Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Twenty-Four--End of the Dream
Part 214--Enishi's Lapse
(Rowboats begin unloading goods from the ferry ship.)
Kaoru: It's here . . . My chance to escape. The ferry. (thinking) I'm getting on that boat! It's the only way off this island! I don't stand a chance in a direct confrontation. I don't know a thing about navigation, so it'd be impossible to cross the ocean by myself. Even if I snuck on as a stowaway, on that little ship I'd be discovered long before we reached Tokyo. After I secure my own safety, I'll make them maneuver into Tokyo. To do that--
(She pulls the handle off a broom, forming a makeshift bokutou.)
(Gein walks down the beach.)
Gein: Finally it's goodbye to this place.
(A short man, surrounded by four stout bodyguards, stands before him.)
Man: How do you do, Mister Gein. I've heard a great deal about you from the boss.
Gein: And you must be the fabled Number Two.
Man: Wu Heishin. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.
Gein (holding out his hand to shake): Likewise.
(Two bodyguards hold their hands to block him.)
Heishin: Please don't misunderstand. I lack the boss's skill with weapons. My bodyguards, the Four Stars, are under orders not to allow anyone near me. Where is the boss?
Gein: If you mean Enishi, he's in the house on the cliff. I'm the only one going to Tokyo.
Heishin: Is that so? Then please board. Your luggage will be seen to.
Gein: What about you?
Heishin: I will remain here. The police have been rather active, so it's best I lay low.
(He and his bodyguards walk off towards the house.)
Gein (thinking): As opposed to the daring Enishi, who rules by fear, the prudent strategist Heishin, who rules by planning . . . He's much as I've heard. The delicate balance between them has guided the organization for many years . . But, to put it another way, if either of them moved to disturb that balance . . . (shrugging) Oh, well, it's got nothing to do with me.
(Heishin finds Enishi sitting on the balcony.)
Heishin: It's been some time.
Enishi: Heishin. When did you get in from Shanghai?
Heishin: The other day. To see to our launch in Tokyo, and because news reached me that your personal matter was nearly concluded. I came to confirm that you hadn't forgotten your promise.
Enishi: Never trust anyone, eh. You run true to form. I didn't forget. "In exchange for the organization's resources as support for my revenge, I'll give it all over to you." What I wanted was the manpower and resources to make my Earthly Justice possible. The two combined meant an arms-dealing organization. Once my aim is accomplished, I have no further interest in it.
Heishin: I'm relieved to hear you say that. I'll be occupying the private mansion for some time. In the event you have any use for me, please let me know.
Enishi: Wait. There is one thing.
Heishin: Mister Gein? I've already given word to the men on the ship, so there's no need to worry. Poor man. He'll be beaten by thirty master fighters and thrown in the sea.
Enishi: You always handle these things so well.
Heishin: It's my forte. Now if you'll excuse me . . .
(He and his bodyguards walk through the hall.)
Heishin: "Once it's been settled I have no further interest in it . . ." That's fine. But even in giving it to me your arrogance is extreme.
(Kaoru is crouching in the hall nearby.)
Kaoru (thinking): Careful, careful . . . So some new guy's shown up. I have to get on board before things get any worse. Secure my own safety and take control of the ship. There's only one way to do that. Take Yukishiro Enishi hostage! It's risky, but now, with the wounds from his fight with Kenshin still fresh--
(Enishi is sitting peacefully in his chair on the balcony, staring into space.)
Enishi (thinking): . . . It's almost over . . . All that's left is to gaze my fill of Battousai in the depths of despair, wasting away and dying by the roadside . . . It's almost over . . . Tomoe.
(Tomoe appears before him, her face stern. Enishi freezes, his pupils contracting.)
Kaoru (charging out): Yukishiro Enishi, prepare yourse--
(At the same moment, Enishi screams.)
Enishi: Why? Why are you looking at me like that? Why won't you smile for me like always? Tomoe . . .
(He blinks, and his vision of Tomoe is replaced by Kaoru.)
Enishi: So that's it . . . It's because she's still alive . . . His substitute for you is still alive!
(Before she can react, he seizes her by the throat.)
Enishi (throttling her): My Earthly Justice won't be complete until I kill you! Die die die die . . .
(His back suddenly arches, and he falls to the ground, retching violently. Kaoru struggles to get her breath back.)
Kaoru (thinking): So that's it . . . That's why he didn't kill me. The image of his sister's death when he was young . . . The shock, so great it turned his hair white, left a deep scar on his heart. He can't face any young woman without seeing his sister in her. So no matter how much he wants to kill me in his head, his body will refuse.
Enishi (weakly): Why . . . why won't you smile for me . . . Tomoe . . .
Kaoru (thinking): It's not that he didn't kill him . . . He couldn't.
Tokyo Bay. Near the Arakawa rivermouth. 3 a.m.
(Gein stands on the deck of the ship, surrounded by corpses. A few remaining men cower at the door.)
Gein: You dispose of what you do not need. Enishi or Heishin, no one can be trusted. But if you think a puppetmaster is weaker than the puppets he wields, you are greatly mistaken. Thanks for the ride. But now it is I who have no need of you . . .
translations by maigo-chan
last updated 30 jan 2001