Over A Spilled Bucket of Water
Niki (NeeP) Paradis
Ranma was on his way back from Tofu-sensei,
on an errand for Kasumi. Actually, Kasumi wanted to return the book
herself, but everyone insisted that it would be better for someone else
to take it back, then they roped Ranma into the job. So now that
the job is done with, he was eager to return home.
He passed by a vacant lot, and saw that there
was a tent set up in it. Thinking that it might be Ryouga, he decided
to have a bit of fun with him. He opened the front flap to the tent
and looked inside. There was no one there.
"You won't find him in there, Ranma-san,"
called a voice from behind him. Ranma turned around and saw Jiro
sitting on a wall across from the lot where her tent was set up.
She was holding a book and it looked like she was reading until she called
out.
"That's my tent, not Ryouga-oniisan's," she continued
as she leaped off the wall and landed lightly on the ground.
"Sorry," apologised Ranma sheepishly.
"So, where's Ryouga?"
"I don't know," Jiro shrugged as she walked
towards him. "All I know, is that he isn't in the neighbourhood."
"He isn't? So I don't suppose you would
know when he would be back, do you?"
Jiro looked at him then raised an eyebrow.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I guess not..." he blushed as he figured
out the answer himself. Jiro grinned at him.
"Ranma-san, my abilities to 'Track' are limited.
It's difficult to memorise a chi-pattern, and my tracking range is only
a kilometre at most. Besides, Ryouga-oniisan still manages to get
lost, even with me following him around."
"Oh. I see..." Ranma decided to
change the topic. "What's that you're reading...?" He gestured
to the book that Jiro was holding. She held it up for him to see.
"Hmmm, French for Everyday Speaking
... " He looked up. "Why are you reading a French textbook?"
"Last week, Ryouga-oniisan and I wound up in France,"
she blushed. "Even I don't know how we got there..." Jiro looked
thoughtful for a moment. "Y'know something? I didn't know that
Oniisan knew any French. But then," Jiro giggled briefly. "I
guess the more languages that he can ask 'Where am I?' in, the better.
I just figured that if we're gonna be travelling together to all these
different countries, I better learn some of the languages so at least I
can understand the directions that people give him."
Ranma chuckled. "I can see that."
He was about to turn to go when a bucket came flying out of nowhere at
Jiro's head. He almost casually knocked the bucket aside before it
struck Jiro in the face. He turned to face the bucket thrower.
A brown hair boy, just a year younger that
Ranma, stood glaring at them from just outside the lot. His green
eyes were filled with anger and even his ponytail bristled.
"Jiro! This time I will kill you!" he
shouted.
It was Jakku Mizuno.
Ranma was about to beat up the ignorant punk
and to provide a hands-on lesson on why one does not go around fighting
girls, when Jiro casually placed her hand on his shoulder then yanked him
out of the way.
"Back off Ranma!" she snarled. "He's
my problem, not yours."
" ... " Ranma blinked. What's with her?
He watched as Jiro picked up her umbrella and cautiously walked to her
opponent.
"Jakku," Jiro was sounding exasperated.
"Why do we have to keep on going through this? You know that I don't
want to fight you anymore."
"You try to avoid this every time, but you
know the rules. And every time, you dishonour our village by choosing
to ignore our laws."
"But they are stupid laws, Jakku."
"Maybe so, but this time, one of us must die."
Jiro sighed. "But I don't want to kill you."
Jakku gave a nasty smile.
"Fine. It's makes it easier for to kill
you."
" I don't want to be killed either," she said
rather primly.
"Um, I don't think..." Ranma started.
"Butt out!!!" called both Jakku and Jiro together.
"Ranma, I told you, this is my fight," Jiro
finished.
"Then let's get started!" yelled Jakku as
he charged at his sworn enemy.
And all Ranma could do is watch.
Jakku swung the end of his staff at Jiro; she
dodged out of the way. He did a quick turn around and took a swipe
at her face. She blocked it with her heavy blue umbrella. Then
she swung at him and he blocked her blow with his staff.
They leaped away from each other so they could re-assess
each other.
"You don't even use the traditional tools
anymore," Jakku accused her. "You take too much after that guy you're
always hanging with."
"Your problem, Jakku, is that you won't learn
anything new," taunted Jiro. "Your attacks are all old tricks and
it shows!" Then she leaped at him again, this time on the offensive.
She stabbed at him with the tip of her umbrella,
Jakku dodged by dropping down. He knocked Jiro's legs from under
her with a low kick. She fell down on her back, but recovered quickly
by rolling onto her shoulders and flipping over backwards and onto her
feet.
"Good one, Jakku, but is that the best that
you can do?" With that, Jiro grabbed a handful of bandannas and hurled
them towards her opponent. Jakku defended himself by spinning his
staff fast enough that it deflected the fabric projectiles.
"C'mon Jiro, is that the best
you can do?" He did a series of thrusts and swipes at Jiro, who managed
to dodge and block most of them. Some she took and returned with
her own attacks with her umbrella. Jakku was pressed into keeping
up with the young woman's vicious pace. He took a swipe at her knees.
Jiro leaped straight up out of the way and then landed lightly on the out-thrusted
staff. Jakku was enraged as she balanced easily on the wooden pole.
"How dare you?!?"
"You know something?" she teased as she bonked
him on the head with her umbrella. "You're getting slow."
Jakku shook his staff and Jiro leaped away,
laughing.
"Okay, now what?" she asked. "Come at
me."
Jakku executed a flying kick, Jiro ducked and rolled,
and then did a low roundhouse kick as soon as he landed, knocking his legs
out from under him. Jakku landed hard.
"I'm getting tired of this," complained Jiro.
Jakku didn't respond as he got up. He
took advantage of the fact that Jiro didn't press her advantage while he
was down and he suddenly used his staff to strike hard at her hand that
was holding the offensive umbrella.
Jiro dropped her umbrella in a hiss of pain.
"You're too soft, Jiro!" He rapped her
on the head smartly.
Jiro shook her head. She had learned
by watching Ryouga fight that it was necessary to shake off the pain as
soon as possible and get back into the action. The longer that she
was out of it, the more time that Jakku had to press his advantage.
She saw Jakku charge at her again. She reached over to Ranma, who
she was standing beside and grabbed the bucket from him. It was difficult
as the wounded hand refused to work properly. She used the bucket
to stop the advancement of the staff.
"Bucket-block!" she yelled. "There's
the use of a traditional tool. Happy now?"
Jakku wrenched the bucket out of her hands
with a twist of his staff.
"Oops, I guess not." Jiro dropped towards
her fallen umbrella and picked it up with her good hand. She stood
up in time to block another staff swing. The block was a little clumsy.
Kitty-corner to the lot where Jiro's camp
was set up, there was a park. During the course of the fight, Jakku
and Jiro had moved to there. The patrons of the park watched the
display, but kept a respectful – and healthy distance from the two teens.
Ranma followed the two to see how the battle would turn out.
Jiro was now on the defensive. Her injured
hand was numb and couldn't hold the umbrella as efficiently as it used
to and she wasn't accustomed to wielding her weapon with the other hand.
She was backing away as Jakku kept on pressing his advantage. Quickly
enough, Jiro was back against the large water fountain that was at the
centre of the park.
Jakku executed another swing and fell into
the fountain as she dodged it. Ranma thought that the battle was
over with Jiro impeded by the knee-deep water. But as Jiro got up,
she chuckled.
"Is this where you want me to be, Jakku?"
she asked. "You know that if we continue this stupid fight, I will
have the advantage." Ranma wondered what she meant.
Jakku stood at the edge of the fountain.
He looked at her and grimaced.
"Jiro, I have been following you for more
than six years. The last six months were harder, since you started
to follow that idiot, Hibiki, around. But even then, every so often,
I managed to catch up to you. I even managed to follow you to China,
where you were only a few kilometres away from the Springs of Jusenkyou…"
"Did you fall into one of the springs?" asked
Ranma, interrupting Jakku's monologue.
"Of course not!" snorted Jakku. "Do
you think I'm stupid? I've been following a guy with a curse from
Jusenkyou. I know what it does to people. It's just that it
shocks me that that imbecile, Hibiki, didn't go there to have his damn
curse removed."
Jiro was steaming the whole time. Literally.
Her anger was heating up her damp tunic and steam was actually rising from
it. She kicked up some of the water and punched a ball of water towards
her opponent.
"You leave my brother outta this!" she yelled
as the water-ball struck Jakku squarely in the face.
Ranma suddenly remembered something that Ryouga
once said about Jiro being a near master of Martial-Arts-Water-Fighting.
Jakku jumped into the fountain. He punched
the water into a huge shape.
"You asked for it! SHARK-FIST!"
The huge shape plunged towards Jiro.
"WATER-SHIELD!" A wall of water
came up to stop Jakku's attack.
Jakku tried another attack. He plunged
both fists hard into the water.
"WATER-SPIKE!" A sharp spike of water
raced towards Jiro, who jumped over it towards him.
"SQUIRT-GUN!" Jiro scooped up a hand
full of water and squirted it in Jakku's face.
Ranma was watching the display in almost awe. He and the rest the by-standers that were too close to the action got soaked. However, Ranma was the only one that turned into a girl. She could only watch as the two combatants continued to go at each other.
"WATER-BOMB!" A huge ball of water was
thrown towards Jiro.
"SPRAY-KNIFE!" Jiro countered with
a narrow spray of water that sliced the ball in half.
Jakku had to catch his breath. Jiro pressed
her advantage.
"WATER-BULLETS!" She kicked up some water
and punched a spray of little pellets of water that pounded Jakku mercilessly
until he fell with a splash.
"Want to continue?" she asked. "I don't want
to kill you."
"I won't quit," said Jakku through clenched teeth
as he got up.
"All right. But do you remember why I have
the advantage?"
Jakku's eyes opened wide, then narrowed.
"WATER-BLADE!" A wide band of water
arced towards Jiro's head. She countered with the Water Shield.
Then she put both of her hands into the water and concentrated. Then
she pulled out a ball of water, which she threw at Jakku.
"BOILING-KETTLE!" The ball of water
struck Jakku in the face. He screamed in pain. The people who
were close to him yelped at the boiling hot water splashed onto them.
Jakku fell again. Jiro walked through the knee-deep water over to
him.
"Sorry, Jakku," she said as she dipped her hands
into the surface of the water again. She concentrated for a moment,
then brought out a huge ball of ice.
"ICE-CUBE!" she yelled. Jakku took
his hands away from his scalded face just long enough to see the chunk
of ice come down on his head. He lost consciousness.
Ranma-chan watched as Jiro pulled an unconscious
Jakku from the fountain. The people all around were both clapping
and getting out of her way. She sighed as she propped her opponent
against the base of the fountain.
"Now I have to leave before he wakes up."
"Why?" asked Ranma-chan.
Jiro looked at the red-hair girl.
"Or else I have to go through all that again.
Once a day is quite enough."
"Wish that Ryouga would see that point once in a
while."
"So do I." Jiro chuckled.
Ranma-chan walked with Jiro towards her camp.
Jiro was trying to wring out the bottom edge of her tunic, as they walked.
"Um, Jiro?"
"Hmmm?" responded Jiro absently.
"What does Ryouga mean by that you're almost a Master
of Martial-Art Water Fighting? I mean, what you did with Jakku was
pretty good."
"Oh, that ... Um, it's kinda embarrassing, actually..."
"Oh?"
She mumbled her answer.
"Say what?"
"I can't swim. It's hard for me to be a Master
if I can only fight in shallow water..."
Ranma suppressed a chuckle. Like Akane, she can't swim, she thought.
And Ryouga can't teach her. But she knew that if she laughed at Jiro,
and Ryouga hears of it, then sooner or later, she's gonna have to face
the consequences.
She changed the subject.
"So what's the story between you and Jakku?
Does he really want to kill you?"
Jiro sighed.
"I don't know if he really wants to kill me or not.
But he really means to."
They reached Jiro's tent. Ranma sat down as
Jiro started to pack her stuff.
"So, why does he want to kill you anyway?" she asked.
"It's a long story, Ranma-san. Better make
yourself comfortable."
"I was born in a village in the southern forests
of Japan. According to the Village Elders, my mother died during
my birth. They say that she was as blonde as I was, and that she
had pointed ears like I do.
Well anyway, the head-woman of the village, Mizuno
Burouku, agreed to raise me, and she meant breastfeed, along with her son,
who was only a month or so older than me. That boy was Jakku.
Jakku and I became best of friends during those
first few years. However, after I was weaned, she sent me off to
be raised with another family. But that never kept us from playing
with each other everyday.
The whole village took pride in the fact that they
had a unique school of Martial-Arts. And it involved water fighting.
Jakku was instructed at an early age because he was the head-woman's son,
but no one was interested in instructing me, for all that I was born and
raised in that village, I was still an outsider.
Then, one day, I learned that I can do things with
water that no one else could do. I threw a glass of water at an older kid
who was bullying me. But the water wasn't cold when it hit him.
Heh. Then, after that, the elders then found out that once in a while,
when I would get angry or upset, because no one was being nice to me and
I would scald myself with water, which was formerly cold before I got to
it. The Elders discussed with each other, and they decided that I
should be instructed in their School of Martial-Arts Water Fighting.
They hoped that the discipline of the school would help me get a handle
on by new ability before I could hurt myself or any one else and to figure
out how I could do what I did. They figured that it would be an excellent
addition to their teachings.
So the Elders began instructing me. I was
six at the time. They were surprised about how quickly I learned.
It was as if water was my natural element. I quickly caught up to
Jakku's level of skill, which was fine with him. He wanted someone
that he could spar with, since he surpassed everyone else's ability for
his age group.
So it went for about three years. Jakku and
I played sparred and did chores together. My abilities soon surpassed
Jakku's as I more comfortable with the water than he was, and that my own
abilities with changing water temperature, gave me an edge that the Elders
couldn't have foreseen. Jakku still didn't mind, because, as he saw
it, or so he told me, that I could teach him things that the elders couldn't.
Then one day, Burouku had a task that would change
our lives forever.
In our village, there is one large hill. No
buildings were ever built on this hill, and the rest of the land that the
village was built on was pretty much flat. Anyway, on the top of
this hill, was a well, and this well was held sacred by everyone who lived
in the village. The well held a spring of water that had magical
abilities. The water has been known to heal ailments, repair grievous
wounds and to remove curses.
(Ranma-chan's head perked up at the sound of
the phrase 'remove curses', and Jiro noticed the reaction.)
Wait a sec, Ranma-san, you don't know everything,
yet.
The special properties of the water came into effect
only once a year, and for only a couple of hours. The collection
of the water was always held in a type of ceremony. Then the water
is stored until it is needed. It's not something that not everyone
knows about, because the Elders refused to share the water or its secret
with outsiders.
The day came that the water's special properties
came into effect and Burouku wanted her son to retrieve the water and to
prove his right as the next head-man of the village. It was the greatest
honour to be had in the village. But Jakku refused to do the job
unless I came along; after all, I was his best friend. We were both
nine then.
It was early morning when we both headed up the
hill, the ceremonial bucket was held between us. But because it was
so early, the morning dew haven't left the grass and it made climbing up
difficult, but we made it to the top.
After we gathered the water, we carefully started
our way back down. Jakku slipped on a wet patch of grass, and down
he went. I was still hanging onto my half of the bucket when he fell
and I went down with him, spilling most of the water as we went.
At the bottom of the side of the hill that we were
sliding down, there was a huge boulder. Jakku cracked his skull open
on that damn rock. He was bleeding to death, Ranma; I had to do something...
I still had a bit of water in the bottom of the
bucket. I poured some of it onto his head, and the wound closed,
as if it had never been. I poured the rest into his mouth and he
woke up.
I was so pleased with myself. But when I looked
up, the whole village was standing around us, and they didn't look none
too happy. The Elders were closing in on us and Burouku was in tears.
According to village law, we were to be banished
from the village. It was to be considered a grievous and dishonourable
thing to spill or waste the sacred water. The spill alone wasn't
as bad as the fact that I wasted the rest of the water was supposedly on
Jakku.
("But what was I supposed to do, Ranma-san?
Jakku was my best friend, I couldn't let him die." That would have
been very dishonourable to me.)
So both Jakku and I was banished. But
the Elders provided a kind of loophole that would allow a return.
(Jiro sighed.)
One of us would be allowed to return to the
village, provided that either one of us would kill the other. That
would restore our 'honour'. I couldn't care less, but Jakku had family,
position, and a future that was lost to him because I saved his life.
So he swore to take my life.
I think the whole damn village is full of stupid
people."
Jiro concluded her tale.
"So in order to return home, he has to kill
me. He's been following me around for more than six years.
We've been best of friends so he knows how I think, and he's good at tracking
me -- the traditional way. He blamed me, Ranma-san," she sighed.
"And he still does. "
"I'm sorry..." Ranma started
"Don't be. They never wanted me in that
village and I'd rather jump into the spring of Drowned Rat at Jusenkyou
than return."
"Hmmm..."
"Well, anyway, about six months ago, things
changed. I was starting to get depressed, when I wound up in a trap
set up by Jakku. He convinced those overly superstitious people in
that remote village that I was the cause of all the things that went wrong
for the past year. From their only cow dying to the bad harvest.
They tied me to a post and they were gonna burn me at the stake when I
was rescued by Ryouga-oniisan."
"I was wondering about that."
"So now you know," stated Jiro as she finished
packing her backpack. She checked the straps and pulled it on.
"Where are you going?" asked Ranma-chan.
"I dunno... Maybe I should check for
Ryouga-oniisan before I go."
Jiro stood very still and her eyes went completely
blank as she checked her bizarre inner radar. Ranma shuddered; she
wasn't used to this kind of thing. For all she was concerned, the
blond girl appeared to be like a zombie. The feeling lasted for some
time until Jiro shook herself.
"I think I can 'Track' him now." She
pointed to the West. "He's that way."
"So you're going after him?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah. Travelling with Oniisan makes
it much harder for Jakku to find me. Besides, I'm the only family
that he has when he's on the road." Jiro's voice went softer.
"And he's the only family I got -- even if it's not official."
Jiro left then, and Ranma watched until she
turned a corner and disappeared. Then she cursed as she realised
that she should have asked Jiro to heat some water for her before she left.
"So, she's gone..."
Ranma turned and faced Jakku Mizuno.
"What did you expect?" she asked.
"Jiro explained things to you, didn't she?"
"She did." Ranma-chan's voice was frigid.
Jakku sighed.
"Do you really think that I want to kill my
best friend?"
"I dunno... Why else are you trying
to kill her?"
"To restore the lost honour to my village
and family. My mother will be crushed if I can never take her place..."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Saotome-san, my best friend is suffering,
and her honour in the eyes of our village is decreasing every time she
runs from a fight. I just want to end it."
"Setting traps in remote villages isn't exactly
honourable," Ranma stated flatly.
"I know, and I am ashamed of stooping that
low. But she met Hibiki-san there and she's happier now, so that's
not entirely a bad thing. I sorta wish that she would kill me instead,
so I wouldn't have to suffer."
Jakku turned away.
"I won't ask which way she went. Good-bye."
With that, Jakku Mizuno walked away.
Ranma-chan watched until he disappeared. At
least he's not goin' the same way that Jiro went.
The sun was starting to drop behind the horizon,
and Ranma turn towards the Dojo and went home.