Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Twenty-Six--A Man's Back
Part 237--Quarrel
Himura Kenshin, Myoushin Yahiko, Sagara Sanosuke, Saitou Hajime, Shinomori Aoshi,
Makimichi Misao, Takani Megumi. These seven have made landing!
Who is Kenshin's greatest rival? The results of the poll are in!
1. Seta Soujirou–1993 votes
2. Saitou Hajime–1487
3. Yukishiro Enishi–1187
4. Shinomori Aoshi–952
5. Sagara Sanosuke–592
6. Shishio Makoto
7. Udou Jin'eh
8. Gein
9. Sawake Shouchou
10. Kujiranami Hyogo
(They have landed on the beach. Aoshi combs the surrounding pine trees with his eyes.)
Aoshi: There's no ambush here . . . But I can't guarantee we won't meet with one on this
island.
Sanosuke: So are we gonna charge? Or sneak in?
(Kenshin takes a deep breath, then shouts.)
Kenshin: Enishi! Can you hear me? It's me! I've come to take back Miss Kaoru!
Come out here! Under this sun--here and now--let's settle this!
(Silence.)
Kenshin: We'll wait half an hour for Enishi to respond. This is a personal grievance.
If possible, I want to keep everyone else out of this.
Saitou: And if he doesn't come out?
Kenshin: Then we charge at full speed and take Miss Kaoru back by force.
Sanosuke: That's what I like to hear.
Megumi: You're right . . . It's just that any careless action would waste Ken-san's strength.
Misao: But will Kaoru be okay?
Aoshi: We won't need to worry about her. Now that his plans have been ruined,
I can't imagine Yukishiro Enishi wanting to add to his problems.
Yahiko: Then it's settled!
(Inside the mansion. Heishin is at the window with his telescope, flanked by his bodyguards,
while Enishi still sits motionless.)
Heishin: Did you hear that? There's one cop with him, but that's your enemy out there.
If you want to settle things, now's the time. Once the main police force gets here
the house forces will attack. Now's when you can still keep it a personal matter.
Enishi: Heishin. Whatever else happens, my fight will be settled today.
It's a little early, but I'll give over the organization to you as I promised.
So. Get the hell out of here.
(Heishin taps the telescope against his hand angrily.)
Heishin: What? Why are you--
Enishi: You bother me.
Heishin: . . . I can't do that. We'll part ways today, but the fact that as of
today you're in charge isn't going to go away. If you're defeated and taken by the police,
that will naturally have a great effect on the organization. I'm not going to sit back
and accept a house of cards. Until the police force and your personal matter are dealt with,
I can't inherit your position. If I withdraw now--
(The veins in Enishi's face and neck are bulging.)
Enishi: Heishin. Did you think for an instant that I would lose? You have half an hour
to disappear! If you don't, the house forces as well I myself will destroy you.
(Heishin hesitates, sweat standing out on his brow.)
Enishi: Disappear!
Heishin (stiffly): I understand. Please excuse me.
(Kaoru is banging on her bedroom door.)
Kaoru: Open up! Hey, open this door! How long have we been locking things around here--
(Enishi opens the door, banging her in the nose.)
Enishi: Shut up.
(He tosses her a bundle.)
Enishi: It's a change of clothes. Be ready to leave in half an hour.
Kaoru: That voice I just heard. Kenshin's here.
Enishi (with a little cackle): Yes. He's come for me to kill him.
Kaoru (thinking, as Enishi leaves): Kenshin . . .
(Heishin is walking through the pine forest, still surrounded by his four bodyguards.)
Bodyguards: Lord Heishin.
(In turns): Do you intend
to run off
your tail between your legs
like this?
Heishin: We have no choice. Ordinarily you four could overcome him by force.
But he's different now. That face . . . His veins standing out like that.
He could have taken the four of you and a whole regiment besides. No one can
match Yukishiro Enishi with his true strength unleashed.
Bodyguards: So we're--
Heishin: Yes. Retreating. But. There's only one way on or off this island.
If we pull out we'll be impossible to avoid. We'll naturally run into his enemies.
We would even if we didn't want to. So in return for waiting fifteen years for
him to "give" me this organization, I think I might take the bother of his
revenge off his hands.
(On the beach. Everyone is waiting.)
Yahiko: All right! It's been half an hour! Let's go!
Megumi (checking her pocketwatch): It's been less than ten minutes.
Sanosuke: Someone's getting a little tense.
Misao (smugly): I thought you were getting there, but you've still got a long way to go.
(Saitou, watching the trees, takes a final puff and throws down his cigarette.)
Saitou: You may say you don't want to involve anyone else in this, but it looks like
the enemy isn't so naive.
(Heishin and his bodyguards walk out onto the beach.)
Misao: That's Yukishiro Enishi?
Megumi: Hardly! That's a totally different person.
Saitou: From the looks of it, that's his number two, Wu Heishin.
Heishin: Well, Sushin. You've been patient up till now. But you'll have to fulfill
your duty as my bodyguards now. Lose control!
(The Sushin--Heishin's bodyguards--break out in long-toothed grins.)
Sanosuke: What're you four ugly faces so happy about? If you're here to stop Kenshin's
fight, we're here to take you out by force!
A Man's Back--End
translations by maigo-chan
last updated 15 august 2001