=============================================================== Episode Summaries by Lynne (tougei@hotmail.com) Note from Key 2 Anime: I got these summaries from the RK Archive (http://rka.crosspaths.net/index.html). All these summaries are done by Lynne. If you have any questions of would just like to thank her for her wonderful efforts please email her at tougei@hotmail.com Episodes #8-11 =============================================================== Episode #8 A New Battle! The Mysterious and Beautiful Woman Who Jumped in Suddenly. Sano is gambling with friends, Kenshin is along for the ride. Sano is losing terribly and blaming Kenshin. In the meantime, we see a dark-haired woman being chased through the streets. Sano asks about a friend of his, Yoita. It seems that Yoita took some bad opium and died. This shocks Sano, and the dark-haired woman burst through the doors and throws herself on Kenshin asking for protection. Sano and Kenshin get rid of the men chasing her and take her back to the dojo. Her name is Takani Megumi and she appears to be taken with "Ken-san." (This really pisses off Kaoru.) Megumi is running from an evil businessman and drug dealer named Takeda Kanryu. Kenshin vows to protect Megumi, but Megumi is concerned about the Oniwabanshuu, a group of ninja that Kanryu hired for protection. The head of the Oniwabanshuu is Shinomori Aoshi. (Okay... I mentioned him!) Two Oniwabanshuu come calling that evening. Kenshin and Sano defeat the one called Hyottoko. Beshimi, the other, can't believe that Kenshin and Sano beat Hyottoko, and spitefully decides to kill Megumi (even though Kanryu wants her alive!). He aims a poisoned dart at her, but Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko hear him move. Yahiko, being the closest, jumps in front of Megumi and takes the dart in his arm. (Yahiko is soooo proud of himself!) Kenshin and company realize the dart is poisoned when Yahiko loses consciousness, and Beshimi brags that Yahiko will be dead within the hour... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode #9 The Ultimate Stealth Army... The Dreaded Oniwa Banshu! Megumi saves Yahiko (whew!!), but Sano confronts her about the opium packets she dropped earlier (I didn't mention that???.....gomen ^-^). Kaoru and Kenshin overhear. Kenshin remembers Megumi's father's name, Takani Ryusei, a man who was well respected and admired for medicine in Aizu. Megumi tells Kenshin and company her story. As a young girl she was separated from her family during the war between the allied powers and Aizu. Five years ago she came to Tokyo and worked as an assistant in a doctor's office. Unbeknownst to her, the doctor she was working for was making opium for Kanryu. Kanryu got angry with the doctor and killed him, then forced Megumi to make his opium. Kanryu wanted Megumi to make a new, cheaper opium that could be mass-produced. This is the opium that killed Sano's friend, Yoita. When Megumi realized how dangerous the new opium was, she refused to make it and ran away from Kanryu. However, she is the only person who knows the formula for the new opium, which is why Kanryu is so determined to get her back. Kenshin tells Megumi that she needs to stay at the Kamiya dojo, that she is in danger and he will protect her. Sano cannot yet bring himself to forgive Megumi for being responsible for the death of his friend, and he stomps off. Megumi is kidnapped by Hannya, a member of the Oniwabanshuu, and carried to Kanryu for a meeting. Kanryu tells Megumi that if she does not come back to him, he will burn the Kamiya dojo and kill the 'adorable little children' (Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan) that stay there. Kanryu does not want to involve the Battousai, and thinks if Megumi comes back of her own free will, Kenshin and company will stay out of the whole affair. Sano is hiding behind a tree and hears Kanryu's blackmail threat. (We see the head of the Oniwabanshuu again, leaning against a tree.) Megumi, of course, goes back to Kanryu's house, but Sano is waiting at Kanryu's front gates and talks her into returning to the dojo. Before they can leave, however, Shikijo, another Oniwabanshuu, attacks. Sano fights and defeats Shikijo, but Beshimi (the little dart man!) sneaks in, grabs Megumi, and jumps over the gate with her just as the rest of the Kenshin-gumi arrive......... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode #10 Aoshi... The Man So Scary as to Seem Almost Beautiful. The Kenshin-gumi charge the Kanryu mansion grounds, leaving bodies scattered everywhere! In the meantime, Megumi is talking to Kanryu. She tells him that she will never make his opium and then tries to kill him. Hannya stops her, Kanryu backhands her. The Kenshin-gumi reach the mansion, where Kanryu is at an upper window and tries to talk Kenshin into coming to work for him (stupid,stupid,stupid). Kenshin gets tired of talking and takes out a street lamp. Kanryu tries to give orders to one of the Oniwabanshuu, Hannya. Hannya gets mad and tells Kanryu that the only one who may give orders to the Oniwabanshuu is Shinomori Aoshi-sama. Aoshi-sama himself walks into the room and tells Kanryu that he, Aoshi, will kill the Battousai, and not because Kanryu ordered it, but to earn the title of the strongest for the Oniwabanshuu. Aoshi picks up the unconscious Megumi to take her to the third floor observation tower and tells Kanryu to go play with his money. Megumi wakes up in the tower. Aoshi tells her that Kenshin and company are here to rescue her, but warns her not to get her hopes up. As he leaves, he throws her the knife she used when attacking Kanryu, just in case she would like to kill herself rather than be left to Kanryu's mercies. In the meantime, the first Oniwaban- shuu the Kenshin gumi encounter is Hannya. Kenshin defeats Hannya, Kaoru and Yahiko are left fighting underlings, and Sano and Kenshin encounter Shinomori Aoshi. Sano attacks Aoshi and get clobbered..... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode #11 Farewell the Ultimate Men! The Clash of Light and Darkness. Kenshin and Aoshi fight. While they are fighting, Kanryu is plotting something very evil. Kenshin defeats Aoshi (with difficulty). Aoshi is knocked out. The Kenshin gumi start to go find Megumi, but the rest of the Oniwabanshuu come in. Aoshi wakes up and asks Kenshin to take his, Aoshi's, life (stupid, stupid, stupid!!). He tells Kenshin that if he does not, then he, Aoshi, will hunt Kenshin down. Kenshin doesn't care, he is not going to kill Aoshi. (whew!) Kanryu breaks through the door with a Gatling gun and says he is going to kill them all. Kenshin breaks right, dragging Yahiko, Sano breaks left, dragging Kaoru, and Aoshi gets hit in the legs with the bullets. Kanryu stops firing, lights a cigar, and tells everyone that he has made most of his money selling arms, like the Gatling gun. He then starts firing again. Shikijo is killed first, then Hyottoko, then Beshimi, but the dart man manages to get one of his darts caught in the gun's ammunition belt before he dies. Hannya distracts Kanryu so Kenshin can stop him, but Hannya gets killed in the process. Kenshin does stop Kanryu and disables the gun. Aoshi is totally devastated and probably in shock, as all his men are dead! Kenshin urges the Kenshin- gumi to go rescue Megumi (which is good, because Megumi has the small knife that Aoshi left her and is getting ready to plunge it into her chest). Sano breaks the door in, you see him jump, you see blood......... he grabbed the blade of the knife to stop Megumi from killing herself, and the blood is from Sano's bleeding fingers. Sano screams at her, Kenshin preaches at her. The police never found Aoshi or the dead Oniwabanshuu. Megumi is going to stay in town and work for Dr. Genzai. Meanwhile, Aoshi buries the dead Oniwabanshuu in the forest and vows to kill Kenshin so that he can give the title of the "strongest" to his four dead men.