Sanosuke swings the Zanbatou
wildly overhead and attempts to strike down Kenshin, but
the rurouni quickly slices the giant sword in half and follows
up with a leap into the air. Kenshin comes down, striking
Sanosuke straight on the head with the technique he calls
Ryu Tsui Sen. However, Sanosuke is still on his feet.
Kenshin walks off, planning
to get a doctor to treat Sanosuke, but the street fighter
demands for the fight to be continued - he wants to fight
until he kills the strongest of the Ishin Shishi. Kenshin
punches Sanosuke across the face, telling him that the Seikihou
Tai's goal wasn't just to fight the Ishin Shishi, but to
achevie restoration. Sanosuke becomes enraged, shouting
that the Ishin Shishi are all power hungry liars. Kaoru
corrects him by saying Kenshin is unlike the others. Unlike
the typical Ishin Shishi that Sanosuke is referring to,
Kenshin is one who protects the weak. Kenshin adds in that
he is still fighting for the restoration of the country,
avenging the deaths of his comrades, and atoning for the
numerous lives he took when he was a hitokiri, all with
his Sakabatou. In Sanosuke's mind, Sanosuke compares Kenshin
to Captain Sagara. Both were, and still are, fighting for
the same goals. At last, Sanosuke sees Kenshin from a different
angle. The street fighter falls off of his feet, admitting
defeat.
The next day, Kenshin, Kaoru,
and Yahiko head off into town to dine at the Akabeko once
again. As they arrive on the spot, one of the drunks from
the other day flies out of the restaurant, followed by the
other two, who happen to be frightened of something. Sanosuke
was said to have spent weeks resting, but he's right before
Kenshin, bandaged and bruised. The drunks had thought they
could beat Sanosuke while he was injured, but they were
wrong. As Sanosuke walks away, Kenshin stops him and asks
if he'll take the symbol of 'evil' off of his back. To Sanosuke,
it's too important to depart with. The symbol reminds him
of his days with the Seikihou Tai. Before leaving, though,
Sanosuke reminds Kenshin that his name is no longer Zanza,
just like how Kenshin is no longer the Hitokiri Battousai,
and tells him not to go wandering off without letting him
know first. With that said, there's just one more problem.
Sanosuke forgot to pay, again.
