I walked through the forest for quite some time. I realized how stupid it was to walk through a dark forest at night. I tried to find the marks I had put in certain places to help me find my way, but there were no tree carvings or stick formations to be found. As I got deeper and deeper in the woods, it got darker, so I had now way of knowing whether it was daybreak or still nighttime. After a while, I grew hungry, but I didn't dare waste my only food, so I just sucked it up and told myself to get used to not eating much. I decided to take a bread and rest under a tree so I could plan out what I would do nest. I quickly figured out that my escape plan was really poorly planned out. I had nothing to guide me like a compass, and no map to show me where the nearest village was. Without those two, I thought that maybe I should try increasing my strength and endurance. Seeing the branches above me, it seemed that my only option was to climb trees. I got up and tried to climb a medium sized tree with many branches. I couldn't even get myself up the first branch. I cursed myself for being so weak and fat. For the next hour or so, I tried again and again with little success. After, I had some water, and decided to go to sleep. IT had gotten unusually cold, and my t- shirt didn't make things much better. It was lucky that I had my sleeping bag.
When I woke up, I knew that it was daytime, because everything seemed brighter and more visible. That gave me more energy, so I tried climbing the trees again. I actually got onto the first branch! Using my newfound knowledge, I slowly made my way up the sturdy tree. I had almost reached the top when I remembered that my stuff was at the base of the tree. Climbing back down was harder than going up. I got dizzy many times, but I eventually made my way back down. I ate some bread, drank some water, and went off to find a more difficult tree to climb. In doing this, I also got farther into the forest, which hopefully also got me closer to a village. I must've been getting closer to civilization, because the trees were thinning out. I could finally see the sky clearly and saw that it was getting really dark again, so I went to sleep. That night, I had a dream that changed the course of my mission.
I was walking on water, on a lake in an open field. I thin approached a waterfall; there I called: "Tapanga Ayame is here." The waterfall split into two, and revealed a small entrance in rock. I walked inside and heard something slam shut. I walked down a long corridor and came to an entranceway covered by two large doors. I knocked loudly three times and uttered: "Takigakure no Sato"- though I'd never heard the phrase before. The doors creaked open and I walked through the doors into the darkness.
"Ah, Ayame. It's about time we finally met," a soft voice said to me.
My eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, yet I still couldn't see where the mysterious voice had come from.
"Oops, sorry. I forgot that your eyes haven't developed enough to see in the dark," the voice told me.
The room suddenly became brighter and in the middle of the room lay a giant winged- snake. I'd never been far out of my village before I ran away, but I was pretty sure that there were no animals like this. "Technically, that's not true, but I'm one of very few of my kind," the same voice told me in my mind. My face must've given my emotions away, because the snake suddenly had a worried expression on its own face. It hesitated a bit, but then, to my amazement, opened its mouth to speak.
"This is probably no easier to handle, but I don't think you're ready for mind communication. There's not much time, so I can't explain everything tonight. Oh, and by the way, I'm a he, not an it."
I spoke for the first time: "Explain what? Where am I? Who are you and how do you know me?" I frantically asked.
"Allow me to explain, and try not to interrupt," he replied.
I nodded my head in agreement and let the snake begin his explanation.
“My name is Kyoshi, and I’m sort of your guardian. Every so often I’ll be contacting you by dream until you reach this place in reality. Right now, you’re inside an ancient, long- forgotten training ground in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Do you know what that is?”
“No, and um, what’s this training ground for?” I asked.
“Well, it’s a training area that was used by my- no, our people, the Tapanga clan.” He said slowly.
My eyes widened as I heard the accursed word yet again. I was thrown back into the memories of my last night in Bryunzel. Anger boiled up inside me like the pot of tea I’d been making that night. I tried, but I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. They fell down my face like two meandering rivers.
“Ayame, what’s the matter?” A concerned Kiyoshi asked me.
“What- why does everyone call me that?” I sobbed.
“You don’t know? Well I don’t have the time to explain everything, but the Tapanga’s are a ninja clan. Ayame, you are a Tapanga.”
“Me? I’m a- wait a second… ninja’s aren’t real.”
“Yes, yes they are, but your village has chosen to isolate themselves from the ninja villages. Your father-” Kiyoshi started.
“My father? Is he alive? Where is he? Was he a Tapanga too?”
“He- he’s dead Ayame. I’m sorry. His father is a Tapanga, but your father lived his life as a normal human. He went to Bryunzel to hide from some enemies, and met your mother. Once you were born, the villagers discovered who he was and had him killed. So, the Tapanga genes skipped your father and siblings, then got to you,” Kiyoshi concluded.
I still couldn’t believe what I had heard. Me, a ninja. But my father… I snapped back to attention as Kiyoshi began talking again.
“Each night, you’ll get some directions to get here. You’ll have to pass through some towns. If you meet someone, don’t reveal your real name, use different names each time. Once you get here, you’ll meet your grandfather, and he’ll be teaching you jutsus, which are a series of chants and hand signs ninjas use to attack someone or defend themselves. Please be careful Ayame. I’ll be protecting you as best as I can, okay?”
I just nodded my head, still trying to soak in all the details. Before I could say good- bye, everything dissolved and I woke up, back in the real world. The dream gave me a new determination. I got up to my feet and began moving again. My newfound purpose made me want to train harder, so I began to run. I got tired after a minute or two, but I kept pushing myself to go further and further until my lets turned to jelly and I had to stop and rest. As I sat under the nearest tree, my mouth dropped open in surprise. Right across from me was the river I’d been looking for since day one. I crawled over to it and greedily slurped at the cool, refreshing water. I again felt reenergized, but I realized that I was almost out of food. I looked up in the trees and sure enough, there were some tiny berries high up in the branches. I put my tree- climbing ability to good use. In faster time than I expected, I got to some of the highest branches. There I plucked the strange berries. There were cube shaped, and either orange, purple, or red. As carefully as possible, I carried the armful back down the tree and to the river. I washed a red berry and popped it into my mouth. With one bite, I forgot where I was or what I was doing because my mouth became filled with a burst of flavor so delicious, a new word would have to be made to describe it. Without thinking, I ate another red berry. I immediately spat it out, repulsed by what I’d just eaten. I rinsed my mouth out with water and the sweet flavoring returned. I rinsed another, and sure enough, it tasted good. After my revelation, I delicately placed the berries in a pouch I had packed. Drowsiness suddenly came over me, and within a few seconds I collapsed into a deep sleep right next to the river.
Just as he promised, Kiyoshi returned, but there were no pictures of where to go, just darkness.
“Ayame, before I give you your instructions, I just wanted to explain a few things. From here on out, I’ll be communicating with you through the mind. Since I’m your guardian, I can see all you see and if I wish, hear your thoughts. So, really I won’t need to give you direction by dream, I’ll just tell you as we go. Also, I won’t be protecting you as much. From the day you left Bryunzel, I’ve been helping to keep any danger away from you as you travel.
“How did you do that Kiyoshi?” I asked.
“Never mind that, it’s not important. I’ll still protect you while you sleep, but during the day, you’ll have to find other means of protection.
“Okay Kiyoshi. Thank you.”
My sleep was blissful and I woke up revived. My energy inspired me to go for a little run. As I rose from the ground, I noticed that I had nothing next to me. My backpack was gone and so was my sleeping bag. All I had was my bag of berries- which had been in my arms as I slept. ‘Save those, you’ll want to sell them once you get to the upcoming village,’ Kiyoshi told me.
That first time Kiyoshi entered my thoughts was strange and disorientating. I shook off the strange feeling and became open to sharing my mind. Kiyoshi told me what direction to go and I followed. An idea struck me as I walked through the woods. ‘Kiyoshi?’ I thought.
‘Ah, you’ve caught on quickly. What do you need?’ he replied.
I stopped in my tracks and sat on the bank of the river. I peered into the water and saw how grimy I had become. Specks of dirt fell off my face. The three long scars on my right cheek looked as if they’d been infected. My eyes though, remained the same.
“Kiyoshi,” I whispered. “Tell me about the Tapanga”.
“Well, I was hoping to wait a little longer, but I think it’s important that you know about your people.”
He hesitated a bit before starting his story. I also prepared myself, because I knew that it would be a long tale.
“The Tapanga came into this land from unknown regions south of here. They started out as nomads, going from place to place, using animals not seen here before for transportation. For the most part, they didn’t come into contact with any other people. They needed no money, for they hunted for food and used the hide for clothing. After generations of wandering, our people came in contact with a village. It was a place unlike any other; with lush green grass, plump animals running around, plenty of fruit growing on trees. But the most beautiful feature was the giant waterfall that lay right in the center of the valley. The tons of water cascaded over a cliff’s edge, yet hardly any sound was made. It was later that they found out that the magical land was the Land of the Waterfall.
“Were they already ninjas?” I shyly interrupted.
“Oh yes, but they didn’t realize it. There were only some with the Tapanga abilities, but they thought it came from workings of a higher power. Anyway, the day the Tapanga saw the villagers, all were afraid. Really, the villagers were, we were mostly curious. Immediately, they shunned us; afraid because we were different. Before, our people had no name for themselves, but once we entered the Land of Shinobi, we became the Tapanga clan. It was soon evident that we weren’t wanted, but we couldn’t leave; that village called out for us. So, some of the elders, using their special talents and ninjutsu were able to create an entire village underground. It was hidden behind one of the smaller waterfalls. The main citizens had no problem because their village was behind the central waterfall- the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.”
“Takigakure no Sato,” I whispered.
“Yes, and our village was farther off. By then, everyone knew what a ‘ninja’ was, so within our village, the young ones began learning, just in case something bad were to happen.”
Kiyoshi took a deep breath before continuing. It seemed like it was hard for him to talk about.
“The leader of Takigakure sent out just one expert ninja tracker- also known as an ANBU agent- to find our village. That one masked man found us, and it was that one man… that killed us all,” he solemnly said. “Before he was able to escape and reveal our location- so they could destroy any evidence of the Tapanga’s inhabitance- our leader battled the ninja spy and defeated him,” I let out a sigh of relief. “But,” Kiyoshi said. “As each ran in to deliver the finishing blow, they ended up stabbing each other in the heart.
“It was very lucky that there were a few of our people who went out earlier to gather food and wood. I can’t imagine their reaction when they came back to find the village. The survivors sent a messenger hawk to Taki from “the spy” saying that they wouldn’t have to worry about the Tapanga anymore. They were skeptical at first, but once they took a long look around the area and didn’t see anyone, they finally believed that the accursed Tapanga were gone.
But they weren’t. The five survivors had to dispose of the hundreds of dead bodies and tried to rebuild their city as best as possible.”
“Who were the survivors Kiyoshi?” I choked out.
“A teenage boy, a young woman, her son, your grandfather, and his pregnant wife. For months they lived, well hidden and in peace. Soon, a new member of the clan was born: your father. Everyone was disappointed at first that he didn’t inherit any of the “ninja genes”, but they knew he’d grow to be a great man. As he grew, he became closer to the boy, Akai. Akai was a sort of mentor to your father; teaching him how to defend himself, even though he couldn’t use ninjutsu. Though few, the survivors functioned, and they were happy.
“Of course, they serenity didn’t last. Disaster struck one again in our underground village. Your father was almost twenty when it happened. His mother went out to gather some things, certain that no one was watching. She was wrong, and she paid that price… with her life. We still don’t know who attacked her, or if they told the Taki villagers about it, but our hidden village remained unexposed. It was lucky that your grandmother had come out from an exit that was built to trick outsiders who tried to invade the village. After her death though, everything fell apart. Akai left us, never to be seen again. His mother also left, but she came back every now and again to visit. Your grandfather stayed behind, loyal to his only real home. And you father… he led The Land of the Waterfall so he could escape some of the Taki citizens who had seen him one evening. He got to Bryunzel, and… you know the rest,” he concluded.
My heart rate slowed once he finished the story. Tears filled my eyes, but I wiped them away before they could overflow. Determination welled up inside of me after hearing Kiyoshi’s tale. I stood up with my bag of berries and took a few, slow steps. My slow walk became faster, and before I knew it, I was running. It was the middle of the night, but I could still see a bright aura radiating from the surrounding trees. I began to slow down as my other senses took over. A strange warmth reached my face, and my nose picked up an unfamiliar scent. It took a while before I realized what I smelled. ‘Kiyoshi!’ I thought to him. ‘It’s food! I got to the village! We did it!’ I waited for his response, but it never came. I got scared; fearing that Kiyoshi’s lack of communication had something to do with the village; I turned and ran away from the bright lights and warm food. Once I got far enough away, I collapsed on the ground, and fell asleep before I could make sure that I was still connected to Kiyoshi.
“Ayame, go back toward the village. I can’t be with you right now because there are dangerous people who can search your mind, but I’ll help you block anything from them. That means that you’re on your own for now,” Kiyoshi quickly told me. “Good- bye for now, Tapanga Ayame.”
END OF PART 2
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Chapter notes: I'm not quite done with it and I'll add on as soon as I have it all written down. Hope you like it!