lovely story. Hiko and Kenshin were both in character, which was great, and you certainly are a wonderful writer. *Faves*

You have captured a bittersweet moment as Hiko's way to help Kenshin overcome his trauma will be what leads him both to his mazing abilities and his need to save the world. I like how arrogantly Hiko recognizes that he is a hard physical act to follow but doesn't realize the full weight of the burden he has placed on Kenshin.

I really like this. Hiko is definitely in character and Kenshin is very believable as a traumatized child. The only thing that bugs me is the time disparity between Hiko bringing him home "only yesterday" and Kenshin dreaming of the girls "every night". Perhaps if Hiko brought him home a week ago or even a couple days ago, it would fit a little better. Then Kenshin would have several nights of trauma (gosh, that sounds cruel!) and Hiko several days of frustration (he needs it!) and it would bring this scenario to a head at a point where Hiko is about to scream and Kenshin is a basket case. Much more impact, I think. I like the fact that he has to make the choice, because he said in the manga, when Megumi confronted him about the injuries caused by his sword style, that he had walked into it knowing the choice he made. You've got a nice little tie-in there. Excellent piece of work.

~twp

Very nice! I really enjoyed the story, particularly your characterization of Hiko and Shinta. You did a wonderful job of depicting Hiko's innate arrogance. "Of course he wouldn’t be as good-looking as Hiko, or have even a margin of his strength but Hiko acknowledged that he was a hard ideal to live up to." Hiko-sama, you are indeed a hard act to follow! I also appreciated how maturely Shinta addressed his issues. All in all, congratuations on writing an excellent story! And thank you for sharing it!