The Ninja Apprentice: The Lost Scrolls of Fudo Shin

by Jon F. Merz

  “I saw Hanzo give you something.”

  Vanessa nodded. “He did. A slip of paper that will no doubt have information for us.”

  “So, why not read it now?”

  “Because we’re in the open. It’s never a good idea to read information out in public like this. These days, everyone has a cell phone and every cell phone has a camera or video on it. The last thing I want to do is give our enemies an advantage.”

  Jimmy finished a French fry. “So where do we go?”

  Vanessa smiled. “You like Karaoke?”

  “I’m not much of a singer.”

  “That’s fine. We only need the cover of the singing to act as a buffer for us. Come on.”

  Outside, Vanessa hailed another taxi and directed it across town. Jimmy watched the enormous buildings whiz past the taxi, whole sides of them turned into giant video screens depicting dinosaurs hawking soft drinks, crazy samurai warriors in bubble baths, and a whole host of weird visuals. It was odd and exciting at the same time. “This place is something else.”

  “The interesting thing about Japan,” said Vanessa as if she was lecturing at a university, “is how unique it is and how much it also assimilates from other cultures. Someone once described it as being like an onion. A new idea will be brought into the country, and at its core, the idea is very much its own, but then through the assimilation process, layer after layer of Japanese influence is wrapped around it until on the outside, it no longer resembles the original idea at all. It has become Japanese.”

  “Thanks professor,” said Jimmy. “Can I turn in my report next week?”

  Vanessa eyed him. “Not everything is meant to be amusing, Jimmy. You’d do well to understand the nature of this culture. It has more to do with both your past and your future than you yet know.”

  Jimmy frowned. “All right. Sorry.”

  Vanessa pointed out a massive gateway standing thirty feet over the people who entered the park below it. “One of the more important shrines in the city. We’ll stop by if we get a chance.”

  “Looks old.”

  “It’s hundreds of years old. From when the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to here. This city was known as Edo back then.”

  “You’ve been here a lot, haven’t you?”

  “I’ve been here enough to know my way around pretty well,” said Vanessa. “Part of the jobs I’ve done in the past, some of which we’ve spoken about. Others we most certainly have not discussed.”

  “I won’t ask.”

  “No matter,” said Vanessa. “I’m sure they’ll come out when they’re ready. But only if it’s necessary. Intelligence operatives are notoriously close-mouthed about their pasts. If you ever meet someone who brags that they were some sort of secret agent, odds are they were never anywhere close to being one. They simply like to boast about such things because deep down, they’re woefully insecure.”

  “How far are we from the karaoke place? I’m not going to have to sing, am I?”

  “Only if you want to.”

  “Um...I’d rather not.”

  The taxi slowed and Vanessa paid the far, ushering Jimmy out onto the sidewalk again. He could hear rap music playing from somewhere in the background and turned to see several teens breakdancing on the sidewalk close-by.

  Jimmy’s eyes widened. “They’re breakdancing?" He smirked. "That’s like, so old.”

  “As I said, things in Japan are not how they are in the rest of the world. There is both a cutting edge and a respect for the aspects of bygone that endures here. It’s a paradoxical country to say the least.”

  “I’m not even sure what that word means,” said Jimmy.

  “Then look it up,” said Vanessa. “Come on, we’re here.”

  She shoved him inside a garishly painted club blazing with red and yellow neon. The sound of rock music pounded its way free of the massive speakers and thundered across everywhere inside. To Jimmy, it felt like being inside of a cannon as it was being fired.

  “Jeez, it’s loud in here.”

  Vanessa nodded and said something to the hostess who wore a very short plaid skirt, tight blue top and a mop of pink hair. The hostess bowed once and then led them down a narrow corridor. At the end, she opened a room that overlooked a massive dance floor.

  Vanessa entered and surveyed the scene. “Close the door, will you?”

  Jimmy shut the door and then looked at the room. A massive jukebox sat in one corner. A video display unit was perched overhead along with several microphones. But his attention was drawn to the plate glass window overlooking the dance floor. The complex was massive, and on the floor, people danced and gyrated as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  “People are dancing at this time of day?”

  “Sure. Some of them stay here all the time.”

  “Don’t they have school? Or jobs?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “Not really any of my concern, Jimmy. Now do us a favor and turn on the music, would you?”

  Jimmy looked at the jukebox and figured out the on switch. Instantly, the room darkened and a strobe light descended from the ceiling casting glittery effects on the walls. A tinkling pop tune started playing, with the bass drum already rendering Jimmy’s sense of hearing useless.

  “I can’t hear anything.”

  Vanessa nodded and then mouthed, “Exactly.”

  “But we can’t talk.”

  “Don’t need to.” Vanessa opened up the slip of paper that Hanzo had handed to her before he died. She waved Jimmy over. “Take a look at this while I keep watch.”

  “Keep watch?”

  She put her mouth to his ear. “Hanzo was murdered. The scene at the bookshop was meant to look like an accident. The unstable bookcase falls on him, knocking the pipe he always used to smoke to the floor and then the place caught fire. It’s an easy set-up.”

  “But that’s not what happened.”

  “I know it’s not what happened, silly. But that’s how they wanted it to look. And the authorities will believe that scene. Well, they would have if we hadn’t carried Hanzo’s body out of there.”

  Jimmy frowned. “So will they be on the look-out for us?”

  “I doubt it. The whole street was deserted and unless someone saw us, I think we’ll be pretty much left alone. Still, we shouldn’t linger anywhere for too long.”

  “Okay.”

  Vanessa pointed at the paper. “Well?”

  Jimmy unrolled the slip of paper and looked down. In the middle of the sheet a circle had been drawn by hand with something that looked like a diamond with curved sides drawn inside of it. Below the drawing were a series of elaborate kanji characters that made no sense to Jimmy.

  “What is this?”

  Vanessa took a quick glance. “That,” she said pointing at the drawing, “is the crest of a warrior lineage.”

  “Which one?”

  “Yours. The Matsuda-ryu.’”

  “This shape,” said Jimmy pointing at the curved diamond, “looks familiar to me although I can’t quite place it.”

  “That is the shape of a senban shuriken,” said Vanessa. “A type of throwing star unique to your family.”

  “You mean they were the ones who used this?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what about these symbols?”

  Vanessa peered closer. “That I cannot tell you. They’re meant to look like classical kanji characters, but there’s something different about them I can’t quite understand.”

  “What, you mean they’re not characters?”

  “Well, they are, I think.” Vanessa frowned. “But they’re not at the same time. I mean, I recognize this radical here, but then this stroke is not where it ought to be. It’s quite peculiar.”

  “Great, so we can’t translate this?”

  Vanessa frowned. “I’m not sure. Take the watch while I have another look at them.”

  Jimmy stood by the window watching the dancers far below him. In the room, the pop tune had ended and was repl
aced by another pulsating track with a girl shrilling some sort of odd lyrics out in the background. Jimmy couldn’t understand much, but he kept hearing her beg some boy to “hug her until her eyes bled.”

  Jimmy almost laughed. "This music is pretty wild."

  Vanessa sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make any sense out of these. It’s far too complex.”

  “Well, Hanzo must have had a reason for putting the information like this.”

  Vanessa leaned back against the couch. “Sure. He didn’t want it falling into enemy hands.”

  “So, if he put this into some type of….code? The wouldn’t he also expect that us, being the good guys, would know how to break that code so we could understand what was going on?”

  “Presumably,” said Vanessa. “But I'm not sure how to go about it.”

  Jimmy.

  The voice. Jimmy sighed. Not now. We’re kinda busy.

  Your enemies have arrived.

  Jimmy jerked his head up and looked down at the dance floor. He spotted three men dressed in severe suits pushing their way through the crowd.

  "Vanessa."

  "Yes?"

  "We've got company."

  Vanessa looked at then frowned. "Not much in the way of a back exit. We'll have to take them here in the room."

  "Here?"

  "You've got a better idea?" Vanessa pointed to the chair. "You sit here. I'll try to get the drop when they come in."

  "I'm bait?"

  Vanessa smiled. "Make it look good, Jimmy."

  Jimmy sat on the edge of the chair and held his hanbo loosely in both hands. he took a few deep breaths and then the door burst open.

  Three Japanese men stormed in. When they saw Jimmy alone, they paused. The lead guy held a small pistol. "Where is the woman?" he asked in heavily accented English.

  Jimmy smiled. "Bathroom."

  The bad guy frowned. But by the time it registered, Vanessa had launched herself out from behind the door and kicked him low in the knee.

  Jimmy was already moving, striking out with his hanbo at the nearest bad guy to him. He cracked the tip across the man's nose and then drove the tip straight down on to his right foot. The man cried out and grabbed at his foot.

  But Jimmy was already moving, barely noticing that Vanessa had disarmed the pistol-wielding bad guy with a few key strikes.

  And then Jimmy was facing the third man who drew a thin knife. Jimmy saw the glint in his eyes and took a breath. This guy would be tough.

  He stabbed right in at Jimmy's heart so fast, Jimmy barely registered the movement. He jerked the hanbo up instinctively and caught the man's wrist just beneath the heel of his palm.

  The man grimaced and darted away. As he did so, Vanessa landed a low kick into his knee, causing his lead leg to buckle. Vanessa followed up with a solid chop to the back of his neck and the man collapsed, sending the knife skittering across the floor.

  Vanessa grabbed Jimmy's hand. "We've got to get out of here!"

  Jimmy let himself be dragged from the room, pausing only to look back at the three unconscious men on the floor.

  Jimmy.

  Not now!

  Tell Vanessa to bring you to Mount Matsuda.

  Jimmy stopped. Really?

  Yes. Now.

  Vanessa wheeled on him. "We can't stop. Come on!" But when she saw the look on Jimmy's face, she paused. "What is it?"

  Jimmy took a breath. “I think I might know someone who can help.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “You don’t seem surprised.”

  They were on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya, to the west of Tokyo, after Vanessa had wasted little time getting them to the train station in Tokyo. Now she sat staring out of the window in quiet contemplation, while Jimmy sketched more details into his picture of the castle he’d been working on throughout this strange journey.

  “I’m not.”

  He grinned. “So, someone comes up to you and tells you that they’ve been hearing voices in their head for the past several weeks and they think you ought to hop a bullet train west to go to some mountain we’ve never seen? And you don’t think twice about it?”

  Vanessa sipped the bottle of water she’d been carrying. “You haven’t been hearing voices, Jimmy. You’ve been hearing a voice. One voice. And I happen to know that that voice is to be trusted.”

  “Why? Who is it?”

  She shook her head. “I’m guessing that since he chose to speak to you directly, I am not supposed to ruin that surprise.”

  “Yeah, figures.” Jimmy shaded another area by the foundation, looking to add a deeper shadow there. “Is this the same person who was speaking to you back at the house?”

  Vanessa eyed him. “So, you did hear that.”

  “Yeah.” Jimmy shrugged. “Saw something, too. Or at least I thought I did. Maybe it was a trick.”

  “You saw him?”

  “I think so.”

  Vanessa rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, for you. For me, it just leaves a lot more questions. But what else is new?”

  “He told you to get me to take you to Mount Matsuda, right?”

  “Yep.”

  Vanessa nodded. “Then I’m sure he’s got a reason for doing that. Maybe it’s to answer some of your questions.”

  “That would be a nice change. Some straight talk for once would be a welcome thing.”

  “You want something to eat? We’ve got a bit of a ride ahead of us. Once we get to Nagoya, we’ve to transfer to a much slower train line that will take us into Iga.”

  Jimmy looked up. Why did that name sound so familiar? “Iga?”

  “Yes.”

  He frowned and stared out of the window. In the distance, he could make out the snow-topped mountains, but they seemed hundreds of miles in the distance. Iga. What was it about that name?

  “I guess I’ll have some water.”

  Vanessa nodded and got to her feet. “I’ll be back shortly. Don’t talk to anyone.”

  Jimmy frowned. “Yeah, like how would I even do that? Not like I can speak the language.” Although even that didn’t seem to be the case anymore. As they’d boarded the train in Tokyo, the overhead speaker seemed to be blaring announcements in a gibberish of Japanese and English. And interestingly enough, Jimmy found himself able to understand what it was saying.

  He had no idea what might be happening to him. This whole trip was bizarre but ever since they’d arrived in Japan, something felt...better. The voice in his head had told him that Mount Matsuda was his ancestral home, but that was such an alien feeling or Jimmy. He'd never known what a home felt like.

  Vanessa returned with a bottle of water for him. “I checked the snack list but I didn’t think you’d be too crazy about dried eel.”

  “Ugh, yeah, no thanks.”

  “You’d like it if it was prepared properly. But those snacks do it no justice whatsoever.”

  “Wonderful.” Jimmy took a sip of water and then looked at Vanessa again. “How do you like Japan?”

  “Me? Why do you ask?”

  “Curious.”

  She shrugged. “It’s another country. I’ve been to many of them before. But I don’t necessarily find it fascinating or feel like I belong here, per se. Japan is a very peculiar country in that regard. For much of its history, outsiders were restricted to only a small dock where they were allowed to trade. Otherwise, for hundreds of years the country was strictly homogenized. You know what that means?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen it on the milk cartons at the orphanages. Means pure, right?”

  “The Japanese didn’t want anyone mixing with the rest of the populace. They’ve always thought of themselves as being separate from everyone else. It might have once been motivated out of racism, although I doubt that’s the case nowadays. But again, the effects are still there. You can study Japanese and the culture and be utterly immersed in it, but you won’t ever be considered a true Japanese because you aren
’t one hundred percent.”

  “I’ve got some in me, though, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, how would they treat me?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “I don’t know. They might see you as something interesting, but I don’t think the older generations would ever consider you truly Japanese. The younger generations probably don’t care that much.”

  Jimmy thought about what Hideaki had said to him when before he knew that he was supposedly a friend. "Don't be so sure."

  “What makes you say that?"

  Jimmy told her and Vanessa only shrugged. "I'm sure Hideaki was playing his role." Then she nudged him. "Don't go looking for a reason to dislike him just because he's dating Merlin."

  Jimmy shook his head. "I'm not."

  “Good.” Vanessa sighed. “Why did you ask about how I felt about the country?”

  “Just wondering if you felt the pull I’ve been feeling ever since we arrived here.”

  Vanessa's eyes gleamed. “Have you now?”

  “Yeah.”

  Vanessa smiled. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Your heritage runs deep through you. It’s only natural that you would feel that way.”

  "The voice in my head told me that Mount Matsuda is my ancestral home. Is that true?"

  "Yes. It is."

  Jimmy looked around anxiously, suddenly aware that the train was slowing down. “Hey, why are we stopping”

  “We’ve reached Nagoya.”

  “Already?”

  Vanessa laughed. “Yes, already. They don’t call it a bullet train for nothing. Come one, let’s get moving. We’ve got a connection to make.”

  Jimmy trailed behind Vanessa as they disembarked. The train station in Nagoya was less modern than the one in Tokyo, but it still gleamed from the scores of workers who spent their time sweeping, mopping and polishing every possible surface. Jimmy marveled at how much they worked.

  “They take pride in their jobs,” said Vanessa. “It’s something you see more outside of the US than you do inside of it.” She pointed “That’s our ride. Come on.”

  Jimmy frowned when he saw the train they were taking. It was far older than the sleek cigar-shaped bullet train they'd just ridden on. It sat to the other side of the station and looked short, squat, and ugly.