The Water Merchant
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken
~*~
"Why does Saotome have all the luck? Why can't I ever do anything like he does? I
swear…" Ryoga Hibiki clenched his fist as he walked down the solitary road. He didn't
know where he was going, and for once, he didn't care. He just wanted to be ahead of
Ranma Saotome in at least one aspect.
"I swear Saotome…I'll defeat you someday!" Ryoga stopped and looked around for a
place to rest. He'd been traveling for a while and was thirsty. Putting down his backpack,
he opened the top and began searching for his canteen.
Finding it, he opened it and prepared to drink, but to his dismay, he was out of water. He
ran a hand through his thick black hair and took off his black spotted orange bandana and
wiped his face with it.
"K'so. Now where am I going to find more water?" Ryoga surveyed the empty road. No
one was in sight, and there was no city ahead and the last one he'd left far behind. All
that was here was lots of boulders like the one he was resting against and trees.
"Did you say, 'water'?" A voice with a soft feminine quality sounded from above him, in
one of the tall trees. Ryoga jumped slightly. He'd thought he was all-alone.
Looking up, he could see a figure sitting on one of the branches. He squinted his brown
eyes but couldn't see anything particularly threatening.
"Who are you? Come out!" Ryoga called, putting down his canteen. He didn't take an
offensive stance, not sensing anything to be worried about. But he tensed just slightly, all
the same.
"Sure! Wait a sec, I'll be right down!" That same feminine voice, gentle, yet happy
sounding, came from his left. He turned in time to see her jump down.
With a series of soft metallic ringing sounds, she landed not five feet away from him. She
was in a crouching position, and was looking up at him.
Ryoga felt his heart in his throat.
She stood up, giving Ryoga a better look at how she was dressed and what she carried
with her.
She wore a belt like a sash, from hip to shoulder, which was lined with small metal
bottles, and there was a small knapsack on her back. Wearing a spaghetti strapped blue
shirt under an off the shoulder orange tank top, paired with blue jean shorts and brown
Roman sandals, it showed off her curved body, which reminded him of the female
Ranma, for a strange reason.
"You said, you wanted water." She said, that soft voice, which reminded him yet of the
female Ranma again. Yet her voice was calm, flowing, like the water she was talking
about.
"Y-yes…" Ryoga managed to get out, his canteen almost falling out of his hand. Even if
she looked like Ranma, she was still pretty.
"Then I can help you." Her face took on a happy look and her blue eyes sparkled as she
smiled. In a half bow, she leaned forward with her hands clasped behind her back. This
brought her hair into the sunlight, giving the top of her blonde head a sort of halo. "I'm
Genmuu S-…" she paused in the beginning of her last name and then shrugged and
waited for Ryoga to answer.
"You can? I mean, what do you carry?" Ryoga felt somewhat puzzled. This girl didn't
look as if she carried the water he needed. The knapsack was too small to carry more than
three canteens in it, and the small bottles looked as if they barely carried two swallows of
water.
"That is, you don't seem to have much water…and I'm very thirsty." Ryoga said,
gesturing with his bandana.
"I can give you water to settle your thirst and the thirst in your soul." She smiled again,
and whipped out her backpack. "Now, what is your name?"
"R-ryoga Hibiki." Ryoga was taken aback. 'The thirst in my soul? What could she
possibly mean?'
"Now, Ryoga…you wanted water. What are you going to offer me?" She pulled a
canteen out of her backpack. As she did so, a thin bamboo reed fell out of the backpack.
"Offer you? I don't have much money…" Ryoga gestured with his bandana in his hand at
his backpack. "I could trade."
"Fine. I'll take that bandana." She pointed at the length of cloth in his hand.
"My bandana? What would you want this for?" Ryoga looked at it and then at her. She
grinned and swished the canteen, which was definitely full of water.
"I like it." She responded.
"Oh…okay. Fine." He walked closer to her, and handed her the bandana. She took it
eagerly from his hand, her hand lingering on his for a second. She blushed and tossed him
the canteen.
Ryoga eagerly caught it and began to drink, making sure not to spill it on his skin.
Genmuu watched him with pleasure and then walked around him, bandana in her hand.
Ryoga didn't stop drinking, just watched her from the corners of his eyes.
When she came around into his view, her back was to him. He now saw her hair was very
long, in a braid to her waist. The braid almost caught him off guard, which was more like
Ranma than anything.
He took the canteen from his mouth and quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Is
something wrong?" he asked, wondering why she stood so still.
"You. Have. A problem." She turned around and pointed at him, bandana still in her
hand.
Ryoga almost dropped the canteen he'd bargained for. A growing suspicion that she
knew of his curse began to come upon him.
"I can fix it." Genmuu picked up her bamboo reed off the ground. Ryoga watched
carefully as she pulled one of the larger vessels from her belt, the one she wore like a
sash, off and opened the lid. She dipped the reed in it, holding her finger over the end at
the top and then pulled it out. A bit of water dripped from the opposite end.
"See? Water, from Juusenkyou." She grinned at his shocked expression. Ryoga began to
back up, until he touched the boulder behind him.
With a quick upward motion, so quick Ryoga almost couldn't follow it with his eye, she
lifted the reed to her lips and blew with a quick breath.
Before he could react, Ryoga felt the freezing cold water on his neck. Groaning, he just
knew he'd been changed into a pig, and this Ranma-like girl had come to laugh at him for
his curse.
He waited. When the laughter didn't come, he looked up. Eye level with him was
Genmuu, still golden haired and smiling, but she'd flipped her braid over her shoulder
and was tying his bandana on the end of it.
He looked at his hands, and saw he was still male. But this was impossible, his mind
screamed at himself. He looked at her again. She'd just finished tying his bandana on to
the fastening at the end of her braid. She smiled at it admiringly, and then turned back to
him.
"You're welcome, Ryoga-sama." She bowed to him again, hands behind her back. She'd
put her knapsack back on, and looked as if she were ready to leave.
"But…what did you just do?" Ryoga knew he'd been cured, but he didn't know if he was
dreaming or not. He could still feel the cold shot of water she'd blown onto his neck.
"Spring of drowned boy." Genmuu said simply. Her blue eyes were more serious now.
"You knew what Juusenkyou was, I could feel it. You also carried the air of one who'd
fallen into the springs."
"Oh." Ryoga felt strange all of a sudden. Something akin to what he thought to be
happiness flowed through him. He couldn't say anything more.
"Thanks for the bandana, Ryoga-sama. Maybe I'll see you again." She turned, her bright
golden braid waving merrily as she walked away from the stunned Ryoga, the bright
orange of his bandana on the end of her braid waving at him goodbye.
Ryoga stood there in shock. When he finally came to his senses, he could only get out
two words and then they were soft and barely heard.
"Thank…you…"
~*~
A/N: Bwahahah, lol it's time for Ryoga-chan to go and GLOAT to Ranma over being
cured…lol. Anyways, I'll be evil and not continue this on Ryoga-sama (cause fang-boys
are cute) if no one reviews!! ~Tsutae Kouken~
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken
~*~
"Why does Saotome have all the luck? Why can't I ever do anything like he does? I
swear…" Ryoga Hibiki clenched his fist as he walked down the solitary road. He didn't
know where he was going, and for once, he didn't care. He just wanted to be ahead of
Ranma Saotome in at least one aspect.
"I swear Saotome…I'll defeat you someday!" Ryoga stopped and looked around for a
place to rest. He'd been traveling for a while and was thirsty. Putting down his backpack,
he opened the top and began searching for his canteen.
Finding it, he opened it and prepared to drink, but to his dismay, he was out of water. He
ran a hand through his thick black hair and took off his black spotted orange bandana and
wiped his face with it.
"K'so. Now where am I going to find more water?" Ryoga surveyed the empty road. No
one was in sight, and there was no city ahead and the last one he'd left far behind. All
that was here was lots of boulders like the one he was resting against and trees.
"Did you say, 'water'?" A voice with a soft feminine quality sounded from above him, in
one of the tall trees. Ryoga jumped slightly. He'd thought he was all-alone.
Looking up, he could see a figure sitting on one of the branches. He squinted his brown
eyes but couldn't see anything particularly threatening.
"Who are you? Come out!" Ryoga called, putting down his canteen. He didn't take an
offensive stance, not sensing anything to be worried about. But he tensed just slightly, all
the same.
"Sure! Wait a sec, I'll be right down!" That same feminine voice, gentle, yet happy
sounding, came from his left. He turned in time to see her jump down.
With a series of soft metallic ringing sounds, she landed not five feet away from him. She
was in a crouching position, and was looking up at him.
Ryoga felt his heart in his throat.
She stood up, giving Ryoga a better look at how she was dressed and what she carried
with her.
She wore a belt like a sash, from hip to shoulder, which was lined with small metal
bottles, and there was a small knapsack on her back. Wearing a spaghetti strapped blue
shirt under an off the shoulder orange tank top, paired with blue jean shorts and brown
Roman sandals, it showed off her curved body, which reminded him of the female
Ranma, for a strange reason.
"You said, you wanted water." She said, that soft voice, which reminded him yet of the
female Ranma again. Yet her voice was calm, flowing, like the water she was talking
about.
"Y-yes…" Ryoga managed to get out, his canteen almost falling out of his hand. Even if
she looked like Ranma, she was still pretty.
"Then I can help you." Her face took on a happy look and her blue eyes sparkled as she
smiled. In a half bow, she leaned forward with her hands clasped behind her back. This
brought her hair into the sunlight, giving the top of her blonde head a sort of halo. "I'm
Genmuu S-…" she paused in the beginning of her last name and then shrugged and
waited for Ryoga to answer.
"You can? I mean, what do you carry?" Ryoga felt somewhat puzzled. This girl didn't
look as if she carried the water he needed. The knapsack was too small to carry more than
three canteens in it, and the small bottles looked as if they barely carried two swallows of
water.
"That is, you don't seem to have much water…and I'm very thirsty." Ryoga said,
gesturing with his bandana.
"I can give you water to settle your thirst and the thirst in your soul." She smiled again,
and whipped out her backpack. "Now, what is your name?"
"R-ryoga Hibiki." Ryoga was taken aback. 'The thirst in my soul? What could she
possibly mean?'
"Now, Ryoga…you wanted water. What are you going to offer me?" She pulled a
canteen out of her backpack. As she did so, a thin bamboo reed fell out of the backpack.
"Offer you? I don't have much money…" Ryoga gestured with his bandana in his hand at
his backpack. "I could trade."
"Fine. I'll take that bandana." She pointed at the length of cloth in his hand.
"My bandana? What would you want this for?" Ryoga looked at it and then at her. She
grinned and swished the canteen, which was definitely full of water.
"I like it." She responded.
"Oh…okay. Fine." He walked closer to her, and handed her the bandana. She took it
eagerly from his hand, her hand lingering on his for a second. She blushed and tossed him
the canteen.
Ryoga eagerly caught it and began to drink, making sure not to spill it on his skin.
Genmuu watched him with pleasure and then walked around him, bandana in her hand.
Ryoga didn't stop drinking, just watched her from the corners of his eyes.
When she came around into his view, her back was to him. He now saw her hair was very
long, in a braid to her waist. The braid almost caught him off guard, which was more like
Ranma than anything.
He took the canteen from his mouth and quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Is
something wrong?" he asked, wondering why she stood so still.
"You. Have. A problem." She turned around and pointed at him, bandana still in her
hand.
Ryoga almost dropped the canteen he'd bargained for. A growing suspicion that she
knew of his curse began to come upon him.
"I can fix it." Genmuu picked up her bamboo reed off the ground. Ryoga watched
carefully as she pulled one of the larger vessels from her belt, the one she wore like a
sash, off and opened the lid. She dipped the reed in it, holding her finger over the end at
the top and then pulled it out. A bit of water dripped from the opposite end.
"See? Water, from Juusenkyou." She grinned at his shocked expression. Ryoga began to
back up, until he touched the boulder behind him.
With a quick upward motion, so quick Ryoga almost couldn't follow it with his eye, she
lifted the reed to her lips and blew with a quick breath.
Before he could react, Ryoga felt the freezing cold water on his neck. Groaning, he just
knew he'd been changed into a pig, and this Ranma-like girl had come to laugh at him for
his curse.
He waited. When the laughter didn't come, he looked up. Eye level with him was
Genmuu, still golden haired and smiling, but she'd flipped her braid over her shoulder
and was tying his bandana on the end of it.
He looked at his hands, and saw he was still male. But this was impossible, his mind
screamed at himself. He looked at her again. She'd just finished tying his bandana on to
the fastening at the end of her braid. She smiled at it admiringly, and then turned back to
him.
"You're welcome, Ryoga-sama." She bowed to him again, hands behind her back. She'd
put her knapsack back on, and looked as if she were ready to leave.
"But…what did you just do?" Ryoga knew he'd been cured, but he didn't know if he was
dreaming or not. He could still feel the cold shot of water she'd blown onto his neck.
"Spring of drowned boy." Genmuu said simply. Her blue eyes were more serious now.
"You knew what Juusenkyou was, I could feel it. You also carried the air of one who'd
fallen into the springs."
"Oh." Ryoga felt strange all of a sudden. Something akin to what he thought to be
happiness flowed through him. He couldn't say anything more.
"Thanks for the bandana, Ryoga-sama. Maybe I'll see you again." She turned, her bright
golden braid waving merrily as she walked away from the stunned Ryoga, the bright
orange of his bandana on the end of her braid waving at him goodbye.
Ryoga stood there in shock. When he finally came to his senses, he could only get out
two words and then they were soft and barely heard.
"Thank…you…"
~*~
A/N: Bwahahah, lol it's time for Ryoga-chan to go and GLOAT to Ranma over being
cured…lol. Anyways, I'll be evil and not continue this on Ryoga-sama (cause fang-boys
are cute) if no one reviews!! ~Tsutae Kouken~