* Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation *
* Volume 15: Giant versus Superman *
* Chapter hundred and twenty-four: Shadow of hopelessness *

Misao: This is great! The tables are turned! Kaoru-san, finish him off in
one move!

Kamatari: Chi.

Kaoru: Just a while, Misao-chan.

Misao: Eh?

Kaoru: Are you willing to end it here and retreat now, Kamatari... san?

Kaoru: Losing the metal ball (which was attached on the now detached scythe)
is like to you a total mar of your winning hopes, and to continue fighting
would be meaningless.

Misao: HEY HEY HEY! You can't just do that! I'm NOT going to take it lying
down! Don't you know how unhappy that transvestite made me? HE EVEN BROKE MY
RIB, DON'T YOU KNOW?!

Kamatari: Hoh hoh, don't make me laugh.

(picture of Kaoru's bokken, now with only half left)

Kamatari: A total mar of winning hopes? That would not only apply to me, but
to you now too.

Kaoru: No. The Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu is a school of living, not killing.
Therefore it focuses not on killing the opponent, but subduing them.

(holds her half bokken up with a left open palm facing it)

Kaoru: That is also why, even if I am left with the wooden hilt of my sword,
I will, and shall deal appropriately with the circumstances.

(Kamatari and Kaoru stares at each other)

Kamatari: *lifts up his wooden pole, now detached of the scythe* You don't
look like you're holding this stance in panic. But, I do have my own
fatality otherwise prepared, to use in case my scythe breaks from it's main
pole.

(they stand, facing each other, each in their stances)

Misao: *That smile's been wiped out from that transvestite* He's finally
turned serious in front of Kaoru-san.

Kamatari: What do you mean? I've always been serious no matter where and
when.

Misao: Like real!

Kamatari: It's real. If it's a half serious attitude I have, I can never be
a true transvestite.

(picture of Yumi)

Kamatari: No matter how much I yearn, I do not possess female properties and
can never be able to win a girl who can accompany a man in his rest, like
Yumi.

(picture of Soujirou)

Kamatari: On the other hand, no matter how much I train, I can never win
against the ultimately strong Soujirou... Whether I'm a man, or a woman, I
can never even match half of what Shishio-sama's most elite are able to do.

(Kaoru stares, a little surprised)

Kamatari: Therefore, I must at least finish what Shishio-sama has given me
to do. To fill my mind with Shishio-sama's everything, to give my all in
finishing everything Shishio-sama tells me to THAT is everything I, Kamatari
shall do so you can give up telling me to retreat now because I shall NEVER!

Kaoru and Misao: *...*

Kamatari: HAAAAH!

(brings his pole down, the two spikes at the other end of the broken edge
slams and fits into two of the chain loops lying on the floor.

Kamatari: Honjo Ryuu Dai Benten-jutsu, BENTEN MAWASHI!

(he gives a flip, and the entire detached portion of the chain, ball and
scythe circles in the air towards Kaoru)

(Misao gives a silent cry but Kaoru remains very calm, then at the precise
moment she ducks low and escapes the entire circling scythe completely, the
impact tearing off half of her gi [she's got bandages underneathe, don't
worry...])

Kamatari: !!!

Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu "Lower portion of the sword" ---

(she brings her bokken in and breaks it on Kamatari's knee)

Kaoru: Knee Sit!

(she remains balanced, Kamatari falls backwards)

Kaoru: I'm sorry. But I promised Kenshin everybody would return to Tokyo
together... to bring everybody back, this I know I can never give up now
too.

(Kamatari stares)

Kaoru: Victory is clear now, so please take your troops and retreat! We will
help you treat the seriously injured ones first, including you.

Kamatari: Don't make me laugh! If I'm going to go back and face Shishio-sama
in this form...

(he brings out a needle)

Kaoru: !!

Kamatari: Then I'd rather die. !

(Misao gives him a backhand chop on the back of his neck)

Kamatari: You little twerp...

(falls into Kaoru's arms)

Kaoru: Misao-chan...

Misao: Well, I neither like him nor understand how in the world a
transvestite really feels, but that one feeling of wanting to help a beloved
one fulfill his goal... I can empathize fully with.

Kaoru: I think so too...

Underlings: ... how is this possible...

Underling 1: After Hennya-sama was Kamatari-sama.. two of the Juppongatana
has lost to women and children...

Underling 2: Fear not! We still have a backup! Our leader Iwanbou-sama is
still struggling hard with his battle!

Everyone else: Iwanbou-sama! Iwanbou-sama!

Iwanbou: *turns around* Ummmmmmm?

Everyone else: *electric shock* OH NO!

Iwanbou: IIIIiii?

Everyone else: The situation looks bad on us, people, everybody retreat!

(the wind blows as the idiot stands lulling around like a fool)

Iwanbou: *faces the girls* Aha? *faces the guys* Oho?

(does a 360 turn to face Misao and Kaoru)

Iwanbou: Uhu?

Misao: Did... did he just turn his head 180 degrees?

Kaoru: You're seeing things.

Iwanbou: Aha! WUAAAAAAH!

(opens his mouth wide enough to swallow lots of people)

(but bounches off the shops and escapes)

Okon and Omasu: AH! He's getting away!

Okina: There's no need to pursue. Our aim has been achieved. Everybody, it's
been hard on you. We have bagged a glorious success.

(everyone else looks up at Okina in the house and smiles)

Voice: Wueheheheheh... Kamatari and his fellows has thoroughly failed have
they not?

(a large shadow falls on the group)

Voice: Very good. A good sacrifice.

Everyone else: !?

(the gleam of a sword hacks down on Aoiya)

(everyone looks up to see Eva-01 no... a giant with an armour clad around
him and a sword large enough to supply Ford with one year's supply of
metal enter the region)

Big brains: The prey is just ripe for both of us to hunt down now!

(a big shocked reaction on everyone's face...)

(was it... the end?)

END TRANSLATION

(c) Watsuki Nobuhiro		Translation: ruroken@geocities.com