History Fanfic / WindowsOfTheSoul

The story is told in alternating first person perspective between Shizuru Fujino and Natsuki Kuga, and introduces original characters Shinri Fujino (Shizuru's father), Viola Fujino (her mother), Sayaa (Viola's personal assistant), and Hideko (Shizuru's maid), as well as characters from the First District.

* CameBackWrong: Not in the usual sense. Shizuru tells Natsuki that ever since her return from the dead she's felt a sense of displacement, like she doesn't properly fit in the world. Natsuki agrees, but says she's always felt that way since the murder of her mother and her year long stay in the hospital when she was a child, recovering from near-drowning.

* CannotSpitItOut: On both sides. Justified. Natsuki has to resolve both questions about her own sexuality as well as reconciling her love for Shizuru with what Shizuru did to her. And Shizuru doesn't dare spit it out, and doesn't want to risk losing Natsuki's friendship, knowing the depth of her own guilt. Natsuki has to make the first romantic overtures, and it takes her a lot of talking to get there.

* ClosetKey: [[spoiler: Shizuru and Natsuki for each other. Shizuru describes Natsuki as an eye opener for her, and Natsuki had never even considered what her sexuality was while on her vengence quest against First District.]]

* DevastatingRemark: Zigzagged. Natsuki has spent a good deal of time contemplating a potential relationship with Shizuru, and comes to a conclusion. She starts her conversation with Shizuru by saying, "We can't continue like this." Shizuru is crushed, until Natsuki realizes how it sounded and amends by adding, "I mean... what I'm saying is, you can't hide your pain from me any longer. All of those things you wanted to say. And for me, as well, I can't hide anything or keep anything back. We care about each other."

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] eloquently by Natsuki,"I've suffered, cried, fought and died for this, I've come back from the dead, I've been stabbed and shot and agonised over everything in the dark."

* {{Foil}}: Umi Tsuda, an OC for the fic, is a foil to Natsuki. Both are women wronged by Shizuru. Umi lost her fiance to Shizuru's wrath, Natsuki lost her mother to First District. Both sought revenge for lost loved ones. But where Natsuki learned to forgive and let go of the past, Umi couldn't let go, and sought to take Shizuru's life. Umi even tells Natsuki that they're similar, noting that she bears Natsuki no grudge.

-->'''Natsuki''':But she isn't just that night, in the same way she isn't just the girl who speaks with an elegant, affected Kyoto-ben and smiles kindly at me. What I can see of her, close by me now, is only kind, and good, and hurt. I can't associate her with that time at all.

* GunsVsSwords: The final fight between Shizuru and the leader of the First District survivors. The bullet shatters Shizuru's katana, imbedding shards in her gut, while she manages to carve him up with the portion of the blade still attached to the hilt. [[spoiler: He dies. She spends time in the hospital, recovering.]]
* HatesRichPeople: There's a lot of friction between Natsuki and Shizuru's father, Shinri. She sees him as self-important and cold, with her making quips about him needing to spend his money to keep the Japanese economy running, while Shinri initially thinks of Natsuki as a useless SocialClimber. He revises his opinion of her after she saves Shizuru's life while taking a serious injury in the process. And Natsuki begins to have grudging respect for him when she realizes that he works hard and holds himself to very rigorous standards.
* HappilyAdopted: Played with. When [[spoiler: Shizuru takes ill]] Viola cheerfully says she'll pretend Natsuki is her daughter. Natsuki says it's a bit of a sudden promotion. Saaya takes to calling Natsuki her favorite daughter, and describing Natsuki and Shizuru as twin sisters. [[spoiler: Both Viola and Saaya say it more seriously after Natsuki takes a knife to the thigh saving Shizuru from a vengeful survivor of First District]].

** Shizuru, when asked by Natsuki when she first realized she was a lesbian, says she'd gone on a date with Reito, but had hated the experience, and felt that Reito had understood the truth at that time, but was too polite to tell her what she wasn't ready to admit to herself.

* LuminescentBlush: All the women in the Fujino household develope a keen interest in making Natsuki blush.

* NotHerself: Discussed, but not concluded one way or another. Shizuru's family suggest that this is part of the explanation for her crimes, but Shizuru denies it, saying that she was always herself, though this could be because she sees it as too easy an excuse. Her father later points out that she was under unusual and extreme circumstances, and pretending that it didn't influence her at all was a form of vanity. Shizuru considers it, but doesn't make any decision one way or another.

* OnlyAFleshWound: Played with. Natsuki is injured twice in the story. Once, near the midpoint, she is stabbed in the thigh. She's smart enough to wait for proper medical care to remove it. Later on, she's shot in the shoulder, and notes that the blood loss is a serious issue, and it affects her aim later, as she can't weild her gun with both hands. Doctors tell her after the fact that she'll likely lose functionality in the arm, which is only Subverted by her HealingFactor.
* PapaWolf: Shinri is very distant and aloof, but he loves his wife and daughter in his own way. [[spoiler: Only after kissing Shizuru and making their relationship official does Natsuki start worrying that being intimate with his daughter under his roof might be a bad idea, as he has genuine, combat ready katana in his house, and the skills to use them.]] And when First District thugs attack, he's does everything in his power to help.

* PolitenessJudo: The Fujino family is well versed in politeness as a weapon, and Reito knows a thing or two about it as well. Natsuki actually impresses Shinri by demonstrating that she's capable of doing it, too.

-->'''Shizuru''':''I've caused you too much pain and sadness, and betrayed you in too many ways, for me to forgive myself. That can't be outweighed by my small and selfish kindness.''
-->'''Natsuki''':''To be degraded in that way, and to be left with this fear. For her, as well, it was below her, and it mocked and fouled what was between us. It wasn't something I could raise, or rationalise, or comprehend. It still festers insides, and I know that's reality. My wishfulness alone won't take that stigma from me, or from her. A shadow bloated from the dark that still separates us in some way, beyond view.''

* RedemptionEarnsLife: Shizuru comes very close to dying, but it's clear by the end of the story that she's redeemed herself, an act she finalizes by [[spoiler: confessing all she has done to her family.]] Ultimately, Shizuru survives, and has reconciled her past sins with her current self.

* ShipperOnDeck: Mai and Reito, though Mai wanted to have a talk with Shizuru first, since she knew what Shizuru had done to Natsuki during the Carnival. Once Mai realizes that Shizuru is genuinely repentant, she's fully on board. [[spoiler: Also, Saaya, after she accidentally walks in on a kiss between the two]]

* TakeOffYourClothes: As thanks for saving Shizuru, Viola asks Shizuru to have a high end custom kimono made for Natsuki. The shop owner, who could generously be described as eccentric, demands Natsuki strip for measurements. Shizuru is amused...until the shop owner demands Shizuru do the same. Shizuru tries to point out that she's not getting a kimono for herself, but the shop owner is having none of it.
* ThatCameOutWrong: During a talk with Shizuru, Natsuki says, "We can't continue on like this." Shizuru is immediately crestfallen, until Natsuki realizes how it sounded and amends herself to say she means that hiding their feelings from each other hadn't worked out well for either of them, and that they cared for each other too much to keep doing that.
* TheseHandsHaveKilled: A huge part of Shizuru's guilt. As she points out to Nao, Nao can take a dismissive view of the Carnival because she didn't kill anyone. Shiho also feels some degree of guilt, despite all her victims being resurrected. Thuroughly averted with Mikoto, who doesn't tend to dwell on the past, and is still more than willing to slay anyone who threatens her friends.

* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Girl]]: Shizuru lives to meet her parents' expectations, which are very high. But we begin the story with her fully aware that her actions during the series, her slaughter of First District, and her rape of Natsuki, are in direct violation of the ideals of her family, and, indeed, of any decent person. She also [[{{Gayngst}} believes her attraction to Natsuki is shameful, especially as a Fujino.]] [[spoiler: Her family forgive her of her crimes, and accept, if not embrace,her orientation.]]

The story is told in alternating first person perspective between Shizuru Fujino and Natsuki Kuga, and introduces original characters Shinri Fujino, Shizuru's father, Viola Fujino, her mother, Sayaa, Viola's personal assistant, and Hideko, Shizuru's maid, as well as characters from the First District.

* RantInducingSlight: [[spoiler: After Shizuru confesses to her family about having raped Natsuki during the Carnival, Shinri [[ArmorPiercingSlap nearly knocks her out of her hospital bed.]] He demands to know if she feels she even has the right to live, as far as she's fallen. This,in turn, leads to Natsuki, her arm in a sling, barging into the room violently, kicking Shinri in the shin, and then verbally tearing into the entire Fujino family, Shinri for striking Shizuru, Saaya for trying to keep Natsuki out, Shizuru for trying to make her own family hate her, and Viola for letting it all go down.]]

[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4004316/1/Windows-of-the-Soul Windows of the Soul]] is a fanfic that serves as a direct sequel to the original ''Anime/MyHime''. It was published in 2008 on Fanfiction.net by [[https://m.fanfiction.net/u/1301127/ Lestaki]].

!Windows of the Soul provides examples of:

* MythologyGag: Viola is named for Shizuru's ''Anime/MaiOtome'' incarnation.

[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4004316/1/Windows-of-the-Soul Windows of the Soul]] is a fanfic that serves as a direct sequel to the original ''Anime/MaiHime''. It was published in 2008 on Fanfiction.net by [[https://m.fanfiction.net/u/1301127/ Lestaki]].