Very much true! More than once it was thanks to Kaoru that Kenshin won a battle or keep from break his vow! Great work!

i'm conflicted... the inability or reluctance to communicate ones' feelings as depicted in most anime irritates and frustrates me. my motto: spit it out and let the chips fall where they may, if others don't like it... tough! then again, if they wrote the characters like that, the manga/series would end too quickly /

ginny

Loved it! It shows Kaoru's spiritual strength.

Poetry, pure simple and evocative.

Very nice work, hope to see more, and soon.

Hm. . . that was a very interesting piece. After seeing Tomoe's spirit holding Kenshin at the end of the "Trust and Betrayal" OVA, I can easily see her continuing to watch of him. Thanks!

I like how you portray Tomoe with quiet strength, supporting Kenshin through her silent guardianship. I particularly like the way you characterize Kenshin as a wild creature. You get a sense of a deer on high alert ready to bolt and she is the calming hand. The title and you last line tie thsi togehtr neatly.

Great one-shot! It's the child within Kenshin that keeps him so endearing to the audience. I liked the way you compared him to a forest creature as well!

So sweet. I really like how she's guarding him, protecting him, but at the same time acknowledging both his strength and weakness...

thank you for such an increadible read:)

sirius

I'm no fan of drabbles in general, but since this one isn't a scene, it stands alone fairly well.

Three things baffled me a little. One, the use hyphens. Two, I felt that "his child within" should habe been "the child withing". And finally, "stays his hand at the moment of victory." Why the use of "stays" here? Is it to indicate that the thought of Kaoru is what prevents Kenshin from delivering the killing blow? Or did you mean "steadies"?

Other than that, nice flowing of words, and the rhythm is very well done. Also, nice use of consonances. The style is beautiful to read, sensual and evocative without being sensionalist. It also sums up nicely a relationship that is more complex than what it appears at first glance.

After all, indeed. I love your choices in titles.

This one was very touching... great job! I'm always happy to see when you post these :)