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These synopsis are done by Zahara Medina and can't be used anywhere else without her consent. As she is just a student of Japanese, there are bound to be mistakes. If you spot any mistake, please report it to me, thanks! :) (comments are also appreciated....)
(And remember to buy these tankobon if you like the summaries, it's the best way of thanking the authors and the synopsis are nothing compared to the real thing! ^^ )

Note: B/w scans are from the magazine, where the print is in low quality paper and different ink colors so it sometimes scans pretty bad and leaves lots of noise in the picture. The tankoubon quality is, of course, much better (perfect, that is).

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Chapter 18 (May'2003) [ vol.03 ]
Note: Dark haired Hanzou (our main character in this story) = Hanzou. Blonde Hanzou (main character of Tsuki no Toiki, Ai no Kizu) = Hanzou II. Hanzou Sr. = Blonde Hanzou's father. Poor Hanzou reconstructs in his mind what could have taken Usagi to this side of town... Usagi getting kicked out by Ieyasu, Usagi losing her way, an old man offering her food--in exchange of working at his brothel, Usagi refusing... Hanzou is horrified at what he has done by letting her stay behind at Hanzou Sr.'s castle and is kneeling and saying how sorry he is when Usagi's words about Yuki-chan's mother being in danger finally register with him. Hanzou takes Yukimaru and they all enter the house, which is full of young girls, all apparently with the same mother as Yukimaru's... (^^; ) Hanzou II and the two other men join the group and they all go up to see Yukimaru's mother, who is sick and in very advanced pregnancy. After checking the woman's vitals, Usagi sees that it's just like with her mother, and that she doesn't know enough to tackle this. She asks Yukimaru for help, but the man is still screaming bloody murder about being there. Yukimaru says that it was this place that made him hate woman, with all their smiles and nice words in front of the clients but then complains in their backs, and also because they never told him who his real mother is. He starts to say that he hates women because they are noisy and liars and... Usagi slaps him hard across the face and tells him that she also hates him for not doing anything when someone is sick. Usagi says that she will do what she can alone then. Unfortunately, there is not much she can do because her specialty is herbal medicine and the woman can't drink anything right now. Yukimaru suddenly says that they have to take the baby out by cutting the belly (C-section), and he says that he once saw this done while he was with his previous mentor. Yukimaru's brother doesn't like this very much because it would mean better chances of survival for the baby than the mother, but Usagi says that they way the are now they will both die. She tells them that her mother was just like this and she and the unborn baby died. Hanzou is surprised to hear this. Usagi asks Yukimaru if he can do the operation himself but he is not very sure. The mother regains enough strength to tell them to save the baby. Usagi also pleads with him, and Yukimaru decides to do it. Yukimaru directs everybody to get hot water, clothes, etc... Usagi puts some pain relief water into a fabric and explains to Hanzou that since the woman can't drink, she will give it to her through the skin. They prepare themselves with Usagi and Hanzou on either side of the woman, holding her hands and the other women outside. Yukimaru heats the knife and starts the deed (not shown on paper) while Usagi sees the woman as her dead mother and starts pleading her not to die. Hanzou is again surprised by this. Yukimaru manages to take the baby out, but it's not breathing! Usagi takes it and tries to breath some air into it to no avail. But although everybody gives up on it, Usagi starts to smack the baby's bottom and eventually it starts to cry very loudly. Everybody is relieved that the baby is alive and Usagi is in awe of having seen this little body come to life. Hanzou congratulates Usagi, but Usagi gives the baby to Hanzou II and leaves the room, saying she is going to wash off the blood. Hanzou follows her to the river and tells her that she did a wonderful job. But Usagi tells him that she is a bad girl. She tells Hanzou that she always thought her mother died because of the baby, and therefore always felt bitter about that baby. Usagi starts to break down in tears and says that although one should feel sorry for a baby that couldn't live, she always felt like hating it instead, even if she was supposed to be its older sister! Hanzou runs into the water and hugs Usagi. He tells her to stop and that she was splendid. He says that her mother and the baby would be proud of her now and that she has become stronger and wiser than what he thought she was.
Chapter 19 (May'2003) [ vol.03 ]
Note: Dark haired Hanzou (our main character in this story) = Hanzou. Blonde Hanzou (main character of Tsuki no Toiki, Ai no Kizu) = Hanzou II. Hanzou Sr. = Blonde Hanzou's father. The truth about the letters comes out and Usagi learns Hanzou wants her back home. Usagi is very happy that she doesn't have to give up on Hanzou. Hanzou Sr. arrives and says one of them must go back to the castle with him. Usagi wants to stay with Hanzou a little longer but since it's better if Yukimaru stays with his mother, she does what needs to be done and goes back. Hanzou sees this and allows her to give him a last hug. Usagi feels like crying because she really wants to stay with him, but manages to keep a smile. (^^) Hanzou II ponders on Hanzou's change of attitude towards Usagi when he happily admits she wants her to go back to the keep. On the way to the castle, Usagi finds the torn apart pieces from the letters Hanzou sent her. She also finds... Mamezou! Between them, the piglet and the dog they manage to retrieve many of the pieces. Back at his keep, Hanzou learns that Mamezou is missing. The old man notices his high spirits and wonders if it was thanks to the business in the red-light district... Hanzou yells it wasn't that! (^^;;; ) At Ieyasu's, Usagi and Mamezou try to put the letter back together. Mamezou tells Usagi how Hanzou taught him to write, how they wrote the letter together, how they slept in the same bed... Usagi goes berserk over that! (^^) Ieyasu interrupts them and Mamezou hides. After he is gone, Mamezou tells Usagi that he brought her medicine-making instruments and she finds the love potion she had wanted to give Hanzou as a present. She thinks that whoever did this potion probably knows how to make the "eternal youth" potion she needs to be able to leave Ieyasu's custody. Yukimaru returns home to find their shared bedroom invaded by Mamezou and Co. Usagi asks him not to tell anybody, and inquires after his mother. Yukimaru says she is doing well and says it's all thanks to Usagi, for making him go there. Usagi is very happy because Yukimaru said her name for the first time. To add to the already pretty full room, Goemon decides to appear! Usagi and Mamezou kick him for destroying the letter and he says he came to apologize for that. Usagi asks Goemon if he knows who did the potion, and he says it was the local wizard, who lives on the top of the tallest mountain around and is more than 200 years old. Usagi doesn't believe this, obviously, but Goemon tells her to trust him, takes her in his arms, and to Mamezou and Yukimaru's shock, jumps out of the window!
Chapter 20 (Jun'2003) [ vol.03 ]
Note: Dark haired Hanzou (our main character in this story) = Hanzou. Blonde Hanzou (main character of Tsuki no Toiki, Ai no Kizu) = Hanzou II. Hanzou Sr. = Blonde Hanzou's father. (beta version) Yukimaru and Mamezou go with Usagi and Goemon to her grandfather's place, and then to the "Mountains of death" to look for the old man. (In the way, Goemon attempts an experiment with Usagi's "love powder" that goes awfully wrong...) Hanzou goes to Usagi's grandfather's place as well after hearing she was there. Before going after Usagi, he visits her parents' tombs.
Chapter 21 (Jun'2003) [ vol.03 ]
Note: Dark haired Hanzou (our main character in this story) = Hanzou. Blonde Hanzou (main character of Tsuki no Toiki, Ai no Kizu) = Hanzou II. Hanzou Sr. = Blonde Hanzou's father. (beta version) Yuuri joins Usagi & Co. after Hanzou tells her that he has already decided on his future bride-to-be, just in time to save Usagi from a bear after Goemon's leg acts up again.

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All images © Ueda Rinko, Shueisha (except backgrounds).