Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translations
Volume Nine--Arrival in Kyoto
Part 72--Meeting in the Forest (Beginning)
Sanosuke (trudging through the forest): Damn. Where the hell is Kyoto? Better yet, where the hell am I? (thinking) Wonder if Kenshin's already reached Kyoto? The girl and Yahiko are probably on their way . . . I wonder how Megumi's doing with her patients . . . That jerk Saitou is on his way to Kyoto too . . . (grrr). (aloud) Something about this place looks familiar. Or is it just me?
(His stomach growls fiercely.)
Sanosuke: Damn. You get mad, you get hungry. (He unwraps a bean jam bun from his pack.) Last one. After this I'll probably have to start catching frogs to eat. (tossing it in his mouth) Oh well.
(The ground rumbles under his feet. Sanosuke stumbles, and the bun hits the ground. He looks at it sadly for a long minute. Then he stuffs it in his mouth anyway.)
Sanosuke (bursting into the clearing up ahead): Hey, where are you! Who do you think you are, messing around with people's meals?
(A man is sitting cross-legged inside a ring of statues. He chants, and strikes the ground with his sword. The statues rattle.)
Sanosuke (thinking): A monk training in esoteric Buddhism? But what is this, some kinda charm? (Praying for good crops?)
(The man chants and strikes the ground again; each statue bursts into tiny fragments. Noticing Sanosuke's presence, he stands up.)
Sanosuke: That was amazing. I've heard of the monks who train to be able to borrow the power of the Buddha, but this is the first time I've seen real houriki.
Monk (his name is Anji): Are you lost?
Sanosuke: Yeah. Sorry, but could you show me the way? And if you have any food, give it here.
Anji: That's no way to ask for people's things.
(A little later. Frogs and wild mushrooms are roasting over a fire.)
Anji: I see. So it was the fault of my training that your bean jam bun fell in the mud? I'm sorry.
Sanosuke: That's okay. Thanks to you I got a hot meal. And houriki isn't something you see every day.
Anji: That was not houriki. Houriki is just a rumor to build up people's faith. I myself have never seen such a thing. And even if it really did exist, it wouldn't be something I could use.
Sanosuke: You're . . . a fallen monk?
Anji: Yes.
Fallen monk (Hakaizou)--A monk who has fallen into shame by breaking the Buddha's ordained prohibitions (against
the taking of life, giving into desire, etc)
Sanosuke: I see. I thought that was a pretty evil face for a regular monk.
Anji: You can speak about such things?
Sanosuke: But if you've abandoned your faith, what're you doing training?
Anji: I have thrown away my faith, but not my desire to save this world. And this cannot be done with the Buddha's hands. To be able to save this world with human hands and a human heart. I am training to gain that power. For this I need strength that surpasses that of the Buddha.
Sanosuke: You . . . you're not a fallen monk because you gave into desire.
Anji: Do you know about the anti-Buddhist movement of ten years ago? (Sanosuke grins blankly) If you don't know there's no point in telling you.
Sanosuke: That's okay. If that wasn't houriki, then it's something that I of little faith can use. Could you teach it to me?
Anji: Why do you desire this power?
Sanosuke: What, is this some kinda Zen riddle?
Anji: Answer me.
Sanosuke: Well, there's a lot of reasons. It's kind of hard to say right out. I want to be stronger than I am now. When I left Tokyo, this guy I fought said I couldn't even defend myself. I've been thinking about it, but I can't think of how to improve my fighting style.
Anji: That's a very selfish reason.
Sanosuke: Well, maybe compared to your saving the world, but it's a good enough reason for me to risk my life for it.
Anji: Tell me one more thing. What do you think of the Meiji government?
Sanosuke: What does that have to do with--
Anji: Just answer me.
Sanosuke: To put it bluntly, I hate it. They murdered my captain and branded him a traitor. I can't forgive them for that. (Anji mulls this over.) But what's that got to do with you?
(Anji holds out a rock.)
Anji: All right. Now, increase the power of your punch to break this rock. Not just in rocks but in all things, for them to offer resistance there cannot be a perfect conveyance of this impact. In other words, there is useless impact. But how can the useless be lost? First, stand your fist against the rock like so, and punch once. At the instant the first punch encounters the resistance of the rock, punch a second time; without encountering any resistance, the impact will be perfectly conveyed. The rock will shatter. This is the secret of destruction I've trained for ten years to master. The Futae no Kiwami. I have recently tested its practical application.
Sanosuke: It can't be that simple . . .
Anji: Try it.
(Sanosuke breaks the rock into fragments.)
Anji: That was merely two quick punches. By impact, I mean incredible speed. True transience. In that instant, give the second blow! It took me a month to attain the technique and reduce a rock to rubble. You too will have a month to achieve this. If you cannot, you will die here. The Futae no Kiwami is a secret technique devised for the salvation of this world. It is taught to the man who has this in his nature, not spread widely. You said you would wager your life, so you cannot complain.
Sanosuke: Leave it to a fallen monk. But saying "You'll die here" is different. Okay, I'll wager my life. But I don't have time to mess around training. I don't need a month! I'll master the Futae no Kiwami in a week!