On his knees, his hands bound behind his back
Two were on the floor, those damn crows holding them down
And he was the one left standing, his hands shaking
The man on his knees, knew what was coming
Knew what he was being forced to do
What he was being forced to choose between
Because he always knew
The moment he had left that place stained in blood
The days he had spent wandering before he had met the boy
The days he had spent wandering with the boy
The day he opened up a school
The day the seats in his class were almost full
The day they had to move
The day their place turned into ash
And he was lead away from the place he called home
The day he made him make a promise
Which he knew, the boy wouldn't be able to keep
He was the one who always knew, but
What surprised him was the sound of footsteps
That kept on coming closer
That didn't stop near the two boys
That stopped behind him
That kept the promise they made and broke the promise the boy made
That told him what the boy standing had chosen
What that boy chose to protect
His soul, his friends, his life, his sensei's life, his hope
What that boy would lose
His soul, his friends, his life, his sensei's life, his hope
And still he stood there
Trying to protect both and losing both
Still willing to protecting the soul of Shoka Sonjuku
The man with the silver soul could hear screams- painful and desperate
He could hear their voices
Asking –pleading him to not
To not do it
To leave them
To protect the man they cherished
To protect what they fought for
To protect what they wanted
What they needed, what they loved
What kept them together
To not take him away
To not throw his life away
To not take the blame
The boy didn't listen to their voices, their screams
Didn't look at them, afraid of seeing their wide eyes,
Wide with fear, pain, misery, sadness
Their eyes lost, nowhere to go
He kept on looking down at his sensei
The man who saved him
The man who gave his life meaning
Who protected him
Who protected his soul
Who taught him the most valuable thing:
To protect his soul
To protect his comrades and their soul
And so even if it came to this
Even if he had to use that person's life as a stepping stone
Even if he knew what would happen to them after this
He would take all the hatred, all the pain, all the blame
He could shoulder it
To keep his promise
And when that person turned around
And looked at him
For what was the last time
Looked at his pale face, white hair and sad dead-fish eyes
Thank you
And those eyes glistened with unshed tears
And that mouth lifted upward in a final smile
For him
Clutching his sword, taking stance
and then his head
Painful groans were heard, and crows talked
A single tear