The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya
Chapter 12
Data Amalgamation
2 days ago
7:45am
The night had not been an easy one for me. Since losing Asahina-san, both versions of her, to the locked time in the future, I was worried; though not about my missing clothing, which had vanished along with her.
Though Asahina-san (Big) was still raring to go and escaping whatever the enemy were planning, I couldn't stop but be troubled about her younger self. Would she participate in the war to take back the past? The thought of the SOS Brigade's tea-maid holding weapons and in a trench came to me suddenly.
I shook my head of that image. Firstly, it was unlikely for them to be fighting a war that would have been common sixty years ago, since trenches can now easy be bypassed thanks to carefully aimed bombs and missiles. I had no idea what kind of weapons the good side would own, given that I was on the receiving end of the enemy's weapon. That Sneering Bastard mentioned Neutronic explosions, prehaps a new kind of bomb, like the atomic ones we have. If the enemy had hand-held weapons like his... Well, I can only shudder and pray it was a one-off.
Asahina-san should not be in this war.
Tugging my school bag closer to me, I sighed again. My sister was as yet untouched by Asakura Ryouko. I took it upon myself to leave her in the capable hands of her primary school teachers. As I reasoned yesterday, if that bitch wanted to do anything remotely powerful using her quantum abilities, nothing I, Koizumi, Tsuruya-san, nor even Nagato in her current state, could stop her if we wanted to. That much was made abundantly clear to me during that occasion in the RIP Cartel's base.
So, here I was, making my way to school to pass the time, hopefully giving myself a short break from all the agony that is going through my heart.
Enough talking, this hill is making me even more exhausted than it should be.
10:55am
Joy, another lesson gone by without my paying one iota of attention to the teacher and what she was saying. I'm sure to graduate with flying colours at this rate.
Getting up from my seat for the first break, I felt a heavy hand slam into my back, followed by two things, my falling into my chair, and someone else laughing madly.
The 'madly' and 'laughing' words rendered me fearful from the last person who did that, but I realised that it became warmer and friendlier.
"Yo Kyon-kun!" The happily energetic Tsuruya-san was there, hands on her hips, having just come into our class without me hearing her. "How're things?"
I forgot that she didn't share all her information with Koizumi, so I figured I had to be the one to tell her.
"Tsuruya-san, I need to talk to you…"
Ten minutes later
School roof
The explanation was short, and I didn't mention the older version of Asahina-san to her. Her eyes were downcast, and her smile wasn't etched on her face.
"Mikuru's gone for good?" She was best friends with my sempai, so it must've hurt. "And a war… I nevers knew this could happen to her…"
"No one did…" I replied, to let her know that we were all caught unawares by it too. "I was there and I couldn't help her."
"Let's hope that the message Koizumi-kun sent gots there, huh?"
I nodded. "I think it must have made some difference…"
I closed my eyes and recalled the scent of strawberries.
"It's… hard to believe she's gone for good…" Tsuruya-san looked through the metal fence to the playground below. "She was always so happys to be here… But she was a little scared by Haru-nyan…"
She giggled, and I made an impression of a dog you see in the back of cars, nodding in agreement.
Tsuruya-san turned around and looked straight at me, walking closer. "But, you know, she always felt safe around you…" She poked me in the chest. "Although you weren't ables to stop Haru-nyan all the time, Mikuru thanked you for the numerous situations in which you stoods up for her."
I sort of guessed that the feelings we had for each other were reciprocated and similar in one way, but this was the first real confirmation of the connection we had.
"So, did she…?" I trailed off, unable to ask the emotionally charged question.
"Aah, come on Kyon-kun!" She patted me on the shoulder rapidly. "I can't say everything, a girl's got to have some secrets! Besides, you should know by now!"
I let out my breath, another mysterious answer, how can I know if I don't know, or choose not to see it?
She came in closer, her face inches from mine, and her smile was devious.
"You may have problems though, your list of admirers is growing!"
Sending me a cheeky wink she skipped off to the staircase down into the school, and left me to myself.
What did she mean by that? I'll never understand women at this rate…
That was when I recalled Psychotic Tsuruya.
I had to find out the truth about her.
Lunchtime
Koizumi found me walking around the school, so we decided to have a brief discussion.
"The message you sent was successful." I commented briefly.
"That is fortunate. How do you know of the effects of the Organisation's letter?" He was genuine in his question. Perhaps he didn't know.
"I received one of my own, to tell me what has been done thanks to those instructions."
"Well," He scratched his chin, "if you're not willing to let me know details, I'll take your word for it."
I grinned, having wanted to say this for a long time. "Classified Information."
Koizumi put his hands up in the air, his real smile brimming through his façade. "Very well, I give up."
I also let out a small laugh of my own, before remembering who usually said that phrase. Koizumi recovered quickly.
"She'll be back one day. We don't know how long this war will be, but I'm sure the Organisation and whoever else is involved will eventually win."
I shrugged, but reluctantly agreed with him. I just didn't want to think about what might happen.
Taking my leave, I went to find Tsuruya-san.
Again, her loud echoing laughs made her easy to find amongst the school populace. After asking her for another talk, we both went upstairs.
School rooftop
"Yeah, Kyon-kun, what's up?"
We sat down against the fence, no need to stand this time. She had brought her lunch up with her and was munching away on some rice, managing to get it all over her face in the meanwhile.
"I have to ask you something. Do you have any other family?"
"Family?" She paused in her eating to look at me, before licking her face. "Other than my parents and cousins, I don't know –"
"What about a sister?" She grew eerily still at this question. "A twin perhaps…?"
"Wh-what?" She dropped her lunchbox, spilling the rice, toppings and everything on the hot concrete. Some of it even landed on her uniform. "T-Twin…? You don't mean…"
I knew this was important to her, the way she was acting, so I had to tell her the truth, of course trying to avoid saying where I saw her.
"Yeah, I met her…"
"Did she hurt you?!" Her face was contorted by fear, and she grabbed me by my left arm, which was nearest to her.
"Umm… Not really… Well, not at all in fact." I didn't want to lie, but she did chill me in ways that no physical torture could do.
"Phew… Thank goodness…" She released me in relief, her calmed face doing the same for me.
"Tsuruya-san… She came from U825, Earth17."
Tsuruya-san clenched her fist. "Yes, but she wasn't born there…" She glanced at her phone to check the time. "I have enough time to tells you the whole sordid tale, if you want to listen."
Come on, if I listened to everyone hundreds of times going on about their own problems regarding their supernatural powers or origin, I can handle a few more.
"Thanks." She grinned, then put on a serious face. "It's a complicated story, so bears with me. If you have any questions, please ask me…"
I re-adjusted myself against the concrete floor, this would take a while.
"So, 3000 years ago, I was alive on another world, with my sister…"
"Hold it!" Raising my hand in front of her face, I had to bring the conversation to a halt immediately. "3000 years ago?"
"That's right!" She winked. Don't worry, I'll explain furthers now." She coughed to get back on track. "We were both around five years old. Our world was beautiful, and advanced for its time, so we nevers had to worry about war, poverty, even money was abolished there. We were both brought up by my real parents, we were loved by everyones."
She took a sip of water from her flask, which was still closed on the ground as the sole survivor of her spoilt lunch.
She looked up at the sky. "Sliding was common technology fors our family, and indeed for all people there. One day, my sister took a timer, one of the most advanced ones, and she slid to anothers world. We couldn't find her, and we lost hopes in seeing her again." She turned to me, a dark look in her eyes. "She came backs a year later. She had aged ten years, and was now fifteen, my twin sister was overs twice my age."
"What? How?"
"We tried to ask her, but she wouldn't speak to us. For a whole month she didn't say anythings, she didn't even move a muscle. The timer was busy working on something, so we couldn't figures out where she went." She hooked her arms around her legs, bringing her knees up to under her chin. "Then she acted."
She wiped her tears on her skirt and stood up, the midday sun blazing down on her back as she faced me.
"She destroyed our universe."
"What?!" I too jumped to my feet. "But how? I didn't think anyone could do that!"
"She did…" Tsuruya-san turned around and walked slowly away to the other end of the roof. I followed close behind. "It was simples really. The timer tells you the next opportunity for you to slide to another world having collected enough energy to recharge itself and to release the portal into the airs. The energy is just fifth dimensional matter, the item that is easily generated in any world, but over a short period of time. She re-coded the timer to absorb all this matter into one single slide, that was the one month. Once all the fifth dimensional information had been taken from our reality, it signalled the end of our home universe. It collapsed in on itself..."
"So, the timer, when you pressed the button it would kill your universe."
"Yes, but it could onlys work on our one." She faced the town, looking over the playground and classes. "My family alone survived, we saw what she was doings and we created a giant portal for all of us, her included, just in time. But no one else from my world survived." She folded her arms and spoke surely and confidently. "My family inspected her timer, because it had unlocked after powering up for the final slide, and spoke of many places. The universes she had seen in those ten years included an alternate world of monsters in our towns that were twisted somehow, meetings with the Kromagg, even passings into the event horizon. She was suffering from paranoia, schizophrenia, and hads become a psychopath." Tsuruya-san smirked wryly. "She even tried to kills me at one point. My family sent her to U825, Earth 17, and quarantined that land forevers."
She stretched her arms before placing them behind her head, smiling again. "I lived untils a ripe old age, and transferred my knowledge into my timer before havings it sent through a portal to a future version of me."
"And… That's how you found it? Your ancestor found the original one and buried it in that mountain, and you got it in this time?"
"That's right! I'm the closest living relative, the one whose DNA outs of a billion matches the same as my original self. I learned everything from back thens…" She stared at me. "Where did you see her?"
"Hard to say…" I couldn't really tell her the truth. "It was a rusty metallic land, fire beneath us. She looked just like you, down to the uniform and everything. She was just… creepy."
Tsuruya-san nodded. "That's her… I suppose I'll have to get ready…" She rolled up her sleeves. "Don't you worrys Kyon-kun, I'll show her who's boss!"
I chuckled slightly, but I had to feel anxiety, I could sense that something big was going to occur. Tsuruya-san moved back to her lunch and shrugged.
"Maybe there's some rolls left in the canteens, I'll go look."
"Here…" I gave her my lunchbox that my mum made. "Take it, I'm not hungry anyway." Truthfully, that story made me too sick to eat.
"Reallys?!" She grabbed it from my extended hand, her eyes wide and emotive. "Thank you!" She said, before scoffing up my food.
I left the happy girl to her meal, and made my day back in to the school.
Thinking about someone else, I popped in to the clubroom, and saw Nagato still sitting in her corner, hands in her lap, her lips moving faster than before. Checking to make sure she was functioning, I sat there. Somehow the conversation with Tsuruya-san took thirty minutes, and I still had plenty of time before the lessons begin.
I laid my head on my hands and fell into a woozy sleep.
Some time later
My body felt warmer from one side, as if a presence was near me, and my sleepy state indicated that this shouldn't be happening. My eyes lazily opened to find Nagato standing next to me.
I looked up at her confused and a bit sheepish. She wasn't mumbling, but opened her mouth to speak.
"Lunch is over."
She moved around me and presumably made her way to her own lessons. I ruffled my hair to pat down the spikes that formed from resting on my arms, and removing the creaks in my neck.
"Thanks Nagato…" I said quietly as she closed the door behind her.
Later that evening
Home
My sister was again well, nothing untoward has happened to her, this I am thankful for, as it gives me less to worry about on a daily basis. After struggling and failing to get to grasps with my homework, I settled into my bed to take the weight off my feet.
Shamisen sidled up to me and worked his way over my feet, to curl up into today's preferred style of sleep. Thanks to him, my feet were becoming a little more sweaty from his thick fur, but it dealt with it my usual way, by adding it to my 'ignore until it becomes a huge problem' list.
A little girl bounced into my room, her two pigtails no longer present since her hair had just been wet.
"Kyon-kun, you can use the bath now!"
My sister began to pull on Shamisen's legs, and feeling sorry for the calico for a moment, I picked him up and placed him on the part of quilt I was laying on, which was nice and warm from me.
"Okay, thanks. Let Shami sleep, he's been a bit restless today."
That part was no lie, he has been acting up a bit and moving about a lot in his trying to find a decent place. Most occasions I woke up because he brushed against my legs moving from one area to another. He did seem to appreciate being on the warm part of the bed, so I stroked him once before moving on.
"Okay, Kyon-kun!" She stoked him, perhaps bit harder than he liked, and jogged off to her room happily.
Ten minutes later
Bathroom
The hot water of the soaking tub was refreshing and tingly, sending pleasant reactions throughout my body, my skin became smoother and my muscles unwound themselves.
Placing the small towel on my head, I began to drift off as a distant ringing came to my attention. The door of the bathroom then opened a few seconds later.
"Kyon-kun…" My sister was there with a cheeky smile. "Phone for you!"
"Huh?" I wasn't expecting anyone. "Who is it?"
"I don't know…" She giggled. "But it's a girl!" Her voice trailed off in a giddy way, her smiles making me think that she knew something.
Memories of Miyokichi came back to me, and I wondered what she would want. Taking the phone and shooing my sister out of the bathroom, I sat up, dried my ear and held the receiver closer.
"Hello?"
"………"
Hmm, a prank call? Isn't this a bit childish?
"Who is this?"
"………" The quiet breathing of the person brought back the name, but she replied before I could say anything. "Yuki Nagato."
"Nagato?" I sat up faster. "Have you made contact with your boss?"
"That is correct. I require your immediate attendance." Me, why does she need me? "Initiating Upper Level Matter to RJ45 data conversion…"
Uh oh… This wasn't good. I quickly snatched the giant towel hanging from the rack.
"N-Nagato, wait!"
She wasn't listening, and had in fact continued talking.
"… and commence data modulator demodulator transferral method."
Her old style super-enhanced speed talking came across, followed by the unmistakable sound of an old 56k modem connecting to an ISP.
Suddenly, I felt my sense split between two rooms, and as I vanished from my bathroom, wondering what had happened to the telephone, I was in Nagato's apartment, staring at her face an inch away from mine.
Although, I was naked at this point, and lying on top of her body.
"Gah!"
I jumped back and recalled my towel was in my hand, and I quickly wrapped it around me to maintain what little dignity I had left.
Nagato sat up slowly and blinked at me, obviously questioning my state of dress. She put the phone receiver near her leg back on the base, terminating the call.
"S-sorry, Nagato. I was in the bath you see, and –"
"It's not important. I miscalculated your point of arrival and as such failed to estimate how your mass would impact upon my own once converted into conventional matter."
"Umm, okay…"
I still couldn't hide my blush, to think that Asahina-san (Big) went through the same thing as me yesterday…
"Accessing Data Integrated Thought Entity, Priority One access. All pipelines, full burst."
Nagato's eyes lit up like never before. In the past when I could see a galaxy of stars in there, it couldn't be compared to what I could see now. It was a universe of galaxies. In fact, her entire body glowed with a thin white lining, her hair moved in an unseeing breeze and began to morph into a deep honey colour, and from her back sprouted two golden and silver wings, made from tiny written lines of SQL code, programming languages, human ones, as well as countless others, all contained in those small appendages. A subtle halo congregated around her head, casting the pale yellow beams over her head, given her an ethereal look.
If this is what Nakagawa saw when he first met Nagato, I'm not surprised he fell hopelessly in love with her. The way she looked now was truly angelic and divine.
"Access to Data Integrated Thought Entity has been restricted by this Human Interface Terminal." The voice that spoke was both Nagato's and that of a grown woman. Both spoke at the same time, but each had a different timbre to their voices. "Designated individual, please enter IceBarrier one-word password. Audio link amplified for acknowledgement."
Wait a minute; I'm the person who has the password? How am I supposed to know what it is?
"C-can't you give me a hint?"
"Invalid password."
Oh, excellent, no clue whatsoever.
"Hint from Terminal: What do I desire?"
Hmm, now it gives one clue to me. So the password is something that Nagato wants in life. I'm still not sure, but I can try.
"Freedom."
The first choice, given that I know how much she enjoyed being free from her boss after putting those restrictions on. I thought it would be valid for her since she may prefer to be more of an individual herself.
"Invalid password. Third incorrect answer will result in Terminal Shutdown procedures."
Great, the classic PIN routine, three tries and you're out. Only this time Nagato will be deleted...
"Hint from Terminal: Emotion."
So, Nagato desires a certain emotion? There's plenty out there, but which one in particular does she want?
It appears that she has desire, so that's one emotion that is no longer on the list.
I recalled all the times I had been with Nagato since meeting her, chronologically, a year ago, her stony posture and emotions slowly giving way beneath her cold front, and the growth of what I would consider friendship between us, seeing as we both communicate more and more, and talking about things that relate more to her than to dire situations.
The last few conversations have been increasingly personal, and I often felt that more passed between us than just casual words and data fluctuations, even the simple gesture she did for me today at the clubroom came to mind, pointed at something deeper.
Feelings which required only one word.
"Love."
I waited for a second before hearing the reply. This time it was solely the woman's voice.
"Password authenticated. Human Interface Terminal granted full access. Downloading: Message of the Day." A second passed before she spoke again. "Downloaded. [MotDReadme.txt – Dictate contents: Data Integrated Thought Entity suffering catastrophic loss of boundaries from Matter invasion. Bandwidth limited to all Terminals to contain devastation. If access granted to one individual, initiate Emergency Transfer Protocol One.' "
"Acknowledged." Nagato said in her voice, before hovering in the air as the glow spread to the rest of her apartment. Her voice sped up rapidly.
"Emergency Transfer Protocol One commencing. Zetta-core CPU at 100 percent, total processing power at 1000 Yottahertz. Opening bandwidth, downloading Data Integrated Thought Entity at 100 googolbytes per second. Ten percent, twenty-two percent, thirty-five percent, forty-nine percent, sixty-one percent, seventy-four percent, eighty-eight percent, one hundred percent complete. 1000 googolbytes of data transferred."
Nagato touched lightly on the ground, and looked off into space. The older voice was speaking. "Terminate link. Establish new contacts. Conceptualise backgrounds. Rewrite histories of all Human Interface Terminals. Alter DNA and lifespan accordingly."
After that was done, she closed her eyes for a moment before looking at me.
"What's happened Nagato?" I could barely catch what she said earlier, and not much of it made sense to me.
Instead of her quiet tones, the more confident woman's voice came from her mouth. "The Data Integrated Thought Entity is no more. I have downloaded myself into this Human Interface Terminal to prevent deletion by Matter in the depths of space."
"Hold on… You mean Nagato's not there any more?"
The Entity Nagato shook her head. "No, Nagato is still the current owner of this Terminal, and will continue to be so until the final days."
"What about the others, Kimidori Emiri-san and the rest?"
Entity Nagato closed her eyes. "As the Data Integrated Thought Entity chose to reside inside a physical Terminal, it was deemed necessary to remove their links to it, and to have them live as normal humans for the rest of their lifespan."
"D-Do they know about you?"
"No, however they will recall that they are all friends of Nagato, and she will ensure that they are safe from harm."
"I see…" I was still adjusting to the light which radiated from every pore on her body. The wings were there, sometimes flapping lightly. "Can you return to normal, or will you be like this forever?"
"Very well." The light stopped gradually, and the wings retracted into her back. The voice also returned to normal. "I am now the Data Integrated Thought Entity. I have my full abilities restored."
"But, you're the only one left Nagato…"
I can't imagine what it must be to be the last of a species.
"Yes… That is the cost that had to be paid." She lowered her head. "However, I still have the former Human Interface Terminals for company, and I also possess membership of the SOS Brigade and its colleagues, and… you."
It was now that I realised what the password to unlock her restrictions was.
"So… Love is what you desire?" I didn't want to embarrass her, but I wanted to ask to be sure.
"Love is what all Human Interface Terminals desire." She stated without hesitation, staring at me. "All Terminals are female, as is – was – the Data Integrated Thought Entity."
"Female, but why?"
"The female is the first form for all life, intelligent or otherwise. Human gender is determined by one pair of chromosomes. Females are identified by XX. The male form is a mutation of the female, leading to the XY chromosome. Due to this mutation, we are unable to understand the fundamental differences between males and females, aside from the obvious physical ones."
Her eyes moved a few millimetres downwards, then back up at my eyes. The dangerous fact that an almost limitless being of power stood opposite me, and I was only clad in my towel. The incident from earlier where she saw my whole body also resonated with me, and I rapidly felt small and weak next to her.
"However, I personally wish to know more about love. Data on the subject has been collected for eons, yet nothing has been discovered."
I didn't want to say any more about it, in case my true feelings were inadvertently exposed, without my knowing about it.
Entity Nagato's eyes glowed for a moment. "I have detected vast amounts of quantum-based data particles centred on this town. I believe that the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence has made its base here."
I nodded stupidly, before helping her out. "It's taken the form of Asakura Ryouko. She's the one you should be looking for. She... She threatened my sister..."
Nagato then remarked in her cool voice, her eyes simmering away. "I promised you before that no harm will come to you - or any relatives or yours - from dissidents in the Data Integrated Thought Entity. I extend that promise to that ofthe Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence, even if it is Asakura Ryouko."
"That's good to hear, Nagato." I'm surprised that I'm hearing a lot of simple words coming from her.
"As a Human Interface Terminal, my vocabulary was raised to a high level to function at an artificially superior level to other humans. Now that the Entity is embedded in me, I am able to simplify my words to be made more understandable, although I can easily switch back to my older self if need be."
"Are you still the same Nagato?" This question had more meaning in it, I implied if she herself had changed.
"There are some differences, in my thought processes and a new ability to be called into action, and not just observe. Nevertheless, I am still the same person you met one year ago, and the same person from the clubroom today. My being is still here, and it has not changed."
This makes me glad that Nagato won't hopefully change into something completely unlike herself.
"In time, the Entity will no longer have a separate personality in this Terminal, and it will be absorbed into my own psyche, but even then I will not change."
Despite doing the downloading, the Entity would still die in a sense. A shame really.
Entity Nagato glowed and spoke with the older voice. "According to my analysis, Haruhi Suzumiya's death is approaching. Her departure from life will be at precisely 9pm in two days time." The golden glow caressed my cheeks and the wings encircled me in some form of hug. "It is unknown what will happen to the world, or the universe without a Data Creator. Without data explosions, it would be impossible to achieve auto-evolution. I urge you to be careful, and to accompany Haruhi Suzumiya during these last few hours."
"I… I suppose you're right…"
"I will return you to your home. They have not suspected you of departing from your bath. We will meet again."
Her hyper speech sent me directly back to my house, presumably she didn't need to use the phone this time, and I was standing outside the bath, thankfully no one heard me come back in, so I quickly dried myself and dressed.for the evening.
Retiring to my bed, I saw that Shamisen hadn't moved from where I left him, and so I slightly moved him away to give myself room there.
Knowing that Entity Nagato was looking out for my family, I promptly fell asleep, much to my delight.
---
Author's Notes
Been a long time coming, apologies for the delay, but real life, etc.
Note that a Zettabyte 1,000 billion gigabytes, and a Yottabyte 1000 Zettabytes. Now imagine a Zetta-core processor... (at most, we have quad core now). A googol is a 1, followed by 100 zeroes. So that's a lot of data!
Final chapters are approaching, be ready for them in due course.
- J