Thank you! This is the best story of Saitoh and Tokio

I love how Saitou rolled his eyes and Okita is genuinely confused when the psycho women give the ridiculous feminist mumbo jumbo speech LOL

That cop comin with the letter and caring her had me laughing lol poor Tokio

I want to favorite this and favorit you as an author because at 30 years old in 2021 your story just mada me bawl silently.
Thank you for creating such a beautiful world

Ack yet one more reread at 4 am and yet another cri. This is seriously one of the most beautful stories imma ever read.

I read this story for the first time 12 years ago when I was a teenager. I thought about it once and awhile over the years and after re-reading it now it is still one of the best fanfictions for any fandom that I have ever read. I was so happy to find it again. This story is brilliantly written and will always hold a spot in my heart. You were able to give the characters so much life and I still cried when I read the last chapter.

OMG I was crying at the end. So perfect. Now I need chocolate dammit!

I picked up this fanfic as a casual read and for the most part it was in the beginning. But as I kept reading, I continued to invest more and more as you dazzled me with your intriguing characterization of the cast as well as adding your own characters. Before I knew it I was reading the last chapter and losing myself once I felt them pass on and stow away themselves in my heart forever. Your story moved me beyond what words are able to describe. Rarely do I get the feeling of wanting to forget something only to go through it again, but now all I wish for is to forget so that I can go through the experience of reading it all over again. Thank you so much for creating this story.

I ended up rewatching Rurouni Kenshin and then thought I should look for some Saitou/Tokio stories. I stumbled upon yours and I have been deeply enthralled with your writing. I sincerely appreciate your attention to detail and the fleshing our of all the characters. Some parts I was unsure how I felt but you always tied it in nicely with the plot. This has truly been a pleasure to read and is certainly a favorite of mine. Thank your for providing us readers with such a wonderful fic and congrats on the end of a successful story.

Darn it, the URL I've posted got deleted... Never mind, try looking for "ibo kinsuba" and maybe on the first page of google results you'll find a google books entry, for a book "heart of the sword". But it is this fanfic

I'm reading this for the second time, and I'm enjoying it even more. The *best* take on Saito&Tokio relationship, I believe.

But the reason I want to post a comment is to ask: did you make a book out of this fanfic? Because googling some words and stuff I've come across this: /SsaAAW
It is your fanfic, but are you "mark chin"?

Been looking for stories about Saitou's wife. This story is the best. Reading this in 2017. :)

Ah, Saitou Hajime might be an honourable man, but he still has pieces of darkness in his soul (there is a good reason why he gained the nickname the Wolf of Mibu). You've managed to show that very well with the depth of the character pieces. It was interesting to see the way Saitou punishes himself by staying away, trying to restore his own sense of honour to himself. I'm also enjoying the additional sides to Tokio that we get to see slowly as they spend more time together, as well as her new resolution to simply stay with him for now because she finds herself fascinated by the flame of his duty.

The first thing that stood out to me about the story is the characters. They are so vivid that I could see them stand out from the story as their own people.

The vividness of Tokio herself and a peek into the life of Hachiko Izumi was a very welcome surprise. It's not always easy to write in a historical setting involving female characters as there are too many pitfalls that most writers usually fall to. It's all too easy to write them as damsels-in-distress, for one, or to be independent in a way that is anachronistic/too modern for the era (a well-educated woman said to live in such an era better have a realistic back story that explains how she gets all her knowledge, for one). You've managed to write Tokio as a woman who knew her own mind and knows the challenges she would face trying to survive in her current time, but without turning her into a Sue. I take my hat off for that.

Of course, it stands to reason that your characterisation of Saitou is also spot on. He detaches himself from most day-to-day affairs, but he's always driven by his love for his country. Yet trying to write his agency doesn't present as many pitfalls as it would trying to write Tokio's, so I still think that writing her is harder (and that you've managed the greater achievement on that front).

Also, excellent details on Saitou's job! Yes, he'd have to do a lot of information gathering, what with him having to build a case to his superiors. I enjoy the way he was trying to teach Tokio about it and ease her into supporting his job. It also explains why he hadn't really thought much over involving her in it - he wasn't madly in love with her when he married her and theirs was mostly a marriage of convenience (and his guilt for skewering her), so why shouldn't he get her assistance for work-related matters? That was an excellent setup of their situation on your part.\

Okita is also mostly in character, for what few glimpses in the past and flashback that we get. I find some parts of his last quoted words in the chapter a little odd/unusual for someone of his background, but it's a trivial detail. It's probably the modern-sounding words that piqued my weird-meter.

I find it extremely hard to tear myself away from this story but *screams fangirlishly* Okita has a secret daughter! I love the way you portray all the characters.