3.1
[Rosario+Vampire/My Little Pony]
Big Mac had had more than his share of unusual beginnings to a Loop, ranging anywhere from the time he died saving a boy from a car right after Awakening to the time he caught a pet tiger using a tuna fish sandwich and quite a bit in between. (For some reason he had a tendency to Replace the local Anchor whenever he Looped somewhere new, and judging by what little of his surroundings he saw he doubted he was in Equestria.) However he was pretty sure this was the first time he had Woken Up a half second before being run over by a girl on a bicycle. Sitting up he barely took the time to notice that he was a human this go around before he moved to help his accidental assailant.
"Are y'all alright?"
"Owwww... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to crash into you like that, but I was feeling dizzy. I have anemia so sometimes I get a little lightheaded." the pink haired girl stated as she looked up at Macintosh, who immediately recognized her, with an embarrassed blush.
"Are ya feeling a bit Loopy Miss...?" he questioned leadingly, not taking any chances.
"Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Fluttershy Akashiya. It's nice to meet you. I feel much better now." she said with a small bow. Straightening, she averted her eyes from his gaze only for them to widen suddenly.
"Ah! Your cheek, you're bleeding!"
Pulling out a small handkerchief she moved to clean the small cut, before seeming to go into a daze.
"Oh, the scent of blood. I...I...can't - I lose control when I smell that scent. I'm sorry. I can't help it, because I'm a Vampire."
Before Big Mac could even attempt to process that, the Unawake human version of his friend had closed the distance between them and using surprising strength pulled him in close and bit at his neck. He stiffened, but didn't push her away. His Loop memories didn't say anything about Vampires being a common thing in this Loop, but he had dealt with partial pictures before. Whether he was going to turn himself was uncertain, he wasn't sure how Vampirism worked here, but either way it was too late to do anything now and Unawake or not he refused to hurt his friends. Besides it didn't actually hurt all that much, he wasn't the type to overreact to something like this.
Once she had finished her macabre snack, Fluttershy pulled back with a sigh. "Oh thank you, your blood was very tasty. I know I don't really look like it, but I'm actually a Vampire. I hope you don't hate me."
Mac nodded his understanding, the previous events and her words beforehand had made that perfectly clear.
"Its fine."
"Thank you so much, you don't know how much that means to me. I was feeling lonely since I don't know anyone here, but now I feel so much better. If you're willing I'd like to be friends."
Well that was simple enough.
"Ah'd like that Miss Fluttershy."
-x-X-x-
Halfway around the world Twilight Sparkle Woke Up. Taking a quick peek into her Loop memories, she quickly summed up the main points. She was now, and always had been, human. She was a student at Canterlot High. She was apparently taking Fluttershy's place in their group of friends, the pink haired girl and her family having moved somewhere far away almost a decade beforehand. Applejack and the Apple family were also gone, having left only a few years later. AJ's place in the group had been filled by Sunset, who had apparently Awoken shortly after exiting the Mirror and had thus managed to avoid hurting anyone.
"Huh. This is different."
"It's a good different though, or at least mostly." Realizing she had been in the middle of a conversation with Sunset, Twilight nodded.
"True, and wherever they are Fluttershy and Applejack are able to take care of themselves. So, do you have any new plans to try and redeem Sonata this Loop?"
Sunset grinned.
-x-X-x-
Shortly after reaching the campus which had been their destination the pair had been forced to part ways, Mac heading to his homeroom while Fluttershy went to speak with the Headmaster. Currently Mac was taking a look around the classroom where he was seated. To his surprise he actually recognized two people with him. The first was a human version of Blueblood, currently reclining arrogantly in his chair looking for all the world as if everyone around him was beneath his notice. In other words, exactly the same as usual. The second was standing in front of the class giving a speech. Not unexpected considering she was the instructor.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Youkai Academy. I am your homeroom teacher Cheerilee Nekonome. I'm sure you all are already aware of this, but this is a school for monsters."
Mac perked up at this. Explanations were always good to have whenever certain things didn't match up with in-Loop memories, and the existence of Vampires definitely counted.
"As of now, the world is under control of the humans. In order for us monsters to continue to survive we have no choice but to continue to live alongside them. Therefore at this Academy, you will be studying 'How to coexist with humans.'" the energetic teacher emphasized this by pointing dramatically to a large, if poorly drawn, diagram which took up the majority of the blackboard.
"For that reason, school rule number one is that all students must maintain their human disguises at all times except for in extreme circumstances. School rule number two is no student must ever tell another what their true form is for any reason. Do you all understand?"
"Feh, Such ridiculous rules. Hey Teacher, wouldn't it be simpler to just eat any humans we found. That's what I would do."
Cheerilee frowned and took a look at the seating chart. "You are...Blueblood Kamiya correct? Well there's no chance of that happening, because everyone here both teacher and student are monsters. No exceptions. This school is sealed within a powerful barrier, if any humans did manage to find their way inside... they'd be killed on the spot. Or something."
...Well shoot. That complicated things. According to his memories he was completely human, so how did he even end up in a school like this anyway? Taking a harder look at his memories he soon found the answer. It looked like this was actually a fused Loop, and not a different one entirely like he had thought. His family had moved around a lot over the years and as a result his education had suffered. Therefore after they had settled in Japan he had had difficulty getting into a local high school. His father, and it was always nice to have a chance to see him and his mother again, had found a flyer advertising the Youkai Academy and before he knew it he had been on the bus.
Somehow Discord had managed to be weirder as a bus driver than as the Spirit of Chaos.
Any further thought on the issue was cut off by the sound of the door sliding open. Standing in the entrance was the familiar figure of Fluttershy, her bag held in front of her as she gave an apologetic bow.
"I'm sorry I'm late. I got a bit lost after the Entrance Ceremony."
Cheerilee waved off the pinkette's apology with a smile. "Oh its no problem. Come up and introduce yourself."
Big Mac watched as Fluttershy moved to stand in front of the class, and gave her introduction. He could have done without the whispered muttering which followed however. Yes she was attractive, he would have had to be blind not to see that and more stubborn than Applejack not to admit it, but even so the class was behaving as if they had never seen a pretty girl before. Of course as the only calm person in the room he stood out from the crowd and as a result was easily noticed by Fluttershy from where she was standing. Big Mac was quickly reminded of the fact that however much she looked like her, this was not the person he had known for thousands of Loops as she all but flew across the room and grabbed him in a flying hug. Much to the dismay of his classmates.
-x-X-x-
There was always something just plain uncomfortable about Waking Up in a relationship with one of his friends, and it was rarely a simple effort to explain the situation in a way where there were no hard feelings. Walking down the hallways with a Vampire version of Fluttershy pulling him along beside her while clinging onto his arm was quickly bringing up the same awkward sensation and the resulting death glares from the surrounding students didn't help the issue. Nor did the fact that technically he was a completely average human in a school of monsters.
Although he could always take care of any problematic situations that came up using the few abilities he had kept from other Loops, he preferred to leave that as a last resort and rely on in-Loop abilities unless provoked. Which, again, left him at the tender mercies of a hostile student body. A fact of which he was keenly aware, especially as he felt a spike of Killing Intent just as Blueblood stepped into their path.
"You are Fluttershy Akashiya correct?"
Without bothering to wait for an answer, Big Mac abruptly found himself dangling a foot off the ground by his lapel. Immediately he forced himself to push down the surge of green which made to overtake his sight, although he did allow himself to grip his attackers wrist hard enough to draw Blueblood's attention. He responded by throwing him down the hallway into a nearby vending machine.
"Please enlighten me as to why a Lady of such beauty as yourself would associate herself with a person like this."
"Macintosh!"
Fluttershy attempted to rush over to Mac's aid, but was pulled up short by Blueblood's grip upon her shoulder.
"Wouldn't someone like myself be a far more superior option than a weakling like this. Why don't you and I go somewhere and get to know one another a little better."
This suggestion was made with a sleazy grin, which Fluttershy luckily remained unaware of due to her focus on where Mac was getting to his feet. For his part, Mac was trying to decide whether he might actually need to utilize some of his abilities. Blueblood's strike was unfortunately similar to some of the attacks he had had to deal with as the Hulk, and if Narrative Causality had taught him anything it was that the first enemy was always the weakest. Which meant if things continued to escalate, he might find himself running out of other options sooner rather than later.
Unaware of her Looping friend's thoughts Fluttershy, as politely as possible of course, brushed aside Blueblood's hand and rushed to Mac's side; grabbing his arm and pulling him behind her as she fled.
"No thank you. I'm sorry, but I'm having fun with Macintosh." she called back over her shoulder as she ran, not bothering to look back as she did so. As a result she completely missed the white knuckled fist Blueblood made as she so easily ignored him, as well as the dark look on his face which promised ill things to come.
-x-X-x-
After their impromptu race through the halls the duo found themselves recovering on the roof of the Academy. In the distance the moon shone out over the cemetery and the red ocean waters, while overhead the sun beamed down brightly allowing them to take in the full sight of the school grounds. While the view wasn't exactly the most interesting to Big Mac, Fluttershy appeared to enjoy it; monsters apparently had odd ideas of what a pleasant environment was supposed to look like.
"That was scary, are you sure you're alright Macintosh?" Fluttershy said, flittering worriedly around him as she checked for injuries.
"Ah'm fine, just a bump on th' head. An' Ah told ya, Ah'd prefer ya ta call me Big Mac."
"Oh, I forgot." she punctuated this by tapping her fist gently against her head with a sheepish smile. "I was just so worried. Blueblood hit you really hard."
"It's fine, nothin' ah ain't dealt with before." Mac denied. "So that's th' power of a monster here huh?"
Fluttershy giggled and patted Big Mac on the back playfully.
"You're silly Big Mac. You act as if this is your first time seeing a monster."
Mac chuckled ruefully from his new position on the ground. 'Not even close. An Ah definitely need to brush off some a mah Loop skills.'
Standing up and dusting off his uniform Mac turned to face Fluttershy who gave him a blinding smile.
"Let's keep having fun. We should check out the rest of the Academy."
Big Mac nodded agreement and the two headed off. Not long after, having explored the rest of the campus they found themselves in front of a large decaying property which looked as if it was ready to be torn down.
"This is the dormitory where we'll be staying. Isn't it wonderful, such a dignified building; so full of character. It's perfect for us monsters."
Taking another look at their apparent home for the next several years, or however long the Loop typically lasted, Mac gave a deadpan stare. Again, monsters' taste in architecture was odd. That aside, after looking closer he could see that despite outward appearances it did seem to be rather sturdy; and from what he could see through the windows the inside looked more normal than the entrance would suggest . Still, disregarding the housing situation for now, something else was bothering him.
"About that, ya'll look perfectly normal ta me. Ya don't really seem like a monster, an I don't feel comfortable calling ya one."
Fluttershy smiled and gestured to a small Rosary hanging around her neck, and uncomfortably close to her cleavage for Mac who quickly averted his gaze.
"Only right now. I know I don't look like a Vampire, but that's all because of this Rosary. If I remove it though, then I take on my true form, a super scary Vampire. My real self caused me to be all alone, so that's why I wear this protective seal. Normally Vampires are hated and feared, so I've never had any friends before I met you."
Mac frowned.
"That don't seem very fair, yer a real nice gal an ya shouldn't have ta hide who ya are to fit in. Don't ya worry none, Ah promise ya I won't ever hate ya and Ah ain't afraid of ya neither."
Fluttershy's eyes widened, tears gathering in the corners, before Big Mac suddenly found himself on the ground again; pinned by the happy pinkette as she stared gratefully down at him.
"Thank you so much, I know we'll be best friends forever."
Mac just blushed brightly as he took in his situation. A cold shower would have been nice right about then, especially as the gaze of the young woman above him grew unfocused and she began to draw closer.
"You know, until today I've never had fresh blood before. I always had to drink from transfusion packs. You're my first. I'll never forget that, the taste, the sensation..."
"Wait, wha?"
Before Mac knew what was happening, Fluttershy had already bitten him again.
-x-X-x-
The next day Mac headed out early so that he could take a look around the campus. Despite the appearance of the Dormitories, the rest of the school looked rather normal. Ignoring the nearby cemetery and nearly dead trees of course. Some of the other students, his classmates he supposed, were also moving about the pathway and Mac was able to overhear some of their conversations. Nothing overly abnormal stood out in most of them, although he made a mental note to avoid the Biology Club in the future.
Walking towards the school as the traffic began to pick up he saw an unfortunately familiar figure leaning on a nearby tree. His attempt to ignore Blueblood was unfortunately unsuccessfully as the Loop's version of the stuck up noble grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hold on there Casanova. You had a lot of fun yesterday with Fluttershy Akashiya..." he stated arrogantly, before grabbing Mac by the coat and slamming him against a nearby wall. "And you're going to pay for it today."
Mac once again felt a rush of energy surge into his body, accompanied by a primal roaring in his ears, however eons of experience allowed him to control how much of the power he allowed himself to tap into and he simply gripped Blueblood's wrist tightly. Blueblood hissed as the bones in his arms began to bend under the force being applied, and slammed Mac harder into the tree.
"You're not as pathetic as I had thought. Your true form, what is it?!"
"Ah'm human." Mac replied tersely, not willing to lie. Having the Element of Honesty as his little sister probably had something to do with that. However his efforts to control his inner beast added a bit of edge to his normally laid-back tone as he tightened his grip, and Blueblood bones audibly groaned under the pressure. Blueblood grimaced before throwing him to the side.
"Bullshit! No pathetic human could be that strong. Don't screw around with me!" he roared as is fist bulged hideously and he slammed it into the wall, demolishing it. Mac stared back unaffected by the casual destruction; He had seen and done far worse.
"Tch. Whatever. Don't go near Fluttershy again. If you even talk to her, you're dead."
Watching as Blueblood left, massaging his arm, Mac sighed. Around him the remaining students avoided his gaze and quickly moved on, obviously not believing his words any more than Blueblood had.
Standing to his feet Mac examined his uniform for damage, and seeing that other than being a little dirty it was still fine turned around to resume his interrupted exploration. Only to come face to face with a stunned Fluttershy, her hands held in front of her face as she stared in tearful disbelief.
"You can't be... you were just lying right? You can't be a human, you just can't!"
Unfortunately Mac's silence as he tried to come up with a way to explain without lying seemed to push her over the edge, and without another word she turned and fled.
"Ah, Fewmets."
-x-X-x-
Fluttershy ran through the forest at the edge of the campus unseeing, her eyes blinded by tears as she recalled memories of isolation and bullying from the past.
'No! No way! The first friend I ever had... I finally though I had made a friend! But all along he was a human! It's not fair. It's not fair! Why?!'
Collapsing against a tree she pulled her knees in close and wrapped her arms around them, as if to protect her from the painful memories as she sobbed.
'I hate those humans! They were always so cruel, as if it were better that I had never existed.'
Her mind replayed the harsh words and actions from the students at her previous schools. They had been so mean, calling her names because they didn't believe in monsters; making her into an outcast just because they thought she was weird.
Abruptly she paused as she remembered Big Mac's words from the previous day.
Macintosh was her friend. Her first and only friend. He had said that no matter what he didn't hate her. But when when he told her his own secret she had run away from him. She... she was a terrible friend. How could she just leave him like that? She wasn't any better than the humans from before.
So what if Big Mac was a human? He was her friend and that was all that really mattered. If he could accept her for being a Vampire than she would do the same. Wiping her eyes she stood determinedly. She had to go back. She had to make things right. Even if... even if Big Mac didn't forgive her she had to try.
However upon turning back to the school her way was blocked by a familiar blonde figure. "Well now, what a surprise. Why is such a beautiful woman like you all alone?"
Moving closer, casually invading her personal space without a thought, he grinned a twisted smile before grabbing her wrist and yanking her into his arms. "Why should you be alone, when you can be with someone like me?"
Fluttershy struggled against Blueblood's grasp, his breath far to close to her face and his arms holding her even closer against his chest. Her writhing managed to loosen one of her own arms and she pushed against him, trying to get away.
"Let me go! Please."
Blueblood laughed, a sickening mockery of a sound as he leaned in closer. "Truly your beauty is one of a kind. Far superior to any of those humans I've taken. I must have you as my own!"
"NO!"
Fluttershy lashed out, her nails gouging a trail down Blueblood's face and causing him to recoil. She quickly scrambled out of his reach. However instead of becoming angry Blueblood laughed even harder.
"Yes, perfect. That's just how I like my women. I can't help myself, when I get like this I can't hold back. I can't even hold my human form."
And indeed, giving truth to his words, he had begun to grow; his school uniform beginning to strain at the seams as his body swelled. His arms bulged grotesquely as they tore his shirt and jacket into tatters, while his shoes were reduced to scraps as he became to large for them to contain any longer.
Finally the transformation was complete and he stood tall, having shed the illusion of humanity and revealed his inner beast. He was easily ten feet in height and at least half that in width. Both of his arms were easily as large around as Fluttershy and were slightly longer, nearly reaching to the ground and topped with vicious claws while his torso was packed with wiry cords of dense muscles as well as several bony protrusions.
Gone was the cultured appearance which he had done his best to maintain in class, replaced by a feral savagery. His teeth had come together into sharp points, clearly that of a carnivorous predator and his eyes had lost any semblance of civility which they had held, replaced by cold cruelty and inhumane hunger made all the worse by the intelligence guiding it. Worst of all however was his tongue, which had extended by more than a foot and moved in a manner which screamed of cruel intent.
In the span of a few moments Blueblood had become a horrific monster, his true self. Towering over Fluttershy's stunned form he grinned a bestial smile, filled with teeth and malice. "I'm going to enjoy removing that spirited attitude."
A small part of Fluttershy's mind identified Blueblood as an Orc, a half-breed monster with mixed heritage. The rest of her mind however was preoccupied with screaming in terror.
-x-X-x-
Mac frowned as he moved through the underbrush, trying to follow the trail left by Fluttershy in her rush. Even if she wasn't the Fluttershy he knew, that didn't mean he wasn't still her friend. Friends never left each other when they were troubled and it didn't take Mac's experience as a bartender to tell that this version of Fluttershy was clearly troubled. Mac wasn't the type of pony, or human, to leave that be if it was something he could help.
"Dangit, where'd she run of ta?"
Of course, she could have made it easier. Any further musing however came to a screeching halt as the sound of a piercing scream echoed through the forest. A familiar scream.
"Right. Ferget this."
Reaching into his soul he found the barrier which held his inner beast at bay. Then he tore it open. Moments later the only thing in the area was a trail of shattered trees and upturned earth as a hulking creature tore through it's surroundings towards the source of the cry.
-x-X-x-
Blueblood was having a wonderful time. By pure chance he had managed to come across the current target of his attention. Even better, they were completely alone with no one to hear her scream anywhere around. Grabbing the terrified woman by the arms he lifted her into the air, bringing her close to his face; his tongue caressing the side of her face in a warped parody of a lover's touch.
"What's the matter Fluttershy? Why don't you transform? Aren't you going to fight back?" he taunted.
Mustering her nerve Fluttershy gave him a glare. "It's against the rules to reveal your true form."
Blueblood threw his head back and laughed before returning his attention to his captured prize. "We're not in the school right now, their rules don't matter."
Fluttershy's eyes widened in fear as Blueblood's widely grinning face moved closer to her own and she began to struggle harder. Luckily for her before her captor could complete his action a large figure appeared out of the forest and struck him in the jaw, causing him to drop her as he stumbled under the blow.
Fluttershy stared up in numb horror as a second behemoth stood over her with fist outstretched.
-x-X-x-
Upon reaching the clearing where he had heard Fluttershy's shout Mac tore through the surrounding trees. The first thing he saw was a figure which bore an eerily similar appearance to Abomination, from the Loop where he had first Replaced the person who's power's he was now using. Less than a second after that he recognized the person hanging from the figure's grip. The sight resulted in only one thought in Mac's mind, one which both halves of himself fully agreed upon.
'Mac Smash.'
Moments later he had crossed the distance and planted his fist firmly into the unknown enemy's face. Forcing himself to stay in control he turned to check on Fluttershy, and seeing that she appeared to be unharmed returned his focus to his recovering foe. Not that he was willing to give him time to do so.
"Wha th hll?"
That was all Blueblood was able to say around his sore jaw, before Mac charged him again with an uppercut. This was immediately followed by a hay-maker, before he grabbed him by the arm and slammed him into the ground. Not giving his opponent a second to get his bearings he grabbed him by the ankle and spinning around twice, launched him over the side of the hill toward the roadway.
Only once he had made sure his enemy was down, did he turn back to Fluttershy who flinched at his gaze. Breathing mildly heavy he approached her, frowning as she shied away.
"Are... ya'll... alright."
Mac was beginning to regret not spending more time actually practicing with his abilities, rather than just his control. Although it did make it easier to ignore the cries of his darker half to go finish what he had started.
"M-macintosh? But... but how? I thought you said you were human?"
Mac grimaced. "Long... story. Tell... later."
Reaching down he lifted Fluttershy from the ground, his current size allowing his hand to almost completely fit around her waist. Once on her feet, Fluttershy tentatively reached forward to place her hand on Mac's arm. Turning to stare into Mac's eyes, her own widened as she caught sight of something. At the same time Mac's senses yelled at him and he turned quickly to face the furious form of Blueblood as he charged him.
Reaching behind him without looking, Mac tried to move Fluttershy out of the way just as Blueblood came into range with roar. Two things happened then. Firstly Blueblood's fist came crashing into Mac's chest, pushing him off balance as he rolled with the attack. Secondly Mac's hand caught against the Rosary Fluttershy wore, and with an unheard clink, tore it off.
As Mac regained his footing, he was just in time to watch as Fluttershy was replaced by a more mature silver haired woman with fangs and crimson eyes. Eyes which were glaring death and bloody murder at Blueblood. With a wordless snarl she tore across the ground, closing the distance between her and her target almost faster than Mac could follow. Only his experience allowed him to watch the brutal beating which occurred, and even as fast as his power allowed him to move in the scant seconds which it took him to cross the area she had managed to deal an almost obscene amount of damage.
Placing himself between the barely breathing Blueblood and the murderous woman Mac held his ground, even as she stalked towards him. Coming to a stop directly in front of him, glaring up into his eyes she growled.
"Move."
Despite the seething hate put into the single command, Mac held firm. However he couldn't reason with the unknown woman as he was, and so even knowing the risk he forced back the raging tide of emerald fury within his mind. Soon he had once more returned to his Loop-normal self.
"Ya'll need ta calm down."
If anything Mac's words only served to increase the woman's anger, her eyes flashing.
"I don't know who you are, and right now I don't care. I have put up with this event more times than I can count, and I have long since had enough. This may not be the Saizo I know, but his actions are the same."
Mac frowned. If this was a baseline event for this person than he could understand why she might be more than a little upset. Even still. "That may be true, but if'n ya'll keep try'n ta kill him Ah'll have to stop ya."
The woman smirked. "I have no intention of killing him. Death is too good for the likes of beasts like this and I would never soil my hands on someone so pathetic. Despite how it may appear, I can assure you that he will recover from his injuries."
Here she paused to glare at Blueblood. "However I have no intention of allowing him to walk away without a permanent reminder of his arrogance."
Mac's frown grew. One the one hand he wasn't sure it was a good idea to let this woman deal with Blueblood, however on the other hand his actions and intended actions were unforgivable. And if this was something that occurred every Loop for this woman than her anger was more than justified. In the end it was the thought of what he would do if someone like this were to ever try something like this against Applebloom that made up his mind.
"Ya'll give your word ya won't kill 'em?"
The woman nodded, and with a grimace Mac stood aside. The native Looper strode over to stand over the surprisingly recovered Blueblood with a cold look.
"You who thought he could take by force that which belongs to only one man."
Lifting her leg high into the air she slammed it down hard. Mac winced and subconsciously crossed his legs as Blueblood's eyes shot open and he release a high-pitched scream which lingered throughout the area for several seconds.
Tossing her hair behind her neck elegantly, she turned away dismissively. "Know your place."
-x-X-x-
Shortly afterwards the two exited the woods, neither having spoken during their trip. Only once they had left the treeline did the still unknown woman turn to face Mac with a considering gaze. "Since Tsukune isn't here I'm assuming that you're also a 'Looper' then."
Mac nodded in response.
"I see. My name is Moka Akashiya. I'll admit that this is still new to me, knowing that others are dealing with this as well. I was only recently informed of the nature of the Loops. Unfortunately I have not had an opportunity to speak with Tsukune yet and inform him of what I have learned as for the time being I appear to have been made into a Traveling Looper. Catching up for lost time I suppose."
Reaching into her Pocket she pulled out a small mirror. "I can only hold a few items at the moment, but this is by far one of the most useful. A variant of an item from the Baseline."
Moka turned her gaze to the mirror which released a flash of blinding light. When it cleared Mac was surprised to see the unconscious form of Fluttershy being cradled in Moka's arms. "She does bear a resemblance to my Outer self."
Standing without trouble, despite the sleeping girl in her arms Moka smirked. "Very well, if Tsukune will not be present in this Loop then I suppose I shall just have to make do. First things first, I believe we'll need to speak with the Headmaster about securing quarters for myself. Afterwards I would like to know more about what to expect from a more experienced Looper."
Mac just nodded agreeably as they walked back to the campus. If Moka was new to this, the least he could do was help her adjust. The last thing anyone needed was a misunderstanding like had happened with his own Awakening. Besides, this Loop didn't seem so bad. What was the worst that could happen?
Mac paused.
"Ah, Fewmets. Me an' mah big mouth."
3.2 – (Terrace)
[Kill la Kill]
It was nice starting the Loop a few days early, Ryuko Matoi reflected. Making a slight detour on her first day at the Academy to pick up Senketsu was nice, but there hadn't been any text messages from the others, so this looked like another lonely Loop.
That was okay, Ryuko already had a prank in mind.
It was easy to go with the Baseline version of events, until a certain meeting occurred.
Derailment point reached. Prank start!
Jumping up at the sight of the Student Council President, Ryuko plastered a huge smile on her face. Jumping over the various students between her and Satsuki, Ruuko launched herself at her sister.
"Onee-chan! I finally found you~!"
Even if this glomp didn't work, the look of shock on Satsuki's face was priceless.
(Crossoverpairinglover)
"..." Ira Gamagoori's jaw was hanging limp in shock.
"I didn't see this coming," Uzu Sanageyama sounded as if he had just found met his future self, who had came to him to tell him to remove his eyes and embrace Nudism.
"Well, this might change things," Nonon Jakuzure sounded rather surprised by the whole thing.
"It would appear my data was deficient" Houka Inumuta deadpanned.
"Well duh Dog, I would think so," Jakuzure pointed to the paralyzed in shock Satsuki who was still being hugged by the black haired transfer student who was apparently her long lost sister.
"Perhaps you should remove her..." Sanageyma suggested to Gamagoori, gesturing to the long lost sister who was making Satsuki look far less terrifying than she was supposed to be to the nameless masses.
"No...not now," Gamagoori did not want to be the guy to attempt to remove the long lost sister of Satsuki (Who Satsuki had a lot of plans for avenging set up and in the works as he thought this). Gamagoori was a fan of pain...but the result of intervening now would be far too much pain. "Instead, we should remove the students and make them forget what they just saw."
"Very well...I always did want to experiment with mind wiping people," Inumuta looked a bit too amused at the prospect of mass mind wiping.
3.3 - (Tabac Iberez)
[Girl und Panzer]
Miho was sweating furiously. They had won the Tankery tournament again somehow, and Miho was really nervous. The last time they had won, she had been sent back to do it again. Blinking, she accepted the pennant, and held it high in the air. The setting sun reflected merrily off the gold thread and the red cloth, and she had to smile. It wasn't as hard this time, she thought idly. Knowing what she would be facing had made it easier, and it had almost seemed familiar. Anzio's trickery, Saunder's uniform armor... even Black Forrest's hammer and anvil strategies lost much of their effectiveness.
Going to bed that night, Miho smiled a little. She had always been used to routine, and it comforted her. What was this, except a routine writ large?
-x-X-x-
Grumbling, Miho got out of bed. Ignoring the pulsing clock, she grabbed her notebook and scratched out a simple sentence. Repeat #45. This done, she turned off the alarm clock and got ready for school. Time to do the thing she did. Only, as she pulled on her tie, a thought came to her. What if she changed things a little? Things still followed cause and affect, she knew, but how much of what happened was scripted and how much wasn't? Taking the notebook, she cracked her knuckles and started sketching out her plan. Step 1, get the upgrading done and out of the way with. Step 2, train them up right. Step 3...
Well, Step 3 was still a little nebulous. Miho knew it involved something that would shock and amaze. Perhaps a little demonstration with Black Forrest Peak to show them the taste of crow? No, that would be asking too much. Finally, Miho came up with it. Smiling, she skipped off to school.
-x-X-x-
The announcers faces were flabbergasted. The audiance was stunned. The match was over. Somehow, by some act of dark sorcery, the Type 89 I-Go had taken out the Saunder's flag tank without moving an inch! As her team stared at Miho, she stepped out from her tank, yawned dramatically, and gave Duck Tank a friendly pat on the side.
"And that is why I love math." Miho said, grinning. "So, who wants to learn how I planed that?"
The hands of all the gunners went up simultaneously. Miho just dug around for a spiral notebook, and opened it up. Inside was a mess of physics and trigonometry that would make many a graphing calculator groan. The Tankery team just oggled. "This too," Miho intoned, "Is Sensha-do."
3.4 – (Firehawk242)
[Hellsing/Winx]
Flora officially hated this loop. So far she'd been shot, turned into a vampire, stabbed repeatedly by a crazed Catholic priest, suffered numerous indignities at the hands of the demented vampire who was her new boss, been called Police Girl so many times that she'd just given up on teaching anyone her real name, and now their headquarters was under attack by a pair of even more demented vampires leading an army of ghouls. And of course, Flora thought, looking at the thing she was holding, the universe had given her yet another gun. She didn't like guns. She never wanted to like guns. Still, she had to admit, the Harkonnen was a very nice gun. In any case, she and the butler Walter had gone out to confront one of the vampires attacking the mansion.
She really didn't like this loop.
"Police girl, if you would?" Walter said.
Flora sighed and stared down the sights of her nice new gun. She was tempted to quote what her boss had said when he requisitioned, or rather extorted, this gun for her, but she refrained. She took aim and pulled the trigger, mowing down half a dozen armored vampire zombies.
-x-X-x-
Using the police training she'd gotten from her loop memories, Flora tackled the vampire to the ground and pinned him. Walter attempted to interrogate him, but he was nothing if not defiant. And profane, which Flora did not enjoy, but mostly just defiant.
A noise startled her and the man escaped from her hold. He sprang about like the demented lunatic he was, acting as if he was merely putting on a show. "And now for the upcoming company picnic." Ghouls wearing the uniform of Hellsing's security forces appeared in the doorway. "Unfortunately all your douchebag coworkers are bringing is their own rotten flesh. Still better than potato salad if you ask me. Now, if'n you don't mind, imma go eat that Hellsing b**ch!" He jumped over them and hurried towards the conference room.
Flora let him go. She had other problems to worry about. The army of ghouls was bearing down on her and Walter. She considered her options for a moment. The people from this world would certainly kill these ghouls, but Flora couldn't bring herself to do it. These were people she'd worked with, and even if they were ghouls, they were still them. She couldn't do it.
"Police girl, take them out," Walter said.
No. She was done with this loop. Done with its blood, its misery, and its death. It was time to start playing by her own rules. "Enchatix!" Flora shouted.
-x-X-x-
"Ah, and just like that, everything turned out alright in the end," Alucard said.
"Yes, everything turned out just fine," Sir Integra said. "Except that ninety percent of our staff were killed, turned into ghouls, then resurrected by the Police Girl when she grew wings and threw glitter at them, and now she has her own personal cult."
There was a moment of silence as Alucard processed this. "...What."
-x-X-x-
Flora held one of the men she'd saved as he tearfully thanked her. She smiled gently as he slowly stopped sobbing from relief. She'd done some real good here. Maybe this loop wouldn't be so bad after all.
3.5 – (farsan)
[Gurren Lagann]
My first Loops, frankly, were quite a mess. At that time I believed that I was somehow still trapped at the Anti Spirals' labyrinth of alternate dimensions, so I started struggling against them.
True to my Spiral heritage, with every turn of the time, my Spiral power grew stronger, and also learned how to teach my allies how to fully use the Spiral power... until, finally, the universe finally gave way.
As the Anti Spirals had predicted, the sheer amount of Spiral Power concentrated in a small area made the universe collapse unto itself, dragging and destroying everything. In my folly, I believed that I had finally won against the hostile Anti-Universe I was trapped in, triggering the very same thing they had feared.
But I was wrong. Deadly wrong.
Before, when I entered Fused Loops, I just blazed my way defeating any new foe I encountered in my path, trying to 'win' against the alternate dimension in order to fight the Anti Spirals as soon as possible... but after destroying my universe I found myself in a place I wasn't able to ignore.
In that place, the Spiral Power was a force of corruption, a force of obsession, that had started to envelope a small town. I wasn't able to save anyone from their own minds, and when I tried to summon my own Spiral Power to fight the monstruosities the villagers became... I was also infected by the spirals.
I won't tell you my experiences when I were under the influence of the Spiral infection. Suffice to say that, when that Loop was over, and I found that my Spiral Energy was still corrupted after I Awoke back at my home village, I did something that I didn't consider doing in a million years.
I surrendered to the enemy. Completely.
As soon as I got Lagann, I made it teleport directly to Nia, who still was Lord Genome's obedient daughter, and I begged her, or rather begged the Anti Spiral's envoy, to dunk me in the Sea of Despair before it was too late.
Anti Spiral Nia was activated, and discovered the evil Spiral strain that I was barely holding in, so she quickly granted my request and teleported me to the Anti Spiral dimension.
I lived the rest of the Loop at a small home Anti Spiral created for me at the middle of the Sea of Despair in company of Anti Nia, being drained of every iota of Spiral Power I had accumulated over the Loops. Anti Spiral could have made it quite more uncomfortable for me, but I guess that my sacrifice made it respect me, as it reminded it of its own sacrifice.
When I finally ran out of Spiral Energy, and died, I Awoke again at my home village; drained but purified. And I resolved to learn more about the Spiral Power and the force that was keeping me trapped, and in turn I learned about the Loops and the other universes... but that is another story that shall be told another time.
3.6 – (Wildrook)
[Infinite Stratos/Shaolin Showdown]
Jack Spicer and Wuya were speechless at the destruction the visiting Looper had caused.
"I think I may have overdone it," Ichika Orimura in Byakushiki muttered. "Oops."
"Oops!?" Jack yelled, shock turning into blind rage. "YOU DESTROYED THE LAIR OF JACK SPICER, AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS OOPS!? ALL MY HARD WORK ON THE TSUNDERE RAY, AND YOU DESTROY MY ENTIRE LAB! WHAT KIND OF REACTION DID YOU HAVE AGAINST MY INVENTION, ANYWAYS!?"
Ichika gave Jack a blank stare. "Obviously, I didn't introduce myself," he said. "My name's Ichika Orimura, Anchor of the Infinite Stratos Branch, First Male IS Pilot, and the Federation's Unlucky Charm."
"Oh..."
That was all Jack could say. No wonder he had a bad reaction...but destroying his lab?
Wuya then gave Ichika a stare as the IS Pilot flew away, leaving Jack stunned.
"You know," Jack said, "maybe that wasn't the best of ideas I had...what kind of people does he work with?"
"I don't know," Wuya muttered, "but I'm relieved the Shen Gon Wu are indestructible."
3.7 - (jxz)
(Selector Infected WIXOSS)
START UNIVERSE, DESIGNATION "WIXOSS"? Y/N
Y
STARTING ANCHOR, RUKO KOMINATO...
STARTING SOUL-BOUND LOOPER MAYU (TAMA, YUKI), APPLYING GRIMA PATCH...
UNIVERSE READY... STARTING...
Ruko woke up in a jump. She had had the same nightmare she had when she met Tama for the first time.
"Why did I have that nightmare again? I know I miss Tama, but..." She said to herself, but stopped when she heard something on her drawer.
"Huh? Why is it so dark?"
'It can't be...' Ruko thought, as she hurried up to open the drawer.
There, a lonely card appeared. A card that contained someone.
Tama, her once LRIG and best friend, was trapped again in her card, and she looked as confused and shocked as the girl.
"T- Tama?!"
"Ruu?! What happened to Tama?!" The first of the original LRIGs exclaimed.
"I don't know!" Ruko said. "Do you think Mayu did this?"
"No... Mayu didn't do this, Tama knows... Or atleast Tama thinks so..." Tama said.
"Then what would have happened?" The Selector asked.
"Tama doesn't know... Maybe Yuki knows?"
"But how do we find her?" Ruko pondered.
"If Yuki knows, Yuki will go to school to find us... That is, if Yuki knows what happened."
"Yeah... I guess you're right, Tama. How did you became so smart?"
"Hey! Tama's smart! Ruu, meanie!"
And with that, Ruko started preparing herself for school, in hopes that the answers were there.
It turns out, they traveled back in time.
They realized this when Yuzuki challenged them to a battle, with Hanayo as her LRIG. They didn't remember her, nor did Kazuki when she met him.
'This is too weird...' Ruko thought, thing that Tama did too. If they were back in time, maybe Mayu did something before dying, a last move to make them feel dispair.
The day passed uneventfully for the Selector and LRIG, until it was nighttime.
"Ruu, someone's looking for you! she says she's called Yuki!"
'Yuki?!' "L-let her pass!" Ruko said. There was only one person she knew with that name...
And surely enough, the girl who appeared on her door was the body of who once was Iona Urazoe.
She smiled. "Hello, Ruu."
"Yuki!" Both Ruko and Tama declared, the Selector hugging the original Black LRIG. "You remember!"
"Yes, and I'm glad you two do too." Yuki said, smiling and ruffling Ruko's hair.
Then she frowned. "But we have worse problems than time travel. Mayu and Ulith are still alive."
Ruko nodded. "Yes, I guessed so. But why?"
"That, I don't know." Yuki said. "But for now, the only thing we can do is free all LRIGs from their cards."
Tama nodded strongly. "Yuki's right! Ruu, let's free the girls!"
"Alright, alright. We do need to see Mayu and ask her what's happening." Ruko declared, as she pointed Tama to the sky, as Yuki held the Selector's free hand.
"OPEN!"
3.8 - (Detective Ethan Redfield)
[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]
A lot of the Anchors I've spoken with in fused Loops have mentioned how lonely it is when nobody else from their world is Looping. From what they tell me it's a real problem in the first couple hundred loops, when the Anchor is the only one Looping at all. For me this really wasn't a problem, since I only had a handful of Loops before the first of my fellow members of the SOS Brigade began Looping... though I could have done without the method used to start each of them off.
Not that Haruhi was one of them. I didn't learn that Haruhi was Looping until a long time after she began- but I'll save that story for later.
On either my fifth or sixth Loop my first visit to Nagato's apartment took a turn for the unexpected, when after the usual explanation of Yuki's alien nature and my importance in relation to Haruhi Suzumiya, she continued, "Also, the Data Overmind has noticed a temporal anomaly about you."
I was new to the Loops, so I didn't know yet what to do when history rewrote the script. "A temporal what?"
Nagato looked over her glasses. I kept forgetting how intimidating she looks when wearing those- I like her face better without them, especially since they're only for show. "Your data appears to gain density from an unknown source beginning with the first day of the school term and ending roughly two years from now," she said. "The Overmind has determined that, although data prior to and after those points is still accessible, our ability to manipulate it has been sharply limited. No apparent cause can be determined for this condition, but the Overmind suspects a temporal recursion that may be insulating the past and future from current events."
If you think I wished for Koizumi to be present to translate, you couldn't be more mistaken if you tried.
"So what you're saying is," I said carefully, "there's something about the events between my arrival at North High and some point about two years from now that you can't figure out."
"That is an acceptable approximation."
"Then I think I can tell you something you don't know." If I tried to make a sentence I'd have been less likely to say to Nagato, I don't think I could have succeeded.
Nagato's eyes widened just slightly. For a normal human being that would have been a jaw dropping and hitting the tabletop. "Explain," she said.
So I did. I told her about my experiencing the same events over and over, always beginning more or less the same way, changing only according to what I did differently... until this conversation, which had never happened before. And, after the time period ran out, I was sent back to the start, with everything being reset, even my body, as if I hadn't done anything.
When I finished speaking, Yuki didn't ask me any questions. She simply stood up and said, "This is new information. The Data Overmind will require some time to assess it." She walked over to the sliding door to her bedroom, opening it. She looked over her shoulder long enough to say, "Excuse me." Then, without saying good night or asking me to leave or anything, she shut the door behind her, leaving me alone in her living room.
What the hell, Nagato?
At this point I missed a clue, a very large clue indeed. After several times living the same two years over and over, with nothing unexpected and with the SOS Brigade at my side for most of it, I'd grown complacent about the unexpected. No, complacent isn't the word- let's be honest, I was lazy. I saw a thing, but I was so used to Nagato or Koizumi spotting important things and pointing them out that I'd quit looking for them myself. That was stupid, and if my brain had been working out at all I would have wondered what it meant- what the thing I saw meant.
Originally Nagato never opened up the door to her bedroom on that first visit. That was because the room was time-locked, with Mikuru and myself sleeping our way forward in time from that fateful Tanbata night almost three years before. This was a thing what had always been, because it had to be, because it was. If that sentence confuses you, all I can say is it makes a lot more sense after you've lived through such a thing.
I never thought about the fact that I saw a glimpse of Nagato's bedroom- Nagato's painfully empty bedroom- until the next afternoon, when it was too late.
-x-X-x-
Ryouko Asakura's "love note" had been one of the first things I'd dealt with in those initial Loops. The first time I'd simply tried to out-argue her, taking advantage of hindsight to answer the rhetorical questions she'd asked right before trying to kill me. That hadn't worked at all. After that I showed the letter to Nagato, who had accompanied me to the appointment, keeping the fight a lot shorter and less dramatic. The last time Ryouko hadn't even fought, and we'd spent the rest of that Loop with the class president stubbornly refusing to travel any closer to Canada than Fukushima.
But this time, when I went to find Nagato and show her the note, I couldn't. She wasn't in her classroom or in the club room, either at lunch or at the end of classes. I had to walk back to class 1-5, the Classroom of Death By Stabby Alien Girls, by myself.
And when I got there, it wasn't Asakura waiting for me. It was both Asakura and Nagato.
What the HELL, Nagato?
"Tell me, Kyon," Asakura said, "You've seen history when I attempt to kill you and Nagato here defeats me. Could you describe the events which follow? Does Suzumiya do anything interesting?"
I like to think so, but I'd prefer not to tell a murderous radical alien anything useful.
Then Nagato said, "Please answer the question." There was a faint quality to her voice I couldn't quite figure out, but it wasn't the usual soft whisper. There was something... not urgent, but... I don't know, but it set me off-balance.
"Well," I said, "there were a couple of incidents of closed space- you know about closed space, right? And then Haruhi got annoyed enough that she was ready to remake the world, and for some reason I still don't understand she decided to take me along with her. And without explaining why, I managed to persuade her that this world was worth keeping around for a while longer. After that there was this and that, now and again, mostly minor things."
Asakura shook her head. "How disappointing," she said. "You had a chance to witness the creation of an entire new reality, and you turned it down? That's exactly the kind of thing that's going to get you killed, you know."
Oh, I don't think so. Nagato will protect me, won't you?
"There has been a reorganization of the Data Overmind," Nagato said. "With the knowledge of your temporal recursion, it has been decided that the experiment of ending your life prematurely may be risked without serious danger to the universe."
"Which means," Asakura said with that chilling smile, "that Nagato has been demoted. I'm now the senior interface studying Haruhi Suzumiya. And we're eager to see what she does when she finds you dead in this very classroom."
Nagato had stopped looking at me. She was looking everywhere except at me.
"But for some reason Nagato has insisted that she be the one to carry out the murder," Asakura said, pouting. "Denying me my fun. I could have given you an entertaining last few moments, Kyon. A lot better than the boring way out she'll give you."
What? Nagato's going to kill me? This can't be! Nagato was always the one I could count on, the one I could always trust! How could you do this, Nagato?
"It will be painless," she said quietly, still not looking at me.
I tried to run for the classroom door, but my body refused to move. Not a muscle. I couldn't even draw breath. Nagato, don't you do it!
"Forgive me," she said. I heard her murmur something too fast for me to catch the words, and then her hand flashed up towards my chin.
I felt something slide up through the skin under my jaw, through my sinus passage, and into my brain. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all in the handful of moments before everything went dark and still.
Still.
Still.
-x-X-x-
I took a shuddering breath, filling my lungs as deep as they would go, and opened my eyes on the world. I was in my bed, it was an hour before dawn, and it was the morning of my first day at North High again.
I didn't move, except to breathe. I did a lot of that, able to think of nothing more than drawing and expelling breath, able to sense nothing more than the most basic sensations of being alive, the air moving in and out, the heart beating in my chest, my eyelids blinking much more often than they should have.
Alive, alive, alive. I didn't add the words I am until long after the sun came up.
When my mother came into my room to ask why I wasn't getting ready to leave for school, I didn't answer. I don't think I even really heard the words. At some point she stuck a thermometer in my mouth, checked the temperature, and then went to call a doctor. The doctor examined me, pronounced it a case of severe shock, and told my family to keep me in bed until I came out of it by myself, and to call an ambulance if I began having tremors or seizures.
A bit later we heard that the first day of classes had been unexpectedly cancelled due to a major gas leak at North High. Those students who had gone had been sent home again just before the first bell was to have rung. Not that I cared at the time; I only found out that afternoon, when I calmed down enough to become aware of other sensations of life that demanded I get out of bed and take care of their demands.
By dinner that night I was able to explain my condition to my family. I'd had a dream, I said, a dream that I had died. I'd felt the knife go in. I'd felt everything go dark. I'd felt myself cease to exist. It had been so real, so horrifying, that I had snapped awake too terrified to scream, to do anything except lie there and not be dead. This satisfied my parents, who were glad that it hadn't been anything more serious and that I would go to school the next morning for the rescheduled start of classes.
Of course my little sister asked what being dead was like. Oh, you annoying little terror, I hope you never find out. Live forever. I certainly want to, now.
The next morning I woke up to find three messages on my cell phone.
YUKI.N] Meet me in the clubroom at lunch
YUKI.N] sorry
YUKI.N] help me
When it came time to introduce ourselves on that postponed first day I didn't use my clever little pre-emption of Haruhi's introduction speech. Neither did she, strangely. "I have no interest in ordinary humans," she said, and then she went off her script. "If I'm interested in you, it means that you're not ordinary. I won't rest until I find truly extraordinary people. That is all!"
I gave maybe a moment's thought to that change- was this going to be a more positive Haruhi? Was this Haruhi going to think of people other than herself for a change? Probably not, I thought, and turned my mind back to Nagato's messages, those entirely out of character messages for her.
Help me.
I tried to remember when Nagato had ever asked anything of me. I could remember only one thing offhand- when she'd asked me not to speak to a past version of herself, when we traveled back in time with Asahina to prevent my premature demise. (I need to thank both her and Asahina more thoroughly when that time comes again. I didn't appreciate enough how wonderful it is to not die before now.)
Never, ever that I could think of had Nagato ever asked me for help. For that matter, I couldn't think of much of anything which I, an ordinary human, could have helped a super-powerful alien with. Well, there was that time I had helped her apply for a library card, but she hadn't asked me at the time. She hadn't even understood the concept.
And I couldn't remember that many times when Nagato had apologized to me, and never so bluntly as this.
Something was very, very wrong. Had something carried over from before? Was Nagato inviting me to the clubhouse to kill me again? Maybe she'd got it wrong the first time?
No. A Nagato looking to kill me might just possibly apologize in advance, but she would never ask for help doing it.
My mind was so wrapped up in the problem that I didn't catch a single thing that happened between our homeroom introductions and the lunch bell. As soon as the bell sounded I was out of my chair and off to the old school building, across the walkway and up the stairs to that oh so familiar room.
And there Nagato sat, a closed book on her lap, without her glasses.
The book, I noticed, was titled The Man Who Folded Himself, by someone with the strange name of David Gerrold.
"You came," Nagato whispered.
I looked at her hands, They lay side by side on top of the book as it lay on her lap, rubbing up and down slowly along its cover. This was Nagato having an emotional fit of astonishing proportions. That one little fidget for Nagato was the equivalent of a crying, screaming tantrum in a normal human being. The sight of that gentle, desperate stroking of the book sent me rushing across the room to her in an instant.
"I got your message," I said. "What's wrong?"
Nagato's whisper was slower, more carefully pronounced, than usual- another sign of intense turmoil. "This unit... I have memories which do not belong to this time and place," she said. "I remember a period of five hundred and eight days plus a temporal recursion loop of approximately fifteen thousand times two weeks' duration. None of these events has yet occurred. Aside from one incident approximately three years ago, no synchronization with instances of this unit in alternate temporal locations has occurred. The Data Overmind cannot determine the origin of these memories."
I put a hand on one of Nagato's to stop it moving. "I understand," I said, and for once I meant it. What had been happening to me had apparently happened to her. I was no longer alone... and she needed reassurance that she wasn't alone, either.
This was Yuki as I'd grown to know her, as she had grown through two years plus that endless summer of watching Haruhi Suzumiya. This was no longer the blank slate I'd been getting used to after several repetitions.
"There is more," she said. "I remember another set of events, approximately six weeks in duration. They culminated in the decision by the Data Overmind to end your life." I could feel Nagato's hands trying to move under my own. "I made the decision to execute the plan myself to reduce your suffering. I..." Slowly, like the side of a mountain denying the valley below, she shook her head. "I should not have made that decision. I should have defended you. I do not understand why I did not. I do not understand why I should not. I do not understand." She looked up at me, with those eyes which had been emotionless for so long, now openly frightened and held in check only because their owner didn't know what frightened eyes were supposed to do. "Help me."
Help you? I want to help you, Nagato. If I thought it would help I'd go to Suzumiya right now and say something like, "John Smith says that Ryouko Asakura needs a one-way plane ticket to Canada right now." But I don't know why things like this are happening. I don't know why you remember what happened the last time around when you've never remembered anything before. I don't know why you remember the way things were the first time, either.
I'm just an ordinary human who got sucked up in the lives of extraordinary beings, who for some reason gets to relive it over and over. I don't know how or why. I just know that it's happening whether or not I like it. And now that I know there's someone with me who understands. I like it a bit more.
"What happened after I died?" I asked her.
Yuki's hands stopped moving. "One hundred ninety-three seconds after your life signs ceased, the universe came to an end," she said quietly. "The Data Overmind does not believe that this was caused by Suzumiya, though the possibility exists." After a pause, she continued, "I became aware of these memories at 4:38 AM yesterday morning. This unit experienced a quantum elevation in awareness. A close analogy might be that prior to that time I was dreaming, and after that time I am awake."
"In the future, you'll let me know when you're Awake, I hope."
"Yes." The hands began moving. "The Data Overmind is assimilating the data from my new memories. I have told it that if the decision is made again to terminate your life I will not cooperate."
Good. I don't mean to be selfish, but I'm for anything which ends in me not dying.
"You remember what I said that time just before Christmas."
"Yes."
"Tell your boss that still applies. Haruhi Suzumiya didn't just choose me. She chose the entire SOS Brigade, including Yuki Nagato. She didn't choose Eimi Kimidori or Ryouko Asakura. And I'm going to make sure she keeps choosing you. If the Overmind tries to take that choice away, I'll make as much trouble as Haruhi's power will let me. Tell them that."
"I will," Yuki said. "Thank you."
"And remember," I said, giving Yuki's hand a final squeeze before letting it go, "I'm here. If you need to talk to somebody, or if you just need someone to be around, let me know. But for now," I said, heading for the door, "I need to get to work making sure Haruhi makes the right choices."
That turned out to be a difficult Loop. I had to build the SOS Brigade myself, while trying to present it as if the whole thing had been Haruhi's idea in the first place. I had to keep Haruhi from becoming bored or frustrated, not so much for her sake or for the world's as to make it plain to the Data Overmind that Yuki was absolutely, totally indispensable.
Of course I had help, but let's not get too far ahead. Nobody likes to think their hard work was pointless in the end, much less admit it to others.
For now all I'll say is, that Loop ran along to the end with Ryouko never so much as poking a push-pin in my direction, with the world only endangered when Yuki was, and with the other factions convinced that Yuki was just as indispensable as I was in keeping Haruhi Suzumiya happy and stable.
(I even managed to convince Haruhi to change her movie script to The Mysterious Adventures of Nagato Yuki Episode 00. I think the result was a much better film, but unfortunately no copy survived the end of that Loop, so you can't see for yourself.)
The next few loops were relaxing again, and both Yuki and I stopped worrying about the Data Overmind... until the Loop when Ryouko Asakura killed me again.
3.1 - An apple a day keeps the Monstrels away.
3.2 - Ah, the bonds of sisterhood.
3.3 - Femininity through superior tactical warfare.
3.4 - Way better than that other vampire fairy. *cough*Twilight*cough*
3.5 - You should be careful when you're drilling holes in the Universe. You might not like what's on the other side.
3.6 - Jackbots, retreat!
3.7 - Eternal Girl, meet eternal time loops.
3.8 - Like the Endless Eight, only better. Hopefully.