Interesting how you made the events go into a loop like that. (Thanks for defining anata; I thought it literally meant husband.)

brittney

Kenshin in a nutshell... all wrapped up prettily in well-crafted imagery and imagination. Three cheers!

Great progression of Kenshin's life, using snow as the common theme. I like how it comes full circle with Kenshin as the father waiting to pounce on his son.

Ah, my. I see my cousin, little scamp that she is, has already reviewed this. Well, I'm far too tired tonight to grump that she's got even more time to read and rest (importance to me usually in that order) than I do anymore-and that she harassing me in the forums a bit...but I echo her whole heartedly: absolutely delightful.

For reasons I can't quite explain, my favorite part was the description of the assassin. The snow is an ally, though a trecherous one, and the snow is a tool, though one that causes him pain. Echoes sad and familiar the very road of his life at that point.

I also liked the years of wandering segment. I also found the small and few revelations of these days delicately sad and lonely. I imagined he walked in memories at the same time he tried to protect the future. And that does sound like the master; certainly the ice-melt river is fine for bathing all year round.

And I loved the full circle: Kenshin and his father, Kenji and his. There are many hidden, subtle things to that I'll probably think-and smile-about for a while, whether you mean them or not. Very beautiful writing indeed.

Wow. That was beautiful. A brief flashback of Kenshin's most important moments with snow: the good and the bad. I especially love the first and last parts. To begin with Shinta and his father playing on the snow and end it with Kenshin playing with his kid. It's very sweet. I so love this.:P

Absolutely delightful. As if each time I blinked, I saw a different scene of snow. Almost like dreaming, gentle even in a harshest parts. I really, really liked this.

What a beautiful arc to this story as you reveal Kenshin's past with the snow. I love how you echo the sweetness and sense of fun and love implicit in Shinta's play with his family with Kenshin's stalking of his own son. His determination, his crimes, his anguish and his growth and recovery are all there.

*glomps*

oh oh oh oh oh! i love it! i LOVE fics that bring kenshin's story full circle, and this one does it so beautifully, all woven around the snow... lovely!

sirius:)

I really like the way you tied the cycles of snow, both short and seasonal, in with the cycles of Kenshin's life. There is such a calm quiet to the idea of snow that fits the turning of Kenshin's life so well. Another exquisite piece.

And of course I especially enjoyed the chibi-Kenshin portion!

Wow! What an amazing story idea, linking snow to the various scenes from Kenshin's life, and going full cycle from father to son.

Beautifully written! I loved the descriptive word pictures like "warm firelight from inside the hut throws a long yellow trail out the open door, nearly reaching the big tree's trunk" and the informative touches about having to keep tabi dry to avoid hypothermia, and how Kenshin the assassin when barefoot to avoid slipping and leaving footprints.

That sort of thoughtful approach to stories is really hard to find. Awesome job!

Descriptive flowing prose. The beggining fits seamlessly with the end. The battousai part is specially vivid.

Snow has been both kind and cruel, the fic is beautiful. Great read.

Bye

I hear the sounds of "The Circle of Life" swelling in the background, but don't take that as some kind of sarcastic criticism-it really does describe this story perfectly. It's so succinct, yet it hits everything just right. Need I add that I really liked this story?

I like the cute father-son bookend scenes (it's good that Kenshin has something good to remember about his father, and pass onto Kenji). The mixture of good/neutral/terrible memories creates a nice picture of Kenshin over the years. They're all arcing, interconnecting drabbles, aren't they? That's a nice touch.

That was very good! It's interesting to consider that although terrible things happened to Kenshin in the snow, there were undoubtedly still good things that happened, too. I particularly liked the way you started and ended the story with father and son scenes. Very good, indeed! Thanks!