9. ENTER NATAKU: THE HUMAN PAOPEI ------------------------------ 27. Nine - Enter Nataku: The Human Paopei ------------------------------ 28. -KouHiko: *thinking* Taikoubou-dono... -KouHiko: *thinking* After you left, the empress Dakki has become even more cruel than before. -KouHiko: *thinking* She mercilessly puts anyone who displeases her on the Houraku and into the Taibon. The people of Chouka are desperately trying not to upset the empress. ------------------------------ 29. -KouHiko: *thinking* ----One day...... -KouHiko: *thinking* I saw her. -KouHiko: *thinking* The empress... the people she dropped into the Taibon..... -KouHiko: *thinking* Monster.....!! The sight made me have a presentiment of the collapse of Yin. ------------------------------ 30. -KouHiko: *thinking* Dakki is crazy----!! -KouHiko: *thinking* It can't go on like this! We have to do something... We have to get rid of her immediately! ------------------------------ 31. -SiPuXiang: Goshujin---!! -SiPuXiang: Peaches! There were peaches growing over there!! -Taikoubou: Oh, good job!! -SiPuXiang: Hey? What are you doing? -Taikoubou: Fishing. -SiPuXiang: Fishing? Doushis aren't allowed to eat fish. -Taikoubou: I know! I'm not going to eat any meat! It's just a hobby. This is a good place to relax. -Taikoubou: I have proof, look at the shape of the hook. -SiPuXiang: ...That's really meaningless. ------------------------------ 32. -SiPuXiang: ...By the way, should we be relaxing here like this? -Taikoubou: I don't know... -Taikoubou: Dakki's powers are too great, so we're no match for her right now. -SiPuXiang: So we should make some powerful allies and confront her!! You were just saying so the other day! Geez... don't you want to beat Dakki!? -Taikoubou: Let's see? But maybe if we stay here like this, we might get an unexpected catch. -SiPuXiang: This must be the rebound from the time when you were so busy. ------------------------------ 33. -Man: He, Help me---!! *Taikoubou: What, what?* -Man: My son's going to kill me---!! -Taikoubou: ........ Huh? ------------------------------ 34. -Man: EEEEE!!! -Man: Stranger!! Help me---!!! -Taikoubou: Wh... Who is that kid!? ------------------------------ 35. -Man: That's my son... ------------------------------ 36. -Man: The Human Paopei, Nataku!! -SiPuXiang: Nataku!? I've heard that name before. -Taikoubou: Human Paopei... he has connections to the Sennin realm... -Taikoubou: He has three Paopeis equipped and looks as if nothing was the matter... Who is he...!? ------------------------------ 37. -Man: EEEE!!! It... It's coming!!! *old man* -Taikoubou: ---That's.... -Taikoubou: The Paopei "Kenkonken"!!! ------------------------------ 38. -Taikoubou: Huh? -Taikoubou: What are you doing here? -Man: Don't abandon me~~~ -Taikoubou: .......!? You're... -Man: What's the matter, stranger? -Taikoubou: No... Nothing. -Nataku: ........... ------------------------------ 39. -Man: Aah, stranger! Nataku is following us!! -Taikoubou: The flight Paopei "Fuukarin"! Only one of that kind exists in the Sennin realm!! -Taikoubou: ---He's so persistent. What did you do to make him hate you so much? -Man: We'll talk later! First, we have to get away!! -Taikoubou: ...Fine! SiPuXiang, get into the forest!! -SiPuXiang: Roger!! -Man: *thinking* SiPuXiang? -Nataku: ......... ------------------------------ 41. -Nataku: ....... -Taikoubou: Coughcough! The dust..... -Man: AAAAAAHHHH------ There he is-----!!!! -Taikoubou: What a kid! Is he seriously trying to kill you!? -Man: He's like that! -Man: That child doesn't have a heart! That's why he's so exceedingly cruel! -Taikoubou: This is no time for jokes! (*What the man said is a pun... exceedingly=HIJOU, cruel=HIJOU ^-^;) ------------------------------ 42. -Taikoubou: And why do WE have to be chased around in the first place? Get off, get off!! -SiPuXiang: T... terrible. -Man: I won't let go!! I won't let go!! -Taikoubou: GAAAAH! What's with this guy!? -Man: Please help me---! -Taikoubou: Okay! I will, so let go---!! -Taikoubou: ---And? What is this all about? -Taikoubou: I can sense some Senki (Sennin spirit) from you, too. Why are you two? -Man: I guess this is expected from you, Taikoubou-dono --the first disciple of Genshi Tenson-sama. I could tell right away, because you were riding on the white Reijyuu SiPuXiang. ------------------------------ 43. -Man: My name is Risei. I have once studied under Doyaku Shinjin of the KongRong Mountains in the Sennin realm. By the way, Risei and Nataku also appear in the famous novel Saiyuuki (XiYouJi, "Journey to the West"). It might be interesting to check it out. -SiPuXiang: Oh, Goshujin, look!! That person's a little bit slower than I am!! -SiPuXiang: A Reijyuu is faster than a Paopei after all!! *puffed up with pride* -Taikoubou: So what about that kid? -SiPuXiang: You're not listening, are you? ------------------------------ 44. -Risei: ....Nataku is... an artificial human made by the hands of the Sennin realm. -Taikoubou: !!? -Risei: The "Reiju" is said to be the masterpiece of all Paopeis... By planting it into the womb of a human woman, it's possible to create a ready-made Sennin... -Risei: And that is Nataku. ------------------------------ 45. -Risei: And my wife was the one who conceived that Reiju. -Risei: The technology of the Sennin realm is so advanced that it can even create humans now. -Risei: ---But as a consequence, what was born was.... a cold-blooded, brutal human being without a "heart." ---------- Translations 1999ŠAkane Araragi