Chapter 133: A Spirit Broken

Soujirou: It's annoying. Just seeing him is somehow...

Yumi (thinking): Annoying? He's smiling same as always, but... (aloud) Boy! You've got all kinds of enemies to face after this. Use the Shukuchi in the next attack and finish him. (thinking) He's different from the normal Soujirou!

Soujirou: Of course. That was my intention. I've decided to use one step before the Shukuchi.

Yumi: Boy!!

Soujirou: Oh, please don't be angry. I have every confidence that I could defeat Mr. Himura with the Shukuchi. But using my full strength against his wrong-headed sword would just be too annoying.

(He re-enters the next room.)

Sanosuke: Here he comes.

Kenshin: Yes...

Sanosuke: You gonna be okay?

Kenshin: I can't say. Only that if I can't defeat this boy, I won't reach Shishio. So I won't be able to return to Miss Kaoru and the others. I'll use my full strength. I have no other choice.

Soujirou: One step before the Shukuchi.

(He all but disappears, detectable only by the breaking of the tatami mats under his feet.)

Kenshin (thinking): Right? Or left?

(A similar break hits the ceiling, then a wall. Kenshin is surrounded on all sides by the crashes that mark Soujirou's passing.)

Kenshin (thinking): An omnidirectional attack, using not only horizontal but vertical space!

Sanosuke: There's nowhere to run now!

Soujirou: After all, in this world the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong.

(Kenshin whips his head around to follow the voice, but there's nothing there.)

Soujirou: The strong live, the weak die.

(Kenshin turns again--Soujirou materializes over his left shoulder, and he puts up his sword to block. A glimpse of the nine-year-old Soujirou, smiling.)

Soujirou: You don't kill? You protect the weak? That's what you say, but you're wrong.

(He strikes again, and again Kenshin blocks. Young Soujirou, crying out in shock.)

Soujirou: Why didn't you protect me then? If what you say is right, why didn't anyone protect me?

(He disappears again. Kenshin does his best to dodge the blitz of rapid movement.)

Sanosuke: "Then"? "Why didn't you protect me?" What's he talking about? He's not making any sense.

Yumi: It is strange... He's definitely acting different than usual.

Sanosuke (thinking): Could it... could his past be coming back to him, like how Kenshin reverted to Battousai in his fight with Saitou?

Yumi (thinking): He can't cope with the strong emotions the fight is bringing up. He's losing his mind!

Soujirou: No one protected me then. The only thing that protected me was the truth that Mr. Shishio taught me. All it took was one stroke of the wakizashi...

(He descends behind Kenshin for the final blow.)

Soujirou (thinking): So Mr. Shishio is the one that's right!

(The young Soujirou clutches the sword, his eyes mad with rage.)

(Kenshin coolly looks behind him in plenty of time to see Soujirou.)

Sanosuke: I knew it! If he's showing emotion, no matter how fast he is, Kenshin can read his moves!

(Kenshin dodges very slightly, and Soujirou buries his sword in the tatami instead.)

Sanosuke (grinning): Now he's got him!

Yumi (shocked): He saw him!

(Soujirou stares at the blade halted inches before his throat. A tense moment.)

Soujirou: What are you doing? Do you mean to win without giving the finishing blow?

Kenshin: You say no one protected you then. No matter how hard I try, I can't think what you're referring to. But, if it's not too late, couldn't you make a fresh start now?

(Soujirou freezes. The young Soujirou stands in the freezing rain, holding a bloody sword.)

The strong live, the weak die. The true words Mr. Shishio taught me. But is being weak so wrong? I killed, but I didn't really want to kill them. Yes. In the rain, I smiled, but I was really crying. I was really crying. (Soujirou screams, clutching his head.)

Yumi: Soujirou's... broken...

Soujirou: You're interfering. Your very existence is... Fighting with you is making me strange! I don't care who's right! I'll kill you with the next attack!