Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 131--Soujirou’s Past--Thunder and Madness Kenshin: He’s been gone a long time. Sanosuke: What’s he doing? We’re ready over here. (Soujirou laces his sandals absently, lost in his memories.) Shishio: You saw, boy. You could have seen, so I have no choice. I’ll kill you here. (He raises the sword, but something makes him stop.) Shishio: Are you so happy to die, boy? Soujirou (with a frozen, helpless smile on his face): Huh? (looking about in confusion) Huh? What? This? Ha ha . . . what? (Shishio considers him for a moment, then sheathes his sword.) Shishio: Boy! Get me food and some bandages. Do it and I’ll let you live. (A little later, in the storeroom. Shishio has removed the old, dirty bandages and replaced them with fresh ones. Soujirou watches him from the other side of a stack of rice bundles.) Shishio. That’s better. I can move now. Soujirou: Um . . . sir? (Shishio turns to look at him, and he hides behind the rice.) Shishio: I’m not so old you have to call me sir. Well, maybe you can’t tell like this. My name is Shishio. Soujirou: Um, Mr. Shishio. Shishio: Yeah? Soujirou: You killed that policeman, so are you a bad guy? Shishio: The government is the real bad guy. They used me and then tried to burn me to death. Soujirou: So you’re a good guy then! Shishio: No. I’m a fiend from hell. (Soujirou is suddenly cowering on the far side of the barn.) Shishio: Don’t run away. I said I wouldn’t kill you. (leaning back) I like it here. As long as you don’t talk, no one’s going to find me here. I’ll stay here a while. Soujirou (thinking): He really is a bad guy, but . . . he’s really, really strong . . . (The next day. The two brothers are talking as Soujirou carries a bundle of rice.) Younger Brother: Did you hear the news? Older Brother: Yeah, about the escaped rebel. The cops just came to tell dad. They say the three cops that went after him have been missing for the last three days. Younger Brother: They combed the woods and they still couldn't find him. Soujirou (thinking): They won't find him. I buried the body deep in the woods. And Mr. Shishio hasn't set foot outside the barn. Older Brother: Hey, Soujirou! Soujirou (dropping his bundle): Ye-yes? Older Brother: You spent the night outside three nights again. Did you see anything or hear anything? If you did you’d better tell us. (grabbing the front of his shirt) If you hide anything, I’ll find out. This is a chance to show off my skills. I’ll kill the rebel! (He brings his sword down, splitting the bundle in half.) Younger Brother: There you go again. You can’t just wave that thing around without thinking like that. Older Brother: Oh, give it a rest. What’re we going to do about the rice. Younger Brother: I guess we have no choice. (raising his voice) Soujirou! You ruined another bag of rice! Soujirou: What?! Father (pulling the screen door open): What! How many of those do you think we have, you brat! You can’t even do a simple job right! I’m not letting get away with it this time! (That night, in the storeroom.) Shishio: Hm . . . I see. So they’re devils too. Why are you always smiling if they kick you around like that? Soujirou (smiling): Huh? What? Huh? Ha ha . . . yeah. I guess it’s a little weird. I didn’t used to do it. When I first came here, when they picked on me or treated me like I was in their way, I’d get mad or cry. But the more I got mad, the more I cried, they’d just tell me to shut up or hit me. But if I was patient and kept smiling, they’d give up and go away, and I wouldn’t get hurt any more. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how bad, if I just kept smiling . . . Shishio: So as you kept showing them a fake smile, without realizing it yourself, you started dealing with scary or painful things by smiling? Soujirou: Well, they can’t help it. It’s like they say. I’m not his real son, so . . . Shishio: No. It doesn’t matter where you’re born. It’s because you’re weak. In this world, the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak die. No matter how hard you smile, you can’t run from the truth. Here. (He holds out his wakizashi.) Shishio: I’m giving this to you. In payment for letting me stay here. (Inside) Mother: Has anyone seen those bandages? Older Brother: What? I wouldn’t know. Mother: That’s strange. Where could they be . . . There’s rice missing from the kitchen too. I thought that little thief Sou probably took it, but why would he take bandages? Younger Brother (chuckling): Dad beat him up pretty bad today. I bet he took those too. Mother: Even so, they’re all gone. He couldn’t have used up five rolls. Older Brother: Hey, Dad . . . that government rebel. They said he was burned all over, didn’t they? Father: Yeah, they--That little bastard!! (Inside the barn) Shishio: My burns are throbbing. There’ll be a storm tonight. (Outside, Soujirou holds the sheathed wakizashi in his shaking hands.) Soujirou (thinking): . . . After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak . . . translations by maigo-chan last updated 23 feb 1999 Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 132--Soujirou’s Past--A Smile in the Freezing Rain (Soujirou sits outside the barn, holding the sword and thinking.) After all, in the world, the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak die. Soujirou (thinking): But . . . it must hurt to be cut with a sword. It hurts a lot just getting hit, so that must really hurt. (He thinks this over.) Soujirou: I’ll just have to give it back. I couldn’t be a great swordsman like Mr. Shishio. I’m weak, but I’ll get by. Father (from the house): SOUJIROU! Soujirou: What could he want, it’s the middle of the night . . . I’ll hide it under the porch for now, and give it back to Mr. Shishio in the morning. (He walks over to the house, to find the family waiting for him. The father carries a shovel, the older brother, his sword.) Father: Soujirou--you thought you could trick me, you little bastard! (He knocks him down with the shovel.) Father: You disobeyed a government order in this day and age! You want to destroy my business? You’re not getting away with this! Spit it out! Where’s the rebel! (Soujirou is down and bleeding.) Older Brother: I’ve had enough of this brat! I’ll kill him for this! Sister: Wait, wait. Isn’t this getting a little unpleasant? Younger Brother: Hm? Oh, don’t worry. He was hiding a very bad man. This sort of thing is natural when one human being kills another. Just kill him, brother. The only place Soujirou could hide anyone is in the barn. After this all we have to do is call the police. Father: I won’t let him destroy my business! Sister: That’s true. I’m sure if we tell the police about the rebel they’ll give us a reward. Mother: So this is how he repays us for all our trouble raising him! Younger Brother: This is your chance to show off that sword you’re always talking about. (The scene blurs before Soujirou's eyes.) The flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak-- (He screams and runs.) Older Brother: He’s getting away! Soujirou (thinking desperately): Help me! Somebody--somebody--anybody! Somebody help me! Father: He’s gone! Where’d he go! (The younger brother notices a footprint under the porch. Soujirou is hiding underneath, clutching the sheathed wakizashi.) Soujirou (thinking): Help me . . . Mr. Shishio . . . Younger Brother (crawling underneath the porch): There you are! What’re you doing here? (noticing the wakizashi) Ho . . . that thing looks expensive. Was it in the barn? (reaching out for it) Where was it, where was it? (His hand closes on the sheath, pulling it off.) The food of the strong is the flesh of the weak. The strong live, the weak-- Die. (A scream fills the air.) Sister: How coarse. Mother: Blood will tell. (Something rolls out from under the porch.) Sister: Here he comes. (It is actually the brother’s severed head. Soujirou emerges after it, covered in blood.) Soujirou: In this world the food of the strong is the flesh of the weak. The strong live-- Father & Older Brother (raising their weapons): That brat--!! Soujirou: The weak--(as their heads fly through the air)--DIE!!! (Screams and thunder echo as Shishio, in the barn, sits finishing his onigiri. As rain begins to fall, he walks out, to find Soujirou standing motionless among the bodies.) Shishio: Are you crying? (Soujirou turns towards him, smiling.) Soujirou: No. Shishio (as he begins to walk on): Coming with me? Soujirou: Okay. Hey, Mr. Shishio? Shishio: Yeah? Soujirou: Do you think . . . I could be strong? Shishio: Sure. You’ll be the strongest there is, after me-- (In the present, Soujirou stands up, ready.) Soujirou: After all, in this world the food of the strong is the flesh of the weak. Yumi: What? Soujirou: He fights on behalf of the weak. Whatever he says or does, he must be wrong. If he wasn’t wrong, someone should have protected me then. Yumi: Sou? Soujirou: It’s getting on my nerves . . . fighting with him. Somehow . . . Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 133--A Spirit Broken Soujirou: It’s annoying. Just seeing him is somehow . . . Yumi (thinking): Annoying? He’s smiling same as always, but . . . (aloud) Boy! You've got all kinds of enemies to face after this. Use the Shukuchi in the next attack and finish him. (thinking) He’s different from the normal Soujirou! Soujirou: Of course. That was my intention. I’ve decided to use one step before the Shukuchi. Yumi: Boy!! Soujirou: Oh, please don’t be angry. I have every confidence that I could defeat Mr. Himura with the Shukuchi. But using my full strength against his wrong-headed sword would just be too annoying. (He re-enters the next room.) Sanosuke: Here he comes. Kenshin: Yes . . . Sanosuke: You gonna be okay? Kenshin: I can’t say. Only that if I can’t defeat this boy, I won’t reach Shishio. So I won’t be able to return to Miss Kaoru and the others. I’ll use my full strength. I have no other choice. Soujirou: One step before the Shukuchi. (He all but disappears, detectable only by the breaking of the tatami mats under his feet.) Kenshin (thinking): Right? Or left? (A similar break hits the ceiling, then a wall. Kenshin is surrounded on all sides by the crashes that mark Soujirou’s passing.) Kenshin (thinking): An omnidirectional attack, using not only horizontal but vertical space! Sanosuke: There’s nowhere to run now! Soujirou: After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. (Kenshin whips his head around to follow the voice, but there’s nothing there.) Soujirou: The strong live, the weak die. (Kenshin turns again--Soujirou materializes over his left shoulder, and he puts up his sword to block. A glimpse of the nine-year-old Soujirou, smiling.) Soujirou: You don’t kill? You protect the weak? That’s what you say, but you’re wrong. (He strikes again, and again Kenshin blocks. Young Soujirou, crying out in shock.) Soujirou: Why didn’t you protect me then? If what you say is right, why didn’t anyone protect me? (He disappears again. Kenshin does his best to dodge the blitz of rapid movement.) Sanosuke: "Then"? "Why didn’t you protect me?" What’s he talking about? He’s not making any sense. Yumi: It is strange . . . He’s definitely acting different than usual. Sanosuke (thinking): Could it . . . could his past be coming back to him, like how Kenshin reverted to Battousai in his fight with Saitou? Yumi (thinking): He can’t cope with the strong emotions the fight is bringing up. He’s losing his mind! Soujirou: No one protected me then. The only thing that protected me was the truth that Mr. Shishio taught me. All it took was one stroke of the wakizashi . . . (He descends behind Kenshin for the final blow.) Soujirou (thinking): So Mr. Shishio is the one that’s right! (The young Soujirou clutches the sword, his eyes mad with rage.) (Kenshin coolly looks behind him in plenty of time to see Soujirou.) Sanosuke: I knew it! If he’s showing emotion, no matter how fast he is, Kenshin can read his moves! (Kenshin dodges very slightly, and Soujirou buries his sword in the tatami instead.) Sanosuke (grinning): Now he’s got him! Yumi (shocked): He saw him! (Soujirou stares at the blade halted inches before his throat. A tense moment.) Soujirou: What are you doing? Do you mean to win without giving the finishing blow? Kenshin: You say no one protected you then. No matter how hard I try, I can’t think what you’re referring to. But, if it’s not too late, couldn’t you make a fresh start now? (Soujirou freezes. The young Soujirou stands in the freezing rain, holding a bloody sword.) The strong live, the weak die. The true words Mr. Shishio taught me. But is being weak so wrong? I killed, but I didn’t really want to kill them. Yes. In the rain, I smiled, but I was really crying. I was really crying. (Soujirou screams, clutching his head.) Yumi: Soujirou’s . . . broken . . . Soujirou: You’re interfering. Your very existence is . . . Fighting with you is making me strange! I don’t care who’s right! I’ll kill you with the next attack! Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 134--The Second Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki Seta Soujirou, born the first year of Bunkyuu in the prefecture of Kanagawa. When he was eight, he slaughtered his abusive adoptive parents and their children. Since then, as the right hand of former Ishin Shishi Shishio Makoto, many have fallen to him, beginning with the Minister Okubo Toshimichi. (Soujirou pulls his sword from the floor and walks to the center of the room.) Soujirou: You’re interfering. (He whips his sword around him in a blinding half-circle, then sheathes it, assuming battou-jutsu stance.) Soujirou: I’m coming. Be ready. (Kenshin watches him closely.) Sanosuke: Battou-jutsu stance. The right hand a little lowered . . . (thinking) This is a match of speed now. Soujirou: My only named technique. Shuntensatsu. As the name implies, it kills in an instant. There is no time to feel pain. Kenshin: A series of moves connecting a Shukuchi charge with self-taught battou-jutsu? Most assuredly a Shuntensatsu. But can you do it? With your heart confused as it is now. Soujirou: I see. So you know everything, don't you? What arrogance you have. Sanosuke (thinking): That idiot. What arrogance? After that harsh match with Aoshi, he’s being pushed by someone who hasn’t even shown his true strength yet. Unfavorable fights are the only kind he gets . . . Soujirou: You should be worrying about yourself instead of me, Mr. Himura. When you read this move, there will be no time to respond. That’s the speed of the Shuntensatsu. Kenshin: I see. Then I’ll try this. Yumi: He sheathed his sword! Sanosuke: He’s going to use it at the last minute! There’s only one battou-jutsu technique it can be! The Hiten Mitsurugi School succession technique Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki!! Soujirou: . . . Are you serious? Kenshin: I’m always serious. If I were not, my opponents would not take my words seriously. Soujirou (remembering): But if it’s not too late, couldn’t you make a fresh start now? (aloud) I understand. Then I will throw away my arrogance and meet you seriously. (thinking) Full strength against full strength . . . any other way, after I won, I still wouldn't know the answer. Is he right? Or is Mr. Shishio? My Shuntensatsu will discover the truth! (Soujirou is suddenly gone.) Yumi (thinking): He disappeared! Sanosuke (thinking): That’s the Shukuchi! It’s too fast, you can’t even see it! (Kenshin starts running forward.) Sanosuke: Kenshin!? (thinking) He’s right . . . Kenshin has the advantage in battou-jutsu but Soujirou has more pure speed. If he’s up against Shukuchi moving into the Prodigy’s battou-jutsu Shuntensatsu, combining godspeed with the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki instead of waiting to meet him should make their overall speed almost equal. The determining factor now is-- (A flash of feet, eyes, drawn swords.) Sanosuke (thinking): The technique’s destructive power! (The swords meet, and a dull edge splinters a sharp one. Soujirou is sent flying.) (Half of Soujirou’s sword is sticking point-down in the floor. Kenshin is slumped over, breathing hard.) Sanosuke: Hey, you okay? Kenshin: More or less. Soujirou? (Yumi cradles Soujirou’s head in her lap.) Soujirou: So it . . . turned out . . . exactly the opposite as in Shingetsu. To be that strong even though he’s sworn not to kill . . . it’s almost unfair. Yumi: Kid, you’re . . . Soujirou: When you believe lie heaped on lie, you have to break them down all at once, Miss Yumi. I was wrong . . . I got my answer. (sitting up) Mr. Himura, you were the one that was right. Weren’t you . . . . Kenshin: No. If winning and being strong makes you right, then it’s Shishio you should believe. If you could find the truth by fighting once or twice, everyone’s way of living would be right. The true answer comes not by fighting but by living your life, as you atone for your sins. Soujirou (falling back into Yumi’s lap): You’re a harsh man, Mr. Himura . . . Kenshin (smiling a little): Am I . . . Soujirou: You wouldn’t let me have a simple answer. You’re much harsher than Mr. Shishio . . . Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 23 feb 1999 The Results of the Third Character Popularity Poll! 1. Himura Kenshin 10896 2. Sagara Sanosuke 4242 3. Saitou Hajime 4115 4. Shinomori Aoshi 3864 5. Seta Soujirou 3009 6. Myojin Yahiko 2903 7. Kamiya Kaoru 2051 8. Hiko Seijuurou 1914 9. Makimichi Misao 1874 10. Kamatari 870 11. Sagara Souzou 12. Okita Soushi 13. Shishio Makoto 14. Hanya 15. Takani Megumi Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 135--Those who Gather, Those who Leave Soujirou: If you just go a little farther you’ll find Mr. Shishio. You won’t need Miss Yumi to guide you anymore. (Kenshin and Sanosuke pound down the corridor.) Kenshin: I wonder if he’ll be all right. Sanosuke: What? He’s fine. He’s not gonna die, anyway. Kenshin: Not of his wounds. Sanosuke: Oh--you mean the problem of his heart. It’s not for us to say now. We should be thinking about what’s up ahead. Kenshin: True enough. (In Soujirou’s room) Yumi: Will you be all right? I should be going too-- Soujirou: Mm. Just a little longer. Your thighs are so soft. Yumi: . . . You’re weird . . . Soujirou: Ha ha. Joking aside, you don’t have to worry. Through those doors is a secret passage that will take you straight to Mr. Shishio. Get to him before Mr. Himura does; there’s something I want you to tell him. Tell him what the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki really is . . . (In the library, Aoshi slowly gets to his feet, obviously in pain. He tries to pull his sword from the floor, but has to stop.) Saitou (at the door): I see you got your ass kicked again. Aoshi: Saitou Hajime . . Saitou: Hm? You should know me as Fujita Gorou. Aoshi: I heard about you from a man called Seta. Saitou: Is that so. Aoshi: Well, you’ve been hanging around here for a while. Battousai’s long gone. Saitou: Then everything’s going according to plan. Aoshi: What . . . (Saitou tosses him a folded paper.) Aoshi (opening it): This is . . . (thinking) A rough sketch of the headquarter’s interior . . . How did he . . . Saitou: Your intelligence network is formidable, but the national system is the best in the country. It's one of the reasons I work for the government. If you’ve gotten this far in, you won’t need a guide. Splitting up is the better plan. Aoshi: So you're only using Battousai and the others as decoys. Saitou: Yes. Something like that. This is a war to decide the future of this nation. Nothing can come before that. Aoshi: Then what about your match? The conflict between you and Battousai, that you've carried on ever since the Bakumatsu and still haven't settled? If Battousai dies here, what will you do? Saitou: Then whoever lives is the victor. You’ve been useful. (as he walks out) Your fight with Battousai distracted both the enemy and Battousai from me. I’ve been able to move in the shadows. Aoshi (thinking): Saitou Hajime, captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi . . . Seasoned veterans like him were thronging to Kyoto during the Bakumatsu. If the Oniwabashuu could have fought then . . . (he closes his eyes) Regrets . . . (he pulls the kodachi from the floor) The present is more important than the future. The time to fight is now! Yumi: The Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki? Soujirou: Yes . . . I saw it all in that instant. It’s-- Yumi: The left foot?! Soujirou: Yes. The standard move in battou-jutsu is to step into it with your right foot, so as not to cut your own leg. But Mr. Himura stepped with his left. Of course he wouldn’t cut himself. At the culmination of the swing of the hand and the twist of the hips in an draw of the sword meant not to kill, the last step is taken at that one fleeting instant. That step gives his sword an instant more of acceleration and power. It changes his godspeed battou-jutsu into the ultimate godspeed technique Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. Yumi: So with that one step . . . Soujirou: Yes. But it’s a difficult step to take. A step taken on the edge of life and death. A measure discovered in desperation. If he had even the slightest hint of hesitation, it would be impossible. Yumi: You mean you couldn’t do it? Soujirou: I couldn’t. That’s why I was defeated. But I think Mr. Shishio will be able to break the technique. The succession technique Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki can’t be done without that left-footed step. So if he focuses on Mr. Himura’s left foot instead of his eyes or his arms, he’ll know when he’s about to use it. Yumi: I understand. I’ll tell Lord Shishio right away. Soujirou: Wait a moment. I have another favor to ask of you. (He opens a drawer.) Yumi: This is . . . Soujirou: The wakizashi Mr. Shishio gave to me long ago. I’ve treasured it for these past ten years . . . Please return it to him now. Yumi: Boy . . . then you’re . . . Soujirou: Mr. Shishio wasn’t wrong. What saved me then was this wakizashi and Mr. Shishio. That’s the undeniable truth. But, like Mr. Himura said, I’ve decided to search for the true answers myself. So I’m leaving . . . Yumi: I see .. . That’s best, I think . . . Soujirou: Give my best wishes to Mr. Shishio. Yumi: Even if I didn’t, Lord Shishio’s unbeatable. Soujirou (turning away): No . . . he’s not . . . Yumi: I know. Good luck. (The door closes behind her. A tear trickles down Soujirou’s cheek.) (In his chamber, Shishio sits holding the wakizashi in one hand.) Shishio: I see. Soujirou, hm . . . so the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki and this sword are his parting gifts to me. And I’m the only one left to fight. (He stands, clenching his fist until the wakizashi splinters and breaks.) Shishio: After all, who could follow my strength! The Makings of the Characters--Seta Soujirou--Supplement Soujirou was really popular, but in the end, he caused me a lot of grief. I used Okita Soushi of the aforementioned "Record of the Bloodshed of the Shinsengumi" by Shiba Ryoutarou as the basis of his character, but when it came time to draw him, expressing his personality was really, really difficult, and on top of that it came just at the busiest time of the year, the year-end advance. I didn’t have time to consider the problem seriously, and my assistant ended up coming to my rescue. (My assistant understands Soujirou a lot better than I do.) Since Okita Soushi died young, a lot of fans were worried that Soujirou would see the light and then die. But actually I had decided he would survive from the beginning. Because of his painful experiences Soujirou left everything to Shishio and gave up thinking for himself; he couldn’t finish off his life and escape into death, but had to live on even in pain and atone. It’s a rejected, harsh way of thinking, but it’s a choice one should make as a human being. (If you replace Soujirou’s relationship with Shishio with that of a fanatical believer who entrusts his mind to the leader of an extremist religious cult, I think you’ll understand my reasoning.) No matter how harsh the external influence of family or society, no matter how bitter your life, I believe that the one thing you can’t do is give up thinking for yourself. Well, no matter how much of this I write, because of Soujirou’s personality, he’ll go on smiling and looking innocent as always. Like Anji, he’s a character I feel I didn’t use as much as I could have, and I’d like to bring him back at some point. Maybe it’s a false hope, but . . . Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 26 feb 1999 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 136--When Did the Battle Begin? (Shishio and Houji stand on the battlefield, waiting.) Shishio: How many years has it been since I fought personally. Houji: You seem pleased. Shishio: Of course. He still honors his oath not to kill, so it’s hard to say that Hitokiri Battousai has awakened, but he’s even managed to defeat Soujirou. As a swordsman, the prospect of fighting him stirs my blood as much as taking over the country. And on top of that, there’s the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki to look forward to. I said it the day he arrived in Kyoto. Whatever the outcome, I will enjoy this. Houji: But I regret that it came to this. The Rengoku was destroyed, most of our soldiers have been arrested, and the Ten Swords are scattered. Our plans for Japan have been set back by ten years. Lord Shishio, please, destroy Battousai and those who follow him here and now. Then ten years from now! All I’ve done for this organization will be realized then! (thinking) Yes, then Japan will reap violence as a true world power! Now, as the Western powers colonize weaker countries one by one, Japan has no choice but to become strong. To unify this strength, the age needs Shishio Makoto! It is all for Lord Shishio! (The barrel of a shotgun peeks out from the edge of his coat.) Houji (thinking): If necessary, I will be hated once more! (Kenshin and Sanosuke approach a door at the end of the hallway.) Sanosuke: End of the road! (punching through the door) This is it! (Yumi is standing on the other side, looking bored.) Yumi: Slow, aren’t you? I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever get here. Sanosuke: How the hell did you--! Damn her! Well, let’s get going, Kenshin! Kenshin (slumped over): Ri . . right . .. Sanosuke: Hey . . . (Kenshin coughs up blood.) Sanosuke: Hey! Kenshin: I’m fine. (Yumi pauses a moment.) Yumi: You’re tired. Well, what do you expect, if you fight two guys one after the other. Sanosuke: What? Yumi: What do you want to do? If you want to leave, I’ll turn a blind eye. Promise not to interfere with Lord Shishio’s plans and I’ll let you go here. Kenshin: It seems as though you don’t want Shishio and I to fight. Well, it’s only natural you should worry about him. Yumi (turning away): A girl can’t even show mercy to you idiots! (But her face is worried.) Kenshin: Sano . . . Sanosuke: Yeah? Kenshin: I must ask you again. This is fight is between Shishio and I. Please don’t interfere. Sanosuke: Yeah. I know. (thinking) That’s all I can say. But I didn’t come all this way to watch you die. Yahiko and the girl need you. Kenshin: I thank you. Sanosuke (thinking): No, it’s not just them. In today's Japan there are a lot of people who don't see that they still need men like you. And no matter who calls me a liar or a coward, my Futae no Kiwami is not staying out of this! (They come to a set of huge iron doors.) Yumi: On the other side of these doors is Lord Shishio’s private battleground. Once I open them, that’s it. There’s nowhere to run. (She pulls a lever. Gears grind and the doors slowly open. A narrow bridge connects to a tower topped by the square battlefield; flaming smokestacks surround them.) Kenshin: A battleground set halfway up a shear cliff . . . there is truly no escape. Sanosuke: And the smell . . . They’re burning a lot of stinkwater in those fires. Houji: Stinkwater, what an old-fashioned name. This is petroleum, what every advanced nation now researches as an alternative source of fuel. When we have Japan in our grasp, we will first turn it to serious practical use. It will be a foothold in our launch into the world. Shishio: As he says. Kenshin: Shishio Makoto . . . (Yumi walks across the field towards Shishio.) Yumi: Lord Shishio . . . please don’t enjoy yourself so much you forget . . . (drawing a pocket watch from her sleeve.) And please take care . . . (Shishio lifts her chin and kisses her.) Shishio: Fifteen minutes. I’ll finish him by then. (He and Kenshin stand facing each other.) Shishio: You’re wounded from head to toe. Can you really fight like that? Kenshin: I might ask the same of you. Shishio (chuckling): I might indeed. Then there’s no point in observing the formalities-- (Both swords are pushed slightly out of their sheathes.) When did the battle begin? When Okubo Toshimichi was assassinated? When Himura Kenshin became a vagabond? When Shishio Makoto was burnt almost to death? Or in the instant when two men, different as darkness and light, became Hitokiris? Now, they enter the final battle! Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 6 april 1999 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part137--Nourishment (Kenshin and Shishio attack, blocking sword with sword.) Sanosuke (thinking): Good. He’s hurt, but he isn’t weakening yet! (As Shishio’s sword strikes Kenshin’s, it bursts into flames. Shocked, Kenshin is knocked down.) Houji (thinking): That must be it! The first secret sword Homura Dama! Kenshin: The tip burns from the friction heat of being drawn against the scabbard . . . ? Shishio: Feh. (He draws the tip of his sword deliberately against the ground; once again it bursts into flame.) Kenshin (thinking): No. If he were just producing a flame by friction, I should be able to do the same thing. This is something else! (His sword still flaming, Shishio charges again.) Kenshin (thinking): Settle down. Don’t let the flame confuse you! The fire itself shouldn’t be able to hurt you much. Focus on the tip of the blade! (Shishio slashes once in front of him; striking the blade again against the scabbard, he rakes Kenshin across the chest with the flaming sword.) Sanosuke: Kenshin! Houji: Lord Shishio! (Kenshin goes to his knees, supporting himself with his sword.) Shishio: How did it feel, Battousai? Was my Homura Dama your first taste of the pain of being cut and burnt at the same time? Kenshin: Yes . . . But compared to the sharpness of a cutting attack, the actual cut wasn’t as deep as I expected. I saw your Homura Dama for what it really is. The friction produced by striking the tip is to ignite it. What actually burns is something else. (A close look at the sword reveals tiny teeth along the edge.) Kenshin: What actually burns is what you’ve soaked your fine-tooth saw of a sword with, the fat of those you’ve killed. Shishio: Well done. As with the Rengoku, you show your keen insight. Houji (thinking): He saw through Lord Shishio’s Homura Dama after only taking it once? He is truly the formidable Himura Battousai! Shishio: But it was rude of you to compare my blade to a saw. It’s the brother-blade to our true reverse blade. If you continue to kill with a fine sword, the blade catches and nicks and the edge dulls. Shakku recognized the limits of maintaining the utmost killing power and made a sword that could be used continuously by chipping a portion of it away beforehand. Arai Shakku’s final killing sword, the Mugenjin, and my own technique perfected in my years as a Hitokiri, the first secret sword Homura Dama. Through them, the weak but serve to feed my strength. Thus, the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. Sanosuke (thinking): Both bear the same past as a Hitokiri, both wield blades by the same master swordsmith .. . . but their hearts are complete opposites. Shishio: You look as though you disagree. Prove you’re right with your own sword. Sanosuke: Kenshin . . . Kenshin: I know. I told Soujirou a fight can’t decide who’s right and who’s wrong. But if I don’t stop him here, he’ll feed on all Japan. Shishio: I won’t deny that. Kenshin (charging): Let’s do it, Shishio Makoto! Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuushousen! (Shishio catches the blade with his gloved hand.) Shishio: You already showed me that in Shingetsu. Once I’ve seen a technique, it won’t work against me. Battousai . . . shall I feed on you as well? (He sinks his teeth into Kenshn’s neck, spraying blood. Kenshin screams.) Sanosuke: Kenshin! Back to Home To Volume Sixteen To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 6 march 1999 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Sixteen--Divine Providence Part 138--Divine Providence (Shishio pushes Kenshin away and wipes the blood from his mouth.) Shishio: Bad taste. Like it won’t do me any good, but it won’t do me any harm either. (Kenshin gets to his knees, hand over the fast-bleeding shoulder.) Shishio: After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak die. Kenshin: Those words . . . Shishio: They’re the words I ground into Soujirou, but they don’t just apply to swordplay. They’re divine providence. The weak have a duty in life to become food for the strong. Scum that doesn’t become food has no right to exist. The strongest of all gains the top. The Mejij government is weak and doesn’t have the capacity to hold supremacy. I alone can. My coup will be a godsend for this country. The strong live, the weak die. That’s why you, the Hitokiri, passed through the storm of blood that was the Bakumatsu. Can’t you understand that when you disobey this law, all your effort is in vain? Kenshin: I cannot! The people you call food are people who survived the bloodshed of those times and now live in a world at peace. They shouldn’t have to sacrifice their lives to anyone or anything. If you want to plunge them back into violence, for whatever reason, I cannot accept that. Shishio: I spoke not of reason, but of divine will. Kenshin: I cannot accept that it’s divine will! Sanosuke (thinking): He’s not gonna give in. Nobody could beat his spirit. But if he keeps being pushed like this, his body is going to give out sooner or later . . . Shishio: You can’t understand it with your mind or accept it in your heart. You’re stubbornly clinging to your vow not to kill, but that foolishness only shows what the great Hitokiri Battousai has sunk to. Rather than bear the disgrace of living in shame, I think it better you die with glory here! (He ignites his sword once again.) Shishio: You will leave behind your name in the new history I create! (Kenshin turns the sword aside, bare hand against the flat of the blade.) Kenshin: I have no intention of leaving my name in yours or any history. The only thing I want to leave behind me is the peace that came of this violence! (He strikes Shishio in the ribs.) Houji: Lord Shishio!! Shishio: So you don’t listen when people give you good advice. Then there’s nothing else I can do! I’ll kill you here! (He strikes against, then seizes Kenshin by the front of his shirt and lifts him in the air, sword leveled at his throat.) Shishio: Oops. It’s a little too soon to finish it now. Kenshin (thinking): His glove . . . it smells like . . . Shishio: I told you, didn’t I. You’ll go out in a blaze of glory. Kenshin (thinking): Gunpowder . . . Sanosuke: Kenshin!! Second Secret Sword Guren Kaina (Shishio strikes his sword against his glove, and it explodes, knocking Kenshin violently back. He lies as he has fallen, eyes rolled back in his head.) Shishio: So I really killed him. And he still hasn’t used the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. What a waste! Yumi: Nine minutes fifty-three seconds. (thinking) So there was nothing to worry about after all. Houji: The Guren Kaina! To conceal gunpowder in his gloves and ignite it with the Homura Dama is pure Lord Shishio! Never a false move! Shishio: Shut up, idiot! Just finish things off! (He sheathes his sword.) (from the door): Not finishing off a wounded enemy was your fatal weakness then, and it'll cost you your life now. Sanosuke: Saitou! Saitou (breaking through the door): Shishio Makoto, your head is mine! Divine Providence--End Back to Home To Volume Sixteen translations by maigo-chan last updated 6 april 1999