Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Eighteen--Do you Still Have the Scar?
Part 150--Kyoto Epilogue 5--An Early Summer Afternoon
(Kenshin splashes the marker with water, offers flowers and incense, and prays.)
Hiko: Visiting the grave after so long . . . You've neglected her for ten years. What brings you here now?
(Sanosuke and Yahiko are walking through the ruins of Shishio's hideout.)
Yahiko: When I was fighting that Ten Swords bat guy, it was like I was in a dream. I didn't understand anything. After the fight, I thought about it a lot. (he holds up a fist) I won! I'm the best! (letting it drop) But, were we the ones who were right? I guess I'm still pretty inexperienced. So it's natural that I get left out . . .
(Sanosuke kicks him.)
Sanosuke: Quit your whining.
Yahiko: That hurt!!
Sanosuke: Shut up a minute. I didn't come here to listen to you complain.
(They come to what's left of the bridge to the main battleground, which has collapsed.)
Yahiko: This was the final battleground . . . (thinking) This must be where Saitou died!
(Sanosuke stares down for a moment.)
Sanosuke: I can't believe that bastard is dead. But there's no way he could have gotten out of here alive . . . So in the end he won and ran out on our fight . . . or, by his logic, I'm the one who's still alive, so I'm the winner. Whatever. It all disappeared in the explosion. Guess the only thing I can do is be better.
Yahiko: Be better? You don't mean better than Saitou?
Sanosuke (walking out): Not just in strength. In everything.
Yahiko (watching him go, thinking) So that's it . . . Sanosuke didn't come here to see if Saitou was really dead. He came to settle the fight he lost with Saitou. This past month he never said a word about Saitou, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been bothering him. He's searching for the answer that will turn winning into growing stronger!
(he runs to catch up with Sanosuke)
Yahiko (thinking): That's it. I'll grow past this. If I'm still inexperienced, I'll get over this and move forward! Quit looking back and move forward! (aloud) Hey, don't just walk off by yourself! You trying to lose me? (thinking) If I can do that, I'll be a little closer to Kenshin and the others, to great men!
(Kaoru and Megumi have finished their ices. Megumi gets up to go.)
Megumi: I don't know what will happen next time. Ken-san isn't the kind of man who loves to fight, but if another situation like this one comes up, he'll get involved without thinking of his own condition. And then someday . . . So . . .
Kaoru: So . . . ?
Megumi (thinking): It's time to tell him about your own feelings. (aloud) So, if Ken-san is going to come back and live a normal life, you have to pull yourself together. No one's death is fixed, but someone who has a strong reason to live will survive better than someone who doesn't. Of course Ken-san is a swordsman born and bred, so it won't be easy for him to give it up. He's a kind man, so he fights for everyone even at the risk of his own life. But . . . if anyone can stop him from dying in battle, it's you. The only person in Tokyo he wanted to say goodbye to. I won't let you dwell in the past, like you did before, even if it's over him. That's all I wanted to say. You understand me?
(She starts to walk away.)
Kaoru: Thank you, Megumi . . .
Megumi: Don't thank me. I didn't do this for you. I'm telling you this for Ken-san's sake.
Kaoru: I know . . .
(Megumi walks off as Kaoru's eyes fill with tears.)
Kaoru (thinking): Thank you, Megumi. And . . . I'm sorry . . .
(Kenshin and Hiko stand in the graveyard, watching as the incense burns.)
Kenshin: It's the Meiji era now. Almost all of Japan has moved on. But there are a lot of people who know me in this city, so I avoided it, hoping to stay out of unnecessary quarrels.
Hiko: Is that the only reason?
Kenshin (after a pause): The person who sleeps here, whom I killed with my own hands during my days as Hitokiri Battousai--Kyoto brings back strong memories of her. So I tried to stay away, but . . . (he turns around with a faint smile) Finally . . . I resolved to offer flowers at her grave.
(Hiko regards him for a moment, then turns to go.)
Hiko: If you're done here, hurry up and go back to Tokyo. If you get into some unnecessary quarrel, I'm not helping you this time.
(Kenshin looks again at the grave.)
Kenshin: I'll come again next year.
(Evening. Sanosuke and Yahiko are walking back to the Aoiya; Yahiko is staggering with exhaustion.)
Sanosuke: Quit falling behind. You tired already? (seeing Kaoru and Megumi, also coming back) Hey, not every day you see you and the vixen together.
Kenshin: Oro? What are you four doing here?
Kaoru: Kenshin!
Sanosuke: Not much. Where you been all day?
Kenshin: Oro? (holding up the pail) As you can see, I went to visit a grave and--
Kaoru: Kenshin, you said oro just now--
Kenshin: Oro?
Kaoru: There it is again! That was definitely an oro!
(Everyone regards him with stunned silence.)
Kenshin (quietly): Oro?
Yahiko: You're right! He hasn't said it in a long time!
Sanosuke: I haven't heard it in almost half a year. I was getting worried!
Kenshin: Ororo . . .
(Sanosuke and Yahiko start kicking him around to make him say "oro" again while Megumi giggles.)
Kaoru (thinking): Somehow . . . finally . . . I finally feel like Kenshin's coming back to us.
(That night at the Aoiya. Okina and Misao give them cold, hard glares.)
Okina: After all we've done . .
Misao: You're just going to take off for Tokyo?
Kaoru: I'm so, so sorry. (I completely forgot.)
Kenshin: Oro?
translations by maigo-chan
last updated 7/21/99