Aoshi's soul has just been bared, given a papercut, and had lemon juice poured on it by Kenshin. Aoshi is clearly not enjoying this. He tells Kenshin to shut up, and begins to beat him, but Kenshin doesn't stop what he's saying. Even Sano can tell how much it's hurting both of the men for Kenshin to say this. Kenshin finally hauls out his verbal ohgi: that Misao has become okashira and is trying to hold everything together. Aoshi replies that he doesn't like that, but that Misao is a big strong girl. Kenshin tells Aoshi that this strong girl shed "large teardrops" when he promised to bring Aoshi back. Hi, emotional blackmail.
Finally Aoshi does realize the truth in what Kenshin's saying. He apologizes to the Oniwabanshuu who sacrificed their lives for him, but knows that he can't just stop the fight. When he turns back to Kenshin, his eyes, as Sano says, are different. Kenshin agrees, but with a smile--he knows that this must be how Aoshi was as okashira. The man Okina recommended and admired, the man Hannya-tachi followed, and the man Misao idolized. Ooh, and does Aoshi look good here, too. Bruised and bloody, but every inch Okashira no Oniwabanshuu.
Finish the fight, Aoshi says, and no regrets, win or lose. Kenshin agrees, knowing he will use his ohgi, and Aoshi will use Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren. For a moment there is a stalemate, because Aoshi is not foolish enough to attack a move he's never seen. Sano, however, has noticed at this point that Yumi is missing. He looks up to see Yumi a the telegraph and shouts at Kenshin not to use the ohgi, because the battle is being reported to Shishio. Then Aoshi attacks, using Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren from the left, aiming for the right side of the neck.
In that moment, Kenshin draws and unleashes AKRNH. Aoshi goes flying, very gracefully, with a nice big divot in his chest. He looks so good when he's in the air. He hits the ground and lies there, momentarily stunned. Luckily for our hero, as Houji finds out when he reads the telegram from Yumi, the details were too fast for her to see, leaving Kenshin's fate in Tenken no Sojiro's hands. Kenshin goes to Aoshi and asks if he can move. Aoshi replies that he can't, but that his conscience feels clear. And for Aoshi, that's quite a feat. Made Okashira so young, he must have massive guilt problems. I know I would. He tells Kenshin not to use AKRNH too often, because it puts a great deal of strain on the body, and its effectiveness is cut in half if the enemy understands the attack.
The Kenshin-tachi then heads out to find Sojiro.
While all this was going on, the Juppongatana attack on the Aoiya began. With 150 soldiers to act as a wall to prevent anyone from running away, the group faces Kamatari the Great Scythe, Henya no Hisho, and...Iwanbo no baka. He really is a big idiot. Okina directs Kaoru and Yahiko to fight Henya, while Misao takes on Kamatari, and Shiro, Kuro, Okon, and Omasu take on Iwanbo. Kamatari causes a breif fight by telling Yahiko he's cute. Yahiko replies that her feminine wiles won't work against him, even if she is sexier than Kaoru of Misao. Both Kaoru and Misao object rather vocally to this.
But they're all wrong, because Kamatari is actually a man. As they so quaintly put it, a "scythe queer." It's pretty funny, actually, to see everyone's expressions when they realize the truth.
Misao-chan gets an eye-full...
Anyway, Yahiko tells Kaoru to help Misao while he takes on Henya. Henya doesn't seem too happy about having to fight a child, but Yahiko says that he's been watching Kenshin fight more closely than anyone. Henya uses his extremely thin body, attached to a stiff pair of wings and lifted by the blast of dynamite, to actually fly. Thus, he can drop dynamite on his foe from above, where everyone has a natural blind spot.
Yahiko's getting blown around by Henya's Hikku Happu because no one can help him. If Kaoru or Misao try, then Kamatari will kill them. Not an idle threat, either, because Kamatari is very skilled with his weapon. He's even skilled enough to catch Misao's Kanzaki Tobikunai in midair. You know, I have a lot of respect for Kamatari, but I don't know why he's all gaga over Shishio. Oh well. Henya is about to run out of explosives, so he decides to drop the big one and take Yahiko out. Yahiko, however, uses one of the Aoiya doors as a wing and is boosted up by the explosion, using his Quasi-Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryuu to smash his bokken over Henya's head, knocking him out and winning the fight. Go Yahiko!
Of course, Yahiko has also been pretty severly wounded, so he collapses, and Misao and Kaoru have to take on Kamatari. Kamatari's ohgama is one of the super-heavy weapons, so Kaoru plans to exploit that weakness. She charges in as a distraction while Misao attacks behind her. Unfortunately for Misao, the ohgama is also a chain weapon, and the heavy ball hits Misao square in the stomach, busting some of her ribs and sending her onto the roof of the Aoiya. Ow! Personally, I've never broken anything, and I'd really like to keep it that way. While Misao is out of action, Kamatari employs his Midare Benten, a simultaneous offense-defense move that uses the body of the scythe and the chain to keep away opponents. Kaoru's getting chased around.
Misao, meanwhile, is in extreme pain, and has a vision, or sees a ghost, or is hallucinating. You get the idea. Kinda like Sano. She sees Hannya-kun, who tells her that Battousai kept his promise, and Aoshi will return to the Aoiya. After hearing that, Misao sits up again...kind of like Kenshin thinking about Kaoru (although if you ask me, Misao ought to live with Aoshi at the Aoiya for a few years before she decides she wants to wake up to his surly face every morning). Anyway, Okina tosses her a new pack of kunai, and she throws them at Kamatari, who contemptuously blocks them. Kaoru, however, uses one of the kunai as a wedge to break the scythe's handle, thus sort of disarming Kamatari.
Kamatari, however, will not give up. Because he can neither be the best woman (Yumi) or the best man (Sojiro) for Shishio, he instead is caught in the middle, and thus every act for Shishio he performs perfectly to show his devotion. So he cannot retreat. Luckily, he still has a few tricks left up his sleeve. Using a prong on the end of his handle, he catches the chain and begins to spin it--Benten Miwashi. He flings the scythe blade and chain at Kaoru, who dodges it, using her snapped sword hilt to break Kamatari's left knee, putting him out of the fight. Kamatari tries to commit harakiri, but Misao stops him. The soldiers try to rally, knowing that they still have Iwanbo...but then run, knowing that they only have Iwanbo. Iwanbo takes off too.
The Aoiya is saved! Everybody begins to rejoice (well, everyone who's still conscious). However, the true battle still has its climax to come. That's an awkward sentence that inspires many dirty thoughts. *Cough cough*
So the ground begins to shake as the Hagun, Shishio's Destruction Army, appears. It seems hopeless for the Aoiya, since everyone is already wounded and no way they could handle the giant, Fuji. I really like Fuji. He's cool, even if he is serving a stupid master. Anyway, Saizuchi-youjin outlines three points why the Oniwabanshuu-tachi is doomed. Basically, he says that 1) Kenshin's gonna die because Shishio always kills his opponents, 2) Everyone's already tired and wounded, and 3) Fuji's a badass. Well, the last one is more illustrated by Fuji smashing the Aoiya, sending Okina flying. Luckily, the Oniwabanshuu catch him and bring him safely to the ground.
Yahiko, being a stubborn young man with an obsession for keeping promises between men (seriously, what's up with that?), stands his ground, saying that Kenshin will be back. Fuji is about to swing his sword and smush the life out of Yahiko when...ta da! Here's Hiko! Of course Hiko arrives in the nick of time, because he just kicks that much ass.
That, and Kenshin didn't give him directions to the Aoiya, so he had to search all of Kyoto. Luckily, Yahiko shouting led him straight to the fight...as if he could freakin' miss Fuji, the man's 3 stories tall.
So Hiko, having blocked and then defelcted Fuji's giant sword, compliments him on his kendo technique. He was able, in that one encounter, to read Fuji's soul. Fuji, because of his vast size, was always considered a monster by normal people. He was nearly killed by the police at one point, and Saizuchi found him and nursed him back to health, hence his servitude to the annoying little guy. But Fuji, as Hiko says, is a true follower of bushido, and his martial artist's soul needs to be set free. Fuji is shocked at being understood by someone--so shocked that he is moved to tears of joy that someone has seen beyond his appearance. He sheds his armor, gently sets Saizuchi down, and prepares to do battle with Hiko.
Of course all this time Hiko's going on about how cool he is, and that there are some people even size won't defeat--and he is such a one. Misao and Yahiko are somewhat annoyed with his pomposity, but Okon and Omasu are totally infatuated. They say, "Hiko-sama, you're so cool!" and have little hearts floating around their heads. Scary as it is, I was watching this with Anzu and another friend of ours, and when we got to that part they both turned and looked at me. I was like, "What? So I like Hiko!" So I was immediately judged to be Okon and Omasu. ^.^''
So Fuji and Hiko are standing still. Fuji is just outside of Hiko's reach, which is a pretty smart place to be, since Hiko kicks ass. Fuji decides to use a two-handed technique, thus doubling his power, and his swing smashes a huge hole in the ground. Saizuch is like, "Whoo hoo! You bad! We're da strongest!" but of course we know that no one could smash Hiko into little bitty atoms. Hiko's sword is being used as a brace, and Hiko is standing on Fuji's blade. He hits Fuji with Kuzu Ryu Sen, knocking the giant out. He also had his blade flipped like the sakabatou, so he didn't kill Fuji. Now the battle at the Aoiya is truly over!
Kaoru now says Kenshin's name, and, on Mount Hiei, Kenshin suddenly stops running. Yumi and Sano are like, Huh? And Kenshin says, I just heard Kaoru-dono's voice. They think he's crazy, even though he is sane. Sort of. As sane as you can be when you're Kenshin and you live in Kenshin's anime. They reach the Room With no Space, where Tenken no Sojiro is waiting. Kenshin, feeling pressed for time because of the attack on the Aoiya, asks Sojiro if he will stand aside. Sojiro, polite as always, says that there is no need for Kenshin to feel rushed, because the attack on the Aoiya failed. In fact, now it is Sojiro who must hurry, because he has to do the work of all the Juppongatana.
They begin with a battoujutsu stance, squaring off rather like in Shingetsu village. However, Kenshin's sword is superior to his old one. Although barely noticable, his sakabatou puts a crack in Sojiro's sword, which too was superior to Shishio's which was damaged past the point of repair in Shingetsu. However, Sojiro also reveals the talent he did not show in Shingetsu--Shukuchi (it means something like reduced earth or shrinking ground; the theory behind it is the user travels so quickly they seem to teleport). Shukuchi is a technique which, with impressive footwork and leg strength, gets the user up to top speed upon initial acceleration. This is what allowed Sojiro to catch up to a moving carriage. In fact, he's faster than Kenshin. But then, it wouldn't be much of a fight if he wasn't faster, would it?
Of course, Sojiro begins not with the true Shukuchi, but three steps shy, and he's still faster than Kenshin. Yikes! Sano's not too happy about that, but then, Sano has a pretty bad case of hero-worship for Kenshin. Sojiro is smilingly telling Kenshin that he doesn't understand the rurouni, or his vow not to kill. It's silly. Then Sojiro goes two steps shy of Shukuchi. Kenshin uses Kuzu Ryu Sen (you remember, the one that's supposedly impossible to parry or dodge?), but Sojiro avoids it, coming behind Kenshin and slicing him across the back. Sojiro seems puzzled that he's missed Kenshin, not just once, but twice. This is peculiar to see in the normally sanguine boy.
Sojiro asks why Kenshin showed Shishio Ryu Shou Sen in Shingetsu. Sano jumps in, calling Sojiro a kid with a blue butt. Kind of ironic, Sojiro-kun is wearing blue, after all. Everyone knows that Kenshin did that to save Senkaku's life. Sojiro just can't understand that...because Kenshin saved Senkaku, Senkaku started saying peculiar things, and that further confused the boy. Sojiro keeps repeating that he doesn't understand Kenshin...doesn't understand not killing, the sakabatou, all of it. Because he believes that the strong survive, and the weak die.
On Sojiro's third attack, one step shy of true Shukuchi, the strap to his waraji breaks, and he retires to fix it, giving Kenshin time to have his wounds treated. Which is good, because Kenshin's been pretty badly beat up. Aoshi was pounding the hell out of him, nearly cut his carotid arteries, and now Sojiro has hit his back. Luckily, Sano is always covered in bandages, which we can now use to patch up Kenshin...and Kenshin comments that perhaps his fight with Sojiro is breaking the seal on Sojiro's emotions, just as Kenshin's fight with Saitoh turned him into Battousai. He says that Sojiro is not one who has led a happy life...
Yumi is pissed at Sojiro and demands why he's not finishing Kenshin off. Sojiro, although he's still smiling, is remembering what happened in his past. It is so tragic, and to watch this episode tears at my heart. Sojiro was the bastard offspring of a prostitute. He was taken in by his father's family only reluctantly, and they constantly abused him and made him work for them. His brother (I think) owns a wholesale rice business, and mercilessly makes Sojiro carry barrels of rice from the sheds. Sojiro-kun bore everything with a smile, even when his brother threw a sake jug at his head. One night, however, Sojiro heard a noise while he was moving rice barrels. He went to see what it was and it was...Shishio.
Shishio, wrapped in messy bandages and looking rather evil, killed several policemen. Sojiro was going to leave, but he stepped on a twigand Shishio came to find him. Shishio was going to kill him, but stopped when he saw that even then Sojiro was smiling. Well, I'm sure Sojiro was about to wet himself too, but that's not something they like to bring up in the anime.
Sojiro: SHUNTENSASTU!
^.^' Luckily for me he doesn't have a sword anymore.
So Shishio tells Sojiro-kun to get him some food and bandages. Sojiro does so, watching Shishio eat.
Sojir: Anoo...ojisan...
Shishio: Eh? I'm not an old man. My name is Shishio Makoto.
He asks if Shishio is a bad man, since he was killing policemen. Shishio says that what's really bad is the corrupt Meiji government. Sojiro says then that Shishio is a good man, but Shishio smiles, and says that no, he is truly evil. Poor little Sojiro-kun runs further away and hides behind some rice barrels, but Shishio tells him not to worry, since he said he wouldn't kill Sojiro. Later, when Sojiro is transporting rice, one of his brothers cuts open the barrel, and the one who's always smoking--Yanosuke--blames Sojiro. So Sojiro is beaten for it.
Shishio, seeing Sojiro, comments that his family is rather evil themselves. Sojiro, however, is still smiling, because he says it makes them tired and they stop. He used to get upset and cry, but that only made them more mad, and they would beat him more. So he bears everything with a smile, even humiliation, because he's a brother, but not part of the family. Shishio tells him he's wrong, that he's being abused because he's weak. If you are strong, you live. If you are weak, you die. That is the natural law of the world. In payment for Sojiro's help, he gives the boy a wakizashi.
Eventually, Sojiro's family figures out that he is the one harboring the criminal. They come not just to look for Sojiro, but to kill him. Shishio's presence is a perfect excuse, since they can blame Sojiro's death on Shishio, and then be rewarded for providing information on a wanted criminal. When I see this part I get so mad, I damn well want to kill So-kun's stupid family myself!! Lousy bastards!! Poor little kawaii So-kun, he was only eight years old!
"Dare ka, tasukete!"
Sojiro runs from them, screaming and begging for help as a storm begins. He runs under the warehouse, where he hid the wakizashi Shishio had given him. In fact, when he family came to look for him, he had just made up his mind to give it back to Shishio, that he was happy being weak. But he had no such luck. Yanosuke came in after him, and Sojiro killed him. Because if you are strong, you live, and if you are weak, you die.
Then Sojiro proceeded to kill the rest of the family--his horrible brothers, his cruel sister, and his father's wife. They died well-deserved deaths at the hand of the person whom they'd taken such shameless advantage of for so long. Shishio comes out of the warehouse and sees Sojiro standing in the rain, the wakizashi in his hands, and his family around him. Shishio looks at him for a moment, then asks if he is crying. Sojiro lifts his face to the rain, then turns and says, with a smile, "Iya." Then he goes with Shishio, asking if he can be strong. Shishio promises that he will be second only to Shishio himself.
Back in the present, Sojiro is still not comprehending Kenshin. He says that not killing is foolishness. Shishio must be the one who is right, because if not, why didn't anyone protect him back then? "Ano toki, dare ka boku mamotte kura nakatta." If Kenshin's sword, swung to protect the weak, is right, then why didn't Kenshin protect Sojiro so long ago? Shishio is right because Sojiro saved himself. Because Shishio told him the truth, Sojiro took the wakizashi and killed his family. Kenshin asks if this emotional response is to all their talk of not killing, which irritates So-kun--but that shouldn't happen, if Sojiro has no emotions, right?
But Sojiro-kun starts to remember everything. He says Shishio's line--if you are strong, you live. If you are weak, you die...but is it so bad to be weak? He would have been happy if his family had shown him the slightest kindness. He would have been weak. He was strong now, but killing people wasn't what he wanted to do. And as he stood in the rain, he lied. He said that he was not crying, but in reality, he was crying despite his smile. Every time I see this part, it makes me want to cry, too.
Then Sojiro goes totally psycho as his emotions come pouring back and he has no idea what to do with them. He starts clutching at his head, screaming, and bangs his head against the tatami. Everyone's a little surprised at this. ^.^'' Definitely not the usual So-kun...Finally, he looks at Kenshin. Ooh, but he's angry...he's in extreme emotional turmoil, and blames Kenshin for it. He says that the next attack will decide the battle...and in his heart he feels it will decide who is right: Shishio, or Kenshin.
Sojiro decides he will use the one move of his Tenken that he named: Shun-ten-satsu, or instant heaven death. Obviously, if it hits ya, ya die. Thus Kenshin will use Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki. This battle must be won, or Kenshin won't be able to stop Shishio--and Sojiro will be forever trapped in the natural law that destroyed his life.
Sojiro uses the true Shukuchi, disappearing from Yumi and Sano's view. But Kenshin is just as fast as he goes to draw for the Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki. In that moment, Sojiro notices the secret behind the ohgi: Kenshin's last step is with his left foot, not his right. However, Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki breaks Sojiro's sword, sending him flying through the air, much like Aoshi. Except for some reason, Sojiro didn't get the huge gully in his chest that Hiko and Aoshi did. Anyway, he hits the ground, and Kenshin falls to one knee. He's been pushing pretty hard, after all.
Yumi-neesan is sitting with Sojiro's head in her lap. As he comments, this is the opposite of what happened the first time Kenshin and Sojiro fought: now, Sojiro's blade ahs been broken. And, thankfully, so has Shishio's hold on the boy. Kenshin tells Sojiro that just because he won, doesn't mean that he is right, or Shishio's logic would prevail. What Sojiro must do is find his own path by living his life as best he can. Poor Sojiro falls back into Yumi's lap, complaining half-heartedly that Kenshin is a hard man. Unlike Shishio, Kenshin wouldn't give him any answers.
Sano and Kenshin head out, knowing that Sojiro's sort of okay now. At least he has his emotions back. Sojiro tells Yumi the secret to AKRNH as a parting gift to give to Shishio. And he asks that she return to Shishio the wakizashi Sojiro received ten years ago. For this whole time, it has been a treasure to Sojiro, but now that part of his life has ended, and he must go out into the world. As he says, "Ikimasu yo." He wishes Yumi good luck with regards to Shishio as she heads down a secret passage to Shishio's room.
The last shot of Sojiro we see is tears falling onto his arm, and down his cheeks. At long last, he can cry again.
