Young boy meets tutor, and starts to fulfil his destiny and take his revenge on the evil villin. Is he really the perfect hero? Perhaps not, but Takeo definitely starts off being the perfect stereotype hero. Kubo Makoto - a monk at Terayama temple as well as Takeo’s closest friend.Muto Shizuka - helper to Shirakawa Kaede, Kenji’s niece.She delivers Jato, Shigeru’s sword, to Takeo and brings Shigeru’s head to Terayama, where Shigeru will be honoured after death. Father of Muto Yuki and uncle of Muto Shizuka. Muto Kenji - master of the Muto Tribe family.Arai Daiichi - a Seishuu warlord who rises to power in the space left after Iida Sadamu’s death.She has a daughter, Mariko, who is killed along with her. Maruyama Naomi - secret lover of Otori Shigeru and laeder of the western domain of Maruyama.Iida is a ruthless man with no sense of real morals as by the way he murders people or the way he treats Kaede. Killed by Shirakawa Kaede shortly after Shigeru’s body is freed by Takeo from Inuyama castle.

Enemy of Otori Shigeru and is responsible for Shigeru’s death.

Iida Sadamu - evil leader of the Tohan clan.

They soon develop an emotionaly charged relationship that proves to be the start of something new for both of them Throughout her life, she has only had bad experiences with men, but as as Takeo comes along, she finds herself attracted to him and his kindness. She has two younger sisters, Ai and Hana.

Shirakawa Kaede - cousin of Maruyama Naomi and heir to Maruyama after the death of Lady Maruyama and her daughter, Mariko.

One of his most prized possessions is his sword, Jato. Shigeru is a man of honour, but also one of revenge, which shows that this strong leader is far from perfect. Keeps and saves records of the Tribe before his death, which Takeo uses during his later conflicts with the Tribe. Heir to lordship of the Otori before his death at the hands of Iida Sadamu at Inuyama.

Otori Shigeru - adoptive father and uncle of Otori Takeo.

Takeo also holds many special abilities such as the power of accute hearing as well as invisibility and cloning. He and Shigeru develop a rich bond that lasts until death. Nephew and adopted son of Otori Shigeru and legal heir to the leadership of the Otori clan. Son of Kikuta Isamu and heir to Isamu’s many magical talents.

Otori Takeo - born to the Hidden as Tomasu, but given the name Takeo after his rescue from an ambush on his village.

Keep in mind that the relationships between these characters certainly do change in the other books that follow ATNF. The following are the main characters that appear in book one.

They have such relationships with each other through the text, that they make the story come to life. The characters in Across The Nightingale Floor each have remarkably distinct faces of personality.

Across the nightingale floor book 2