Ahh what a great story! Daaang those almost-meetings with Kenshin though- the anticipation! I don't wanna use my imagination cause this writing can make it so much better XD XD And what a lovely couple, Soujiro and Tae. What made you think of putting them together? Because you made it work! You depicted Soujiro's characyer really well. Soujiro is one of my favorite characers but writing him I feel like is super hard because he was basically in the role as Shishio's right-hand man and he's difficult to portray because he's a genuis but also super naive and how do we make him believable after that whole breakdown and figuring hings out himself like Kenshin did. But your depiction is very believable! Aaaand now back to studying finals, back to reality-op here comes gravity...

Thank you for this story! Maybe one day you'll continue, yeah? XD

I love this story. Its beautiful.

It's a very unusual pairing, but you made it work, truly! Please update soon. I loved your writing.

P/S: I like Ayezur too

At first, I was a little iffy on reading this because I never even thought of the idea of Soujiro and Tae. But I am so glad I did read it because this story is amazing. Believe me when I say that I most definitely SHIP THIS COUPLE THEY ARE AMAZING TOGETHER. Can't wait for when Kenshin and Soujiro actually get to meet face to face again!

This is a very unique piece - I don't believe I've come across any other RRK story for Soujiro/Tae. You write it very convincingly though, and I can't help but cheer them on, although Soujiro's perspective perturbs me a bit. What exactly does he want? Especially when he's trying to convince himself that Tae is only a means to an end, though he clearly knows he'd regret hurting her...

Can't wait for the next update!

This was so good and expertly written, I wish you could continue it. :)

Reply to Meech Macko: "I like the realistic touch here...and Soujirou has defeated Battousai or Kenshin...when at the first duel he broke Kenshins Sakabatou...It was a sort of victory...in a way...he broke Kenshins sword...I believe he is the only one who can truly match Kenshin..."

Excuse me? He's "defeated Battousai"? Uuhh, no. Yes, in their first duel, he broke Kenshin's sword, but Kenshin completely destroyed the one Soujirou borrowed from Shishio - and that shit was supposed to be tough. It was a draw, at best. Soujirou got a draw with Kenshin.
If Kenshin went full Battousai on his ass, he wouldn't've even lasted for half as long. Kenshin is now always holding back in fights because of his no-kill policy; he's got to make sure he can win, not get killed or injured in a way that would kill him, and not kill his opponent all at the same time. That takes major fuckin' skill (like Hiko, who used real swords for training Kenshin but wielded it in a way that wouldn't slice open his apprentice). Can you say that about Soujirou who, by all rights, would not have been holding back at all (given his berserker freak out-break down)? I don't think so.

And "I believe he's the only one who can truly match Kenshin"? What? Oh my god, you're being serious right now aren't you? There's gotta be a top-five list about which character can "match" up to Kenshin, and Soujirou ain't one. So he broke Kenshin's sword that he'd been using for a whole damn decade with an ultra-rare type of sword, sought after by tons of people specifically for it's durability and make (that Kenshin cracked in return with only a reversed blade), and suddenly you think Soujirou is a match for Battousai!Kenshin..? *facepalm*

Ughhh! Soujiro, NOOOOO!
And it's apparent now that he's wrapped in denial. He's well aware that he has feelings for her, but maintains that emotions are unnecessary. And that he has no emotions. What hypocrisy! How incredibly beautifully human!
And now, starts the endless pleas for you to PLEASE come out of your hiatus!
Keep up your amazing work!

"You caught me." Admittedly I didn't understand what she meant until Soujiro's realization. But what a confession! Subtle but impossible to misinterpret.
Onwards!

I don't know how to convey how talented I think you are. I've used the words AMAZING, GREAT etc so many times that they don't do this chapter justice.
I sincerely expected the date to be some kind of awkward but good date that would end with Soujiro's growing feelings, and well I think I got some latter part of it right, but your artful maneuver from minor romantic plot point to character development was seamless and natural. And Soujiro's reactions were very natural too.
I could continue to gush about this chapter, but I really want to move onto the next one, so Kudos!

Hahaha, Kenji is amazing! He's an absolutely adorable kid. And a little bit of unintended voyeurism too? LOL

Kaoru and Kenshin! Yayy!
Amazing chapter again!

This chapter was AMAZING! And a part of me wanted to hit Yahiko. How oblivious can he get? But then again, if it weren't for him, Tae would have never known that Soujiro was a swordsman.

And "Soujiro knew nothing about seducing women." LOL

Soujiro's curiosity about Kaoru is amusing. And I wonder what his reaction will be when he realises he looks a lot like her.
And your chapter title is well suited. Ill at ease indeed

Kanako is perceptive, much more than everyone else. And I love how you've depicted Soujiro's experiences with Shishio and Yumi as his basic blocks of social interaction. You've done amazing character portrayal. Very few authors create characters as well thought out as yours, and sticking to a predefined character is harder, and you've done it effortlessly. Kudos to you!