You still have things to live for

Inspired by the Gintama anime soundtrack "Kokoha Samurainokunida "

(speaking as the anime protagonist, Sakata Gintoki)

You know...if I were to count the number of corpses I had to walk over, I'd easily fall asleep
Though what did I fight for? what did that lead to in the end? beats me...what matters now is that I still have things left to keep

At one point I thought we were fighting for glory
But what would bring that? when we were abandoned by our country
Then I thought we were fighting for honour
But I quickly knew better than to say that about us four

Takasugi, katsura, Sakamoto... we were never the type to go down in history pages anyway
In the end we lost the war, plain and simple, and each went his separate way
Now this country is barely its former self, covering its humiliation with ships and fancy buildings all over
Not that I cared, because our fight from the beginning was never for this nation, can't give a thought about her
We fought as Shoyo's students, for him, and for his ideals, clinging to what he taught and shared
And when given the choice, I had to do what had to be done: either pick him, or you guys
Despite your pleas for me to leave you and save him, that could simply not be the case
As to really protect Shoyo, he and I both knew that meant protecting his students: us whom he cherished
So I did what I did, there is no regret about that, now sensei perished

For the longest part, I lived empty since then. living as a man with no goal
So much for the person called "the white yaksha" during war, though guess now I outlived my role
Or at least that's what I believed, until I met people who picked me up from the dirt
And in them I saw Shoyo's light once again, inviting me again to that warmth despite still feeling hurt

How ironic, I went from a rebel sentenced to execution
To a broken man who was once a figure of revolution
To simply a normal man running an odd jobs business
How the mighty have fallen right? but who cares
Shoyo's gone, but his will remains
be it in others like him, or us his students who have swords for brains

Now I live to keep that warmth after finding it again
To protect those who dragged me from despair this time, and not let them experience that pain
Takasugi, Katsura, Sakamoto... seems like even for people like us there are still things we can hold on to
They may not look like much, but they are enough, and we better not lose them too

Amid that despair after the war, there was a time when I was seeking how to give my life a much-needed end
Until I remembered telling one of you:" If you have time to fantasize about a beautiful end"
"Then live beautifully till the end"