* Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation *
* Volume one: Kenshin . Himura Battousai *
* Chapter six: Sagara Sanosuke's battle *
Gohei: The legendary Hitokiri, Himura Battousai!
(Gohei stands upright with his 'buddy' in his hands. Gohei is wearing what
Zanza wears, even having his accesories fitted to a perfect full stop.
What's this? Zanza's just had a plastic surgery course?)
Gohei: I myself, fist and foot lad Zanza leads a path for a strong one like
you! Chi! Say what you say what! It has been two weeks since! Thou bird
nested head hath died in some place has he not!
Kihei: Fret that he has abscounded away in fear!
Gohei: Oho and what a 'so long as you rid me of boring duels, deeds are
easily done'!
(chewing a fish bone in imitating of Zanza)
Gohei: He hath cudgeled our ideals and played us on!
(bish kabang)
Zanza: I shall cudgel your brainy ideals yet you shall remain the one
playing *me* on!
(hits Gohei on both sides of his temple)
Gohei: !!!
Zanza: Do your zany imitations of me myself again and I shall lynch you.
Kihei: Hey! Sanosuke brother! Where hath you upped yourself to?
Zanza: Went to duel!
Kihei: Went with others... to duel?
Zanza: 'Tis course not, old header!
(collects his buddy which is leaning on the wall)
Zanza: We so call to duel, but not as in 'I'll give you one kick and you
repay it with one punch', thou tardy moustached and obesed thick head shall
never grasp thy true philosophy!
(Zanza leans his buddy against his left shoulder and leaves the grounds)
Kihei: - Fist and foot lad Zanza... a famed fighter in charge of most of
similar undergrounds in Tokyo. Using his own gauge meter of 'boring to most
interesting', he charges his clients, a naive butt, over-confident yet cool
and solo devious wolf! However, his fame is not wrongly spread!
(close up on Zanza's 'evil' imprinted on his back)
Kihei: Following the fame and rumors, he who has fought with Zanza shall in
his following nights and days to come, be not spared from that 'evil' word
on his back be it in dreamland, be not spared from yet another cruel scare.
(Kihei grins evily)
Kihei: We may use this fellow, and bid our farewells to the one whom our
bones even feel hate for!
(back at the dojo)
Kihei: (voice over) The one Himura Battousai!
(Kenshin stops drinking his tea in realization of something)
Kenshin: There be a worthy guest!
Yahiko: Oro?
Kaoru: Wait... wait one while, Kenshin! What matter buys the situation?
Kenshin: This insipid one has felt the plausible air!
(slides open the dojo doors)
Kenshin: The plausible, battle-craved yet with no particular blanket over
one crazed, being there!
(Zanza stands at the front entrance with his buddy)
Zanza: I hath made myself here for the sake of the duel!
Kaoru: (shocked) He is the one of that time...
Kenshin: 'Tis truly thou! This worthless one hath declared of mine non
willingness in accepting a match.
Zanza: Speak not that way! (takes a step closer) We may write this off as a
polishing of our own fighter's sapphire! The truth belied your non existing
excuse to throw me out.
(smiles the dissatisfied smile)
Zanza: Moreover - we take into account also your Ishinshishi Himura
Battousai's status, and brings up all the more the non existing excuse.
Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko: !!
Zanza: Choshuhan's Ishinshishi - Himura Battousai, applying the most ancient
kenjutsu, 'Hiten Mitsurugi' onto your pride! With the self-earned nickname
of 'Hitokiri' waved your sword in the pugilist world and lived as this
Hitokiri lived in your 14-19 years of age.
(Yahiko is sweating in disbelief)
Zanza: The frontal period, just as the title of 'Hitokiri' befits, a dark
assassin o'th' shadows who claimed countless lives with an empty heart.
(Kaoru is getting kindda worried)
Zanza: The back periods however, just as the title of 'Hitokiri' beguiles,
a bodyguard of the Ishinshishi from Shogun's Shinsengumi. Like how you were
meant to live i'th shadows of others, thou hath bagged more than what you
have played for when your deeds gained much reluctant fame. In the war of
Boshin where the kingdom then separated...
(Kenshin raises his eyebrows at all the notion, surprised)
Zanza: ... you disappeared after the first battle of Tobafushimi. 'Himura
Kenshin', the 'lowly' rurouni then lives on as though of difference.
(smiles that dissatsifying smile again)
Zanza: The real duel begins with the understanding of the opponent, and then
with the understanding, understand the figting style. I saved myself more
for the Bakumatsu chaos centre - Kyoto so as to save up on your information,
and my my, have I saved up enough or what!
Kenshin: ... Presumably then, thou hath 'understood the fighting style'?
Zanza: Therein lies the problem! Be't I intensively looked into all, all I
may find is your background and history.
(winds blow the trees. Check: always not a good sign when manga draws some
scenery)
Zanza: 'Hiten Mitsurugi', a skill of what claims, and you, a heartless
hitokiri relaxing into a mere rurouni, the reason being, I indeed have not a
clue on where to start.
(third time he gives the dissatisfying smile)
Zanza: If then, I know nothing of't -
(Kenshin with an expressionless face)
Zanza: - then let it be nothing while we have the fair and square duel!
Gohei and Kihei: (behind the fence) ...
Gohei: Brother, thou art really believing that Zanza will triumph?
Kihei: The opponent is Battousai! A gamble on triumph and defeat is best
avoided.
Gohei: Then we shall do...
Kihei: Fret not! I hath initialized this match with an ideal that Zanza will
not be triumphant! Should he roll in defeat, whatever we say, he is still
the renowed fighter we employed. Should he pay with his life even, he shall
go on till the bitter end and injure Battousai.
(Kenshin and Zanza looking at each other monotonously)
Kihei: We wait till they have had their fill of wounds, and trying to relax
into a easier position for breath, then shall be our role on the fighter's
stage!
(takes a gun out from his outer coat)
Kihei: Using this foreigner's plaything - to play his life out!
Kenshin: ... This most lowly one here hath not understood either!
Zanza: Eh?
Kenshin: Thou art the hater of he who disregards the weak, but thou art too
the lover of a duel on which you deem for a living? Why hath your worthy
self carried a 'evil' on your back? While thy honorable personality shines
the force of righteousnes, thou own self hath blown out every snuff.
(Zanza stares with a emotionless expression)
Kenshin: Which fair wind hath so blown this erring sense of reasoning within
your great self?
Zanza: The reason ...
(forth time he gives that dissatisfying smile)
Zanza: ... is not for you to know! A prelude duel should not have such mood
crushing words to be served with! If thou art truly interested, then fight
me, and win me! I shall only enlighten you a pointer, that all the
Ishinshishis, are no more than a haughty, arrogant and vomit-inducing group
of hypocrites!
(Kenshin's wondering face)
Zanza: Raising the flag of righteousness, do what they do what, as per gain
of personal desires, they hoodwinked the entire world. Be it someone whose
opinions even differ from you all, prejudice sets in when viewing them,
marking them off as rebels, then vanquish them totally!
(background of lightning)
Zanza: A singular caste of people indeed, a convincing ploy to beguile all
your lies! The greatest 'ha-ha' ever! While that 'strongest warrior in
history', all the fairy-tale legends which do not give let down in the
common world of that 'hitokiri' -
(knits his eyebrows and starts to shout)
Zanza: - is he who has earned that vicious place in mine heart!
(Kaoru and Yahiko are speechlessly scared, while Kenshin's face has remained
indifferent throughout the entire discourse)
Kenshin: This erring one hath understood! My unworthy self shall accept the
thrown gauntlet!
Kaoru: Kenshin!
Kenshin: However, thou sire must first reply. He that is manipulating the
strings behind the affair, be he the Hiruma brothers?
(Kihei and Gohei stare at each other with eyes bulged out)
Zanza: You have but erred! The situation is crystal to your knowledge!
Kenshin: Needless to see, i'th land of Tokyo, he who is fluent with this
undeserving one's lineage comes not as often. Also, the separation of that
fence hath flowed the amber desire of the two men's vengence.
(Kenshin turns to address the fence)
Kenshin: Remain hidden no more, do step out!
Zanza: Ho! One can see why you are a super first class swordsman!
(Zanza turns to address the fence)
Zanza: Hey! Stop veiling yourselves and come out quickly!
(the fence remains the fence, no movement coming from behind it)
Kenshin and Zanza: (looking at the fence with irritation and frustration)
Thou/you hath been ordered, now hear't and act upon't!
Gohei and Kihei: (rolls out tongues) ...
(they start to walk out)
Kihei: All right, all right! We shall reveal ourselves! Is't fine now!
Zanza: Hand it over!
Kihei: What?
Zanza: Try not to fool me!
Kihei: AH!
Zanza: Indeed I hath not erred! May it be my character judgement surpasses
not the average, however, the gaze upon yourself hath made me confident that
thou art a despicable, low-down scummishly dastardic egg head!
(grasps the gun kihei has)
Zanza: Let it! Thou mayst pull the string of this duel, but the eventual
performance is attributed to me! As for this gun -
(hurls it into the air and smashes it into pieces)
Zanza: I myself shall never - (staring at Kihei) allow it's existence!
Kaoru: Kihei...
Kihei: ... I shall relish your land and room! Missy!
Kaoru: ...
(Kenshin notices how disappointed Kaoru looks)
Zanza: The dojo space bags a problem of area, let's seek out a broader,
better riverside bank!
(out on the main roads walking towards an unknown destination)
Yahiko: *This is so attention catching...*
Kenshin: Yahiko!
Yahiko: Eh?
Kenshin: Thou - hath eaten the fruit of fright hath thou not!
Yahiko: 'Tis still okay! However, this is to me not a matter which matters!
Currently, I have no more fear for that whatever 'Hitokiri Battousai'!
(puffs out a huff of air)
Yahiko: To be more precise, thou art the ghost of power, yet I cannot be
surprised, and in from some place of matter, I hath grasped a certain
meaning to something.
Kenshin: Then finalize our words! Thou art not in grave?
Yahiko: Talk not about me! Shoot your glance at that fellow's weapon! The
length of't totally prompts itself to be a long spear! We, if spear against
sword, require triple the amount of energy to compensate!
Zanza: 'Tis not a spear, little fellow! 'Tis - (looks back) a better thing
than a spear altogether!
(at the riverside bank)
Zanza: ... Oh yeh! I hath not - introduced myself! (fifth irritatingly
dissatisfying smile)
Zanza: I am 'Sagara Sanosuke'!
(tears away the silk or whatever covering his weapon)
Zanza: Down in the underworld, all who knows me speaks as of 'Zanza'!
(his weapon is fully revealed as all except Kenshin watches in shock)
Zanza: Zanbadou - Sanosuke! In short 'Zanza'!
Kaoru: Zanbadou... !
* Footnote reads: Zanbadou: During the warring times, a weapon used for
killing horse and rider at once. Amongst all swords and knives, the biggest
and heaviest. Owing to it's weight, no one had yet perfected it's usage.
Gohei: This is the so-called -
Kihei: - Zanza's 'buddy'!
Zanza: 'Tis an artifact left behind during those turbulent times, not a
single adjustment hath been rendered, therefore, the zanbadou it remains
but it's sharpness is nullified! However, to hack a person up is not an
impossible task even for't!
Kenshin: Rurouni - Himura Kenshin - (draws his sword) seeks your great
pointers with this sakabadou! As per all the excess, I shall hold my
unworthy tongue, besides, thou hath filtered out the dirt in the water of
truth.
Zanza: Before the actual I give a warning. Forget the 'I shall not kill's
childish thinking, or - (he charges) you shall die a horrible death!
Gohei: Too fast!
Kaoru: He dances even with the weight of't!
(the zanbadou reaching Kenshin's unmoving figure)
Zanza: Heeee-yaaa!
(Zanza brings the zanbadou down and the ground splits open. Kenshin's sheath
is broken into two. Kenshin is nowhere to be seen and Kaoru gets a big
shock)
(Kenshin had already jumped clear and is now at Zanza's blind spot)
Zanza: !
(Kenshin whams Zanza's back before Zanza has the ability to say more. Zanza
suffers an intense pain and shock)
(Kenshin completes his attack and sends Zanza flying away with his zanbadou)
(Zanza flies ten meters away and makes a hole in the ground)
Yahiko: ... right! No matter how invincible the zanbadou is, if't does not
hit thy target in that one stroke, the use is zero! Kenshin's triumph is
flowery pretty!
(Kenshin of course, is not very happy)
Yahiko: !
Zanza: (struggling up) You are really worthy of the legends, it is indeed no
wonder! However -
Kaoru: Not good...
(Zanza stands up)
Kaoru: We hath misunderstood the meaning of 'strong'... the man's real
strength is not his absolute strength even in waving lumpy weapons, but the
kind of strength that he, even being swiped by a wave of attack, stands up
not to relax, it is... his absolute endurance!
(Zanza smiles for the sixth time)
Kaoru: (voice over) From then till now, a stroke which faints all his
opponents, Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi - works not in the face of this man!
Zanza: We so assumed the fighter's role, that it may not be the 'chop here
slay there' attitude! Be your kenjutsu the best, you still do not assume the
upper hand. He who endures and withstands through it all claims all the say!
(Kenshin waves his sword)
Kenshin: Thou worthy words - release them, that - if thou mayst endure and
withstand through it all indeed, claim them back as rewards!
END TRANSLATION
(c) Nobuhiro Watsuki Translation: ruroken@geocities.com
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