Miharu repeats his intention to use the shinrabanshou and adds with a strange little smile, "since you insist I shouldn't, you may as well kill me now."
Before Thobari can reply there's a frantic pounding on the door and a woman's voice calling his name. Hana? he startles, is that you? She hears his voice and runs into the courtyard that the balcony overlooks; it's the woman in safari
garb we saw last time. [This is Seki Hanabusa, Thobari's long-time partner and lover. She's 15 years older than he is;
she's not a ninja and he's been careful to keep her from learning more than a very little about Nabari.] He says "you're home early" and she replies that the excavation ended sooner than expected--but never mind that, come quickly! I found someone collapsed in the street and brought him with me. She's carrying a very familiar hat...the someone looks up dazedly
and meets Miharu's eyes, and he gasps to see that it's Yoite. Thobari vaults off the balcony and sprints toward the assassin, yelling for Hana to get away from him. Yoite gets to his feet, unsteady but with great dignity,
and says "Konbanwa," as graciously as an invited guest. He levels his forefinger for a Kira attack, sensei instantly throws a blocking jutsu, and then Hana and Miharu are in between them, both shouting the same thing--"Stop disturbing the neighbors!"
We see Raimei and Raikou, faced off in the flower field in the midst of the bamboo grove. Isn't there anything you want to ask me, Raimei?--the redhead asks his sister. Like 'why did you murder the entire Shimizu clan?' or "why didn't you kill me too?'? We're finally reunited after five years. and you aren't even going to ask me?
Shut up! she snaps, and he says she hasn't changed a bit. They charge each other and begin to duel.
Back at the Kairoushuu HQ, Gau is doing paperwork, sighing that he would probably only have slowed Raikou down by going with him. (We can see that he wears the same yin-yang bracelet Raikou does.) But no matter! I can still support him by doing my work here as a wakachi. He sees a romantic mental image of
Raikou surrounded by roses, blushes and hopes he'll be back soon. =) [1]
You murdered your entire clan and joined the Kairoushuu! That's all I need to know!--says angry Raimei. You know so little and come to conclusions so easily, retorts her brother in contempt. If you immerse yourself in your own thoughts so deeply, you lose sight of your surroundings.
He pulls a kunai blade out of his wristband and whips it at her; she barely dodges it. She calls him cowardly and begins hacking at the flowers, teeth clenched in rage. Our father and mother, our relatives, our uncle Iroku who treated us like his own children, everyone--they upheld the pride of the Shimizu!
And none of them will ever come back because of you! She charges him again, realizes too late that what she's struck at is a stalk of bamboo he cut, and his sword is in his other hand, fully inside her guard. In her blind anger she's left herself wide-open to a strike she now can't possibly block in time. Even as he comes at her he scolds her again for her narrow view, saying she needs to listen to others and understand how they feel.
If you can't do that--we see the slash and the spray of blood--you'll lose sight of your own feelings. --Raimei's eyes widen and she pitches face-first into the masses of red amaryllis. Leave, says Raikou coldly, and never involve yourself in the world of Nabari again.
Kouichi, Saraba and Juji come running up just in time to see Raikou walk out of the bamboo grove carrying an armful of flowers, wearing both the White and the Black Gamon in his sash. He walks straight past them without taking the least note of their presence. --In the center of the grove, Raimei--lying in a circle that has been completely cleared of amaryllis--lets out a terrible howl of anguish and shame.
Hana brings a tea tray outside to Miharu and Yoite as they sit on the front steps together, while Thobari complains that she shouldn't be serving tea to a sworn and powerful enemy. Geez, you've got a small heart, Thobari, she says. But how did things turn out this way? --he protests. Why is he here and being so friendly with Rokujou? Hana says "it couldn't be helped";
she tells him that when she helped the boy he told her not to call an ambulance for him or even touch him, and would only say 'I need to see Miharu'. And you'd mentioned to me before that Miharu was a student of yours, a boy with an immense power in that world... That's why you brought him here? asks Thobari. She nods: but I had no idea Miharu-kun would actually be here when I arrived. She looks out at Miharu eating a cube of bean jelly.
He's so cute, she teases Thobari, that when I looked up and saw him, I thought you must be having fun with young girls while I was away. [!!] On the contrary, he sighs, I'm in the worst pain of my life. It's good you came back now; if I was alone, I would honestly be crying.
She's not sure how to take this. --It's not unreasonable that he mistrusts me, says Thobari, but when it comes right down
to it, I just can't say the things I want to say.
--He looks out at Miharu and Yoite, and his jaw sets with resolve. Even if it's your wish, or for the good of someone else,
he thinks, I will never let the shinrabanshou be used. A flashback of that night in the rain: the misfortune that comes
with not being to grant another's wish is one I know all too well.--Hana leans close and gives him a little kiss on the brow. You're always so careless, burdening yourself with everything, she chides gently.
Yoite takes a little notebook out of his pocket: Yukimi is researching the Kouga, he says, and soon we'll obtain the Daya scroll. I'd like you to get the Togakushi scroll, Izunashingan, from Fuuma for me. Sure, says Miharu. Yoite asks about the Banten scroll, Engetsurin, and Miharu says he thinks Thobari-sensei has it hidden. Then we'll have to find it, says Yoite, making a note. Once we have all five scrolls I'll threaten the Hijutsu Research Team
in order to find out to use them. [His underlined note says "Shinrabanshou usage method--5-10 days". He must be mapping out everything in terms of how much time he has left...] He leans wearily into the doorframe, and Miharu says, but your time is running out--we're in a pinch then, aren't we? Yes, says Yoite, ten times more in a rush than usual. I have a plan, says Miharu confidently, a good plan that I haven't told anyone about. The blank exhausted
look leaves Yoite's face and he smiles slightly: you've changed a bit, he says, you're a lot livelier than before. Really? All I've been thinking about is how to help you, says Miharu, and he stands and holds out his hand. Handshake, he offers, but Yoite lowers his head and looks away: it'd be best if you don't touch me, he says.
That won't do, replies Miharu intensely. I will never let go of my resolve; if it's your desire to disappear, I'll make it so. Yoite hesitantly extends his hand, but draws it back before it touches Miharu's. Hana can't stand it: this is so frustrating! she cries, bolting out of the living room, and forcibly pulls the boys' hands together. There!--I don't know what's on your minds, or if I can be of any help, but--(astonished and touched, they both stare at her;
sensing, I think, that she gets it.)[Heaven knows, the Dangerous Kids Alliance could use a friend.]--if the pain is ever too much,
or you feel as if you want to cry, you're welcome to come here whenever you like and bring it all with you. She hugs them both, bringing them closer than they've ever been: they look at each other, speechless. I'll always be glad to give you a hug, she tells them warmly. [I really, really like this lady. =)]
They're all standing at the front doorway; Hana tells Yoite that as it's so late, he's welcome to spend the night. Thobari protests that this is really too much,
but she retorts that there's nothing wrong with helping someone in need. She actually takes Yoite's hand and tells him it'll be all right; he pulls away from her with a cry of "stop!" and throws himself backward until he hits the wall, gasping as if in pain. Yoite, cries Miharu, starting toward him. The price of the kira kinjutsu, says Kumohira grimly. It's true then--the only way to save you is to have Rokujou use the hijutsu.
Yoite is bent double, panting, hand pressed to his chest. That's not true, sensei, says Miharu, Yoite only-- Even if it can save someone's life, says sensei coldly, it should never be used. Yoite draws a breath and looks up. Even though there's someone who can become ruler of Nabari...why do you refuse to use it? he asks. The ruler of Nabari I have in mind is different from the Kairoushuu's, retorts Thobari. A power that exceeds everything is a thing that should never be used;
it's the ruler's duty to suppress the desire for power. To end this conflict in Nabari that has continued for countless years.
Saraba gives little Juji a shock by saying that Raimei has died, but Kouichi explains that what has died is her life as a samurai. Correct, says Saraba. [After all, Raikou walked away with what she quite literally feels is her soul.] The slash wasn't that deep, her life's in no danger, but
as the last samurai of her clan...this is the worst humiliation possible.
Yukimi is eating sushi at the Amadatsu Sushi House [this is Kazuho's husband's place, mentioned last time], trying to get Yoite on the phone. Kazuho is behind the counter, moulding sushi pieces; Yoite-kun still hasn't come back? she asks. No idea, grumbles Yukimi, and Gau says his supervision of Yoite is incompetent. We, the Wakachi, will take care of him if he commits any treasonous acts, he adds smugly.
I'll take care of my own team members, uptight kids should behave and do their own homework, growls Yukimi. Raikou eats his sushi quietly until they start to quarrel, then bonks Gau with a tea can and goes on with his reading.
He explains that the leader plans to have them supervise some lower-class ninja. Our leader's not just a dreamer;
he's a man with enough talent to lead this world, he says admiringly. There'll be no problems. --Are you sure? asks Gau, surprising everyone.--I wish some other field group could hear this, Kazuho needles her brother, and Yukimi chokes on his tea.
As the ninja siblings begin to argue, Raikou remembers similar tiffs between himself and his little sister, and smiles nostalgically
before excusing himself. --Yukimi grins at Gau: so, you can have opinions that disagree with Raikou-san's?
did you two have a fight? He just hasn't seemed very energetic lately, sighs Gau. I know I shouldn't ask, but I'm
still worried. There are three kinds of people who keep secrets, says Yukimi: those who don't want to be reminded of
what's in the depths of their hearts; those who want to say it but can't; and those who hope someone will ask them what they're hiding.--Gau hadn't thought of it this way. Raikou's only human, says Yukimi; if you have something to ask him, ask him.
We see them in a fight against two gun-toting thugs; Raikou hands Gau Black Gamon to hold. In the midst of it Raikou remembers his sister calling him a traitor, sees her surrounded by the reproachful ghosts of his clan, tells himself that he's right and that Hattori's plan can change the world.
The distraction throws him off balance just long enough for a bullet to crease his arm, drawing blood. Gau charges in and
cracks the gunman a blow with the sword; he's grabbed, and Raikou rushes in to chop the gunman up gruesomely, howling and roaring in a berserk fury that makes Gau pull away in horror.
Miharu boards a train to visit Raimei in the hospital, saying he'll bite his tongue and die if Thobari follows him. I suppose Yoite and I will be acting on our own for awhile, he thinks, but it feels as if...if I were with him...he sees Hana's warm smile. To hate being treated kindly...
We see Yoite in the abandoned train car, lying on the floor. There are only two left of the pills he carries. Stop being nice to me...he remembers Hana holding his hand, Miharu reaching out to him. I can't give anything in return, so stop being nice to me...I beg you...
Footnotes: [1] No one seems clear on how the word wakachi is being used here. It literally means "to distinguish or discriminate between things", so maybe it means something like an administrative aide. However, I can't help speculating that what's really meant is wakashu, an old Edo Period usage,
which refers unequivocally to a boy/younger man who is an older samurai's student, disciple and lover. Seems to fit in perfectly with both their relationship and the Shimizu family's determination to remain true samurai even in this day and age. --It's short for wakashudo, 'the path of the young'.
According to Wikipedia, they're more commonly called by another name: "The Wakachi, also known as the Zohansha Torishimari-nin (lit. "Rebel Supervisors") is a sub-division of the Kairoushuu, responsible for managing rebels within the organization, often by killing them."
...go on to next episode.
Hattori enters the room and they converse. He asks Gau if he had any connection with the world of Nabari before now, and
he says no, he only became acquainted with Nabari when Raikou-san saved his life.
He hesitantly requests permission to ask the master a question, and when Hattori okays it, asks how Raikou came to join the Kairoushuu.
I heard he came from a long lineage of samurai, the kid says. [Again arises this ancient tension between the two disciplines. =)] --Shimizu hasn't told you?--asks Hattori. He didn't approve of how his clan did things. When he learned that the shinrabanshou could save the world, he wanted to fulfill his duty to maintain the peace in Nabari. But they refused to change, so he massacred the entire Shimizu clan--
using his own White Gamon--and brought us their blood as a sign of good faith.
Gau gasps.
Yoite collects himself and walks out the gate. Thobari calls after him, you're much too young to die; why did you take on the Kira technique, Yoite?--Miharu runs after him, calling his name. Yoite says, just get the Togakushi and Banten kinjutsu scrolls; I'll be back when I figure things out with Kouga and Kairoushuu. Miharu tries to speak, and Yoite aims a long finger at his throat: are you forgetting I have all your friends as my hostages? just do as I say!
[...plainly trying to put this back on formal and negative terms...]Miharu watches him walk away.--inside, the phone rings: it's Kouichi calling to tell Thobari that Raimei's in the hospital.
..go back to Episode Guide mainpage.