Prologue
Kotoko sat on a futon rolled out in the middle of the small family room. Ryoji flitted about, bringing her water and checking the door for the birthing assistant that was do any moment.
"Ryoji! Ryoji sit down! For goodness sake, you're making me anxious," she scolded the floundering man.
"Oh, my beautiful wife, I can not help it! I'm going to be a daddy!"
"Come here!" Kotoko wiggled her hand for her husband to hold. He took it and squeezed, but refused to sit. A knock came from outside the front door.
"Oh! That must be her!" Ryoji rushed to the door and opened it, dragging a young woman in to the room before anything could be said.
The woman had warm brown hair that reached mid-back, and honey brown eyes. A light blush dusted her cheeks. "I-I'm Miyu…" she stuttered out.
"What happened to Yuuka? I thought she was supposed to be the one sent?" Ryoji asked, checking Miyu out as if she were a suspect for a deadly crime. He wasn't about to let a stranger near his wife and unborn child.
"She, she couldn't make it."
"Leave the poor girl alone, Ryoji. Come here, Miyu-san. I'm afraid I don't know what I'm doing."
"Oh! Ok, umm…. I need water, towels, and scissors to cut the umbilical cord. I brought a table to measure the child on…. Oh! Do you have a baby blanket?" Miyu instructed and asked Ryoji.
"I'll go get it!" he shouted. Kotoko giggled before leaning over in another contraction.
"Quick!" Miyu shouted after Ryoji.
...Time Skip…
"Oh, look at her!" Kotoko cooed.
"She's so precious."
Ryoji and Kotoko both sat on the futon as Miyu cleaned up. Kotoko held a beautiful baby girl wrapped in a yellow blanket in her arms. She had short brown hair and blue eyes that would turn to brown when she was older. "Haruhi…" Kotoko whispered. "Spring day."
"Our beautiful baby girl." Ryoji beamed at his wife with pride, brushing a brown strand of hair out of her face. "I love you." he turned back to the child and added, "I love her."
"Me, too."
Suddenly a shimmering blue shadowed over Haruhi's face. Blue waves rolled around her left eye. Blue turned to white in swirls that swept on the outer edge of her eye, mimicking wind, and white turned to an earth brown in pebble like shapes that ventured under her eye. The brown changed to a fiery red that defined scales before a lightning streak of yellow traced the line of her nose. The yellow ventured off into swirls of black and white that washed over her cheek.
"Ryoji?" Kotoko asked with a shaky, hushed voice. Maybe he knew what the strange markings meant.
"How?" The rambunctious man was for once out of words. They both looked to Miyu, who was now standing in front of them with eyes filled with wonder and mild curiosity. "How?" Ryoji repeated, this time his voice came out stronger.
"I, I can't tell you…" Miyu mumbled. "God, it's beautiful, isn't it?"
"What's wrong with her!" Ryoji was shouting now, and Haruhi started crying.
Kotoko fainted.
...
"Kotoko? Kotoko?" a strange male voice called out to her. Kotoko slowly opened her eyes, revealing an empty white space. A man with gelled black hair and sharp black eyes peered at her.
"Who are you? What's going on?" Despite the knots in her stomach, Kotoko managed to keep her voice flat and strong.
"All will be revealed. Trust me." He smirked.
"Why would I trust you? I don't even know your name."
"Fujioka Koizumi at your service." He bowed.
"Fujioka? Ryoji never mentioned you…" Kotoko murmured warily.
"That would be, my dear, because Ryoji doesn't know me."
"Then how-"
"Would I expect you to believe me? Because I know what those markings on your daughter mean."
"Huh!" Kyoko gasped as Koizumi disappeared. "What? What do they mean?" she cried out. She spun around, looking for the strange man before finding him behind her.
"You see, I'm not normal." Kotoko narrowed her eyes. No duh. "I'm Haruhi's ancestor, and I need her help."
"Ancestor?"
"Great great great, you get the point, Grandfather."
"But how?"
"I was killed."
"I'm confused."
"And soon, the world will join me."
"But how-"
"Unless Haruhi stops them."
"Who? What? How? Why?"
"I can't tell you too much."
"How do I know you aren't lying?"
Koizumi sighed and held out his hand. A small orb of water slowly started forming. With his other hand he drew out a stream of water and drew a figure eight.
"I, I'm dreaming!" Kotoko protested. "Otherwise, stuff like that doesn't exist!"
"Does this feel fake?" Koizumi's stream of water floated towards her and wrapped around her, tickling her skin before returning to the orb and evaporating.
"But how?"
Koizumi shrugged. "There's more to this world than there seems. Mages are all around you, using magic hidden from mortal eyes."
"And what does this have to do with Haruhi?"
"Haruhi's a mage."
A/N: Haruhi means Spring Day