01x07 - The Two Hitokiri

[bunniefuu]

All right?

I’m only lending it to you.

Be sure to give it back.

I understand.

I’ll be sure to come back to return this.

You can wait at the dojo without worry.

All right.

Kenshin!

"I'll be waiting for you
at 12 midnight in the

offering place of
Shinji temple. Jin-e"

Rurouni Kenshin

Episode 7 Two Hitokiris

Don’t stare at me like that.

I didn’t kidnap you to eat you.

I know that!

It was to give yourself
an advantage over Kenshin.

The all feared Kurogasa
was such a coward.

You just don’t know…

If you are my hostage,
Battosai will be angry…

And that anger will help him
become the Hitokiri he was once.

Now Battosai has gotten soft.

I could destroy him in the time
it takes me to smoke this cigarette.

That would be boring.

You are a coward and a liar.

I can’t believe that you don’t know
how strong Kenshin is.

You’re the one who doesn’t know…

His real strength.

A strength so great,

that it brings shivers down
your spine just hearing about his stories.

The first time I met him...

was in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu.

I’ve heard rumors about the Hitokiri.

Though we are the Shinsengumi.

There was no way
we would lose to just one man.

But…

Within a single moment.

While the moon shone on the narrow road,
he k*lled three of our men.

Hey!

Tell your men.

That if you want to k*ll more
Ishin Shishi, I’ll be your opponent.

Got it?

If I did fight him at the time,

I would have been k*lled in a heartbeat.

But now I’m different.

I’ve k*lled a lot.

Both enemies and allies.

He and I are both “Hitokiri” now.

Two Hitokiri fighting for life and death.

Nothing could be more fun.

Kenshin is…!

You’ll see soon.

Who that man really is,

deep down…

Well…

It’s almost midnight.

It is now time for the real fun…

Right, Battosai?

Kenshin!

Those eyes.

You’re angry, aren’t you?

Yes.

Angry at you for involving
Miss Kaoru in this,

and at myself for not being
able to stop you.

What…?

Excellent, excellent…

You’re speaking in the
way you used to…

And now…

Use the other side of your sword
and the legendary Hitokiri is revived.

Kenshin…

Your trick is not going to work!

No…

This isn’t the Kenshin that I know.

I told you, One Side of Soul
won’t work on me!

The Nikaidou Heihou.

First…

The one-handed thrust!

Next is...

The one-form horizontal slash!

An immediate ten-form vertical slash!

Now it is…

Broken!

You were able to read my moves,

up until the back pass.

Not yet…

I could k*ll you now in the time
it takes to smoke three cigarettes.

Kenshin!

Boring…

Let’s make you a little more angry.

Miss Kaoru!

This is a stronger form of
the One Side of Soul.

Stronger to the point where
it begins to paralyze the lungs.

She has about two minutes.

It won’t be as easy to break
as it was last night.

Death by strangulation isn’t pretty…

The corpse salivates and the bowels relax.

Jin-e…

You don’t have time to talk.

If you have something to say
then say it with your sword.

Not only was I not able to see his strike,

I couldn’t see the movements of his body!

This is the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu!

This is the Hitokiri Battosai!

I don’t have time to talk.

Come, so I can k*ll you now!

Kenshin…

“k*ll you”...

Good…

A speech worthy of a Hitokiri!

Kenshin...!

Now that you are the
Hitokiri Battosai from the Bakumatsu,

the real battle begins!

Let’s go, Battosai!

What’s wrong?

Now that I can feel your k*lling Chi,
I can really feel the change.

If you value your life,
release Miss Kaoru.

I can’t release her.

Either she breaks it herself,
or you release her by k*lling me.

But of course,
the first option is impossible.

Then, I guess I’ll have to k*ll you.

That is also impossible.

Humans are susceptible to impressions.

With the One Side of Soul,

you make your opponents unable to move
by overwhelming them with your Chi.

Your body reacts to what you think!

And I am no exception!

Never!

Lose!

I see.

He’s using his technique on himself
to bring out his full power.

Am!

Unbeatable!

I…am…the strongest!

The hidden technique of the
One Side of Soul, “Hyoki no Jutsu”.

I haven’t used this technique
since I left the Shinsengumi.

15 years ago.

It is not an honorable technique.

But it’s mine.

It doesn’t matter,
use whatever technique you like.

But…

Once I’ve said I will k*ll you…

Your death is assured!

Rurouni Kenshin

That is…

The Battojutsu stance!

Battojutsu.

By whipping the sword out of the sheath,

one can increase its speed
twice or three times.

A great technique
that can k*ll with one blow

without taking a single
blow from one’s opponent.

Come.

I’ll show you how
I got the name "Battosai".

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu’s Battojutsu.

The fastest of all.

However…

If I can dodge the blow, I can win!

Because Battojutsu destroys
the enemy in one blow,

after that blow
he will be left completely open!

Can I dodge it?

I can!

I can dodge this!

Take this!

Himura Battosai!

Battosai, you haven’t noticed
your one fatal flaw!

Your sword!

The Sakabatou will handicap
the Battojutsu technique!

The curve of the reverse blade
will slow the sword slightly!

And that slight delay
is going to lead me to victory!

Fast!

But I can dodge it!

I won!

Victory is mine, Battosai!

Wh…

What…

He used both the sword and the sheath…

A two step Battojutsu?!

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Battojutsu, Souryusen!

I’m fully aware that the Battojutsu was
originally a one-blow k*lling technique,

and that Sakabatou
was not meant for Battojutsu.

I am the one who learned and mastered
all of the Battojutsu techniques.

That is why I was called the Battosai.

Your elbow is smashed
and the tendons are severed.

Your life as a sword man is over…

And so is…

Your life!

Die!

Kenshin…!

What’s wrong, Battosai?

Why do you hesitate?

You have to k*ll me to release the girl.

The choice is too simple.

The strike of the legendary Hitokiri.

Give it to me here
and send me to the netherworld.

Yes.

I have no desire to give you such a gift.

But to protect Miss Kaoru,
I will be a Hitokiri once again!

That’s it!

Give me a taste of your strike!

Die.

A sword is a weapon.

Kenjutsu is the art of k*lling.

No matter what kind of clean words you
use, that is the ultimate truth.

But, I like Miss Kaoru’s idealism…

More than its true nature.

Ken…

Shin…

Kenshin!

No...!

Don’t go back…

To being…

The Hitokiri…

D…

Don’t…

Miss Kaoru!

Miss Kaoru, wake up!

Are you all right?

Miss Kaoru!

I’m all right…

Kenshin!

Oro?

The way you talk…

It’s back to normal.

I’m fine.

I’m fine now so…

I could understand the rooster doing it,

but I would never have believed

a little girl could break out of
the One Side of Soul.

I must be getting soft too.

Stop, Jin-e.

You have no chance of winning with
a Wakizashi with only your left hand.

It’s all over.

Accept it quietly.

No. It’s not over yet.

There’s still something to be settled...

This feeling…

Love it…

Stop looking like you don’t understand.

I told you…

It had to be settled.

Once…

Once I get caught…

And the investigation starts…

You’ll find out the politician who
commissioned these killings…

What?

I can’t believe you thought there was
no need for a Hitokiri in the new era.

That’s why I thought you had gotten soft.

There’s a lot of noise
about the new government,

but at the heart, it’s still the same
bloody struggle for power.

They want to erase those
who get in their way…

Under the new regime
with a modern police force,

it’s not possible to
carry out a simple k*lling.

At the same time, not only was I not able
to break away from my path of violence,

I didn’t want to.

So when the interests of politics
and Hitokiri came together,

the assassin Kurogasa was born.

"A Hitokiri kills of his own free will.

But he does not choose his own targets."

I ignored the rule and challenged you,
and so came to this awkward end.

But, I don’t care.

Living with a smashed right arm
would have been boring.

Jin-e…

Stop looking like that, Battosai!

When you said you’d k*ll me,
those eyes looked much better.

Your true nature is Hitokiri.

I’m saying it so there is no mistake.

A Hitokiri is a Hitokiri until death,
after all.

You can't be anything else.

I’ll watch you from the abyss of hell to
see how long you can wander as a Rurouni.

“A Hitokiri is a Hitokiri
until death, after all…”

“Until death…”

Kenshin…

Let’s go home, Miss Kaoru.

From here on, it's is not our job.

We’ll leave it to the police.

Kenshin…

Kenshin.

What is it?

Thank you for saving me.

At least let me say it.

No.

It is I who should thank you.

I’m grateful.

Yeah…

You're welcome?

If you hadn’t stopped me…

I would have completely become
the Hitokiri Battosai once again.

Oh yeah.

Your indigo ribbon.

I have to give it back.

Ah!

Oro…

What is this!?

It’s all bloody!

Oh.

When my shoulder was cut,
my blood must have gotten soaked into it…

What have you done!?

I couldn’t help it!

I won’t forgive you!

Kenshin!

Come here!

Jin-e, watch me from the abyss of hell.

I’ll spend the rest of my life
suppressing my Hitokiri nature.

I will never become
Hitokiri Battosai again.

Until I die, I’ll be
a Rurouni who doesn’t k*ll.

We're home.

Sweet home.

Next episode The Runaway Beauty