Yami no Matsuei
                                 Last Waltz
                             By Matsushita Yoko
                      Translated/Summarized by Theria

Translation Key

"Quotes" mean that someone is talking.
Unformatted text without quotes are narration that often appear in boxes.
Italics are someone's thoughts.
Smaller font are comments outside of speaking bubbles or thought boxes that
are usually handwritten into the manga.
{Bracketed items} are comments by translator.
[Square bracketed items] are descriptions of something from the manga.

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Another day begins in EnMaCho in the usual way, with Konoe Kacho yelling at
the top of his lungs at Tsuzuki who is suffering from a bad hangover.
Obviously, Tsuzuki is in even more pain and Hisoka doesn't even bother
defending him from the chief's rage. Konoe tells his secretary, Tatsumi, to
explain the case.

Apparently, there's a name that has been on the list of the dead for the
last three months but the person has remained alive. Her name is Hisae
Tohjou, 19, who fell ill six months ago.

Hisoka look at the report: Discharged from the hospital? Even though she
hadn't recovered yet."

Tsuzuki reading over his shoulder: "Probably because the food was bad."

Konoe has whacked Tsuzuki over the head: "The stone drunk should shut up."

{Matsushita-sensei: Konoe is a 32 degree in Karate. ^_^}

Konoe: "Hisae's parents died when she was very young and her only brother
also died in an accident recently." [There is something] "Now she leaves
alone." [That is holding her back in the world of the living?]

The chief entrusts the task to Hisoka who accepts it. In the background,
Tatsumi is holding an icepack on Tsuzuki's head, saying how sad it is that
Tsuzuki is even losing his standing as the main character.

Topside, Hisoka is explaining the cover they are using to get near Hisae.
Tsuzuki will pretend to be a friend of Hisae's late brother. Obviously,
Hisoka has everything planned out and Tsuzuki thinks how good of a partner
Hisoka is, even if he is cold. Being an empath, Hisoka 'hears' that and
sarcastically apologizes for it.

Tsuzuki goes in alone because two males might be suspicious to a girl
living alone. Hisoka's last words are for Tsuzuki not to break their cover.

The scene Tsuzuki finds in the dance studio/home is not what he was
expecting. There are two girls, one dark-haired and one light-haired facing
off with potted plants (one of which struck Tsuzuki the moment he stepped
in). Finally, the light-haired girl, Shiori, leaves and orders a guy,
Nitsuta, to follow.

Dark-haired girl: "Do whatever you want!! I will absolutely enter!!!"

Tsuzuki, obviously confused: "Ummm...Hisae-san?"

Hisae turns around in shock: "Suoh-niichan...!!"

Tsuzuki: Niichan...? "Er, no...I'm his..."

Hisae: "Oh, a salesman? I'm not buying anything. Who are you?"

Tsuzuki cries at the mistaken impression.

Over tea, Tsuzuki explains 'who' he is and learns that Hisae mistook his
voice as her brother's because they sounded the same. The fight earlier was
against Shiori Kanou, one of the studio's students, and Nitsuta used to be
Hisae's dancing partner. Shiori has been doing everything she could to
prevent Hisae from appearing in the coming dance competition.

The conversation lulls and Hisae's eyes roam over Tsuzuki, noting his
boyish-looking face (for his age) and body proportions. Tsuzuki, oblivious,
only makes comments about the nice tea. Suddenly, Hisae grabs Tsuzuki by
the tie and asks him if he'll dance. Tsuzuki is appropriately confused.

Hisoka: "Well? You're going to practice here for the next two weeks? And
you're boarding?"

Tsuzuki whining: "Buuuuuut... You said not to break my cover."

Hisoka: "BAKA."

Hisoka naturally is irritated that Tsuzuki managed to mess up this
investigation and was interrupted in his tirade by a old bloodhound that
knocks Tsuzuki over. The dog, named Will and belonging to Hisae's late
brother Suoh, only eats from Suoh's hands. Will is short of William and you
can see in the picture, the dog is as big as Tsuzuki when Tsuzuki is
sitting on the ground.

Hisae explains that Will usually doesn't like other people and asks who is
Hisoka. Hisoka isn't thrown off balance and smoothly replies that he is
Tsuzuki's younger brother. Hisae invites Hisoka to stay as well since
Tsuzuki wouldn't be leaving for awhile yet.

Later, Hisae is showing Tsuzuki the moves of the waltz. Whether these are
just generic steps or her choreographed piece I don't know. Hisoka is
stunned that Tsuzuki can dance so well and Hisae asks who taught him.
Tsuzuki has a nostalgic, sad face as he replies that his elder sister
taught him long ago. Hisoka wonders what kind of family that was.

Hisae thinks they are a shoo-in for first place but Tsuzuki disagrees.
Their techinque may be perfect but the way Hisae dances it's like she
treats her dancing partner as a prop. She is shocked because her brother
said the same things and demands what can she do about it? There's isn't
much time left.

Tsuzuki: "Those who dance the waltz well are those who are in love with
their partners. You'll have to love me!!"

Hisae leaves a potted plant implanted in Tsuzuki's face and storms off. The
phone rings and Hisoka picks it up, it's for his 'elder brother'. It turns
out to be Konoe Kacho who literally chews Tsuzuki out over the phone.
Either way, it ends with Konoe's warning, not to develop any special
feelings toward Hisae.

Later again, Hisae is yelling she can't do 'it', can't love Tsuzuki, even
if for pretend. She seems very stressed, she can't do the spirit of the
waltz but she refused to withdraw from the competition as well. Stuck at a
draw, Tsuzuki makes something for everyone to eat.

It looks like pasta...but the odors it's giving off give Hisae and Hisoka
very bad vibes. Tsuzuki says it has his Golgonzohra Cream Sauce. He leashes
in the two when they try to leave the table. Will even gets a share and
shares in the other two's reaction to the food. BLECH. Seems like Tsuzuki
is the only one oblivious and Hisae suggests that next time he make curry,
no one could possibly mess-up curry. Later that night, Hisae thinks of how
different her brother and Tsuzuki are, the only resemblance being their
voices.

Several days later, they find a panel of the mirrored wall has been
shattered and broken. During the confusion, Hisoka touches the mirror and
Shiori shows up, claiming that Suoh's restless spirit is seeking revenge on
its killer.

Shiori: "You killed him!! Hisae!!! His own little sister!!"

Hisae faints from the shock and stress. In her memories, she's with her
brother after their parents died. They are watching the smoke of their
mother's cremation I think. Suoh promises to always be by Hisae's side.
From his outfit, it looks like Suoh is in high school. The dream and
promise takes a turn for the worse as Suoh becomes covered with blood and
accuses Hisae of killing him.

Hisae wakes up in her bed and Tsuzuki immediately comes to her side. She's
very weak, he noticed her coughing up blood when she collapsed. He had
thought to call the doctor but she had already been discharged from the
hospital. Then he asks about this business of Suoh being killed, he had
reportedly died in an accident.

Hisae explains that her brother always wanted to make the house their
parents left them into a dance studio. Ever since she was small, he had
always taken care of her dancing education. After she fell ill and was
hospitalized, her brother came to visit her every day, no matter what the
weather. It was on one of those trips that he was struck and killed by a
train. Because of that, she always felt it was her fault that he died.
Hisae cries, asking why her brother didn't think of himself.

After that, Hisae got the doctor to sign the papers to release her and she
returned home in order to carry out her brother's dreams. She won't return
to the hospital anymore, she'll continue practicing for the competition.
There's no need to worry about her, she wants to live until she wins first
place in the competition.

Hisoka overhears the end of this conversation where Tsuzuki agrees to do
what she wishes. He asks Tsuzuki later if he is alright with not taking
Hisae to the Land of the Dead. It isn't her fault that her brother died and
furthermore, her illness causes her pain, making it hard to live. He warns
that they should return before Konoe's warning needs to be heeded.

Tsuzuki says the only 'special' feeling he has toward Hisae is respect, her
will is very strong. Therefore, Hisoka and the chief don't need to worry.
Angrily, Hisoka says he warned him. Perhaps other people can't tell, but as
an empath, Hisoka can tell the difference between the feelings of respect
and love.

Some other time and place, Hisae is hunched over, one hand trailing blood
on the wall. She isn't as healthy as she pretends to be. Her thoughts call
to her brother to give her strength, she can't die yet.

The trio are out shopping, Tsuzuki can use Suoh's tailcoat and other
clothes but he needs a pair of shoes. Hisoka says it's because Tsuzuki's
feet are ridiculously big. Because he doesn't like crowds, he's going to
pick up Hisae's medicine and then return to the studio while the other two
go shoe shopping. Then you have three clips of the distance between Hisae
and Tsuzuki getting bigger and bigger until she finally notices he's
stopped at a sweet potato food cart.

Tsuzuki offering the potatoes: "My, Hisae-chan, you walk fast."

Hisae yelling: "YOU'RE TOO SLOW!!"

She has to give him the edge of her coat to hold on to so he doesn't get
lost. Hisae knows he isn't like her older brother but then...she can't
abandon him either. She is though plenty embarrassed by the situation.

After taking Will for a walk, Tsuzuki finds the floor lights still on.
Perhaps he forgot to turn them off, the electricity bill is going to be
high. But in the studio is Hisae, still practicing steps. Will sniffs at
something on the ground, and Tsuzuki follows it to a potted plant. It's a
trail of blood.

The next morning, a scream wakes up Hisoka. Then he falls back to sleep.
Tsuzuki yells at him to get up and wonders if the tendency to sleep is
related to Hisoka being of AB blood. {Theria's note: Another famous AB
blood anime character is Hashiba Touma! Read his profile in the Yoroiden
Temple.}

The 'ghost' has struck again, not only the mirrors but Hisae's costume for
the competition as well. Hisoka doesn't think it is a ghost, but someone
sneaking into the studio. A ghost would be expected to make a lot of noise,
but they never noticed anything. So it is a human who didn't want to make
noise so she would be discovered. Tsuzuki asks what are they going to do
since the dance contest is tomorrow, Hisae says an order to fix the dress
wouldn't be completed in time.

Loud noises suddenly come from below the floor, where Hisae's older
brother's room is located. Hisae wonders if her brother's spirit really is
wandering. Downstairs, Hisoka pinpoints the source of the sounds as under
the bed but there is only a box there. Opening it, Hisae finds a lovely new
white dress and a note. It's from her brother, a birthday present he had
been keeping for her. Somehow, Will is in the room as well and the
Shinigami duo wonder if it was the dog that made the noise. Hisae is crying
over the memories of her brother and doesn't notice what the Shinigami do,
Suoh's tuxedo form smiling from the mirror. He bows to them and disappears.

This night before the competition, Hisae receives a phone call from a
Miyagami-san who is a family acquaintance. She mentions that she's entering
the competition with a college classmate of her brother's. But it appears
that there never was a Tsuzuki.

She confronts him that night about it. Tsuzuki confesses everything, they
never knew Suoh, nor is Hisoka his younger brother. They had come to take
her away. They are not human, but Shinigami. He explains why they came and
what their function is in the Land of the Dead.

Tsuzuki: "Shinigami is just a nickname...with the meaning of being a
killer."

Hisae: "Bu...But you look like just an ordinary human! I can see you, touch
you...

He explains that having Spirit Sense doesn't make one look different.
Tsuzuki explains the purpose and the reason behind being a Shinigami, the
attachment to the real world and all that. Hisae asks why didn't they kill
her when they first met.

Tsuzuki: "When I was human(alive), I had a very important person...but, I
couldn't do anything for that person. I could only watch them die...running
away like a coward. So when I saw you, never giving up your life so you
could do something for your brother, I thought to wait a bit. I wanted to
help you, even if it was for a selfish reason. Are you...scared of me?"

But Hisae doesn't feel any fear, as she watches Will come up and lick
Tsuzuki. Instead, she tells him they need to practice their charade for the
competition. He is her partner after all, they'll stick together until the
end. Hisoka silently watches from a hidden place.

Hisae: No one knows. This isn't for pretend. It's actually...

The next day is the dance competition. Hisae is all dressed up and ready to
go ten minutes before the competitors need to appear.

Hisae: "I've heard a lot about you, Hisoka-kun. You're very kind. Choosing
to remain as a Shinigami rather than quiting."

Hisoka: "It's nothing...He asked me to. Something could happend if he was
left on his own. Whatever. Don't tell anyone about what I said...!"

Hisae smiles as Hisoka leaves, agreeing that you can't leave Tsuzuki on his
own. After the preliminaries, Hisoka confronts Shiori, accusing her of the
vandalism at Hisae's studio. She doesn't bother to deny it, she's always
hated Hisae because Suoh always focused his attention on his sister. Shiori
was incredibly jealous because she liked Suoh.

Hisoka won't tell anyone but it isn't for Shior's sake. He doesn't want
Hisae to see such a mean-spirited person. Besides, Hisae will soon die.
Tsuzuki calls for Hisoka, Hisae's leg is suffering cramps. Her time is
almost up. He wants Hisoka to watch over Hisae while he goes to the Castle
of Candles.

The Castle of Candles is in the Land of the Dead, where the end of each
human life is recorded for collection purposes. It has a sacred importance
to JuOhCho. Tsuzuki rushes into the mansion which is filled with candles,
calling for HakuShaku, otherwise known as the Earl. He wants an extension
on Hisae's lifespan.

The Earl is nothing more than a quarter-piece mask of an eye and cheek and
a pair of gloves. Tsuzuki accepts all consequences for his request. The
Earl counsels Tsuzuki to stop breaking the rules, he can never break the
system of the Land of the Dead. Everyone has to die, Tsuzuki is too
idealistic. Earl finally accedes to the request, but apparently this isn't
the first time Tsuzuki has made this type of request. Someday, the
Shinigami would have to return all of the favors.

Earl: "I like your face, Tsuzuki...Especially those purple eyes, those eyes
of a blood-thirsty creature."

Tsuzuki rushes back to the real world to find that Hisae's cramps have gone
away during the wait. Hisoka reminds Tsuzuki of when he said that he held
only respect for Hisae. Tsuzuki was lying.

It's Tsuzuki and Hisae's turn to dance in the competition, the song is
'Waltz of Captivation'. Hisoka thinks that after this song ends, so does
Hisae's life. He also finds Will laying on his side, blood covering the
floor around him.

Hisae: Nii-san, are you there? I finally understand. What you meant, about
a partner not being a tool. But, Nii-san, when you always looked at me, I
could only think of you. I'm sorry. I felt that if I thought of anyone
else, I would be betraying you. I was afraid to admit it.

After their turn, Hisae rests against Tsuzuki backstage.

Hisae: "I'm so tired. You don't mind if I sleep for awhile?"

Tsuzuki smiling: "It's alright. I'll wake you up afterwards."

Hisae: "...you know...for some reason...I'm really...tired..."

Tsuzuki: "Good night, Hisae-chan."

Announcer:: "The judges have decided."

Give a good dream to everyone you love.

Announcer:: "First place goes to..."

Because I know your feelings, I pretended to not notice them.

Tsuzuki: "The limelight tatooed with Eden's eastern rose, dances well the
waltz of Cynthia..." {Theria: He's singing something, I took a stab at
translating it...}

Tatsumi: "Kurosaki-san, what does that mean? Those words?"

Hisoka: "He's still daydreaming he's dancing or something."

Konoe: "Shut him up!"

And so continues Tsuzuki's senility. {Theria: What they mean is how out of
it he behaves.}

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