Fanfic / Seduction

"Ishin."
She stilled.
He walked past her, and turned around, his hands in the pockets of his slacks. There was amusement in his eyes, and a smirk playing around his mouth. He leaned down and placed his lips against her ear.
"If this is war, remember that I will not hold back."

—Chapter 3: There are all kinds of War and fish.

Seduction is a Maid-Sama! romance/drama fanfic. It centers on the student council president, Tora Igarashi.

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This fanfiction contains examples of:

• Action Girl: Sarakshi Ishin, a judoka who isn't intimidated by... well, anything.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Something Linda admits when going after Marjani but, then again, she could do much worse.

• Arc Words: "You owe me."

• Bad Liar: Sarakshi. This is actually justified. She rarely hides any of her emotions and lying requires that at its root.
• Badass Boast:
  "Want." Tora's voice was a drawl. "Is not a word that applies to me."
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Yes. One can make a case for Tora.
• Beach Episode: Subverted, when it is used to advance the plot, and not for fanservice.
• The Beautiful Elite: Tora, Marjani, Linda, Yuki, Kurumi... practically half the characters in the fanfic.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: This begins springing up between Tora and Sarakshi. She tries her best to fight it.
• Berserk Button: Don't ever suggest that Sarakshi might be influenced by another's power or money.
• Betty and Veronica:
  • Kurumi and Sarakshi for Marjani. Eventually becomes Linda and Sarakshi when Kurumi chooses someone else.
  • Marjani and Tora become this for Sarakshi, with Fenshani as Cheryl.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Linda, Sora, Yuki and Sarakshi.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: Tora Igarashi.
• Bullying a Dragon: Kaon tries to blackmail Marjani. It goes as well as you think it would.

• Cheshire Cat Grin: Tora on a near-permanent basis.

• Damsel out of Distress: When Kurumi kidnaps Sarakshi in later chapters, she does not make the experience easy for her. When she escapes, Sarakshi gives her "The Reason You Suck" Speech while in the midst of a minor Heroic BSoD.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Marjani. Surprisingly, he deals with it quite well. Quite well being a relative term, of course.
• Dead Fic: Unfortunately hasn't updated since August 16, 2014.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most of the main characters. Some examples:
  Tora (looking around her apartment, which is far smaller than his house): This is it?
  Sarakshi: Not everyone falls in the rich, perverted, psycho category.
  Sarakshi: Your shirt smells of grass.
  Marjani: That is a highly flattering compliment, Sarakshi. I don't know how I've survived so far without it.

• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Tora can't understand why Sarakshi isn't unhappy with her life.
• The Fashionista: Linda could be the poster-girl for this trope.
• Fiery Redhead: Sarakshi. Justified, considering she lives on her own, has to take of herself all the time, and must deal with people like Tora. Tora takes to calling her "Spitfire" in his mind.
• Foil: Tora Igarashi and Sarakshi Ishin: He's a Card-Carrying Villain occasionally doubling as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, she's a Nice Girl with a decidedly snarky streak; he's a Stoic blond, she's an exemplary Fiery Redhead; Tora does NOT get along with his father (though he and his mother get along well enough); Sarakshi wasn't just Daddy's Girl but Momma's Girl too. Despite living in the lap of luxury for all his life, Tora seems incredibly bored with his life; despite both of her parents being dead and working two jobs just to make ends meet, Sarakshi is pretty happy with her life.
• Freudian Excuse: Subverted. Considering all Sarakshi has been through, you'd think she'd harbour at least some bitter feelings towards people who are better off. She doesn't. She's content with and enjoys her life; and the only reason she's snappish around Tora is that he's a massive jerk.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Tora to anyone monopolizing Sarakshi's time other than him. No matter what he says.
• Heartwarming Orphan: Sarakshi.
• Heroic BSoD: Sarakshi has a minor one after escaping Kurumi's clutches in chapter 16. She does not take well to feeling helpless. To her (and his) surprise, Tora pulls her out of it, because he also doesn't take well to her feeling helpless.

• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Tora or Marjani whenever they hang around Sarakshi.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Tora almost always sounds like he's preparing to jump Sarakshi.

• I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Sarakshi absolutely refuses to bow down to anyone she doesn't think is worth it. Tora likes that.
• I Shall Taunt You: Tora to... well, almost everyone. Sarakshi in particular, though.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Lots and deconstructed. While Marjani does believe this, he also doesn't actually believe he's good enough for Sarakshi, period. Linda, no matter what she says, would step aside if Marjani and Sarakshi decided to get together and Sarakshi herself doesn't want to get in the way of Marjani and Linda's relationship, especially since as far as she's concerned, Linda saw Marjani first.

• Lampshade Hanging:
  "My wife and I are throwing a dance in honour of someone we consider as a daughter. We would.. appreciate it if you join us in our time of happiness."
  "You would.. appreciate if I join you." Sarakshi repeated drily. "Right. Because it isn't odd at all to go up to random people in the street, and let them know you'd appreciate if they joined you in your time of happiness."
• Laser-Guided Karma: Tora finds himself on the other side of a Xanatos Gambit in 23.
• Last-Name Basis: Sarakshi and Tora to each other. Marjani to Sarakshi in the beginning, even though she always calls him Marjani.
• Living Lie Detector: Tora is excellent at reading facial expressions and body language, and can tell when people are lying.
• Love Dodecahedron: Marjani loves Sarakshi. Linda wants/loves Marjani. Sarakshi has strong platonic love for Marjani that could easily become something else if she let it and isn't sure what she feels for Tora. Tora desires Sarakshi but would make out with nearly anything female and attractive. Yuki loves Tora but doesn't stand much of a chance with him. Fenshani likes Sarakshi.

• Love Redeems: Kurumi after getting with Kouma.
• Love Triangle: A VERY intense one between Sarakshi, Tora and Marjani.

• Master of the Mixed Message: This more than anything else annoys Sarakshi about Tora; that he can't seem to decide if he is an asshole or isn't.
• Matchmaker Crush:Linda. Funnily enough, she started playing matchmaker after she developed the crush.
• Moral Myopia: The fact that at any given time, he's surrounded by anyone who's female, attractive and willing? Normal. An attractive man levels a genuine smile at Sarakshi? Grounds for Tora to have the poor sod destroyed financially, you understand.
• Mr. Fanservice:
  • Tora. And Lord alive, he just revels in it.
  • Marjani too. Hell, most of the young men.

• Oh, Crap!: Sarakshi (who's agreed to let Tora take off her shirt, if she loses to him) when she realizes Tora knows the person he just defeated isn't a guy, but her dressed as one.

• Only a Flesh Wound:
  • Tora takes a bullet to the shoulder in Chapter 26. He then proceeds to jump after Sarakshi, after she is pushed off a roof, and cushion her from the blow of the impact
  • Tora, when he realizes that Kaon knows about Sarakshi and is going to go after her.

• Plucky Girl: The sole reason the fanfiction exists, is because of Sarakshi's "pluckiness."

• Rule of Three: Used quite frequently.
  It occurred to Marjani that a more accurate description would have been a less shrewd, less diabolical, less calculating, more childish, more foolish, more spoiled version of Tora Igarashi.

• Shirtless Scene: Marjani is too hot for words with a shirt on, so it makes sense that Linda can't take her eyes off him when he takes it off.
• Shout-Out:
  • Sarakshi's last name is a shoutout to Bleach. Marjani Suoh's? You guessed it, Ouran High School Host Club.
  • In Chapter 13, Sarakshi cosplays Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. The author is a self-confessed Rurouni Kenshin fan.
  • The name of the actor Kurumi mentions in Chapter 22 is Hideki Ryuga - the same as the name of a popular actor in Death Note.
• "Shut Up" Kiss: Tora, during Sarakshi's "The Reason You Suck" Speech in Chapter 25.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Yuki Shinomori is something of a confidante to Tora. Go, Yuki!
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Kurumi and Kouma after she and Marjani dissolve their engagement. Marjani points out that this trope is why Tora won't get too far with Sarakshi.
• Sleep Cute: Tora looks surprisingly peaceful and adorable when he's asleep.
• Smart People Play Chess: Tora challenges Sarakshi to a game of chess, early on in the FF. She's distracted, which gives him an easy win.
• Smarter Than You Look:
  • There's a keen mind behind all of Linda's party-girl vivacity.
  • Kaon Umekouji. She Out Gambits Tora!
  • Fenshani is a lawyer in training.
• Smells Sexy: Justified. Tora smells like really nice, really expensive cologne because he wears really nice, really expensive cologne. Sarakshi often smells like lavender and chocolate, but this is because of the perfumes she wears.
• Snark-to-Snark Combat: Whenever Tora or Sarakshi talk.
  Tora: Who do you think Hoseki's representatives would believe? One of the maids from a café that has done a grand event for the first time, or the well-mannered and chivalrous Igarashi heir?
  Sarakshi: Well-mannered. Chivalrous. Excuse me while I gag, Igarashi.
  Tora: I'm sure something as unattractive as that would be right up your street.

• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Tora to Linda in Chapter 25. Tora also gives one to Sarakshi, who throws one right back at him. The consequenses are dizzying.
• Troll: Tora REALLY likes pushing Sarakshi's buttons.
• Tsundere: Sarakshi is Type B: sweet, cheerful girl, right up until Tora inevitably pisses her off.

• Villainous Rescue: Tora saving Sarakshi from Kurumi after she kidnaps her in 15.
• Wham Episode: Chapters 23 and 24: Tora has a Love Epiphany. Kaon Out Gambits Tora. Sarakshi is expelled.
• When He Smiles: Marjani. Tora when he genuinely laughs.
• Woman Scorned: Kurumi is pissed that Sarakshi and Marjani are so close but more than that is the fact Marjani would prefer a commoner like Sarakshi rather than an ojou like her, even though she admits that neither her nor Marjani actually want the engagement in the first place.
  • Kaon Umekouji, enough so that she manipulates Tora (freakin' Tora) into getting Sarakshi expelled.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: Yuki Shinomori is referred to as one in the story. Deconstructed when it's revealed that she believes it's an act she puts up because she's expected to act like an ideal traditional woman.