Chapter 162: Phantoms & Reality

(At the mansion in Yokohama)

Gein: Ten days?

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

(Gein is working at a bench covered in grisly instruments: scalpels, pliers, mallets and other such tools.)

Gein: Was that wise? The others won't like it.

Enishi: It'll be fine. I'll persuade them. More importantly, will you be ready in ten days? Will it?

Gein: Leave that to me. I'll give this my all. When the time comes, I'll show you a work of art.

Enishi: I look forward to it. Indeed, my Earthly Justice hinges upon it.

(Later that morning, Sanosuke and Megumi come to see Kaoru at the dojo. Sanosuke's hand is rebandaged and in a sling.)

Sanosuke: You mean Kenshin isn't back yet?

Kaoru: No.

Sanosuke: And I dragged the medicine chest all the way here just for him.

Megumi (with a little arrow labeled "medicine chest"): I just now patched you up. Don't you have a shred of gratitude in you?

Sanosuke (ignoring her): Well, no point in worrying. Guy's practically invincible.

Megumi: Idiot. He most certainly is not.

Sanosuke: Almost forgot. I brought you some spoils of war.

Kaoru: What?

Sanosuke: Look, right over there.

(With a little arrow labeled "spoils of war," Iwanbou's slumped and misshapen form is thrown up against a wall.)

Kaoru: Isn't that one of the Ten Swords... ?

Sanosuke: Looks like it. If you think about it, it fits exactly with what we've heard so we'd think that. In this battle the enemy must have had relations with the Shishio faction--no, wanted us to think he had relations with the Shishio faction...

Megumi: Battle, huh. Is that what that was. So it wasn't just an accident?

(She starts pounding him with her medicine box.)

Megumi: You know something! Spit it out, rooster-head!

Sanosuke (attempting to block): Hey, I thought you told me not to use this hand!

Kaoru: Sanosuke...

(Sanosuke looks put out.)

Sanosuke: I know. I didn't think we could keep this up much longer. When Kenshin gets back--

Tsubame (rushing into the yard): Kaoru! It's Kenshin! Kenshin's back! But ... but...

(Kenshin walks in after her. He is walking slowly, his eyes blank and cast down.)

Sanosuke: Hey, Ken...

(Kaoru holds up a hand and he stops.)

Kaoru: Welcome back. You look tired. Are you going to take a nap?

Kenshin: ... Yes.

(He walks on around to the house.)

Megumi: He's miles away...

Sanosuke: This is not like him at all. What happened?

Tsubame: Kaoru, you didn't even ask him anything...

Kaoru (sadly): I couldn't ask. I've never seen him look like he'd suffered so much.

(Kenshin paces on.)

Kenshin (thinking): Enishi ... Tomoe ... What can I do, to atone for my sins? What can I do--

(Something crunches underfoot. He looks up to find himself in a bleak, dark landscape, where the ground is composed entirely of human bones.)

Kenshin (thinking): What is this place--when did I-- (aloud) Hills of white bones ... like Hell ... a place fit for Shishio.

(He passes a hand over his eyes.)

Kenshin (thinking): No ... I am just as fit for Hell. I wielded my sword for the new age, for the sake of the oppressed ... to those close to the ones I killed I was just a hitokiri. I caused so much suffering...