Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Five--Patterns of Meiji Swordsmanship
Part 33--Extra Story--Yahiko’s Fight (the End)
At the home of the owner of the Akabeko
(Mikio and his men are gathered outside, hooded and masked.)
Mikio: All right . . . let’s go!
Fighter: Are . . . are we really going to do this, Mr. Mikio?
Mikio: What? You’re not getting scared now. I told you already, the merchant’s money was once the money of the
samurai families. If it’s not going back in exactly the right direction, who cares.
There’s no way we can fail. Since the stupid girl gave us the molds for the keys--
(the keys disappear from his hands. Yahiko lands in front of him, keys in hand)
Fighter: It’s him from yesterday!!
Yahiko: Guess my pickpocket skills are coming in handy. Dunno if that’s a good thing though
. . .
Fighter: Give ‘em back, you brat!!
Yahiko: If you want ’em, you’ll have to take ‘em by force. You should be good at that!
Fighter: Wait, you!
(He runs off. They chase him into a narrow blind alley.)
Fighters: We’ve got him now! Get ready!
Yahiko (thinking): All right! (aloud) Come on!! This time I can’t lose!
Fighter: He’s trapped like a rat--
(Two charge together and become stuck in the narrow passage. Yahiko easily dispatches them
both.)
Fighter2: What are you doing, you idiots! Go one by one!
(this approach fails as well, since Yahiko is a match for any of them alone.)
Mikio: I see . . . he pretended to be chased. Really it was an invitation to a battle in a
narrow place where he could fight one on one. Hmm . . . a brat, but a clever brat. However,
it will prove fatal! Here, he has nowhere to run! Throw your bokutous all at once!
Fighters: But . . . that brat took them out easily . . .
Mikio: I don’t care! What are you scared of, you fools! He may have taken one or two, but
we’ll bury him!!
(they prepare for the assault when they catch sight of Kenshin and Sanosuke standing on the
roof behind Yahiko.)
Fighters: Ahhhhh!!! Th-the cross-shaped scar. It must be the one who’s so strong . . .!
And the street fighter Zanza.
Run for it! Or they’ll kill us all!!
(They flee, deserting Mikio.)
Sanosuke (sitting back down on the other side of the roof, to Kenshin): Hey, you.
(In the background--
Mikio: What are you scared of?!
Fighters: Ahhhh!!!!)
Sanosuke: So that was our move?
Kenshin: I suppose so. However, how did you know I’d be here? I left without telling anyone . .
Sanosuke: I knew. You're just too nice a guy to put that lion's cub proverb into action.
Kenshin: That could be a compliment or an insult . . . Well, now it’s a true one-on-one fight.
Mikio: Who needs those village hoodlums! When it came to the test they were no help at all!
How humiliating for this brat to be among those who have fallen to the
Kougenittou school. (drawing the sword) You're mine!!
(Yahiko dodges blow after blow.)
Yahiko (thinking): I get it! I can read the lines of his sword! Practice every day
paid off. Hate to say it, but I have Kaoru to thank for that . . .
Mikio (slashing at him): You--brat!!!
(Tsubame peeks nervously down the alley.)
Kaoru (putting a hand on her shoulder): It’s dangerous for girls to walk at night.
Tsubame: Who . . . who are you?
Kaoru: Kamiya Kaoru. Yahiko’s teacher. I didn’t think you coming here to stop him was a
good idea.
Tsubame: Up till now I was taught to believe that his family were my masters. But when times
got hard they ignored us, like we were strangers. So I thought somehow if I came to stop
him, Yahiko-chan would--
Kaoru: It’s too bad, but you really couldn’t have stopped him. You can leave it up to Yahiko
if you make me a promise instead.
Tsubame: A . . . promise?
Kaoru: If Yahiko wins, have a stronger heart! Don’t be dragged
down. You’re not trapped like you were in the past. Next time tell him no from the start.
The times have changed. The world is one of equality for the four classes. But if your heart
doesn’t change too, that won't mean anything.
Mikio: You brat! This is the end! Kougenittou school killer technique, Ukiashi Otoshi!!
(He makes a low slash at ankle level.)
Yahiko (thinking): Oh no, the right foot--
Tsubame: Please win, Yahiko-kun!!
Yahiko (thinking): Right! The destiny of my sword is to protect!!
(He catches the blade under his foot, crushing it.)
Yahiko: I’ve-- (he gives Mikio the final blow) --won!!
(Mikio goes down. Yahiko regains his breath for a moment, then turns.)
Yahiko: Kaoru, what are you doing here?
Kaoru: Huh? Oh! I--
Yahiko: And you two on the roof!!
(Kenshin and Sanosuke make chirping noises.)
Yahiko: There are no cicadas in spring!! Idiots. This is none of their business . . .
(A little later. The cicadas have come down from the roof.)
Kaoru: I’ll see Tsubame home.
Kenshin: All right. Be careful.
Tsubame: Thank you, Yahiko-kun.
Yahiko: You don’t have to thank me. I just hate seeing someone all shy and awkward. It just
rubs me the wrong way.
Tsubame: Yes. So, I’m not going to be so shy and awkward anymore . . . Well, I’ll see you
tomorrow. At the Akabeko.
Kenshin: Well, another problem solved--
Sanosuke: Not yet. We still don’t know why he was working at all! Up till now he’s been
keeping quiet about the whole thing, but--
Yahiko: All right, all right. It was to buy a reverse blade. Someday when I’m as good as
Kenshin, I’ll wear it. Now I’m just saving up.
(A moment of silence. Then Sanosuke bursts out laughing.)
Sanosuke: Ha---ha ha ha ha!! Yahiko with a reverse blade--!!? (Oh, my stomach hurts!)
Yahiko: Don’t laugh at me, you rooster-head! That’s why I was keeping it a secret!! Just
don’t tell Kaoru. She’ll laugh at me too!
Kaoru (snickering): I heard. (We're going to have fun with this.)
Yahiko: Just don’t tell her!!
the Makings of the Characters--Sanjou Tsubame
Other than her personality, there was no real model for this character. I did the
extra story as an impromptu connection to the Raijuuta story coming up next, and decided to give Yahiko
some action. Tsubame was introduced because of my strange idea that "A boy’s action should
be for a girl." For her personality, I made her "not for trust or honor, but because of a
weakness of spirit, she clung to the wrongful teachings of the old days." This brought her
into inevitable conflict with Yahiko.
As I said above, it was meant to be a connection to the next story, but it had to
fall into three chapters. I also wanted a highlight scene for Kenshin and the others, so I
ended up reworking it over and over, trying to get too much out of it, until I wore it out.
This probably hurts my reputation among my readers, but at least the story will perfectly
express my overall view of Ruroken and I can finish it off. But by that time I'm usually
exhausted, and it's a long time before I can get out of the holes I dig for myself . . .
For the design, I chose Sailor Saturn of the incredibly popular anime for my model.
Although Tsubame is very simple, I spent a lot of time deciding on whether to give her a
short cut or three braids. When I named her (in a draft of a draft) I looked at it and
decided "All right, it’s the short cut." (Although exactly why I thought that even I don’t
know.)
Usually, I almost never watch this anime, but in the turbulent times of being Mr. Obata’s
assistant, I saw a little and since then I’ve seen bits and pieces. By the way, I
liked Mars and Saturn . . . I’m bad at the straight black hair they have . . . . ah, Watsuki
Nobuhiro’s falling apart.