Chapter 14: A Final Act Under the Moon

(Battousai stands poised with the sword raised above Jin'eh. Jin'eh is kneeling, making no move to avoid the blow.)

Kaoru (still unable to breath): Kenshin...

Jin'eh: What's wrong, Battousai? Why do you hesitate? You have to kill me to release the girl. Spare me and she dies. Kill me and you save her. The choice is too simple. Don't hesitate. There's no time. Great Hitokiri of legend, assassin--send me to the netherworld with one stroke here (drawing a line across the top of his head)

Battousai: Yes. I have no desire to give you such a gift. But to protect Miss Kaoru, I will be the Hitokiri once again.

Jin'eh: That's it! Give me a taste of your assassin's blade!

Battousai: Die.

(The blade comes down.)

(Kaoru remembers Kenshin's words when he first came to the dojo--

A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. Whatever pretty words you use to speak of it, this is its true nature-- But, I like Miss Kaoru's idealism better than its true nature. I like it better. Kaoru: Ken ... shin ... Kenshin!!! NO--!!!!

(He freezes)

Kaoru (sweating and breathing hard): Don't go back to being the Hitokiri ... and using the killer's sword... (she collapses) ... no...

Kenshin: Miss Kaoru! (he dashes over and catches her before she hits the ground) Miss Kaoru, wake up! Are you all right?

(She opens her eyes, then smiles.)

Kaoru: I'm all right. Kenshin.

Kenshin: Oro?

Kaoru: You're talking ... like you usually do. I'm fine, now--

(Jin'eh stands behind them. He draws his short sword with his left hand.)

Jin'eh: I could understand the rooster-head doing it, but I would never have believed the girl could break out of the One-sided Heart. I must be getting soft too.

Kenshin: Stop, Jin'eh. You have no chance of victory with only a wakazashi in your left hand. You lost. It's all over. Accept it quietly.

Jin'eh: No. It's not over yet. There's still things to be settled.

(He plunges the wakazashi into his own chest.)

Jin'eh: Hmm. This feeling ... it's good.

(he falls backwards)

Jin'eh: Stop ... looking like you don't understand. I said it ... the things left to be settled. I ... I was alive, and caught ... if the investigation continues ... it will be sure to find the politician who commissioned these killings...

Kenshin: What...

Jin'eh (chuckling): I can't believe you thought there was no need for a Hitokiri in the new era. You don't look like Battousai. That's why I thought you had gotten soft. There's a lot of noise about the new government, but at heart it's still the same bloody struggle for power. They want to erase those who got in their way, but now, under the new regime with a modern police force, it's not possible to carry out a simple killing. Not only could I not break away from my path of violence, but I didn't want to. So when the interests of politics and the Hitokiri came together, the assassin "Black Hat of Rushes" was born. "A Hitokiri kills of his own free will, but he does not choose his own targets." I ignored this rule and challenged you, and so came to this awkward end. But, I don't care. I enjoyed this duel to the death. And living with a smashed right arm would have been boring.