| Literal | Idiomatic |
|---|---|
| [Page 5] Now -from / approximately 140 years before / black ship arrival -from / began / "Bakumatsu" -of unrest period / whirlpool was / Kyoto -in | About 140 years ago in Kyoto, in the eye of the storm brought by the arrival of the Black Ships and the fall of the Shogunate, |
| "Hitokiri Battousai" / -quote called / patriot -subject there was | There was a patriot called the "Hitokiri Battousai" [Assassin Master of the Sword Draw] |
| Carnage just like -in / People -object cutting that bloody sword -object / through the new era "Meiji" -object / cut opened that man -topic | That man used a bloody sword to cut people down amidst carnage, and slashed open the new era, Meiji |
| Unrest -of conclusion -and / together -in the people -of front -from / figure -object erase left | With the end of the unrest he vanished from the public eye and left |
| Time -of flow -and together -in / "strongest" -quote called / name -of legend -as / changing went | With the passing of time he became merely a legend of a "Saikyou" (strongest [swordsman]) |
| Then / [romantan] -of / beginning -topic | And then our story begins |
| Meiji 11 year / Tokyo downtown / -from ... | In the eleventh year of the Meiji era in downtown Tokyo... |
| [Page 6] [Page 7] (chapter title) | |
| [Page 8] "Hitokiri Battousai!" | Kaoru: "Hitokiri Battousai!" |
| "Finally / I have found -feminine" | Kaoru: "I've finally found you." |
| "Two months -to reach / street/corner cutting/killing outrage/murder -too / tonight -with / honorific ending -colloquial" | Kaoru: "Two long months of an alley assassin's rampage. It ends tonight." |
| "Prepare yourself / please" | Kaoru: "Prepare to die!" |
| Gin! | F/X: a bell rings to herald Kaoru's arrival on the scene, wooden sword drawn |
| "Oro" | Kenshin: "Ulp!" |
| [Page 9] "Don't be dazed!" | Kaoru: "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!" |
| "This kind of middle of the night -in / anti-sword law -object / ignoring katana -object / carrying walking who is / others -to there aren't!" | Kaoru: "Nobody else would be out for a walk in the middle of the night, carrying an illegal sword!" |
| Wa ??? ??? | F/X: sound of wooden sword attack |
| Tot! | Kaoru shouts a kiai. |
| "!!" | Kaoru (can't believe she connected): "!!" |
| "Kut!" | Kaoru grunts, preparing for another swing. |
| Gokyat! | F/X: sounds of Kenshin being knocked back through a fence, stunned |
| "O!" | Kenshin: "Oof!" |
| "...Oh it can't / be... / This is that / Hitokiri / Battousai?" | Kaoru: "... oops... *this* is the Hitokiri Battousai?" |
| "Rurouni!" | Kenshin: "A wanderer!" |
| "I [-topic] / Rurouni" | Kenshin: "I am a wanderer." |
| "Aim -of lacking / journey -of swordsman being / I am [colloquial sentence ending]" | Kenshin: "I am just an itinerant swordsman." |
| "Now then / this town -to I arrived / just/only being -noun when / street/corner killing/cutting -quote to be called even / what -of matter I wonder --" | Kenshin: "How can I be called an alley assassin, when I only just arrived in town?" |
| Kaat | F/X: sound of blood rushing to cheeks flushed with embarrassment |
| ... | Kaoru: "..." |
| "Well... weeell... / hip -of katana -topic / how explanation / do you ki?" | "Well... weeelll... then how are you planning on explaining the sword on your hip?" |
| Bishit | F/X: sound of accusatory finger-pointing |
| "Swordsman / you are -because -quote / swordbearing -topic you will be for- / given-not [two feminine sentence ending particles]" | Kaoru: "Just because you are a swordsman doesn't mean you're allowed to carry a sword." |
| Shan... | F/X: metallic sound of sword being drawn from scabbard |
| "... what / this ..." | Kaoru: "...What's this..." |
| "Sakaba-to...?" | Kaoru: "a sakaba-to [a sword whose cutting edge is on the back of the blade]...? |
| "This sword -with / slim people -object / able to cut being / is it -?" | Kenshin: "Is there any way a person could be cut down with this sword?" |
| "... / Can't do -feminine -feminine..." | Kaoru: "You're right, it can't be done." |
| "Number one this Sakaba / blade chip one -even -or blood -of smell -also grease -of / clouding -also totally doesn't have" | Kaoru: "Besides, not only does this sakaba have an unchipped blade, but it has absolutely no smell of blood or smears of grease on it." |
| "Once -even / using [is] not / new-goods-same-way / is -feminine" | Kaoru: "It looks exactly like a new blade that's never been used." |