Chapter 234: Landing

Heishin: Boss! A message from the guards. Two police ships are headed towards the island. Permission to prepare to fire?

Enishi: No need. Battousai's probably on one of the ships. Let them into the bay.

Heishin: But that's ridiculous. According to the Kokou Touzai Book of Naval Warfare, the wisest plan is to attack from the water to prevent the enemy from landing--

Enishi: Heishin. Do you want to fight me now?

Heishin: I see. In that case, I'll call off the cannons. (as he leaves) But once your private matter is settled the organization will be mine. I'm not willing to just sit back and watch. I have a different tactic to use.

(The two police steamships sail towards the island. Kenshin, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi, Aoshi and Misao are on deck. Yahiko munches a rice ball; Sanosuke yawns, Kenshin merely basks in the sunlight.)

Misao: I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right.

Megumi: What's that?

Misao: Everything happens when I'm not around.

Megumi: What's wrong with that? If it gets taken care of.

Misao: It still sucks.

Megumi: Well, you can be a problem too.

Misao (ignoring her): Especially you, Himura.

Kenshin: Hm?

Misao: Something happened to you. You're so calm now.

Kenshin: I wouldn't say that I'm calm. It's just that I'm not completely healed yet, so I'd like to save my strength.

(From the crow's nest:) Inspector Fujita! It's the island! We've sighted the island!

(They watch the island coming into view, heavily forested, ringed by cliffs and with the neat round bay bitten out of its middle.)

Kenshin: To tell the truth--

(They all turn to look at him.)

Kenshin: To tell the truth, in my condition, fighting Enishi will be a very close thing. I have no strength to spare for anything else. So before we reach the island, I want to ask you all one thing. Lend me your strength.

Sanosuke: What're you talking about? Of course.

Yahiko: I've been doing that all along.

Megumi: That's what we all planned on doing from the start.

Misao: If we weren't going to help, we would have gone straight home to Kyoto, right Aoshi?

Aoshi: Yes.

Saitou: If you're all done talking, we're about to land. Get ready.

(A sudden explosion rocks the other ship.)

Officers: What was that? It wasn't a shot! The second ship has taken damage to the left hull--it's going down! There's something underwater...

Heishin (observing all this through a telescope): Mines. People think of guns as Western, but they're based on a Chinese folk invention, gunpowder! We were already using mines by the sixteenth century. The bay has been laced with two hundred mines. It's impossible for a large ship to get past them. The only way is to come in slowly in small boats. And there's no gurantee those won't strike a mine. One hit will smash a boat to matchsticks!

(Kenshin and the others have boarded one of the small wooden boats.)

Officer: Inspector Fujita!

Saitou: I'm going on ahead. Once the evacuation of the second ship is complete, come in in single file on the boats!

Sanosuke (rudder in hand): If we hit a mine we're screwed! Should we go in slow?

Misao: If we creep in like that it'll take all day! Leave this to me!

(She jumps up on the prow, holding a kunai dagger.)

Like a bird snatching a fish out of the water from the air! The underwater enemy is instantly pierced! Oniwabanshu-shiki Kansatsu Tobi-kunai Kawasemi no hashi! Yahiko: Are you sure about this? One mistake and we've got a long swim ahead of us.

Megumi: I think we'd be swimming across the River Styx.

Misao (thinking): There ... Distance 62 meters, 30 degrees to the right. No, 32... 30?

Aoshi: Distance 61.5, 29.7 degrees to the right. Don't try to look underwater, concentrate on the disturbances in the waves and you'll see them. Now throw.

(Misao hurls her dagger.)

Kansatsu Tobi-kunai Kawasemi no hashi!

(The dagger sticks in the mine, touching it off.)

Misao: A hit! Awright! Did you see that, Himura? I finally got to help you!

Kenshin: I did. I'm counting on you.

Yahiko: All right! We're in!

Sanosuke: Full speed ahead!

(Heishin can't believe his eyes.)

Heishin: What is this? The mines in front of the boat are self-destructing?

(Enishi smiles.)

Enishi: He's here...

(They drive the boat against the beach and land.)

Sanosuke: All right! Landfall!