Kaoru is really and amazing character!

HOW have I not yet reviewed this story!? Ugh, it's amazing, great, other superlatives. I love the hand conversations. I love the line about "tenderness" when he saves Yahiko. Really, it's brilliant, thanks.

Loved the story. And Kaoru certainly is NOT a replacement.

Oh my god, so beautifully written. I felt every touch, every emotion. Bravo! I wanted to cry... But the tone was written with so much hope, that I didn't. :)

Wonderful!

Ari chan

pretty impressive. very good chronology.

i enjoyed this oneshot very much! it was very well written!

This is a beautiful piece. It is amazing that in your spare but elegant way you capture the sweep of the manga from Kaoru's POV. I loved the image of talking with their hands and then the moment when their hands were too busy touching to be talking. I also thought the way you sketched out Kaoru's life and concerns before she met Kenshin was well done. The worry she has of others dishonoring her father and how it changes to her concern that she is dishonoring herself and his legacy fits Kaoru's personality and life.

oh wow, what a beautifully written oneshot. i loved the hand conversations - so well done. i enjoyed this very much! _

I love this story! Absolutely beautiful!

The first months after Kaoru’s father died are brilliant, very good character research.

The hands conversations are great, so soft, so warm… “And their hands were speaking again, but sometimes they spoke too, aloud, and that was even better, warmer.” Wow!

And even Jinchuu! “She spent three weeks in limbo, doing nothing but cook badly and watch a sick man plan his revenge. They spent three weeks in hell.” So many emotions in just few words.

Favourited right away. Thanks for sharing, keep on writing!

This was just what I was looking for. Kaoru's mastery of herself. Dealing with issues, falling apart, needing help, but still able to stand up. Not that she can win over anything but that she can cope with anything, even herself.

It's got an excellent cadence, twelve steady beats. I love her perspective - not just Kaoru but the core of Kaoru. I love Kenshin (the hand conversations!) - the hope and love and exasperation and uncertainty all tangled together into one emotion.

I also especially love that you gave her a believable history - the pre-Kenshin months just seemed so right, so real. Her father seemed right - the strength he projected defining Kaoru's love for him and wrapping walls around her world.

And if I keep on I'll just rephrase every word you've written, so... obviously... I liked it. :}

you do my favorite thing in this: by almost-excessive restraint, by turning down the volume on detail and angst, you pull our hearts way deep into the story, into our memories of canon, and our own imaginations fill in the ache and pain and joy. excellent work!

Absolutely beautiful! Amazing! Wonderful piece - conveys her thoughts and emotions so beautifully, subtly, carefully, like a caress - absolutely wonderful Kaoru piece. This is one of my two favorite Kaoru works on the whole fanfiction site!

A good, succinct summary of the manga from Kaoru's POV. It's quite amazing to realize the entire series really only spans nine months. It seems so much longer.

i love it