Part 161: A Piercing Question

Gein: Retreat. It is already time for Earthly Justice.

Sanosuke (thinking): Earthly Justice... wait a minute. Some guy just crawled out of another guy's mouth!

Inui: Get lost, Gein! This fight's not over yet! I'm gonna kill this guy!

Gein: I will certainly get lost. If you don't want to get caught in the blast, you'll retreat for your own good.

(He leaps from Iwanbou's mouth to an adjacent roof. Inui scowls and follows suit.)

Inui (from the roof): Ha--ha! I'm finished with you for today! You better thank me for sparing your life!

Sanosuke: Yeah, that's it. So you're not leaving because your opponent is hurt. Too bad. You didn't get the win you wanted so bad.

Inui: WHAT? That's it, I'm gonna kill that--

Gein: I'm leaving.

Inui: Hey, wait! (He growls in anger for a minute.) Sagara Sanosuke, right? I'm gonna remember that face! If I see you again, I WILL kill you! Ha--ha!

(He bounds away over the rooftops.)

Sanosuke: If you see me again? What, you're not sure? You giving up on us? Is that how pathetic you are... (turning to the Iwanbou) But what is that thing? Some kinda suit...

(A thin stream of smoke is drifting out of Iwanbou's open mouth. Sanosuke remembers Gein's words: "It is the time for Earthly Justice.)

Sanosuke: Get back! (racing towards the Iwanbou) Don't just stand there, move!

(He kicks the Iwanbou in the stomach. A bomb with a cheerful skull drawn on it flies out.)

Police: A bomb? (And what's with that skull?)

Sanosuke: Get down!

(The bomb explodes in midair, damaging only the roof of the dojo.)

Sanosuke: Dammit, like the Akabeko wasn't enough. Your big plan was to just blow everyone away? I get it now. These guys aren't going to back down! (thinking) They took out the Akabeko and half-destroyed the Maegawa dojo. Who knows how many casualties. All I got was one chipped tekkou. That patchwork bastard was too stupid to notice, but they sure didn't pull back out of mercy...

(He kicks the Iwanbou.)

Sanosuke: Damn them! If we don't do something they're gonna have us running for cover... (thinking) If we don't do something...

(At Chief Uramura's house, the cloud of smoke is clearing. Kenshin glances down at his hands.)

Kenshin: I must have breathed a little... (thinking) My hands and legs are shaking. But that will wear off. Now we have to see to the chief--

(He stops. The words echo "Time for Earthly Justice. Time for Earthly Justice.")

(At some distance away, Kujiranami levels the Armstrong gun for a shot.)

Kenshin: RUN!

(Kujiranami's shot is a direct hit to the house. The chief's wife and daughter are sent flying but are basically unharmed.)

Daughter: Father! Father!!

(Kenshin appears out of the smoke, carrying Chief Uramura.

Daughter: Father!

Kenshin: He's all right. He's just unconscious.

Daughter (now in tears): How could they be so cruel... What did Father--what did we do? (Kenshin bows his head, unable to answer.)

Daughter: Why... why did this happen?