Fanstatic. Thus this concluded the 6th time I read this spectacular piece of work.

I'm seriously addicted to Lestaki's writing. Too bad he mostly will not do ShizNat again... T_T

Wow that was quite a read but well worth it. I particularly enjoyed the Fujinos :)

Now I only have a couple of critiques:

The use of the phrase "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less". This is a particular pet peeve of mine when reading stories.

Also there were a few errors/typos, for example vassal instead of vessel, confidant instead of confident. Little things that could be easily corrected with a decent beta give the story a once-over.

I'm quite sure you've appropriated all of the world's eloquence for use in this story, so I'll just say: thank you for writing it.

Still on my way to read this fic the fifth time, my love for it still did not subside at all. If anything everytime I read it again, I found another layer of meaning or word-play that I missed before. Ha, this is so much like getting to know a lover over and over again.

Wow! This was a freaking awesome story!! I got really into this story. I actually cried when Shizuru got shot and she fainted! I know it was silly b/c of course she would live, but just imagining how Natsuki was feeling b/c she didn't know. Also reading how Shizuru growing and moving on. Natsuki growing up and realizing her feelings for Shizuru. All very touching. A really amazing story.

I usually skip long paragraphs and jump straight to the dialogue, but there's something about your writing that keeps drawing me in. 77 chapters + 400k+ words = Awesome!

Just an absolutely wonderful fic. By at the same time refusing to accept that serious actions can pass without serious consequences, but simultaneously not rejecting the hope the "reset button" ending provided, you have constructed an excellent exploration of redemption, forgiveness, and love, and of the effect of the extraordinary and of people trying to cope with its end.

Shizuru's character is drawn to precision: her outward veneer, her inner suffering, her martyr complex and genuine guilt combined with her longing. Natsuki is perhaps more introspective than I'd have expected at a casual glance, but it's not as out of character as it would seem: any character who so steadfastly maintains a gap between her outer and inner selves will inevitably have an active mental existence; that's something not to overlook just because Natsuki's veneer is one of outgoing brashness and aggressive stances. Likewise, the Fujino family is perfectly designed and well-drawn (I must say--this is a fine example of the author choosing a story which suits his style, although the handling of Mikoto and Tate shows that just because you excel at circituous, multi-layered dialogue doesn't mean that you're shackled to it when it doesn't belong--but even so, Shizuru, Viola, Hideko, Saaya, Shinri, and Natsuki all love to carry on those kind of conversations in one way or another).

I'm especially glad that there was a full novel's worth of word count after the love confession. As anyone who's actually been in a relationship knows, that's when all the interesting things happen anyway. And considering how long Natsuki's journey to getting there was (and Shizuru's journey to being able to accept it), it's important that the payoff be equally affecting.

Probably the best part of the story is the way both lead characters genuinely, consistently change over time. At the end, they're not who they were at the beginning of the story (indeed, the best part about the last line is not its gag value, but how it shows a Natsuki who's comfortable enough with Shizuru and with their relationship to tease her) and it's a journey that we can actually see happening, sometimes with little baby steps and sometimes with quick jumps.

The hostage arc subplot seemed "tacked on" but not "out of place" or "forced." To try and explain better, it doesn't directly grow out of the main plot arc but merely hovers around it, independently. Nonetheless, it gives a window for the characters to act in, and in a story of this length it helps to drive home that the characters do not live in a vacuum--that the world did not stop happening just because two people decided that it was time to work out their personal issues. And it further helps to tie off the original canon metaplot issues that were left dangling, so that it maintains the reality of the world as a whole. Oh, yeah, and the action scenes were great and the drama maintained throughout, so, y'know, entertainment value. ^_- Plus it gave a spur to have Shizuru confess all to her parents, something that wouldn't have happened naturally for another 20-30 chapters or so had it not been for the extreme situation, so that was also good.

By the way, I have to say that while I would never actually want to interact with Shinri in real life, I found him to be a wonderful character from the first. The best thing about him is that, once you cut out the influence of personal background, he's so much like Natsuki that she might as well be looking in a mirror! The other OCs as well as the canon characters were also well-handled...and I have to agree with the previous reviewer who commented that you'd performed the impossible task of making Shiho somehow sympathetic!

I wish I could point at more of the various individual moments that really shone through, but the sheer number of them was pretty well overwhelming. All in all, though, an excellent piece of work.

So it took me like three days to read this entire thing.

It's AWESOME.

It was so I guess deep and complex. The character development was amazing, how Natsuki came to realize she loved Shizuru, and how Shizuru dealt with her past and her inner demons.

Overall this is ridiculously well-written. I'm so glad I came across it. Thanks for writing such an epic fanfic lol.

It's really great, makes you think and those are the best kinds in my opinion.

I mean you really feel you know the characters, and Natsuki and Shizuru's bond is so real and strong. It wasn't just lovey-dove fluff.

Your style is also very interesting. Block paragraphs of them thinking deeply about something and then lots of great dialogue. Im very impressed. And this is definitely the longest review I've ever written.

Anyways yeah, awesome job. I'm sad it's ended but you ended it well. (which is super hard)

-Shayp

I enjoy the inner workings of Natsuki's and Shizuru's minds as you put them so eloquently, or maybe not so eloquently as blunt in Natsuki's case (which is why I'm enjoying you fic so much).

Shizuru's longing and worries seem to wash away from her as soon as she hear Natsuki's voice; I found that very sweet, even though the apprehension is still there.

I'm glad that you brought Reito into the story, however. If anyone understood an inkling about Shizuru I believe it would be him. So let us hope it will be helpful to Shizuru in some way, to have someone, anyone, to at least speak to regarding certain things (Natsuki) in her life. Or at least take her mind of it (her).

Again, the story is going good so far. I shall keep reading and enjoying. Thank you.

"Broken glass still glitters, but it isn’t whole."

That line stood out for me. No matter how one tries to fluff up the story between these two, Natsuki and Shizuru I mean, that one line seems to sum them up as a hole.

They are our favorite couple of the story and we relish in the thought of reading about them or extending their story just a little bit more (well, at least I do). But if you were an honest writer, or rather a canon one, you would stick to this one line that seems to depict them so perfectly.

They did shine, in my eyes. They glitter like gold. However, just like broken glass, they weren't whole. And they seemed to be always on the lookout for crazy glue. The question is, will they ever find it?

Well that's enough of my crazy and foolish interpretations of your first chapter, LOL. I enjoyed the first chapter and look forward to reading more. You seem to have a good grasp of these characters feelings and I can't wait to see what happens next, therefore, I shall read on. Hahaha!

Phew. Okay, took me a few days, but I finally finished it. Completely your fault that I was so drawn into this that I've quite literally hardly done anything else in my free time since I started reading this. Makes me a bit suspicious actually. Are you a professional writer? Not surprised if you are, and if you aren't, then you totally could be. Hmm, don't really know what compliments I can think of that you haven't heard already, and absolutely no criticism comes to mind...so. I loved it. Very much. One of the best fics I've ever read, and I really don't say that too often.

Windows of the soul, I loved every bit of this story, it was so dreamy, emotional and romantic and dont mention the tension with the hostage situation, and the assassination attack in fact.I was on the edge of my seat at that point.
But this is now, one of my all time favourites in the Mai Hime collection and it has taken me two weeks to read, thank you, it was something I was looking foward to after school. Out of the Mai Hims fics yours is so far, the most deatiled and highly expressed with Shizurus and Natsuki emotions I have ever read, including my own sadly. But it was lacking shiznat action lolzx. Please I hope you consider writing a new one for the series, mabye a Mai Otome 1 I will look foward to it if sox

awesome! I couldn't stop reading this, love them, and your writing great job.

Consider me another sleep deprived fan. I read most of this in the last day or so and it's epic! Funny, heart breaking, thought provoking, with good characterisation, plot development and well rounded ocs as well. I think I liked your handling of the other Hime in particular and especially Shiho's oneesama gag. Loved it =)

if one is searching for a romantic fic, they might not be satisfied by this.
but nonetheless, it's a great story on how the characters develop and how they manage their emotions.