I will stay here forever. I owe it to you, after all.
You're so exasperating. I'll take you at your word.
Dear...?
You're looking well, Shichiroji.
Are you through with warfare?
I'll come with you.
It will be a difficult battle, and will earn you neither money nor land.
Right.
You could really die this time.
That young samurai...
You mean Katsushiro-sama?
He's quite adorable, isn't he?
I wouldn't be able to tell.
He looks good with you.
I don't have any interest in men.
You're leaving, aren't you?
I'm sorry.
There, I knew it. You can't give up being a samurai.
You can just go and get yourself done in by those bandits!
Being able to understand each other,
and to share with each other,
are both as short-lived as a bubble on the water.
Obscured by the sands of time,
unable to hold on,
I gave up, until I saw you again, asking
"How much pain
have you been carrying, all alone?
And how much loneliness
is hidden behind your eyes when you smile?"
Embrace this miracle of an encounter now,
By gazing upon each other, we can become stronger.
And if this isn't what you call love,
then what is it you call love now?
Stop.
I don't care, keep going!
This will violate our agreement, Young Lord.
Young Lord!
Katsushiro!
Katsushiro-sama!
Young Lord! If you had hit one of the Shikimori,
there would have been hell to pay!
What about you?! What would you have done if you had hit Kirara-kun?
All I am saying is that you must not anger the Shikimori.
They could reduce Kogakyo to ashes in an instant.
Bear with me.
We're withdrawing. Turn us around.
You're no fun.
Oh, they're running away!
W- what do you guys want?!
From one difficulty right into another.
Are you sure about this? The area ahead is off-limits.
We don't have much choice but to go on.
What's this? An inner citadel?
Hey, Momotaro...
Who are you calling Momotaro? I am Shichiroji!
Okay, whatever. What do you mean, off-limits?
It's what everyone says, but I don't really know for sure.
I guess we're going to find out. Look over there...
I'm scared.
I'm sorry, Katsushiro.
If I had been next to you, that arrow wouldn't have hurt anyone.
No... I'm just inexperienced...
Thank you.
Kanbe-sama...
I'm all right. Please, hurry on to the village, Sensei!
No! Rest here, and take care of Katsushiro-sama.
She's right.
Rikichi!
Rikichi! What is it?
Rice... there's rice...!
Rice?
Rikichi! Wait!
Get us to shore!
All right.
Rikichi!
Rice...
Stop!
Put the rice back.
We can't waste even a single grain.
Are you a samurai?
Huh? Mm-hmm.
What are samurai doing here?
Don't worry.
I may be a samurai, but these days, I'm just a petty street performer.
Watch.
Samurai-sama!
How about that?
Amazing!
Take a good look, Ukyo.
These are electric cells that were provided to us by the Shikimori.
Without those, every area from the capital on down would be unable to prosper.
This sure is a filthy place.
Normal people are unable to make electric cells.
They are filled with an incredible amount of energy,
and if their power were to come in contact with a person's body,
it is said that it would cause a calamity that could not be undone.
So why don't you just buy the Shikimori along with them?
Naturally, I tried to.
But they conduct their trade in electric cells.
What's this? They're better at commerce than you, Father?
Young Lord!
It's all right. The electric cells, like the samurai,
are a double-edged sword.
Someday, Ukyo will understand that as well.
If you let the samurai go, doesn't that put you at risk, Father?
After all, there's a summons for you that came from the capital.
You're in trouble, huh?
While His Excellency is away, you will be in control of this city, Young Lord.
Yeah, yeah...
That is why I showed you all this.
This is our all-important beacon of light. Make sure you remember that.
You have nothing to fear. For certain reasons,
we are passing through on our way to Kanna Village.
That's my village. These samurai-sama are goin' to cut down the bandits for us.
You would do something so outrageous?
We don't work the land just so those guys can eat our rice!
Young lady, what is your name?
Honoka.
You don't dress the same way as the Shikimori.
I had my village taken from me by the bandits as well.
That's true of all the others here. We come from many different villages.
Now, in exchange for being allowed to live here,
we grow food for the Shikimori.
This rice is from Akane Village, isn't it?
Wow, you can tell that?
It has a sweet aftertaste.
The Shikimori only consume the sap that we're harvesting.
They're a creepy bunch, huh?
Looks like you're always being watched.
Yes, we are watched. That's the kind of place this is.
Samurai-sama, if you would like, please come to my home and get some rest.
How is his condition?
His fever is starting to rise.
It doesn't look like he can sleep because of the pain.
Who's there?!
A Shikimori?
Is that...?
You remember these, right? It's a drug dart that the medics used to use.
Judging by the coloration,
it looks like an antibiotic that was manufactured back then.
The pain is starting to go away.
For them to use this, you have to wonder exactly what the Shikimori are up to.
At the least, we can assume they are not enemies.
Sensei, really, go on ahead, please.
All I'm doing is slowing you down like this.
You're just trying to come across as heroic.
That's not my intent.
It's frustrating, isn't it, Katsushiro? That's good.
These people are also grateful to you. That's what it takes to be a warrior.
You are the fifth.
Sensei...!
After we rest for the night, we'll go.
Good for you, Katsu-noji.
Good grief, he hasn't changed at all.
Momotaro, when you say that, you sound like his old wife.
But like I said, I'm not Momotaro.
You're not so bad after all, huh?
This will invigorate him. His wound will probably heal overnight.
Why do you want to be a samurai?
I am a samurai.
I will keep the oath I swore to save the peasants with you.
But then, go back to the way you used to live.
But... I am a samurai! I am! I am!
Here.
Thank you.
I'm sorry 'bout earlier.
I was just so surprised to see ya stompin' on rice.
I was surprised too, the first time I saw it.
If you want, you can come to my village.
You ain't got nowhere to go home to, right?
The samurai-sama'll take care of the bandits for sure.
Hey, now, are you using us samurai in some scheme to find yourself a wife?
That ain't so! I just... I... er... can't just leave her here.
Honoka-san, and everyone else, too.
So much more so, since they know the terror of the bandits.
Thank you.
Do you have any family?
I see.
I did have... a younger sister...
What happened? Was she lost to the bandits, too?
What's that sound?
You must not get up yet.
But...
Sister... that sound...!
Where? Where is it coming from?
Bandits...!
They're here! The bandits!
Samurai-sama! Cut them down!
Kill those bandits!
No!
You must not cut down the bandits!
They are trading partners with the Shikimori!
What are you talkin' about?! The bandits are our enemy!
The Shikimori said we cannot get the bandits angry at us!
They're letting us live here!
If that's what the Shikimori say, then there's nothing we can do.
Honoka...
What do we do, Kanbe?
Hold on, Rikichi!
How can anythin' be so ridiculous?!
The bandits're right there in front of our eyes!
It's out of our control.
If you guys ain't goin' to do nothin', then I will!
Stop!
That fool...!
You can't do that! It's against the rules to go any farther than that!
Stop! We'll all be killed!
They're bandits! Bandits, ya hear?!
Rikichi!
You're not acting normal.
I... I...
...sold my wife... to the bandits!
What?
Rikichi...
My wife went over to the bandits herself, in order to protect the village.
I wasn't able to stop her.
I was too scared of the bandits, and just watched her go off!
I'm so gutless! That's why... that's why... that's why... I...
And what of it?
Here, you're tellin' me that the bandits are the Shikimori's tradin' partners?!
And you're okay with that?!
You wanna live here so badly, that's how far you're willin' to go?!
The ones who murdered our parents are right there before our eyes,
and you don't even get angry about it, 'cause it's against some rule?!
Ya call yourselves human?!
Rikichi, that's enough.
Let him speak. He's been holding this in for a long time.
Both you and the Shikimori are wrong! You're just like the bandits!
So, what were we supposed to do?
Rikichi, what is your wife's name?
Sanae.
Then I swear to you, we are going to rescue Sanae-dono.
Guess we have another job to do.
Once we defeat the bandits, it will take care of itself.
Thank you very much.
Hold on...
I don't see Kikuchiyo around.
Nunky! Nunky!
Uh oh...
Ah, you startled me!
I'm the one who's startled. What are you doing here?
What were you doing here, Nunky?
I was chasing after the bandits.
I was chasing after you, Nunky.
H- how come?
Because you're quick to do crazy things, Nunky.
I was worried, I was worried.
You don't need to worry over me.
You know, Komachi, I am a samurai. Samurai are big enough to do great deeds.
So you don't need to worry about me.
After hearing what Rikichi said back there, how could I sit still?
Now that you understand, go on back.
It would be bad news if the bandits found you.
Kanbe-sama!
What is it?
Komachi is gone.
What?
Komachi-dono!
Nunky's gone...
Yowch...
Why, you're...
Huh? You aren't by any chance bandits, are you?
The old man merely gazed off into the distance
from the hideaway in which he lived.
The baby cries, seeking only
for the warmth of his mother.
We are born paying the price
for someone's punishment, for someone's sins,
but there is no such thing as a future without salvation,
and the present slips quietly into the past.
We string together nothing but hollow ideas,
and tell nothing but hollow lies.
And as the rain falls down upon us,
something appears and then fades away.
Okara-chan, we met the most amazing people today!
They go by the name Shikimori.
The Shikimori are strange.
As for what's strange about them, they put on these weird faces.
They wear these weird clothes.
They drink this weird sap
that they get from these weird mushrooms that they grow from rice.
It looks like not even the merchants want to mess with these people.
There sure are some strange folks out here.
The world is a big place.
We still haven't gotten seven samurai together.
But Katsu-noji was finally recognized by Uncle Kanbe.
Ah, isn't that nice, Katsu-noji?
But I suspect that he was forced to number him among them
because they don't have enough.
No matter how Uncle Kanbe decides to act, I can figure him out.
Oh, Kiku-noji is fussing around about something.
I think I'll go see what it is.
Okay then, bye now!