My History Textbook is My Fate

by Clapping Reflection

She has a red eye and a brown eye. She's as normal as she thinks one can be. When she stumbles onto an innocent textbook, she knows that her life is in major jeopardy. That is, if she doesn't do something. And fast.

4. The Envelope

Rukaru's POV

Let me give you a test.

What's the most common name you can give to a girl whose parents' names were Hotaru and Ruka?

Rukaru, obviously.

If you haven't guessed already, Rukaru's not my real name. I mean, my mother seriously wouldn't allow it.

My real name is Hikari. Why am I living under an alias?

To make a long story short, I stumbled onto this Alice Production Company when I was young, where I found many automatic robots. I programmed them to say insults and embarrassing things. The staff never could delete what I programmed, and since then, they were after me, begging for a way to undo what I did. It was then I has cut my hair short and changed my name. So far, only Mikatsuki knows my real name. Her mother's supposed to be a real airhead, but she seems to inherit her father's personality and her mother's looks. In other words, she kept it a secret.

Mikatsuki's POV

The faded envelope was not just a stupid letter.

Well, at least I hope it isn't.



That night at exactly 12 AM, Ruk--Hikari and I opened the envelope. In there was a piece of plastic and a note:

Open in GumiGumi 3000.

I didn't know what the heck a 'GumiGumi 3000' was, but Hikari did. She pulled out a bigger version of the piece of plastic found in the envelope. She casually slipped the plastic into a slot in the GumiGumi 3000 and set everything up as she explained.

"GumiGumi is an invention Okaa-san made. Passed down to me in her will."

I nodded.

A projector zoomed out of the GumiGumi, and Hikari clicked her fingers, turning off the lights in her room.

We first saw a peachy color, and as the blob moved, we saw that it was a hand setting the GumiRecorder straight. When the hand moved away from the lenses, we saw a pretty brown-haired young lady. Her hair was the same color as mine, and her eyes were the same as one of mine. She had to be my mother.

"Mikatsuki-chan, how are you?"

I gasped.

"Don't try to talk back to--"



A raven-haired man entered, apparently annoyed.

"Our daughter knows, idiot. She won't turn out to be an idiot and talk to a hologram, baka."

I felt myself choke up and I touched the wall where the GumiVideo was being projected. Kaa-sama. Tou-sama.

My mother in the video then smacked my father on his head while laughing.

"Mikatsuki, this is your father, Natsume. And I'm your mother, Mikan."

She started to choke up.

"If I'm correct, Hikari-chan must be next to you, right?"

I nodded. For once, Hikari didn't make a comment.

"Good. Listen, Mikatsuki, Hikari. You are probably in the future. Or should I say, we are in the past."

At this, a replica of Hikari walked in, followed by a foreign looking boy, who had the same eyes as my best friend.

"Hikari-chan, this," indicating the Hikari-look-alike, "is your mother, Hotaru. She was my best friend, and for some reason, she keeps on insisting that you will also be called 'Rukaru'."



Hikari's eyes widened.

"This is your father, Ruka. He is Mikatsuki's father's (my husband's) best friend."

Hikari poked the young bunny next to her and pointed it at the old looking bunny in the hologram.

This time, my father spoke.

"Mikatsuki, Hikari, you two, as newborns in our time, are currently preserved in ice. The ice is set to melt at a certain time in the future, and you two are to grow up in the future like regular people. Mikatsuki, Hikari, on your right index finger, there should a faint dot. Do you see it?"

We did. I always thought it was the remainder of the Sharpie mark I scribbled on myself when I was small.

"That is proof that you are related to us. It was made by Mikan before you two were sealed. I am sure that you have read the excerpt in the textbook this letter was tucked in. You guys were born shortly before the end of the war, and to give you a chance to live, we preserved you in ice and gave instructions to a-- trusted teacher.

"Although we won the war, it's not over yet. We never had a chance to finish everything before we were, um, before we died. We beg of you to finish what we left. Time is draining as we talk.

"Mikatsuki, remember where you found the book? Go there again, this time with Hikari. Hikari, take the SoliNubullis with you. Your mother once again insists that you have it. To the left of the place where you landed, you should see a trapdoor that is only seen using the SoliNubullis."

Hikari's mother spoke.

"Hikari, use the TerraGun 4500 to open the trapdoor. It's the TerraGun 4500, not TerraGun 4550 or the AqueousGun4500. When you get there, use the SoliNubullis AGAIN."

Hikari's father's turn:

"I hope you still have the bunny I left you. The rabbit I'm holding right now is your bunny's mother. Anyway, when you arrive at the bottom of the trapdoor, use the SoliNubullis and find a sign around you that looks like a cat and a dog at the same time (courtesy of Miss Shouda Sumire). Take a can of ORGANIC carrot juice and spread some on the picture. If correct, your bunny will automatically smell the juice and press its nose on the hieroglyphic to identify it. The bunny's nose will cause the cat-dog to react, starting with its eyes glowing first."

My mother's turn:

"Immediately nullify the heat it will be emitting, Mikatsuki. Do it immediately. When it cools down, just push on the cat-dog's nose with the dot on you index finger, first Mikatsuki, then Hikari. A pathway will open. Just follow the footprints you see glowing in the light of the SoliNubullis, and DO NOT STRAY ON THE PATH. Apparitions will be tempting you here and there, and Mikatsuki, the takoyaki you will be seeing will be dung bettles, and the crab brains Hikari will see will be doggie dung.

"On the 600th panel on your RIGHT, blast it off with the AqueousGun 4500, Hikari. In there, you will see 3 hourglasses. Take the one that looks like it got flushed down a toilet, not the one that has jewels on it, nor the one that has a chocolate coating. The one that got flushed down a toilet. Got it?



"Wash the hourglass with a cold liquid, even if it is Bunny-chan's Carrot Juice. Although it will still look dirty, stop washing when it starts to heat up. On the bottom of the hourglass, there will be a few buttons. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T PUNCH THE RED BUTTON YET. Punch the blue button. The hourglass will then turn gold.

"Teleport back to Hikari's room ASAP. In there, under the third pillow from the right on Hikari's bed, there will be a locket. Open it press the locket against the middle of the hourglass, where the glass is the thinnest. We'll see you soon if you do the correct things in the correct order. Right now, we can't do anymore than tell you this in this video, so please, please, be strong.

"The AAO isn't done yet. It will come back as soon as the bell strikes 12 AM tomorrow night. The future is in danger. And this time, it's not only 4 casualties."