General Info

First Issue: USAGI YOJIMBO Volume 1, Issue 6

Comics Which Contain This Story

This story can be found in the following comics:

	USAGI YOJIMBO Volume 1, Issue 6
	USAGI YOJIMBO Book 2

Characters

The following characters are mentioned in the story:

• Miyamoto Usagi

Story Synopsis

Continuing his wanderings, Usagi travels through a marsh. Finding some wild growing cucumbers, he picks them, then continues on. He does not get far however; a kappa rises from the water, demanding payment to be allowed to cross the marshes. Knowing their fondness for cucumbers, Usagi gives those he found earlier to the evil spirit and hurries onward.

Spying a house not far away, he is seen by the house's owner and invited in. An old woman provides him with a meal and chats with him. He tells her of the kappa and his luck in finding the cucumbers. At hearing this, the old woman begins to wail. She had planted the cucumbers for her son to pay the kappa when he came to visit her. Usagi hurries off to rectify the situation.

Arriving back at the marsh, Usagi sees the kappa holding another samurai in thrall. Demanding his release, Usagi tells the kappa of the mix up. The kappa does not care however, and demands another toll from Usagi, attacking him. Usagi is very nearly overcome by the formidable monster however manages to spill the water from it's inverted fontanelle, incapacitating the beast. He makes the kappa free its victim and promise to stop harassing passing travellers before he allows it to return to the water.

The other samurai thanks Usagi, but is confused as to how he knew he would be there. Usagi explains the meeting with the samurai's mother. Usagi is startled to learn about the death of the samurai's mother, a victim to the kappa one year ago to the day.