Dark Heart High

""Principal Amakusa awaits no one.""

Dark Heart High is (or was) a Round Robin story hosted on Improfanfic. Dark Heart High is a mangaka-esque story that primarily focuses on the protagonist Yuri Mikagami, who has been sent to Dark Heart High by her father who hopes that she'll learn how to be properly evil during the next four years.

Yuri, of course, objects to this idea at least initially, but doesn't become much more comfortable as the series progresses.

As the series progresses, Yuri must make friends and allies in order to have any hope of surviving until graduation - especially since  Throw in a Love Triangle - not to mention enemies she starts picking up on her first day! - and civilian friends that Yuri still wants to keep contact with, and things quickly start getting complicated.

Unfortunately, it appears as if the series - and possibly Improfanfic itself - has died; it hasn't been updated in several years, although the site still exists. Before this happened, it reached 69 chapters and remains unfinished.

"Ki: What would you have done if she didn't surrender? Yuri: *thoughtfully* ...oh. I suppose I would have had to disarm her. The very casualness of her tone chilled him."
 * Affably Evil - Amakusa. Also Troi Mikagami, a lot of the time; he's quite fond of his daughter.
 * Altar the Speed -  tries for this.
 * Exclusively Evil: Just about everyone attending Dark Heart High except Yuri and maybe Leilei.
 * Always Save the Girl - Ki
 * Anti Christ - Almost certainly .   probably qualifies as well,  . Dark Heart High being what it is, there are probably several others who also qualify, within the student body.
 * Arranged Marriage: Played with. Leilei  was set up for one of these.
 * Awakening the Sleeping Giant - Go ahead. Tell, after you've stabbed him,   The truly terrifying thing is that   realizes that he doesn't take umbrage to this because of how badly it crosses the line - rather he objects because   It disturbs him even a little.
 * Axes At School - Subverted. The nature of Dark Heart High is such that nearly all students have a weapon of some sort. If they don't, expect them to be relying on magic of some sort or physical prowess.
 * Badass Evil Teacher - most of the teachers shown in Dark Heart High. Amakusa actually encourages both this and Sadist Teachers.
 * Badass Family -
 * Battle Couple - Several cases.  would be the most obvious one,   but   and   also qualify. There are probably several sets on the side of Good; the mahou shojo/kamen pairings seem to attract it.
 * Because I'm Good At It -, when it comes up.
 * Beware the Honest Ones - Yuri may be this, due to her tendency to not be aware that she shouldn't have been able to do something until well after she's already done it . It does save Ki's life at one point, though.

""I -- *thump*" "I thump you too! <3""
 * Beware the Nice Ones - Mahou shojo try to be this. Yuri actually is.
 * BFS - Kashin goes in for this. His favoured weapons are two huge tower swords that drag around behind him, hooked to his belt by chains. Since things tend to be at least semi-realistic, he probably either spends a lot of time sharpening them or they're enchanted to keep from getting blunted by all that abuse.
 * Brought Down to Normal -, due to Alignment Shock.
 * Brother-Sister Incest - Implied and combined with what may be Twincest, with one of the mahou shojo/kamen pairs. Combined with their parents being implied to have done this, too! The villains who find out find it hilarious. The mahou shojo in question insists that it's a case of Reincarnation Romance; the kamen just wants to hush it up.
 * Calling Your Attacks
 * CMOT Dibbler - Ramidra the Unscrupulous, also known as Liza. Willing to sell just about anything to her classmates - no mater what that 'anything' might be. Most commonly sells devises she's created and, for various reasons, abandoned. These things always have a side effect she doesn't mention.
 * Cute Mute - Yuri's opinion of Balabalalde. He can talk, when he's unwrapped - although he's kind of monosyllabic.
 * Cycle of Revenge -  captures and kills   about half-way through the series. Even though the capture was a genuine mistake (  thought she was grabbing , when it turned out to be   hanging around  's house on patrol) by the time   realized what had happened, it was far far too late to fix it. So   got used as part of   school project - and died in the process, because   couldn't escape. (To be fair, it was supposed to be an inescapable death trap.)  's mother goes mad from grief and ends up siccing all the mahou shojo and the kamen on   in an effort to get revenge. It   works and  's mother is deposed and arrested for her actions because the mahou shojo are not supposed to be used as tools of revenge.
 * Dead Fic
 * Dark Magical Girl - At least three so far.  and , both of whom used to be regular Magical Girls before switching alignments.
 * Dojikko - The average Magical Girl, outside of combat.
 * Do Wrong Right - The whole reason for Dark Heart High. The reasoning goes, the kids attending are going to be evil anyways - they might as well learn how to do it properly.
 * Emotionless Boy - Ki and Balabalalde both fall into this. Ki, because he  and Bala because of his bindings. Given that Bala's only other option appears to be , the wrappings are the best option. (Or at least the best one anyone's come up with so far.)
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones - Yuri realizes this, because she is one of evil's loved ones. The mahou shojo, as a rule...don't; some of them seem incapable of getting it, actually.
 * Evil Is Not Well Lit
 * Evil Sounds Deep - Amakusa and Troi have deep, resonant voices. Akurei has a scratchy, siblant voice. The Eldritch Horror sounds like he should be speaking *backwards*. One of the instructors at Knight School has a truly terrifying voice, in a subversion.
 * Evil Virtues
 * Everybody Hates Mathematics - Yuri is considered weird for not only liking math, but for joining the Future Accountants Club. She seems to get it from her mother, too, and she mentions that she used to help her father with the accounts for pocket money when she was younger. Her father agrees that it's quite evil, but doesn't really see the allure.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good - Principal Amakusa
 * Evil Overlord - Yuri's father and Principal Amakusa.
 * Extranormal Institute - Dark Heart High, of course, along with its counterparts, Sakura Arts and Knight School. Plus, there's Zero Academy, for those who want to go True Neutral. Evil Tech, the Academy of Light, Black Soul High and Sugar Valley are also mentioned as lesser alternatives, with Evil Tech students considering Dark Heart's as rivals; Dark Heart students, on the whole, seem to consider Evil Tech students as being barely capable of being bumbling minions.
 * First Guy Wins - . And he's the first guy   even properly notices walking in the classroom, too!
 * Friends with Benefits -  and  . It's implied that   may be this way as well.
 * Frills of Justice - The mahou shojo in general.
 * For the Evulz - A lot of things that the students of Dark Heart High do or attempt to do. Of course, the point of attending Dark Heart is to learn that good villains should have a reason for doing anything, rather than just doing things for the hell of it.
 * Good Is Not Nice - The mahou shojo. They're Warriors of Light. They're the epitome of what Good should be. This does not make them nice people.
 * Good Hurts Evil - Troi Mikagami does not like sunshine. Or happiness. Or having his daughter tell him just how much she loves him - even if he does return the emotion. This appears to apply to  all the evil characters we see, too.
 * Growing Up Sucks - Between Alignment Shock, Virgin Power, and just plain Dying Like Animals, most mahou shojo don't become adult Magical Girls. On the other hand, those who do make it through to adulthood with their powers intact tend to be really powerful.
 * Humanoid Abomination - One of Yuri's friends. He/she posseses recently deceased corpses in order to interact with this dimension without hurting him/herself. It's hard on the corpse, though, and tends to speed up the process of decay. This comes into play later
 * Happily Married - Yuri's parents. (Craig's parents may have been this way as well, but we have no way of knowing for sure; we hardly see his mother, and his father is dead well before the story starts.)
 * Helping Would Be Killstealing - The reason why Troi Mikagami doesn't just teach his daughter the ropes himself.
 * Human Sacrifice - Craig tries a virgin sacrifice, early on. Bala thwarts him, and he gets the crap beated out of him by the seniors for being in their gym. It's implied later that this happens to a few students. And it's implied to be the reason why ends up trapped in Dark Heart High's workshop as a ghost. To make matters worse for poor , the only thing that can free   is the blessing of a truly pure and good person - made in person. Since   is trapped in the bowels of one of the most evil buildings in the world, this is unlikely to *ever* happen. It's implied that   only other option is to hang around long enough that   loses   sense of self and fades away.
 * I Am Who? - When the series begins, Yuri's been kept out of the loop a little; she doesn't actively realize that her father is evil, and certainly doesn't seem to have any powers.  She knows he was in the military, though.
 * In the Name of the Moon
 * Incompatible Orientation -  for  .   just doesn't like other girls that way, and is really creeped out by the idea that   likes her That Way after having known her for all of a few weeks. They do try dating, once   becomes aware of the Love Triangle, but it doesn't work out.
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness - The mahou shojo like to believe this about themselves.
 * In Love with Your Carnage -  for , long before he even sees her do anything. He's in love with her potential carnage.
 * I Uh You Too - Parodied with Amy.
 * I Uh You Too - Parodied with Amy.

"Amakusa: I don't care if your son is being bullied by this Plotter boy. He would be treated just as badly, if not worse, here. Further, your son is already attending one of the finest wizarding schools in Europe; we cannot teach him anything here that he would not already be learning there."
 * I Will Protect Her -, after the Love Triangle gets resolved. They might not be able to have her the way they want - but they can at least stand by her side and give her aid.
 * Kendo Team Captain - Kashin-sempai is captain of the school fencing team. He considers it Serious Business - and for good reason; those who can't, or won't, fight don't usually last long and the forces of Good are no more merciful than the forces of Evil.
 * Just Friends -  to   since she doesn't even notice their feelings for a long while. It's implied, though, that she was probably
 * Laughably Evil - The harmless variant: Minions in general. The students from Evil Tech.
 * Let's Wait a While -, after things get cleared up. She's got too much she wants to do first, before she marries anyone.
 * Love Makes You Evil -
 * Love Triangle - Comes close to verging on a Love Dodecahedron, really, before it's resolved.    and   all love - or at least want -  . But   is, at least for a time, in a sexual relationship with   (who is one of   enemies).) To make matters more complex,   isn't even aware of the triangle for a very long while.   eventually partially resolves it herself, stepping aside in favor of   since   would rather see   with   than  ; she also acts as a semi-Shipper On Board later, when things get complicated after   proposes to   (sort of) and   doesn't take it well, helping soothe   hurt feelings.
 * Magical Girl - A multitude., Amy, and   - not to mention anyone enrolled at Sakura Arts.
 * Malicious Slander - You'd think that, being filled with evil students, Dark Heart High would run on this. Ironically, the majority of the rumors are usually true.
 * Maximum Fun Chamber / Robotic Torture Device - Appears to have been  and her group's project, for Workshop class. They got a very good grade on it, with bonus points for.
 * Moral Myopia -  shows   that, while some of Dark Heart High may not consider civilians or the Warriors of Light to be anything like as good as them, the reverse applies, too; the mahou shojo really don't see villains as people and he doesn't think most of them ever will. He doesn't discuss whether or not it's a bad thing over all; he's just warning   that the mahou shojo and kamen will not show mercy if   is caught  . And since   isn't the sort of person to believe it just because   was told it was so...
 * Murder the Hypotenuse -  considers trying this on   and  .   abandons the idea, since   is way out of   league and   doesn't die that easy. Plus, there's the fact that
 * My Girl Is Not a Slut - Subverted.  absolutely believes that   has been sleeping around, when he hears that there's a rumour to this effect. This is because he's been conditioned by his years at Dark Heart to believe that all rumours are at least partially true. He's still not happy about her reputation, though.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast - A lot of the other students, especially ones who just show up for one scene and then are never mentioned again.
 * Nobody Thinks It Will Work: Yuri's parents. For good reason - an Evil Overlord and a Magical Girl aren't supposed to get married! And never mind having a *kid* on top of that!
 * No Points for Neutrality - Subverted. It doesn't look like being neutral makes you inherently weaker than being good or evil; it's just a lifestyle choice. Of course, both sides consider the neutral schools to be more than a little crazy, but they acknowledge that the neutrals are needed - it's not like either good or evil can be trusted to judge inter-school competitions fairly, after all!
 * Obfuscating Stupidity - Yuri, to her classmates. In reality, she falls more into Beware the Nice Ones.
 * Older Than They Look: Leilei looks like she's Yuri's age - maybe a bit younger.  When asked about this, her answer is that no one *asked* her age.
 * Ordinary High School Student - Yuri, at least to start with.
 * Poisonous Friend -, at the start. She gets better - a little, anyways.
 * Post-Rape Taunt - One of  rivals threatens to do this to  . All it ends up doing is pissing   off enough that he stops holding back - which isn't good for the rival...
 * Protagonist Journey to Villain: Yuri gradually becomes darker as the series goes on, partly as a means of survival.
 * Real Men Wear Pink - Balabalalde wears a pair of silver cat-charm earrings . The other students quickly learn not to comment on their presence.
 * Reincarnation Romance -  and  . Maybe.   certainly seems to believe so.]] And one of the mahou shojo/kamen pairs says they're this. And the mahou shojo half doesn't seem quite smart enough to pull off a lie like that, considering that she keeps blurting out all sorts of stuff her kamen really wants her to keep quiet about...
 * School Nurse - Varies between 'chibi', 'sultry', 'body builder' and 'feeble old lady'. They're all the same person, though.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can -  has the majority of his powers sealed so that he can mature into them without destroying the world in the process.     also have their powers sealed - like , this doesn't make them any less dangerous. Later,   gets her powers sealed to keep from overloading herself. In-universe, the need for such seals seems to be seen as a sign of being an extreme Badass.
 * Sealed Inside a Person Shaped Can -  He's powerful when he's sealed. He's terrifying when he's partially unsealed. No one knows for sure what will happen if he's ever fully unsealed, but everyone's positive that it's way too early for that to happen.
 * Secret Legacy - Several.  is     Craig   subverts this
 * Shout-Out - So many. One of the most memorable is a scene where Principal Amakusa is on the phone with a parent who wants to transfer their child to Dark Heart High...

"Troi Mikagami: "I figured since you insist on wearing a fuku to school, you might as well wear the right one.""
 * Small Girl, Big Gun - Ingram-chan.
 * Subject 101 - Basic Villany 101. Among others.
 * Sunnydale Syndrome - The Muggle world isn't covered much, but the fact that Yuri -  - never noticed that there were schools for Magical Girls (never mind schools for evil) implies that there's either this or an Extra-Strength Masquerade in place, considering that the students of Dark Heart High are required to perform one act of unquestionable evil, either solo or as a group, to prove that they're worthy of being admitted for the next year of classes every summer. No explanation, as yet, as for why; possibly, it's just traditional for the magic-side of the Masquerade not to involve the Muggles, and the Muggles just don't think too hard about these things.
 * Considering that the mahou shojo appear to have no prohibitions against fighting in public, it seems like it's more 'tradition' than anything else.
 * Tell Me About My Father - Kurosawa-sensei tells Craig the truth about his father. He's not happy to find out that, rather than being the well-respected villain he thought his dad was, his father was  Of course, his father did die
 * Transfer Student Uniforms - Yuri, for the first day. Her father soon amends this.

""Dark Heart High is a place wherein all can learn and have a HELL of a time doing it!" Yuri ignored the disclaimer at the bottom which exhorted something about the last line being occasionally literal (though in a good way), and something about Survival Primers and Non-Humans Clauses."
 * The school uniform later becomes a minor plot point, as only Yuri and  wear it. This serves to clue the reader - and Yuri - in on who the mysterious new boy is.
 * Transformation Sequence - Mahou shojo in general.  is very embarrassed by hers - but hers does involve
 * Training From Hell - Many of the classes Yuri and the other Dark Heart students participate in. The PE classes are especially prone to this, although the teacher isn't allowed to actually kill the students (usually). Dark Heart High itself qualifies as this, too.

"Reika: "Look, dark shadowy nightmare beasts from beyond the fields we ken just don't exist. And even if they did, they wouldn't settle down in Japan and raise middle-class families. Demons aren't real, magic's not real, giant two headed dogs that crash into children's birthday parties aren't real..." Yuri: "Actually, Cerebus-chan had three heads, remember? And Dad was just looking after him for a friend. He was really sorry he'd chased us afterwards." Reika: "Right. Fine. And he wasn't real.""
 * Torture Cellar - The Workshop class. Also, detention.
 * True Companions - Yuri gathers these. It works, because she's just so earnest about it that those she pulls in are too bewildered to argue.
 * Turn Out Like His Father - Craig is warned about this.
 * Unholy Matrimony - Well, the kids at Dark Heart High had to come from somewhere... Yuri's parents don't really qualify
 * Victim Falls For Rapist - It's implied that if hadn't acted when he did,  might have dragged  off for this, curbstomping anyone who tried to stop him.
 * Weirdness Censor - Most of the Muggles appear to have one. Yuri's friends try really hard to keep theirs intact.


 * With This Ring - Subverted.
 * What the Hell, Hero? - Yuri, to Bala after he kicks a cat. Amy to Bala again, after he ; Amy points out that up until that point,   He's semi-repentant in both cases, but doesn't seem to quite understand why Yuri's mad, the first time; after all, he's evil. Kicking cats is what he does - isn't it?
 * Ki gets one of his own, from Yuri, after he nearly kills her two best friends when they temporarily turn into werewolves and start attacking Yuri. He's surprised that she even objects, then realizes that as far as being emotionally prepared to deal with evil, Yuri's where he might have been back in kindergarten.
 * Writing Lines - Can be a form of punishment. Kurosawa-sensei appears to prefer essays. Probably because writing lines doesn't make you think; she wants her students to learn from their mistakes.
 * Yandere - Amy. Dear god, Amy. Barely worth spoilering, too, since it's an obvious trait from the moment she meets Yuri.
 * You Are Worth Hell - Implied for  considering that they are stated to have had to fight off whole armies shortly after they got married. May apply to   as well, since she's willing to plunge into an alien environment
 * You Killed My Father - Craig to one of the Big Bads, in a Crowning Moment of Awesome that sees him lobotomising the villain in question.
 * You Cannot Grasp the True Form - Pulled by the Eldritch Abomination that controls the Future Accountants Club, to explain why he appears to be a few tentacles, inside a very tiny gold box. Turns out . This becomes a plot point (of course) when Kashin and the Eldritch Abomination duke it out.