I do like how this all went down. Thanks for writing!

Good grief, Charlie Brown. While I like a good WAFFy ending, myself, and I do not see Seisouhen as canon, I am

You have got me on edge... such a page turner! I went back to the info page to make sure this thing was completed. So glad there are five more chapters, right now it's a tragedy!

Boy am I glad there are 10 more chapters, because at this point, this could be a really sad ending.

Awww. I loved the whole story was so cool! I stayed awake all night it was wonderfuk, I love the fact that through the years even though writers may not be active any more the wonderful stories remain here! So if you read this let me tell you it was a fantastic trip!

This is so beautifully written. I think you captured the thoughts and feelings of the characters beautifully. Thank you for writing this amazing story.

Ahhh I cant believe I read this fanfiction again... and again, and again jajajajaja and I cry everytime.
I really love this fanfic, its very deep and emotional, a beautiful and hard journey you created.
I wish you could write more Ruroken.

well about the seishouhein... I meet Nobuhiro Watsuki this year (2015), and I heard him saying, (the words directly from his japanese mouth) kkkkkkkkk that Seishouhein its not an official end, never was, never will be... its just an alternative story to rurouni kenshin, like the anime, like the movies, like the other OVAS, like the doujinshis, like the fanfictions. The only official Kenshin Himura story is the manga. And Watsuki said more, he said Kenshin Himura NEVER died, Kenshin live forever in his heart and his mind, and Watsuki will never kill him, on the contrary, one day he will come back;
I dont need to say that Watsuki received standing ovation!

I know, everybody know that, but it was very nice to hear the creator say that.

I can't help but going into complete denial about Seisouhen. It's too sad, too tragic, too heart-wrenching that I can't bear it, can't even think of it. However deep inside I'm aware that there is some truth in it, that Kenshin's happiness would not last very long, and that sadness is a part of his character. It saddens me too much to know he wouldn't allow himself to be truly content and happy with a normal life of a husband, a father. Atonement is still his obsession, and like you said, it would eventually rob Kenshin off his peaceful happiness he has. I don't want to acknowledge that ending, I attempt to persuade myself "it's not real, it's not official, it's not true" everyday, just like the way I don't acknowledge Tomoe. In the end, I still know there is that possibility as portrayed in Seisouhen, but today, I don't want to think about it yet.

Ahh, Megumi finally got to understand Kaoru's insecurities huh? Remarkable women like Megumi and Ayumi would never fathom why Kenshin feels so deeply about Kaoru, I guess... Envy is expected. But neither of them allows that envy to swallow them, I respect them about that.

Awyeah, Ayumi vs. Kaoru. I've been waiting for this :D

Ayumi is such a good original character.

Wow, I've been waiting for somebody to write about this exact situation :D

Read the manga. OVA's are always a hot or miss. The manga ended better and you get a better understanding of how Kenshin got over things.

Thanks for writing this story. The quality of your writing style was high, and you were very good at evoking an emotional response. I just about lost it with Ayumi! So much angst. :) I have to say though, these two authors notes at the end here are what have been the most thought-provoking for me this afternoon. I read the manga start to finish years ago, and then saw some of the anime. Just a month or so ago I saw the 2012 live action movie which renewed my interest in RK. So, I've never seen the OVAs. I'd heard they were depressing and that Watsuki did not approve of where they took the story, so I took a pass though I've also always heard they were well done.

You mention above that you feel Kenshin is "a somber man at heart" and also see his life after Tomoe's death and the Bakumatsu as a search for forgiveness. This, to me, does not fit with the portrayal of his character as I understand it. If anything, I see Kenshin as a sweet and caring person at heart, who has made some impulsive and difficult choices when he was very young (not yet 15 and so still legally a child I believe when he joined the Ishin Shishi and killed Akira) and has had to live with their devastating consequences. Kenshin's birth name, Shinta, gives a hint as to how the author felt about his inner character. Hiko first noticed the sweetness of the child, but when he returned found he also possessed great determination and caring, evidenced by his work to bury all the dead in the slave train. Kenshin was not drawn into the Bakumatsu by any sense of duty to a lord, as your story seems to imply in his relationship to Katsura, but rather an idealistic commitment to a peaceful future, not for his liege, but for the common folk. Kenshin was not born samurai-he was a peasant and a slave. His decision to fight for a new era was not about living and dying by the sword, but about creating a better world. After bloodying his hands in the revolution, Kenshin chose life as a wanderer, and here is where I see his path as deviating from that of a "somber man." That might be characterized by Aoshi who chose a contemplative path after realizing the errors of his ways. In going out among the people, Kenshin chose to continue to protect his dream of the new era without killing. I think Kenshin knows, even by the start of the manga, that there can be no forgiveness for his deeds as an assassin. Who can forgive the sort of murder he wrought? That wouldn't work. Even the strictest effort for atonement can't really absolve him of what he's done. Even in the nasty death provided for him in the OVA, there is no forgiveness. A Buddhist outlook will assure us that his deeds will follow his spirit into the next life. Instead, Kenshin has to find a way to honor the lives he has taken, including Tomoe's, by continuing to live the best way he knows how. I think the story of the manga is the last part of Kenshin's journey toward understanding-that to truly honor the sacrifices made in the name of a peaceful era, he must participate in that era, living, working, loving and dying. A zen saying goes: "Before enlightenment, chopping wood and hauling water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and hauling water." A 60s hippie saying goes: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Rurouni Kenshin, to me, beautifully illustrates both.

Anyway, who knows if you will even read this after so much time has passed. Still, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to reflect on Kenshin and the wonderful message his story conveys (even if it's not exactly the same message you took from it :) .) Thanks for your hard work!

I loved this chapter, especially Sano's dialogue. Wonderful job!