01x13 - Dreams and Reality

[bunniefuu]

k*ll me? k*ll me.

Sh-Sh-Shion-dono—

Nurugai.

Cut their flowers and roots with your sword.

That may slow their transformation.

Then take the others and get away from here.

Got it.

Shion-dono.

We'll talk later. This will be over soon.

The movement, smell,
and sound of these waves.

No doubt about it.

It's the same as the creature
that k*lled Tenza.

On the way here, I took
the lives of various creatures

to test the usage and nature of the waves.

Now I will use you to demonstrate
how the immortal can be k*lled.

Cutting the waves directly will k*ll a
creature, even if the vitals aren't struck,

as it is akin to cutting the soul itself.

I will release, circulate,
and envelop myself in my own waves.

Dreams and Reality

The flowers have stopped growing,
but at this rate...

Hoko-san, what should we do?

There is nothing I can do for him.

I did not even know what
the Tensen actually were.

Move, both of you.

It may be too late for him,

but I have a salve
that will stop the bleeding.

Yuzuriha-san...

It's too late for me...

Shion-dono!

Don't worry about him.

He's really strong. Besides,

we followed a certain creature here.

He won't die here.

Tameshi Itto-ryu: Fiend's Flurry.

Tameshi Itto-ryu: Autumn Rains.

What's his deal? He's incredible.

He's my master.

It's not regenerating.

Shion's tao is compatible with the enemy's.

Perhaps...

It's mostly consistent with my tests.

Incredible. Yours
is opposed to mine as well.

But...

Even scratches will produce flowers.

You'll make good tan.

Master!

Do you want to die, too?

I don't intend to die here.

But if I can't progress without dying,
then I accept death.

What's up with him? He's horrifying.

He's losing too much blood.

Master...

k*ll! k*ll me.

I'm using my waves as I tested,
but it's still no simple task.

Can my body withstand what it takes
to k*ll an immortal creature?

I need to help him.

Don't. You can barely stand.

But at this rate...

No, Shion-dono is already prepared to die.

Fighting alone is too great a disadvantage.

We should at least att*ck
from two sides to create an opening.

Fine. In that case, let's all—

What?

No, thanks. I'm all out of steam.

I see.

Better now?

What do you mean?

That's odd.

Better now?

I feel... slightly more energized?

Better now?

Huh? Uh, I suppose.

But how...?

I used to do it to Grandpa all the time.

When I did it to my master,
he said it energized him, too.

I've clearly recovered some stamina.

All creatures produce waves,

but there must be various interactions,
like the elements of Wuxing philosophy.

But I'd prefer you not
suddenly latch onto me.

Simply touching me seems
to have some effect.

Okay.

Which means sometimes there are
positive interactions,

such as increasing someone's tao.

No, there's no time to think right now.

As long as I can move, that's good enough.

Let's go.

Good luck.

Sagiri, Nurugai. I told you to stay away.

Wait, what are you wearing?

We'll help you, Shion-dono.

I know the creature's weakness.

Its weakness?

The source of its power. The tanden.

If we can strike at its core,
we should be able to defeat it.

But that monster has two tanden.

Simply being scratched by it is fatal.

That's what this is for.

We've wrapped ourselves in bandages
and Yuzuriha's mucus.

It should be able to prevent scratches
and keep flowers from growing.

Is it really necessary to lick it?

No.

This child and I will act as decoys
and att*ck from the front.

Use that opportunity to get behind it.

With your speed, you should be
able to strike two places at once.

Watch out!

Such an athletic child...

Wow.

Incredible. Sagiri's sensing its waves, too.

Like me, she's predicting its movements
from the flow of its waves,

and doing it even faster
and more accurately than I can.

You've become so strong.

I'm sorry.

We'll go with your plan, Sagiri.

Let's play it by ear.

Got it.

Tameshi Itto-ryu: Harvest Shower.

Wow, they're actually overpowering it.

It's taking longer and longer to regenerate.

I've never seen Shion-dono
fight so fiercely before.

We could actually b*at it.

I'll keep this up...

even if I die here.

I'm sorry, Sagiri, Nurugai.

I knew it would be dangerous.

But I can't stop.

My mind and body are being
swallowed by a pitch-black emotion.

It's not resolve. It's hatred.

My hatred and frustration will never forgive

how all I could do
in that moment was run away.

Never forgive. Never, never, never!

Yamada Asaemon Shion,
you will never be forgiven.

Not until the life of the enemy has ended.

Not until your own life has ended.

Shion-dono!

I'll gather all the waves flowing
through my body in a single point.

I'll temper them and
wrap them around my blade.

Focusing one's waves is
the same as focusing one's soul.

If you're not careful, you risk dying.

But if you're immortal,
then allow me to teach you

how fleeting and heavy life is.

How terrifying it is!

Wait. Is this truly its weakness?

According to Sagiri,
it's the source of its power.

But I don't sense strong
waves coming from here.

There's no time to hesitate—

Shion-san!

The ovule!

Senta!

If it's a plant monster,
then its ovule is its tanden.

Where the nutrients
for its flowers are concentrated.

At the center of its petals.

That's its weakness!

Beautiful.

A man prepared to die.

The space between life and death.

I could never attain such perfect yin-yang.

I wish I could've shown Rien.

I waited a thousand years. Thank you.

Senta-dono!

He'll live another half-hour at most.

That took everything he had left.

No...

Senta!

Don't move, Master.

What about the salve?

I still have one dose left.

Th-Then...

I think it'd be better used on him.

If you split the dose, then...

I need to keep some for myself.

I'm not such a good person
that I'd give all of it away.

Besides, the road ahead is too difficult
to bring an injured man with us.

Give up.

No... but...

Didn't you say we'd manage
somehow as long as we were alive?

Shinobi are realists.

We can tell the difference between suffering

that should be overcome
and suffering that's pointless to endure.

I'm sure you know this,
but you're not going to make it.

So you can let go.

You don't need to hold onto
your job or pride anymore.

You can relax now.

You've always lied to yourself, right?

At the very end, think about
whatever you want to think about.

Your family? A pet cat?

A sweetheart you left back home?

Picture them in your heart as you
die beholding a beautiful sight.

I can at least let you lean on me.

The things I loved...

My family back home. Konpeito.

Kitao Shigemasa's illustrated books.

Being in the arms of the one I admired.

The situation has progressed too quickly.

I'd like to take stock of things.

I agree.

Let's start with who the heck you two are.

Let's get away from here first, Sagiri.

Thank you for what you
said earlier, Yuzuriha-san.

Your cool head saved me again.

It no longer matters if we're criminals
or executioners anymore.

We won't survive otherwise.

Let's focus all our efforts
on making it back alive.

I won't let anyone else die.

I swear we'll all leave this island alive.

I swear it.

That's the first thing
you do upon waking up?

Relax a little. What are you, a cat?

Where are we?

A cave halfway up the valley wall.

I carried you here.

I can't remember...

This place should allow us
to hide for a while.

Of course, we'll need to be careful.

What are you doing?

Changing.

I bet this would look good on you, Sagirin.

Me, too.

Why would a guy wear this?

Why, you...

Keep your wits about you.

What's your problem?

Sagiri, I understand your eagerness,

I wanna wear it, too.

You do?

Yeah.

but you must be exhausted as well.

Really? Which one?

This one.

That one?

Yeah.

Relaxing a little won't hurt you.

Wouldn't this look better?

No, I want this one.

This one?

Shion-dono.

Yeah, this one.

Well, try it on, then.

Okay, everyone.

Don't stop what you're doing,
but listen while you do that.

Okay.

Let's focus on reviewing what information
we have that will help us return alive.

First, let's discuss the waves needed
to defeat the Tensen.

What you call tao.

It's a power everyone possesses innately,

but mastering it allows one
to achieve superhuman abilities.

Isn't that what you do, Sagiri?

Your experiences on the island
have strengthened your tao.

It must've been hard.

No worse than it was for you.

But you must be careful how you use it.

Tao is life itself.

Use too much, and you'll exhaust
more than just your stamina.

It's unclear exactly what the effects are,

but it might cause mental
or physical changes.

It might even affect one's
consciousness or memories.

In the worst case,
overuse likely leads to death.

If we're talking about life or death,

then we've got a more serious problem.

The Elixir of Life.

Though there's something similar,
there's no Elixir of Life.

The Shogunate won't accept
"we couldn't find it."

Gabimaru said it exists.

His village chief was immortal.

It must exist somewhere.

About that...

Maybe that was an illusion.

An... illusion?

Yeah, the type shinobi use.

Show someone a supernatural phenomenon

when they're little to
achieve total control over them.

You imprint on people
that they can never defy the chief.

Only a few leaders know the truth.

The same thing happened in my village.

What?

I've got other questions, too.

Sagirin, you said Gabimaru's here
for the person he loves.

Yes, his wife.

Yeah, that. It doesn't make sense.

Shinobi are merely pawns.

It's different for women, but would they
really have such a young man get married?

You can't control people using only fear.

They need something stronger to motivate
them to complete suicidal missions.

I'm just speculating, though.

Wait a minute.

His village could be different from mine.

But...

I can't remember. Is it some
type of memory impairment?

But Gabimaru's... wife, was it?

Does she actually exist?

Wait.

What's her name?

Have you actually seen her?

Please...

Maybe that's the chief's special illusion.

Do you even remember what she looks like?

It's no use.

I can't even remember where I am.

Why am I here?

Who are these guys?

Enemies? Doesn't seem like it.

I know who I am.

I am...

Iwagakure's current greatest ninja,
Gabimaru the Hollow.

In any case, I'll have to gather
information while playing along.

Even if they figure me out...

Gabimaru, okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

You're not going to sleep, Sagiri?

Shion-dono.

Why are you dressed like that?

My clothes were bloody, so I changed.

I looked an awful mess.

What's this?

Normally you appreciate my jokes.

Was it not good?

No, your wit is as sharp as ever.

But right now, I simply can't...

Eizen-dono, Genji-dono, Senta-dono,
Kisho-dono, and Tenza-dono...

So much has happened, but it's
still only our third night here.

Then there's Gabimaru.

What is he doing now?

Sagiri...

Don't tell me you love—

Not at all.

The way you always assume things
are romantic is a bad habit of yours.

Sorry.

But it's clear that you
feel strongly about him.

Beyond what's appropriate for your status.

What are you to Gabimaru?

Honestly, I don't know, but...

Born in a village of K*llers,
he k*lled as he was told.

He's experienced love,
but it makes his past self suffer.

On top of that, like Yuzuriha-san said,

if what motivates him is
a deception as well...

That's simply too sad.

He's a heinous k*ller.

He's a k*ller, but I don't
believe he's a bad person.

Which is why...

I believe they'll be reunited.

He'll never give up.

He'll make it back alive.

I'll now read the message
the Shogun sent to us.

Listen carefully.

The Yamada clan shall head once more to

Shinsenkyo to monitor
the expedition members.

You are to select new monitors for this job,

Yamada Asaemon Shugen.