Chapter 228 - "The Back of the Man Part 1 - The Revival of the Street Fighter" (A thug lies bleeding in the street as Sanosuke is standing at the door of the drinking house, facing at the men who were causing disturbance, harassing a little girl.) Thug: Who are you!!?? Sanosuke: Who cares about that, you country mob! Do you wanna fight or not?! I've been quite nervous for a few days, you know... I'm feeling like picking a fight to get some relief... Thug (drawing a sword from a cane): Y... you bastard!! Fudousawa (leader of the thugs, a big and fat man): You dare to speak like that to me. I guess you're not from here. (grinning) But that's fine. Let's test your strength with a bodyguard of mine I've picked some days ago. (turning to a restaurant named "Asanoya") Hey, it's your turn! (the door opens, revealing that the bodyguards are the Hiruma bros (from the volume 1)) Hiruma Kiheh: What, so soon? Isn't that a shame to your name, Fudousawa, the "knight of the town" who is nicknamed the "demon beater"? Fudousawa: What are you talking about? It's just that I don't bother to do the work. Stop babbling and show your power. (the crowd is surprised at the size of Hiruma Goheh) HIruma Goheh: So... who's the fool who wants to be killed by... (the Hiruma bros get very surprised to see Sano as their foe) Hiruma bros (crying): ZA... ZA... ZA... ZANZAAAAAAAAA????????? Sano: ? Who are you? (the Hiruma bros stop crying for a moment. Indignant, they try to remind Sano who they are.) Goheh: Hey, wait a minute, how could you forget us? Don't you remember, the ones who arranged that fight with Battousai for you? Kiheh: Yeah... (see volumes 1 and 2) Sano (sighing): Yeah, I guess I remember that... four years and a half ago, wasn't it? Hiruma bros (shocked): Just half years ago!!! Sano (grinning): So, after you were driven away from Tokyo, you come here in the countryside as a bodyguard of a mob leader. Well, that's fine, isn't it? Finally you've found a place you can call as home. Kiheh (enraged): Grrrrr..... Goheh: Well, what are we gonna do, brother? Kiheh (grinning): Calm down, there's no need to panic. Look at him! Goheh (realizing): I see, he's got no "zanbatou" (the "horse-slaying sword")! So! (Goheh draws his sword and charges towards Sano) Goheh: OOOOHHH!!! HERE I GO, ZANZA!!! I'LL AVENGE THIS WOUND ON MY NOSE YOU'VE INFLICTED!!! (the girl (Uki) puts her hands on her ears as several punching and knocking sounds are heard in the background) Uki (thinking): Oh no, again there's a fight involving me! (she's wrong) Just because I'm sooo cute! (she makes too much of herself) But what are we going to have for dinner? We're so poor! (she's confused and trying to escape reality) (Uki slowly opens her eyes, as it's written "It took one second to finish these thoughts ---") (Uki is surprised to see the Hiruma bros already down) Kiheh (lying down): That's not fair... Goheh (also down): They've cut even the moment of our defeat... Sano (punching his hand, as he faces Fudousawa): Don't make me waste my time. Fudousawa (grinning, as he watches Sano with interest): Wow... you fight quite well with your delicate body. Sano: Who's delicate, Mister M ?! (there's a closeup at Fudousawa's forehead, showing the shape of his hair - the shape of the letter M.) Uki (holding her laughter): He's good! Fudousawa: Feh... I like you, youngster. We'll meet again later. Thug: Fudousawa-san?! (the crows goes wild in joy as the thugs retreat.) Uki: Woooow! (flooding Sano with questions): Wowowowowowowowowowowowow! You're great! Who are you? When did you arrive here? Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Do you have a girlfriend? Or not? (Uki stops as she hears a voice) Voice: Sister... (Uki turns and sees a boy hiding in the alley) Uki: Outa! You were hiding there! Thank God you are unhurt! It's all right, you can come out! (Outa nods slightly as Sano watches them) Uki (turning back to Sano): Oops, sorry, I haven't introduced myself. This is my younger brother Outa and I am U... (Uki is surprised and angry as Sano simply kicks Outa, sending him flying) Uki: Whawhawha what are you doing?! Sano (ignoring Uki and talking to Outa): What the hell are you doing? You're a man and you play hide and seek while your sister is in danger? Uki: It's obvious! He's too young! I've told him to hide when in danger! Sano: If you're a man, the least you can do is to fight. Even if you can't do that, fleeing before your danger is much better than hiding, since you make them know who you are. Outa: .................... Uki: You help us and you use violence at the same time, whose side are you on? Sano (entering again the drinking house): What the heck are you talking about? I don't know anything about you and I don't care either. All I wanted to do was to relieve some stress. (closing the door with a loud noise) See ya, and don't misunderstand me, you pointy forehead. (The crowd gets restless, as Uki is simply too enraged to talk. The image shows an arrow at Uki's head, where her hair is slightly parted, showing a bit of her forehead like the peak of a mountain) Crowd: ... and here comes another fearsome guy... ... pointy forehead... ... yeah, she's got a pointy forehead... ... Not only Fudousawa and Mister Higashidani... ... here comes trouble... ... yeah, a pointy forehead... Uki (bursting out in rage): SHUT UP!!! My father isn't like that guy! (and stop that "pointy forehead" stuff !!) Let's go back, Outa!! (the night comes and still there's light in a drinking house) Owner: Please, we are going to close now. (Sano is lying alone, a few bottles of sake and some dishes of food at his side) Owner: Hey, are you listening? Don't you think it's about time to pay your bill? Sano: ....... (Sano remembers the last scenes of the Jinchuu. Kenshin says, "Enough... I'm tired..." as the dead body of Kaoru is pinned at the wall with a sword. In another flash, Yahiko points his shinai (bamboo sword) to Sano, yelling, "It isn't the end yet! No, I won't let things end this way! So, I don't know where are you going to, but come back and you'll see !") Sano (to himself): Why should I... go back and see...? Owner: Please, the bill! (the door slides open suddenly) Voice: Owner, I'll pay that. (the owner turns and he gets surprised, as the voice comes from Fudousawa, with some thugs at his side. The owner flees in fear.) Fudouwawa: Yo! I was looking for you, young man. You're quite a drinker to stay here until this late of night. (Sanosuke stands up, smirking) Sano: Hey, Mr. M strikes again. Great, I'd be glad to continue what we left in the afternoon. Fudousawa: No, no, I thought I told you I like you, Sanosuke-san. (Sano is surprised) Fudousawa (handing a cup to a thug, who fills it with sake): I heard about you from Hiruma. You were a famous fighter in Tokyo, weren't you? No wonder you're damn strong. What are you doing here? Is it to spend a time in the hot springs? Or are you on tourism? Sano: ... neither one nor another. Just that I let my feet guide me and when I realized I was back at the place I lived several years ago. But as the city has grown much since I left, I don't feel like I'm back, and as I am a renounced son, I have no place called home. But getting back to business, if it isn't grudge, what do you want from me? (Fudousawa grins) Fudousawa: I see, so you're from here. So I guess you know what gives the largest profit in the neighborhood. Sano: Silk. Even a baby knows it. Fudousawa: Exactly. This place is famed by its great sericulturists since ancient times and we can get some excellent silk here. On top of that, now that silk has become one of the most important products for export, its value has increased all the more. And as a self-appointed magistrate whose territory is these neighborhoods, I can't let this go by. So, I've decided to control this post town, where all the silk is gathered for sale. Sano: You talk as it is an easy task. Is it possible to control? Fudousawa (sipping his sake): Yeah, it is. Well, an ordinary magistrate can't do much, but I have a great "background support". Sano: So go ahead, you don't need me. Fudousawa: But, when I started with my plans, I faced with a great nuisance. The father of that girl you met in the afternoon... that guy is stubborn and violent, and he gives me quite a headache. (the scene shifts to the house of Uki and her father. The house is simple, at the countryside.) Uki (enraged): POINTY FOREHEAD!!! I'VE NEVER FACED SUCH AN HUMILIATION!!! Uki's father (making straw hats): Wow, it looks like you've lost this time. Uki: FATHER!! IT'S NOT THAT!! (the scene shifts back to the talk between Sano and Fudousawa.) Fudousawa: I could put an end in this easily, but I don't want to be arrested yet, you know? I was going to ask those two (pointing the Hiruma bros) to do the job, but I can expect nothing from them, given their performance today. (the Hiruma bros look sad) Sano: What, you still there? Fudousawa: So... how about you picking up this fight? (Sano is surprised. He thinks a bit...) Sano: I don't want fights like the farse I faced this afternoon. Is that father good? Fudousawa: He has already beaten 50 of my men. Sano (grinning): ... well, that's good to relieve my stress. Let's start again with the gangster business. (the scene shifts again to the Uki's house) Uki's father: That guy you are talking about seems interesting. Uki: What? Uki's father: I'd like to meet him once, if I could. (end of chapter 248) Notes: phew, this was troublesome to translate. The names Sano gives to Fudousawa and Uki are names that makes sense only in Japanese, so it was very hard for me to find a translation. For your information, the original names: - Fudousawa was called "Emuppage", that is "a bit bald man with his hair in an M shape" - Uki was called "Handeko", that is "half forehead". Any comments, please e-mail me. Serizawa Kamo serizawa@excite.com