01x09 - The Oniwabanshu Strike

[bunniefuu]

It's the Oniwabanshu.

I'm one of the Oniwabanshu.

The great Hyottoko!

Hyottoko?

That name is way too cute for you.

You should change it.

Hand over Megumi!

Then I might go easy on you guys.

Who should I fight first?

I don't even care if you
both attack together.

He looks like he's more proud
of his strength than anything.

Leave this guy to me.

Your opponent is one of the Oniwabanshu.

It won't be just an easy fight.

I don't care!

I'll catch him alive and find out
the truth about the opium!

You first?

It doesn't matter how strong you are
when you can't hit your opponent.

Thank you.

You deliberately stepped into my range.

Sano!

{\an8}ORIGINAL STORY BY NOBUHIRO WATSUKI

Sano!

Sanosuke!

AKU

That was close, you b*stard!

So, you've dodged my k*ller Kaentoiki.

But can you dodge it again
with those legs?

With an oil sack hidden in his stomach
and flint for teeth,

this Oniwabanshu attacks with flame.

"Hyottoko" is written
with the characters of "fire man",

and there's nothing he can't burn!

Take this.

You're looking away?

I am your opponent.

I'll finish him first.

No need to rush. I'll burn you next.

Your street performance
won't burn a single hair off my head.

Street performance?!

He's cutting the flame with his Sakabatou!

Idiot!

You thought you could handle
this flame with just one sword?!

Going somewhere?

Kenshin is fighting for you.

You should at least stay here and watch!

He's not fighting someone
a swordsman can beat.

That's the middle rank of the Oniwabanshu.

He's different from
the low-ranked Beshimi.

No, he'll win.

You don't know Kenshin.

He's a swordsman
but not just a mere swordsman.

No way! I'm out of oil.

I told you.

You won't be able to burn
a single hair of mine.

His sword kept off the flame.

Indeed!

He's no mere swordsman!

Who is he?!

You!

I'm not done yet!

He's trying to refill the oil!

Sano.

Thanks for the help.

But this guy is mine!

Sorry, but let me start from scratch here!

I understand.

You can take it from here.

Leave it to me!

Will you two stop showing off?

Refill complete!

You fool!

You came back just to get burned.

You're the fool!

For thinking that trick
will work twice on me!

I'll burn you down!

Those who say my technique
is a trick or street performance...

I'll cremate them all!

A giant Kaentoiki!

This time, there's no escape!

Yeah right!

What?!

What a reckless guy.

This is exactly what
finding life in the midst of death is.

Let's see how you're doing this trick!

This nasty thing isn't something
you can be so proud of.

You've got no chance left.

Give it up.

What an idiot!

You're the one without a chance!

With those burns on both arms,
you can't punch me like before!

Eat my fist that burns like a flame!

Kicking is also allowed in fights,
you know.

Though, with such short legs,
you probably didn't even think of it.

Easy win!

With that many burns on your body?

-Shut up!
-They won.

No matter what you say, they're strong.

They're more than just strong.

Who on earth are they?

I told you.

You don't know them.

Those two are my friends
that I can count on

and be proud of.

Stop laughing!

Are you okay?

Oh, you really are hurt.

It looks like you just barely won.

That's what I said.

Why you!

-Hey, hey!
-It was too easy.

Friends.

What are we going to do with him?

How about splashing some water on him?

Darn!

That idiot Hyottoko was beaten easily!

This means I failed again!

No!

The cause of all this is Takani Megumi!

If only you hadn't run away
when I was on guard!

After what you've done to me,

you will not escape unharmed!

I'm going to k*ll her!

A k*lling Chi!

Watch out!

There's still someone here!

-There!
-Die!

Watch out!

What!

Yahiko!

What do you think you're doing?!

Ouch...

It's dangerous here, so stay back!

Stop joking!

I don't really know why,

but aren't Kenshin and Sanosuke
protecting this woman?!

I'm one of Team Kenshin too!

I may be useless for attacking,
but I can become handy in protecting.

You should have more faith
in your own student...

Yahiko!

No!

Poison!

It's for butting into
other people's business!

The kid has less than an hour!

Poisoned by Rasenbyo!

The true weapon
of the Oniwabanshu Beshimi!

You're next, you red-haired bas...

He's good.

Kenshin!

Yahiko is...

Yahiko is...!

Yahiko, wake up!

Yahiko!

Yahiko!

Stop.

Any further fight here
for Takani Megumi is pointless.

I just want to collect these two
and report back to Okashira.

You guys were the ones who started this.

I won't stop you from leaving,

but the little one will stay here
to give us the antidote for Yahiko.

I have no such duty to an enemy.

Then I'll have to take it!

You have a calm expression,
but you're an emotional man.

As long as you shelter Takani Megumi,
eventually, we will fight again.

Until then.

That move!

He's a kung-fu practitioner
with a ton of experience.

Kenshin! Yahiko's...!

Yahiko!

How is he?

I have experience in dealing with
wounds and broken bones

but not with poison.

We could try sucking
the poison out of the wound.

-Right!
-Stop!

Do you want me to watch Yahiko die?

-Stay out of this!
-Idiot!

You won't do any good
if you infect the wound!

This is no work for an amateur.
Stand back!

Unconscious with a slight fever.

Seems to be in pain, pupils dilated.

The poison is mandarin leaf poison.

Hey, this is a dojo.
You must have a doctor.

I'll write down the prescription,
so go get it from him.

Kenshin, boil some water!

Also, get me some washcloths.

You, go buy as much ice as possible!

Treating poison is a race against time!

Hurry!

Well...

This should do.

He'll be all right in three or four days.

I'm so glad, Yahiko.

As long as he's not disturbed.

Thanks, old man. You're the greatest.

Who are you calling old?

The one you should be thanking
is the one who wrote this prescription.

It's amazing.

The ingredients and recipe
for the antidote were perfect.

The person who wrote this

must have studied
Western medicine at a university.

Or just knew a lot about poison?

Poison and medicine
are two sides of the same coin.

Mandarin leaf is a powerful medicine
when used properly.

Whoever wrote this

must have been a master
of Western medicine,

especially in pharmaceuticals.

I'm surprised.

I thought she was just
an ill-natured woman.

A woman? Can it be

Takani Megumi?!

You know her?!

Takani Megumi.

She was an assistant to a doctor
who was k*lled three years ago.

Where are you going?

At night, women shouldn't walk alone.

This guy isn't good for the heart.

How is the boy doing?

He's fine.

Yahiko is a strong boy.

Thank you for your help.

I would like to thank you
on behalf of him.

You don't need to thank me.

Beshimi was aiming for me.

So, where are you going?

I can't lose this guy.

I'm leaving Tokyo for now.

I'll be gone soon, so don't worry.

Is there someone waiting for you
at your home in Aizu?

You can't get rid of the accent
of the place where you were raised.

I know it because

I fought with many warriors
from Aizu in Kyoto in the old days.

You really are bad for the heart.

Isn't it time we hear the truth from you?

The Takani family in Aizu
were famous among doctors.

The Takani family

allowed even women
and children to study medicine.

Above all,

their belief in equality and treatment
for all patients was widely known.

During the Edo era,

the rigid system of preference for
the Samurai class was offensive to them,

but for us doctors, the family was
executing the true purpose of medicine.

Megumi's father, Takani Ryusei,
believed this to the extreme.

Upon hearing about Western medicine,

he suddenly left to take
the family to Nagasaki to study.

You young people wouldn't know
how much courage it took

to leave your province in those days.

Around the same time

when her family received
special permission to return to Aizu,

the Battle of Aizu began.

The Battle of Aizu.

The fourth battle
of the Boshin w*r between

the Aizu Domain
and the Meiji government forces.

The Aizu Domain
fought with all their might.

Young, old, men, and women fought
and even locked themselves in a castle

but surrendered on September 22, 1868.

Before the Meiji Restoration,

the Aizu Domain was the protector of Kyoto

and had suppressed the Ishin Shishi.

Therefore,

the people of the Aizu Domain
were oppressed

by the new government for many years.

The Takani family

left young Megumi and went to serve
as a doctor on the b*ttlefield.

Ryusei died there

and her mother and two brothers
were declared missing.

Since then, Megumi has been alone.

But five years ago,

she came up to Tokyo and became
the assistant of a certain doctor.

He was a friend of mine,
and that's how I know about Megumi.

That doctor was k*lled three years ago,

and I don't know
what happened to her after that.

I'd very much like to see her.

Where is she now?

Now that you mention it,
I haven't seen her!

She couldn't have...!

Five years ago,
I had no eyes to judge people.

That doctor was secretly
involved with Kanryu.

Kanryu would purchase
a cheap stock of opium ingredients

and had the doctor refine it
while Kanryu sold that.

They were good at it.

Until the doctor came up with this.

It's known as the "Spider's Web".

It's made with a special process,

using only half the usual ingredients
but has twice the addictive power.

Which means they could earn
four times as much with it.

If it hits the streets of Tokyo,

it could turn the city into addicts
in just five years.

Planning a huge business,

Kanryu tried to find out
the method of refining,

but the doctor wanted all the profits
for himself and refused to tell him.

They quarreled and the doctor
was accidentally k*lled.

As his assistant,

I was the only one who knew the recipe.

So, I was forced to produce it.

When I learned that it was
not medicine to save people's lives

but the other way around,
I thought of death.

But I couldn't.

I thought that if
I was involved in medicine,

somehow, somewhere,

I may be able to meet
my lost mother and brothers.

That was my hope.

That's why, for three years,
I made that medicine.

But if Kanryu forced you to do this,

that means there's no one else
that knows the refining method.

You kept down production
of the "Spider's Web" to the minimum,

making the victims as few as possible

while keeping all that emotion
to yourself, right?

If your suffering continued
for three years,

it's about time you are
forgiven and set free.

Kenshin.

You can't get rid of them so easily.

It's better if you stay here
for a little longer.

But...

It's all right, isn't it, Miss Kaoru?

It's fine.

I know what it feels like to be alone.

If Kenshin hadn't been here,

I'd be experiencing the same thing.

Now, all we need to know
is how to deal with Kanryu.

But if you even try
to touch Kenshin, that's it.

I will toss you out
without a second thought.

I see.

I won't be able to use Beshimi
or Hyottoko for a while.

Yes.

Hanya, you're okay with your injury?

Yes.

But it was close.

As you said, he's not an ordinary man.

I didn't think that

as he took my punch,

he was taking advantage of the impact
to aim for the liver, a vital spot.

Can you fight?

Not for two or three days,
but I can gather information.

All right.

In three days, get to know his past.

Yes, sir.

Red hair.

Cross scar.

He must be...

What did he say?

He said, "Welcome aboard.
The Captain is waiting."

That's a generous treatment.

This must be the power of money.

So, Captain, the cargo?

This is it?!

As long as I have this, I have no enemy!

Welcome to Japan!

Now, everyone will bow down to me!

This is all thanks to money!

The power of money!

I'm so glad I was rich!

Next episode, "A Reason to Act".