Waterfall & Wings Version 1

Kiyomori sits in a daze at the garden after moving back to Kyoto. Tokiko finds him and tries in vain to chat him up. The poor man is feeling very down as his lifelong dream to build Fukuhara as his dream capital is dashed.

Yoshitsune's residence, Kamakura. Yoshitsune wonders where Saburo and rest have gone to. The Sato brothers offer to go look for them but Yoshitsune says it's ok. "Let them have some fun since they must be bored staying here all the time."

It turns out Saburo and company are at Chidori's house having a drinking party. Jiro comments that they find it hard to watch how Yoritomo is (ill-)treating Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune strives to be of use to his brother, to help him in any way, but Yoritomo gives him all the small tasks and neglects him.

Kyoto. Akane brings Tekona to Otoku's house and tells her Yoshitsune has asked the latter to look for herself and Kichiji when she arrives in the capital. Akane asks Otoku to help Tekona find work and Otoku agrees readily. Utsubo is excited to hear about Yoshitsune and asks Tekona about him. Tekona tells her he is a popular figure with the natives at Kamakura. Hesistant at first, she finally asks about Yoshitsune's "wife".

Tekona: He is not married yet.

Utsubo: Oh! (smiles in relief)

Tekona: But....

Utsubo: Eh?!

Tekona: Er... .... Benkei seems to have found someone though.

(I think Tekona wanted to talk about Shizuka and the marriage arrangements brought up by Yoritomo but changed her mind when she saw the worried look on Ustubo's face.)

Morikuni's residence, Kyoto. Kiyomori is drinking with Morikuni. Kiyomori talks about his mother and laments how he has never seen her face before. (She died when he was still a child.) Although he often dreams of her, he is never able to see her face, only the backview. Suddenly, with a sad face, he mutters out loud if he will finally be able to see her in the "other world". Morikuni is shocked at this comment. The topic then somehow turns to Ushiwaka and Kiyomori's face lights up. He remembers affectionately how the young boy used to spend much of his time playing with his own sons at Morikuni's house. Just when he is going to take his next sip of wine, he suddenly collapses.

Kiyomori's health takes a nosedive. The Heike family ropes in physicians and witch doctors to help but his health continues to deteriorate.

Yoritomo and Masako visit Yoshitsune at his place and tell him news about Kiyomori's failing health. The former is shocked but tries hard to conceal his emotions in front of his brother.

The ailing Kiyomori summons for Tokitada, Tokiko's brother. He wants Tokitada to pass a message to Shirakawa. (I am not sure what he meant here, but i THINK he wants Tokitada to tell Shirakawa to accept Munemori as the new Heike ruler after his passing.)

Shirakawa is looking at some medical manuals with his concubine. (I think he was actually looking up on Kiyomori's illness, to save him? But halfway through, he changes his mind and dumped the book on the floor. Wacky fellow really... ) His even wackier concubine Tsubone asks if he is going to visit him but Shirakawa decides not to.

Tokiko is shocked to hear Shirakawa's indifference to the news of ailing Kiyomori. He sends Munemori to talk to Shirakawa again. A fellow Heike member, Taira no Tomoyasu (a close aide of Shirakawa) arranges the meeting for them. Tsubone tells Munemori that Shirakawa is greatly saddened by news about Kiyomori as Shirakawa pretends to weep. (damn lousy "acting" i would say... -_-) Shirakawa says Kiyomori is too dear to him, that is why he has no courage to face Kiyomori's weakened state. (What a load of crap! Then Tomoyasu tells Munemori something like Shirakawa has accepted Munemori as the new Heike leader or something and will guide him along as his pseudo-father. Munemori is ecstatic. Shirakawa though, has an ulterior motive. He just wants to be on "good terms" with the new Heike leader to make it easy for him to bring them down.)

Back at the Heike residence, the whole family gathers outside Kiyomori's room as if waiting for the imminent moment. Gotari rushes in and Tomomori and Munemori tell him off. However, Gotari is late because he had ran back to Fukuhara to retrieve Kiyomori's precious rosary beads. (I think Kiyomori has been feeling uneasy without it at his side.) Tokiko hurriedly takes them to Kiyomori. Holding back her tears, she asks Kiyomori if he has any last wishes. (Can't really catch what he said but something about keeping the Heike clan united and controlling the uprisings in the Tohoku???) Kiyomori has gone a bit delirious by now and keeps muttering about his "dream capital". (oh my goodness, it is sooo sad!! You can totally see sadness emanating from his eyes, his reluctance to die without fulfiling his dream. T-T And i BET he really wanted to see Yoshitsune one last time... but... but circumstances wouldn't allow it.) After some struggling, Kiyomori finally breathes his last. (Watari Tetsuya's acting is really FLAWLESS here. You can totally feel the poor man's dying regret. My eyes brimmed with tears everytime i get to this part... )

4 Feb 1181. Kiyomori was 64.

That night at Heike's residence, a fire breaks out at this plant-housed-in-pagoda thingy called Yomogi no Tsubo. (I have no idea what it is...) Tokiko yells for everyone to put out the fire as it is precious to the late Kiyomori. However, it is too late. Gotari is caught and identified as the culprit. Tokiko interrogates him and he reveals them Kiyomori was the one who instructed him to set the fire. This Yomogi no Tsubo was the only thing that he wanted to bring with him to his afterlife. Tokiko is devastated.

Away at Kamakura, Yoshitsune feels uneasy and is unable to sleep. At that very same time, Gotari (who has been let off by Tokiko since he had afterall helped Kiyomori retrieve his rosary beads) is assassinated by some people. (I am not sure was he killed by Heike people who had mistaken him as a looter when he rushed back to retrieve the rosary, or was he killed by bandits who thought he still had the precious rosary with him. Either way, he was killed because of his close relationship with Kiyomori.)

In Kamakura, Yoritomo breaks the news of Kiyomori's death to Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune is shocked but realises he must hold back his tears in front of the rest. (It is like a test, EVERYONE is staring at Yoshitsune to see what kind of emotions he will show.) Evil Masako prods him by saying he must be sad since he was once his father. Yoshitsune replies that he will not forget he is a Genji. Yoritomo wonders if 64 years of life is considered short or long. But believes that the end of Heike is near. Masako's father Tokimasa continues to scrutinise Yoshitsune for any leaks in emotions.

Back at his own place, Yoshitsune chants sutras for the late Kiyomori and is finally allowed to cry. (OH MY GOODNESS!!! I want to jump into the screen and comfort him!!!! T-T)

Yoshitsune: "Kiyomori-sama, osaraba ni gozaimasu." (Lord Kiyomori, farewell.)

The Heike clan gathers after Kiyomori's funeral. Tokitada asks Tokiko if Kiyomori had any dying wishes. Munemori replies that he once tried to say something to Tokiko but no voice came out of his voice.

Tokiko: "No! He did have one last wish that he only told me... And that is to hunt down Yoritomo in Izu. Don't bother holding memorial services for him. He wants all of you to put together all you have and exterminate Yoritomo. Behead him and offer his head at his tomb!"

The family is shocked at this harsh dying wish but vows to fulfil it. (Tokiko is totally lying here because Kiyomori never said anything of this sort. It is her own hatred for Yoritomo that she lied to the whole family. Munemori seems to know that Tokiko is lying, because he had always been around when Tokiko was with Kiyomori at his deathbed but in any case, decides to go along with her.)

Yoshitsune stands alone by the sea and remembers Kiyomori.

~End of Episode 18~