Here goes Miko and Kristin's approximate Jump summary/translation. ^_- Bracketed text are 'thought' text... ^_^;

Editor's Note: There are a couple phrases in this one which stumped our esteemed translator. If anyone has further insight into these, please tell one of us; it would be greatly appreciated! ^_^;

Rurouni Kenshin Act 213: An Exchange of Conditions

Title Page: Rurouni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan -
Act 213: An Exchange of Conditions

Blood spatters darkly as Kenshin carries through on a graceful sword slash. His eyes are fierce, his teeth gritted, his fingers clenched like talons around the sheath of the sakabatou.

Vertical Side Text: The blood that these hands have shed, the blood that bathed this body, and the blood that has not yet fallen...

Two guards stand before the gates of an imposing building: the Tokyo police station.

Vertical Side Text: If at a loss for schemes, then try a frontal attack! ...Thus it is said, but...

Yahika and Misao stand, their fists clenched, preparing themselves for action.

Misao: All right...

Yahiko: Let's go.

Misao: *sweatdrop* Hey, is this plan of operations really a good idea?

Yahiko: Yeah, we can sneak in fine this way.

Misao: OKAY

Yahiko: GO!!

Aoshi and Megumi look on from behind, Megumi with her arms crossed, sweatdropping.

Megumi: ...... *pointing after the kids* ........ Is this all right?

Aoshi: They themselves want to do this. For now, we can leave them to do as they please.

Inside the police station, two forbidding signs mark a closed doorway: "Documents Room," "Unauthorized Personnel: No Entry." Within the room, Saitou sits at a large table piled with books and papers, while Chou sprawls on a couch nearby.

Chou: Aaah-- I'm dead. I'm so worn out from running around.

Saitou: *frowning as he examines some papers* ... Hn. *puffs on his cigarette* It's not enough.

He tosses the papers carelessly toward Chou.

Saitou: Insufficient information. Go again and rake up some more.

Chou: *freaking out* AAH!? HEY, just how are you dissatisfied with all this that I've raked up already!

Saitou: We can't pinpoint anything with only that much.

Chou: *leaping up and waving his hand furiously* NO WAY! I'm a secret agent, not an errand boy!

Saitou: *unmoved* It's the same kind of thing. Stop objecting. Work.

Door: knock knock

Chou blinks and turns as the door to the room opens a crack. In pops a very unconvincingly disguised Yahiko, wearing a sort of Groucho Marx mask and a half-apron, carrying several trays of food. His shinai, however, is still tied around his back.

Yahiko: Delivery! One order of soba!

Chou stares. Saitou smokes. Misao appears, similarly incognito.

Misao: An additional order! I'm here with an order of sushi!

Misao and Yahiko: *smirking* (Infiltration successful! After this, if we can fool Saitou well enough and lure him outside.....)

Saitou: Oh, it's the kid from Kamiya and the girl from the Aoiya.

The Groucho Marx masks fall off as the pair stare in horror at being recognized.

Chou: What do you want?

Saitou: Doesn't matter what it is. You're in the way. *waves his hand dismissively* Run along.

Misao: *shedding her disguise to reveal her ninja gear* Since it has come to this...

Yahiko: *grabbing his shinai* We'll do it by force!!

The door opens again to reveal the mild-mannered Police Chief, Megumi, and Aoshi. Megumi blinks as Yahiko and Misao trip and fall.

Police Chief: Some visitors, Lieutenant Fujita.

Yahiko: *jumping up* WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!

Police Chief: *smiling indulgently* Oh, you've come here already.

Yahiko: Isn't Aoshi on the 'Wanted' list around here?

Police: *smiling more forcibly* No, I heard what happened from Takani-san. *hearty chuckle* Well, this time I'll turn a blind eye.

Yahiko: YOU ARE TOO NICE!!

The others fade into the background as Saitou and Aoshi loom forward. They seem to stand with their backs to one another, but the tension is palpable. Saitou looks sidelong at Aoshi, not precisely smirking.

Saitou: So, you've gotten a little tired of Zen meditation......

Aoshi closes his eyes and looks put upon.

[Background babble:

Police Chief: Because of that, they say that my face and my character doesn't match up.

Yahiko: Your curly hair is crying. (Literally: You're making your curly hair sad.)]

A short time later, the soba and sushi have mysteriously vanished from their dishes.

Saitou: ---- So. What is it that you want with me? I don't have time to play around with you right now, so make it short.

Yahiko: We don't have much time either, so I'll be brief. Where is Yukishiro Enishi now!?

Saitou: I have no need to tell you. *puff* That's all. There, it's done. Go home.

Misao: THAT'S WAY TOO BRIEF!!

Yahiko: I'm not saying you'll have to give us the information for nothing. I have a big piece of news here, so how about an exchange?

Saitou: *lifting his eyebrows slightly* A big piece of news? Could it be something like the fact that Kamiya Kaoru is actually still alive?

Yahiko and Misao's jaws drop, while Saitou puffs amusedly.

Misao and Yahiko: *various wingdings that cannot be typed ^_^;*

Saitou: What, did I hit it right on the mark?

Aoshi: How did you know?

Saitou tosses some of his papers out on the table.

Saitou: Look. It's the documents that Chou found in the basement of Yukishiro Enishi's old headquarters.

Chou: *smirking* Well, in my hands, this sort of thing is an easy job.

Yahiko: What. So you're a secret agent under Saitou?

Misao: ( _______ Miko is puzzled! Fill in the blank! ^_^;) How uncoooooool ~~~~

Chou looks devastated; Aoshi continues to examine the documents.

Saitou: It's a report of Kamiya Kaoru's appearance so detailed that it's impressive. That and the fact that in the Iwanbou Number 3 that was confiscated, an inexplicable cavity in the torso with just enough space to store a person was found. Add that to that kind of situation, and naturally one would think that ---

Megumi: *pissed* Then why haven't the police done anything about it?!

Saitou: *looking unconcerned* Because finding Yukishiro Enishi is a more pressing matter than verifying the life or death of one little girl. It's hardly time for that sort of thing.

Misao: *starting to go ballistic* WHAT WAS THAT---! That's supposed to be a reason?!

Saitou turns his back to them and walks toward the window.

Saitou: Fine fine. We'll find Kamiya Kaoru when we have the time. For now, just go home, go home.

Misao: *little puffs of steam* Hold it, hey! We're supposed to accept that?!

Yahiko: (-----.........) Saitou. Then how about this.

Saitou turns slowly. Yahiko sweats, looking excessively determined.

Yahiko: If you tell us the information about Yukishiro Enishi's new base, then we will take over all the responsibility of finding Kaoru. If that's the case, then you can concentrate solely on your search for Yukishiro Enishi, right................

The two of them face off... er, well, Saitou is about twice Yahiko's height, but... well, you get the idea.

Saitou: Ho... *smiles slowly* Is that to say that it would be fine if we did nothing about finding Kamiya Kaoru?

Yahiko: *smiling* Yeah. We're Kaoru's friends. No matter where she is, we'll definitely find her with our own strength!!

Saitou puts out his cigarette in a well-used ashtray.

Saitou: Fine, I suppose.

He sits down in the couch where Chou was sitting earlier and lounges, smirking.

Saitou: I'll tell you under the condition that you won't bother us any more. Under current circumstances, we haven't been able to verify the exact position of the new base.

Misao: What was that?? Getting all pompous.

Saitou: Hey, listen. The other guy is the boss of an arms organization. What they handle are rifles and cannons. If they transport their goods over a land route from the shore of the Sea of Japan, it will attract too much attention.

He pauses to take out a new cigarette.

Saitou: Knowing this much, you should be able to figure out the rest.

Megumi: *eyes wide* If the land route is difficult then of course... a sea route!!

Saitou: Good answer. Following that line of reason, the result is that there is a place by the mouth of the Arakawa River that I suspect would be the base. Even if that location isn't it, there must definitely be a place, if one follows the sea route ---

Misao and Yahiko: OKAY! IT'S THE MOUTH OF THE ARAKAWA RIVER, RIGHT!!

Yahiko: *dashing off at top speed* LET'S GO, MISAO!!

Misao: *following, leaving clouds of dust behind her* DON'T GET ALL POISED TO CHARGE!!

Megumi and Saitou: .....

Saitou stands up from the couch, hand on his hip.

Saitou: *gazing in the direction the kids have gone* Somehow, it doesn't seem right to conclude that they've come to have more guts...... Well, after all, the upbringing of children is the guardians' responsibility.

Aoshi watches out the window as Misao and Yahiko sprint away.

[Background:

Misao and Yahiko: Go!! Go go!!!]

Aoshi: You think so? I think that it's good. For now, first they must get moving. If they do, a road to life will definitely open up for them. It's a tune that that kid knows naturally. A young man that Battousai placed his trust in. I think I understand it a little now.

Megumi glances at Aoshi, surprised.

Saitou: *lighting a match* But Battousai is a broken man right now. So how is that guy anyway? I heard that he has fallen into the Rakuninmura. Is he still all broken up?

Megumi: 'I heard'. So you didn't go see him yourself?

Saitou: I don't even have the intention of seeing him.

Megumi: What, aren't you worried!?

Saitou: *long drag on cigarette* If he dies this way, it only signifies his defeat. That guy, who's so concerned with appearances, said before that our fight will be settled by who is 'left alive'.

Aoshi: *still gazing out the window* Battousai is not a weak man who will die here.

His eyes flicker to Saitou's.

Aoshi: You should know that best, being the one who has known him the longest. The settlement for your fight will not come for some time...

They share a meaningful look before Saitou turns and walks away.

Saitou: If that is the case, then that's fine too. After all, the only way to settle a fight perfectly is a direct confrontation.

Aoshi: Incidentally, answer me one thing. Is the reason why the police are putting all their resources into locating Yukishiro Enishi because of the fear that he might have escaped to Shanghai? To say nothing of being on the sea, if he's in Shanghai, then we can't do anything about it either.

Saitou: ...... It's the opposite case. That guy's organization's Number Two... We just got the information that he is coming to Tokyo from Shanghai. Whatever the case, it seems like that that bunch has genuinely decided to open up a market here in Tokyo. If it's Yukishiro Enishi's personal Jinchuu, I can overlook it as something cute, but with anything from here on in, I will absolutely not permit him to have his way.

He opens the door to the Documents Room and heads out.

Saitou: Though that guy's organization hasn't been set up long, and the scale is not large, it still has considerable power. It's not just dealing simply in armaments, but armaments that they have improved, adding special features. The weapon that one-armed man got from Yukishiro Enishi is exactly that. In a localized fight, it's even more effective than an Armstrong cannon. If he had used it back then, then the fight would have been even more difficult...

A view down the hallway shows another doorway and a small sign: Custody Room. Inside is a bundle wrapped in cloth which appears to be Kujiranami's cannon.

Elsewhere in the building, Kujiranami sits hunched in a dark jail cell, clutching the stump of his cannon-arm. The veins on his body bulge out as he quivers with barely-suppressed rage.

Kujiranami: Ba.. TTOU SAI!!

Outside, Megumi and Aoshi are walking down the hallway.

Megumi: --- So, what are we going to do now?

Aoshi: We'll leave the investigation of the river mouth to those two. I will go along with my original plan and set a trap and wait.

Megumi: Hnnn.... But as Yahiko-kun said before, you won't know how long it's going to take.

Aoshi: No. They aren't dragging their feet about things. There are 'Reasons'. They will definitely come soon enough. Definitely ------...

On Enishi's island, a small boat carrying cargo pulls up to the shore of the cove, while a larger ship waits beyond the cliffs. Gein stands outside the house, hands on his hips.

Gein: It's finally come... I've been waiting.

Upstairs in the house, Kaoru watches from the window of her room.

Kaoru: *eyes widening* (It's here... A good chance for escape!!)

Vertical Side Text: What will Enishi do to Kaoru who has made up her mind to risk escape!?

*End Act*