01x04 - A Long Road

[bunniefuu]

[slow footsteps approaching]

[Daimyo, in rasping voice]

It is out there, mewling,

grasping to be born.

You speak of the rising power.

[Daimyo] I have long

feasted upon this land.

It has sustained me.

But it has also become a prison.

A moldering tomb.

I have waited for a power such as this.

The world seeks balance.

A force to oppose my own was inevitable.

It is meant to be my reckoning.

It may instead be my salvation.

You will find the source

of this power and bring them to me.

My lady, I will not fail you.

- [Daimyo] No, you will not.

- [squelching]

I intend to ensure it.

[swooshing]

[screaming]

[deep, guttural groan]

["Black Gold"

by Flying Lotus plays]

Brought in a world ♪

World so brand new

Endless possibilities ♪

A whole new identity ♪

Can't you see? ♪

Black gold of the sun ♪

Open up your eyes ♪

Open up your heart ♪

And feel the sunshine ♪

Black diamond ♪

I just want to be ♪

Where I'm supposed to be ♪

And that's right here with you ♪

Don't mistake my kindness for weakness ♪

'Cause I'm strong, you see ♪

Stronger than you'll ever be ♪

Loyal to me ♪

Someone to call my friend ♪

Whenever you need me ♪

I'll be right here ♪

Love and loyalty ♪

Trust and honesty ♪

I'll never let go ♪

[slow, steady drip]

[groans lightly]

[grunts]

[gasps sharply, sighs]

[exhales]

- [gentle sloshing]

- Huh?

[loud splash]

Sorry, you startled me.

Same.

Why are you wearing that?

What Where did What are you?

[sighs]

You were sleeping the whole day.

I kind of got bored.

I'm sorry I touched your stuff.

And wore your helmet.

And poured water all over you.

Are you mad at me?

[Yasuke] Do you not realize

what you've done?

You saved my life.

I owe you the greatest possible debt.

Well, I'm glad you're not mad!

And also still alive.

The preacher. I saw him hurt you.

Are you all right?

I'm okay, now that he's gone.

- [Yasuke] And your illness?

- [gasps softly]

Hey! What are these?

They look like fancy shoes.

Uh Well, they're for horses.

This is a pretty fan. Were you a dancer?

A particular kind of dancer. Yes.

[Saki] Wow.

[chuckles]

That is not for you to touch.

Put it down. Nothing here is.

Listen, this village

is no longer safe for you.

The people have seen your abilities.

Now you need to go

somewhere far, far away from here.

I am going somewhere far.

You're taking me up the river

to see the doctor, remember?

No.

Our fight with the preacher and his g*ons

will have caught the Daimyo's attention.

They'll have soldiers

patrolling the river in force.

But you promised my mo

- You promised Ichika.

- I will take you somewhere safe.

Your only chance is to stay hidden.

Keep to the outskirts.

It won't be much of a life,

but it will be a life.

[shimmering sound]

- [gasps]

- [objects clattering]

Huh?

[alarming, ethereal music plays]

[raising voice] Didn't you just say,

"I owe you the greatest possible debt"?

You're going to take me up the river.

That's final!

[gasps, grunts]

Stop!

We're going up the river,

and we're going to see Doctor Morisuke!

Morisuke?

- [thud]

- Ah!

[birds chirping]

Lieutenant Kurosaka.

A deserved end for any priest.

Whoever wields the power our lady sensed,

they passed through here.

We're getting close.

- [man] What do we do with this place?

- [Kurosaka] Burn it to the ground.

[gulping]

Ichika knew what you could do

when she rescued you from the preacher.

She knew your sickness was a side effect

of your powers manifesting.

[Saki] Hmm.

And she wouldn't take you

to see any other doctor, only Morisuke.

She said he was

the only one who could help.

Ichika wasn't taking you to be healed.

She was taking you to be trained.

[gasps] Huh?

I knew Morisuke.

In another time.

He was a brave warrior.

One with abilities like yours.

"The Doctor" is a name

he earned in battle.

He attacked with a surgeon's precision.

You row boats.

How would you know a warrior like that?

Wait, how would Ichika know?

[Yasuke] Mm. Seems your guardian had

secrets of her own.

Another thing she shares

with a woman I once knew.

[Saki] Yassan, do you think that Ichika

Do you really think that she's?

I don't know. All we can do now

is act as she would have wanted.

Does that mean

you'll take me up the river?

No, I told you,

the river is too dangerous.

We travel to Morisuke by land.

[gasps, chuckles]

[rasping]

Ready.

Wow.

You have an actual face.

It looks weird.

[Yasuke] You're wearing her necklace.

It's to remember.

Let's go.

- [clattering]

- [soft thud]

[gentle, melodic music plays]

Saki, we must keep moving.

I know.

I just didn't get to say goodbye

to Ichiro.

He knows how you feel.

Trust me.

He knows you would never want to hurt him.

[sighs softly]

[man] Saki? Saki!

Where is the demon girl?

Look what she's done to my boy!

Saki, the singer's daughter?

I saw her fighting

with a robot and a wolf woman.

She has abilities. Inhuman ones.

I don't care what she is. She hurt my son!

[murmuring]

- What happened to the boy?

- Who are you?

More important for you is who we serve.

You will show us respect befitting

the emissaries of your land's Daimyo.

"Emissaries"? You mean, hired th*gs.

- [gasps, grunts]

- [villagers gasp]

- [Kurosaka] What happened?

- [gasps]

He He was attacked by a girl.

She made him fly 50 feet

without touching him.

You can ask the kids. They saw.

Tell me about this girl.

[grunts]

- [Yasuke sighs]

- Ugh.

I just tripped on another branch.

I thought you were psychic.

That's not how it works.

Why can't we just take the road?

It'd be so much easier.

Look, it's right there.

We go deeper.

- [crickets chirping]

- [fire crackling softly]

[gentle music plays]

[quiet clinking]

[mellow music playing]

Yassan! Yassan!

Is that where the doctor lives?

No, we have another day's journey

ahead of us yet.

- [woman yells] Help!

- [Saki gasps]

I swear. I haven't seen them.

- [grunts]

- [groans]

[armored man]

They were seen headed this way.

They must have passed through here.

Hard to miss a giant, black-skinned man

traveling with a little girl.

[old man] There's been

no one like that here.

[woman gasps]

Do what you want with me.

Just let my wife go.

[armored man] Her fate is in your hands.

Speak!

[old man] No. Please, no!

- You'd only be trading your life for hers.

- She's going to die because of us.

Your choice is made.

- [trembling breaths]

- [Saki] Do something!

- [grunts]

- [swords clashing]

Any time now.

The black-skinned giant.

Where's the girl?

[Yasuke] Far from here.

I hope for your sake

you fight better than you lie.

[overlapping grunts]

[choked grunt]

[gasps softly]

[yells]

[armored man] Giant!

Drop your weapon and turn slowly.

[woman gasps]

[panting]

[grunts]

[breathing heavily]

[laughing]

You did me a favor, getting rid of my men.

It was the end of the month,

and they'd be looking to get paid.

Saved me a fortune in salaries.

Whatever you were paying them,

it was too much.

[Kurosaka] Big words

for a man who is barely standing.

Still, you did show skill.

It seems our young prodigy

has a warrior as her protector.

[Yasuke] Theirs was the first blood

to touch this blade in many years.

You can do us both a favor

and let it be the last.

I hear the pain in your voice

behind those strained threats.

The pain of an outcast,

forever marked by their skin.

No matter how skilled in battle

or honorable you proved yourself.

I've felt it too.

The dull-eyed masses' hatred

of anything they don't understand.

But unlike you, I embraced my pain.

Forged it into a weapon.

[groans, retches]

[metallic scrape]

[retches]

You know, you could just tie a blade

to a stick. It's probably a lot easier.

[upbeat music playing]

[both grunting]

[Yasuke] Saki! Run!

[swords clashing in distance]

[Kurosaka]

A tactical sacrifice to gain ground.

So not just a warrior then,

but a commander?

[both grunting]

[Kurosaka grunts]

[groans]

[growls]

[Yasuke shouts]

[panting]

Tactical sacrifice. [scoffs]

[grunts]

[both grunting]

[splintering]

[resounding crash]

[grunting]

[clang]

[grunts]

[Yasuke grunts]

[muffled crashing]

[panting]

[swords clash]

- [gasps]

- [grunts]

[both straining]

Your sword is breaking.

As is your body.

[Kurosaka straining]

[Yasuke grunts]

- [footsteps approaching]

- [groaning weakly]

[Kurosaka sighs]

I'll tell the girl

you made a heroic effort.

It may give her some comfort

before the end.

[Kurosaka grunts]

[gasping]

Not all.

[groaning]

- [grunts]

- [shimmering sound]

[sighs, gasps]

You're as powerful

as my lady said you would be, Saki.

- [grunts]

- [gasps]

[clattering]

[Yasuke groaning]

I told you to run.

And you thought

I was gonna start listening to you?

[scoffs]

I'm sorry, Saki.

I've failed. I meant to protect you

from people like her,

but I couldn't.

Instead, you had to save me again.

In case you haven't noticed,

I have, like

crazy mind superpowers.

I don't need anyone to protect me.

Then why did you insist

that I travel with you?

So I wouldn't be alone.

We can face anything

as long as we don't do it alone.

Ichika used to say that to me.

Mmm. Yeah, Ichika taught you well.

She would be proud of you today, Saki.

She is proud.

You think so?

Mmm.

You're still going

to let me protect you, though.

[Saki] How about we protect each other?

[Yasuke] Did Ichika teach you

how to bargain too?

- [indistinct light chatter]

- [man] Have you heard?

- [man] The w*r has nothing to do with us.

- [man 2] I don't wanna die.

[man 3] I heard.

[man 4] It's not safe here anymore!

[overlapping light chatter]

[inquisitive murmurs]

- [man] What?

- [patrons whispering]

Who's that?

Huh?

[mellow music playing]

[Yasuke] Perhaps you can help us?

We've come to town

in search of a doctor, Morisuke.

Uh, I'm sorry.

There's no doctor here by that name.

I see. Thank you anyway.

[Saki] So, what do we do now?

Mmm.

We have some tea.

We're just sitting here.

Shouldn't we be trying to find the doctor?

[Yasuke] He's found us.

Ah. Welcome.

Huh?

[overlapping grunts]

- [Saki stifling laughter]

- Took you long enough to show up.

Saki, meet the doctor, Morisuke.

Yasuke. [chuckles]

The legendary Black Samurai himself.

Wait, you're a samurai?

Did you wear

one of those freaky mask things?

Did you fight in the Daimyo Wars?

Did you ever see Oda Nobunaga in person?

I am no samurai.

Not in this life, child.

It was not such a long life ago

as you think.

The years lie heavy on your brow,

but beneath them,

I see the proud warrior I fought beside.

And clearly you still have your vigor

to be so recently a father.

- She's not mine!

- He's not my dad!

My mistake.

What have you been doing, then?

I recall that after Nobunaga fell,

you joined his son Nobutada

to continue the Oda Clan's fight.

And we lost.

So did we all.

I heard you'd been captured by the Akechi,

that they'd returned you to the Jesuits.

But since you escaped from that bondage,

there's not been even a whisper of you.

[Yasuke] I've been surviving.

Keeping to my own concerns.

I see.

Not all of us were given that choice.

Here, we live in the darkest depths

of the Daimyo's shadow.

Never knowing

when their soldiers will come for us.

Everything we build, everything we earn,

they take what they want

and destroy the rest.

The only constants are fear and suffering,

but we resist where we can.

I've gathered

these students to train in secret

so they will be ready to lead

the rebellion when it begins.

If you've left that fight behind,

then why have you come?

The girl.

She has powers stronger

than any I've witnessed.

Even yours.

[Morisuke] Well,

in that case, you have my thanks.

[warbling sound]

[both gasp softly]

[Morisuke sighs in awe]

[gentle melodic music plays]

Then she truly is

the one we've waited for.

The one who can deliver us victory.

[feet shuffling]

[inhales shakily]

[Daimyo] Kurosaka, you come alone?

[Kurosaka] It's as you said.

Her abilities are great.

The power you gave me was not

[groaning]

[straining]

[shouting]

[grunts, sighs]

[Daimyo] It seems I must resort

to more proven methods.

[deep voice] I stand ready to serve.

As you always have.

You will serve your chosen purpose.

And another.

[Daimyo moaning]

[Morisuke] You're certain

that this is your path?

The man I knew

would have joined us without hesitation.

Yasuke would have.

Yassan seeks only the girl's safety.

What's the heaviest thing

you've ever lifted?

Well, there was

this big stone cross that

Hey Saki, can you do this?

They let you play games here?

[boy] What? Of course!

The Daimyo will see

her very existence as a threat

and seek to eliminate it.

There is no true safety for her now.

But her best chance

is to train here with us.

- And fight back.

- [gasping]

[children laughing]

Injustice cannot be run from, Samurai.

It must be fought.

Bringing only more injustice.

[sighs]

I have a boat to fix.

- [armor clinking]

- Mmm.

[swoosh]

- Hmm? Hmm.

- Huh?

[rustling]

[both grunt softly]

- [blows landing]

- [men grunting]

The last time.

[door creaking]

[multiple footsteps approaching]

[armor clinking]

[upbeat, rhythmic music playing]

Or second to last.

["Between Memories"

by Flying Lotus plays]

[girl laughing]

I want in, not waiting ♪

We're out to leave now ♪

Don't worry 'bout the weather

We're setting out together ♪

I want in, not waiting ♪

We're out to leave now ♪

Don't worry 'bout the weather

We're setting out together ♪

[female vocalizing]

[indistinct chatter]

- [female vocalizing]

- Come on ♪

[girl laughing]

Come on ♪

[girl laughing]