The Ninja Apprentice: The Lost Scrolls of Fudo Shin

by Jon F. Merz

  “I’ll bet you loved it.”

  Vanessa looked away. “With every bit of my heart. I don’t know, maybe part of me realized that doing what my father did, I was going to be lucky to get only so much time with him. We never talked about it in that way. It was always ‘daddy’s work.’ But I think we both knew that we were on borrowed time.”

  “Tough way to grow up.”

  “Well, like I said, it was always in the back of my mid, but I never focused on it. All I wanted was to spend as much time with him as possible. Along with my mum, we were the Three Musketeers. Always off doing crazy things. I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything. And looking back on it now, I can’t believe I was lucky enough to get as much time with him as I did.”

  Jimmy took another sip and then recapped the bottle. "I think this is one of the first times I've ever even hiked."

  "Really?"

  Jimmy shrugged. "Wasn't much chance to do it in the orphanages. The few foster homes I was in were mostly in the city. There was one I was at that had a nice big backyard that edged up close to some protected lands. I used to walk along the paths that ran through it thinking how nice it would be to just keep walking off on my own."

  "How come you didn't?"

  Jimmy sloshed the water around the bottle. "And do what? I didn't have any of the training to survive on my own. Where was I going to go?"

  Vanessa smiled. "You're a sight better suited to it now, aren't you?"

  Jimmy shook his head. "That world seems so old and far away now. I almost can't even imagine ever going back."

  "I don't think you ever can go back, Jimmy."

  "Yeah. I guess." He stood up. “How are we doing on our hike here?”

  “Good time, actually. And you haven’t gone tumbling yet, so there’s another bit of good news.”

  Jimmy smirked. “I think some of those trees back there were trying pretty hard to trip me up.”

  “Just the way they’ve grown over the years,” said Vanessa. “The mountains here are thousands of years old at least. This valley was formed eons ago when two plates rammed into each other and caused the mountains to erupt.”

  “There’s a violent meeting I wouldn’t have wanted to see.”

  “Well put.” Vanessa got to her feet. “Rested long enough, have you? Ready to get back to the trail?”

  “There’s been a trail?” Jimmy shook his head. “I haven’t been able to see anything that even vaguely resembles a trail.”

  “Well, it’s not blazed,” said Vanessa. “After all, the part we’re heading to isn’t looking to be visited by much of anyone except those who need to find their way there.”

  “That’s a nice roundabout way of saying it’s a secret.”

  “True.” Vanessa pointed to the ground. “You might think of it more as an animal run, that is if animals ever used it.”

  “They don’t?”

  She shook her head. “Animals are like people in that regard. They want things easy. So they’ll take the simplest routes to get to water or food. We’re traveling in the most difficult manner possible because it helps us avoid detection.” She winked. “Besides, your ancestors will appreciate the fact that we’re not leading the tour buses to them.”

  “If you say so.”

  Vanessa started off again and they began climbing an even steeper incline now. Jimmy expected them the break free of the trees as they climbed, but the pines stayed with them the entire time.

  The air grew chilly and Jimmy realized that while he had worn his fleece pullover, he wasn’t prepared for the temperature to dip much lower. He glanced down at the valley far, far below them and saw that a layer of clouds obscured his view.

  Or was it the fog again?

  From somewhere above him, he heard a squawking caw that sounded vaguely like a crow. But it was like no crow he’d ever heard before. The memories of what Vanessa had told him about the tengu came back to him in the dim light of the dense canopy of pines.

  Could they really exist?”

  He frowned. Stuff like that was only in legend. None of that actually was true, right?

  Another caw came from high above him. Whatever that bird was, it was a lot closer now.

  “Vanessa?”

  “Just keep moving, Jimmy. And try to forget about the birds.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Jimmy. Trust me.”

  He sighed and kept climbing. Eventually, the strange caws died away and the slope eased onto a flatter piece of land. Jimmy’s thighs were grateful and he risked a quick glance around.

  A thick grass grew up here, bordered by an imposing wall of pines. Jimmy stopped to admire the view, but then Vanessa called him over. He took a few steps and then stopped.

  The roar was absent unless you were directly staring down at it, but in a hidden gorge, a steep waterfall tore down the ancient rock and crashed onto a ledge far below, spilling off into a pool of crystal clear water.

  “Wow.”

  Vanessa turned to him. “Welcome to Matsuda Mountain. The home of your ancestors.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  From where they stood, Jimmy looked down at a forty-foot drop. The roar of the waterfall overpowered most of his other senses and he was struck by the raw power of it pounding the rocks below.

  The pool itself seemed quiet and almost peaceful by comparison. Ripples ran out toward a sandy shoreline that measured a few hundred feet around. But otherwise, there was no way to access the gorge unless you climbed down from where Vanessa and Jimmy stood.

  “I don’t suppose there are many people who ever get to see a sight like this,” said Jimmy.

  “There aren’t. But you are seeing it for the first time. Probably the first of many.”

  And yet there was something inside of himself that felt a familiarity with the location. And Jimmy recognized that it had been with him since they arrived in the area on the preceding night. A little sense of déjà vu had been present by lurking on the edges of his awareness. Now, with the waterfall staring him in the face, it felt even more as if he knew this land.

  Vanessa was looking at him and he frowned. “What?”

  “Curious to hear your thoughts is all.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Would you believe me if I told you I feel like I know this place?”

  “I might.”

  “I can’t really explain it. Just this gnawing suspicion that I’ve been here before.”

  Vanessa nodded. “And how does that make you feel?”

  “I don’t know. But it’s not a bad thing. I mean, I don’t think it is at least.”

  Vanessa pointed down toward the waterfall. “You need to go down there.”

  Jimmy stared at the gorge, almost entranced by its beauty.

  Vanessa's voice was quieter now. “You said that you felt like you’d been here before. I’d imagine you already know the path to get down there. How about trusting yourself to see if that’s true?”

  Jimmy shrugged off his backpack. “No sense losing the backpack when I plummet to my death, I suppose.”

  “I don’t think that will happen.” She paused. “And neither do you.”

  Jimmy frowned. How was it that she knew him so well? But he concentrated on the edge of the gorge. If she was right and if he had been there before, then he would know how to get down there without killing himself.

  There had to be something somewhere deep inside of him that knew how to proceed.

  He took a step forward and then felt his body shift slightly to the right. Instantly, he knelt down on the soft grass and felt below the lip. His eyes popped open when his hand felt the strong twisted rope that was anchored there.

  “Wow.”

  Vanessa chuckled behind him. “I guess you just found your answer.”

  “Hopefully one of many,” said Jimmy.

  “Well, you won’t find any more up here with me. Go.”

  Jimmy nodded and then swung his body out and away from the edge of the gorge, trusting the rope to take his w
eight. As he worked his way down, he felt knots that were evenly-spaced come up to greet his descent, easing the struggle of getting into the gorge itself.

  The waterfall grew noisier the further down he traveled. He could feel droplets of spray soaking the back of his shirt through, but the gorge seemed to be another place entirely than it had even from where he and Vanessa had originally stood.

  The walls of the gorge were covered with a thick spongy green moss that smelled like a delicate perfume. Jimmy’s breathing, which had been labored before, eased and he found himself relaxing as he climbed down.

  When his feet touched the bottom of the gorge and he stood on the sandy beach, Jimmy turned to survey the scene.

  At his feet, waves lapped at the shore. The water looked crystal clear and he could see the bottom. If it had been a warm day, the thought of swimming in the water would have been a fun one.

  It was then that he sensed movement nearby. Jimmy turned and saw the figure of a samurai warrior in armor stalking across the sand toward him. The samurai wore a wicked-looking pair of swords thrust through his sash belt. His right hand rested on the grip of the longer one, as if he was ready to draw it and cleave Jimmy in two.

  "Vanessa?"

  But Vanessa didn't respond. Jimmy put his hands up. "Hey, hang on a second here." He started backing up.

  But the samurai kept advancing, slower now as he sized up Jimmy.

  For his part, Jimmy could see nothing of the samurai's face since it was covered in some type of hideous war mask. But he was aware of how the samurai was slowly reducing the distance between them. Pretty soon, he'd be in range to use that sword.

  Great, he thought. I come all this way only to be cut down by some samurai in the midst of this amazing place.

  The samurai shifted his feet. Jimmy tried to keep his breathing calm. His heart thundered in his chest.

  The samurai moved even closer and then stopped. Jimmy could see the ferocity of his eyes behind the war mask. They passed over him and then stared right into Jimmy's eyes.

  For a moment, Jimmy felt his world lurch. Images of a distant time - of samurai on horseback, of ferocious war cries, and the sound of metal clanging against metal - flashed through his mind.

  And then vanished.

  The samurai took his hand off the sword he wore and brought his feet together. He bowed low to Jimmy.

  Jimmy felt weird, but returned the bow awkwardly. When he brought his head back up, he flinched.

  "Hey..."

  The samurai was gone.

  Vanished.

  "What the hell..." Jimmy spun around but the samurai seemed to have totally disappeared. He glanced at the sand and noticed there was no sign at all of any tracks.

  Had he imagined it?

  He glanced around. The waterfall was obviously the centerpiece here, but he could see that the rocks here also had their own special beauty. Thick veins of sparkling mineral deposits ran through the wall faces. Jimmy ran a hand over them and it came away twinkling with the sparkly dust.

  He wondered briefly if it might be gold. But if it had been, wouldn’t someone have claimed this area for their own use and mined it all out of here? At that thought, his heart sunk. What a shame it would be to see such a place like this destroyed. He shook his head. A gorge like this was meant to be treasured, not defiled.

  “I am relieved to hear you think that.”

  Jimmy whirled around. Across the beach from him stood an old man dressed in a dull gray kimono robe. Around his waist, a belt was knotted, but he wore no swords.

  “Who are you?”

  The old man smiled at him and turned around. On the back of the kimono was the same design he’d seen on the paper that Hanzo had given to Vanessa. The crest.

  “You’re..." Jimmy struggled to recall the name. "Matsuda-ryu?”

  “Yes.”

  Jimmy sighed. "I must really be seeing things today."

  "Are you?"

  "A moment ago, I could have sworn I saw a samurai warrior."

  The old man smiled. "You're certain of that?"

  "I thought I was. But then he disappeared."

  "Perhaps you only imagined it."

  Jimmy frowned. “Your voice...excuse me for saying so, but it sounds familiar. Have we met before?”

  The old man’s smile broadened. “My voice should sound familiar to you, Jimmy. I’ve been inside your head for a while now.”

  “That's you?”

  “Yes.”

  “But how – I mean, why?”

  The old man crossed the sand without leaving a mark behind him as he did so, just like the samurai. Jimmy noticed that the sound of the waterfall had lessened slightly so he could hear the old man.

  In a second, the old man had crossed the distance and now stood directly in front of Jimmy, perhaps only four feet away. His smile stayed in place and then he bowed from the waist.

  “My name is Goro Matsuda. I am very honored to make your acquaintance at long last.”

  Jimmy brought his feet together and with his hands at his side, he bowed low. And for some reason, he made sure his bow was lower than that of Goro's. When he brought his head up, Goro smiled at him.

  "Come and sit with me, Jimmy. We have much to discuss." He guided Jimmy over to an area of the sand that wasn’t damp. He sat down and motioned for Jimmy to do the same.

  Jimmy sat down and tried to fold his legs under him as Goro had done, but they suddenly ached from the toil of climbing the mountain. Goro noticed his discomfort and waved his hand.

  “Sit comfortably, young Jimmy."

  Jimmy relaxed and crossed his legs. He wanted nothing more than to ask a million questions. But somehow, he sensed it might be better to let Goro lead the conversation.

  Goro watched him for a moment and Jimmy wondered what he was thinking. Finally, the old man took a deep breath. “I know your questions are many. And I know that you have already borne the stress of not having them answered for far too long. For that I must apologize.”

  “Thank you."

  “You have obviously proven yourself more than patient. And I wonder how many other boys your age would have had the tolerance to endure as much as you have over the last several weeks.”

  Jimmy said nothing and let Goro keep talking.

  “You have been brought here for a very special purpose. One that I have no doubt will tax you to your limit and be as dangerous a thing as any you have encountered thus far.”

  Jimmy frowned. “What is my purpose?”

  Goro took a breath and spread his hands. “What do you think of this place?”

  “It’s incredible.”

  “Indeed.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like before.”

  “Nor will most people,” said Goro. "Places like this exist to remind us that we exist at the whim of nature. In an instant we can destroy these places and in turn, we would end up destroying ourselves.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Does Kotogawa destroy things like this?”

  Goro’s face grew serious. “Indeed he does. He is on a quest to ensure that the things we consider precious are destroyed forever.”

  "How come he wants to kill me?”

  Goro sighed. “Kotogawa’s ancestors stole a number of relics from my - our family many, many years ago. They were items that we considered sacred to our goals of protecting the innocent and preserving the good in the universe. They were, in effect, items of power that helped us maintain the balance between good and evil. Some of them were obviously very powerful items. Others were more subtle in their ability to...help those who were a force for good in the universe.”

  “He stole them? How?”

  Goro shrugged. “As you will see in your travels, there are those who are easily convinced to betray their ideals. Kotogawa’s family is extremely adept at figuring out those weaknesses in people such that they may be tempted to do what they might otherwise not consider doing. Be it a love of money, fame, or even through more violent means, the Kotogawa clan has exce
lled at such things for the entire course of their lengthy history.”

  Goro paused to look at the waterfall for a moment before turning back to Jimmy. “Our clan, the Matsuda-ryu has battled the Kotogawas for many generations. The struggle has been long and costly, but nothing hurt us as much as when they stole these relics from us. Without them, we are but a shell of the clan we once were.”

  “Did Kotogawa steal the scrolls?”

  Goro smiled. “He could never steal them, no. He does not understand the true nature of what they are. But that hasn't stopped him from trying to find them. The truth is their location has been lost for some time. Kotogawa himself has no idea where they currently reside. He is after them as much as we are.”

  “And this is where I come in?”

  Goro nodded. “You are a candidate to help us recover the scrolls that have been lost. Others have tried before and failed. But you show more promise than any of them.”

  “What happened to the other candidates?”

  “They failed in their quests.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Goro stared at Jimmy. “They are all long since dead.”

  Jimmy swallowed. “Great.”

  “All of this happened many years before you were born. There have been no other candidates in a very long time. However, with your birth, we saw an opportunity to perhaps finally achieve success.”

  “What does my birth have to do with any of this?”

  “You are half Japanese.”

  “I'm half Caucasian, too.”

  "Your father was Japanese, Jimmy. And he was a member of the Matsuda clan. But he died too early on in his life to succeed where others had failed. As such, our hope now lies with you."

  "How did my father die?"

  Goro's face darkened. "He was betrayed." He waved a hand. "But we will discuss that some other time. For now, you must prepare to find the scrolls."

  "I wish I felt more confident."

  Goro smiled. “The blood of the Matsuda-ryu runs in you, Jimmy. You are connected to us. As such, you are the logical choice for participating in the search for these relics.”