Chapter 113: Usui's Mind's Eye, Saitou's Mind's Eye

Yumi (being carried by Sanosuke as they run): You can't just run off like this! If Usui wins, one of you's next! Hey!

Sanosuke: Who said you get to make up the rules? Just tell us where the next room is!

Usui: Kill me? Me?

(Saitou only half-smiles.)

Usui: Could it be you carry a grudge for the fifty policemen I killed in Kobe?

(Saitou seems somewhat surprised.)

Usui: I can't see, but with my mind's eye I know you completely. Your emotions run high. You cannot hide anything from me. Revenge and justice. No matter, no matter. Just remember to keep your cool.

Saitou: I see... so I was right. Your mind's eye isn't any kind of witchcraft or magic. You can't read my thoughts or even my state of mind. As one of the Shinsengumi and of the police, I have a duty to protect the peace of Japan and livelihood of her people. Once I accepted this role, losing my life became a given. It would be strange to obsess over every detail, like Battousai does. The dead are at peace. When I enter their world, I may think that my duty is unfulfilled, but I'll have no thoughts of revenge. If you can't see it with your mind's eye, I'll tell you. Only one thing stirs my emotions. Kill. Evil. Instantly. For the sake of my own justice alone!

Usui: Interesting. Former captain of the Shinsengumi third unit, Saitou Hajime, as an opponent you are not wanting.

(Saitou leaps forward, striking with the Gatotsu. Usui blocks it with the ball at the base of the spear.)

Usui: So this is your famous Gatotsu? It's weak! Bouken Bougyoku Hyakka Ryouran!

(He strikes in a flurry with both the tip and base. Saitou jumps back, taking hits on the left shoulder and right thigh.)

Usui: You look like you've been bewitched by a fox. How could I aim when I'm not supposed to be able to see? How could I have blocked the Gatotsu? You want to know? Hmm... Looks that way, looks that way. All right, I'll tell you. As you said, my mind's eye isn't magic. It's this.

(He points at his ear.)

Usui: During the Bakumatsu, I went up against Shishio and was blinded. I was useless, so the Bakufu simply abandoned me. My days in hell began. I couldn't tell where I was. Before long I was lost in the mountains, wandering on the border of life and death. I could bear my hunger, but not my thirst. Then, I heard the sound of water and ran towards it. I ran and ran. By the time I reached the small stream, night was already falling. That's when I realized. I could heard the far-off sounds of the stream because I had developed unnaturally keen hearing. Through this sense I can hear all the sounds of the human body. Their heartbeats betray my opponent's state of mind. The expansion and contraction of their muscles and the abrasion of their bones tell me exactly how they plan to attack. This is my invincible mind's eye! Before this, your Gatotsu is just a stab in the dark!

(a pause)

Usui: Hm, your pulse is a little quicker.

Saitou: I might have guessed by that strange outfit, but you're pretty sure of yourself. Don't underestimate the Gatotsu.

(He snaps his fingers. The ball falls in pieces from the spear.)

Saitou: I thank you for your valuable information about your mind's eye. In exchange, shall I tell you about mine? Don't worry. I don't have amazing ears like you. My mind's eye is simply the insight a swordsman gains after escaping a lot of life-or-death situations. You could call it intuition.

Usui: Oh? And what do you see with your mind's eye?

Saitou: Just this! The real reason you fight for Shishio! After your story about Shishio blinded you--it should be a loathsome past you bear a deep grudge for, but when you smiled faintly, I understood at once. You've given up on revenge. You learned to use your mind's eye and thought you had become strong, but you were only strong enough to escape death when you fought Shishio again. Your failure was inevitable. You'd been allowed back into your old life in vain. So you accepted Shishio's proposal under the condition that if you ever got your chance, you would kill him. By pretending he was your real target, you could live without having to recognize your own failure... How was that? Am I close?

Usui: Heh.

Saitou: Heh heh heh.

Usui & Saitou: HA--HA HA HA HA HA!

Usui: WHAT'S SO FUNNY!

(He unscrews the base of the spear, shortening it to about two feet, and holds out his turtle-shell shield.)

Usui: Saitou Hajime, your mind's eye is great, but--one practioner of the mind's eye is enough! I'll kill you with my true technique!

Saitou (in Gatotsu stance): A whipped dog shouldn't bark so loud.