A Memory of the Past: The Last Scroll-Keeper

Land of Rain. Three Years Ago.

Asuka stood numbly in front of their mother's grave. The cemetery was shrouded in an eerie, solemn atmosphere that seemed to seep into the very bones of those who entered its rusty gates. The air was still, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves.

"Where were you?" Her brother's raspy voice reached her ears. His voice barely covered the sound of the wind rattling against the graveyard's tombs, knocking off a couple of bouquet of flowers. "You missed the burial."

She didn't reply. Couldn't. For once, the crows weren't dancing in the sky, deadly silent. The cool wind of fall passed through the light material of her thrifted dress as if she'd been wearing nothing. Asuka stood numbly in front of their mother's grave. She hadn't been able to shed a single tear ever since she'd learned about her sudden death.

"I-" The flat excuses she'd prepared died on the tip of her tongue. Like the ungrateful daughter she was, she hadn't even thought about buying some flowers to decorate their mother's tomb. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry."

"You really broke mother's heart when you left that day."

I know. The last months had been an accumulation of bad decisions. in return, she'd gotten an illusion of the perfect life she'd craved for. Because when she'd discovered the true cost of being a scroll-keeper, she'd made a run for it. And her mother had no choice but to- She briefly closed her eyes, embracing the darkness behind her closed eyelids. It's my fault.

When she'd pathetically crashed the village's sole bar yesterday, the alcohol hadn't been nearly able to drown the pang of guilt. She'd tried to ignore them, to brush off their cruel whispers like so much dust, but they lingered like a persistent ache. She's crazy too, they'd said. Like her mother. Maybe she'll also go drown herself into the pound. And Kaiden- Fury coursed through her veins at the thought of him, igniting a blaze within her heart. Betrayal, like a venomous serpent, slithered through her thoughts, poisoning every memory. She'd been foolish. He'd molded her into a perfect doll. Obedient and soft. And she'd stupidly been blinded by him. He'd played her like a puppet. And when she'd wanted to cut the strings attaching her to his fingers, the fall had been nothing but painful. He'd destroyed what he'd created, leaving a source of cruel mockery behind. Oh, babe. But you're useless to me, now.

She needed to leave. Leave this life behind. Run away. The gravestones and monuments loomed in the distance like silent sentinels, bearing witness to the finality of life. Her mother's voice resonated in her head, a soft whisper. One day, the scrolls will be under your protection, Asuka. Promise me that you'll look after them. Asuka heard herself talk, but she couldn't recognize the sound of her own voice.

"Once I'll have collected our mother's scrolls, I'll leave this place for good."

Hiroko scoffed. "Good luck with that. The Council took them a week ago."

Her heart started to beat furiously into her chest as the words registered into her mind. A scary thought dawned on her. The scrolls-keepers, the guardians of the ancient knowledge, had become for the most part, extinct. It was all up to her, now.

She snapped her head towards him. "They stole the scrolls?" she hissed, furious. "Why didn't you stop them?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't do anything," he replied. "Apparently, the scrolls were considered a threat to the village's safety."

She stilled. When the first responders had retrieved their mother's lifeless body, cold and wet, laying on the pound's shore, they'd characterized her death as an unfortunate accident. But the Council hadn't turned a blind eye to the haunting scene that unfolded before their eyes. Strewn across the muddy ground, an assemblage of cranes lay lifeless, their once-vibrant feathers now tainted in a macabre display of crimson.

"I don't understand," she frowned. "How-"

"They noticed the insignia of the Scroll of Death's seal burnt into our mother's palm," her brother flatly explained. The air hung heavy with an eerie silence. He scratched his throat. "After that, the Council probably associated it with the insignia carved onto the chest into our living room."

"It doesn't mean anything," she scoffed as a bunch of confusion thoughts filled her head. "I don't understand."

Her brother's lips twisted into a scowl. His shoulders started to shake with a silent laughter. But his eyes weren't laughing, expressionless. "When they came the first time, it's almost as if they were searching for something specific," he explained. Her brother accusingly turned his head towards her. "I wonder why, sister. I wonder how they got to learn about their existence. Or what reason pushed our mother to seek such a life-threatening jutsu from the Scroll of Death."

She stilled, and her eyes widened as a realization dawned on her. It's all my fault. She remembered complaining to Kaiden about her mother's harsh training, her high expectations she'd never be able to meet. Another moment, some words about the scrolls had also slipped out of her mouth when she'd come back to his apartment after a night out, a bit drunk. And since Kaiden's father was a member of the Council, she wasn't surprised that he'd reported everything to him. You're useless to me, now.

Her legs gave out under her. Her knees roughly hit the cold ground. Guilt choked her throat. "We need to retrieve the scrolls, Hiroko. They can't have them. They don't belong to them."

Her fists clenched around some dry leaves. She was the one who'd given the Council a reason to seek after the power of the scrolls. She'd made a horrible mistake. Her mother had warned her, but she hadn't listened.

"It doesn't concern me anymore. You really are on your own this time, like you wanted to." His tone was devoid of any emotion. He was staring blankly at their mother's grave, looking haunted. "I'm done, Asuka."

His words were like poison-tipped arrows that pierced her heart. She'd never seen him like this, so lifeless. He was the family's artist, always so full of colors. Asuka suddenly remembered that he was the one who'd first discovered their mother by the pond, cold and lifeless. According to the village's rumors, he'd desperately yelled for help until his throat was hoarse. And once the authorities had gotten there, he hadn't wanted to let go of her body.

Desperate, she crawled up to him, grabbing him by the wrist. His expression twisted a bit when her nails dug into his skin. The fear of being alone, scratching her stomach, made her want to puke. "I'm begging you, brother," she pleaded. "Mother cared deeply for those scrolls."

Her voice died. I need to find a way to fix everything. To make things right again. Her brother's expression didn't change, and she knew that he needed to be convinced. She had to offer more. "They're our only chance at seeing her again," she added. "With the Scroll of Death, we could talk to her once again."

That part of information lighted up his interest. He stilled and after what looked like an eternity, he sighed. "The Council is greedy for power. But since they have probably realized by now that they can't use the scrolls, they might be open to strike a deal in exchange of them."

"What are you thinking about?" she inquired.

He distractingly scratched his cheek, throwing a look at their mother's grave. "The village is lacking competent nins for S-class missions. It plays to our advantage."

"Okay," she nodded. He was right. Their village didn't count a lot of competent field-trained nins. And they'd turned out to be quite decent shinobis over their years of training – valuable assets for the village. They had something to offer in exchange of the confiscated scrolls. They only had to prove their loyalty to the village, since their family had never been fully thrusted before. "Let's do this. We'll negotiate something."

"Can you really summon our mother's spirit into the world of the living?" he asked, suspicious.

"Yes," she assured him, letting go of his wrist to slowly get up. "I can."

…

The sun's scorching rays mercilessly bear down upon the vast expense of the desert, casting an intense glow that engulfed everything in sight. The air, dry and arid, carried a palpable heat that seems to penetrate every pore of her body. After three days of travelling, the sensation of thirst had become a constant companion. The shimmering heat waves were distorting the horizon, creating an illusion of water mirages that tease them, intensifying the longing for relief from the relentless desert warmth.

A month ago, they'd struck a deal with the village's Council. For a long time, the village had its eyes on peculiar scrolls of forbidden jutsus that'd been stolen by Suna during a conflict of the past. Now, they were kept under the highest level of protection into their archives. Three years. One goal. They weren't even asked to steal the parchments, but simply to gather any useful intel about the village. She couldn't complain. It'd certainly be boring, but it'd be all worth it. After a while, tàit wouldn't be too difficult to blend among the desert people, insert a few lies and gather a bunch of information. After that, the Council could try all they want to infiltrate the Sand Village, and possibly die at the bloodthirsty hand the village's Kazekage. She'd heard some nightmarish stories about him. But she only cared about their goal – retrieving their mother's scrolls. And then, they'd be out of there. Easy.

As they finally reached Sunagakure's gates, the desert's sun had the time to leave a shade of crimson on her cheeks, burning the skin. One of the guards called them out. By her side, Hiroko took out their residency's application forms, and gave them to the guard.

"I'm Sakido Daisuke," he presented himself. Then, he pointed at her. "And this my sister, Sakido Aiya."

Asuka still wasn't used to her new name, and she smiled with a few seconds of delay. The guard's gaze scanned the papers attentively. After a moment, he finally gave them back to them.

"Everything seems in order to me," he stated. He gestured to the guard at the door, before smiling politely to them. "Welcome to Sunagakure."

Hiroko smiled back. "Thank you, sir."

Asuka secured her bag on her back, and walked towards the opened gates. They needed to retrieve the scrolls, no matter the cost. They weren't meant to be into some stranger's hand. And after that, she'd attempt to see her mother again, and she'd beg for a forgiveness she wasn't sure to even deserve.

I'll fix everything, mother. I promise.