A Family Squabble
An Adventure Chronicles Short Story
by Jeffrey Allen Davis
Copyrighted Material
©2015 Jeffrey Allen Davis
This story is a work of fiction. Places, events and situations in this story are purely fictional. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Published by GCD Publishing
Cover Art by Nathan Bonner
Cover Layout and Color by TW Johnson
Edited by Karen Griffiths
Christian Fiction
https://jeffreyallendavis.wordpress.com
https://gcdpublishing.wordpress.com
A Family Squabble
October 17, 1992
Saturday, 1:46 PM
The small, tourist town of Sera, Missouri, had shrunk to its pre-summer population. The lodge, sitting on the western outskirts of town, was filled with visitors during the summer months, but tended to stand empty more weekends than not, after Labor Day, when the Current River was officially closed from swimming and fishing. That was why the owners didn’t ask twice when the Japanese businessmen offered them a sizeable sum for the rental of the lodge’s meeting hall on this chilly, autumn afternoon.
Outside, the leaves had fallen in cascades of yellow, red and orange, blanketing the ground with the beautiful colors of fall. Though not freezing yet, the Midwest wind was quite cold today. Ordinarily, the inside of the beautiful Deer Lodge would have been a cozy respite from the approaching winter.
But not today.
Dave Isaac slammed his massive hands down on the oak table, the resulting crash shaking the deer head that was mounted on the wall to his right. “Are you callin’ us liars, dude?!”
Tang Shakato, head of the largest family in the Funakoshi ninja clan and now second in line for leadership, responded, “What is your American saying? ‘If the shoe fits?’”
“You lousy . . .,” began the large adolescent.
“Dave!” interrupted Jamie Raleigh, his cousin and the first in line for leadership of the clan. “You’re not helping!”
“This dude’s callin’ us liars, dude!”
“Can you blame him?” asked Buster Goodman, Jamie’s friend and nunchaku student. “We are telling them something pretty far-fetched.”
“I saw it with my own eyes, dude,” grumbled Dave. “And you were on Thera the whole time.”
“But we did not see this,” said Tang. “And I am insulted that you would come here and tell us that Yoshika Funakoshi was killed on an alien world by a wizard. Do you take us for fools?”
Dave leaned toward him. “Do ya hafta ask?”
Tang turned to look at the elders of the Funakoshi clan, sitting at a long table on the opposite side of the room and watching the exchange with interest. “I believe that the gaijin student of Tanemura Funakoshi saw an opportunity to kill Tanemura’s niece and take leadership for himself.”
“Dude!” bellowed Dave. “How’d ya like t’wear your teeth as earrings?”
Tang whirled back to Dave. “And you would be the one who would attempt to put them there?”
Dave took a menacing step forward, but Buster moved into his path. “Dave, this is just going to make things worse.”
“No!” growled Tang. “Your lies have made matters as bad as they can get!”
Buster turned on Tang. “Excuse me?”
It really does sound like a lie, realized Jamie with a sigh. He looked at the elders for any sign that they believed what they’d been told. His gaze lingered on Tatsu Yakamura, the eldest member of the Funakoshi clan. The man’s face was unreadable.
Tang’s enraged voice pulled Jamie back to his rival. “You have told your families that you were captured by the Waruiyatsu! You are lying to somebody, preacher!”
“Nobody would have believed the truth!” growled Dave. “Buster was against us lyin’ t’anybody!”
Jamie sighed. “He was the one who suggested that I tell the clan the truth.”
“Wizards? Monsters?” Tang’s voice now menacingly quiet, he pointed his finger in Jamie’s direction. “It is more likely that you made a deal with the Warui. Perhaps you bargained for your friends’ release with the life of our jonin?”
“I loved Yoshi!” yelled Jamie.
Dave and Buster’s eyes snapped toward him. He sighed. “I fought the Waruiyatsu with her.” He gestured at the two friends who had come with him today. “So did they and our other friends. We knew her better than any of you ever could have known her.”
“Her heart could never have belonged to a gaijin,” spat Tang.
“Why do you think that we kept ourselves from ever taking our relationship to that level?” asked Jamie. “The clan would never have allowed it!”
Jamie glanced at Master Tatsu, who regarded him thoughtfully. “Come here, Jamie,” said the elder.
Jamie walked to the table to stand in front of the elders. Tatsu stood and placed his hands on Jamie’s shoulders. His ancient eyes searched Jamie’s. The young ninja felt as if the older man were searching his very soul.
Finally, Tatsu removed his hands. “You have loved and lost, young one. It is a fantastic story, but I believe that you are telling us what you know as truth.” He seated himself, and quietly said, “Jamie Raleigh, you may take your place as the jonin of the Funakoshi ninja clan.”
“NO!” yelled Tang. “You cannot believe this!”
Tatsu glared at Tang. “The decision of the counsel is final!”
Tang roared in inhuman rage and ran toward Jamie, who took a step back and assumed a defensive stance. Tang stopped a yard away and said, “Not if I challenge him to a duel for leadership.”
The elders gasped. Jamie narrowed his eyes at his rival. “Are you serious?!”
Tang jabbed a finger in Jamie’s direction but his words were directed at the elders. “I would rather die than see a murderous gaijin as our leader!”
Tatsu jumped to his feet. “Do not do this!”
“As second in line for leadership, it is my right to challenge,” said Tang. He glared at Jamie. “Is it not?”
“It has not been done since the time of Mitsu,” wailed the only woman on the council.
Tang’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to Jamie. “It has not been needed until now.”
Jamie looked at the elders. Their eyes regarded him with sad resolve. He would get no help there.
He sighed. Tanemura had only discussed “the challenge” once. It had been used for centuries to keep corrupt leaders from taking control of the clan. The last time that it was used was before the time of Mitsu and the war with the Waruiyatsu. And then, it was between two brothers, one of whom was greedy and arrogant. The younger brother, knowing the kind of leader that his sibling would be, challenged him to leadership. This younger man had been the grandfather of Mitsu and the ancestor of Tanemura Funakoshi.
As Tang, his hard eyes locked on Jamie, removed his blazer, Jamie glanced at Tatsu. “A duel with swords?”
Tatsu nodded and glanced at another elder, who walked out of the room and came back with two ninja-tos. He handed one to each of the two chunin.
Tang savagely jerked his sword from its sheath and hurled the scabbard away from himself, narrowly missing Buster with it. Jamie pulled the blade of his sword and examined it. Missing were the exquisite details of Deck Pendragon’s work. Unlike the weapon that his friend had crafted for him, this was one of the cheaply-made ninja-tos. No care for appearance, only ease of manufacture.
Jamie sighed and h
anded his scabbard to Dave. He glanced down at his Spiderman t-shirt, noting the difference between his own attire and that of the formally-dressed Japanese men and women who were present. I haven’t really done much to attempt to earn their respect, have I?
Looking up at Dave, he said, “Tell Mom and Dad I love them.”
Dave shook his head. “Don’t talk like that, dude. Yer gonna cream this idiot.”
“And, if you don’t, Dave’ll be the next in the ring . . .,” interjected Buster, “ . . . so to speak.”
“No!” snapped Jamie. “I won’t have you guys warring with my clan over this! No matter what happens, promise me that you’ll walk away!”
Dave and Buster glanced at each other. Dave cleared his throat and Buster sighed.
“Fine, dude,” said Dave.
Jamie walked to the center of the room, followed by his rival. As most of the conference tables had been folded and set aside for the season, there was plenty of room for the upcoming fight. Per tradition, Jamie knelt on one side of the cleared area and Tang on the other, each facing the other with their swords on the floor at their sides. They bowed their faces low to the floor. Coming back up, Jamie watched Tang begin the kuji kiri hand ritual to prepare himself. As even Tanemura had stopped believing that these nine hand symbols held any real power, Jamie simply closed his eyes and prayed.
Lord, I’m not sure how I got here. A normal seventeen-year-old should be hanging out with friends, going to movies and being a normal teenager. And yet, I’m about to have a life or death duel. How does this happen? He sighed. Be with me today, Lord. If it’s Your will for me to die, then welcome me to Paradise. And, if it isn’t, please forgive me if I have to take his life.
Then, he whispered, “In Jesus’s Name, Amen.”
Jamie climbed to his feet, grasping the hilt of his sword as he did so and holding it underhanded in a defensive stance.
With a yell, Tang charged at him. Jamie stood his ground as his rival bore down on him, stepping to the side at the last instant and avoiding a downward swipe. His foot shot up, catching Tang in the face and knocking him back a few steps.
Tang glared at Jamie as a steady stream of crimson poured from his nose. “I am going to enjoy this, gaijin.”
“I take no pleasure in us fighting, Tang,” replied Jamie, just before Tang attacked him viciously. Jamie blocked attack after attack. Tang could not get through his defenses. In swordsmanship, the two appeared to be equals.
“Hit’im back, dude!” Jamie had almost forgotten that his two companions were here. The shock of hearing Dave yell dropped Jamie’s defenses just in time for Tang to kick him in the chest. He fell backward, air exploding from his chest as he landed hard.
Tang shot his blade downward toward Jamie’s face, but the younger ninja rolled to the side and the blade hit the tile floor harmlessly, a loud clang echoing through the room.
Jamie leaped to his feet as Tang reared back for another swipe. Jamie caught him off guard by grabbing the tie that dangled from Tang’s neck and turning, flipping him over his shoulder and to the floor. Tang’s blade slid noisily across the floor as Jamie dropped and punched the older chunin across the face, knocking him unconscious.
“Nice, dude!” yelled Dave.
Jamie sighed and climbed back to his feet.