Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the series.
It was snowing that day.
Well, why wouldn't it be? Depending on who you asked, the year had just begun and old man winter still had his eyes set upon the world, or at least, in Japan.
The snow still persisted even in the late days of February which brought along with it heavier clothing and visible breaths. It fell all around silently, beautifully. It blanketed the world with white as if trying to hold everything in place with a cold glove.
According to science, when matter gets colder, their molecules move less and become more compact. Dripping water turns into hard icicles. What once was a flowing river could become a slippery road. One can even preserve objects for thousands of years with the use of the cold. Indeed, in a world of absolute zero, of immortal winter, it's not hard to imagine a stagnant society, a frozen time.
Somewhat related, in the world of manga and fantasy, it is not too hard to escalate the power of [Freeze] from just simply freezing water or the air to create icicles into freezing more abstract things such as space or even time itself. How does making icicles and blizzards to controlling one of the fundamental forces of the universe make sense? Well, that's just natural if one was a protagonist or a sexy blue haired villainess who needed to be overpowered for reasons of powercreeped.
In fact, the just the idea of being able to control something like time is astonishing enough. Having control over something implies a grasp on it yet the world has yet to decide on a proper explanation for what it was. Some would call it a flip book. Others would call it a painting. Yet another group would say that there is truly no such thing as time as a concept after all and everything just so happens at once.
It gets even more confusing when the concept of travelling through time is introduced. Grandfathers, alternate realities, and De Loreans are just the tip of the iceberg of paradoxes that are needed for a proverbial timetraveller to exist. Even then, all she would be able to say is "Classified Information!" as if It was her catchphrase.
Well, in the end none of that really matters.
It was snowing that day and, no matter how cold it may have seemed, no matter how frozen the world may have been, it would all melt away.
Nothing lasted forever.
Things changed.
Nothing is set in stone.
Not even the future.
It was snowing that afternoon.
"If we figure out how each of us feels, I don't think we'll be able to stay the same."
She had set her goal, objective, vendetta on this very day. The time. The place. All were things she accounted for.
"So this is the final request."
There weren't even any people around to interrupt or see them. Three teenagers by the exit of an aquarium. The sun was already setting bathing them in a beautiful orange glow. At that moment, it was only the three of them left there. As if they were all that was left of the world.
"Our final task is to fix our problems."
They were moving. Yes, even while all three, were still just standing in that same spot, they were moving. Something was moving. One of them was forcing another to move. One of them was just looking on.
Even if they still all stood there frozen, time was still moving.
Something was moving and it wasn't just the pink haired one speaking.
"Ne Yukinon? Is that battle still on?
Something was moving in that frozen world of theirs.
"It is. The winner can order the loser to do anything they want."
It couldn't be stopped. It was moving at a fast pace. Way too fast a pace for any of the three of them to stop at this point.
"I know how to solve the problem you're facing right now, Yukinon. I'm pretty sure that's the solution to our problem as well"
At this point, any onlookers could easily notice what it was, but not those three. There was something holding all three of them back from noticing it, whether it was due to negligence or just forced ignorance. As if, they didn't want to look at the issue at hand.
Or maybe that they all were just too busy looking at each other.
"And so when I win, I'll take it all."
Could you really blame her? There was no time left. Looking around the aquarium had been too fun. She had gotten distracted. Maybe, she just wanted to distract herself from the drama she knew was coming.
"It may not be fair, but that is all I could think of. I want us to stay this way forever. What do you think?"
She had to hurry. She had to put her all into this or she would break down.
"Are you okay with that, Yukinon?"
There was no other way.
She wouldn't, couldn't, stop now.
"I…"
Even if it hurts. Even if it would break her.
She was almost there.
"I…"
She would make it. She had to
"I…I wouldn' min-"
"No-" "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOPPPPPPPP!"
Just as Yuigahama Yui was about to have her way,
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino was about to agree,
Just as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to protest,
A single shrill voice broke through their world.
All three jumped at the sudden noise and whatever tension there was in the air dissipated like their icy breaths. For just that moment, they had been the only ones left so it was easy for them to get caught up in the whole thing like it was a finale to some anime.
Immediately, Yukinoshita Yukino took the opportunity to steady her breath and regain her bearings. Whatever courage Yuigahama Yui had gathered up had passed as she could only sigh to herself knowing her momentum and her chance was lost.
Hikigaya Hachiman released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Somehow...somehow he knew something important was going to happen, No, was supposed to happen in order for the three of them to get out of whatever run the clun was in at the moment. And yet, he couldn't help but thank whatever God for the interruption.
Speaking of which, he wasn't actually sure if had heard correctly whatever that yell was. It sounded like-
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
The voice rang out again, this time audibly closer which made the three soon realize that it was actually aimed at them.
They then turned their heads to the source of the voice, a little girl that had to be no older than Hikigaya's sister's age running towards them. She was wearing a Sobu girls uniform outfit however the oddest part was that she was clearly much younger than even the certain freshman they were familiar with.
Hikigaya could only watch in silence then when she finally got close enough to them for him to get a good look at silky black hair was tied up into two twintails that hung from each side of her head. She was also heavily panting from her run, her breath visible as cold mist. From her looks, he found her cute although not in the disgusting way Zaimokuza would think would but cute as a little sister.
For a single horrifying second, Hikigaya had even thought the girl cuter than both Komachi and Saika.
When she finally did reach them, she didn't say anything as she stopped to catch her breath. She leaned on her knees with gloved hands, trying to regain her composure. Hikigaya took that time to exchange glances between Yukinoshita and Yagahama but their own confused showed that they both didn't seem to know her either.
He tried to remember if he bumped or met her from somewhere but he honestly couldn't. He doubted that he would ever forget a girl that cute. The worst part was that there was something oddly familiar about her he just couldn't seem to identify. it was something about her face or...her eyes? He couldn't really be sure as he could only allow himself quick glances at her before the feeling of being a creep staring at a little girl would turn his eyes away.
The trio could then only wait for the stranger to catch her breath. Normally, even Yukinoshita would have said something or asked what she had wanted by the girl just looked so exhausted it didn't seem like she would even be able to give a proper replay anyways. Hikigaya could only sympathize as she looked just as exhausted as he did after the run with Hayama.
Remembering she had a bottle of water in her purse, Yuigahama then handed it to the girl to which she accepted heartily.
"Ah, thank you." The unknown girl smiled as she received the bottle and drank it at full force. Once she was done, she looked around for a trash can. Spotting one a bit further off, she made her way to it to dispose the bottle.
As she walked away, Hikigaya turned to Yui, "Oy, Yuigahama. You know her?"
Before Yui could reply though, the strange girl had returned with her expression completely different. Her exhausted look was gone and was replaced with a stare that stopped the words in Yui's throat. Her eyes were narrowed, brimming with a determination Yui had only seen in another pair of grim eyes. It was almost a perfect imitation except for the tight frown on her set lips that was also so familiar.
The resemblance and the way they were miss matched was so jarring that she could only silently stare as the girl postitioned herself in front of her.
"Now then,Yuigahama Yui! " A finger was pointed at Yui and the mystery girl then declared. " I am here to ask you to halt your actions at once and to step away from my parents!"
Said Yugahama Yui cleared her mind as she was realized she was being talked to. She just looked at the girl in the same way she looked at a midterms test. Confused, annoyed, and a little angry for interrupting her earlier . "Parents?"
"Yup! My parents," the girl nodded.
The girl looked around to see what the girl was talking about. Yukinoshita and Hikigaya did the same but all three couldn't find anyone else around but the four of them.
"Ah? Where?"
"Right here." With that, the mysterious girl grabbed the right arm of Hikigaya and the left of arm Yukinoshita and pulled them together much to the shock of the two. "My name is Hikigaya Haru, daughter of these two."
…
…
"EH!?" exclaimed the three in disbelief.
"H-Hikki! You and Yukinon...!?" Yui glared at the rotten-eyed male, tears already forming in her eyes. While this was one of the few times her logical side should've spoken up first, her emotional side resorted to smacking away the unfortunately weaker side of the girl in order to jump into the pit of conclusions first. "You...you..."
"W-we don't you, idiot!" retorted Hikigaya, an unusual amount of panic in his eyes. While normally slanted, at the moment they were bulged open and darting all around. First at Yui, then his self-proclaimed daughter, then at Yukinosh-He immediately looked away as he felt his face become especially warm. He tried to will his mind to reach enlightenment and reach the state of empty thoughts yet his mind could only seemed to do its best to bombard him with images of him and Yukinoshita having a baby, raising a baby, and, of course, making a-
"Guh!" cried Hachiman as he punched himself in the face before he could even finish that last one.
"Th-that's right Yuigahama." While Yukinoshita Yukino's face looked as calm as ever, one only had to look lower to see her shaking legs and the way her fists were clenching and unclenching her bag's strap. Her eyes were closed as she tried to will her mind to calm down. It was only a lifetime of living with a sister like her own that she was able to will the blood from rushing to her face.
"First, just looking at this girl, we could assume that she is around Komachi-san's age. If her story is to be believed, even ignoring that I'd somehow not know about my daughter, I'd have to have been way too young of a child to even give birth although I wouldn't put it past Hikigaya-kun to be into those sorts of deviant activities with chi-"
"Oy! Oy! You've said one too many things," retorted said deviant.
"So you see, it couldn't have-" Yukinoshita stopped herself as she felt a small tug on her arm which came from her supposed "daughter". The girl tuned to look up at her with a pout. "You don't believe, me?"
Suddenly feeling a spike of guilt, Yukinoshita averted her eyes away. "Haru, was it? I'm sorry but It's more that I can not accept such ri-ridiculous claims."
The girl then sighed in resignment. A small part of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama's brains found the sight to be be scarily similiar to when Hikigaya sighed. "Well, I guess it would take more than that to convince you of all people."
And with those words, an interface materialized above her arm from seemingly nowhere . The girl tapped it and soon there were many screens floating around each showing statistics and pictures of what looked to be a distant future. Images and Headlines that displayed events that happened in seemingly future years went past their heads.
It all looked something out of a movie.
Feeling her mouth go dry, Yukioshita gulped but continued on. "There's no point in showing me this information as all of this could be fake and there would be no way to determine it."
Haru listened to her rebuttal and nodded. . "Well, if you won't believe me from that, then..."
With another tap, all the holograms disappeared. Electricity then crackled around Haru for a moment before she was lifted in the air as if she suddenly grew wings. All three could only stare in awe what looked to be a girl half of their age defied one of the most defined laws of the universe and flew through the sky above them.
After doing a few more tricks in the air including barrel rolls and loop de loops much to Yuigahama's "ooh"-ing anf Hikigaya's "ahh"-ing, Hikigaya Haru landed in front of her mother with a frighteningly matching self-assured smile Hachiman was all too familiar with.
"A-all still could be fake." was the weak rebuttal Yukino could put out. "Or it's all just technlogy that has been developed outside the public domain. For all we know, you could have runaway from an experiment camp or even be a cyborg!"
Sweatdropping slightly from how desperate the girl was getting, Hikigaya felt like he should say something. "Oy. Yukinoshita that sounds like something that guy would write..."
With one last resigned sigh, the girl then silently held out an arm which summoned a floating screen in front of the three of them.
"Ah..." softly muttered Yukino as she could only take in the picture in front of her.
On the screen, a photo of a happy family flashed. An man, a woman, and a child, were all smiling together. Another was shown this time of the three gathered around a Christmas tree. Then another and another. Each one was different but the people in it were indistinguishable especially to the audience.
An older Hachiman with eyes just as rotten yet somehow softer.
An older Yukino with shorter hair yet much more warmth.
And the very girl same girl, smiling in between two people who couldn't be anything but her parents.
Inside Yukinoshita Yoshino, many rebuttals were brought up by her overwhelming logical side. These could easily be fake. These could be doctored somehow. If the girl has technology that allows her to fly, of course she oculd easily make a simple fake photo as this.
And yet, all of these were unacceptable for the person known as Yukinoshita Yoshino.
Because Yukinoshita Yoshino does not lie. She only accepts truths. And she would rather die than ever call the family in those pictures anything but a true one especially comapared to her own.
"Yes...This..." she whispered to the girl in front of her or maybe to herself. "...is a family."
She could only look on at the pictures of something she never knew she wanted but despairingly knew she lacked. She almost willed herself to stare at it as she knew if she didn't her eyes would defintely trail to the boy next to her and she was just not ready to feel emitions from whatever was showing on his face at the moment as well.
"So…"
A small voice broke out yet it somehow pierced through the reverie of the situation. Even though Yugahama Yui's face was covered by her hair as held her head low, the pure heartbreak and grief in her voice couldn't have been masked anyways. " So why have you come….If you...If you're reallky Yukinon and Hikki's daughter then..."
Haru's nostalgic smile tightened and her eyes grew cold. Now that the evidence was in their heads, the resemblance to her mother's own cold façade caused all three to flinch.
"You see, Yuigahama Yui, is not always set in stone. In this period of time, the outcome of Tou-sama's relationships are extremely unstable. Even more unstable and vague then most time branches." She tapped her chin. "I guess he's what you'd call a womanizer."
Yukinoshita turned to Hikigaya with a blank, cold stare. "Oh? How does it feel to have your own daughter call you that?"
He could only look away. Him? A womanizer? Please. Was he being framed by some sort of future villain? He wanted to retort but his brain was a muddled mess at the moment so he responded the best noise he could. "Tch."
"And so I came to make sure I can get born and that Tou-sama does the right thing!" The girl nodded to herself satisfied but Yuigahama still shook her head.
"Uu..but…I don't agree with you." Yuigahama tried to look anywhere but Haru as even as dumb as she knew herself was, this girl implied something that only caused her chest to hurt. "I mean, I don't believe you."
"Look," Haru took of a glove to reveal a shocking sight. Where her hand should be, only a faint outline of one remained. "My existence is fading away. If I can't solidify my future, I'll disappear. I know this is unfair for you. But I'm desperate here. If I disappear…I don't want to think about it but that's not all that'll happen."
Cradling her wrist, she turned to Hikigaya who could only flinch at the sight of the translucent hand. "You know, Tou-sama. When I disappear, your affection for Kaa-sama will disappear as well and I don't want that."
"Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita called out to her friend for the first time since the whole situation began although if she had wanted to say anything else she didn't. There were too many things she wanted to say and yet nothing would come out. "..."
Yui, the girl in question had her fists balled up as she tried to speak, tried to accept what the girl in front of her wanted. This wasn't just about her feelings anymore. This was about someone else's life and existence. It would be incredibly selfish of her to go against it but…but… "I.."
"I can't allow that."
And for the second time that day, another shrill scream once again interrupted the world, only this one came from above. A storm of lightning followed by flashes of light appeared and from there another girl landed.
The new girl was wearing the same thing as the other, a mini Sobu High uniform along with gloves. Her hair was tied up into a pink ponytail that reached her shoulders and she looked to be the same age as her counterpart as well.
Brown eyes glared at blue. "If you'd think I'd allow you to just waltz right in and take Papa away from my Mama, you have another thing coming!"
The new girl took a moment to glance at Hikigaya then turned and revealed a wide grin to the crying girl behind her. "Don't worry, Mama. Yuki is here to save the day!"
"EH!?" Once again, the three exclaimed their disbelief. although Haru could only glare at her new opponent which was returned by the new girl, Yuki.
As the two future children continued their glare off, each standing beside their future mothers, Hikigaya Hachiman could only sigh as he felt his headache become a migraine.
What kind of Love Comedy had he been flung into?