Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 168--Remembrances 4--Yukishiro Tomoe Floating in the darkness, fresh red blood . . . White sleeves . . . a purple shawl . . . And deep, black eyes . . . (Kenshin and Tomoe stare at each other for a moment. Then Tomoe's eyes close, and she slowly begins to pitch forward. Kenshin darts forward to catch her.) Kenshin: She's fainted . . . It's a natural reaction to seeing all this blood. (thinking) For a moment I wasn't sure if I should silence her or not--No. I forgot even that . . . (aloud) But what to do about this place? I can't leave her here to give evidence. And who knows what could happen to a woman alone in Kyoto at night. Guess I have no choice. (He picks her up to carry her home.) Kenshin (thinking): Her perfume . . . That must be white plum scent . . . (He pauses.) Kenshin: Not good. I must be going crazy . . . (At the Ohagi Inn.) Kenshin (very quietly): I'm back. (He tiptoes in.) Okami (the landlady): Oh, Himura, you're home late tonight--Himura, what are you doing? Kenshin: No, um, there was a fight, and she fainted, and-- (Okami regards Tomoe for a long moment.) Okami: Are you sure you didn't just get her drunk? Kenshin: . . .! Okami: This is not a teahouse. Just this once--I'll get her some warm water and a change of clothes. Iizuka (sleepily poking his head out a door): What is it, Okami? Okami: It's that boy Master Katsura's looking after . . . Iizuka: What?? Ba--I mean, Himura brought home a girl?! (Later. Tomoe has been put to bed. Kenshin sits by her side.) Kenshin: So she's just drunk. (He watches her sleep.) Kenshin (thinking): The smell of blood and white plum perfume . . . I really am going crazy . . . (The next morning. Kenshin wakes with a start, to find Tomoe gone, her futon folded neatly in a corner.) Kenshin (thinking): No--I must have fallen asleep-- (aloud) Mrs. Okami! Okami (handing Tomoe a stack of breakfast trays): Here, why don't you take these in for me. (Kenshin face-faults.) Okami: Oh, good morning, Himura. Despite appearances, your girlfriend is a very good worker. Kenshin (trying hard to ignore that remark): Um . . what's your name? Tomoe: Tomoe. (He follows her as she carries the trays.) Kenshin: Tomoe, what are you doing? Tomoe: Can't you tell? Kenshin: Helping in the kitchen. Tomoe: So you did know. (opening the door) Excuse me, I've brought breakfast. (The men are all lined up waiting for her.) Men: So this is Himura's girl! She's cute! An older woman! And just as unfriendly as Himura! Tomoe: I'm Tomoe. How nice to meet you. Kenshin (angrily): Hey, knock that off-- Iizuka: Oh, embarrassed, lover boy? Kenshin: Iizuka-- Iizuka: So. How was she? (Battousai puts a hand to his sword. Everyone backs off instantly.) Iizuka: That was close. For a minute I forgot he was Battousai. Just teasing him is taking your life in your hands. Kenshin (with great dignity): If everyone's here, we should discuss the provincial governor. Katsura's stay will require the strictest security. (Iizuka just points at Katsura, who is calmly drinking tea.) Kenshin: . . . I had no idea the Choushuu patriots were so laid-back . . . Katsura: Affairs of the heart have nothing to do with your ideals. (After all, I have Ikumatsu.*) *A Kyoto geisha and Katsura's lover, who became his wife after the Restoration. Kenshin: . . . May we talk seriously for a minute? Katsura: Certainly. That's more my nature as well. (Outside, a little later.) Katsura: Is that true? Kenshin: Yes. I was ambushed by a shogunate assassin. Katsura: Information from Choushuu is being leaked out. Even about our top secret Battousai . . . There is a traitor in our midst. There's one other thing. Furudaka, who was meant to be at the meeting during the Gion Festival tonight, was captured by the Shinsengumi yesterday. Kenshin: . . . So you'll take a bodyguard after all? Katsura: No . . . I'll be all right. But I want you to be careful. (He leaves.) Kenshin (thinking): The one they're after is the leader of the Choushuu patriots, the center of all this . . . We have to find the traitor soon. If we make even one mistake, history will take an evil turn . . . (Later. Kenshin is sitting on a windowsill while Tomoe eats her lunch.) Tomoe: Yes? Kenshin: That's why--I want you to promise to forget everything you saw last night and leave. Tomoe: Am I such a burden? Mrs. Okami seems to like me. Kenshin: . . . Your family will be worried about you. Tomoe: If I had a family to go back to, I wouldn't be out drinking alone at night. Kenshin (thinking): This is not going well . . . (aloud) I don't know what your situation is, but we're in no state to look after you. Tomoe: Then will you finish me? Like you did that samurai in black. Kenshin: . . . You can think whatever you want, but I'm doing this only to bring a new age where everyone can live in peace. I don't kill indiscriminately. Only armed members of the Bakufu who oppose us. Naturally civilians might oppose us as well, but I would never strike an unarmed man. Tomoe: So bad people carry swords, and good people don't? Then, if I had been carrying a sword that night, would you have-- Kenshin: That's . . . Tomoe (picking up her tray): When you have an answer for me, please let me know. (She leaves the room.) Kenshin: Wait a minute! You're just going to walk out? (But the door slams shut behind her.) Kenshin: Dammit . . . (thinking) Am I going crazy? Or, are things finally starting to make sense . . . Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 24 may 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 169--Remembrances 5--Madness If I had been carrying a sword that night, would you have-- (Kenshin is sitting alone in his room, staring out the window.) Kenshin (thinking): That was two weeks ago. (Tomoe opens the door, broom in hand.) Tomoe: I'm going to clean this room. Please leave for a while. Kenshin: I don't remember asking you to clean it. Tomoe: Okami asked me to. In the midst of all this confusion, Yukishiro Tomoe has settled in with us. Kenshin (as he's getting down from the windowsill): What's this notebook? Tomoe: That's my diary. Don't read it, please. Kenshin: (As if I would!) (thinking): She really has settled in. Tomoe (tucking the notebook inside her obi): Just to be sure. (Kenshin storms out. In the hallway, he runs into Iizuka.) Iizuka: Hey, Himura! Kenshin: Iizuka. Iizuka: Why the long face? You have a fight with Tomoe? (Kenshin, with dark Battousai eyes, reaches for his sword.) Iizuka: Okay, okay! What's eating you? Jeez. Kenshin: Did you want something? (Iizuka holds up a black envelope.) Iizuka: It's tonight. Take care of it. When the black envelope is sent, it means it will rain blood in the Kyoto night. Only the single-minded repetition of Heaven's justice . . . (Later that night. Kenshin comes in and washes his hands; Tomoe watches him.) Tomoe: Do you intend to keep killing like this? (Kenshin doesn't answer.) (The next day. Katsura, Iizuka and Katakai are sitting in a teashop, looking to passers-by like three strangers.) Iizuka: Her way of speaking, her bearing, the way she's accustomed to live, even her taste in food--she's not from the capital. Since she can read and write, she's probably the daughter of a samurai family in Kantou. We have no evidence that she's tried to contact anyone. She's very unlikely to be our spy. She probably got into some trouble at home and ran off. A stray cat, just trying to stay off the streets. Katsura: It's still an interim report. Too soon for conclusions. What's her effect on Himura? Iizuka: . . . Not bad. It's just . . . Katsura: Just what? Iizuka: Lately his sword has been a little dull. That's what his inspectors say, anyway . . . (That night. Tomoe is doing some sewing in her room when there is a knock on the door.) Tomoe: Come in. Katsura (entering): It's late; I'm sorry to disturb you. Tomoe: If you're looking for Himura, he's out for the night. Katsura: I know. I'm his superior. I know all of his movements. (A little later.) Tomoe: Madness? Katsura: When I was young, Takasugi and I and many of our friends studied under a master of Shouka Sonjuu . . . Yoshida Shouin. He was executed in the Ansei no Taigoku. He once said that we are destroying an era of Tokugawa rule that drove men to madness. If we are to build a new age, we must let ourselves go mad now. To be mad enough not to turn away from our extreme justice. That is the driving force of the Choushuu faction. Himura is the vanguard of this mad justice. He is fulfilling the harshest of roles. Tomoe: And so? You're telling me this because you want me to "fulfill a role"? Katsura: I'm not telling you to do anything. I just want to you understand what we're doing here. (He leaves the room. Tomoe looks thoughtful a moment; then she gets up and begins writing in her diary.) (Downstairs, Kenshin has returned, and is washing his hands.) (Late afternoon of the next day.) Okami: Good work. You've done enough for today. Tomoe: Thank you. (She goes back to her room to find Kenshin asleep at the windowsill.) Tomoe (thinking): To go mad enough not to hate this justice, for the sake of the new age . . . The vanguard of mad justice. But . . when I look at him sleeping like that . . . he's just a boy, not even of age yet . . . (She picks up her shawl and reaches out to spread it over him. He wakes all at once and has his sword to her throat before she can move. They stay frozen for a moment. Then he pushes her away.) Kenshin: . . . I'm sorry . . . I bragged that I would never kill a civilian and now look at me . . . If you had come any closer I would have-- (Tomoe lays her shawl down across his lap.) Tomoe: Let me stay here a while. Now you need a sheath, to hold back your madness . . . (Kenshin's fingers close around the silk.) Kenshin: I thought about my answer. Whether I would have killed you, if you had had a sword. The answer is no. I wouldn't kill you. Whatever happened, I could never do that to you. Not to you . . . Never. Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 24 may 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 170--Remembrances 6--Turmoil: 1864 June 5, 1864. The Gion Festival-- (In Kenshin's room. Tomoe is sewing; Kenshin is leaning against the wall, fast asleep. Iizuka bursts into the room.) Iizuka: Hey, Himura! C'mon, it's the festival, let's get going! After this we're gonna hit the red-light district-- Tomoe: Shh. Himura is finally asleep. (Iizuka gives her a puzzled look, and backs out of the room.) Iizuka (thinking): Himura, fast asleep? In front of someone else? Could it be .. maybe the joke is no longer a joke ... (aloud) Well, why shouldn't they get along. No skin off my nose, I guess . . . (Katakai pulls open the front gate, out of breath.) Iizuka: Hey, Katakai, great. You going to the festival? Katakai: This is no time for festivals! Something terrible has happened! (In his room, Kenshin wakes up.) Tomoe: What is it? Iizuka was just-- (Katakai and Iizuka rush in.) Katakai: Himura! Kenshin: Katakai, what is it? You're supposed to be guarding Katsura at the meeting-- Katakai: The secret meeting place, the Ikedaya--it was raided by the Shinsengumi! Iizuka: So information is getting out! Kenshin: What about Katsura! Katakai: It was too soon for him to reach the Ikedaya, so the head of Tsushima was acting in his place--and then because he was taking a nap, he narrowly avoided the disaster--but Yoshida and Miyabe and the others-- (Kenshin starts to rush out; Iizuka holds him back.) Iizuka: Wait, Himura! It's too late! Even if you go charging out now you'll never get there in time. There are 3000 Bakufu soldiers out there! Fighting now will only make things worse for Choushuu. June 5, 1864. The sudden shock of the Ikedaya incident. The triumphant return of the Shinsengumi! (The Shinsengumi, their clothes bloodstained, parade through streets lined with nervous citizens. Hidden in the crowd and wearing a concealing hat is Kenshin.) Kenshin (thinking): So that's the Shinsengumi . . . These men are the greatest obstacle in the way of the Ishin Shishi . . . (One of the Shinsengumi pauses and glances behind him; his eyes meet Kenshin's.) Okita: What's wrong, Saitou? Saitou: It's nothing, Okita. Kenshin (thinking): That man . . . I feel like we're destined to meet again. And so--on the brink of that night the age took a violent reversal. When exaggeration and misinformation about the Ikedaya tragedy reached Choushuu, the province exploded. In the grip of madness that knew no end, a troop of about 3000 began marching to the capital. To meet them were Bakufu forces totaling about 20,000. They could see defeat before fighting even began. July 18, 1864. Though Kenshin and the patriots fought well, they could not hope to turn the tide. In a battle that lasted barely a day, the Choushuu losses climbed to 400, while the Bakufu casualties were less than 60. The war fires spread to 28,000 homes and many perished in the city streets. (People search through the burnt wreckage of their homes for whatever they can salvage. Kenshin and Tomoe are standing on a bridge; underneath it, Katsura huddles beneath a straw raincoat.) Kenshin: I heard about the Ikedaya meeting . . . Their real plan was to set fire to the city and capture the Emperor in the confusion. Katsura was the only one who opposed that outrage. Katsura was also the only one to survive the attack. Katakai says it's by Heaven's decree. Katsura: But look at us now . . . Kyoto's Choushuu faction is destroyed. We're now being pursued as enemies of the Emperor. In Hagi the conservatives are gaining power. There's been a reversal in the provincial government. I'll stay in hiding for a while. I can't go back to Hagi, but if I stay here I'll be caught. Kenshin: What should I do? The Kohagiya was burnt to the ground . . . Katsura: We've arranged for a house in a village outside of the city. You can hide yourselves there until you decide what to do. I'll contact you through Iizuka. Tomoe. Tomoe: Yes? Katsura (getting to his feet): If you have nowhere to go, you could live there with Himura. A young couple will avoid suspicion more easily than a young man alone. Of course it would be just for show. Look after him . . . (He walks off. They watch him in silence for a moment.) Tomoe: What should we do? I don't really have a place to go, but . . . Kenshin: It's not as though you have nowhere. If you need money for traveling that can be arranged. (a pause) I guess it's harsh of me to leave it all to you. Let's live together. I don't know how long it will last, but . . . It doesn't have to be for show. Together . . . Till death do us part. Choushuu province, Hagi. (Yamagata Kyousuke, later known as Yamagata Aritomo, is visiting Takasugi in prison.) Takasugi: That kid's getting married?! He only just came of age! (he laughs) Now that's funny! Yamagata: This is no laughing matter, Shinsaku! At a time like this? What is he thinking? Takasugi (coughing): What're you talking about, Kyousuke. The whole time Kogorou looked so official, he had Ikumatsu on the side. Yamagata: Katsura and a hitokiri are two very different things! (Takasugi looks down at his palm; he's coughed up blood.) Takasugi: They're not different. Katsura and Himura, unlike me, are going to protect this new era. If they can't fight for the women they love, whatever stands in their way, then what's going to happen to this nation? Yamagata: Unlike you . . . Shinsaku, you're sick, aren't you . . . ? Takasugi (wiping his hand hastily): Don't worry about me, Kyousuke. I'm not gonna go just yet. You think I'd die without ever getting out of here again? Leave Hagi to me, Himura! You and your woman, don't abandon Kyoto even if it means your life! Katsura Kogorou had fallen from power. Takasugi Shinsaku was ill. Amidst all these troubles, the young couple began their life together. 1864, late summer. Kenshin was fifteen; Tomoe, eighteen. Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 31 may 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 171--A Brief Intermission (The clock points to just past eleven. Kenshin falls silent, his head bowed.) Megumi: Ken-san? Kenshin: Let me take a breath . . . Sanosuke: Yeah. He's been talking for over three hours. (Another heavy silence falls.) Tsubame: Um, I'll--I'll go get some more tea. Megumi: You shouldn't have to do all that yourself. I'll help. Tsubame: Thank you. Sanosuke: I'll go get us some snacks. I'm kinda hungry. Yahiko (trailing along behind him): How come you know where we keep the snacks? (Only Kaoru and Kenshin are left; they sit in silence.) (In the kitchen.) Tsubame: But I'm so shocked that Mr. Kenshin was an assassin. Yahiko: Oh yeah, you didn't know he was Battousai. (eating a bun) I can't believe he was married. And at fifteen, too. Sanosuke: That's not that surprising. At the time a samurai was treated as an adult at fifteen. Yahiko: Really? Sanosuke: They called it coming of age. If you want to be a swordsman, you should remember that. And at 18, a woman was halfway through marriageable age. Megumi (age 22): What are you trying to say? Sanosuke: Nothing. Megumi: I'm free to get married whenever I want. A stranger has nothing to say about it. (Sanosuke: That's why I didn't say anything.) Sanosuke: But we really don't know where we stand yet. Yahiko: About what? Tsubame: You're right. Megumi: You think so too? Yahiko: Don't just ignore me! Sanosuke: Yukishiro . . . no, Himura Tomoe . . . Megumi: We're still only halfway through the story, so maybe it's inevitable, but where she came from . . . who she is . . . what she was really thinking . . . even if she truly loved Ken-san . . . It looks suspicious. Tsubame: That couldn't be true. How could she marry someone she didn't love . . . Yahiko: I can't believe that he killed her. Whatever the reason, his own wife . . . (They fall silent.) Tsubame: We should be getting back. I'm worried about Kaoru. Sanosuke: You're right. Megumi (quietly): If she gives up on him now, I will never forgive her. Sanosuke: What? Megumi: Nothing. Let's go. (Outside the mansion in Yokohama. Kujiranami, Otowa and Inui are sitting outside; Enishi comes out to speak with them.) Kujiranami: Ten days? Enishi: Yes. I gave him my declaration of war this morning. Otowa (smoking a hookah): Without a word to your comrades? I can't accept this. Inui: Suits me fine. All this waiting around isn't my style at all. Ha--ha! Kujiranami: A declaration of war is fine. But ten days is ridiculous. What do we need all that time for? (In the basement, Gein is working with his fine tools. Enishi smiles at the thought.) Enishi: Because this time we're attacking on the enemy's home ground. No matter how cool-headed he is, he'll have to take us seriously then. You're free to attack him alone or together. But Battousai at his peak was known throughout the Bakumatsu as the strongest there was. If we fight, it will be a battle of our full strength against his, and that will mean total annihilation. Since that's the case, I thought we could use some new weapons. I've made arrangements with my organization in Shanghai, but since they'll have to be custom-made, ten days is the quickest I could make it. That's why. Kujiranami: Isn't that self-contradictory? It used to be that once we had Battousai's attention, his head went to whoever got to him first. If you think about it, at that point, we six become enemies . . . Enishi (going back inside): I'm the kind of man to send his enemies salt. Kujiranami: Hm. Well, fine. (Kujiranami, Otowa and Inui share the same thought:) Whatever he's planning, in ten days Battousai's head will be mine! Enishi (walking through the halls): I give up . . . All this cat-and-mouse foolishness is so tiring. (looking up) You must have heard me, Mr. Muyoui. It'll be in ten days. Don't forget. Muyoui (peering from a crack in a ceiling panel): You make light of me. Enishi, what are you plotting? What is Gein building, down in the basement where there are no ceilings for me to crawl through? Enishi: I wouldn't mind telling you, Mr. Muyoui. But you'd have to come down and meet me face to face. (There is a slight pause.) Muyoui: I'll give you some advice. I don't care what you and Gein are up to. I have no desire to interfere. But don't interfere with my slaughter of Battousai. The only man to see me and live . . . (Enishi enters his own room and sits down facing the window.) Enishi: "You and Gein," huh . . . My methods may coincide with Mr. Gein's, but our objectives couldn't be more different. I don't need any of them. Just as long as I have my sister. Just me and her . . . (As always, her image appears before his eyes, smiling down at him.) Enishi: Tomoe. Tomoe . . . (tears begin to form in his eyes.) Why? Why did you have to die? Tomoe . . . (At the Kamiya dojo. Everyone is once again seated, with a cup of tea.) Sanosuke: Let's go. (Kenshin still doesn't speak.) Kaoru: Kenshin . . . Tsubame (thinking): Kaoru . . . (Kaoru wrenches her gaze from her lap and looks up.) Kaoru: Please. Let's hear the rest. Kenshin: Very well. I will go on . . . Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 31 may 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 172--Remembrances 7--In the Country About 5 months after the Kinmon no Hen. Winter, December. The year 1864 would be over in a few days. (Iizuka, who is traveling around the country disguised as a medicine-peddler, sits talking with Kenshin amidst fields.) Iizuka: August was the cavalry battle of four provinces. In October the purge of the popular movements began. We had barely evaded the first Bakufu suppression of Choushuu when rumors of the second reached us. Then on the 15th of this month, Takasugi got fed up and led the Kiheitai to take back the provincial government. Choushuu's in a state of utter chaos right now . . . Kenshin: . . . Is there any news from Katsura? Iizuka: Not this time. Which is to say, we've never gotten any. No one know where he's gone. Since he's the only one that made it out of the Ikedaya Affair, people are calling him Run-Away Kogorou. Maybe it's true . . . Maybe it's over for Choushuu, now, too . . . Kenshin: That's not true. Takasugi will win. Katsura will come back. What about the capital? Iizuka: Hm? Oh, it's terrible. It's completely under the Shinsengumi's control. Patriots are being hunted down every day by the packs of wolves in light blue coats. The Kyoto Mimawarigumi and other Bakufu groups are doing their best to outdo them. It's completely different from before--the city is running with blood. You should be careful, too. Kenshin: Their first mission is to establish order in the city. Until they do that, they won't look out here. (thinking of the man with chain-swords) Now, the enemy most to be feared is one who exists in the shadows of the Bakufu. Someone who would never be recorded in history unless they were betrayed, someone like me, who might do anything . . . Iizuka (getting up and shouldering his pack): All this bad news. It even gets me down. What about you? Why aren't you depressed? Kenshin: It's thanks to you. Iizuka: I didn't expect to find you so cheerful. You'd think you'd be bored, out here in the sticks, after being a Hitokiri . . . Kenshin: . . . It's not like that. I love kenjutsu, but I don't love killing. These five months have opened my eyes to any number of boring things. (Iizuka walks off, past a group of peasants.) Peasants: Oh, it's the medicine-seller. Laying in stock again? Must be tough coming all this way. Yeah, but they say in the capital that the ointment Kenshin makes works wonders on sword wounds. (Kenshin walks home along the country lanes.) Farmer: Ah, Kenshin, good to see you. My stomach's been upset since last night, so-- Kenshin: All right. I'll have to make up the medicine, so come by tomorrow to get it. Woodcutter: Going to gather herbs again today? You work hard. Kenshin: You too. Be careful out there in the mountains. (At Kenshin's house, a group of kids are playing. Tomoe is rather listlessly playing ball with a girl.) Kenshin: I'm home-- Kids (mobbing him): You're back! Where'd you go! Kenshin: I just went out to gather some herbs. Did you play with Aunt Tomoe? Kids: Uh-huh! But-- Girl: She's no fun at all. (Another girl is standing back from the others.) Kenshin (to the girl): What's wrong? Girl: My dad said that there's something strange about you, so I shouldn't play with you. But my mom says you look out for everyone, so you're a good person. Kenshin: I see. (patting her on the head) Well, I'll be inside all day tomorrow, so you can play with everyone. It's getting late. You should all be heading home. Kids: Okay! See you later! (They run off home.) Tomoe: I'm sorry. I don't smile well. I like children, but . . . Kenshin: It's okay. Tomoe: Especially in front of that unguarded smile . . . (Kenshin gives her a surprised glance.) Tomoe: You smile a lot these days. Kenshin: Yes . . . I guess that's true. I've been though a lot of bad times. I was born in the middle of a famine; I lost my parents and brothers. Since the age of ten, I've trained relentlessly under the Hiten Mitsurugi school. Now I'm Choushuu's shadow assassin. Up till now, in my dealings with people, I haven't had a lot to smile about. I learned the principles of the Hiten Mitsurugi school, wielded a sword, killed . . . all for an age in which the powerless could find happiness, but to tell the truth, up till now, I didn't know what happiness was. What I've come to fight for, and what I'll fight for from now on . . . Living these five months in the country, with you, has taught me that. I know that someday the fighting will begin again, but at least until New Year's, I want it to stay like this . . . (In Kyoto. Katakai warms his hands over a fire on the side of the street.) Katakai (thinking): How long can we keep up this undercover life . . . Just be patient until Katsura comes back--hm? (He catches sight of Iizuka walking past on the street) Katakai (thinking): That's Iizuka. What's he doing in the city? He said he was staying with Himura tonight. Something's up. (He follows Iizuka out of the city, to an old shack out in the woods.) Katakai (thinking): Something is definitely wrong. There are a lot of Choushuu hideouts, but I've never heard of this one. (He peeks through a crack in the wall. Iizuka is sitting before three fighters, Nakajou, Sumita and Tatsumi.) Iizuka: Choushuu's finished. Katsura escaped, but Battousai is still under our control. He's changed a lot, these past five months. Now is the perfect time to strike. Katakai (thinking): Iizuka! He's the traitor! We can't win back Kyoto without Himura! I have to warn him-- (A hand reaches down from above and grips his face.) Nakajou: Who's there! Mumyoui: You should stand a better guard. Sumita: Mumyoui! Nakajou: Dammit! I'll bring him down! Die! (He fires a tiny crossbow bolt from his wrist. The bolt hits Katakai in the throat and he falls.) Sumita: That's a neat little toy. Nakajou: Yeah, they call it a chuusen. My friend's obsessed with assassin's tools. He gave me this. Iizuka (bent over the body): This is Katsura's advisor. When he goes missing someone's going to notice. Tatsumi: It was unavoidable. We must keep this up until Battousai's slaughter! We must pay great attention to what prevented Murakami's chain sword from bringing him down. Nakajou: Meaning? Tatsumi: We've prepared this for a year. We'll use it now. Enishi! (Enishi, a sullen boy with spiky black hair, appears at the door.) Tatsumi: It's your turn. Go! Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 6 june 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 173--Remembrances 8--Enishi's Visit (Two young boys brandish sticks like swords.) Boy: I am the Choushuu patriot Katsura Kogorou! Boy: And I am Takasugi Shinsaku! Kenshin (holding up two sticks and looking embarrassed): Beware, you fools. I am the captain of the Shinsengumi, the demons who silence crying children, Koudou Isami. My blade Kotetsu will drink blood tonight. (They attack, and he fends them off. The other children are looking at something, and Kenshin glances up to see what it is. A sullen-looking boy appears a little ways off.) Kenshin: Who is that? Kids: I don't know. He's not from the village. Maybe he wants to play with us. Boy: I'll go ask him! (They talk for a minute. Then Enishi hits him.) Kenshin (running over): Hey! (Enishi bites his hand.) Tomoe: Enishi? Enishi, is that you? Enishi: Tomoe! (Inside.) Tomoe: This is my brother, Enishi. Kenshin: Your brother . . . Now that you mention, you have the same eyes . . . (He goes to pat his head, and Enishi bites his hand again.) Kenshin: You probably have lots of things you want to talk about . . . I'll be outside. (The kids are playing again; Kenshin sits by the side of the field.) Kenshin (thinking): So Tomoe has a brother . . . she never mentioned him before. Not that that's surprising . . . But how did he know to come here? This is a safe house. No one but Katsura and Iizuka is supposed to know about it. The only one else who knows is Tomoe . . . But it can't have been her. Kid: What's wrong? You're not playing with us? Kenshin: Oh, sorry. I'll be right there. (thinking) No matter how I try I can't make anything of it. Except . . . it might be hard to have that peaceful New Year's now . . . (Inside, Tomoe hugs Enishi.) Tomoe: It's been a long time. You surprised me. But I'm so glad to see you. You must be hungry. Wait a minute, I was just making dinner. (turning to stir the pot) When did you leave Edo? How is Father? Enishi: I don't know. I left for Kyoto a year ago, just after you did. Tomoe: Enishi . . . Who's been taking care of you? And how did you know I was here? You never heard anything from me . . . Enishi: I knew. I have connections. You should be happy, Tomoe. The time of Heaven's Justice has finally come for Battousai. (Tomoe drops the spoon.) Tomoe: Enishi . . . then you're the . . . Enishi: You didn't know? That's funny. They said they'd already told you all about it. (Flashback: Tomoe is seated before the three men Katakai saw talking to Iizuka.) Tatsumi: When the time comes, once he trusts you, we'll send someone you know. I can't tell you who or by what means. Just work your way close to him and continue watching him closely. Watch him until you know the meaning behind his every movement. Once you find his weakness, your goal and our victory is accomplished-- (End of flashback. Tomoe looks shocked.) Enishi: Let's go, Tomoe! You're finally done here! Tomoe: . . . Go back to Edo. Enishi: What? Tomoe: You're the eldest son of the Yukishiro family. I can't let you dirty your hands with this. Enishi: I don't care about the family! I want to help you! Tomoe: Go back home, Enishi. (A moment's pause. Enishi is almost in tears.) Enishi: What is it? Something happened to you. Why won't you come with me? Why are you protecting him! He's your enemy! He's the one that stole your happiness! (Outside, the sun is setting. The kids are going home.) Kids: See you tomorrow! Kenshin: Okay. Take care. Hm? (He sees Enishi walking along the road by himself.) Kenshin: Where are you going? It's almost time for dinner-- (Enishi gives him a look full of hate.) Enishi: You . . .If only you hadn't been there . . . (He rushes off. Kenshin watches him go.) (Inside, Tomoe is writing in her diary.) Kenshin (coming inside): Hey, where is he going-- (Tomoe slams the diary shut, with a violence that startles him.) Kenshin: What is it? Tomoe: Um. Enishi's going back to Edo. Kenshin: To Edo . . . Tomoe: I never told you. You were probably wondering about me. Up till now I thought I wouldn't tell you anything. . . . But, maybe this is a good chance. For us to talk. Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 7 june 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 174--Remembrances 9--Snow, White . . . Kenshin (looking outside): No wonder it's so cold. It's snowing . . . It'll cover the ground. Tomoe: I told you before that my family is from Edo. (Kenshin turns back from the window. Tomoe is sitting by the fire, pouring tea.) Tomoe: There are three of us. We lived peacefully. We weren't so well off that we had money to spare, but we never went hungry. My father knew nothing of the martial or the scholarly arts, but he was a kind, loving man, good to his family and his neighbors. My mother was kind too, but she was always weak, and she died shortly after Enishi was born. Enishi never knew her. But I always took care of him, so he loved me as he would her. To Enishi I was both sister and mother. My sweet little brother. He has a tendency to judge people harshly, and he can get a little out of hand, but he's a good kid. When my engagement was announced he threw a tantrum. The worst he's ever been. (Kenshin gives her a startled look. Tomoe takes a few steps forward.) Tomoe: Here. (She hands him a cup of tea.) Tomoe: My fiancé was the second son of a similar family, a childhood friend. Like my father, he wasn't accomplished, but he was kind and hardworking. At the time, I loved him very much. When he chose me, I was very happy. But, even though I was so happy, all I could do was look at him in amazement. No matter how much I hate it, I can hardly ever smile. Maybe that's why I never told him how happy I was. "If the second son of a samurai cannot make you happy, I will at least be known as a warrior of repute," he told me. He postponed our wedding and joined the Kyoto Mimawarigumi, entering the chaos of Kyoto--And, he never returned. (There is a slight pause.) Tomoe: I didn't wait for the news to come to me. I went to Kyoto as well. And . . . (thinking) I entered in a plot to kill you. (aloud) He died, in a far-off place I didn't know. The happiness I should have had died with him . . . But maybe it really was my fault. If I had cried and tried to stop him . . . Because I thought that way, if I hadn't found something--someone to hate, I would have gone mad . . . (Kenshin holds her close.) Kenshin: It's all right. It's . . . all right now. (Tomoe starts to sob. Outside, the snow falls harder.) (A little later.) Kenshin: A little more than a year ago, because I wanted to protect the happiness of the people of this country, I quarreled with my master and left him. For that reason, I wanted to end the conflict and open a new era . . . That's why I joined the Choushuu loyalists and became Hitokiri Battousai . . . (Kenshin and Tomoe are curled up under a blanket by the fire.) Kenshin: I believed that I could do that with the Hiten Mitsurugi school. But in reality it wasn't that simple. I killed and killed, without bringing the new era one step closer--I was just a common murderer. I buried my feelings, but somewhere in my consciousness the hazy smell of blood was never far away. That was when I met you. Your questions pierced the haze around me. My half-lost sanity returned to me. I don't smell blood anymore. Only your white plum scent . . . Kenshin: For the first time, I understood the seriousness of people's many different kinds of happiness . . . No matter how great the skill of the Hiten Mitsurugi school, no matter how I tried to raise my own skill, one man can't hope to change an era alone. And he certainly can't bear the burden of man's happiness alone . . . The only thing he can do is protect the happiness of the people he sees before him, one by one. But before that--my days as a Hitokiri will go on. Until the day when the new era is achieved, I'll push my way forward, over corpses. But when we reach the new age--maybe this is foolish of me--I want to find a way to protect others without taking life. While finding a way to atone for the crime of stealing other's happiness with my own hands. Tomoe . . . Tomoe: Yes? Kenshin: The happiness you lost once, in all this violence. I'll protect it this time for you. (Tomoe smiles.) Tomoe: All right . . . (The next morning. Tomoe gets dressed and picks up her diary. Kenshin is still asleep.) Tomoe (thinking): This man stole my happiness once. And he gave me another happiness. He'll kill again. But he'll protect more lives than he takes. He must not die here. (She steps outside.) Tomoe: Farewell . . . my second love. (She closes the door behind her.) Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 7 june 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 175--Remembrances 10--Forest of Barriers (A dark forest. The plotters are concealed among the trees, watching.) Sumita: What's that? Mumyoui: Someone's coming. A woman. The woman . . . (Tomoe is walking up the path, towards them.) Nakajou: She's half a day late. Thank your lucky stars, kid. If she'd been any later I'd have killed you--huh? Hey, where's the brat? Tatsumi: I sent him to Battousai. In all things, there will be no oversight. Well, this woman. What news will she bring for us? (A little later. Tatsumi, Nakajou and Sumita interrogate Tomoe in front of the hut.) Tatsumi: Tell us your news. Tomoe: First let me ask one thing. Why did you involve Enishi in this? Tatsumi: I didn't. I just couldn't stand to see him running all over Kyoto asking for his sister, so I took him with me. There's a difference between "his sister's whereabouts" and "her fiancé's true killer," but to him they are exactly the same. Tell us your news. (Tomoe is silent.) Sumita: Tell us. What is Battousai's weak point? Nakajou: After running after him for a year, you aren't going to tell us you don't know. Tatsumi: Well? Tomoe: Himura Battousai's weakness is . . . The kindness that doesn't match with a killer. Tomoe: When he's asleep. (thinking of the time she accidentally woke him and found a sword at her throat) Even the best swordsman cannot perfectly defend himself when he is sleeping, and Battousai is no exception. Tatsumi: Then I'll ask you one more thing. Is Battousai in love with you? Tomoe: . . . Why do you ask me that. That has nothing to do with his weakness. Tatsumi: It does! If Battousai is in love with you, then he will follow you here. If we can lure him into this forest, the odds rise greatly in our favor! I've already sent a messenger with our invitation. He must be very angry right about now. Tomoe: . . . No. Then sending me to find his weak point was a blind. Your real objective was-- (thinking) To set me up as his weak point. Tatsumi: Rather than look for a weakness I hardly expected him to have, I sent you to make one for me. It turned out to be far easier than I thought . . . Tomoe (thinking): . . . Oh no. In the end . . . I only drew into enemy territory. But at least-- (she draws a small dagger) At least I can make sure there's one less of them! (She lunges at Tatsumi; he strikes her and she falls to the ground.) Tatsumi: I foresaw this as well! Your story about his sleeping is most likely a lie. Did you think the shallow emotions of a young girl could fool me? We'll finish the girl later! First, bring Battousai down! Nakajou, Sumita, Yatsume! Now is the time to show me your dark arts! (thinking) Come to me, Battousai! Come to my forest of barriers! (At Kenshin's house. Kenshin crumbles the piece of paper he holds in his hand and sets out grimly for the forest.) Enishi (watching him): Good, he's going. Got it, Enishi? If you get the message to Battousai successfully, you and your sister are free. Enishi (thinking): Let's go home, Tomoe. Let's go home to Edo. (Kenshin stands at the brink of the woods. It is snowing heavily; snow covers the ground and trees.) Kenshin: This is it . . . (He throws the paper aside and enters the forest.) Kenshin (thinking): Something's wrong. It feels like this forest is strange in some way. Or, like I've lost one of my senses . . . (Nakajou leaps down behind him, sword out. He grazes Kenshin's shoulder. Kenshin leaps away.) Nakajou: Welcome to the Forest of Barriers, Battousai! Surprised? You didn't see me coming at all? Of course not! This is no ordinary forest! It's a demon's forest, with a magnetic field far stronger than Fuji's sea of trees! No animals will live here. The sixth sense of swordsmen, who are of all men closest to the beasts, will not work here at all! The only ones who could use that sixth sense are those who have trained here, we of the dark arts! You've lost half your powers--you've got your back to the wall! Kenshin (through gritted teeth): What does that matter? (He draws his sword, slashing Nakajou across the chest, then kicks him down.) Kenshin: . . . I will protect Tomoe's happiness . . . I vowed that only yesterday. Where I am or who you are has nothing to do with it. I will kill anyone who lifts a hand to stop me! Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 14 june 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 176--Remembrances 11--Dark Arts (Kenshin is standing over Nakajou, sword poised.) Kenshin: Will you take me to Tomoe? Or will you die? Choose, now. Nakajou (thinking): That was a killing blow . . . If he'd pushed it one step further . . no, he . . . could it be . . . (aloud) Then try this! (He fires a tiny crossbow bolt at him; it strikes Kenshin in the shoulder.) Nakajou: I thought so! You didn't stop a step short! Like I thought, you just misjudged your own movements! In this forest you've lost your intuition--you're not as strong. In this forest you can't win-- (Kenshin pulls the bolt from his shoulder and throws it away. Kenshin: I said, what does that matter! (With one blow, he slices both of Nakajou's hands off at the elbow. Nakajou screams and runs. He comes to the mouth of a cave. ) Kenshin: You forgot something. (Kenshin has thrown his severed hands at his feet.) Kenshin: If you won't take me, tell me where she is. Do it and I'll give you an easy death. Nakajou: Leave the cave and head straight to your right . . . But don't think it's over yet! There are three more of us left. And even if you beat the last of us, we still win. In the east they have the Oniwabanshuu--in the west, there's the Dark Arts. Shadows behind shadows who will be satisfied with nothing less than victory. Even in death I'll be a barrier to you! (He seized a thin rope with his toes and pulls. The ropes pulls the trigger from two large barrels and they explode.) (Elsewhere in the forest.) Sumita: That noise . . . Nakajou has become a barrier. Mumyoui: Which means that he failed to bring him down. Sumita: Let's hurry. (Kenshin runs out of the cave, the explosion behind him. He jumps clear.) Kenshin: So. A bad loser . . . (He puts a hand to his head.) Kenshin: So that's what he was trying to do. (thinking) The noise of the explosion messed up my hearing. (aloud) That's what he meant when he said he'd be a barrier to me. (thinking) It's not that I can't hear at all, but I can't tell what direction sounds are coming from. I won't be able to rely on it for a while . . . Sumita: Your intuition and your hearing. You've lost two of your six senses. (Kenshin turns to see Sumita standing behind him. He carries a large, long-handled axe.) Kenshin: How many times do I have to say it. What does that matter. Sumita: Here I come. (He rushes forward, cutting four trees in half and hurling the trunks at Kenshin.) Kenshin: Even without intuition or hearing, I have the sight of a flying creature. That's more than enough! Mumyoui: But what happens when the flying creatures themselves attack? (He appears from behind one of the flying tree trunks and strikes with his claws. Kenshin dodges, and Mumyoui cuts a tree in half instead.) Kenshin: Two against one . . . Perfect. That'll save me the time of hunting you both down. Back to Home To Volume Twenty To the Next Chapter translations by maigo-chan last updated 14 june 2000 Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations Volume Twenty--Remembrances Part 177--Remembrances 12--Harsh Fight Enishi: Huh? (He stands at the doorway of the hut, now empty.) Enishi: Tome? Tomoe . . . ? That's strange. Where could she have gone? (thinking) She couldn't . . she couldn't have passed me on the way into the forest? (Kenshin charges through the still-falling trees.) Sumita: He's chosen one of us as a target. After he's settled him, he'll go for the other. Mumyoui: But that's exactly what I wanted! The space above his head is clear! (He leaps from tree to tree and stabs downward suddenly, striking Kenshin just beside the neck. At that moment, Sumita throws a tree trunk, hitting Kenshin full in the face. Kenshin reels but refuses to go down. He slashes across, severing both Sumita's legs at the knee.) (Kenshin slumps with his back against a tree. Instantly Mumyoui is above him, stabbing his other shoulder.) Mumyoui: So stubborn--I expected no less of Battousai. But I planned for you to abandon your sword! Kenshin: You flit around-- (He draws his short sword and stabs Mumyoui's hand, pinning it to the tree.) Kenshin: --but I'll kill you in a minute, so stay put. (Mumyoui pulls on the sword.) Mumyoui: I can't get it out--damn you! Kenshin (turning to look at him): One who hides in the shadows, moving about and attacking . . . So that's what you really are. Mumyoui: You saw me . . . (He pulls on his hand, tearing through the flesh to get it free.) Mumyoui: This body is the legacy of the Yatsume family! It is the law of our family to kill anyone who sees us! (leaping away) I'll leave this fight for now, but I will kill you! Time may pass, the years may change, but I will kill you! (Kenshin watches him go. Behind him, Sumita is still alive.) Sumita (thinking): He's strong! Too strong! Even now, with his intuition and hearing gone . . . But he's fighting so recklessly. You couldn't assassinate a hundred people fighting like this. He's like a completely different person from the Battousai we so carefully investigated . . . What is this man? Kenshin (turning to him): The first man said there were three others. Where is the last one? Sumita: In the shack ahead. The girl's there too. (Kenshin starts to move on.) Sumita: Wait!! You forgot something. The third barrier. Take this! (He pulls the trigger out of a barrel half-buried in the ground. There is a flash of blinding light.) (Elsewhere, Enishi sees the explosion.) Enishi: That flash . . . They must be fighting Battousai there. Tomoe! (He sets off running.) (Kenshin slowly opens his eyes--his vision is foggy.) Kenshin (thinking): Intuition, hearing and now sight . . . The explosion was for the flash. If I wait here for a while it should return to normal. But-- (Tatsumi, too, sees the explosion.) Tatsumi: So Sumita has become a barrier . . . Yatsume can't have gotten away unharmed. How could he have defeated them both . . . Now it's my turn. (He turns back towards the shack.) But he's lost his sight now. It'll take him some time to get here. Now that the woman is useless to me, I'll get her out of the way-- (He hears footsteps behind him.) Tatsumi (whirling): What!! Kenshin: I'm taking Tomoe back. (A moment's pause.) Tatsumi: I see. You did destroy them. It all makes sense. If you think about it, a man called Battousai would wield his sword cool-headedly, to fulfill his duty alone. But now, the man before me wields his sword for the sake of one woman, ruled by passion, never thinking of the consequences. In form they are the same, but in quality they couldn't be more different . . . If I were to fight Battousai, there's no way I would win. But knowing this, you are no match for me! Let's do this, Battousai! If you want to take her back, you'll do so over my corpse! (Inside the shack, the unconscious Tomoe stirs.) Remembrances--End Back to Home To Volume Twenty translations by maigo-chan last updated 14 june 2000