History Fanfic / Shatterheart

* CrackPairing: The author states before the first chapter that the story came about as a self-imposed challenge to write a completely serious fic about an intimate relationship between Kurogane and Syaoran.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Sakura, believing Kurogane fell in love with someone in Infinity, tries to give romantic advice and tells him to confess his feelings before its too late. Since they will eventually leave Infinity and Kurogane intends to return to Suwa, he will likely never see this person again and will always hold regrets that he didn't confess. Since Kurogane is debating on his feelings on Syaoran, this gives him a harsh reminder that they will eventually be separated.

** Invoked by Syaoran when a nosy healer interrupts his reunion with Kurogane. He decides to mess with the both of them by undressing and giving Kurogane a passionate embrace to make the healer think she interrupted much worse.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Fai is being a massive hypocrite about it, he is ''right'' that Kurogane and Syaoran have an extremely codependent relationship and hiding the truth would only hurt them in the long run. He also points that regardless that Syaoran initiated the relationship, Kurogane is taking advantage of someone emotionally vulnerable and in love with someone else.
* JerkassRealization: Kurogane realizes that Syaoran didn't get his should injury treated because he was afraid of triggering Kurogane's anger and he assumed no one would be concerned for him. This causes Kurogane to realize how badly he and the others are treating Syaoran so he vows to protect him and make an effort to help him.

* KickTheDog: Kurogane does this several times in story. First, after Syaoran tells him how his wish is indirectly responsible for the destruction of Suwa and the death of Kurogane's parents at his own emotional expense, Kurogane turns his back on him.

* KissOfDistraction: [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] when Kurogane kisses Syaoran [[AnywhereButTheirLips all over his face]] in a rare moment of playfulness to win a chess match that he was losing. It works as Syaoran completely forgot his strategy

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Kurogane becomes the only reason Syaoran would leave his room and attempt to socialize with Fai and Sakura and becomes his source of emotional stability and comfort since Fai and Sakura shunned him. [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in that Kurogane realizes that Syaoran's dependency on him is unhealthy after Fai points out that Syaoran ''still'' remains withdrawn and actually gotten ''worse'' despite his efforts. When Kurogane ends their relationship in an attempt to get Syaoran to stand on his own, he relapses back as shut-in.
** It turns out that Syaoran is also a crutch for Kurogane as Syaoran is only one that he opens up to and let his guard down. Kurogane realizes this when he starts to miss Syaoran's physical and emotional intimacy.

* LookBothWays: Syaoran nearly gets run over by a speeding car when a pedestrian knocked him into the road.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Fai forces an ultimatum on Syaoran and Kurogane to tell the truth to Sakura or break up what he sees as a dangerously codependent relationship. See NotQuiteTheRightThing example for the consequences.
* NoMedicationForMe: After he gets injured, Syaoran refuses to take pain medication because they leave drowsy and unable to focus. Kurogane refuses to listen to him and starts putting it in his food.
** Because HypocriticalHumor when Kurogane does the same thing in Suwa.

** Syaoran's physician, Dr.Yamura rises in prominenciae
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Fai tries to make up his emotional neglect and ostracization of Syaoran by having cooking lessons with him and trying to bond with him. Fai's shift from cold to caring just comes off as off-putting and exhausting to Syaoran.

*** Destroys Fai's chance of making amends with Syaoran for his previous coldness as this prove to be the straw that broke the camel's back and Syaoran decides that he rather starve and isolate himself than have anything to do with Fai.

* OneSteveLimit: Enforced due to literary constraints. Syaoran's clone is always called "the Other" while R!Syaoran is Syaoran. [[spoiler: When Syaoran and Kurogane find Syaoran's father in Fei Wong Reed's trap, the former is referred by his real name, Tsubasa and the father is referred as Syaoran.]]
* OnlyFriend: Initially Kurogane is initially ''only'' person that makes an effort to see Syaoran beyond the sins of his clone.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Fai discusses with Kurogane of Syaoran's increased withdrawal from the group and Syaoran nearly developed an alcohol problem, Kurogane notes he doesn't revert to his StepfordSmiler tendencies.

** When Kurogane massively screws up with Syaoran during the Suwa arc, he turns to his friend Souma for ''relationship'' advice. She's so shocked that she just stares him for a minute.

* PunchAWall: Kurogane gets so angry when Syaoran kisses him, he punches a hole in the wall when he was trying to open Syaoran's bedroom door to force a confrontation.

* RelationshipUpgrade: Kurogane and Syaoran start as each other's OnlyFriend after they make the effort to understand each other. Then they become FriendsWithBenefits to provide emotional and physical comfort to each other. After breaking up twice and going back and forth on their feelings, they confess their love for each other [[spoiler: after Fai nearly kills them in chess finals and they eventually become engaged in Suwa.]]

* RememberTheNewGuy: Parodied, Doctor Yamura/Hinata apparently has been Kurogane's primary healer in Suwa for years but he never noticed her because he's a terrible patient that never listened to her.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: While Syaoran knows how to fight through past training and his clone's memories but he has slower reflexes because he wasn't actually taught and he didn't gain the reflexes himself.

* SexEqualsLove: Zigzagged when Syaoran starts to fall for Kurogane during their FriendsWithBenefits relationship, Kurogane breaks it off because he doesn't feel that way. Kurogane, to his horror, ends up developing feelings for Syaoran regardless. Justified because they had already formed intense emotional bonds before and after they started to sleep together.

* SuperSenses: Fai's vampirism gives him super-hearing and an enchanced sense of smell. Which become very important when Syaoran is kidnapped.

* TapOnTheHead: Kurogane punches Fai out cold when the latter lies to him about hurting Syaoran.

-->Syaoran: If I had a support network then where were you after we landed in this world?
* ChekhovsGunman: Syaoran is accosted by a gang on his way home from the library, who attack him knowing that he's a chess player. They later kidnap him for their painful amusement.

** SadisticChoice: Cassie forces Syaoran to chose whether she will pluck out his eyes or his fingernails with her pliers. He picks his fingernails. Later her boyfriend, Jet tries to force another choice by making him chose whether to get bleach poured down his eyes or his throat. Fortunately, Kurogane and Fai rescue Syaoran before he is forced to chose again.

* DeathGlare: Fai gives Kurogane a nasty one when he believes the latter had molested Syaoran.

* DesperatelyCravesAffection: Due to his past imprisonment and the group shunning him, Syaoran becomes so isolated that he becomes desperate for any sort of affection or acknowledgement.
* DidNotGetTheGuy: Fai had been struggling with [[spoiler: his eventual betrayal of the group and his constant lying emotionally exhausting him.]] By the time he comes to terms with his love for Kurogane, Kurogane has already gotten together with Syaoran and he has watch them became lovers.

* DramaticIrony: Sakura expresses sympathy for Kurogane when she figures out that he's in love with someone, pushing him to confess his feelings because once they resume their travels he'll never see that person again and he will regret never telling the person. This is ironic on several levels as the person Kurogane is in love is ''Syaoran'' which Sakura doesn't know about and is deliberately a secret from her.

* EasilyForgiven: Syaoran quickly forgives Sakura for shunning him and refusing to talk to him as she apologizes to him first and tells him her reasons why she did so, admitting they weren't good reasons.
** Subverted with Fai, when his ultimatum forces Kurogane and Syaoran to break up, Syaoran refuses to have anything to do with as he points out that it was due to Fai's coldness that he need Kurogane in the first place. He eventually forgives Fai later.

* EntertaininglyWrong: When Sakura eavesdropped on Fai and Kurogane discussing love, she gets the impression that Kurogane was in love with Fai.

* FatalFlaw: Kurogane's anger often makes him ignore the consequences to his actions, limits his ability to empathize, and often causes him to hurt people who he doesn't want to hurt and sometime has him avoid confronting people when necessary because he doesn't want to get mad.

* ForTheEvulz: While they do have a practical reason for kidnapping and torturing Syaoran, Jet and Cassie are readily admit that they're doing it for the hell of it.

** When the act of simply going to the bathroom becomes a tremendous effort because of his injuries Syaoran breaks down in tears when half-heartening contemplating suicide.

* HeelRealization: Fai has a gradual one after he confronts Syaoran on his drinking: he wants Syaoran to ask him for help but realizes due to his coldness he is the last person Syaoran would to. Kurogane points out that Fai treats Syaoran as if he's a ghost instead his own person, a problem not helped by the fact that Fai hasn't actually spoken to Syaoran since Tokyo, which was several months ago.

* HypocriticalHumor: Kurogane refuses to let Syaoran weather the pain and drugs his food with pain medication against his wishes. He gets really angry and stubborn when Healer Hinata does the same.

* ILied: Fai says this phrase word for word when Kurogane passes his SecretTestOfCharacter and he didn't hurt Syaoran. Kurogane didn't take that he was lied to and played emotionally lightly.

** Syaoran is sometimes referred as "This Syaoran" by Fai and Sakura.

During a food run, Kurogane acknowledges Syaoran, engages in conversation and shows concern for Syaoran's health in his gruff way. Syaoran tries to get Kurogane to keep talking to him, only to quickly to lose his attention. Desperate for any sort of attention, Syaoran impulsively kisses Kurogane in a bid for attention only to massively piss him off. That is where the story takes off.

* AdaptationExpansion: The character-driven Infinity Arc and Nihon Arc lasts 80 chapters and 50 chapters. In comparison, the action-heavy chapters are pretty short.
* AdultFear: Fai is on a rare outing with Syaoran when Syaoran is kidnapped when the latter was trying to get some space [[spoiler: and is tortured by serial killers]] while Fai and Kurogane ''pray'' they find him in time.

* AfterActionHealingDrama: After they escape Celes and Kurogane [[spoiler: cuts off his own arm]]. The group and Tomoyo's ninjas race to transport him to Shirasagi Castle to treat his wounds.
* AllForNothing: Syaoran attempts to reach out to others, endure his friends' apathy, learn not to isolate himself in his room and find some happiness for himself. Then he backslides when Kurogane ends their relationship when he becomes too attached and Syaoran is more miserable than before.

* [[AwkwardFatherSonBondingActivity Awkward Parental Substitute Son Bonding Activity]]: Fai tries to make up for his previous negligence of Syaoran by teaching him how to cook sweets and trying to go book shopping with him. Syaoran doesn't enjoy it in the least because he realizes that Fai is only humoring his attempts and Fai's niceness feels extremely forced.
* AwfulTruth: Syaoran tells Kurogane that Syaoran's wish enabled Fei Wong Reed's plans, one of which caused the destruction of Suwa and the death of Kurogane's parents in order in a failed attempt to recruit him. Kurogane does not take it well.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Syaoran is drawn to Kurogane and later initiates a relationship with him because he was only one to show any concern for him, initially the only one to give him any kindness and realize that he's different from his clone.
* BiTheWay: Syaoran as he loves both Sakura and Kurogane.

* {{Bookworm}}: One of the few things that can get Syaoran out of his room is his love of books. Going to the library or to the bookstore is initially Syaoran's only leisure activity that he would leave the apartment for.
* BothSideshaveAPoint: Fai is right that Kurogane and Syaoran's relationship is codependent, that hiding the truth will and did hurt them in the long run and Syaoran is in love with Sakura. Other hand, Kurogane and Syaoran are right that Fai has no right to butt in as Syaoran is a consenting adult and since he's not actually with Sakura, it's his business who he tells.

* BrutalHonesty: It even the name of the chapter, when Kurogane realizes Syaoran has become ''too'' fond of him and [[LivingEmotionalCrutch started using him as a crutch]] he breaks to him the reality of their relationship. It's brutal but it breaks up their relationship as intended. He later tells Fai that he said it because he wasn't sure of his own feelings and didn't want to lie about it.

* ButNotTooBi: Kurogane says that he slept only with women in Suwa offscreen but in story he has subtext with Fai and a romantic relationship with Syaoran. According to Souma, his longest romantic entanglement lasted twelve hours.

** When Syaoran is isolated by the group in chapters 1-4, he makes himself sandwiches because they are easy to make and keep fresh so he doesn't have to eat with the group. His friendship with Kurogane grew when the latter saves his sandwiches despite the fact Kurogane was angry with him. When Kurogane finally helps Syaoran through his HeroicBSOD in chapter 63 and he makes Syaoran a sandwich to eat after the latter starved himself.
** When Syaoran joins the group during mealtime for the first time, he endures an awkward and hostile spaghetti dinner with Fai and Sakura. When Fai and Sakura try to make amends to Syaoran after he is tortured, they both ask if he wants to have spaghetti and eat dinner with them but he refuses out of anger and despair.

* LastGuyWins: R!Syaoran is last person to join the group and is proactive in his pursuit for Kurogane's love that he wins him over.

* BothSideshaveAPoint: Fai is right that Kurogane and Syaoran's relationship is codependent, that hiding the truth will and did hurt them in the long run and Syaoran is in love with Sakura. Other hand, Kurogane and Syaoran are right

* DistractedByTheSexy: [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] when Kurogane kisses Syaoran [[AnywhereButTheirLips all over his face]] in a rare moment of playfulness to win a chess match that he was losing. It works as Syaoran completely forgot his strategy

* LeaveTheTwo LovebirdsAlone: While he still opposes Syaoran and Kurogane's relationship, Fai starts taking Sakura out shopping when they want alone time.

* LeaveTheLovebirdsAlone: While he still opposes Syaoran and Kurogane's relationship, Fai starts taking Sakura out shopping when they want alone time.

* InterruptedIntimacy: Syaoran and Kurogane rekindle their relationship and share a passionate kiss when [[OhCrap Fai walks in on them.]]
** Invoked by Syaoran when a nosy healer interrupts his reunion with Kurogane. He decides to mess with the both of them by undressing and giving Kurogane a passionate embrace to make the healer think she interrupted much worse.

* InUniverseNickname: Syaoran refers to his clone as "The Other."
** Syaoran is sometimes referred as "This Syaoran" by Fai and Sakura.

* AdaptationExpansion: The character-driven Infinity Arc and Suwa Arc lasts 80 chapters and 50 chapters. In comparison, the action-heavy chapters are pretty short.

* OriginalCharacter: [[SerialKiller Jet and Cassie]] and Doctor Yamura in Infinity, who has a counterpart named Hinata in Suwa.

* [[spoiler: TheyDo: Syaoran and Kurogane get engaged in Suwa.]]

* HollywoodHealing: Averted as it takes several weeks for Syaoran's torture injuries to heal and he needs physical therapy to be able to use his knee

* InstantSedation: Fai casts a spell spell on Syaoran so the latter wouldn't be in pain from his injuries while Fai and Kurogane transport him to the hospital.

* InVinoVeritas:

* HalfTruth: When asked Kurogane tells Fai

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Kurogane grabs Syaoran's arm to force him out of his room when he refuses to eat

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Tragically, Syaoran is only tolerated by the group because they need him and because they were close to his clone. Syaoran is very aware of this.
* FriendsWithBenefits: Kurogane and Syaoran eventually become close friends and form an agreement to start having a sexual relationship. Kurogane does this to comfort Syaoran and initially believes that Syaoran understood that the relationship was temporary. It hits a snag when Syaoran starts to believe that Kurogane has feelings for him, which Kurogane tries to nip in the bud to no avail.

** Kurogane accidentally triggers one when he and Syaoran get into an argument.

* FreakOut: Syaoran tends to have these as a result of his PTSD

* NominalImportance: While the rest of the gang

* NominalImportance:

* EntertainlyWrong: When Sakura eavesdropped on Fai and Kurogane discussing love, she gets the impression that Kurogane was in love with Fai.

* InnocentInsensitive: Sakura, believing Kurogane fell in love with someone in Infinity, tries to give romantic advice and tells him to confess his feelings before its too late. Since they will eventually leave Infinity and Kurogane intends to return to Suwa, he will likely never see this person again and will always hold regrets that he didn't confess. Since Kurogane is debating on his feelings on Syaoran, this gives him a harsh reminder that they will eventually be separated.

* AfterActionPatchup: Kurogane treats Syaoran's injuries after he gets jumped by a gang on his way home.