Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries from the front flap-- (Watsuki-sensei is tiring himself out slashing the air with a sword. Yahiko is looking on with scorn.) Watsuki: The feeling of a real sword in your hand is the best! (But actually I feel more like the Highlander . . .) Yahiko: That’s not the best at all! REMORSE The complaints in earlier books are really too pathetic. From now I’ll do my best to pick up my spirits. To change the subject, recently I’ve been thinking about buying a real sword. It’s expensive shopping, but it will be material, and I’ll be totally absorbed by it, like in the picture above. But I’m sometimes exhausted . . . especially since I have no time. I’ll probably have to give up on the real sword and look forward to buying a big picture of "Samurai Shodown." Part 40--A Man of Ideals (Sanosuke and Kenshin are walking home from the market.) Sanosuke: It’s been ten days since the Shinko school attack, and no sign that Raijuuta’s coming. Maybe you beat ‘em so easy he got scared. Kenshin: It wasn’t easy. There were a lot of them, and the one with the twin blade was good. Sanosuke: That's what you say, but it doesn't sound like you mean it. Kenshin (reaching for the dojo door): You think so? Yahiko: Who’s a shrimp, you cat-eyed bastard? Sanosuke: Ouch. Kenshin: Oro. Yahiko: You’re not even a student and you keep coming here every day! I thought you weren’t doing shinai kenjutsu anymore!! Yutarou: I told you, shinai kenjutsu's just a game! I came to check things out for Sensei’s fight with Himura Kenshin! Yahiko: Checking things out? All Kenshin ever does is clean house. Yutarou: Right. That surprised me too. Yahiko: So why do you keep coming here--!! Yutarou: Since when do I take orders from you!! Sanosuke: Looks like we're getting the understudy instead of the real thing. Kenshin: For ten long days. Kaoru: (These kids are going to drive me crazy!) That’s it! Stop fighting! You two are here to practice! Practice! Yahiko, today Yuta rou’s practicing the jumping face stroke. You be the target. Yahiko: You want me to do what? Kaoru: I’m too tall for him; it wouldn’t be good practice. Don’t complain. Hurry and put on the mask. That’s an order from your master! (Yahiko puts on the kendo mask and armor.) Yahiko: Come on. Let’s see that shaky sword of yours. . . (Yutarou deals him a strong stroke.) Kaoru (to Kenshin): How was that? Kenshin: I’m surprised. (thinking) He’s more talented with the sword than I thought . . . Yahiko (thinking, as Yutarou continues to practice): This guy couldn’t even hold a shinai right when he started--he’s come a long way in ten days. He’s not just talk anymore! But-- (ripping off the mask and fighting back, saying) Aren’t you going overboard!!! Kaoru: That’s enough!! Kenshin: Ororo. (Later, at the Akabeko) Yutarou: Mm! Food tastes great after exercise. (holding out his bowl to Yahiko) Waiter, could I have another bowl? Yahiko (jumping into a dust-cloud fight): How much are you planning on packing away? Yutarou: Hey, I’m a customer! Kenshin: Can we stop them? Kaoru: I just don’t know anymore . . . Tsubame (creeping up to their table): Umm . . . Thank you for before. Kenshin: Nagaoka hasn’t been bothering you since then, has he? Tsubame: No, thanks to you. Sanosuke: If he does, you just tell us. Tsubame: Is that a friend of Yahiko’s? Kaoru: Um, sort of. Tsubame: They look like they’re getting along well. Yahiko (turning from Yutarou to yell at her): We’re FIGHTING!!! This is not getting along well!! Are you blind or something? Tsubame: I’m sorry . . . Kaoru (giving Yahiko several lumps on the head): Don't scare Tsubame like that! Yahiko (storming off): Everyone’s against me! Sanosuke: Disgraceful. Kaoru: Oh, that’s right, Yuta. I have something to ask you. Yutarou (with his mouth full): Ask me what? Kaoru: About becoming a student. How about it? You've been working hard. I’m sure you and Yahiko would become fine swordsmen of the Kamiya Kasshin school. (A pause. Then Yutarou lays his chopsticks down across his bowl and bows his head.) Yutarou: I’m sorry . . . Miss Kaoru, you’re a good teacher. I was really happy that you picked me out. And Himura Kenshin, I know you’re a really strong swordsman. I really hate the rooster head, but. Sanosuke: Hey, I don’t like you much either, kid. Yutarou: Even though I’d decided that shinai kenjutsu was stupid, when I tried it, it was really fun. I really enjoyed training at the Kamiya dojo. But, like I thought, if I want to be strong, Raijuuta-sensei can teach me better. (Later, walking home. Yutarou is a little in front of the rest.) Yutarou: I first met Sensei on a night like this. We were going down a forest path on our way home. The carriage was attacked by bandits. (Flashback. Their carriage is overturned, and Yutarou, his father, and a servant are backed against it by a large group of bandits.) Bandit: Go ahead and call for help, Tsukayama. No one will hear you. (To Yutarou’s shock, his father prostrates himself, touching his forehead to the ground.) Tsukayama: If it’s money you want, I can give you as much as you need. Just spare our lives-- Bandit: You’re pathetic. You must have traded in your honor along with your sword for your money. Hey, you (to Yutarou) get down on your knees and beg for your life. Yutarou: You must be joking! Tsukayama Yutarou is a descendent of Tokyo samurai-- (The bandit kicks him, sending him flying.) Tsukayama: Yutarou!! Bandit (picking Yutarou up by his shirt): Showing off, kid? A brat like you should be like you r father and beg. Right, Mr. Tsukayama? Tsukayama (bowing again): Please, just spare his life-- (The bandit laughs, but is choked off suddenly as the gigantic figure of Raijuuta appears behind him. Raijuuta brings down the sword as the bandit flees for his life.) Yutarou (thinking): Only one blow! With one blow he sent the bandits running like baby spiders. That’s when I knew he was invincible. Sanosuke: Raijuuta saved you? You’ve got to be kidding. Yutarou: Shut up, rooster head! Sensei doesn’t say much and never has an expression on his face so everyone misunderstands him. But the strongest men in the world would scatter before this man of ideals. If I’m strong like him, I won’t grow up to be a weakling like my father. (turning to face them) Himura Kenshin, how will the fight with Sensei be? Just make sure it's a fair and proper fight. A real match between two great swordsmen-- (Raijuuta appears behind them, sword raised to strike when they're not looking.) Yutarou: SENSEI!!? Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 41--One More Secret Sword (Raijuuta brings the sword down. They scatter out of the way.) Yutarou (thinking) No . . . Sensei!! The secret sword Izuna with a real sword! You were going to kill him and you didn't even care! Sanosuke: A sudden attack from behind, at night. Now we see what you're really like. Yutarou: No, that was just a greeting! That wasn’t serious! Was it, sensei! (Raijuuta, ignoring him, looks to Kenshin.) Yutarou: Sensei . . . Kenshin: Stand back, Miss Kaoru. (The fight begins. As Raijuuta strikes with the Izuna, trees are cut to stumps, stones are sheared in two. But at the end Kenshin stands untouched behind him.) Sanosuke: It’s just like my zanbatou. No matter how strong you are, it doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t connect. (Raijuuta kicks up some dirt with his heel.) Yutarou (thinking): Throwing sand in his eyes! (aloud) Sensei! (Kenshin evades the next blow, leaps above Raijuuta performs the Ryuutsuisen, slicing off one of the shoulder guards.) Raijuuta: So, my Matoi Izuna can’t destroy you? But you won’t be able to stop the secret technique of the Izuna . . . Secret Sword Tobi Izuna! (He whips his sword through the air. Kenshin stares. Though he tries to put up his sword to block, something grazes his shoulder and goes past him to cut Yutarou’s arm to the bone.) Kenshin: Yutarou! (He runs back to him. Yutarou’s arm gushes blood.) Kaoru: We’ve got to stop the bleeding. Get him to a doctor-- Raijuuta: Leave him. It’s not a vital spot--he won’t die. Yahiko: You bastard! You know you’ve just deliberately hurt your own student? Raijuuta: I know more than you. You really thought that child was my student? Kaoru: What . . . Raijuuta: Kenjutsu brings no money in the world of today, but I needed a lot to spread the Shinko school. The quickest ways to acquire funds is a patron. So I played the patient teacher for my patron’s brat. It’s too bad I have to lose him after I went so far as to stage a robbery on him, but, I can always get another. Yutarou: Sen . . . sei . . . Raijuuta: Now, I’ll settle the matter of destroying you. (Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko, carrying Yutarou, walk away.) Raijuuta: What? You turn away from the fight? Kenshin (over his shoulder): Wait there. You’ll taste living hell soon enough. (Raijuuta seethes.) Raijuuta: For the third time, I am left ready to attack . . . Sanosuke: You haven’t even noticed how badly you’ve screwed up, feather-man. You got the most terrible man on earth pissed at you. (At the doctors. Megumi and the doctor come into the room where Kenshin and the others are waiting.) Kaoru: Megumi! How is he? Megumi: I don’t know what cut him. Considering how wide the cut seemed it’s strange how little blood he lost. I really don’t know. But Yutarou . . . since you brought him in so quickly, his life is in no danger. But-- Doctor: The muscle and nerves were severed. They can’t heal. The poor boy will never practice kenjutsu again. Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 42--You Don’t Know Doctor: For good or ill, Kenshin’s right arm took some of the force of the blow, so the arm wasn't cut off completely. But he won’t be able to do kenjutsu again. Yahiko: Stop joking! He was doing great! He was a genius! Or he would have been! You’re a doctor! Do something! Doctor: There's nothing I can do. Megumi: I’m sorry, Yahiko. It’s hard, but medicine isn’t perfect . . . Yahiko! (He runs out.) Kaoru: Yahiko . . . Doctor (to Kenshin): Are you going? Kenshin: Yes. Doctor: I know there’s nothing I can do to stop you, but tell me one thing. This "Izuna" technique . . . Kenshin: It’s actually a wave of a vacuum, a traveling gap in the air. Doctor: How did you notice . . . Kenshin: Just now. A large wound which doesn’t bleed is a distinct characteristic. For an instant I could see the tip shimmer like heat haze in summer. The difference produced for an instant in the depths of the air was the beginning of my understanding . . . however, this could not have been a mistake. (stepping outside) Be that as it may, my sword will destroy the secret sword Izuna! (Back in the forest) Raijuuta: He’s late . . . It's been more than half an hour. He must have seen how terrible the secret sword is and run away. Sanosuke (sitting on one of the sliced statues): Idiot. Which road do you take when you’re running from something weaker than yourself? Or maybe you’re the one looking for an excuse to back out. It’s not that easy. Kenshin’s your enemy whether you like it or not. But if you could run, you’d do it for your own good. Raijuuta: Watch your mouth, boy. I have some free time and I don’t mind playing with you first. Sanosuke (standing up): As long as it's all right with you. I don’t know about swordsmen, but when the master street fighter is your opponent, you lose. You’re finished. (a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of running footsteps behind them.) Sanosuke: Feh. Looks like neither of us have any luck. You’re about to sent home crying. Enter the real fight. (Yahiko rushes in, bowling Sanosuke over.) Yahiko: I demand revenge for Yutarou! Prepare yourself! Raijuuta: Feh . . . this is the real fight? Sanosuke (holding Yahiko back): Idiot! You can’t beat this guy! Yahiko: Shut up! Let me go! Even if I can’t beat him, I’ll never surrender! Kenshin: You won’t have to surrender. Yahiko: Ken . . . (he stops when he sees Kenshin’s expression.) Sanosuke (to Yahiko): If you want revenge, it’s better if you win. Right? Yahiko: I understand. Beat him for me. Kenshin: You have my word. (Another long moment.) Raijuuta (grinding his teeth): This time for sure . . . I’ll destroy you! (raising his sword) And then, I’ll create the age of my Shinko school!! (Kenshin merely turns sideways, letting the sword go past.) Sanosuke: No surprise. Watch it the first time, take it the second, and the third time you can do it. The edge of the secret sword Tobi Izuna is amazing; you can’t stop it. But it’s not difficult to dodge for someone so good he can stop a bullet. Raijuuta: Then take this!!!!! Yahiko: A wild Tobi Izuna!! (Again, the surroundings are shredded as Raijuuta makes stroke after stroke of the Tobi Izuna. Kenshin misses each by a deliberate hair’s breath until finally one blow grazes his right wrist.) Raijuuta (in a jubilant rage): What you saw was the Izuna! The secret sword I discovered after ten years of searching the writings of the old-style secrets! This is the symbol of my Shinko school! The ultimate killing technique! Kenshin: You’re happy with this? Raijuuta: What? Kenshin: This tiny cut, and you’re happy? You are truly a great killer. (licking the blood from the cut) I believe this now, Raijuuta. Though you preach the killer’s sword, you’ve never killed before. Someone who had killed, who was a true Hitokiri, would never be so pleased with himself if he had not brought his opponent down. You don’t know the depths of the hell for those who carry the Hitokiri’s sword. In your ignorance, with your childish sword you have stolen kenjutsu from Yutarou. Prepare to pay for this crime! Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 43--Conclusion Yahiko: They had their fight. Raijuuta can’t live up to his boast. Sanosuke: Something’s wrong. (thinking) He’s already hurt, and he just took another wound to the right arm. That’s not like Kenshin. It can’t be-- (out loud) Hey, Kenshin, your right arm’s not-- Kenshin: Yes. The anesthetic from the stitches is still in effect. As you thought, I can’t move it. But, Raijuuta, my left arm alone is enough to destroy you. Raijuuta: You-- (he drives down with a giant Tobi Izuna. Kenshin leaps out of the way.) You mock me! I'll kill you for this!! Sanosuke: I see . . . (thinking) He’s using the Madoi Izuna and Tobi Izuna together. He attacks with the Madio Izuna and then without leaving any opening tries for a fatal wound with the Tobi Izuna. There’s no way to return or stop the Izuna, so all Kenshin can do is keep avoiding them. And he can't fight back within his own reach. On top of that, with only his left hand, the power of the Ryuutsuisen is cut in half, and he can’t use his battoujutsu. (out loud) This isn’t good . . . (Another of Raijuuta’s blows slips through, hitting Kenshin’s left leg.) Raijuuta: There’s our fight. No matter how fast you are, you can’t move with that leg. Kenshin: It only grazed me. Don’t celebrate every little thing. Raijuuta: Ridiculous. You can show off but you can’t fight back. Whereas I, using the Tobi Izuna, am a different story. Kenshin: The Tobi Izuna . . . I cannot use such a technique. Raijuuta: I control the space of the battleground! (ready for another blow) Victory is mine!! Kenshin (roaring back): But outside of that space, I still have my chance! Hiten Mitsurugi Battoujutsu!! Hiryuusen!! (His sword leaps from the scabbard to strike Raijuuta with the handle between the eyes. The Tobi Izuna sweeps past him, grazing his head and freeing his hair from the ponytail. Raijuuta is knocked down backwards; the sword lands point down in the road.) Sanosuke: Without using his right hand, the sword flew out of the scabbard like an arrow . . . (thinking) Sheesh. He really did destroy him with just his left hand . . . Yahiko (running forward): Kenshin! (Raijuuta sits up suddenly and grabs Yahiko by the ankles, hanging him upside down.) Raijuuta: Don’t move! Move and the brat dies! (Kenshin glances at him coolly. He puts his hand to his sword.) Raijuuta: I said I’ll kill him! Put down the sword! Yahiko: Try and kill me! Kill me if you can! If I’m dead, then what's to stop him killing you? Sanosuke: He said to kill him. So do it. The Shinko school practices the killer’s sword. Kenshin: The Shinko school or the old style--these things do not mean murder. The weight of a sword that stole a life will drag you down to hell. That is the killer’s sword. If you do not understand this, you could not defeat even Yahiko. (Raijuuta throws Yahiko down and cowers, burying his head in his hands.) Sanosuke: What do we do? Twist one of his arms as payback? Kenshin: There’s no need. His self-confidence is shattered. he’ll never pick up a sword again. But that won’t bring Yutarou’s arm back. (At the doctor’s) Kaoru: You're awake. (Yutarou sits up.) Kaoru: Oh, don’t move yet-- (As he tries to put weight on his right arm, it buckles and he falls to the floor.) Kaoru: Are you all right? Yutarou: My hand won’t move . . . So it wasn’t a dream. Sensei betrayed me . . . Kaoru: Yuta . . . the Making of the Characters--Itsurugi Raijuuta He was supposed to be a killer for the sake of killing, who mirrored Kenshin in his intellect, but . . .wherever I made my mistake, he turned out to not be what we thought he was, but a pathetic coward. all show and no power. Actually, thinking it over now, I’m amazed at what he was reduced to. It could be that the character was reflecting my own fatigue. Although a lot of research went into the character, from now on let us hold a memorial service for all thoughts of bringing Raijuuta back. But really, this guy . . . (sigh.) At first the design was a reference to a character from a popular American comic, but like his character, this too gradually deteriorated and his face truly became like a villain’s. Like the Oniwabanshuu, I was absorbed by the clothing and put a lot of work into it, but thought "Make it simple with one accent," and gave him the feathered shoulder guards. But when it came to actually drawing them they really annoyed me, and I kept complaining, "Who picked out these things?" As for the face, I tried it in a lot of different ways, but just drawing it macho was fun. Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 44--No Need for Worries Tsukayama Estate Servant: It’s kind of you, but he’s said he doesn’t want to see anyone. Kaoru: Really. Well, please give him this. (handing him a cloth-wrapped bundle) Servant: Thank you. Kaoru: We’ll come again soon. Servant: Thank you very much. From myself as well. Sanosuke (as they walk away): Shutting himself up’s no good. But, he was betrayed by his master, and he'll never be able to do kenjutsu again . . . Kaoru: . . . the Kamiya Kasshin school is "the sword that protects life" but . . . what do you do at a time like this. It’s a tragedy . . . and I can’t think of a single word that will change that. (Yahiko gives the house an angry glare. Inside, Yutarou sits on his bed, staring at the floor. Meanwhile, in the garden, Tsukayama and Kenshin are deep in conversation.) Tsukayama: If you remember, in the sudden change of lifestyle after the Meiji era began, I had no connections. As a lower samurai, all I had was a good eye for swords, so I became a swords merchant. They were a great success overseas. It made my fortune when a lot of samurai were ruined. If they saw my way of life they’d call me a success. But if you asked me, I’d say I’m no better than a dog. To raise my family and protect my home, every day I bowed my head down to others. So I wanted Yutarou to be strong. To never lose at anything. To never yield to the flow of the times. I wanted him to be a man who lived according to his own beliefs. Unlike me. Kenshin (remembering Tsukayama saying "A man must be strong no matter what"): I see. Tsukayama: In thinking this way, I took Isurugi Raijuuta for his strength at face value, and destroyed Yutarou’s dreams . . . Kaoru: Oh, there you are, Kenshin-- Kenshin: Oro. That was quick. Mr. Tsukayama Yuzaemon, we’ll come to pay another visit soon. Tsukayama: Thank you. But this is probably the last time you’ll see me. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, and I’ve decided to take Yutarou with me to Germany. Everyone: Germany!? Tsukayama: Germany is the most advanced country in medicine. If he can be healed, it will be there . . . I think. Living on foreign soil, Yutarou can forget about kenjutsu. We’re leaving in a week. I don’t know when we’re coming back. And so-- Shinbashi Station Tsukayama: I want to thank you for all you’ve done. Yutarou, say your last goodbyes. (Yutarou only stares at the floor.) Kaoru (thinking): I had a week to think, but I don’t have anything to say that will make him feel better-- Sanosuke (thinking): I could encourage him, tell him not to give up . . . but it wouldn’t ease his heart. Servant: Master, it’s time . . . Tsukayama: Oh, right. Well . . . Yahiko: Yutarou!! (he whips the shinai off his back to strike Yutarou, who manages to block with his cane.) Everyone: Yahiko?! Yahiko: Are you just going to give up!! If you’re bitter because Raijuuta betrayed you, be stronger than Raijuuta and you can erase all this! Not the fake Raijuuta he really was. Be stronger than the Raijuuta you dreamed of!! If you can’t do this, all your life you’ll be nothing more than a beaten dog! Yutarou: You bastard. Shut up and listen to me. Who’s a beaten dog?! There’s no way I’m quitting kenjutsu! No way I’ll quit! (returning the blow) If my right arm’s no good I’ll use my left. My left arm’s enough to deal with you!! Yahiko: Don’t talk to me like that, you cat-eyed quitter! Yutarou: Shut up, you twisted little shrimp! (They fight, as smiles slowly creep over everyone’s faces.) Kaoru: Hmm. Sanosuke: Well. Kenshin: I see. There was no need for worries. (A little later, as Yutarou is boarding the train.) Yahiko: Okay? Don’t forget. My fight with you isn’t finished. You better come back. Kaoru: We’ll keep the space of the Kamiya Kasshin school’s second student open and waiting for you. (The train pulls away from the station.) Tsukayama: They’re nice people. Yutarou: That jerk. Beating up on someone who’s hurt. Myoujin Yahiko. I’ll be back, and I’ll destroy you. (Back at the station.) Sanosuke: Well, we came all the way to Shinbashi. Let’s go get some Western food. Kaoru: You’re just trying to get a meal out of me again. (They start to walk away, but Kenshin is still watching the train.) Kaoru: Kenshin, why the long face? Kenshin: It's nothing . . . I was just thinking of what Mr. Maekawa of the Chuuetsu school told me about the future of kenjutsu. he was very pessimistic. Raijuuta was the same. (he smiles) But seeing those two, I’m not worried. Kaoru: . . . Right. Kamiya Kasshin School Master-- Adjutant Master--Kamiya Kaoru Students--Myoujin Yahiko, Tsukayama Yutarou (expected) the Makings of the Characters--Tsukayama Yuutarou There was no real model. The character was created to be a good rival for Yahiko. Like Yahiko, he seeks strength, but their contrat is Yutarou’s antipathy towards his father, seen through a child’s eyes. Later he has a crush on Kaoru, and recognizes Kenshin’s strength and personality, yet couldn’t get along with them because they were his master’s enemies; drawing a boy with these important points in mind was fun. I think he was a pretty good character, but as he came with the pathetic Raijuuta, I couldn’t cope with drawing him anymore. I haven’t decided for certain if I’ll bring Yutarou back. I had the idea that he would learn fencing and return home . . . I thought it might be good to do an extra story about Yahiko, Yutarou and Tsubame. Maybe set in the boys' and girls’ groups that formed five years later . . . but maybe that wouldn’t work. I had no real design either; I just drew a character to contrast with Yahiko. At first it was a lot of work to draw his hair the way it is now, but once I got the knack of it it became easier and now it’s very useful. The Yutarou you see isn’t very dark, and I was careless and made him too light, and fixing him was a lot of work. Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 45--Extra Story: Sanosuke and Nishiki-e (the Beginning) Sagara Sanosuke (19). Born the first son of a farmer in Shinsuu, in the first year of Manen (1859). When he was nine, he left home to join the Sekihoutai. He idolized the captain, Sagara Souzou, but the unit was accused of being a false government army; Souzou was decapitated and the Sekihoutai was dissolved. After this he came up to Tokyo to become the street fighter Zanza, devoting himself to fighting and winning fame until his defeat by the vagabond Himura Kenshin. From then on, he frequented the Kamiya dojo. He now leads a carefree life doing nothing in particular. (At the Akabeko) Sanosuke: Nishiki-e? Tae: Yes, a new picture seller came today, but he’s so popular he’s sure to sell out, and we can’t leave the restaurant. Sanosuke: So you want me to go buy some for you. Tae: Yes, would you? Sanosuke: You should ask Yahiko, not me-- Yahiko: I’m working! Unlike some people I could mention . . . Tae: Well, all right, I’ll treat you to lunch. Sanosuke: Fine. I guess that's about right. Tae: It’s all been on your tab up till now. (Don’t be too arrogant.) Sanosuke: Hey, why sweat the details. (How’m I supposed to pay, anyway?) Well, what kind of picture do you want? Tae: "The Swordsman Iba Hachirou" by Tsukioka Tsunan! Sanosuke: Oh, the dashing hero from the Bakumatsu, Hachirou of the Sekiwan. Didn’t think you had that kind of taste. (Tae giggles.) Tsubame: Umm . . . Sanosuke: Yeah? Tsubame: Um, no . . . it’s nothing. Sanosuke: If you want to say something, you gotta come out and say it. So what is it? Tsubame: . . . no . . . (He shakes his head and turns to leave.) Sanosuke: Okay, Tsukioka’s "Iba Hachirou," . . . two of ‘em. Customer: That’s Sano for you. He’s different. Tae: I just hope he can pay . . . Yahiko (glowering): And I’ve got to work . . . (Yahiko loses a point in a match of manliness.) Customer: Now that he’s friendly Sano’s okay, but he used to be really cool. Someone Else: Yeah, Zanza! Even when he was smiling he was never relaxed. Like a bomb just before it explodes. Always glaring. Colored woodblock prints of "the floating world" were called nishiki-e in Edo. In Edo times the pictures were mainly of landscapes or popular actors. Entering the Meiji period, various types of pictures were drawn as the culture became that of the masses. Today, they are an important means of telling us about Meiji culture and customs. (Sanosuke strolls over to the picture seller’s stall.) Kenshin: Sano? Sanosuke: Oh, it’s you two. Kenshin: Nishiki-e? How unusual. Kaoru: Maybe a beauty? Sanosuke: Feh. Kenshin: Maybe something erotic? Kaoru: Oh my. Sanosuke: Feh. Tae from the Akabeko asked me to get her something. It’s not for me. Kaoru: Oh, boring. Sanosuke: Hey, two of Tsukioka Tsunan’s "Iba Hachirou." Merchant: Tsunan’s "Hachirou"? You’re in luck, these are the last two. Tsunan’s pictures are very popular, we always sell out fast. Two pictures will be ten sen. Sanosuke: Oh look, I don't have anything on me. Lemme borrow some. (Kaoru, fuming, gets out her purse.) Sanosuke: I’d heard about this stuff but I’m surprised there are so many. Kenshin: There are a lot of figures from the Bakumatsu. Sanosuke: Yeah. They sell ‘em as souvenirs of Tokyo. Iba Hachirou’s from the Bakufu but he came from Edo. (He stops and picks up one of the pictures.) Kenshin: Sano? Sanosuke: This is . . . Captain Sagara . . .! Merchant: Oh, that one? That’s by Tsunan too, but it’s not selling at all. But what can you expect, drawing that guy from the false government army-- (Kenshin and Kaoru cover his mouth, then glance back to Sanosuke, waiting for the explosion.) Sanosuke: This guy . . . where is he? (grabbing the merchant by his shirt) Tell me where this Tsunan guy is!! Merchant: He’s at the Dobu Ita houses at the edge of town. But he hates people. You can go but he won’t see you! Sanosuke: I’ll see him. But he shouldn’t have seen me. (Later, Sanosuke is knocking on Tsunan’s door.) Sanosuke: Mr. Tsukioka, Mr. Tsukioka. Are you there, Mr. Tsukioka? (losing patience, he pounds on the door,) I know you’re in there, Tsukioka Katsuhiro, from the Sekihoutai!! (The door flies open.) Sanosuke: I thought so. You had to be the one who drew this. Tsukioka: Sanosuke . . . what are you doing here. . . Sanosuke: Look at the picture. That's you and me behind the captain. No one else could have drawn this. Tsukioka (smiling): I see . You're right . . . Kaoru (hiding behind a corner): Wow . . . the artist Tsukioka Tsunan is also one of the survivors of the Sekihoutai. Kenshin: Let’s go, Miss Kaoru. Kaoru: But that’s Sanosuke’s friend. Aren’t we going to meet him? Kenshin: No. We followed him because Sano's in an unusual situation, but there's no problem here. You can see it by the way he still wears the character for evil--the Sekihoutai holds some special memories. In this world of memories, there’s no need for strangers. Sanosuke: You’re doing pretty well. Tsukioka: Same for you. (A little later) Sanosuke: So you’re an artist now. You were pretty clever back in the old days. You used to mix gunpowder and handle the cannons. Tsukioka: So what’re you doing now? Sanosuke: Not much, just hanging around. Not that it hasn’t been fun, but you know. Tsukioka: So you’re having fun. I haven’t done anything fun in the past ten years. Until I met up with you I don’t remember smiling once, not since Captain Sagara and the unit were disgraced more than ten years ago. Sanosuke: So you’ve been this dark for the past ten years? (in the suddenly gloomy atmosphere) You don’t have many friends, do you? But . . . I can understand how you feel. Tsukioka: But it’s all been preparations for the day when you and I would reunite . . . Maybe the Captain can guide us from Heaven. Sanosuke: Katsu? Tsukioka: Sanosuke, shall you and I join the Sekihoutai once more? We’ll destroy the new government, and make the new era Captain Sagara dreamed of a reality. the Makings of the Characters--Sekihara Tae-- This is a character I made almost without thinking. In the Zanza story, I needed a setting for Sanosuke’s introduction, and I wanted to show Kaoru's life in her town by giving her a friend who worked at a store somewhere, so this minor character filled these two needs. I used the personality of Megumi in "Vagabond." Since she’d become the daughter of the Akabeko’s owner and gained the last name of Sekihara, she had grown into the perfect character to be a collector of nishiki-e. At first I didn’t like this, but as she was my best choice, I wanted to continue that growth. Just as I’d made the character with no more than necessary, I didn’t make any design that I didn’t have to. Actually, I used an old concept of Kenshin. In the earlier stories, one of the many ways I tried his hair was black, and he already had that nice girl’s face, so it was easy. To distinguish her from Megumi, I gave her lipstick, and the Akabeko uniform was hard to draw, so I changed it. This is off topic a little, but Tae’s supposed to be from Kansai. My assistant checked her accent for me, but it's still not that good, so, to those from Kansai, don’t look at it too closely. Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 46--Sanosuke and Nishiki-e (the Middle) Sanosuke: Katsu . . . what exactly have you got planned? Tsukioka: Whatever they say, there was only one vision of the Sekihoutai. The captain dreamed of an age of perfect equality for the four classes. Until the interfering government destroyed his vision. Sanosuke: While you were painting pictures, didn’t you hear anything about the Southwest war? Hayato and his followers under the great hero Saigou didn't last half a year. Tsukioka: Saigou raised his soldiers in Kagoshima, the tip of Japan. The fighting was just so much wasted effort. My goal is the center of Japan. Namely, Tokyo. Here there is a possibility of bringing the Department of Internal Affairs, that controls all domestic administration, to a complete halt. I’d like to destroy the military offices and the Department of Finance at the same time, but alone it’s impossible. Sanosuke: Alone? Tsukioka: Can you trust strangers? I went forward with my plans alone. But even though I’m alone, I have this. Come have a look. (He opens the door to a storeroom filled with homemade bombs.) Tsukioka: I made the originals with the knowledge of firearms I’d learned in the Sekihoutai. Bombs. It may seem like I don’t have my feet on the ground, but I have great faith in the plans I’ve laid so carefully for ten years. No one would ever suspect a painter of doing all this. As each district office is destroyed one after the other, the power of the center will be cut, the discontented samurai and the peasants will rise; revolts will occur on their own. After the Southwest war, the government is exhausted and weakened as never before. After this, the avalanche has only been waiting. And then, the age of true equality for the four classes will come, and the name of the captain and the Sekihoutai can be cleared. I’ve already got a rough sketch of the office. I’ll do it tomorrow; no one will be there on a Sunday night. Sano, I don’t want to force you. As one of the Sekihoutai, I’ll do it even alone. Think about it till tomorrow evening, and give me your answer. (Later, Sanosuke is walking home.) Sanosuke: This is pointless. (thinking) It’s weakened by the Southwest war, but a few bombings and isolated uprisings won’t shake the Meiji government. It’ll just be another bloodbath like Hagi and Akitsuki’s. For ten years, all he’s been thinking about is clearing the name of the Sekihoutai and the captain . . . He can’t see the present at all. Ten years . . . . (he stops on the bridge, as the wind blows leaves around him.) Damn. It’s spring, but a cold wind is blowing . . . The next day. Kaoru (loudly): You're joking! Kenshin (likewise): You mean Tsukioka Tsunan is an old friend of yours?! Sanosuke: You don't sound that surprised. Kenshin: Of course we are, aren't we, Miss Kaoru? Kaoru: Really surprised, Kenshin. Sanosuke: Well, whatever. We thought we’d have a reunion party. Do you mind if we use the dojo? Kaoru: That’s fine, I guess, but . . . where are you going to get the money to . . . You’re not sponging off me again! No way! Absolutely not! Sanosuke: Hey, don’t worry about it. Leave that to me. Well, thanks a lot. Oh yeah, tell Tae and the little girl to come too. They’d probably enjoy it. (leaving) Kaoru: Strange. This is strange. Too strange! (shaking Kenshin) You think he’s sick?! Kenshin: Just . . . calm down . . . Yahiko: It’s gotta be spring. (That night, they are seated in the dojo around a vast spread of sushi and bottles of sake.) Sanosuke: Well, let’s begin. Kaoru: What, when you said to leave it to you, you meant you were sponging off Mr. Tsunan? Sanosuke: Look, like I always say . . . "What’s mine, is mine. What’s yours, is also mine." Kenshin: Sano . . . Sanosuke: Well, don’t worry about the details. Let’s demolish a few of these bottles! (A good time is had by all. Later, the sushi is gone, the bottles are emptied. Tae and Tsubame huddle together under a blanket, Kaoru is curled up dreaming of Kenshin, Yahiko is passed out on the floor, and Kenshin is sleeping sitting up against a wall.) Sanosuke: Well . .. (as he and Tsukioka stand up) looks like it’s time to go. Tsukioka: Your last meal. Did you enjoy it? Sanosuke: Not really. But I didn’t really think I would. The girls at the Akabeko have fed me plenty of times, so this is to pay them back. What about you? Enjoy your first party in the last ten years? Tsukioka: Feh. Not at all. Sanosuke: You’re so dark. Tsukioka (after a pause): . . . Are you sure about this, Sanosuke? Sanosuke: It’s stupid, but I have to be out in front for this. Tsukioka: I see. So you’ve chosen the Sekihoutai over the present. I thank you from the heart. Let’s hurry. If we take too long getting the bombs, by the time we get to the office the night will be over. (He leaves; Sanosuke lingers a moment.) Sanosuke: Sorry, guys. I’d explain, but you wouldn’t understand. I guess I’m just one of the Sekihoutai at heart. (on his way out) Kenshin, when we meet again I’ll be a great criminal. You can even take me out with the reverse blade . . . (He closes the door behind him. Kenshin opens his eyes, stands up.) About three hours later. Lost in the darkness of a night without stars. Two men from the Sekihoutai. In front of the central office of the Department of the Interior, they appear. the Makings of the Characters--Tsukioka Tsunan The original source of the character was from the false announcements I sometimes tell the magazine: "the introduction of a mysterious artist." While I was drawing the Sanosuke extra story, I planned out a fellow member of the Sekihoutai, a lone bomber who planned to overthrow the government, but when that didn’t seem like enough, I added in the announcement of an artist and ended up with Tsukioka Tsunan. Like the Raijuuta story, on top of the difficult drawing, I was supposed to be beginning the color for the opening of the next Saitou Hajime story, and this story was four chapters when I had to make it three, and there wasn’t any chance to do any work. But, alone in the manga, Tsunan was a character that had something to do with mass media, and so he was very useful; also, although he’s dark, I like his single-minded nature. If I could, I think I’d bring him in from time to time. There was no particular design. There was one in my sketch book I thought I would use, but when I made a first draft, contrary to my expectations I thought, "I could use this for a different bad guy," and changed it in a hurry. I just made him up as I went along. An artist’s clothes should be flashy and kind of strange, so I gave him the paisley bandanna (I had a paisley design in my sketchbook too) and dressed him in the jacket with the weird pattern. Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Part 47--Sanosuke and Nishiki-e (the End) (The large building of the Department of the Interior. A few nightwatchmen stand outside the gates.) Sanosuke: It’s time. Tsukioka: Let’s go. (A bomb explodes.) Guards: What was that?? A bomb!! (Further explosions.) Guards: More explosions! They’re still out there! Call all guards to the gates! Sanosuke (as they rush in): You adjusted the length of the fuse to make them go off at different times. Good thinking. Tsukioka: If we can get inside we've got it! The office will be smashed to pieces! The race is on to beat the guards here! Get out of the garden now! Don’t stop! (He reaches the high outer wall and sets his back against it. Sanosuke puts his foot into Tsukioka’s cupped hands and leaps to the top, turning to help him up.) Sanosuke (thinking): Before the Sekihoutai was formed, I heard the captain used arson and theft against the Bakufu, but . . . (out loud) What’s wrong, Katsu? What did you stop for . . . . (Kenshin is standing on the other side of the wall.) Sanosuke: Kenshin . . . Tsukioka: You beat us here . . . who are you? Kenshin: Himura Battousai. Once the legendary Hitokiri. Tsukioka: Really . . . the Hirokiri Battousai we heard about . . . You came to bring Sanosuke back? Kenshin: No . . . that is for Sano to choose. There would be no sense in my doing so. I am here to stop your crimes. Tsukioka: So the Ishin Shishi again stand in our way. But, this time (producing two bombs) we cannot lose! Take this! (He lights the fuses and throws them. Kenshin shears the fuses off and they fall harmlessly to the ground.) Kenshin: Yes . . . and so I cannot overlook your foolish behavior in silence. Tsukioka: Enough of your fancy talk!! (A storm of bombs; a storm of severed fuses. Finally Sanosuke puts out the fuse on a bomb Tsukioka is about to throw.) Sanosuke: Leave it there. You can’t beat him. This is taking too much time. The guards’ll be back in a minute. (He punches Tsukioka in the stomach.) Tsukioka: Sa . . . no . . . Sanosuke: Don’t think badly of me. (Tsukioka collapses.) Sanosuke: Sorry I had to make trouble for you, Kenshin. Hey. If I’d gone along with him, you’d have taken me out too, right? Kenshin: Yes . . . because I couldn’t let this halfhearted conspiracy go by. Forgive me. (Sanosuke smiles, very faintly.) Sanosuke: Thanks. (Later. Tsukioka groans, then sits bolt upright.) Tsukioka: This is . . . my room. (He catches sight of the now-empty closet.) Sanosuke: If you’re looking for the bombs, Kenshin took them all. He’s going to find some out of the way spot and bury them. Tsukioka: Damn him! That government dog! Sanosuke: That’s not it. He’s like us, he has to think about how the government should be . . . no. As one of those who built today’s government, he can, more than us . . . Tsukioka: What are you blathering about? How are we like the Hitokiri . . .!! Sanosuke: I know. The Hitokiri began the killings of the new era; he did a lot of dirty things. So, he couldn’t watch the Sekihoutai do something dirty in silence . . . . Hey, Katsu . . . they say the captain and the Sekihoutai did something dirty. That’s not what the captain hoped for. He lived for the ideal of equality for the four classes. Now, after so long, we can’t live for dirt. Tsukioka: This has nothing to do with being dirty or clean! It doesn’t matter what the means are as long as we achieve our ends! Sanosuke: Then the Sekihoutai really would become a false government army. If you say the government is dirty, you can’t sink to their level. No matter how carefully or deliberately, that’s the way it is. We have to revive it in a way that would make the captain smile on this world.(leaving) (Later. Kenshin and Sanosuke walk through the market.) Kenshin: So what did Tsukioka Tsunan do after that? Sanosuke: I don’t know. Kenshin: Oro? Sanosuke: We had different opinions, so we split up. It’d be awkward to meet again. (They come upon the nishiki-e booth.) Merchant: Oh, if it isn’t you again. Glad to see you. Sanosuke: What is it? Merchant: Yeah, Mr. Tsunan asked me to give you this. It’s his last nishiki-e. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Suddenly out of the blue, he tells me he’s going to start an illustrated newspaper to protest government wrongs. I couldn’t change his mind so I said I’d let him go, but . . . Oh well. He was a popular artist. Sanosuke: Yeah, too bad. (His last picture is of Captain Sagara, smiling calmly.) Tae: Tsunan’s last picture! Please! Tsubame: I want it too . . . Sanosuke: No way! Kaoru (shocked): Tae . . . No Need for Worries--End Back to Home Back to Volume Six To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Six--No Need for Worries Bonus Story 3 This is my debut, a work with a lot of memories attached. As the title says, it’s set in a country at war, but at first it was meant to be a work of fantasy. It was meant to be set in the world of Hokuoufuu, with Hiko as a knight and Isshinta as a peasant warrior, but I looked around and everyone looked like fantasy, it had become the Sengoku period. So, rather than change anything, I followed the trend, even though I never dreamed I’d be doing a historical story. Actually, when I first started, Isshinta was the main character. When I showed it to my boss, he said "Is this the main character?" while pointing to Hiko, so Hiko ended up as the main character instead . . . It wasn’t supposed to be about Hiko’s actions and romance, but about the weakling Isshinta learning to be brave; even crying, when he returns to the battlefield, "in an instant weakness turns to strength." The actions of brave men like Hiko and Kenshin make up the bulk of boy’s comics, but the idea of a weakling learning to be brave struck home to me. I’ve drawn a lot of characters since then, but only Isshinta has been completely, one hundred percent as I meant him to be. **note-- "sengoku" literally means "war country," but it refers to the time before the Tokugawas unified the country, when Japan was ruled by several warlords, from about 1450 to 1600. I couldn’t figure out how to work that neatly into the title, though. --maigo Crescent Moon Over a Country at War A time of war, a confusion of violence-- (Hiko, a tall man in armor, kills a man in a spray of blood. He is surrounded by fallen warriors; the others fall back.) Hiko: Next--!! In the war of the country of Kitakata and Nagumo, warriors meet, giving no thought to their own lives. Hiko: What’s wrong? Isn’t there anyone left who remembered my skill? Is there no one here who can kill me??? However . . . (Another man rushes forward. Isshinta screams, tears pouring from his eyes. He darts between the man’s legs.) There are always a few exceptions . . . Isshinta: I’ve had enough of this! I don’t want to die! I want to live to get back to the village! Natsu, Isshinta is coming home to you!! Soldier: Hey, you’re a Kitakata soldier! You’re supposed to stay here and fight! It is early winter, and war has broken out between the larger province of Nagumo and the smaller one of Kitakata. Even using all of its resources, the destructions of Kitakata is said to be inevitable. The lord of Nagumo, Iwano Hirosaki, had proclaimed that if he weds the beautiful and renown Princess Natsu, the war would be ended. Kitakata, believing him, became careless, and Nagumo broke the peace, attacking once again. The castle fell, and the royal family was killed. Their loyal subjects are scattered, threatened with death if they offer resistance. But there is one swordsman on whom we can pin our hopes . . . (Isshinta is walking down a road.) Isshinta: Natsu, wait for me. I’m alive, I’m coming home. (stopping) But when I ran for my life I ended up kinda lost. Where am I? (He walks straight into a group of soldiers.) Soldier: Is he a Kitakata scout? Soldier2: Who cares, just kill him! Soldier: (raising his sword) I’ll cut him in two!! Isshinta (sobbing): Save me---- (It is he who is cut in two, as Hiko appears behind him.) Soldiers: Who is that!! Hiko (attacking): One who has become your enemy!! Isshinta (thinking): Three people . . . with only one stroke . . !! Remaining soldier: Not you . . . Hiko: Do you run? Isshinta (throwing himself around Hiko’s ankles): Lord Hiko!! (They go down in a heap.) Isshinta: Three people with a single stroke, and a sword like lightning . . . you’re the famous swordsman Lord Hiko Seijuurou! You’re the one that’s going to kill the evil general Iwano and save Kitakata! The samurai everyone is always talking about-- (Hiko throws him to the ground.) Hiko: You idiot!! One of them got away! What are you doing here without a sword when there’s an army in the mountains? Isshinta (sobbing again): An . . . an army?? I ran so far from the battle and now-- Hiko: I see. You deserted. You pathetic excuse for a samurai! Isshinta: I’m no samurai. Just a farmer. They didn’t have enough soldiers so they came to the village and-- Soldiers: There they are!! Kill them!! Hiko: Feh. Fresh troops? (He raises his sword, only to find Isshinta clinging to his other hand.) Hiko: You fool, let me go! I can’t use the sword! Isshinta: I’m scared. Save us, Lord Hiko . . . Hiko: Damn . . . (scooping up Isshinta and running for it) That I should flee in battle! Soldiers: They’re getting away! After them! In Nagumo headquarters Iwano: What! Hiko Seijuurou was there! Soldier: He killed three men with a single stroke. It could be no other. Iwano (swigging sake): A master of the sword from Kitakata. Hiko Seijuurou The swordsman revered as the country’s saviour, the last of the samurai clan, whose loyalty blazes bright. (The sake jug smashes against the floor.) Kitakata’s last hope! Because he works alone, he hasn’t been captured yet . . . Take the field! This is our chance to take him! I too shall go! Begin the preparations! Soldier: What? Lord Iwano, it’s too dangerous. His Hiten Mitsurugi school has invincible speed! They say he can cut down not just three but a hundred men with a single stroke! To attack him carelessly would be to take your life in your hands . . . Iwano: However great, a sword is a sword and for that I care nothing. I won’t be satisfied until he falls into my hands! Take the field! (The soldiers comb the canyon.) Soldier: Is he here? Soldier: No, but in a dark moonless night he can’t have gone far on his own! Leave no stone unturned! Hiko (concealed someplace): There’s a lot of them all of a sudden . . . Isshinta: Why do we have to fight them . . . It was so good long ago. The abundance of peace . . . But now because of the late lord and the people of the court, even though we were just peaceful farmers . . . Hiko: Hey. Rather than think of the day you don’t return, if you want to live, don’t run away. The enemy is determined to capture me. Until then, we’re together until death! Isshinta: I can’t escape by myself! Hiko: Then you have only to die. Isshinta: I--I don’t want to die! Natsu’s waiting for me in the village! (The name surprises Hiko.) Isshinta: Natsu’s . . . She’s waiting . . . (Flashback, to when Isshinta says farewell to his sweetheart Natsu.) Isshinta: Natsu . . . I don’t want to go to war. I can’t do anything great. I’m just scared . . . Natsu (hitting him): Stop crying! Crying won’t change the fact that you have to go. A weakling like you is sure to die, Isshinta! Give me your hand, Isshinta. (She hands him a charm.) This is a keepsake from my mother. It’s a charm to make a weakling strong. I’m giving it to you so you’ll stop crying. Isshinta: Why does it say "Safety in Childbirth"? Natsu: It’s a charm for strength, all right! You got that? You have to live to come back, Isshinta! I’ll be waiting for you! Isshinta (coming out of the flashback): I definitely don’t want to die. I have to go back for Natsu . . . Hiko: I see. So you don’t care if you run away because it’s for the sake of a girl . . . (thinking) Natsu . . . Isshinta: Yeah . . . I’m a weakling because running away is the only way I know how to survive . . But what are we going to do on a dark night without a moon . . . Hiko: We’d better get some sleep until dawn. (Hiko enters a room in which the princess of Kitakata, Natsu, is kneeling alone.) Hiko: I thought you’d be here . . . I left the castle in the middle of the night. Everyone is very worried. Let’s go back. Natsu: Seijuurou . . . how do you think of me? Is it like the other samurai, "the princess of the country I serve"? (A pause.) Hiko: Perhaps I might compare you to the moon . . . the soft light shining down on this war-torn country is irreplaceable. If you would permit me, I think I want to stay near it my entire life. Natsu (with tears in her eyes): I too want to be near you. Please . . . run away with me. I have no desire to become Iwano’s wife . . . Hiko: But . . . the country of Kitakata . . . (She is suddenly enveloped by a storm.) Hiko: Princess Natsu! I can’t move . . . Princess Natsu! Princess Natsu! Princess Natsu! Natsu--!!!! Isshinta: Natsu! Where? Where is she? Where . . . Hiko: A dream . . . It was a dream . . . Isshinta: "Natsu" wasn’t my Natsu. Your . . . lover? Natsu, Natsu, Natsu--I remember! The beautiful princess that Iwano Hirosaki stole as a false term of peace! She had the same name as my Natsu! But . . . you’re a swordsman, and she’s a princess . . . Hiko: Considering your fallen face that’s not a bad guess. But it’s as you thought. A lowly swordsman would never be permitted near a princess. Isshinta: Well . . . (thinking) A secret affair? Hiko: But that is all over with. I, who abandoned Princess Natsu, no longer have the capacity to love or be loved. Isshinta: What . . . abandoned!? Hiko: The night before Iwano took her, Princess Natsu begged me to flee with her. But I couldn’t do that. My loyalty to my lord would not permit me . . . And so I abandoned her. From beginning to end, in my selfishness I wouldn’t listen . . . Isshinta: But . . . a samurai tries to keep his devotion to his lord. No one could blame you for that. (throwing himself at Hiko’s feet) You and Princess Natsu didn’t do anything wrong! It was Iwano who stole her! Please, kill Iwano! You’re so much stronger than I am! You could do it! With your sword you could restore peace again . . . And then Princess Natsu could come back! Hiko: Iwano may have stolen her, but I am the one who abandoned her! Just as I can’t go back, I can’t make those fallen tears return to her eyes . . . Isshinta: Lord Hiko . . . Hiko: Enough. What we say now can’t change the fact that I abandoned her. Isshinta: But that’s . . .Princess Natsu . . . (breaking down to tears) What will happen to Princess Natsu? Hiko (surprised): . . . you . . . Soldier: There they are! This way! Hiko: Damn! (The soldier is killed, but too late.) This is could be trouble . . . Isshinta: No---I don’t want to die . . . Natsu . . . Hiko: I never asked your name. Isshinta: Huh? I’m Isshinta. Hiko: All right, Isshinta, run away. Isshinta: WHAT?? Hiko: Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the soldiers here. (taking off his long sword) But just because you’re running away doesn’t mean you should go unarmed. This is a treasure of the Hiten Mitsurugi school passed down generation to generation, called "Fuyutsuki" (Winter Moon.) Sell it for the money to reach your village safely. (Hordes of soldiers appear, surrounding them.) Soldiers: There they are!! One false move and you’ll be killed! We have you surrounded! Isshinta: Are you trying to die, Lord Hiko . . . Hiko: It doesn’t matter. Go! Isshinta: But Lord Hiko!! Hiko: Isshinta, I didn’t come to the battlefield to fight. I came to find the place where I would die. I want no part of living this empty shell of a life after losing Princess Natsu. What are you standing around here for--I told you to run! You have somewhere to go back to! Someone is waiting for you! Live and go back to Natsu! Go, Isshinta! Isshinta: Lord Hiko . . . Hiko: Go. Isshinta: Lord . . . Hiko . . . (He runs off.) Soldiers: One of them’s getting away Let the shrimp go! Hiko’s not running. Hiko (thinking): I think I am happy you don’t know what your tears have done for one about to leave this world, Isshinta . . . . Soldier (behind him): An opening! (Hiko blocks with his remaining wakizashi.) Hiko: You cannot take my head as easily as that. With one wakizashi, you will know the worth of the last of the Hiten Mitsurugi school. (The soldier is swiftly killed. Hiko moves easily through the crowd of soldiers, killing all he meets.) Hiko (thinking): Run, Isshinta! At least you can live. Return to the village where your lover waits . . . You will be happy, instead of Princess Natsu. (Some distance away, Isshinta runs out of breath. He thinks of Hiko slaying the soldier.) Isshinta: Natsu-- (clutching the charm) Natsu! (Hiko has dispatched an entire group of soldiers. The remaining company draws back.) Soldier: He’s a sword demon . . . Hiko: What’s wrong? Is there no one here who can take me? I’m getting tired of killing you. Iwano: Hiko--!! Single combat! Hiko (turning and thinking): That voice! (He finds himself staring down the muzzle of a gun. A bullet hits his left shoulder.) Iwano: What good is the Hiten Mitsurugi against a gun? Hiko: How dare you, Iwano!!! (A second shot to the right shoulder.) Iwano: You’re the only remnant of Kitakata’s last hope! When you die, all of Kitakata will fall! And then Natsu! Even though I spared her life, the only woman of the royal family of Kitakata, she’s boring, all she ever does is cry. I heard the story of your little love affair! (He raises the gun.) Hiko! I’ll give her your head with my own hands! Then she’ll give you up! The woman and all of Kitakata will be mine! (A final shot. Hiko falls to his knees, dropping the wakizashi in a pool of blood.) Hiko (thinking): It’s cruel . . . to be brought to this before my mortal enemy . . . (he looks to the sky.) The moon . . . the moon is shining through the clouds. It will be easy for Isshinta to get away . . . That’s ridiculous! Tonight is the new moon! There shouldn’t be any moonlight at all. Then what is that crescent moon . . . That’s-- (Iwano and his men have noticed it as well, turning in fear. The crescent moon reveals itself as a sword--screaming, tears pouring from his eyes, Isshinta holds Hiko’s sword above his head. He charges.) Hiko: You idiot! Why did you come back to die?? Isshinta (hacking wildly; the soldiers draw back): I don’t want to die! I’m going back to Natsu!! Hiko: Then you should get out of here! Isshinta: You too--you’re going back to Princess Natsu! Hiko: You fool! You came back to tell me that! I am the man who abandoned Princess Natsu. I have nowhere to go back to! Run away without thought for me, Isshinta! Until you I-- I don’t want to bring tears to my last love! Isshinta: You’re the fool, Lord Hiko! Don’t you know who Princess Natsu is crying for?? I wouldn’t want to make Natsu cry! But I don’t want to leave Princess Natsu in tears. Don’t run away in death, Lord Hiko! If you die, you won’t be able to stop Princess Natsu from crying her entire life!! Soldier (striking the sword from Isshinta’s hands): Shut up, shrimp! (Hiko leaps forward, scooping up his sword and killing the soldier in one smooth movement.) Issshinta: Lord Hiko! Hiko: Answer me, Isshinta! If you returned to Natsu and she wasn’t waiting for you, what would you do? Isshinta: I . . . I . . . (smiling through his tears) I love Natsu, so I still wouldn’t give up! Hiko (smiling very slightly): I see . . . (whipping around) Return the princess Natsu, Iwano!! Iwano: You--you want to take on a gun with a sword?? Hiko: I’ll destory it! (in an instant, the gun’s muzzle is jammed with the wakizashi.) Taste fully the secret sword of the Hiten Mitsurugi! Hiten Mugenzan!!! (Iwano and the rock he is standing on are utterly destroyed.) Hiko: Apologize to my lord in hell. (Shards of rock fly through the air . . . and resolve themselves as snowflakes, falling on a castle.) The Nagumo castle of Iwano Hirosaki (Princess Natsu sits in her room alone. Outside--) Princess Natsu: An enemy attack-- (A famialiar sillhoette cuts down her guard.) Hiko: I’m sorry I took so long. Princess Natsu. Isshinta (pulling himself along slowly): Lord Hiko . . . is the princess there . . . (They are in each other’s arms. Isshinta smiles.) And so time went by-- (Natsu is harvesting rice in the fields.) Isshinta (walking up, with Hiko and Princess Natsu behind him): Natsu! Natsu! I’m back! Natsu (running towards him): Isshinta! Isshinta: Natsu! Natsu: Isshinta! (He barely manages to stop the thresher she swings at him.) Natsu: What’s this all of a sudden, those two noisy women behind you? You brought two of them with you? Are you cheating on me, you idiot! Isshinta: You’re the one being an idiot! I owe them my life! They brought me here! Hiko: Two women . . . (Princess Natsu giggles.) Hiko: Well, I wish you a long and happy future. This is as far as we go. Isshinta: Won’t you at least have some tea with us? Hiko: The restored nation of Kitakata has many things which require our attention. If you have the chance, please come and visit us. And so time passed-- Isshinta (waving): I’ll be waiting, Lord Hiko!! Hiko (to Natsu): But that girl’s mistake . . Princess Natsu: Maybe it’s finally time you cut your hair? Natsu: Restored? Hiko? That wasn’t . . . Isshinta: Uh-huh, the new lord of Kitakata! The peace that had been hoped and prayed for-- Natsu: Oh no, what have I done-- Began with the times of gentleness like the moon. Crescent Moon over a Country at War--End Back to Home To Volume Six To Volume Seven