a hat. The training bokken she carried since her youth is still with her. A cunning samurai may see through the guise; bokken may not be a duelling weapon but it can still kill. She is often seen with a bottle of sake at all times of the day, and despite keeping clean it isn't unusual to see her sleeping on the streets.