Line #146 Fanfic/FrozenMoonlight


1	->''In high school, Kaoru Kamiya escaped from a demon. Five years later, she meets a man who looks awfully familiar...''
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3	[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2247580/1/Frozen_Moonlight Frozen Moonlight]] by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/579516/JaneDrew JaneDrew]] is a Modern Day [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' fanfiction started in 2005.
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5	Our story stars [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kaoru]], trying to survive high school when in comes a [[NewTransferStudent transfer student]] called [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname Battousai]]. A couple weeks later after school hours, she had the bad luck of walking in on him using a sword to cut down several of the popular kids faster and more effectively than any human could. After running, arming herself, and hiding in a closet, Battousai catches up to her. This is followed by Kaoru stabbing him to death, stealing his sword and [[KillItWithFire setting the school on fire]].
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7	This concludes Chapter Three. Of Thirty-Four+.
8
9	[[TimeSkip Five years later]], Kaoru is moving into an apartment right after finishing high school. During the move, a friend of a friend named Kenshin shows up to help with the unpacking, forcing Kaoru to come face to face with a guy who has somehow come BackFromTheDead. It doesn't help that he won't stop hitting on her, either...
10
11	Notably, the plot is told from the perspective of the person who would normally be the LoveInterest, [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] are hung everywhere.
12	-----
13	!!''Frozen Moonlight'' provides examples of:
14
15	%%* AbandonedWarehouse: Where the showdown between Kenshin and Jineh occurs.
16	%%* ActionGirl: Kaoru and Misao.
17	* TheAllegedCar: Kaoru's bike seems to fit this.
18	-->'''Sano''': Somebody ''stole'' your bike? Why would anybody want to steal ''your'' bike? [[DiggingYourselfDeeper Not that there's anything wrong with your bike that would make people not want to steal... I mean, um...]]
19	* AllGirlsLikePonies: "Misao had the gleeful shock of a child who'd suddenly gotten everything they'd ever wanted for Christmas, plus a pony."
20	%%* AlreadyMetEveryone: See also OneDegreeOfSeparation.
21	%%* AlternateUniverseFic
22	* AmplifierArtifact: The demonic swords increase the power of the person they were made for.
23	* AnchoviesAreAbhorrent: Sano likes anchovies. Everyone hates him for it.
24	%%* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Yahiko is Kaoru's younger brother. They are close, but that doesn't stop him from at times hitting this trope.
25	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: “She would rather have faced theft, slander, and hats made out of assorted dead animals.”
26	* BackFromTheDead: Demons are able to bounce back from little things like being killed.
27	* BelligerentSexualTension: Sano and Megumi's relationship fell under this in the past, though they seemed to have worked out most of the kinks. Kaoru and Kenshin are at this point, mostly from Kaoru's side as Kenshin is already smitten.
28	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Kenshin acts quite friendly and considerate to those around him. [[OneManArmy He also slices up large groups of people as part of his job]].
29	* BillBillJunkBill:
30	-->'''Kaoru''': Mail, mail, junk, take-out menu, take-out menu, take-out menu, take-out menu... if Yahiko's been putting take-out menus in my mailbox again, I'm gonna... junk, junk, bill.
31	%%* BuffySpeak
32	* CannotSpitItOut: Sano has a great deal of trouble admitting to Megumi about [[spoiler: Kenshin being a demon and how they met, leaving her as the only person completely LockedOutOfTheLoop]].
33	%%* CasualDangerDialogue
34	* CatScare: When [[BadassCrew Kenshin, Saitoh, and Aoshi]] are going over a crime scene, they all jump when they hear something. And it was...Aoshi's cellphone. His girlfriend was calling. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments The ringtone was the Macarena]].
35	* ChekhovsBoomerang: Early on, Kaoru is wearing a ribbon which Kenshin unties right before she kills him. After the time jump, she finds it tied around some flowers Kenshin left her. Even later, it comes up AGAIN when [[spoiler:he tells her to carry it around for protection]].
36	* ChekhovsExhibit: A museum has a special exhibit displaying swords. Naturally, it was [[spoiler:involved in ThePlan, as one of the not-so-valuable swords was [[BigBad Shishio's]] [[AmplifierArtifact Mugenjin]]. Predictably, it was quickly stolen]].
37	* CombatPragmatist: Kaoru is quite willing to let her opponents think she's helpless while having a knife taped to her wrist.
38	* CombatStilettos: When Misao and Aoshi are attacked on their first date, Misao arms herself with the high heel shoes she'd worn that night.
39	* ContrivedCoincidence: The one where [[spoiler:Saitoh is Kenshin ''and'' Kaoru's coworker for two completely different jobs]]? Or the one where [[spoiler:Kenshin spent time at Kaoru and Sano's high schools' for work, two people who incidentally became friends years later]]? Or [[spoiler:all the demon attacks that happen to people in the same group of friends, often for no discernible reason]]? Yeah, there's a lot of these.
40	* ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing: Luckily, the room Jineh oped to leave Kaoru in after kidnapping her had plenty of sharp objects to cut her ropes with.
41	* CrashIntoHello: The first direct interaction Kenshin and Kaoru have is when she's late for a test and runs right into him. Naturally, [[{{Tsundere}} she yells at him for being in her way]].
42	* CurbStompBattle: The first fight of Kenshin's that Kaoru witnesses is clearly one-sided.
43	* DeadFic: Previously. The Author has now returned after a long hiatus and has been updating more regularly.
44	* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:Kenshin's work has included getting rid of humans who have pulled this, such as the ones from Kaoru and Sano's high schools']].
45	* DeathIsCheap: Counts for half the cast (though there ''are'' methods of making it stick), and wholly averted for the rest.
46	* DelayedReaction: Kenshin casually mentions that the local museum was robbed in a conversation. After he's left (several minutes and paragraphs later),-
47	-->'''Kaoru''': ''Waitaminute... WHAT theft at the museum?''
48	* DiggingYourselfDeeper:
49	-->'''Kaoru''': Sorry, Megumi. you are really hard to spot when you're dressed all...um...I mean, normally, you're so...er...um...pretzel?
50	* DontTouchItYouIdiot: Kaoru, fully aware of this trope, picks up a demonic sword off a dead body all the while worrying about getting possessed or something, though in the end nothing happens. The alternative, though, was leaving it lying around where anyone could run across it. Kenshin does later ask her to not do it again, as it usually ends with him getting more work to do.
51	* DoubleMeaning:
52	-->'''Kaoru''': Good friends understand the importance of things like promises. And timing. For example, you might think it would be a good idea for me to go shopping right away, tomorrow, for, um, boots. But I know that I really don't need any boots, and even if I did need boots, this is really not the right time.
53	-->'''Misao''': Oh, Kaoru, you know that nowadays boots are appropriate for any time of year, and you can't keep putting off boot-shopping forever. Especially since you promised I could help out, way back when we were in...
54	-->'''Kaoru''': I admire your fashion sense, Misao, and you do have great taste in boots, especially recently, but every time you've tried to pick out a pair of boots... or other footware... for anybody else, the results have not been pretty. Disastrous, even. Like the boots you picked out for Tae last Christmas. That was not good.
55	-->'''Misao''': How was I supposed to know she already had some that she really liked? Speaking of 'liked," Kaoru, just the other day, I saw that pair of boots you were crazy about all...
56	-->'''Kaoru''': Oh, that was ''ages'' ago. And I was never really interested; they don't match anything I have.
57	-->'''Sano''':[[LampshadeHanging This is one of those conversations with subtext, isn't it?]]
58	* DoubleEntendre: Kaoru does this occasionally, but always by accident.
59	* DuctTapeForEverything: Kaoru uses this to tape a knife to her hand to be sure she could hold onto it better.
60	* DumbBlonde: Several of the girls at Kaoru's high school fit this to a T. There may also be some overlap with [[spoiler: TheVamp]].
61	* EvilLawyerJoke:
62	-->'''Kaoru''': (''inner monologue'') ''Sano can't possibly know that he's a demon, and he's known Kenshin long enough to trust him, so... so he must know Kenshin as doing SOMETHING for a living, like being a doctor, or a teacher, or a lawyer—well, probably not a lawyer, some kind of [[TakeThat reasonably non-demonic profession...]]''
63	* EvilGloating: Jineh likes to monologue. A LOT.
64	* EyeScream: When Kaoru attacks Jineh, he loses an eye, which then stitches itself back together...
65	* FaceDeathWithDignity: Kaoru states as much and refuses to look away while Jineh tries to cut her in half. It also applies to [[spoiler:Sano when he calmly asks Kenshin if he's going to kill him after the [[BrokenMasquerade masquerade breaks]], and what makes him decide to spare him]].
66	* {{Fainting}}: Kaoru passes out when she finds out that Battousai wasn't as dead as she thought he was (five years after the fact, no less).
67	* FangsAreEvil: Not necessarily due to OurDemonsAreDifferent. They seem to appear and disappear due to their emotional state, mainly showing up when they're pissed off.
68	%%* FireForgedFriends: [[spoiler:Kenshin and Sano]].
69	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
70	** In one chapter, Kaoru thinks to herself that it would be bad in Kenshin just knocked on her family door asking for his sword back. [[spoiler:Kenshin later gets his sword back by...knocking on the door and asking to look for it. To add irony, his success in finding it helps to save her life]].
71	** A couple times, characters notice and point out that there are a lot of people seem to be wearing fedora's around town. Turns out [[spoiler:they had been seeing a fedora-wearing Jineh, who was stalking Kaoru]].
72	** [[spoiler: Sano acts particularly stressed when Kaoru starts insisting he explain to Megumi what's going on. The main reason for this is he's planning a proposal]].
73	* GambitRoulette: The bad guys implement an EvilPlan to [[spoiler:steal back [[BigBad Shishio's]] sword which took decades of waiting, predicting exactly how a shrine will react in that time due to their financial difficulties, and killing two people in a staged car crash which all lead to the sword being in a museum in a different country, and thus easier to swipe]]. One of the heroes is sent to the other side of the planet just to figure out how they did it.
74	* GenreBlindness: With the way Kaoru practically runs, it sticks out that she can't pin down Saitoh's involvement, especially when he starts [[PartTimeHero bailing on work to go to “conferences.”]]
75	%%* GigglingVillain: Jineh.
76	* GirlWithPsychoWeapon: Kaoru notes that she probably looked like a raging, murderous psycho with the whole knife-taped-to-the-wrist incident.
77	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Kenshin sites this as one of the reasons [[spoiler: he lets Sano live despite him [[BrokenMasquerade finding out about the Masquerade]] and going through something potentially traumatizing; specifically, realizing that he ''wouldn't'' go mad and could be trusted to handle it]].
78	* GuysAreSlobs: Played straight with Sano. Averted with [[NeatFreak Kenshin]].
79	* HealingFactor: Kenshin and Jineh are shown to have this, and presumably other demons have it as well.
80	* {{Hell}}: Though the exact nature of it is unknown, what little we hear of it indicates it's quite unpleasant.
81	* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: Kaoru often tries to tell people this, but [[EveryoneCanSeeIt the tension is so obvious no one listens to her]]. This reaction is so ingrained that it's one of the first things she thinks about after being kidnapped.
82	-->'''Jineh''': I see! I see that this girl is your woman, Battousai!
83	-->'''Kaoru''': ''His WHAT? That... that... maniac thought... thinks...he took me because he thinks that I'm...Oh, I'm going to absolutely KILL him...''
84	* HighSchoolAU: It's a rather odd variation. It starts out with Kaoru, Misao, and Battousai in high school. After the first three chapters, there's a [[TimeSkip five year time jump]], in which Yahiko and Yutaro are in high school while Kaoru and Saitoh work as teachers.
85	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Lampshaded while Kaoru's trying to find a seat away from Kenshin.
86	-->'''Kaoru''': (''sees a chair he brought up earlier'') ''Hah! Perfect! Hoisted by his own.. um.. hoisting of things!''
87	* HouseAmnesia: When Kaoru yells at Kenshin for following her home from a bar they were just at, he points out that they live in the same apartment complex.
88	* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sano almost ended up as this back in high school. See also VirginSacrifice]].
89	* IdentificationByDentalRecords: According to a newspaper, the group of students killed from Sano's school were identified by dental records.
90	* ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou: Kenshin's affection for Kaoru has shades of this. Even though he is shown to easily to get the [[InWithTheInCrowd attentions of popular students]], the person he likes is the one who [[{{Tsundere}} insults him without reservation]] and [[ActionGirl defeats him in battle]].
91	* ImprovisedWeapon:
92	** Kaoru's kitchen knife.
93	** Kaoru's sock filled with sharp, pointy things.
94	** Misao's CombatStilettos
95	** Kaoru's pipe (used like a sword).
96	** Yahiko's tree branch (also used like a sword).
97	* INeedAFreakingDrink: In anticipation of this trope, Kaoru gets Sano a beer while she laughs hysterically in the other room over his admittance of his [[spoiler:VirginSacrifice incident from high school]]. By the time she gets back, he's taken it upon himself to get a second one.
98	* InsecurityCamera: Despite half the cast having magical powers, several security cameras were taken care of in a mundane way. Which makes it all the sadder.
99	-->'''Aoshi''': So you think that [the security cameras] ''were'' in fact turned on at the time and deactivated later as part of the theft? Or that one of the guards was bribed ''not'' to activate them afterwards?
100	-->'''Saitoh''': I thought we had concluded that [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy the guards were merely stupid...]]
101	* InWithTheInCrowd: Kenshin purposefully appeals to the popular students since they [[spoiler:were his targets]]. Years later, his love interest and best friend are the same people who were the outcasts in high school.
102	* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Played with.
103	-->'''Kaoru''': I don't care if it is Halloween, nobody is going to believe that it's an evil demon's fault they are lacking snack food!
104	-->'''Kenshin''': (''huffs'') M'not ''evil''...
105	* ItCameFromTheFridge: Kenshin refused to use the milk out of Kaoru's fridge and was dumbfounded as to how it was so bad since it couldn't be more than a few weeks old. Meanwhile, Megumi won't eat anything whatsoever that resided in Sano's fridge. Since he thinks it's normal to take ice cream from god knows when, chip off the ice crystals and add alcohol, she has good reasons for this stance.
106	* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Inverted. Kenshin doesn't mind that Kaoru killed him. In fact [[AmazonChaser it makes her all the more attractive]] but he would appreciate it if everyone would stop rubbing it in (making this more of a case of "You Were Beaten By A Girl").
107	* JustInTime: [[spoiler:Kenshin just manages to block the strike Jineh made that would have killed Kaoru]].
108	* KillItWithFire: Kaoru remembers this rule after killing Kenshin, and trying to burn the body. It doesn't work as well as she would have liked and he admits it's not a very effective method and should be abandoned.
109	* TheKlutz: Kaoru is notorious for being clumsy with anything except a bokkan. Her reputation helps her to get away with dumping soda on Kenshin.
110	* LeaveNoWitnesses: [[spoiler:Kenshin says that this is one the of the rules he's supposed to follow, though Kaoru and Sano are proof that he'll ignore it sometimes]].
111	* LethalChef: Despite the wonders of modern technology, Kaoru still can't cook for shit.
112	* LivingMoodRing: Kenshin's eyes are violet when he's relaxed and/or happy, but will switch to amber, typically when he's angry and/or upset.
113	* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: The room Kaoru is locked in by Jineh has [[ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing glass which she cuts her ropes with]] [[MasterOfUnlocking and wire to pick the lock on the door]] [[ImprovisedWeapon and sharp bits of trash that she puts in her sock and uses to rip off half his face]].
114	* LoveAtFirstPunch: Kenshin starts to like Kaoru when she yells at him after [[CrashIntoHello she runs into him in a hallway]]. He REALLY falls for her after she stabs him to death, steals his sword, and [[KillItWithFire sets the building on fire]].
115	* LoveAtFirstSight: Unlike everyone they hang out with, [[TheStoic Aoshi]] and [[GenkiGirl Misao]] hit it off right away.
116	* LoveEpiphany: Kaoru is stunned, STUNNED, when she realizes [[spoiler: she might like Kenshin back. Maybe. Possibly]].
117	* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: [[spoiler: Aoshi attempts to break things off with Misao when they are [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies attacked on their first date]], but she [[UnderstandingBoyfriend refuses to accept that as reason]]]].
118	* MasterOfDisguise: Aoshi.
119	-->'''Miseo''': This way he gets to show off his great disg—I mean, costume skills!
120	* MasterOfUnlocking: Kaoru learned to pick locks from Sano and how to escape handcuffs from Misao.
121	* TheMatchmaker: Misao begs Kaoru to let her be this for her, but she keeps telling her no.
122	* MayflyDecemberRomance: Though not directly discussed, most of the pairings have a demon (who are shown to live for centuries at least) and a human.
123	* MissingMom: Kaoru and Yahiko's mother died some years ago.
124	* MomentKiller: People interrupting such moments include (but is not limited to) Sano, [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Yahiko]], [[{{Mentors}} Hiko]], a waiter and a waffle iron.
125	* MotorMouth: Misao in a big way. Often {{lampshaded}} as well.
126	-->'''Misao''': Just seeing you struck me completely speechless, which, by the way, shocked my friends more than finding out that you're a demon would. Well, probably.
127
128	-->'''Misao''': Listen... do you have anything planned for this afternoon? Cause I have a date, and I need a new dress... and some new lingerie... and possibly really high heels... Anyway, um, Megumi and I are going shopping, and I really, really, really want you to come along, because I really want your opinion, and it would be a chance to come shopping with us and be the one who gets to make all the comments and criticize whatever I pick, you know, to make up for all the other times when we've dragged you shopping...
129	-->'''Kaoru''': You just don't need the amount of oxygen that normal humans require, do you?
130	* MundaneUtility: Kenshin utilized magic to improve his bathroom. Aoshi uses his [[MasterOfDisguise skills]] for a Halloween costume.
131	* MustHaveCaffeine: Kaoru isn't a morning person. Kenshin also discovered that bringing her coffee was a good way to placate her.
132	* MyEyesAreUpHere: Invoked with a particularly revealing dress Kaoru is forced to wear to a party.
133	* NatureAbhorsAVirgin: [[spoiler:After Sano was [[VirginSacrifice nearly sacrificed]]]]...
134	-->'''Kaoru''': So... after that, what did you do?
135	-->[[spoiler:'''Sano''': What the hell do you ''think'' I did? I went out and got myself laid so that situations like that damn well couldn't happen again!]]
136	-->'''Kaoru''': Ah... that... um... makes sense.
137	* NerdsAreVirgins: Kaoru is the only virgin in the group and it's noted that she's been single because of being too busy with school.
138	* NewTransferStudent: Kenshin was the new guy at Kaoru [[spoiler:and Sano's]] high schools'.
139	* NoodleIncident:
140	-->'''Kaoru''': Remember that time with Misao's friend Shiro and that nurse at the hospital?
141	* NotADate: Kaoru insists this to be the case. Everyone (including her not-date) smiles and nods.
142	* NothingExcitingEverHappensHere: If not the demonic attacks and tenants, the town would be perfectly normal.
143	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: Kenshin and Jineh's fight ends with Kenshin beheading him. Also, Kaoru regrets not trying this against Kenshin (along with the KillItWithFire plan), though it's implied demons can come back even from that]].
144	* OneDegreeOfSeparation: [[spoiler:Most of the cast has met before, or at least become involved with everything happening due to completely independent events. If everyone was honest, every introduction would be followed by "Hey! I remember you from..."]].
145	* OnlyMostlyDead: [[spoiler: Kenshin really was dead. For all of thirty minutes. He even lampshades it by name while they were watching ''Film/ThePrincessBride'']].
146	%%* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Kaoru before the TimeSkip.
147	%%* OurDemonsAreDifferent
148	* OvershadowedByAwesome: When half of the cast consist of people who are deadly swordsmen, indestructible, [[SuperSpeed ultrafast]], and to whom [[DeathIsCheap death is]] [[HealingFactor a minor]] [[BackFromTheDead inconvenience]], any human will be stuck with some degree of this.
149	* ParentalAbandonment: Sano and Misao were orphaned when they were younger.
150	* PartTimeHero: Saitoh. Later in the story, as the enemy becomes more of a threat, he begins to have Kaoru run the class herself while he goes to "emergency teacher conferences." Weirdly, she buys this.
151	* PrecisionFStrike: The f-bomb is dropped twice- by Kenshin when [[BerserkButton Kaoru is kidnapped]] and by Kaoru when Kenshin gets everyone to think [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend they're an item]].
152	* PressurePoint: Used on Kaoru when she's kidnapped by Jineh.
153	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Several of the character's ages are unknown, but it's save to say they are significant.
154	* RealMenWearPink: When he needs a change of clothes, Kaoru gives Kenshin a very, very pink sweatshirt to wear. He puts it on without a word of complaint and a month later is still using it.
155	* RedBaron: Unlike the series, Kenshin doesn't have any particular aversion to his alias 'Battousai,' and uses it while he's going to Kaoru's high school. If any of the students knew what it meant, though, [[TheButcher they would have had a different reaction to it]].
156	* ScarsAreForever: After Kaoru kills him, Kenshin gets up and walks it off half an hour later...but the slash she made on his face scars over despite the HealingFactor, helping to form the [[XMarksTheHero cross shaped one seen in the series]]. None of the other wounds leave marks for reasons unknown.
157	* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:Shishio was trapped in {{Hell}} some time ago. The heroes are worried since he got out]].
158	* SelectiveObliviousness: Kaoru manages to ignore her feelings for Kenshin, despite the fact that not only can [[EveryoneCanSeeIt everyone see it]], but they won't shut up about it either.
159	* SelfDefenseless: Averted. The pepper spray Misao uses ''does'' work (on beings that aren't human, no less).
160	%%* SlapSlapKiss: [[BelligerentSexualTension Sano and Megumi]].
161	* SleepCute: At one point, Kaoru and Kenshin fall asleep together on her couch.
162	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Kaoru's father is still alive (Yahiko's father was someone else in the series, so this doesn't count for him).
163	* StealthHiBye: Kenshin pulls this on Kaoru quite often (much to her annoyance).
164	* SternTeacher: Despite striking fear in everyone around him, Saitoh's not unreasonable in what he expects from his students and co-workers, and avoids falling into the more expected SadistTeacher category.
165	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Kenshin and Saitoh clearly don't like each other, but they work together fairly well anyway.
166	* TimeSkip: A five year jump occurs near the beginning of the story.
167	* ThroughHisStomach: Through hers, actually- for as much as she claims to not trust Kenshin, Kaoru is quick to accept whatever food/coffee he makes/brings her.
168	* ThwartedEscape: [[spoiler: Kaoru gets caught again while escaping from Jineh]].
169	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Kaoru's is chocolate and [[MustHaveCaffeine coffee]].
170	* VirginSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sano was kidnapped by his classmates to be sacrificed to settle a debt]].
171	* WackyMarriageProposal: [[spoiler:Sano opts to propose to Megumi during his bar's Halloween party on stage while she's dresses as a street urchin but not before going over with the audience how exactly they met]].
172	* WithThisHerring: Kaoru ends up in the position of having to fight Battousai, someone she has just seen cut down about three dozen people without breaking a sweat. Her arsenal? A kitchen knife she grabs out of the Home Economics classroom. Yep. The best part? It WORKS.
173	%%* YouNeedToGetLaid: Misao tells this to Kaoru, and everyone else is in agreement.

Context Fanfic / FrozenMoonlight