I love this take on katamari. jubei is an awesome character. i like your detail.

Awesome story! You should see it through, it has great potential! I mean, you really did a great job with the characterization and descriptions. Definately has me hooked!

This is an incredibly wonderful story, it is enthralling, are you ever going to continue it? I really hope you are, I cannot wait until Yumi and Kamatari see each other...please continue.

OH! I love how you portrayed Kamatar in this! He is indeed a onnagata, sso feminine...this was a fantastic chapter.

You are wrong there, I love the pairing, and I love your fanficton. I've been reading all the Shishio/Yumi ones I can find, and most of them suck. This one is very, very good. You illustrate a vivid picture with your writing. I am thoroughly enjoying it. These two are so, adorable together. *laughs* And they both truly love eachother, and it is rare for such an evil, bad man, to have such pure (ok, maybe not so pure, but he does love her) feelings...

A fascinating portrayal...it's shame that there's so many great fic's that don't get finished.

i'm very saddened that you havent updated this story since 2003! I've not yet read a Yumi/Shishio fic, and it intrigued me. And it's well-written, with powerful characters.

I think FF. Net messed up your formatting. Every thing's one huge paragraph.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful story!

Please say that you are not dead! You can't leave us hanging like that! I want to read more of the story...

It's one of the best ShishioYumi fics I've read so far, it's very well writen... Good job!

:) great story. i encourage you to continue it!:) i like the very unadulterated portrayal of yumi and shishio.:) please update!:)

Please please PLEASE say that you will at some point update this story? I'm now totally dying to see how this is going to turn out. It makes me sad to think you won't continue with this, but I'm going to keep an eye out just in case.

Love the characters, love the story and am now utterly fascinated by the Shishio-Yumi relationship on a deeper level than "Good God how did those two get together?" Thank you, and please update it, you've got an awesome thing here.

Ack! How did I miss this story? I ought to have been reading it all along. I think I may have shied away from it once before due to Yumi's rather...ah...distasteful profession, but since you aren't going to be graphic about it, I'm happy to read it.

Why do you say the last chapter is 'terrible'? I think you did very well, and you didn't rush Yumi into an immediate attraction for Shishio, which a lesser author would have done. You did a great job with Soujiro too, portraying him as chillingly sociopathic while maintaining that air of childish innocence that made him such an unsettling opponent for Kenshin during the Kyoto arc. Jubei, my favorite character so far, is a great linchpin who holds the story together, and while I'll never like or approve of Kamatari, at least he's firmly on Jubei's side. For now, anyways. It'll be interesting to see when and how he ends up switching his allegiance to Shishio. Looking forward to it!

At last, a story with substance. That's what's really upsetting with most stories today (and I'm talking about all sorts of stories, not just RK fics), they don't have depth, something to stir our minds. hehe. (Then they blame it on "artistic license"!)

Anyway, chap4 was the best part yet. And I'm sure more of that will come (if you decide to update this. But don't forget "Against the Sea...":p) In ch5, Houji cowering? There must be really something about that Takei that makes Houji feel... uneasy. Hmm...what could that be? So even Shishio looks more considerate compared to that Takei?

All in all, this fic's very well written, LOVE the plotline and you sure know when to have panoramas & scenes b/c every chapter was never boring. Pls. at least say that you'll update it someday...:p

I positively devoured this story. I love your descriptions and your portrayal of Yumi and Soujirou. But because this story has gone so long without an update, I'm afraid that I and the other readers will never see it finished, and that's not a probability that I look forward to.

If you eventually return to writing this story, I know that I would certainly read it. I wish I had found it sooner; you've done a marvelous job and kept everyone in character while incorporating realistic original characters. I'm still on my toes. Please don't forget that there are people still reading!

This is a fascinating back story for Yumi and Shishio. I love your writing and the way you explore the characters' relationships. I wouldn't want this story to slow down "Against a Sea of Troubles", but I hope you do get back to this eventually. Very original.