Metamorphoses:

16th year of the Meiji era

By Meii-chan

"The strong live; the weak die. The truth of life."

My life, in whatever state, a curse to humankind;

My smile, a key to a forgotten lock;

My thoughts, only capable of feeling comfort;

This is how I have lived.

I know killing is wrong,

My heart says this.

The key turns,

Binds fall,

Unlocked.

I awaken,

And finally understand.

To feel untamed fury,

Sorrow and happiness with others…

Living like this is my wish.

My thoughts, observances of other simple lives;

My smile, a living emotion, no longer bound;

My life, a fire burning through winter's deep cold.

"Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. The truth of life."

To be continued…

Author's notes: No, I did not spell the title wrong. It is supposed to be metamorphoses (plural) as opposed to metamorphosis (singular). Despite the structure of the reverse diamonte poem, it is supposed to emphasize numerous changes instead of one really big change. Of course, it does seem almost too identical to all of the other revelation Soujiro poems out there…perhaps that's my fault. My original intention wasn't to make it seem like Soujiro got Amakekeru Ryuu no Hirameki'ed again (Ah, so now Kenshin's final attack gets turned into a verb…); it was to show the changing perceptions of how Soujiro viewed himself.

Yes, instead of having Soujiro realize what was wrong as a final statement, I had him find this "truth." And I do think it's one that everyone can apply in their lives within legal boundaries. I mean, life wouldn't have any purpose if you just exist. In my opinion, that was the flaw of Shishio's theory: "If you're strong, you live." Yes, you live, but what would be the point of living if there are no more people around (since they're all weaker than you, they died.)? "If you're weak, you die." Then why do people bother living anyway? (There's always someone stronger in different qualities.)

(6/21/05) Hmm…I have no idea why I wrote all that stuff before…I couldn't update because ff . net wouldn't let me! for some odd reason whenever I tried to update, the update page didn't show up! Sorry to all you who have been waiting!

Anyway, Thanks to the reviewers who reviewed! (There's a lot of you!)

Another Baka: Thank you (big grin as well) , since ff . netwon't let me use symbols:

MYTAMPHUCUONG tặng MYTA FAN: Don't worry! I'm not going to abandon it, since I already wrote the subsequent chapters! (Aren't I a genius?)

Hồ Thị Ngọc Đào: Thanks!

IKnowNot: Yeah, I think I figured out the difficulty of free form the hard way, especially since the poetry I used to write for school was pretty much structured and rigid. (I remember counting syllables on my fingers for an hour…) When I'm done posting the entire collection, I'll go back and edit in places that I think should be edited. Anyway, thanks for such a long review!

Anonymous Freak: If only I could…and actually finish it.

Leona Westley: Yeah, and right when you think you've escaped into summer vacation, it assaults you with tons of homework! X.x

Mysterious Samurai: Thank you!

Erica Madarine: Thanks! I will, I will!