Disclaimer: I don't own Mushishi, or any of its characters (human or otherwise).
Springs of Truth and Lies
Ginko took a deep breath as he reached the crest of the hill. The morning air was fresh and clean, seeming to trickle through his body and rejuvenate his tired muscles. All the plants around him were lush and green, with drops of dew standing on their leaves. A farming town lay in the valley below him, and Ginko was glad to see it after having spent the past week or two in the wilderness. He looked forward to a warm bed, good food, and the company of other people.
Ginko descended the opposite side of the hill and took the main road through the town. He looked left and right, searching for an inn.
"Hello there, sir! I don't believe I've seen you around here before." Ginko turned to face the speaker, a tall, stout man in his forties. He had bushy black hair and an ample beard.
"I'm just a traveler passing through. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find an inn, would you?"
"Why, you've already found it! My name is Nojiri, and this is my inn." He pointed to the building behind him, which did indeed look like an inn. "Why don't you come inside, sir, and rest from your travels for a few days?"
The inn's furnishings were simple but cozy. Bright lanterns hung from the rough-hewn wooden cross-beams of the large common room, and the smell of hot food filled the air. Ginko took a seat at a long wooden table, alongside a few other men who were already engaged in conversation.
"Have you heard the latest rumor?" one of them asked his companions. "I hear they hauled Korobushi-san away yesterday. Said the water told them he was evil."
This unusual comment piqued Ginko's interest, and he began listening more carefully to his tablemates.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how much I trust the water anymore. Korobushi-san's always been one of the most upstanding citizens. I can't believe that he's gone bad."
"But the water's never led us astray before, has it? Our ancestors have been using it to root out criminals and evildoers since time out of mind. I remember my grandfather telling me stories about how it saved the village in his grandfather's time."
"I don't mean to butt in," Ginko said, "but what is this water you're speaking about? I couldn't help overhearing, and it doesn't sound like ordinary water to me. My name's Ginko, by the way."
The two men who had been arguing turned to him. Both had the wiry yet muscular bodies of farmers--clearly they worked in the rice fields that surrounded the town.
"I'm Kenichi," one of the men answered. "And to answer your question, here in this village we have a special treasure. It's a water that can discern good from evil. It's usually pure and clear, but if a man with a bad heart puts his hands in it, it turns black."
"Our ancestors found the water here when they arrived hundreds of years ago," the other man, whose name was Umehara, added. "Throughout our history, anyone who wanted to become leader of the village had to be tested by the water. In that way, we've avoided the troubles that plague many other towns when they choose a leader who isn't worthy."
"It's also allowed us to determine the guilt or innocence of suspects in a crime," Kenichi elaborated. "Because of the water, our town has stayed peaceful."
"Until now?" Ginko asked.
The two men looked at each other for a few moments, seeming reluctant to answer. Finally, Umehara said, "About a month ago, the village leader died of an illness. Since then, two men--Tsuji-san and Maemura-san--have been competing to take over his position. At first, both of them made well-reasoned arguments: they told us that they were the best equipped to increase our prosperity, negotiate beneficial trade agreements with nearby towns, defend us against roving bandits, the kind of stuff you'd expect. But over the past week or so, Tsuji-san's begun accusing all of Maemura-san's major supporters of secretly plotting against the village. He challenged them to put their hands in the sacred water, and sure enough, it turned black as night."
"Because of that," Kenichi elaborated, "many people are becoming skeptical of Maemura-san, and turning to Tsuji-san's side. But some of us see things differently." He leaned in close to Ginko and lowered his voice. "Some of the men Tsuji-san accused are known to be honorable, upstanding people. Pillars of the community. We think Tsuji-san's found a way to trick the water somehow."
"Hmm..." Ginko puffed on his pipe in silence for a few seconds. "This water of yours sounds like it's inhabited by some kind of mushi. I'd be interested in seeing it, if it's allowed for visitors to do so."
"Of course it's allowed! That water is the pride of our town. But," Umehara cautioned, "you mustn't tell anyone about our suspicions. We don't want to get hauled away ourselves."
The water was housed in a temple at the center of town, sandwiched between the meeting hall and the mayor's house. At the sides of the open, airy space within were several small shrines at which people could make offerings to their departed ancestors. At the far end was a statue of Buddha carved from jade, benevolently gazing out over anyone who happened to be in the temple. In his outstretched hands, he held a shallow bowl, also carved from jade. Ginko bowed respectfully and approached to inspect the statue more closely. The bowl was full almost to the brim with clear water.
"Ah, I see you've found the water that our village is famous for!" Ginko turned at the sound of the booming, amiable voice. A tall, husky man was striding up the central aisle of the temple.
"Are you Tsuji-san, by any chance?"
The man nodded. "Indeed I am. And you are...?"
"My name is Ginko. I'm just a traveler passing through this region. When I heard about this remarkable water, I decided to stop here for a few days."
"Well, go ahead, try it out." Tsuji beamed as Ginko gently slipped his hands into the water.
Absolutely nothing happened.
"Well, it seems like your conscience is clear, my friend!" Tsuji clapped a hand on Ginko's shoulder.
"So, are you the mayor of this town?" Ginko asked.
"I will be soon enough. Our previous mayor passed away a few weeks ago. I haven't been officially chosen as the next mayor yet, but it's only a matter of time. There isn't really another candidate, after all."
"Yes, there is!" came an indignant voice from the entryway. A man was standing there, about as tall as Tsuji but thinner and older.
"Ah, Maemura-san." Tsuji's voice remained as confident and friendly as ever, but his expression was stony. "I meant to say that there isn't another legitimate candidate. With so many of your supporters being discredited, I don't think the people of this village can really put their trust in you. They say that a man can be judged by the company he keeps, and your acquaintances show you to be quite corrupt." He pointed back towards the doorway. "Like, for example, that man there."
Ginko turned to see Nojiri walking in, flanked by two stern-looking villagers. "What is this about?" Nojiri demanded.
Tsuji sauntered over to Nojiri, hands clasped behind his back. "Well, Nojiri-san, I've heard some rather disturbing things about you. I hear, for example, that you've been spreading some rather nasty lies about me. And I also hear that you've been cheating some of the people who stay at your inn. Not a very nice thing to do."
"What? I've never cheated a customer in my life! And you're a fine one to talk about corruption!"
"Why, I'm certainly not asking anyone to take my word for it. Luckily, we in this village have an impartial judge to settle such matters for us."
"Excuse me," Ginko interjected. "I know I'm just a traveler, I don't have any right to interfere in your affairs. But I can't help pointing out that this water, the way I understand it, can't tell you specifically what a person's guilty of. Even if, by some chance, Nojiri-san has done something wrong, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with cheating his customers or disrupting this election."
"Well, that's true," Tsuji allowed. "But it still speaks to the character of Maemura-san's associates, and as I said, the company a man keeps says a lot about him." He nodded towards Nojiri. "Why don't you just put your hands in the water, and we'll see what happens."
Nojiri squared his shoulders and strode defiantly forward, plunging his hands into the water without hesitation. Tiny black specks materialized around his hands--a few at first, then more and more, until the bowl of water looked like smoke had somehow become dissolved in it.
"Wha-what?" Nojiri withdrew his hands as if the water had scalded them.
"Hmph," Tsuji said. "It looks like the things I've heard are true after all."
"You've done something to the water! You've tricked it somehow!"
"And do you have any proof of that, Nojiri-san?" Tsuji's refined mask slipped for a moment, and an ugly leer crossed his face. He gestured to the villagers who'd escorted Nojiri in. "Keep him under guard until we get this whole matter sorted out. We don't want him to cheat any more of his inn's guests, do we?"
"This is awful," Umehara lamented, staring despondently into his cup of sake. "Nojiri-san was one of Maemura-san's most important supporters. He's a respected businessman who's always been viewed as a pillar of the community. With him discredited too..."
Nojiri's son was serving the customers at the inn, but was obviously very nervous. As he passed Umehara and Kenichi's table and heard them talking, he shuddered, spilling sake into Kenichi's lap. "Ah! Kenichi-san, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"It's okay, kid. We're all worried about your dad right now."
"What I don't get," Umehara said, stabbing the air with his pipe, "is how Tsuji-san's been tricking the water."
"I don't think he's been tricking it at all," came a voice from the doorway. The two men and the boy turned around to see Ginko leaning against the doorframe.
"Listen, traveler," Umehara said, waving the pipe at Ginko, "I know you aren't familiar with our community, so maybe you can be forgiven for saying such things. But I've known Maemura-san and Nojiri-san since we were all children, and I know they're both honest men! If anyone's up to anything dishonorable here, it's Tsuji-san, not them!"
Ginko raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't say that Maemura-san or Nojiro-san were dishonest, or that Tsuji-san wasn't. On the contrary, I agree that Tsuji-san is deceiving all of you. But he hasn't done it by tricking the water. He's done it by replacing it."
Umehara had risen from his chair during his earlier outburst, but now he sat back down again in shock. "Replaced it? With what? And how?"
Ginko removed a small glass vial from his pocket and set it on the table. "I held this concealed in my hand when I touched the water earlier, and collected a sample. I've examined it, and come to a conclusion. The reason your water can distinguish between good and evil is because a mushi lives in it. It's called Kokoro-no-Kagami, the Mirror of the Heart. But this water contains a different mushi. It's related, but not the same. This one is Nakama-no-Kagami, the Mirror of Friendship. It distinguishes the difference between friends and enemies."
"Friends and enemies? You mean..."
"That's right. When a person removes Nakama-no-Kagami from the pool where it lives, it forms a bond with that person. From then on, if a friend touches the mushi, it remains clear, just as normal water would. But if an enemy or rival touches it, it turns black. There must be two springs near your village that have mushi-inhabited water: one that holds Nakama-no-Kagami and one that holds Kokoro-no-Kagami. Up until now, most of the people in your village only knew about the Kokoro-no-Kagami spring. Tsuji-san must have stumbled across the other one and realized he could use it to his advantage."
"So what do we do?"
"If we could find the second spring, we could prove what's going on. The problem is that Tsuji-san probably has it guarded somehow, even if we could find it. But I'm sure I can think of something..."
Ginko moved silently through the forest, placing each foot carefully so as to avoid making noise. The night was cool and breezy, and fireflies drifted past, glowing like miniature lanterns. Ginko eased around a tree trunk and looked down from his perch at the top of a small hill. In the valley below, a clear spring bubbled up from the ground. It was small and unassuming, but two sturdy men armed with quarterstaffs stood guard over it.
This has got to be it, Ginko thought, and pulled a small vial out of his pocket. Inside, something that looked like dense fog swirled and shifted. Ginko carefully pulled the stopper out of the bottle. The mist rose out and curled around him. It was a mushi, one that rendered anyone it surrounded nearly invisible. Under cover of the mushi, Ginko crept down to the spring and filled a larger bottle with its water.
"Fellow citizens, this has gone on long enough. Our town cannot continue to remain without a leader if we wish to prosper. I think I have clearly shown that my opponent is corrupt and dishonest. I would urge all of you to put your trust in me. I promise that I will not fail you!" Tsuji gazed out over the crowd of assembled townspeople. Most of them were nodding and looking thoroughly convinced. And how could they not? One by one, all of Maemura's supporters had been judged evil by the water that had protected their village for centuries. How could a man who surrounded himself with such people be a fit leader?
"Hold on a minute!" A voice rang out from the back of the crowd, and everyone turned to look towards the source. It was the traveler, Ginko, flanked by Umehara and Kenichi. Ginko strode up the aisle between the rows of benches. "I'm just a traveler here, and I have no right to tell you who to accept as your leader. But you should at least make an informed choice. You should know the truth about both of the candidates."
"Are you implying that I've been dishonest about something, Ginko-san?" Tsuji's voice was polite, but there was a dangerous edge to it.
"He's not implying anything," Kenichi broke in angrily, "he's saying it outright. You've tricked us, Tsuji-san."
Tsuji laughed dismissively. "And how would I do that? I'd have to trick the water too. Do you think any mortal can do that?"
"No," Kenichi responded. "But that assumes that the water in that bowl is really what you say it is. You've replaced it, haven't you?"
"Replaced it? With what? This is ridiculous! You've all seen the water work just as it always has!"
"Except it's not the same water," said Ginko. "It's a different one, one that distinguishes between friends and enemies rather than between good and evil. I've been to your secret spring, Tsuji-san, and I've taken a sample of the water there. I have it right here." He held the bottle aloft, shaking it so that the liquid inside sloshed back and forth. "Why don't we test everyone that you've claimed is evil, one more time, with this water?"
"What need for that is there?" Tsuji blustered. "This foreigner is just trying to confuse you for some nefarious purpose of his own!"
"He may be a foreigner, Tsuji-san, but he cares more about this town than you do!" Umehara said. "Besides, what harm can come of it? If you're telling the truth, an additional test will simply confirm it. You've got nothing to lose...if you're being honest with us."
"This is just a waste of time..." Tsuji tried to protest, but an old woman in the front row had gotten shakily to her feet.
"Choosing a new leader for our town is an important matter. This second test will only take a few minutes--surely it's worth it?" The woman seemed to be a respected elder of the town, because many other people in the group began to nod and murmur in agreement. A few men rushed off, presumably to bring Nojiri and the others back from wherever they were being held. Everyone else waited in uncomfortable silence for them to return. Ginko noticed that Tsuji seemed especially nervous, fidgeting and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
After a few minutes, the men who'd left came back with Nojiri and several others. They came up to the front, and someone gave Ginko a bowl to pour the water into. Each of the men who'd been arrested put his hands into it in turn...and it remained crystal-clear.
The murmuring in the crowd grew louder, with nearly everyone whispering to their neighbors. "And now you, Tsuji-san," said Ginko. Tsuji reluctantly placed his hands in the water, which promptly turned jet-black.
"You see?" Ginko announced. "Two tests, with very different results. Clearly, there are two different types of water."
Tsuji recovered quickly. "Didn't he say this is the water that tells friends from enemies? Of course it turned black when I put my hands in, and remained clear for the others. They're his collaborators, and I'm the one he's trying to bring down!"
"But we also have the true water of our village," Kenichi said fiercely. "Your men were guarding the spring, but Ginko gave us a mushi that concealed us from their sight. We were able to collect some of the water that's always protected us." He withdrew a bottle from his coat, and poured it into another bowl. "So what do you say to just one more test, Tsuji-san?"
Nojiri and the other men Tsuji had discredited dipped their hands again, and once again the water remained pristine. "Your turn now, Tsuji-san."
This time, Tsuji backed away. "Is this really necessary?" he asked. "As I said, this is just a waste of time." He tried to sidle towards a side door, but Kenichi grabbed one of his wrists and thrust his hand into the bowl. Dark smoke seemed to billow up within the water, writhing and twisting around Tsuji's hand.
With a cry, Tsuji broke free of Kenichi's grip and bolted for the side door. Umehara chased after him and tackled him before he could get the door open. Most of the townspeople were on their feet now, shouting and gesturing in shock.
The old woman in the front row sighed and lit a pipe. "Well, this is certainly the most interesting election we've had in a long time."
"Really, I don't know how to thank you." Maemura shook Ginko's hand again, smiling from ear to ear. "You've done such a great service for me, and for all the people of this town."
Nojiri nodded in agreement. "Anytime you pass back this way, you can stay at my inn free of charge!"
Kenichi and Umehara beamed. "And we'll give you rice from our fields to take with you on your trip."
"Are you sure you won't stay a little longer?" Maemura asked.
"I'm afraid I have to go and meet with a patient who needs me," Ginko said. "It's a long journey, and I need to start out as soon as possible. But thank you for your generosity."
"Generosity!" Kenichi scoffed. "You're the one who's been generous to us, helping us out like this and not wanting any money for it."
Umehara handed Ginko a folded piece of paper. "My brother's a ship captain based in a port on the coast. This letter of introduction will tell him who you are and what you've done. You should be able to book passage to where you're going on his ship, no problem."
Ginko thanked him, shook hands with everyone again, and took his leave.
"All right, everyone!" Maemura called. "I think we've all been distracted long enough, don't you? Let's get back to business!"
A/N: The mushi that Ginko uses to get past the guards around the spring is supposed to be the same as the one he used to sneak around the war-torn Amegakure in my story "Colors in the Kaleidoscope." The patient he mentions in the last scene is also supposed to be the one from that story.
Thanks for reading, and please review!