This is some speculation on the true nature of Koizumi and the cats. The story may be continued in a separate sequel story if it gets enough reception. It's mostly based off the anime.
The Observations of Shami-san II
First of all, Shami-san and I are not cats, we're anthros. Yes, anthros. We are alien shapeshifters injected with animal DNA, in our case, that of the Japanese Bobtail. Our natural appearance is that of a human with cat ears in a tail. If we need to shift, we become cats or fully human as needed, though personally I've never liked human food. Anthros in general tend to be somewhat partial to our animal sides; it's in our nature as a species.
But I'm getting ahead of myself; this isn't about what I am or even about Shami-san. It's about the human I currently live with.
Itsuki Koizumi, the esper. Such a tragic story he has, and I'm the only one he can tell it to. He doesn't know I'm not a cat, of course; what he needs from me is a sense of normalcy.
I was lucky to end up with Koizumi; my brother and I were teleported in our cat forms onto a busy street to fend for ourselves. When Shami-sama made contact with Suzimaya, I could only wait for an opportunity to somehow join him. I was beginning to think I would have to spend the rest of my life eating garbage, when Koizumi picked me up to be Haruhi's latest plaything. We've been together ever since.
Why do I bother, I wonder? These are but thoughts, in my head, and yet I'm hoping that someone will hear them and come to rescue the man that feeds me. Just now, he enters the doorway of the apartment and begins to remove his shoes. I flounce up to him, running the length of my body against his legs with a purr.
"Hello, Shamiko." He only calls me by my full title when I'm in trouble. He rubs is hand against my ear in just the way I like. "You hungry?"
"Mao," I say, and he reaches into the refrigerator for my food. The sound of the can opener is music to my ears. He's in a good mood, I can tell; his smile is genuine.
"Suzimaya was relatively quiet today. If this kind of pattern continues, I may be able to drop my persona and go home." He sighs, his face taking on a melancholic look. His focus drifts away from me, and I yowl a bit to get his attention. If Suzimaya is truly giving him the day off, he's liable to waste it lying in bed, dead to the rest of the world. I jump into his lap and paw him in the face.
"Ouch, Shamiko! What was that for? You channeling your wild ancestors?"
I streak out of his lap, skitter around to face him, and jump right back into it.
He smiles. "I suppose it's been rather long time since I've played with you. Let me try to find Mouse-kun. Let's see, where did I put…"
He wanders off, perhaps to search the kitchen. If he does, I hope he brings more cat food.
Don't get comfy, a voice in my mind says. I swear, my little brother knows exactly when I don't want to talk to him, and does it anyway.
What do you want, Shami? I'm busy.
Hey, is that really the way you want to treat your brother? The karma you could accumulate… Anyway, don't get comfortable where you are. I smell closed space. It's enclosed the entire playground. It's all I can do to keep Anyuga away from it- she wanted to take her friend there so badly. I feel bad, but Kyon would have a fit if anything happened to his sister. I've read somewhere that kids are more sensitive to the kinds of anomalies created by Haruhi, espers or not, but the fact that she's managing to get on the playground at all may the mean that someday she'll be a part of this whole mess… Kyon would just loooooveee that
I flick my tail. Goodbye, Mouse-kun…
What is it with you and your fascination with cat toys? I'm not half as enamored with them. If it weren't Anyuga-chan playing with them, I would wholeheartedly refuse.
I like my animal form better than you do. Now shut up.
Whatever you say princess. Keep an eye out for Koizumi though. I think there are bigger things coming. Expect some fireworks at home- he won't be at his best.
I don't need your-
I hear Koizumi's returning footsteps, and the link between me and my brother evaporates.
"Guess what. Shamiko? I found Mouse-kun! Now we can…"
He trails off, stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. A shiver runs down his spine.
"Oh my God." He practically slams his shoes back onto his feet. He is in such a hurry that he doesn't even bother to put on his coat, despite the brisk fall weather.
"Sorry. Shamiko. I have to go. Apparently I can't even do something as normal as play with my cat."
I detect bitterness in his tone, which will no doubt multiply tenfold by the time he gets home. I prepare myself for a very long day of waiting.
ooo
Koizumi staggers through the door at four in the morning, clinging to the door frame for support. His body is soaked, he has no jacket, and he doesn't even bother to greet me when I come up to him.
"Why, Suzimaya…" he throws himself into the nearest chair, putting his head in his hands. "Why a zombie apocalypse? Nagato was the only one who could fight back, because all I'm allowed to do is fight Celestials and stand there smiling like an idiot! And Mikuru had a panic attack while Kyon did nothing but whine and complain! WHY, SUZIMAYA?"
I mew in concern, and he doesn't even look at me.
"Anita… If only you hadn't been in the car with me the night I got my powers… Where are you now? Are you alive? Are you happy?"
He's wandering again. I must bring him back. Usually he doesn't reminisce like this unless he's cleaning out his closet, which contains all that's left of his past. From the photographs that I've seen in there on my excursions climbing the shelves, it is clear that Anita is his true love.
Koizumi falls asleep right there in the chair. I crawl into his lap to keep him warm. It's the only way he'll get away with wearing his wet clothes without making himself ill.
I am dreaming of sunny patches and chasing birds when I hear his voice, jogging me out of sleep.
"Anita… Hold on! I'm coming to get you!" he begins to thrash so violently that I fall out of his lap. "Come on, breathe for me! Breathe! Don't leave me here! Hang in there for me, please! ANITA!"
His body jerks into wakefulness, and his breathing is heavy. He has removed his color contacts, so his green eyes dart back and forth in the darkness. I, with my catlike eyes, catch the way that they glint with fear.
"It's not fair," he whispers. "Everybody in that brigade thinks I'm a freak because I smile so much! Even in a simple conversation, I come off as mildly disturbing! I had enough trouble finding friends in my old life, and this persona just makes it harder! At least in my former life, I could explain my weaknesses!"
He goes to the kitchen and I follow. I have never seen him lose control like this.
"I DESPISE SUZIMAYA! She stole my life. She stole EVERYTHING from me!"
He pulls a dish from the dish cupboard and throws it at the wall, where it shatters into pieces. He has never been good at understanding his own emotions; he has, at best, an academic understanding of them, and trouble connecting them to his actual experience. I believe that the humans have a name for his particular set of flaws, but psychology books aren't always available to an alien masquerading as a cat. The only thing I can do is keep him from hurting himself by mistake; that's my duty. Unlike the others, I'm not interested Haruhi Suzimaya; I'm interested in the unfortunate people that got caught in her wake. My little brother has an assignment too; I wonder how the Chosen One would react to discovering that his little sister's beloved pet was actually a boy.
The breaking of the dish doesn't seem to satisfy my human companion. He stares at the spectacle he has created in surprise, wondering why he has done so. Moving away from the mess, he attempts to justify what he cannot understand.
"The powers aren't so bad, but why can't I be myself? All I ever to this play yes-man to her illogical ideas!" smash! "Yes, Suzimaya! Of course, Suzimaya! Would you like anything else, Suzimaya?" Smash! Smash! Smash!
I want to get to him, but I can't. My pathway is blocked by shattered dishware.
"If she ever figures out how we're lying to her, we're done for. Overall, her pattern of behavior is improving, so she may be able to act on her powers with some degree of discipline, especially with Kyon's guidance, but it would require an honest conversation with her, something that none of our factions are willing to risk. I can't believe the Agency can't see the writing on the wall! Over the years, we began to see her like some kind of lab rat- and she's not. "
He looks at me, his expression so honest and genuine and vulnerable that I can't resist running over to him, and end up paying for it when I cut my foot on the debris littering the floor. I hiss in pain.
"Oh, no! Don't try to step on those! Here sweetie, let me get the first aid."
He spends the next five minutes wrapping up my paw. "Better?"
It is better, but you can bet that I'll be shifting back to anthro form to heal myself as soon as I can find a discreet location. I now realize what I need to do in order to keep Koizumi safe, and I can't do it on an injured paw.
I must find Anita.
ooo
I have a suspicion that Anita is still alive, even after the accident that haunts Koizumi's dreams. The fact that he has had no contact with her means little to nothing; she wouldn't recognize him in his persona. At first, I simply leave the house and interrogate the all the animals in the neighborhood, but that trail quickly leads to nowhere. I become so frustrated that I contemplate turning human and beginning to date him myself, but I know I won't work. I don't care for Koizumi in that way. So finally I take human form and headed to that directory at the library with all of the names of the people in nearby towns.
And, as the gods of irony would have it, the Brigade is there too.
Koizumi's offensive powers may only work in closed space, but I know for a fact that he is telepathic, whether he's hanging around with Suzimaya or not. Good thing he can't read my thoughts; my DNA is too mixed. He won't notice that he can't do it, not with the other minds in the room. In this case, a natural empath would be more reliable. I mentally prepare myself, trying to keep my emotions under control; I don't want to sprout a tail and ears before their eyes.
Suzimaya is sitting at a table, doing absolutely nothing while others bring her piles of books.
"I want all the information you can give me on empaths! Scour the paranormal section!"
The stable one, Kyon, looks at her disapprovingly. "Tone it down, Haruhi. This is a library."
She immediately turns her back on him. "Not a chance."
I smile. Despite all of the things that Suzimaya has done, I can't help but like her.
"Hey, you!" she says. A few seconds later, I realize that she's pointing at me.
"Yes?" I say, a picture of innocence.
"Do you believe in aliens, time travelers, and espers?"
"I suppose they could exist. I've heard if your club, Suzimaya. A cousin of mine goes to your school."
Her eyes light up. "Really? Who?"
"No one you would know." She opens her mouth to speak again, and I stop her.
"If you're asking me to join you, I must respectfully decline. I hardly ever visit this town and I make a horrible correspondent. I'm not Brigade caliber."
She sighs. "Another one lost! Oh well. At least you recognize your limitations."
She's letting this go surprisingly easily. Perhaps the secret is to stop her before she starts.
Almost as soon as I am noticed, I am forgotten. Her attention is diverted back to Kyon.
"Bring on the books. Kyon-kun! You're not moving fast enough."
I hear his voice coming from near a faraway shelf. "Give me a second! These things are heavy. If I had Koizumi to help me…"
"Koizumi is using up his vacation time." Ah, so he isn't here. I wonder what he's doing.
"What? How come I don't have any vacation time?"
"The higher your rank, the faster your vacation time accumulates."
He groans. "Perfect. How much time do I have?"
"About two minutes."
"WHAT?"
"Hey, if you didn't get so many penalties, things like this wouldn't happen. And keep your voice down. This is a library, after all."
I decide that this is the best time to step away from the conversation; although Kyon's facial expression is quite comical. I take a seat at one of the computers, not noticing the girl sitting at the one across from it until she speaks.
"What you are doing is good."
I jump, but the girl across from me does not react. She's fairly short, with glasses and a monotonic voice. Dimly, I remember my brother mentioning her. He was cast as her familiar in one of the Suzimaya's schemes and took the opportunity to hang off her shoulder and wax philosophical.
"You're Yuki Nagato?"
"I am."
She knows. She must know. But how?
"Your leader is in league with the Data Integrated Thought Entity." Dang, can this girl read my mind?
"The Entity approves of your goal to aid Koizumi in his time of the unrest. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of recovering the necessary data for your mission."
She hands me a stack of printed papers. On them are Anita's address and instructions on how to get there.
"Thanks."
"You are welcome."
More seconds of silence pass, and I venture to speak again.
"Out of curiosity, why is placating Koizumi so important to you?"
Her answer surprises me. "What you do will not placate him. It will set into motion a cathartic experience and secure a future ally."
"For what?"
"The time will eventually come when Suzimaya will become irrevocably aware of her powers. Possibly quite soon."
"How so?"
"I do not know. That information comes from the time travelers and is classified. However, it is important enough that all of the groups interested in Suzimaya are now collaborating."
"That's not very common, is it?"
"It is unprecedented."
"It required Miss Asahina to go back to the future for a little while?" I'm grabbing at straws, trying to explain the girl's apparent absence.
"Yes."
"Well, I guess I'd better hurry then. Wouldn't want the universe to collapse on my account."
Nagato turns her eyes back to the screen.
"See you, Nagato."
She inclines her head in my direction.
What a strange girl- she reminds me a bit of what I know of Koizumi from before he became an esper.
If I were like her, I would be lonely.
ooo
My guess is that Anita's apartment would be only three hours from Koizumi's by car. This is the kind of sadistic twist that seems to occur often in the life of my caretaker; to be so close to the object of one's affection, and yet not even know she is there. The only thing more torturous would have been to know from the beginning. As one might say, his current situation is the lesser of two evils. Perhaps he has not made more of an effort to find her because he knows that would only make things more painful.
I must take this risk. He is pining. His old methods of control are no longer working. It's time for drastic measures.
I am sorry, Koizumi.
When I am just down the street from apartment and there is nobody there to see me, I duck behind a tree and a shift from human form to cat form. It has been a long journey, but Koizumi, like most cat owners, finds nothing unusual in his "pet" disappearing for hours at a time.
I walk up to her door, which is painted red in defiance of what appears to be the regulations of her complex; the other doors are a dull beige. I meow plaintively, doing my best to appear pathetic. This appears to be the house of an animal lover. It's something my kind just knows.
I can hear footsteps approaching the door, and oddly, with every few steps, something metal hits the floor. Step. Step. Click. Step. Step. Click.
Finally, the door is thrust open. A girl stands in the doorway. Her eyes are clear and bright, and her dark hair is tied hastily back in a ponytail. She matches Koizumi's pictures perfectly. Except…
I now realize with a metallic sound I heard must have been. She's standing on a pair of forearm crutches, something I've never seen in any of the pictures Koizumi has of her. As she steps out onto the porch, her gait is awkward, as though she cannot quite direct her body.
"Ooohhh, you poor thing. Are you lost? Come inside, sweetie." Her tone rings with sympathy.
She turns around, looking back over her shoulder and an inviting way. I pad inside, and she smiles at me. "Good kitty."
The first thing that I investigate is the couch, but to my chagrin it is already occupied. A large black Labrador is taking up all the sunny space.
"Frontibras, we have a guest," Anita says, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. The dog moves, revealing a small vest with a person in a wheelchair embroidered on it. He stares at me in a dignified manner.
Hello, changeling.
Hello, I answer back. Animals across the universe refer to my kind in that manner.
"Now let's see who you belong to," says Anita. She leans her crutches against the couch, sits, and scoops me up in her arms. Her hands run over me, trembling slightly, until she finds my identification tag.
"Itsuki Koizumi... Frontibras, phone!"
Frontibras jumps off the couch, heading to a table standing near the doorway of her kitchen. He grabs the cordless lying there and brings it to her.
"Good boy!" she says, scratching him behind one ear. He pants heavily, his tongue lolling out in satisfaction. Dogs are so easily pleased.
It takes her four tries before her fingers can dial the correct number. I imagine all that must be happening on the other end; the signal of her phone connecting with his.
The Labrador interrupts my train of thought. I'm glad you came. Her scent has become stronger; it's nearly time.
I don't bother to question this Labrador on what it's time for, but I do take a moment to verify the one part of his statement I do comprehend. I walk up to her as she is waiting for a reply to her call; my human sets his phone to ring longer than most. I sniff the air as I sit next to her. She runs her fingers through my fur absentmindedly, and my suspicions are confirmed almost instantly. The scent on her body is sunlight and lightning and her own special blend of spirit.
She's an Esper?
Yes. It was weak at first, but it's been growing progressively stronger. It wasn't until I came into contact with one of your agents that I learned what it was. I was worried that she had a disease, but the smell was wrong for that.
If my brother was this agent and he decided to keep this to himself, he's in serious trouble. I see Anita straighten, and feel my own ears prick upward in anticipation.
"Hello. Yes, is this the Koizumi residence? No, we haven't met, but I believe I've just met your cat."
I watch this conversation take place, but I don't see the end if it that is going on in front of me. Instead, I see Koizumi as he recognizes the voice of his old lover, the steps that he takes to cover up the shock. I see his eyes shut, a smile that is the product of months of training cross his face.
Anita listens a moment, the receiver balanced on her shoulder. "I was concerned because she seemed to be mostly a house cat and to her it must be a long way away from home. Yes, you can wait a few hours. What time does she usually eat? I usually keep cat food and a dish in the cupboard for any strays that turn up… Yeah… I can do that… four PM? All right, see you then."
She goes into her kitchen, and within minutes, the hours of walking that it took to reach her house are worth it.
Tuna.
I like this girl.
ooo
Unlike humans, anthros don't seek out our destiny; our destiny finds us.
My supervisor basically dumped me on the street with my brother, and I had to have the faith that things would turn out the way they were supposed to be. When I became acquainted with Koizumi, I knew that I had encountered my destiny. It's not a romantic destiny by any means; one day I will find a mate, human or animal or of my own kind. But it is Koizumi that gives me my purpose, my reason for existing. Think of an animal that is currently your companion; it is from that side of our nature that our concept of destiny comes. Not something that you conquer, but something that conquers you. Radical acceptance. It is a concept that many humans struggle with.
It is fitting then, that as I wait for my owner to come home, I dream not of why, but of what.
ooo
"Are you absolutely sure that he's your assignment?"
"Yes."
"Positive. As in, set for life."
"I am."
"Hmm. Very well. I admire your certainty. But you must know that according to the files we've managed to gather, he may be a bit hard to handle."
"So am I. I assume you want me to view these files?"
"Just the one for now."
My supervisor touches the center of my forehead, and I'm aware of nothing but what I need to know.
I am in the middle of a classroom, watching someone who I realize must be a younger Koizumi arguing with a classmate.
"All I'm saying is that you should try to make more friends." The classmate is a girl; they look to be about nine or 10.
"I do not engage in social endeavors for the sake of social endeavors. Particularly not with males."
"Oh, give me a break…"
"I am serious. I am never able to tell if they are making fun of me or trying to engage in social contact. One minute they appear to be friendly, and the next minute, they are doing something that I frankly find quite humiliating. They did it to me yesterday, in fact. What do you call it?"
There is an awkward silence.
The girl finally speaks. "I believe the term you're looking for is wedgie."
"Ah," he says in a tone of mild interest, "I must add that to my encyclopedia of common vernacular."
"What are the rest of your fellow humans, lab rats?"
The boy stares hard at the girl. "Look. Do not mistake social ineptness for lack of desire for social contact. In truth, I find human behavior fascinating. The whole of the universe is fascinating."
"Well, we'd better not be late for our next class or we'll end up with a fascinating detention."
"Agreed."
As I leave the memory stored away in my dreams, I realize that the girl is Anita.
I wake to the sound of a door slamming. I know immediately from the scent that fills the room that my human has found me.
"You're a tad late." Anita, who must have gone into another room, slowly and deliberately makes her way from the kitchen doorway to Koizumi. His control slips just a little; his eyes widen, and for a split second, his smile vanishes. He obviously wasn't expecting her on crutches.
"Weren't expecting someone on sticks, huh?"
Koizumi collects himself. "I can't say I was."
"It's okay. I probably should have warned you. It's unfair to throw people off guard like that."
He is obviously employing some sort of telepathic trick or she would have recognized him by now, despite his hair dye and contacts. In the presence of another esper, her powers are gathering strength. The air almost smells like it's burning. I sneeze.
"You okay, Shamiko-chan? Koizumi picks me up, and the scent of Anita's fledgling powers becomes less overpowering as I am held next to his freshly washed shirt.
"She's probably tired. It sounds like she had quite the walk, given your address."
"She almost never goes wandering this far."
"Even a good cat gets wanderlust."
I paw at him to be set down, and decide to watch the conversation from the top of her rather large bookshelf. Unfortunately, I knock into one of her crutches on the way past, and her knees buckle. She manages to catch herself, but a photo on a side table behind her nearly meets its end as it begins to fall.
Koizumi rushes to catch it, perhaps a bit faster than necessary, and it lands face down in his outstretched hands.
Anita smiles in relief, letting out a sharp breath. "Thank you. I would've been really upset if that had gotten broken."
She takes the photo from him and holds it out for him to see. "He was my boyfriend."
Still on the floor, I claw at his pant leg until he lets me up. I want to see this, to gauge his reaction.
The picture is just what I expected- Anita with Koizumi, back when he used his real name and did not dye his hair or tint his eyes. Her legs are strong; though she has her arm wrapped around his neck, it's clear she can stand perfectly well on her own.
"I looked different back then, didn't I? It's okay. You can ask."
Koizumi says nothing, and she begins to tell a story that he mostly already knows.
"I have a traumatic brain injury. I was in a car accident a few years ago. He was at the wheel."
Koizumi cannot possibly be smiling, not on the inside.
"He was always such a careful driver, but it was icy that night. There was something in the road that would have distracted anybody."
Koizumi is not able, at this critical point, to suppress his own curiosity. How does she interpret the events of that fateful night, a night of Celestials and powers and pain and grief?
"What was it?"
She hesitates. "…a giant bear."
It's plausible, but we both know that she's lying. If she saw a bear, that it was a bear with three red eyelike structures, a bear that couldn't support its own body weight. A bear that lived to satisfy Haruhi's need for stress relief. There is no such bear, of course. She saw an entirely different creature. One that Koizumi knows all too well.
She continues. "This bear was downright terrifying. My boyfriend's first instinct was to brake, but it happened so suddenly that it was so slippery that he swerved and we fell into a ditch. I was unlucky. Hit something hard, blacked out in a second. People tell me that he stayed with me the entire time, despite his own injuries, keeping my neck still. I was in a coma for a few months, and when I came to, he'd left me a long letter explaining that he'd gone off to find himself, whatever that meant. He never came back. I really hope he does someday. Probably trying to make sense of what we saw that night on the road…"
"I thought you said it was a bear."
"OH! It, uh, wasn't a native species."
She's such a terrible liar. If she were a trained esper, aware of her powers, she would know the proper way to refer to Celestials without gaining suspicion.
"Anyway, it took me awhile to get even this far, as far as walking is concerned. My grandmother was unwilling to let me live alone, but she had to let me go out into the world sooner or later." She sighed. "I just hope he doesn't feel guilty about what happened. I wouldn't want that."
She blinks, as if just realizing what she's unloaded.
"Okay. Now that I've burdened you with that awful story, is there anything that you'd like me to do for you before you leave? Oh, I know…"
She pulled out the drawer of the side table on which the photo now rested once again, removing a velvet pouch tied with a drawstring.
"This is my Tarot deck. Come with me to the kitchen."
I follow them. Tired by this point, I don't bother to do any more than lie underneath the table, listening to the sounds from above.
"Have you ever done Tarot before?"
"Once or twice."
"Do you remember what the cards mean?"
"Some of them."
"Just cut the deck like you normally would."
The sound of cards being shuffled, stacked, restacked. Clearly Anita does not consider this a mere child's game.
"Just a one card reading, I take it? You want to be home before it gets too late, I bet."
"Sure."
"General life reading?"
"That sounds good."
"Okay, no specific question in mind. Pick your card."
I hear the card of his choice slide against the wooden table.
There is silence.
"Ah… I suppose I should compose my epitaph when I return home then."
"The card of Death doesn't mean you're going to die, silly! It means change. Big change!"
I remember Nagato's warning, and a chill runs down my spine. I've learned not to discount various methods of gaining information that are not scientific, Tarot cards among them. Especially not in the hands of an esper.
"You don't seem like a very happy person, so maybe this change will be a good thing! You're about to be liberated, think of it like that!"
"That is a pleasing notion, but rather unlikely."
"Nonsense, nonsense! Take this card with you. I can always get another."
Soon they are once again at the front door, meeting over, brief respite over. Koizumi has me in his arms and has dropped some of his mask, seeming shy, almost weary.
"I want to thank you for your hospitality, but out of curiosity, what makes you think I'm unhappy?"
She looks at him, a small smile on her face. "You just give off that vibe… the vibe of melancholy."
Kozumi stands mute, absorbing her words.
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
He nods in assent, and we are gone from her doorstep.
From her life.
When we arrive home, Koizumi sets me down, heads to his room, pulls down the blinds, and goes to bed several hours early, the card of Death still in his hand.
His cell phone rings and rings, Haruhi's number onscreen. Since I can't march over there and demand she give him time to grieve, I settle for lying on top of it, muffling the sound.
Eventually she stops calling. Perhaps in the dead of the night, he will permit himself to shed tears.
As I fall asleep, I think of smells and warnings and predictions and death cards. But I know whatever happens, I will protect Koizumi. It's my duty. It's in my blood.
I am not a human.
I am not a cat.
I am an anthro.
Sleep well, Koizumi.