Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Twenty-Six--A Man's Back
Part 232--A Man's Back 5--The Word "Evil"
(The sake is flowing at the Higashidani house.)
Higashidani: Ha! That fool! Once I get on him Fudozawa's going down like a house of cards!
Shopkeeper: Right! You're the best in Japan!
Higashidani (hitting him): In the world!
(They throw their arms around each other and laugh.)
Uki (thinking): They're drunk.
(Sanosuke is drinking quietly, off to the side.)
Higashidani: Uki, pour us another cup!
Uki: No! No more!
Higashidani: You're so spiteful . . .
Uki: I'm not! It'll be too late when your body starts breaking down!
You're getting older now, you have to start taking care of yourself!
You're not going to be young forever! You're getting a paunch--I know you're hiding it
under those wraps!
People: You shouldn't talk like that to a heavy drinker.
Uki worries about him.
Higashidani: Dammit. Guess you're right. All right, Outa, you're going to have to drink for me.
Uki: What?!?
(She snatches Outa away from him.)
(Uki: You drunkard!)
People: A little bit would have been okay.
She really is a worrier.
Uki: I know it. I've always been overprotective.
Higashidani (whining): Uki . . . Why don't you ever worry about me?
Uki: Why do you think I just did all that! I worry about you all the time.
There's just the three of us now. Of course I worry.
(Sanosuke smiles, and slips outside.)
Sanosuke (thinking, under the stars): She's right. But this is no place for me.
He's doing well, even with his short temper. Protecting Uki and Outa and the waystation.
Putting up with it all so he doesn't explode. Fighting . . . Protecting and fighting,
fighting and protecting--you keep that up all your life and you still can't protect
the one you care about most.
No more . . . I'm tired.
Sanosuke (thinking):Those words hurt him more than anyone else . . .
Uki: Oh, for heaven's sake!
(Everyone has gone home. The house is a mess, and Higashidani is slumped over sleeping
on the floor.)
Uki: Dad, if you don't sleep in bed you're going to catch a cold.
Everybody ate and took off and left the place a mess. (gathering up empty bottles.)
Outa, promise me you'll never get drunk.
(Higashidani smiles, and passes a hand over his face.)
Higashidani (thinking): Well then . . .
Uki: Dad?
(The door is open, and Higashidani is gone.)
(Sanosuke smacks a fist into his open hand.)
Sanosuke: All right. Let's get this settled, and then I can get out of here.
(He sees Uki and Outa rushing along a path.)
Sanosuke: Sup, half-head.
Uki: Dad--have you seen Dad? He's gone!
Sanosuke: Settle down. Did you check the outhouse?
Uki (tears running down her cheeks): No! Dad always tells me first when he's going out!
So I won't worry like when my brother left . . . He always tells me so I won't cry!
Sanosuke: . . . Which house is M-baldy's?
Uki: You--you go this way, it's on the right of the main street . . .
Sanosuke (thinking): Guess it was time to take care of things . . .
Uki: You . . . don't think . . .
Sanosuke: Stop crying! I'm going to bring Dad back, so don't worry! Uki,
go back to the house and wait! Outa, take care of your sister!
(He runs off. Outa stares at the character "evil" on the back of his jacket.)
(Sanosuke catches up with Higashidani on the road.)
Sanosuke: Hold it. What the hell d'ya think you're doing.
Higashidani: Should be obvious. Gonna go meet Fudozawa's gang. This fight belongs to
whoever has the guts to challenge the other first. He'll have the advantage of ground.
Anyway, up till now it's been a test of patience, and that isn't like either one of us.
Then your appearance conveniently upset the balance. A big group of ‘em are gathered
over there to attack us. If his Ishin Shishi uncle challenges me from his own side,
the outrage'll be hard to cover up. No matter how it shakes out, until they take
the waystation, they can't . . .
Sanosuke: You're so stupid.
Higashidani: What.
Sanosuke: You don't know the power of the Ishin Shishi. It might be white, but if they say
it's black, it's black. You could be for real, but if they say you're fake, you're fake.
Even if something is right, if they say it's wrong, it's wrong.
(A pause. Then Higashidani turns to walk on.)
Higashidani: That may be, but I have to challenge them tonight. If you try and tell me
to let this one go, I'll kick your ass.
Sanosuke: What about Uki and Outa? Win or lose, you're gonna get arrested.
Higashidani: Don't worry about them. The villagers will look after them.
I found that out today. And now that my eldest son is back home . . .
(Sanosuke spits out his fishbone.)
Sanosuke: You may be an idiot, but this isn't my home . . . It's yours!
You can't fight like you got no place to go back to! If you're going to protect them,
you have to be ready to see this through till the end! Fight until they take you down,
and then count on me for the rest. Now get out of here! Go on back home! If you don't,
then we can finish what we started yesterday right here.
Higashidani: You talk pretty good. But this is my fight! I'm not giving way to you even
if you are my son!
(Sanosuke punches him hard in the stomach, and he goes down.)
Higashidani: You were . . . holding back, yesterday . . .
Sanosuke: I'm not such a bad son that I'd go all out on my father.
Dad, I got this fight! We're up against Ishin Shishi justice, but they're
up against someone who for ten years has worn the word for evil on his back!
translations by maigo-chan
last updated 28 july 2001