* Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation *
* Volume 16: Truth *
* Chapter one hundred and thirty-one: Soujirou's past - manic banquet by
the lightning *

(Soujirou ties up his shoe, still smiling)

Kenshin: He's not finished yet?

Sano: Hey! What're you doing over there, hatching eggs? We're ready already!

(back to the flashback)

Bandaged man (kindda obvious who he is already isn't it?): You saw it didn't
you, little fellow...

(young Soujirou starts to back of)

Bandaged man (hereinafter refered to as BM): If you did, then I have no
choice. GIVE ME YOUR LIFE!

(raises his sword against the moonlight, but halts halfway)

BM: Is death such a joyous thing to you, little fellow?

Soujirou: (smiling despite being extremely afraid) Huh? That's strange.
Ahahahah, that's really very strange!

BM: ... (keeps his sword) Little fellow!

Soujirou: (snaps)

BM: Get some bandages and food, then I'll spare your life.

(in the godown)

BM: Very good... I feel less restricted now...

Soujirou: Excuse me, uncle...

BM: (turns around)

Soujirou: (hides behind barrel one metre away)

BM: You needn't call me uncle, I'm not so old. But on the other hand, I don't
suppose you could make out how old I really am in this state. My name is
Shishio.

Soujirou: So, Shishio-san...

Shishio: Hm.

Soujirou: You killed the policeman just now... meaning... that you are a bad
person?

Shishio: (eats some rice) Those Meiji government people are the real bad
ones, after using me till they have no more use for me, they tried to burn me
to death.

Soujirou: So that means you're a good person?

Shishio: No. I am one big rotten egg.

Soujirou: (hides behind barrel ten metres away)

Shishio: Come come, no need to hide... didn't I say I wouldn't kill you?
(stretches) I like this place. If I stay here and you don't reveal it, no one
will know. I shall be temporarily disturbing you here.

Soujirou: *This man is a bad person...* (recalls what he did to the
policeman) *... but... but...*

(moonlight)

Soujirou: *He really is strong...*

(daylight approaches)

Taller man: Have you heard about it?

Mini moustache man: Hm, you mean the runaway traitor? Of course, the police
have even questioned the Master on this affair. About 3 pursuers sent after
him vanished completely after three days, can't find them despite having
searched the mountains either, a terrible headache this time.

Soujirou: *How can they possibly find them? The bodies have been buried in a
deep part of the forest, and Shishio-san doesn't even step out of the godown
for walk...*

Mini moustache man: Oei, Soujirou!

Soujirou: Ye- yes.

Mini moustache man: That's right... you've been wandering out in the night
from three days ago, did you hear or see anything? If you hear or see
anything you better first be informing me, or else!

(reveals his sword)

Mini moustache man: This is a good chance to show off my deadly
swordsmanship.

(whams down on Soujirou's rice keg)

Mini moustache man: Those who betray me can only live to DIE IN MY HANDS!

Taller man: Hey, brother, how can you just slam down on the keg without
proper consideration? Oh dear, what will happen if the keg is broken? This
is a real headache.

(shouts)

Taller man: Ah, Soujirou the little fellow, he destroyed another proper keg
of rice, how truly unforgivable!

Soujirou: Huh?

(door slides open)

Master: WHAT? How much do you think that keg of rice is? You can't even
handle such a simple job! I am not going to spare you from today on!

(Soujirou looks on, petrified)

(night)

Shishio: Oh, I see! Those fellows are one bunch of baddies indeed! I say,
why can you still smile after being beaten up so terribly?

Soujirou: Why? Ara? En? That's strange? Hahah, that's really strange indeed,
but in actual fact, I wasn't like this to begin with. When I first came here,
I would cry and throw a temper when everyone mistreated me.

(picture of that dastardic family)

Soujirou: But the more I got angry, the louder I cried, the more they would
scold me and accuse me of being egoistic, a noise pollutant, and this would
add to their fury, which in turn added to their violence.

(smiles)

Soujirou: On the other hand, if I held back and did not cry, always
maintainer a smiling face, they would give up and stop beating me, and this
way I don't have to suffer so much physical abuse.

(lowers his head)

Soujirou: No matter how painful they hit me, or how unhappy I am inside, as
long as I maintain my smile nothing else would happen...

Shishio: Therefore in your practice of smiling through pain, unconsciously
you started to apply it to all the things you disliked and all the things
you feared, that once it happened you would start smiling, right?

Soujirou: This can't be helped, since I'm not their true brother, I am not
truly a part of this family... that's the snag in all this...

Shishio: No, that's not it. This doesn't concern with one's status when one
was born, the problem is, YOU ARE TOO WEAK.

(Soujirou stares)

Shishio: "This is world where the strong feeds on the weak. The strong
survive and the weak perish." No matter how good you are at giving a smiling
face, you cannot avoid this truth.

(reaches out, wakizashi (short sword) in hand)

Soujirou: !

Shishio: You can have this. Treat it as rent money for my stay here.

Soujirou: ...

(in the house)

Master: Funny... did you see the bandages?

Fatter woman: Huh? How would I know? Strange... where could it have gone to?
The rice in the kitchen's gone down alot more too lately, I suspect
Soujirou's sneaked in to eat it. But the bandages?

Taller man: The Master flogged him real good this morning, could he have
taken it to use?

Master: But all my pre-ordered new stock is gone too! No matter how serious
his injuries are he couldn't have used five entire bags could he?

Voice: Father, I heard that the traitor of the government was bathed in fire
wasn't he?

Master: That's right. Ah! *snaps and realizes* Soujirou that IDIOT!

Shishio: My injuries are aching a little... looks like a fierce storm's due
tonight.

Soujirou: (holds the sword in his hands) *"This is world where the strong
feeds on the weak..."*

The strong survive,

(lightning flashes)

And the weak can only...

END TRANSLATION

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