"The Hamato Clan has gotten weak!" Saki cries, holding up a torch that sends the darkness of the night scattering for shelter and illuminating the faces of the gathered ninjas. He stands on a shrine erected to honour the Hamato Clan, his deep voice rumbling in the trees as he continues, "It is rotting from the inside. The Foot was the oldest of all ninja clans, but it was wiped out by Hamato Yuuta when he killed its master, Oroku Keiji...my father."
The Hamato Clan ninjas gasp, eyes widening, and Saki steps off the shrine. His hands glint with the blades of lethal tekkō-kagi. His youthful face is twisted with hatred, stealing away the handsome air he carries otherwise.
"I was adopted by the Hamato Clan as an infant," he says, the biting edge of his deep voice getting more prominent. "Raised by my enemy in ignorance! I will have my revenge on them all!"
He turns and throws the torch into the shrine, setting it ablaze. It crackles and pops as the old wood is eaten away, the roar getting louder as Saki holds up the flag of the Foot Clan. The ninjas kneel before him.
One looks up, a gasp escaping him as he readies his katana. The other ninjas follow suit as they stare in horror at the shrine's rooftop. Saki turns and sees four white-eyes silhouettes standing amongst the flame, mask tails whipping in the smoky breeze.
"Yokai," Saki snarls. He stalks away, heading down a separate path as he calls to his ninjas. "Finish them, quickly. I have business to attend to."
The ninjas prepare. From the shadows, two emerald green eyes filled with fire watch the oncoming battle. She smiles deviously and melts into the surrounding shade.
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"I am sorry, Shen," Yoshi apologizes, gripping the dojo railing in his capable hands. "You and Miwa are my life. Without you, I am a shadow."
"Yoshi, I understand your loyalty to the clan," Shen responds. Her voice is kind, but troubled. Miwa sleeps soundly in her mother's arms.
"Father is growing worse. The dojo is all we have left." Yoshi looks away, his expression twisting with worry.
Shen moves closer and holds a small purple blossom out to her husband. "You have so much more than that, Yoshi," she says. He meets her eyes and her lips lift with a soft smile.
He shifts to the side and rests his forehead against hers as his hand brushes her arm. "My love for you and Miwa burns inside my heart...brighter than all the stars in the universe."
"Pathetic," comes a hissing, wrathful voice that sends the couple apart. "I will not abide by this dishonour."
Shen's lips part when she sees Saki standing on the dojo porch, his dark eyes wrought with venom and latched on Yoshi. "Saki," she whispers.
"Shen, I ask you one last time. Make the right choice," he orders.
Her face settles as she steps behind Yoshi. "I have already made it." Saki lets out a short, low growl from the back of his throat, muscles tensing.
"Take Miwa and go, Shen," Yoshi orders. He is the only person whose voice is still calm and collected.
Her almond-shaped eyes widen with shock. "But, Yoshi...Saki...please!" she begs, clutching her sleeping daughter closer. Her voice is on the edge of breaking. "You are brothers."
"No, we were never blood," Saki snaps.
Yoshi's jaw clenches slightly as hurt fills his gaze. "Shen, go...now," he says.
She hesitates, looks to Saki, then bows her head. She moves past her husband, then Saki, then down the dojo steps and out to the base of a small footbridge surrounded by sakura blossom trees. She stops and looks back at Yoshi one more time, and he smiles at her. She returns it and continues on her way.
YOU ARE READING
Forest Mutation (Book Two)
Fanfiction"In Saskatchewan, when I couldn't fall asleep, I'd watch the moon and think about how across the country and over the border, you were probably out on a rooftop beneath the same moon. You were the first person I enjoyed the moon with. Every other ti...
