Chapter 169: 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?