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Kiryuuin Chronicles
is a Kill la Kill fanfic.
The story chronicles the life of Satsuki, her little sisters, her mother Ragyou, and their secretary Rei, who live in a house with Satsuki's abusive father.
Tropes for Kiryuuin Chronicles
- Abusive Parents: Satsuki's step-father when he snatches her out of the closet (where she was hiding the night before) and throws her into a wall. This was after he had beaten her mother and her Parental Substitute. She also mentioned being smacked with a belt.
- Affectionate Nickname: Rei's nicknames for her charges.
- Arranged Marriage: Ragyou's marriage to her abusive husband, while she was pregnant by someone else with Satsuki and she notes that her parents picked him for her, along with the fact that she wasn't really given a choice, aside from being disowned. Naturally, she hoped it'll work and, in her diary, she states she is "sold".
- Animal Motifs: Rei, who tends to be associated with birds, which is more apparent in chapter eight (titled "Releasing the Dove"). Apparently, this has something to do with their situation, considering that birds did seem to remind her of something that she couldn't do and that was fly, along with alluding to them living in an abusive home, the which they couldn't escape so easily, unless let out some how, like a bird would be unable to do if it were caged.Satsuki: Of course, birds reminded her of something that she nor any of us could do and that was fly, yet, at the same, they probably reminded her of how caged we are.
- Awful Truth: What Satsuki finds out from her mother's diary wasn't nice and it causes her Freak Out. Yeah, finding out your mother was forced to marry an abusive asshole because she was pregnant with you can do a number
- Bittersweet Ending: Well, the ending, while a happy one, is also a sad one, considering that Rei had passed on and never gets to see the family reunited.
- Caged Bird Metaphor: This comes subtly with Rei's bird motif. In Chapter 8, it's mentioned that she is fond of birds, and Satsuki points out that, as a child, birds and their flight would remind Rei of her, her sisters', and Ragyo's own captivity in their abusive home. In the same chapter, we find out that Rei had a pet dove named "Budgie" which, while crying, she let her go, giving the bird the freedom she and her loved ones didn't have.
- Children Are Innocent: Played straight to a frightening and rather depressing degree with Satsuki (nicknamed "Dove") as she narrates the past. She has no comprehension as to why her mother has bruises and slap marks, why her mother burned her favorite dress, or anything in relation to that, aside from Rei's explanations. However, she does know enough to be afraid or to know that something isn't right, yet isn't allowed to ask questions or elaborate on her thoughts about them, being told to stay quiet. Ryuuko and Nui, on the other hand, are very much innocent as they don't know what death is.
- Destroy the Abusive Home: This along with Let the Past Burn occurs when it is revealed that Ragyou, having been a victim of Domestic Abuse at the hands of her husband throughout their marriage, in a fit of pent up rage, set the house on fire. The opening of the story has Satsuki and her sisters returning to the remains of said house.
- The Dog Bites Back: A mentally ill Ragyou doing this, after putting up with her husband's abuse for so long and she burns the house down with him in it (whether or not she killed him in the fire or before she started to torch the house is never said).
- Domestic Abuse:
- This is a subject as narrated by Satsuki (nicknamed "Dove") as recollects the past, who innocently wonders why her father does what he does to her mother if he loves her, that is, slapping her, beating her, and causing her miscarriages. However, her mother isn't the only one on the receiving end of this, as so is Rei and her, yet her little sisters, Nui and Ryuuko, aren't. Said abuse also leads to her mother's mental illness and the fact that Ragyou, due to being pregnant with Satsuki by someone else, was forced into this marriage doesn't help.
- Ragyou's husband and he doesn't stop at hitting her, as he extends this abuse to Rei and his step-daughter
- Dysfunctional Family: Satsuki's family, for lack of a better word. Her step-father is abusive and her maternal family forced her then pregnant mother into marriage
- Earn Your Happy Ending: To elaborate, Satsuki is reunited with her real father, Soichiro, and her sister are just as accepted with open arms. Later, they are also reunited with their mother, Ragyo, who is revealed to have survived the fire.
- Floral Motifs: Lilies, which seemed to be associated with sadness and, in Rei's case, death, along with innocence.
- Foreshadowing: In Chapter 4, Satsuki mentions that she prayed that she and her sisters would be taken out of their situation and that she "wanted it all to burn". Five chapters later, the house is set ablaze Ragyo, in a fit of pent-up rage and Rei takes them out of their situation by removing them from the burning house.
- Freak Out: Satsuki's reaction the entry in her mother's diary.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: The issue isn't brought up but it does seem to be implied, considering Ragyou didn't see any other way out of marrying her abusive husband while pregnant with Satsuki besides being disowned, then again, the possibility that, if she didn't marry her abusive husband, her family might have disowned her anyway (whether she terminated the pregnancy or not) cannot be ruled out either. Either way, she elects to keep her pregnancy.
- I Die Free: Metaphorically, Rei's death is this, considering all that had happened to her up until her death, in that she didn't have to suffer anymore. At the same time, she did used to be servant, although her death happens some time after she flees with Satsuki her sisters, Ragyou, in a fit of pent up rage, burns the house down.
- It's All My Fault: Due to her mother being pregnant with her and forced into marriage to her abusive steprather because of it, Satsuki blamed herself. Rei and, subtly, Ragyou reassured her that it wasn't her fault.
- I Want My Mommy!: In chapter 9, Rei pulls her away from the burning house, Satsuki cries out, "Mama!"
- Let the Past Burn: This along with Destroy the Abusive Home occurs when a mentally ill Ragyo, after dealing with years of husband's abuse throughout their marriage, along with the memories and psychological damage thereof, in a fit of pent up rage burns their house down, destroying the house and killing him (whether or not she killed him in the fire or before she started to torch the house is never said).Satsuki: The house held those years of abuse and she wanted it all to burn but, more importantly, she wanted to destroy him along with it. She was forced to marry him and he had beaten her, battered her, used and abused her and she wanted to destroy the house, her memories, and him, releasing those years of pent-up rage and pain.
- Mama Bear: While she isn't their mother but a Parental Substitute, Rei is a downplayed example in that while she isn't powerful and was described to be "a kind, yet very frightened soul", she has made it her resolve to take her charges Satsuki, Ryuuko, and Nui away from their abusive home and father, regardless of circumstances.
- Marital Rape License: The fact that Ragyo becomes pregnant multiple times by her abusive husband implies that their relations were not consensual.
- Non-Indicative Name: Budgie, Rei's dove. Satsuki found it funny.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Satsuki knew a matter was urgent if Rei used her real name.
- Parental Neglect: Satsuki notes that she was always taken care of by Rei, a servant, and has been since birth, the same going for her little sisters, and, apparently, she usually didn't see her parents, seeing as in chapter two (not counting the intro) her mother was very far in her pregnancy and she notes it was a long time that she had seen her. This might actually be justified on her mother's end, considering how her father is and it turns out it was, her mother, Ragyou, was trying to protect her and her sisters from her husband by leaving them in the care of Rei
- Parental Substitute: Rei, a servant, who looks after the girls like her own.
- Shotgun Wedding: This and Arranged Marriage, occurs with Ragyou's marriage to her abusive husband, while she pregnant (by someone else) with Satsuki, which would make this a "cover up the shame" marriage.
- Unwanted Spouse: Ragyou is this to her husband in and he vice versa, for a good reason, considering that A) he's abusive and, B) due to being pregnant (by someone else) with her daughter, Satsuki, she was forced into this marriage by her family and it was either that or be disowned.
- Vague Age: Satsuki,Ryuuko, and Nui's ages. Their ages are not mentioned, however, Satsuki is stated is to have been too young to comprehend what was going on between her parents and then later her mother's mental illness, as her recollections of the past support, and she states that Ryuuko and Nui were too young to understand death and neither were they old enough to remember the events leading up to the house being burned down and them fleeing from it.
- Virtual Soundtrack: In chapter 12, it has a link to "AdラLib" (from the original Kill la Kill soundtrack) by Hiroyuki Sawano Tidbit and Chapter 10 has Obokuri-Eeumi playing.
- What If?: Apparently, the fic is based on that sort of scenario, which is to say, based on the question of, "What if Ragyo was on the receiving end of abuse?"
