Original subtitles

Where'd the fire start?

Near Shinobazu Pond, I think.

No, I hear it's the Kashu estate.

There's no way.

Stay on alert.

Shall we stay up and get to work?

Young Master.

We'll send spirits to find Matsunosuke.

You must need more sleep.

It's safe to go back to bed.

SHABAKE

YEARNING

What are you doing?

Given up on sleep?

Do you two have a moment?

Listen. This fire makes me uneasy.

Why uneasy?

Toricho is blocked off with amulets now.

And last night, this shop must have given off a strong smell of Han-gon Incense.

It's a mystical scent, said to travel far and wide.

It must have reached the failed tsukumogami's nose.

Perhaps it did.

It must have wanted to get the incense at any cost.

But it couldn't come near this shop.

What do you think it did then?

Do you believe the failed tsukumogami has something to do with the fire?

Don't you remember?

It stole a note I'd written when it attacked Eikichi.

The note had on it Matsunosuke's name and where he's apprenticed.

It also said it was from me, his brother.

You mean because it couldn't reach us,

it set a fire near the cooper's to attack Matsunosuke?

I doubt the failed tsukumogami has the power to start fires.

It can possess people, remember?

So it can just make someone start the fire for it.

Why do you think it went to the cooper's? There's no incense there.

It probably wants to lure me north, away from the shop.

Maybe it hopes I'll leave our defenses out of concern for my brother.

Don't be ridiculous.

Walking into the middle of a fire is like setting out to die.

We'll let you do no such thing.

Then, since it looks like the fire won't come this way,

I guess I'll stay in the annex.

You're awfully understanding.

If I don't go north, the failed tsukumogami may get angry and spread the fire.

A lot of people could die.

I'll just sit out the whole thing here, safe and warm.

And then what?

I bet Lord Mikoshi no Nyudo will whisk me off to Grandmother in no time.

People will die if he leaves me in the human realm.

He can't ignore that, can he?

Well...

I can't be the only one to stay safe.

I have to steel myself and put down that failed tsukumogami.

And I need you with me, no matter what.

But you were up late last night. You must be tired.

I'm fine.

The talismans we set in Ueno will go to waste.

Nikichi and I can't drive the failure into them now.

It beat us to it. We tried to lure it, and now it's luring us.

I still have talismans left over.

I'll have to immobilize it with these, then finish it with the sword.

But there's one thing that worries me.

What is it?

I don't know how to yank the failed tsukumogami out of the human it's possessing.

Is that all?

Well, I hate to say it, but a corpse won't draw much attention at the scene of a fire.

Don't even joke!

However you do it, don't kill the human.

Very well.

If we're definitely going, we should leave while it's still dark.

What's become of the Azumaya?

Oh no. The wind's strong.

We'll stop the fire here!

Well, this looks about as far as I can ride.

We'll have to proceed on foot.

Are you really going to cross Shohei Bridge, sirs?

It's not safe, you know.

Thank you. We'll be careful.

Let's go.

Yokichi!

Brother!

Yokichi!

Yokichi!

Yokichi!

Madam!

Matsunosuke!

You ran off on your own.

Why did you come back now?

You're just in the nick of time.

Help us search for Yokichi.

It's too early for him to have gone out, but we can't find him.

Yokichi's missing?

He may not have made it out. Now, get looking.

Go! The roof's about to cave in!

Where could Yokichi have gotten to?

Or was he the first one out?

Head clerk!

Matsunosuke? You came back to us?

What are you doing? We need to get out of here!

The shop's full of ledgers and order records and other things I can't let burn!

The ledgers won't matter once the whole shop has burned down!

We need to get upwind fast!

Let go! You're letting important papers burn!

I'm sure the shop can start over as long as you make it out!

That was a close call.

You're not hurt, are you?

Head clerk!

Don't go in there!

It's already on fire!

My things are in my room. Everything I own.

Your life matters more!

If I lose everything now, I might as well be dead.

Yokichi.

Young Master, are you all right?

These people may already be dead.

Is that the Kashu estate?

It's completely burned down.

I'm pretty sure the cooper's was around here.

Nothing to go on, huh?

Little Master!

Thanks, Sasuke.

Smoldering embers didn't cause this.

The mure itachi did.

Be on your guard!

Are they in league with the failed tsukumogami?

What do you think...

you're doing here?

Who might you be?

The heir to Azumaya.

Yokichi is my name.

He's from the shop Matsunosuke was apprenticed to?

The mure itachi like the scenes of fires, especially large ones.

Eating the souls of humans who burned to death gives them strength, supposedly.

Isn't that fascinating?

You're the ink line, aren't you?

I'm impressed you could tell.

I can't think of another reason why you'd stand here and calmly chat away.

I knew you'd come.

Where's Matsunosuke?

Who knows? I don't remember.

I can't be bothered to recall every place I've killed someone.

You killed him? Why?

Because you wouldn't give me the medicine.

I needed to teach you a lesson.

You... You failure.

I like being called an ink line.

I'm a beautiful tool that a craftsman put his whole heart into carving.

So don't call me that.

What's that? You don't like being called a "failure," failure?

I'm no failure. I'll be a tsukumogami soon.

Give me the medicine.

You really are just a failed tsukumogami, huh?

What do you expect to do to us with that thing?

Shut your mou—

You thought you could take us on with this?

You won't get off easy.

You're a good-for-nothing who's been harassing our young master.

Sasuke!

Come on! Over here!

What is it up to?

It doesn't look like it stands a chance against Sasuke.

Catch me if you can.

Nikichi.

Circle around to the other side.

Now, get out of Yokichi.

You can't keep running.

Hey, "Young Master." You think you've got me beat, don't you?

But I like fires. This one really speaks to me.

I like it so much, I think I'll start more.

No, I will set off a huge inferno.

Incinerate these fools!

I'll pay you back by starting another big blaze!

No!

Young Master!

Watch out!

Nikichi!

Sasuke!

That's what you "real" spirits get for swaggering around all cocksure.

You'll never survive this inferno.

Serves you right.

Okay, "Young Master."

Hand over the medicine. I know you've got it.

I smell it on you. You can't fool me.

Don't you even know the name of the thing you want so badly?

What?

This scent is called Han-gon Incense.

You don't swallow it. You burn it and breathe in the smoke.

Incense?

Give it here.

What are you doing?!

So you started listening just to take me for a fool?

You're wasting your time. They've burned up by now!

Give me the incense!

What else do you have?

Guess I got my 25 ryo's worth.

Tell me...

Why did you want this incense enough to start a fire and kill so many people for it?

Does becoming a tsukumogami mean that much to you?

What would a human know?

I was almost a tsukumogami already.

I was nearly a hundred years old, and I could feel the power gathering.

I gained a will of my own and learned to speak with other spirits.

It felt like floating in the air, and laughing all the while.

But then, some hawker's petty revenge destroyed me.

I felt the power that should have been mine escaping.

I felt my speaking, thinking self fading by the day.

Unless I did something, I couldn't even return to being an ordinary tool.

I was destined to be thrown away.

Even so, I want to know why you attacked people.

Didn't carpenters take good care of you for years and years?

And all that got me was this. It only made it harder to take.

Didn't you feel regret when you stabbed people for your own desires?

You must have lived with humans for a long time.

You wouldn't get it if I told you.

You can't know how I dreamed of becoming a tsukumogami.

How I longed not to disappear from this world!

I understand a little.

In a way...

I'm a failure, too.

Ever since I was little, I've believed I'd probably die before I could grow up.

Someone else could take over the Nagasakiya.

I even thought I'd be doing my parents a favor by getting out of the way.

But meeting Lord Mikoshi no Nyudo, I realized I have desires, too.

When you get right down to it, I'm clinging to life just like you are.

I only came here out of a desire to stay in this world.

But that's not all.

People have gotten killed because of me.

I can't be the only one to run away.

If I run, I'll have to admit my heart is useless as well as my body.

I want to get stronger.

My mother prayed day in, day out because she wanted to have me.

My grandmother offered herself in exchange to send me to this world.

I was hard to raise,

but my grandfather,

my father,

my friends,

and the clerks all supported me.

That's how I was born and how I've survived this long.

And yet, crimes are affecting other people because of me.

I can't just call it bad luck and run from it.

I want to be stronger.

I want the strength to accept things even if they make me uncomfortable.

I'm far stronger than any of you humans!

So why should I have to fade away?

I don't want to disappear. I refuse to.

Now, give me the incense!

I smell it. This is it.

Han-gon Incense. A whiff of this will bring back my soul.

I can become a flawless tsukumogami this time!

Just burn it and breathe it in.

Oh, it feels heavenly.

Now, I'll—

What is this?

I'm sure you wish that were real Han-gon Incense,

but I'm sorry to say, there's none left in this world.

Lies!

This is the real thing.

I know how it smells. There's no mistake!

Only the wrapper was genuine. I mixed the incense myself.

That's why I gave it to you.

I put a spirit-sealing talisman in the incense.

I'd say it worked like a charm.

Curse you. You tricked me again.

Don't think this is over.

I feel bad for you, but I can't let you attack any more people.

I can't let you start fires.

Now, leave Yokichi.

I'll get rid of you completely, here and now.

This is the end.

TRANSLATION: WILLIAM VARTERESIAN