From Darkness to Light

One Flamboyant Marriage

Tengen and his five siblings were sleeping in their cotton futons when they were awoken by the sunlight bleeding into the bedroom. Like clockwork, they all opened their eyes and quelled their grogginess to spring out of bed and in formation. For shinobi, it is important to be punctual and exercise self-restraint; sleep is merely a necessary function the body must undergo to recover, but too much of it will dull your wits and make you sloppy. Get the optimum amount, rise, and begin your day. A day like this will be no different from any other.

However, for Tengen, that was not true. The sliding doors parted to reveal his father, the head of the Uzui Clan, standing with three distinguished men who appeared to be from different houses based on their colored kimono and haori. Him and the outsiders immediately singled out Tengen among the newly awoken teenagers and squinted their eyes.

Eh?

Tengen furrowed his brows.

Who are these people?

As the others stood in line and waited dutifully, his father called.

"Tengen, come with us." His words were brief and to the point - just like always. Despite his confusion, Tengen complied without a word, bowing his head in respect before walking over towards them. Himeko and the others bid him a silent farewell as they stared at his broad back.

The four men led him through the wooden halls of the Uzui Manor which, despite being a manor, was incredibly tall and intricate to the point that its sprawling architecture resembled a castle. He and his siblings mainly resided on the second floor; the upper three floors were for warrior shinobi only and the top floor was reserved for Lord Uzui himself. As such, Tengen walked down the grandiose stairs that led to the central hall - a humongous rectangular space that was teeming with shinobi practicing on training dummies, elder warriors travelling in groups heading to private rooms, and the subservient women who were carrying buckets of water, wood, baskets of vegetables, and towels as they clambered to keep the manor clean, prepare meals, and repair damage to any walls or shoji. This was a familiar sight, as the central hall was almost always busy during the day. Up on the upper floors, there were men dressed in black and grey robes leaning over the wood rails and looking down at it all.

As they made their way through, Tengen still hadn't been told what was going on, which made him impatient. "What's the meaning of all this, Lord Uzui? Why have I been requested?"

There were times in the past where Tengen would have never dared to ask such a question, but that was when he was younger. At this point, he had taken on the most arduous of missions and was an overall exemplary shinobi, not to mention the fact that he had become more acquainted with the clan politics and gained Lord Uzui's faith in his abilities. As a crucial asset and upcoming favorite among the clan leaders, he had become more confident in himself and thus more brazen in his attitude. Lord Uzui, while caring little for his lack of tact, could respect that his offspring was becoming more independent and outspoken. However, he gave no reply. Instead, he led Tengen outside and revealed to him the meaning of it all.

An extravagant and spacious carriage made with vibrant dark wood and a red tarp draped over the ceiling was standing outside the front door and on the ground, accompanied by two muscular and elegant brown horses.

Tengen was struck with shock. So, the outsiders were local lords? And they travelled all the way here, huh.

The four men turned towards Tengen, and among them Lord Uzui stood in the center. He had a commanding presence; his age of 57 itself was an achievement in a profession where many die young. His unruly gray hairs were neatly maintained in his short beard and slicked back long black hair, but it couldn't be denied that his age was showing as made evident by his dark eyebags and prominent wrinkles.