The Ring Of Water Part 16

Jack took up the rear, using his ninja skills to ensure their tracks were covered, while Hana maintained a non-stop monologue.

'I can't believe we survived! Did you see Raiden's face as we jumped? He looked more shocked than I was. You were awesome in the duel, Jack. I honestly thought you were beaten. But you tricked Araki! He was livid. Don't you think the three of us make a great team? We got back your swords and and your pearl! Shame about the gambler losing all your money, but I can always steal some more if you want. And I'm sorry I lost your staff, Jack. But I managed to keep hold of the your pearl! Shame about the gambler losing all your money, but I can always steal some more if you want. And I'm sorry I lost your staff, Jack. But I managed to keep hold of the bokken bokken, Ronin! Do you want it back?'

'Keep it,' he grunted, quickening his pace more to escape the incessant chattering of Hana than to stay ahead of Kazuki and his Scorpion Gang.

'Really?' she replied, and slipped it proudly into her obi obi. 'My first sword! Will you teach me, Ronin? I want to be a samurai like you and Jack.'

'You need to be born born samurai.' samurai.'

'But Jack's not even j.a.panese!'

'He was adopted by a samurai. And he's not a thief either!'

'Oh!' replied Hana, a little upset by Ronin's curt reply. She pondered for a moment. 'You could adopt me!'

Ronin stopped in his tracks, his face blanching. He turned to reply, then thought better of it and strode off.

Hana looked at Jack. 'Was that a yes? Or a no?'

Jack shrugged noncommittally, but knowing Ronin he didn't think the samurai was the adopting type. 'We'd better keep moving,' he said.

They powered on, not even stopping for lunch. A couple of times they had to backtrack to avoid other travellers and skirt a village. As dusk settled, they worked their way into a lower valley and found a secluded spot beside a stream.

'We'll camp here for the night,' Ronin declared, clearing the ground for a fire.

Hana went off to collect kindling, while Jack cut some branches from a tree and made a simple clotheshorse so they could dry their damp kimono. Ronin opened the cloth sack that held their food and cursed loudly.

'What's wrong?' asked Jack.

Without replying, Ronin angrily shook the bag's contents on to the earth. A straw container of rice, a small cooking pot, an onion, half a cabbage and a couple of white daikon daikon fell out. These were accompanied by an ominous tinkling as several ceramic shards tumbled out too. The impact of landing in the water had smashed Ronin's last bottle of fell out. These were accompanied by an ominous tinkling as several ceramic shards tumbled out too. The impact of landing in the water had smashed Ronin's last bottle of sake sake to smithereens. to smithereens.

Hana returned with the wood and saw the enraged expression on Ronin's face. The samurai s.n.a.t.c.hed up the cabbage, sat upon a log and began to hack at the vegetable.

'Let me do that,' suggested Hana, worried that most of it was going on the ground rather than in the pot. 'Why don't you make the fire?'

Grunting moodily, Ronin shoved the mauled cabbage into Hana's hands and started breaking the branches and throwing them into a pile. Thinking it best to leave Ronin to himself, Jack helped Hana with preparing the food. They heard him curse a few times as he tried to light the tinder and the two of them exchanged concerned looks. But once it caught Ronin settled down and contented himself with prodding the fire with a stick. Although their meal was meagre, the vegetable soup and rice seemed to revive Ronin's spirits a little.

'News will travel fast of Araki's defeat,' he said to Jack, 'and with this Scorpion Gang hunting you, you need to make for Nagasaki and home as fast as you can.'

'I have to go to Nara first.'

Ronin shook his head. 'Not worth the risk.'

'But Nagasaki's the direction Kazuki will expect me to go in.'

'True. However, he'll use the main roads to get ahead of you and block your path. Even I would question your ability to defeat an entire gang single-handedly.'

'I'll have to take that chance. I must must go to Nara. My father's diary is there. I also want to know what happened to me. Several days of my life are missing. A blank. This Botan will be able to tell me.' go to Nara. My father's diary is there. I also want to know what happened to me. Several days of my life are missing. A blank. This Botan will be able to tell me.'

'You've got your pearl, kimono and your swords. Is your father's diary that that important?' important?'

Jack nodded his head, deciding now was the time to fully trust Ronin and Hana. They had certainly proved their loyalty in the past few days. 'It's much more than a diary,' he replied and began to explain the rutter rutter's true signifiance.

When Jack finished talking, Ronin queried, 'So this logbook is irreplaceable... invaluable invaluable?'

'Yes,' replied Jack. 'But only I can decipher all its content. And I made an oath to my father to keep it safe. It's my duty duty to find it.' to find it.'

Ronin sighed deeply and threw another log upon the fire. 'I understand a son's duty. You've a responsibility to fulfil your father's dying wish, and I respect that.'

He stabbed at the glowing embers with a stick.

'You can't be allowed to fail your father... like I did mine.' Ronin appeared no longer to be aware of Jack or Hana. He began to mutter to himself. 'It was my my fault I let that monk in. fault I let that monk in. My My fault I didn't search for weapons. fault I didn't search for weapons. My My fault I was fooled by a deceitful disguise. fault I was fooled by a deceitful disguise. My My fault my father's now...' fault my father's now...'

Ronin trailed off and said no more. He just stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes, more bloodshot than ever. He sniffed, a tear rolling down his cheek.

'Are you all right?' asked Hana softly.

'Fine,' snapped Ronin, wiping a forearm across his face. 'The smoke's just getting in my eyes, that's all.'

33.

HININ.

The three of them sat round the fire, an uncomfortable silence hanging over them.

'Nara it is then!' said Hana in an effort to lift the mood. She picked up her bokken bokken. 'Botan had better watch out Hana the samurai's on his trail!'

Ronin ducked just in time as Hana swung the sword through the air.

'Put that down!' he growled, clearly regretting the decision to let her have it in the first place. 'I told you, you're not not a samurai!' a samurai!'

One look at the scowling Ronin, his hands trembling, convinced Hana to do as she was told. 'You could could teach me how to use it,' she ventured quietly. teach me how to use it,' she ventured quietly.

Ronin glared at her.

'So what's the quickest way to Nara?' asked Jack, hoping to divert Ronin's darkening temper with a change of subject.

'Through the Kizu Valley,' replied Ronin.

'Isn't there another another way?' said Jack, feeling his frustration rise. They were about to retrace their steps yet again! way?' said Jack, feeling his frustration rise. They were about to retrace their steps yet again!

Ronin shook his head. 'The mountain trails would take too long and crossing points over the Kizu River are few and far between. We'll just have to take the risk.'

'I've been to Nara before,' Hana revealed. 'It only takes a day to get there.'

'Do you know where the Todai-ji Temple is then?' asked Jack, showing her the green silk omamori omamori.

Hana grinned. 'You can't miss it. The temple must be the biggest building in the world!'

Noticing that Ronin's hands were still shaking, Jack s.h.i.+fted along the log. 'Come closer to the fire, Ronin.'

'I'm not cold,' he mumbled, trying to control the trembling. 'I'd be fine if only I had some sake sake.'

Hana, frowning, gave Ronin a troubled look. 'Tell me, why do you always need to drink?'

'To forget.'

'You want to forget your... father?' ventured Hana.

'That's none of your business!' snapped Ronin.

Hana looked wounded by the return of Ronin's harshness.

Ronin grunted an apology. 'Ironic, isn't it, Jack? You can't remember but want to. I can remember and don't want to!'

With that, Ronin moved away and bedded down against a tree to sleep. Jack saw him shudder and wondered if it was the lack of sake sake, the chilly night or his troubled past that was the cause.

Jack and Hana sat in silence for a while as the night closed in around them. Only the crackle of wood burning and the buzzing of insects broke the stillness. Their faces flickered in the firelight as Jack poked the embers with a stick and sparks flew into the night sky.

'I love how the flames dance,' mumbled Hana dreamily, gazing into its blaze.

Jack stared at the orange glow and lost himself in it too. For a moment, the fire consumed everything in his vision. Just like it had when the Niten Ichi Ry Niten Ichi Ry had burnt. He thought he saw a face in the flames Kazuki laughing and recalled his rival's threat on Akiko's life. had burnt. He thought he saw a face in the flames Kazuki laughing and recalled his rival's threat on Akiko's life.

He grasped his stick, his knuckles going white with fury at himself. How foolish he'd been to let slip that Akiko had survived her injuries.

But then he realized that as long as Kazuki was after him him, he couldn't be searching for Akiko. The problem would arise when Jack left j.a.panese sh.o.r.es for England Kazuki would have free rein to carry out his terrible revenge. The thought of Akiko being hurt was too much to bear. Jack knew a final confrontation between him and Kazuki was inevitable. The stick in his hands snapped in a fit of enraged frustration. He blinked, suddenly aware of his surroundings.

'Can I ask you something?' whispered Hana tentatively.

Jack nodded and threw the broken branch into the fire.

'When you've found this rutter rutter in Nara, can I come with you to Nagasaki?' in Nara, can I come with you to Nagasaki?'

Jack hesitated, not sure how best to reply.

'I don't think that would be a good idea,' he said. 'It'll be just too too dangerous now. I'm not even sure you should be coming to Nara with me. I'm wanted by the Shogun dangerous now. I'm not even sure you should be coming to Nara with me. I'm wanted by the Shogun and and hunted by the Scorpion Gang. Besides, once in Nagasaki, I'm leaving j.a.pan for home.' hunted by the Scorpion Gang. Besides, once in Nagasaki, I'm leaving j.a.pan for home.'

'But there's nothing for me here here,' Hana replied dolefully. 'Being with you and Ronin is the first time I've felt I belonged belonged.'

Jack felt the crus.h.i.+ng loneliness in Hana's heart. 'I understand... but might it not be safer to stay with Ronin?'

Hana looked over at the samurai, who'd fallen into a fitful sleep. She shook her head sadly. 'He wouldn't want me around. It was stupid suggesting he adopt me!'

She made to move away from the fire. 'Just forget I asked to join you. No one wants me. I'm a hinin hinin.'

'A hinin hinin?'

'An outcast. A n.o.body.'

'You're not not a n.o.body,' stressed Jack. 'You're Hana.' a n.o.body,' stressed Jack. 'You're Hana.'

'Am I? I don't even know my real name. I just called myself "Hana" because I heard someone say it and liked it. I was hiding in a bush, when a samurai lady stopped and pointed, saying, "Hana, hana." For a moment, I thought she was pointing at me me! But she was just showing her daughter the flowers...'

Tears welled in Hana's eyes at the memory.

Jack didn't know what to say. He pulled the bedraggled origami origami crane from the sleeve of his kimono and handed it to Hana. crane from the sleeve of his kimono and handed it to Hana.

'My good friend Yori gave me this to bring luck upon my journey home. I want you to look after it. To remind you that you're not not a n.o.body. You have a friend in me.' a n.o.body. You have a friend in me.'

Hana took the crane and smiled. 'Thank you,' she whispered, wiping her eyes. 'That means a great deal. I've never had a true friend before.'

Jack reached over. 'Look, you can pull its tail and make the wings flap.'

Hana giggled and Jack felt grateful that, for once, he'd been able to pa.s.s on the joys of friends.h.i.+p. So far it had always been about him trying to fit in, to become accepted by others.

Looking at Hana then at Ronin snoring away, he realized all three of them were outcasts of j.a.panese society a masterless samurai, a girl thief and a foreigner. But, bound together by fate, they were no longer outcasts. They were friends.

34.

BUDDHA'S NOSE Jack looked up from beneath Ronin's straw hat and gasped. He'd never seen a building so immense and grand. The Todai-ji's main hall dominated the landscape. Broad as a mountain and taller than the highest spire, it made the monks and pilgrims who wandered the temple grounds seem like ants. Constructed entirely of wood, its walls were painted white and the beams varnished a deep russet brown as if built from the armour of a king. Crowning the uppermost roof were two curved horns that glinted of gold in the morning sun.

Jack followed Ronin and Hana down the wide thoroughfare that led to the steps of the temple. On either side were beautifully manicured gardens and throughout the grounds roamed hundreds of deer. Some of the animals were taking food from the hands of monks. Hana caught him staring at this strange sight.

'Deer are seen as heavenly creatures by the people of Nara,' she explained. 'They're believed to protect the city from harm.'

Pa.s.sing a large stone lantern set into the path, the three of them headed towards a covered wellspring. Jack and Hana washed their mouths and hands, while Ronin took a covert swig from a fresh bottle of rice wine.

'That's all the purification I need,' he said, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

On their way through Nara, they'd pa.s.sed a sake sake store and Ronin had been able to satisfy his thirst. Fortunately for Jack and Hana, there'd been a shop next door selling store and Ronin had been able to satisfy his thirst. Fortunately for Jack and Hana, there'd been a shop next door selling manj manj, so they spent the small amount of money left on three steamed buns and some more dried rice.

Having purified themselves, they climbed the stone steps up to the main hall. Outside its entrance was a large urn, trails of incense smoke wafting from a pincus.h.i.+on of burning sticks. The six great doors, five times the height of a man, were wide open and welcoming. They stepped inside the hall's darkened recesses and once again Jack's breath was taken away.

Seated before them, right palm held out, left hand resting in his lap, was a colossal bronze statue of the Buddha. Framed by an ornate golden backdrop, the effigy towered over the three of them, its gaze fixed upon the horizon. Even Ronin was awed in its presence.

To either side, further within the hall, were two gigantic warrior statues. Carved from wood, one painted yellow, the other red, these fierce guardians were almost as tall as the pillars that held up the Todai-ji's roof. Hana wandered off to take a closer look. Beside the entrance was a young priest and Jack approached, head bowed. He pulled the green silk omamori omamori out of his kimono. out of his kimono.