Meetings at the Dark River - 1

Chapter Soundtrack: "Haru Kaze" by Nao

Low-hanging clouds rolled slowly overhead, blocking all sunlight.

Haku hummed to himself pleasantly as Hiroshi narrated yet another one of his many stories, tugging his cart along the road with Haku onboard.

"When I was young, I had the chance to meet a skilled ninja who at the time, was preoccupied with a mission-"

"A mission?"

Hiroshi sighed softly. It was difficult to explain everything to the farm boy who had no real knowledge of the outside world. In particular, Haku had no concept yet of what a ninja was, or even his ties to being a descendant of such a warrior.

"Yes, Haku. Ninja partake in tasks and jobs of varying difficulty, or so I've been told." Hiroshi went on, "Well anyway, the one I ran into was quite helpful. If it wasn't for him, the thugs attacking me, who coincidentally he was after, would have-"

"His mission was to look for people, Hiroshi-san?"

'How do I put this to an innocent little kid?' Hiroshi wondered, pursing his lips.

"Uh...sort of. He rather beat them all bloody and saved me in the process. I haven't seen many shinobi in action since that day. It was an impressive sight." The man smiled fondly to himself. He had grown a certain respect for ninja with intentions of doing good in the world.

Haku looked up to his companion with a quizzical look on his face.

"Hiroshi-san, did you ever want to become a ninja?" He asked; his eyes shining a color identical to the sky above.

Hiroshi chuckled in response, "I suppose I did when I was younger, but unfortunately the opportunity never came to me... These days I'm more concerned with making a living than running around tossing shuriken at enemies. But who knows? Maybe you will succeed where I have failed!"

Haku perked up. From what he had been told the life of a shinobi was an adventure. That would be something far better than becoming a merchant or a farmer.

"You mean maybe I can train to be a ninja, Hiroshi-san?"

"Well, don't get your hopes up too high, little one. It's hard enough to get an education these days, let alone one as a shinobi," Hiroshi answered, "But it is a possibility. You're still very young, Haku. There's a chance you'll be discovered."

Haku gazed out into the depths of the surrounding forest, deep in thought.

"I do want to become a ninja: one who is strong and can protect others..." He muttered to himself, just loud enough for Hiroshi to catch his proclamation.

He found Haku was not a typical child. He was uncannily thoughtful for a boy his age and had a complex for improving himself.

In fact just a few days earlier Hiroshi had been surprised at how quickly he picked up on reading and simple math skills. Were his parents really farmers as Haku had said?

It was odd. An astute farm boy.

Well, maybe not that odd: every now and again a gifted person was born.

Haku was a child; still absorbing information and developing skills. It was a point in his life where his future abilities would be determined by his environment and experiences.

Hiroshi was quiet for a moment and thought to himself. Hopefully, the child had not had many negative experiences besides being an orphan. He wanted to change that; to give the boy a chance.

And yet already the child had a dream. Sadly it was one that Hiroshi was quite sure that he would be unable to help Haku with. 'Maybe I can find him a good teacher? One that walks down the righteous path...'

"Hiroshi-san?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for letting me stay with you, Hiroshi-san." Haku gave the man a genuine smile.

The cart jerked upward as it went over a rock on the dirt path. Haku quickly grabbed hold of a parcel that nearly fell from the sudden movement.

Hiroshi chuckled, "I should be thanking you really, Haku-chan. You've been excellent company."

Haku was quiet, but still wore the blithe expression on his face while he held onto a porcelain pot.

It had been several days of traveling northward and a brief ferry crossing before they left the snowy weather of the Water Country behind. Both Hiroshi and his ward easily adjusted to the warmer climate.

Their arrival in the town called Kuro was a relief, and a place where Hiroshi intended to see if he could spot any welcoming shinobi who may be in the trading town. He was also aware their chances were slim.

Hiroshi acknowledged that it was missing-nin and outlaws who preferred the quiet towns devoid of village ninja. One such place was Kuro, and Hiroshi feared that Haku may get mixed up with the wrong type of people here.

The odds of actually running into a good teacher for Haku were very low just about anywhere they went. Being morally sound, he wasn't about to hand the boy over to some blood-thirsty assassin who had no more intention than to turn Haku into one himself.

Hiroshi deliberated silently as he trudged into the city, with Haku swinging his legs off the edge of the cart. 'Maybe I'm over-thinking this… He may not be at all up for a shinobi lifestyle even if he got lucky...'

Haku was a frail, rather...feminine looking child. He did not outright appear to be ninja material. However, despite Hiroshi's hesitation, it was apparent that something inside of Haku was meant for that path.

The boy's spirit was also heart-warming.

"Hiroshi-san, are we in Kuro now?" The boy observed the bustling street he and his companion were travelling down, with many different people going off in every direction.

"Yes, Haku-chan, we're here."

"And we're going to sell these things you have here?" Haku gestured to the mound of items he had been guarding during their journey.

"I'm going to sell them," Hiroshi gently corrected, "It'd be a bit tedious for you to try to sell goods to such a tough crowd little one! I think you should just watch for now."

"Alright." He saw no reason to argue. Haku had been raised on a farm and was aware he would be useful to Hiroshi up until a certain point.

The cart pulled to a stop on the side of the road, and Haku leaned back with a long sigh. It had been quite a trip, and it was the farthest from home he had ever been.

Memories flooded back to him, and he breathed out again, wondering what he would be doing at that moment if his parents were still alive. And how he had found his special power, and Hiroshi, and the man with the bandaged face.

'That man was like me', Haku thought to himself. 'Alone.'

It was a weak comparison, but Haku could not shake the odd feeling that he would definitely see the stranger again. And even more to his surprise, he realized, was that he wanted to find him. He made sure not to say anything about it to his heavy friend.

The boy frowned to himself while Hiroshi was busy setting up his stand. Haku had been frightened of that man, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see him.

'That man...he was strong. I could feel it. I want to be strong, and maybe if I had went with him...'

Haku suddenly felt a wave of guilt come over him. How could he be so ungrateful? Hiroshi, though lacking any presence of intimidation, was certainly a wise choice on his part. He had offered Haku necessities and a chance at life.

He had been given no more than an icy glance from the man in the Water Country.

Power was all that he would have expected from such a person. And he didn't need power.

Did he?