While Yuki Nagato enjoyed a wide variety of books, her favorite genre by far was science fiction (although secretly, romance was a close second). However, today she found herself in the mood for some fantasy, and once she'd found a suitably appealing title in the library, she took it home with her and began to read.
Strangely, Yuki seemed to have more difficulty concentrating on the book than she normally would, as interesting as the premise and its execution seemed. There were times when the words on the page seemed to blur together, and whenever she made herself focus it seemed somehow different from what she last recalled reading.
Finally, she reluctantly accepted that she wasn't getting anywhere and closed the book, staring vacantly at the cover. As she stared longer and longer, the illustration on the cover became increasingly prominent in her vision while everything else seemed to fade away. Eventually, she became so invested in the majestic landscape depicted before her that in her dazed mind, she felt as though she was really there.
Upon feeling a gentle breeze of wind, she was alert again. She was indoors, with the windows closed. There shouldn't have been any wind. But as she looked around, she found herself in a completely different environment, and it was strikingly similar to what she saw on the book's cover.
"Are you okay?"
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Yuki turned towards its source, and she was greeted by the familiar face she associated with that voice, belonging to a friend of hers typically known as 'Kyon'. Judging from his attire, he appeared to be a peasant who specialized in agriculture. Another look at her surroundings reminded Yuki that she was in a field, where someone like him would be expected to work.
"...Kiyoshi?"
"You recognize me?" He said. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for you… But I'll admit, you look familiar."
Yuki was certainly confused by this, but she had no idea how to express it. She was desperate for answers, but she couldn't even work out what the questions were.
"You look a little disoriented," he said. "How did you get here, anyway?"
"I…" Yuki observed her surroundings once again. "I cannot remember…"
Kiyoshi frowned. "Well… Do you live somewhere nearby?"
Yuki tried to rely on her race's superior sense of direction and awareness of her surroundings, but doing so just made her feel lightheaded. As she just barely stopped herself from falling over, Kiyoshi rushed over to her and knelt down.
"Hang in there," he said. "I can take you to my home. It's not much, but you can rest there."
"Thank you," Yuki said, managing to stand with his support.
Just as he said, Kiyoshi's house wasn't much, but Yuki found it to be very welcoming at the moment, especially considering what one would usually expect from a peasant. As soon as she had permission to sleep in his bed, she did so, and she quickly entered a dreamless sleep.
When she woke up, she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, which was just as unfamiliar to her as not being able to determine her location. When she looked over to Kiyoshi, she saw him painting a portrait, and the person in the portrait looked just as familiar to her.
"Who is this?" She said.
"Hm?" Kiyoshi suddenly turned his head, not expecting her to be awake. "Oh, this is Mikuru Asahina. She's the princess of this land."
"She looks wonderful," Yuki said, the words seemingly leaving her mouth without permission.
Kiyoshi chuckled. "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment to her or my art." He paused before letting out a bitter sigh. "But don't get too attached. In just a few days, she's going to be married."
Yuki felt her heart sink the moment she processed the last word. "...to whom?"
"Her name's Ryoko Asakura," he said. "She's queen of a neighboring kingdom, but I've been hearing rumors that that's only because she murdered the previous ruler. Either way, it's clear that this will be a loveless marriage. Asakura's in it for the power, and Asahina simply has no choice."
Yuki could feel rage building up inside her. "And there is no way to prevent this marriage?"
Kiyoshi shrugged. "You're honestly asking the wrong person. I'm just a peasant, after all."
"Your art looks as though it could earn you a high position in society," Yuki said.
Kiyoshi smiled. "Thanks, but… I don't think I could. You're actually one of the few people to know I even do this. If I showed this to a professional, and they said it was horrible… I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection."
Yuki wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she returned to the subject at hand. "Do you know anybody at all who could do something about this situation?"
"I know someone who might be able to," he said. "But not necessarily someone who would be willing to. She's known as the Mad Mage, and while I know her real name, she wants me to keep it a secret for some reason. If you feel able, I can bring you to her."
A spark of determination was just barely visible in Yuki's eye. "I feel able. Take me there."
The 'Mad Mage' turned out to be located in an easy-to-miss shack in an alleyway, which was preceded by a number of confusing twists and turns. Yuki wondered if the journey was like this to others as well, or if it was simply because of the disorientation she was feeling after losing her alien senses. Later on, she would conclude that it was a mixture of both.
After Kiyoshi knocked on the door with a rather elaborate pattern, the door seemed to open itself, leading to a room that seemed to be larger than the building that contained it. Yuki felt a vague nausea as she walked inside, but it didn't feel like it would have any physical effect on her.
From within the shadows came an irritable voice. "What brings you here?"
"I've brought someone who has a request for you," Kiyoshi said. "I know how rare clients are for you, so I thought you might appreciate this one."
The shadows suddenly fled from the corner they were in, revealing a figure looking identical to Haruhi Suzumiya. "We'll see if it's worth my time. Let me see her."
Yuki made herself visible from behind Kyon, immediately catching the Mage off guard.
"Are… are you…?" She stopped herself. "...no. You look different, somehow."
"She looked familiar to me as well," Kiyoshi said. "Do you know who she reminds you of?"
The Mage hesitated to answer. "There was a student I had once. One of the best I ever had. There were times when she seemed to understand magic even better than I do. I only knew her by one name… and that was 'Rei'." She suddenly stood from the worn-out chair and leaned uncomfortably close to Yuki, seemingly looking through her pupil. "There's no denying the similarities… No two souls in this world are the same color, but yours and hers are very close."
She leaned away again and reached towards a shelf on her wall, where a number of mystical artifacts lay. After some rummaging, she produced a silver wand with a purple jewel at the tip.
"This was the wand she used," she said, offering it to Yuki. "If you can use it even half as well as she did, I'll know there's more to this than mere coincidence."
Yuki nervously accepted the wand. While she didn't know anything about magic, or at least what the people of this realm referred to as 'magic', she knew what the people of her world would refer to as 'magic', and she was perfectly capable of demonstrating that. She pointed the wand towards a dusty mannequin and muttered under her breath, but she was surprised to find that the words didn't come as quickly as they normally did. At times, she even found herself tripping over them, and in the end nothing happened.
The Mage took the wand from her, a harsh disappointment visible in her eyes. "It's just a coincidence, then. You're free to go now."
"But she still has a request for you," Kiyoshi said.
"I'm not interested in that any more," Haruhi said. "I'm done with her. She can go."
Even if this person wasn't Haruhi, Yuki could still recognize her refusal to take 'no' for an answer. With her head pointing a couple of degrees downward, she turned and left, and Kiyoshi eventually followed.
She had never felt so powerless in her life, and not just in a literal sense.
A/N: I began writing this after planning considerably less than I normally would before starting something. But more and more ideas are coming to me, so I guess we'll see how this goes.