Oneshot, 131 words.
Hitokiri Battousai knew the truth of this...
he had seen his soul. Kenshin breaks his sword.
Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump
Two shaku long.
He held the blade in shaking hands.
One sun wide.
There was a small scratch on the kissaki.
98 iron,
The sweat on his hands soaked into the hilt wrappings
3 carbon,
But it didn't blot out the dark crimson smears and the thick yellow streaks
1.54 copper,
of human blood
0.11 manganese,
and flesh
0.05 tungsten,
and lives.
9 folds in the blade
A sword is replaceable
3, 000 layers
The blood and flesh
A masame-hada straight grain blade
And sweat and dirt
Forged 15th August 1863
Can be scrubbed away
Broken January 3rd 1868
Filth on the soul never dies
0.04 molybdenum,
A sword is a samurai's soul.
0.02 titanium,
Hitokiri Battousai knew the truth of this…
Traces amounts of silicon,
…he had seen his soul.
Notes:
Shaku- roughly one foot/ 30cm/ 11.811 inches
Sun- 3.03cm/ 1.19 inches
Kissaki- a long blade tip on a katana
Iron, carbon, etc- components of a katana
I don't know just how accurate I have been with the lengths so please correct me if I'm wrong!
January 3rd 1868 was the date of the battle of Toba Fushimi, Kenshin's last battle under the Ishin Shishi, after which he disappeared. The breaking of his katana is sort of a symbolic thing- he breaks his sword, his allegiance and his vows the day that he becomes a rurouni.