The Strength To Be Found

Prologue

Me and my dad lived alone. Everyone in the village had either run away to start new lives or had been killed because of the clan wars. My dad didn't want us to leave, he told me that sometimes in life you have to make a stand, and that's exactly what he did.

We, or rather he, owned a small restaurant in the center of this small village, it wasn't much but it kept the locals happy once upon a time. I'd just turned 15 the day before, and then taken ill by a fever, the fighting had come real close but dad said I was too sick for us to leave. By late hours you could smell the burning of near by houses and hear the screams of dying men and women. My dad looked at me with sorrowful eyes and stated;

"Everything will be fine, they'll pass soon en...!" Before he could finish a small section of the roof caved in. An angry looking man got to his feet brushing off the dust and in half embarrassment looked in our direction, my dad pulled out a knife he had concealed.

"Eh? What's that thing you're holdin'.." the man asked stepping closer. "You think you're a match for me?" he was now face to face with dad, and dad was just about to speak when the man screamed "Bastard!!" and struck my dad in the face with his forearm.

All I remember about that moment was my dads face with a smirking grin staring up at me and to my left, his lifeless body collapsing to the floor. I didn't scream. I didn't have the energy to cry for help as the man saw me and drew his sword"Be weak kid." His hand raised I closed my eyes, I waited... and waited. One eye opened and the man had an odd expression on his face, and then i saw the end of a sword slowly slide itself through the center of his chest. "Fuck..." was all he could say in anger. The man behind him withdrew his sword and tossed the guys body to one side. He was handsome. Black hair, red eyes, he smiled at me.. "I'll see you around kid. You owe me." and with that he was gone. I'm the son of a dead peasant... I am not a ninja and I don't belong to a clan, but I swear to the gods that I'll never be that weak or helpless again!