--MANGA TRANSLATIONS--
--TRIGUN MAXIMUM CHAPTER 44--

Printed in Young King Ours, October 2001
Translation by sumire

In our last chapter, young Vash and Knives discovered an abandoned laboratory containing records of the _first_ Plant-child. And then they discovered her dissected remains...

p. 65

Rem: Vash! Knives!
Are you in there?
Open the door!
Please, open the door!

A hollow-eyed Vash is slumped against the other side of the door.

p. 66-67

Rem: I'm sorry....
Forgive us, in our weakness...

p. 68

Knives is lying unconscious in the laboratory.

Vash (narration): Knives fainted on the spot.
And I wish I could have cut myself off from everything then, too.

p. 69

A montage of scenes leading up to that moment.

Knives (in flashback): We can work out a few differences.
Because we're all alike deep down inside.
Don't you think so, Vash?

p. 70

Vash: Only us... We're not like them!

Vash chokes and gasps in anguish.

Rem: Vash!
Come on!
Knives!
Open the door!
Open up!

p. 71

Rem cuts the door open with a blowtorch.

Vash shrinks away from her.

Vash: No..... No.....

Rem: In any case, you need to eat right now.
If you don't, you really could die.

p. 72

The medical bay.

Vash flings his tray of food at Rem.

Vash mutters something.

Rem: What?

Vash: ....
You were deceiving us, weren't you.
It's been exactly... one year.
Perfect for continuing what you started with her...
...on us!

p. 73

Rem: !! I'd never dream of--!

Vash: You wouldn't? Can you prove it?
That you wouldn't do the same to us?
You people, who did _that_ to her?
How can you prove it?

Rem (gritting her teeth): I will never make that mistake again.

Vash: You can't be too sure of that.

Rem: Oh yes I _can_ be sure of that!
Don't mock what I went through!
I never want to feel that way again--so powerless!

p. 74

Rem: I should have stopped it by any means available.
There wasn't a single day I didn't regret.
That's why when you two were born--

Vash: Kill me.

Rem: What!? What are you saying!?

Vash: Kill me. This place...
...There's nothing but humans here!
Rem: That's right.
That's the way it is now...
And that's the way it's going to be, too.

p. 75

Rem is locked into a battle of wills with Vash, who refuses to eat.

p. 76

Rem: Now then. Today, you're going to eat.
Guess what I've got!

She pulls out a peach.

Rem: Ta-da!
Now, this is a rare item!

Vash just watches darkly as she starts peeling it.

p. 77

The moment she sets down the fruit knife, Vash seizes it.

As Vash plunges the knife towards his throat, Rem stops him, grabbing the knife--by the blade.

p. 78

Vash stares wide-eyed at the blood.

Rem: Is that your answer?
You're just going to let go of everything so easily?
You take yourself too lightly.

p. 79

Vash screams, and there is a burst of movement.

Rem collapses to the floor.

p. 80

Vash (narration): I felt relieved,
...like all that pressure had vanished.
That damned strong woman--
I wouldn't shed a single tear for her.

p. 81

His heart pounding, Vash stares at his bloody hands. The bloody knife. Rem on the floor. Blood on Rem's hand and abdomen.

p. 82-83

Tears well up in Vash's eyes.  He kneels beside her and screams at what he's done.

p. 84

Rem wakes up on a bed in the medical bay.

Vash sits at the far end of the room, sipping a drink pouch as he watches her.

Rem gives him a weak smile.

p. 85

Rem (tries to move): Ow--owowowow. Ow.

Rem: You know... On Earth...
After Alex died in the accident...
when I was so depressed...
I had this dream.

Rem's dream:

Rem: I was on an old-fashioned train.
There was a terrible wind and rain outside.
It was like someone had just put me there.

p. 86

The conductor comes in.

Dream-Rem: Oh, you need to see my ticket.
That's funny...
...The destination isn't written on here.
Rem: He just punched the ticket...
and gave it back to me as if nothing had happened.
But you know, I was relieved, to tell you the truth.
I thought, 'That's right, I can go anywhere.'

p. 88

Rem: 'When I get out of this driving rain,
I think I'll go see the sunlit ocean.
And then, I can decide my next destination from there.'

Rem wakes up from her dream alone in her dark, messy room.

Rem: Admiring those people who want to go farther than anyone has gone before,
I became a crew member on this migration ship.

p. 89

Rem: You can go anywhere, Vash.
Even if you're in darkness now,
The ticket in your hand is just waiting to be filled in.
So... So...

p. 90

Rem starts to cry.

Rem: Don't ever let go!
Don't say you'll die!
Let's see all kinds of things together.
Let's walk together.
Because people, the world...
I swear, they're _not_ worthless.

p. 91

Vash (smiling a little):.....Okay.
I don't completely understand, though.
I've never seen a train.
Vash: But gosh...
So if you hadn't stopped me then,
I never would have known that when _you_ cry, Rem, you look like you're laughing.

p. 92

Rem: Shut up, you little twerp! --owowow

Knives opens his eyes.

Vash: Knives!
Rem! Knives is--

p. 93

Vash: Are you all right?

Knives: Yeah...
...Where am I...

Knives sees the medical cross symbol.

Knives (smiling sheepishly): Oh.
Looks like I made you guys worry.

Rem and Vash stare at him in surprise.

Knives: What happened to you, Rem?
Another klutzy accident?

p. 94

Rem: Knives... you...
Rem: Knives... you...
...you don't remember...
...anything?

Knives: Remember what?

Vash gulps, alarmed.

Knives (innocently): Boy, am I hungry.
Is there anything to eat?

   To be continued next issue...

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