Mystic Resonance

I Bear My Arms in Darkness

I walked beside my father. I arrived from my first retrieval mission. I was expecting to rest after acquiring my first piece; however, Father waited for my return at the entrance. He did not say where we were heading, but from the direction we were going, I would assume we were heading for his private quarters. Why would Father take me there? I retrieved the artifact despite some minor... hiccups. A rather beautiful hiccup, I might say.

She was too adorable for words. I don't meet many kunoichi with such tenacity and ambition. Her face scrunched in a cute pout, which I accidentally released a chuckle. I stopped myself from seeing Father meeting my gaze.

I straightened my posture as I cleared my throat. "Forgive me, Father. I was thinking of an interesting joke I heard from the villagers", I lied with a faux smile. My family was not a fan of light humor. All they ever cared about was keeping ahead of the clan war between us and the Hamato clan. I want nothing to do with it, yet here I am, a part of a war I never intended to be a part of.

"Compose your behavior, Saki. You are chosen to represent the clan's successor", my father said. "I will not have my son be a laughingstock. You were blessed with the power of darkness. And you decided to waste it on jests. I thought I taught you better than that." Ah, yes. I was chosen to be the Foot's successor... technically. If anything were to happen to my father, I would take his place... ignoring the fact that he also has a firstborn son.

That is correct. I am his second-born. My older brother is Hiroki. Before I was awakened, my father had high hopes for Hiroki. He trained him to the bone to become the perfect shinobi. That was until my ninpo was awakened; the entire estate was covered in darkness even though the sun was high above the sky. Father abandoned his chances with my brother and focused on me instead. If I were my brother, I would feel betrayed and abandoned. Our father put a lot of effort into training him. As his firstborn son, Father pressured Hiroki to be perfect. I thought, as his second child, I was relieved of his abuse. How wrong was I?

I never asked to be praised; I never asked for this power; I never asked to have a target plastered on my back. I never asked to be Oroku Saki – to be named after our clan head, or be his substitute. All I wanted... was a peaceful life. The Gods must be laughing at my expense.

Father was not the only one who saw potential in me...

As we drew closer to our destination, I shivered at the sudden coldness emanating from Father's private quarters; the darkness was different from my own. From there, I pieced together the arithmetic. HE wished to see me. We made it outside Father's office, where two ninjas stood stoically as statues. We stopped and watched as one of the ninjas tapped the screen door lightly and whispered softly. My heartbeat pounded loudly against my chest. These meetings never sit right with me. Compose yourself, Roku. This meeting shouldn't take long. A brief update, and the man will be on his merry way.

To be on the safe side, I whispered a silent prayer to give me the strength to endure this ordeal.

The whispered ninja straightened his posture as the door slid open. My father and I began to walk into the room, but the second ninja held his hand out, stopping our advances. "Only the proxy may enter", he said, looking my way. I suppressed a shiver. This would be my first time seeing the master alone. The shadows grew anxious, matching my inner turmoil. I breathed through my nose as I stepped around my father to enter the meeting room.

"Remember your manners, boy. You represent our entire clan", Father whispered before the door shut behind me, encasing the dimly lit room. Of course. The entire clan rests on my shoulders, I reminded myself. I stepped in, preparing for the worst.

I sat down, my legs tucked underneath me. I bowed as low to the floor as a good servant to please his master. "Oroku Saki, second son of Oroku Saki, leading head of the Foot Clan. I am honored to bask in your glory, Master."