"Rurouni"

A/N - This is a poem I wrote as an assignment for my English class, and ended up getting posted in my school's Literary Magazine. I suppose it can't be TOO bad then, can it?

through the misty valleys he travels forth

across the rice fields and bustling towns

his eyes portray false happiness - not mirth

and his vague smile is in fact, a frown

in his small pack he carries only food

but his sordid past weighs down his dark soul

the assassin within shows not in his light mood

has his darkened youth taken not its toll?

kenshin's dirty blade cannot be wiped clean

but he fights for justice and kills no one

will such attempts to scour it be in vain?

a test confronts him as an old foe comes

as his carefree eyes morph into reddish orbs

his nearly cleaned sword is soiled once more.