Part 171: A Brief Intermission

(The clock points to just past eleven. Kenshin falls silent, his head bowed.)

Megumi: Ken-san?

Kenshin: Let me take a breath...

Sanosuke: Yeah. He's been talking for over three hours.

(Another heavy silence falls.)

Tsubame: Um, I'll--I'll go get some more tea.

Megumi: You shouldn't have to do all that yourself. I'll help.

Tsubame: Thank you.

Sanosuke: I'll go get us some snacks. I'm kinda hungry.

Yahiko (trailing along behind him): How come you know where we keep the snacks?

(Only Kaoru and Kenshin are left; they sit in silence.)

(In the kitchen.)

Tsubame: But I'm so shocked that Mr. Kenshin was an assassin.

Yahiko: Oh yeah, you didn't know he was Battousai. (eating a bun) I can't believe he was married. And at fifteen, too.

Sanosuke: That's not that surprising. At the time a samurai was treated as an adult at fifteen.

Yahiko: Really?

Sanosuke: They called it coming of age. If you want to be a swordsman, you should remember that. And at 18, a woman was halfway through marriageable age.

Megumi (age 22): What are you trying to say?

Sanosuke: Nothing.

Megumi: I'm free to get married whenever I want. A stranger has nothing to say about it.

(Sanosuke: That's why I didn't say anything.)

Sanosuke: But we really don't know where we stand yet.

Yahiko: About what?

Tsubame: You're right.

Megumi: You think so too?

Yahiko: Don't just ignore me!

Sanosuke: Yukishiro... no, Himura Tomoe...

Megumi: We're still only halfway through the story, so maybe it's inevitable, but where she came from... who she is... what she was really thinking... even if she truly loved Ken-san... It looks suspicious.

Tsubame: That couldn't be true. How could she marry someone she didn't love...

Yahiko: I can't believe that he killed her. Whatever the reason, his own wife...

(They fall silent.)

Tsubame: We should be getting back. I'm worried about Kaoru.

Sanosuke: You're right.

Megumi (quietly): If she gives up on him now, I will never forgive her.

Sanosuke: What?

Megumi: Nothing. Let's go.

(Outside the mansion in Yokohama. Kujiranami, Otowa and Inui are sitting outside; Enishi comes out to speak with them.)

Kujiranami: Ten days?

Enishi: Yes. I gave him my declaration of war this morning.

Otowa (smoking a hookah): Without a word to your comrades? I can't accept this.

Inui: Suits me fine. All this waiting around isn't my style at all. Ha--ha!

Kujiranami: A declaration of war is fine. But ten days is ridiculous. What do we need all that time for?