The characters growing old is always a bit of a jarring thought.

brittney

i find that it's easier to just sit at my daughter's house than to trudge on home -especially when it's late. might as well stick around with a good hot meal and warm company. lovely.

gin

aw. i know it's a cliched and relatively barren response, but i have nothing that could express my reaction to this piece any better. i felt the warmth of teh kitchen in my heart like i could almost hear the sweet hearth light ringing deep behind my eyes.

wow..haha.. when i first started reading this i first thought it was SAitou for some reason, and then SAno and then realized it was Hiko when Kenshin said Master...haha..anyway. great job!

I've only read a few of fictions from the Rorouni Kenshin category. All of which are written by LadyRhiyana. Don't get me wrong though. Rorouni Kenshin is one anime that I treat as the "classics" -for my age, anyway- which have a really nice animation and colorful story-line. To simply put it, in three little words, I love it.

Anyhow, I know what you mean, in your profile page, about the reviews. It's exciting, getting reviews. But then, you end up facing a brick wall, a dead end.

To the real review: (hihi) I have not been able to watch the OVA's of Samurai X (Rorouni Kenshin) as it is seldom aired in my country. I might borrow my friend's, if she gets past her trauma of having to ask and wait for the borrower to return the dvd's to her. I said those because I can't imagine Kenshin being an old man at all. !wince! Sorry. Hiko, sure... he somtimes is referred to as an old man. But isn't, physically, one- c'mon! Girls in the anime are still attracted to him.

I thought one of the characters was Saito. I'm not really sure why though. Help me figure, if you can. The withered scars really helped distinguished Kenshin. I only got it that the other old man -large man- was Hiko, when I read the word "master".

“Baka! I’ve told you not to call me that anymore!” It made me smile. Simple things. Just reminds me of Scrubs (Doctor Cox telling JD not to call him "Doctor 'Cox'"). Or, a grandfather not wanting to be recognized as one. Vanity, I tell you.

Mmn. Something sweet for the heart.

Not just old, but ancient. How could they expect this development indeed? Especially as a Hiten Mitsurugi master likely doesn't expect to make it to an old age if he takes on an apprentice, and a man who held his life as cheaply bought from the very beginning. Lovingly foolish the both of them, and full of surprises even near the end.

aww. for some reason, the word "cute" keeps coming to mind . my favorite line is most definitely: "Peering up through faded red bangs, the younger man spoke softly—a simple heartfelt plea, “Please, master.”" the line is just as simple and heartfelt as you describe it to be. short but sweet - it's beautiful!

Somehow, this is a very sweet story. Short - but sweet.

Nice to see they've made it this far. Kind of a true happy ending.

Liked it a lot!

Lovely! Of course Seisohen never happened.

Kenshin deserves to live to a ripe old age, and as for Hiko, it's nice that he always has a place where he is welcome.

The beginning prose was so peaceful, and the way it alluded to the past...

and then Kaoru, now a great cook..._

The whole 'Master/Baka' bit was so cute!

Some things never change..and then Hiko's feelings at the end...

*appreciative sigh*

Haha! Kenshin as an old man! I love it!

I liked it! I especially liked the notion that Hiko and Kenshin would end up living near each other and turning into the sort of friends who could just sit on the porch and shoot the breeze with each other on summer afternoons.

Best of all, in your story that dratted thrice accursed OAV 'Reflections' never happened.

Having Hiko reconsider Kenshin's offer to have him stay to dinner was the icing on the cake. And 'Maybe just this once' would turn into Hiko moving in with Kenshin and Kaoru to spend the last years of his life with people who love him like family.

Great story all around!

Very cute piece; I really enjoyed this :) I love the idea of them still hanging around each other in their old age :D Always great to see something new from you!

Heh. I liked it. Only problem I can see is that there are so many big men in the story that I spent the whole time trying to figure out who it was, so a hint that said 'Hiko' would have been a help. After all, it could have been Sano, Saitou...even Aoshi, maybe... XD But nice job, anyway.

Welcome back! You were missed. It was a treat to get a story alert with your name on it.

I was surprised at the identity of Kenshin's companion until the line about climbing up the mountain. This was so much better than having it be Saito. I like the idea of two Hiten masters who were never meant to be alive at the same time sharing a drink in their old age. I loved your phrase, "drinking sake together just as though they had lived quiet lives..."

I enjoyed the ending. They may be two old men to outsiders but they are still master and deshi to each other, or at least Kenshin uses that to skillfully manipulate his master while letting him keep his pride.

Hmm...