Yahiko is about
to enter the Kamiya Dojo, but he stops after
hearing crying nearby. He examines the area,
only to find Kenshin and Kaoru's son, Kenji,
on the roof of the gate, bawling for no apparent
reason. Yahiko uses his bokken to bring Kenji
down to safety, and for his good deed, he
is rewarded with a sandal to the head. Angrily,
Yahiko turns around, only to see Kenshin and
Kaoru. Kaoru, the one who threw the footwear,
scolds Yahiko for scaring his child. Even
if Yahiko were to explain what he did, Kaoru
would ignore him anyway. She takes Kenji into
her arms while Kenshin invites Yahiko inside.
To Yahiko's
surprise, Kenshin immediately stands across
from him and flips his scabbard around. Kaoru
reminds her student that the current day is
Yahiko's fifteenth birthday, and warriors
in the past were treated like men once they
reached that certain age. Kenshin wishes to
test Yahiko to see if he is worthy of being
recognized as a man or if he still wishes
to remain a child in a one hit duel. Yahiko
is rather hesitant to take part of Kenshin's
test, but the rurouni reminds him about all
of the fights he saw and participated in,
to remember everything that led up to where
he is. With those words of encouragement,
Yahiko stands tall, ready to strike.
Kaoru signals
the start of the battle, which comes to an
end rather quickly. Both Kenshin and Yahiko
had hit each other at the same time, yet,
it is Yahiko who falls. Kenshin commends Yahiko
for his effort, then holds out his Sakabatou,
telling his opponent to take it. A bit shocked
at the outcome, Yahiko refuses to accept such
a great honor. Although he had lost the battle,
what Kenshin was looking for was to see if
Yahiko used all of his strength in his blow,
and since he believes such was executed, he
is willing to give away his old friend once
and for all. Yahiko gladly accepts it. The
Sakabatou is a bit heavy for him, but Kenshin
promises in due time it'll be lighter and
perhaps, one day, Yahiko may surpass him.
And so, the final person set off.
It had almost
been like a part of him, but the life he is
currently living makes up for the loss of
his trustworthy companion. Slowly, the cross
scar that had reminded him of the past is
fading away, as well as the techniques he
used to protect the innocent and those he
loved. Even though he had given up his sword,
Kenshin promises to keep fighting with the
beliefs he always had. Kaoru, on the other
hand, asks him to do one simple thing - rest
for the time being.
