4.1 - (jxz)
[Selector Infected WIXOSS]
Hanayo looked at her Selector with sadness. She honestly thought that she could have her wish come true...
If she only knew...
For now, she focused in the battle against that Selector and her white-haired LRIG, who...
Were both wearing glasses and holding notes?
Then she heard sobbing... Comming from her Selector?
"A-And then, I started f-feeling these feelings a-about my brother..." Yuzuki said between sobs, as the two girls wrote something down.
"Tama sees..." The LRIG said. "And, when did you start feeling that those feelingss were bad?"
"It... It all started with elementary..."
Hanayo continued staring at the event, not understanding what was happening.
Meanwhile, in other part of the Battlefield...
"A-and that was w-when Iona took my plaaaace..." Akira said, while hugging Piruruk, who was also crying.
Ulith was so confused and annoyed with what Kuro was doing, even more so when she requested to be called Yuki. She honestly wished that Mayu interrupted this and punished both Selectors for not fighting...
... Although, considering the fact that she was seeing popcorn in some places meant that it wasn't a possibility.
4.2 - (neubattles)
[Cardcaptor Sakura]
Sakura sometimes got really bored with the resets.
It wasn't that it wasn't incredible to be this powerful. It wasn't even that she found her friends uninteresting, because how could she ever stop realizing how wonderful they are? No, it was the monotony. The routine. It was always the same for her, outside of a few hobbies she decided to learn when she realized it wasn't going to stop changing. Find the book, release the Cards somehow, meet Kero, collect the Cards, meet Syaoran and Meiling, beat Yue, meet Eriol, transform Cards, beat Eriol. It was tedious when the only people that immediately believed her were the Cards, especially Time and Mirror. But now, for the first time, she wasn't the Cardcaptor this time. Tomoyo was. Her friend, having short hair for once, was honestly as strange as any other Tomoyo, if more exuberant. It was honestly really fun acting like Tomoyo usually did, Sakura thought. She could do without the hair though. It was so long and hard to brush and tie up, not to mention it got everywhere!
"Sakura, these dresses are so lovely! Ah, I wish you had worn these yourself, instead of making them for me. You'd look so wonderful..." Tomoyo sighed happily at the thought, while Sakura laughed nervously. What was up with Tomoyo and seeing Sakura in these outfits? At least it was a Looping constant, like Kero's weird face. She had been ever so excited when Sakura had asked to learn to make dresses, the past few Loops, but then, she was excited to do anything with Sakura. Her payment was, of course, modeling more clothes and spending time with her. What a weird girl.
"If you don't want to wear it, you don't have to, Tomoyo," Sakura said, smiling at her long time best friend. This time, the Through was active and tricking people into thinking it was a ghost, moving objects through walls and ceilings and floors.
"Of course, I'll wear it! I love everything you give me, Sakura!" Tomoyo smiled so brightly that, honestly, the time traveler thought she was using LIGHT right then. The girl never changed, and despite the monotony, Sakura couldn't help but love the steadfast reliability.
"Let's go then! We need to beat Li, right? You're the Cardcaptor, after all!" Sakura grinned cheerfully, shooing the now-magical lady to the changing area. What a really fun reset!
4.3 - (farsan)
[Gurren Lagann]
It is... rare that someone finds its way here.
It doesn't matter. As long as you are here, I have an important message to relay. Please listen to it with all your heart.
You want first to know who I am, and what am I doing here?
Fair enough. We have time. If that will make you take the message seriously, then I have no choice but to agree.
Yes, I am already aware that you can detect lies in this realm. Don't worry, every part of this story is the complete truth.
My name is Nia Teppelin.
In my home Loop, I was the daughter of Lord Genome. A dutiful daughter, and a simple doll. I knew nothing about the outside world, nothing about the humans what were suffering under the surface, nothing about the Anti Spirals that had beaten the humans into submission, and made their leader its own watchdog.
I knew nothing, until everything changed.
A Gunmen, smaller than any other Gunmen I had ever seen before, suddenly appeared before me. From it, a strange boy appeared, and started talking to me about things I couldn't understand, about an evil curse that was eating him from inside.
I knew nothing, but something inside me knew.
I was a simple doll. I knew nothing about hope, I knew nothing about fear, I knew nothing about love. I knew nothing about the fighting spirit which lies within all the bearers of the Double Helix. Not then. And because that, my transition into an Anti Spiral was very easy for me. I immediately accepted my new nature, and my new duty.
And I knew what had to be done.
Before my beastmen guardians could reach us, I teleported Simon, Lagann and myself to the Anti Spiral dimension, and drove them both into the Sea of Despair, just as he asked me.
I created a bubble of air, reduced the perceived gravity, and granted him a normal environment: A home, normal food, and my own presence to give him somebody to talk to. This was done for two reasons: To slow his emission of corrupted Spiral energy, ensuring that we would be able to handle this new strain without risks, and to learn through him the source of the Spiral infection.
At first, he alternated random bursts of insanity (Nothing we couldn't handle), accusations of us creating the Spiral infection to corrupt all the Spiral lifeforms (As if!) and long, silent periods of depression (Which was a sign of progress, but it didn't answer our questions).
When I finally hammered through his stubborn mind that we had nothing to do with the Spiral Curse, and that he was not within our Labyrinth (We checked twice) he finally started talking about his experiences.
And that was something that not even my new me knew anything about.
To learn about the Loops, even when Simon didn't actually know what was going on, was very conflicting to us. On one hand, we were glad that the universe had safeguards against the Spiral Nemesis, and that it actually survived such an event. On the other hand, that made our sacrifice, and the sacrifice of the rest of the Spiral races, worthless.
Still, there were things we could still do as Anti Spiral. First, we had to locate and neutralize the source of the Spiral corruption, which we now had proof could infect other universes. Also, we could recognize within the Loops a classic Spiral pattern, and that had to be investigated to learn if it could generate a Meta Spiral Nemesis that could destroy the Multiverse.
But we couldn't do anything of those if we were 'outside the Loop', so to speak.
When Simon's Spiral Energy was almost drained, and he was about to die, Anti Spiral placed me within Simon's spirit with three missions.
The first, and most immediate, was to ensure that the Spiral infection was kept in an embryonic state, and to protect him in case he contacted a bearer of the Curse again.
The second, to learn more about the Multiverse, and the Spiral Energy created by the Looping process. So far, I am glad to say that the Multiverse, with the current guardians and safeguards, is very stable, and holds little risk of Spiral collapse. Even in the case that an individual gathers enough power to transcend, causing a local Collapse, the rest of the Multiverse is cut off from the worst effects. Still, Anti Spiral will do its best to drain any powerful individual that visits our home Loop, to reduce the risks of a local collapse.
The third is to relay the message I am about to tell, hoping it will reach its destination.
"To the bearer of the Curse of the Spiral, doomed to repeat its fate:
Hear these words, and heed them. Because even if we hold Despair as our flag, this is a message of Hope.
We are Aware of your plight. We have encountered the Curse, and we have managed to defeat it. But we are not able to fight the infection directly at the source.
So I have this message for you:
Find the world of the Spiral of Light, of the Spiral of Hope!
When you find it, use your Spirit, even if it is corrupted, to fight the bearers of Despair! Because only then we will be able to find you.
And when you are finally defeated (And we will, because our Messenger has prepared for this moment, and those preparations will let us know how to defeat you), Let us Heal you! Accept Us as part of you, as we will accept you as part of us! Become our Avatar in the Multiverse! Because only then you will have the tools to fight the Curse, and Win.
So Find us, Fight us, Embrace our Nature, and Accept our Duty! Let the Curse itself learn the true meaning of Despair!
For we are the Anti Spirals. Our Nature is to Endure, and our Duty is to Protect.
And even if we use Despair as a weapon, we are allowed to have Hope."
-x-X-x-
My duty is over for now, but I have one final request.
Please, don't tell Simon that I am inside of his mind.
I... I strongly suspect that I am the reason Nia is not Awake after all these Loops. Because I am also Nia, and I am Awake. And there can't be two versions of Nia in the same universe.
If he learned that his love will never be Awake... it would crush his spirit again. Before, when I was first activated, I would have revered in his Despair... But I don't want that. Not anymore. Not after I had seen what he had to endure, what he had to protect, what he had to sacrifice.
So, please, don't tell him. Not for my sake, but for his.
Why are you smiling like that?
What do you know that I don't?
...
Thank you. I am glad that I was wrong about that. Still, I'd like to wait until she Awakens to reveal myself. Will you grant me this selfish wish?
Thank you again. You gave me hope... Luna.
4.4
[Rosario+Vampire/Naruto]
Moka gave a wordless cry of rage as she charged furiously... into a classroom? Wait, what? Having lost her momentum due to her confusion, Moka stumbled and barely managed to keep herself from falling to the ground.
"Ha, looks like I win! The seat next to Sasuke is mine!"
Looking up to the source of the voice, Moka saw a young blonde girl in a purple outfit triumphantly taking a seat next to the boy she assumed to be Sasuke. No, wait... that was definitely Sasuke. She remembered clearly having been racing the girl, Ino her memories told her, to get the seat next to the stoic boy. Why did she want that again?
Staring confusedly at the raven haired boy, who raised an eyebrow questioningly, Moka found she couldn't give an answer to that. While she supposed he was cute enough for his age, he just didn't seem to be her type. Not like Tsukune at all... Wait Tsukune!
"Where am I, WHERE'S TSUKUNE?"
Most of the class pulled back in surprise at her enraged shout, the fact that she was also generating an aura of blood-lust not helping her case. From the back a blonde boy gave a sigh and stood from his seat next to a girl with pale eyes, who gave him an encouraging smile that he returned.
The next thing Moka knew the boy had jumped down from the top row of seats and dragged her from the class, her efforts to beat the blonde proving surprisingly ineffective. Behind them the class began muttering.
"What's up with her?" Ino asked the question which the rest of the class was thinking. Shrugging it off, she focused on what truly mattered. Winning her love and beating back her rivals once and for all. "Oh Sasuke, you know I'd never go crazy like Moka."
For his part, Sasuke did his best to ignore the Unawake girl next to him. It was going to be a long Loop.
-x-X-x-
Once outside the classroom Moka's captor pulled out a small three bladed knife of some kind, the base of which was wrapped in what looked like the talismans Yukari and the Huangs used for their summoning. Simultaneously her memories supplied her with a second reference of her having seen similar seals in the Academy's textbooks.
Busy trying to understand how she could have a second set of memories completely different from her normal ones, she almost missed as the boy placed his hands into a strange configuration; hand-seals her mind told her; and in a burst of smoke two identical copies of the boy appeared. One then performed another seal and became an exact copy of her!
"Wha—"
Without missing a beat her copy then proceeded to place herself in front of the boys copy which generated a sheild of some kind of prismatic light around itself and nodded. Returning the nod, her duplicate gave a roar and punched him through the door; back into the classroom. Before she could even try to understand what was going on the world lit up in a flash of yellow light, causing her to shut her eyes tightly as her stomach gave a lurch. When it cleared she found herself in the middle of a forest next to a waterfall. Instinctively she backed away from the water and rose to her feet.
Enough was enough! She didn't know what was going on, but she refused to keep being thrown around randomly. She may not have been as powerful as Inner but she was still a proud Vampire.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
The boy gave a sigh and, seemingly unaffected by her youki spiraling around her, sat on the ground and folded his arms. "Alright, I'm guessing this is your first Fused Loop?"
Moka blinked confusedly, but otherwise remained in her stance. The boy nodded in a sage-like manner.
"Right! Usually it's Harry's job to give the Speech, but looks like its up to us this time." he said with a grin. "Okay, so it's like this..."
-x-X-x-
Walking back into the classroom in a daze Moka considered the recent revelations. It made a certain amount of sense she supposed, at least more than any of Yukari's theories, but even still the enormity of the truth of the constant time loop was a bit much for her.
Inside the room the dark haired boy, Sasuke, sat playing a game of what looked like poker with the two duplicates from before. Shadow Clones she reminded herself. Behind her the original, Naruto, joined her; immediately taking up one of the spare seats and dealing himself in.
"Okay, we're all caught up. Moka is a Vampire from a world where Youkai are hiding from humans and she goes to some school to teach her to fit in. Moka this is Sasuke, he's an emo jerk recovering from a severe case of stick up the ass."
Sasuke glowered and the blonde boy abruptly burst into black flames before exploding into a cloud of smoke which cleared to reveal a burning log dressed as a poor imitation of him. "Hey bastard, not cool." Naruto's voice spoke from behind Moka, causing her to jump. How had he gotten there?
"Hn. Just shut up and finish playing. Winner decides how we deal with Kakashi's tardiness this Loop."
Naruto grinned wickedly and rubbed his hands together before taking his seat back from the now nothing but ash log. Moka watched this all in stunned silence. The casual murder attempt was particularly worrying, and Naruto's indifference only made the entire situation more surreal. She wasn't sure if they were legitimately this insane, or only putting on an act to help her deal with the knowledge that all of reality was broken.
Taking a seat she stared down at the book Naruto had given her, one which supposedly would explain in greater detail exactly what was going on and what she could expect. Looking up at the table, where Naruto and Sasuke were staring intently at their cards, Moka couldn't help herself.
"Um, excuse me... What am I supposed to be doing?"
Naruto looked up from his hand with a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, once I finish kicking Sasuke's ass we'll teach you how to make a Pocket and other fun stuff." Abruptly he turned back to his opponent with a glare. "Hey, no Sharingan! That's cheating!"
Sasuke scoffed. "As if I'd have any chance against your ridiculous luck at cards otherwise. You and I both know firsthand your poker face can outmatch the Borg. Deal with it." Turning to her, Moka internally flinched at the abnormal pattern covering his eyes.
"As for you, since you're Replacing our normal teammate I assume you're probably dealing with her Loop-start problems. With the size and control of her Chakra reserves she ended up as a med-nin. If you want we can get you started on that. She may be crazy, but Sakura is still a good teacher. I have a few of her books you can take a look at later. For now you're best option is to start studying the manual. Believe me, you're lucky to have one."
Moka nodded slowly, a flash of pain striking her heart as she recalled Tsukune's death. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. If being a medic could prevent anything like that from happening ever again, then that was what she would do.
With new resolve she opened the book in her hands and began reading.
-x-X-x-
Kakashi wasn't sure what to think as he observed his newest students. One was the last loyal Uchiha, currently sulking in a hammock hanging comfortably above the teacher's desk and playing a harmonica. The other was the container of the Nine-tailed Fox which had nearly destroyed the village several years ago, who at the moment was wearing a welding mask as he worked on a something that might loosely be considered abstract art in the shape of a trophy surrounding a pack of cards.
The only normal member of the trio was currently perched at her desk reading a book which even to his Sharingan appeared completely blank, while ignoring the other two. He resolved to have a word or two with the Academy profilers. Clearly they had missed quite a few details in their reports.
-x-X-x-
While Moka was not normally an easy to anger person, and while she appreciated the time to familiarize herself with her two newest abilities and begin studying the book Naruto had given her, she was more than willing to admit that three and a half hours was an unacceptable length of time for their instructor to make them wait.
As such she was rather curious about the method Naruto had decided to use to deal with their negligent Sensei following his, rather thorough, defeat of Sasuke. (Three Royal Flushes and a Full House back to back!) Hearing the sound of the door opening, she quietly closed her book and turned to face the person who was supposed to be teaching her for the next several years.
He appeared to be a man in his late twenties to early thirties with silver-grey hair and a face mask. Extending her senses she was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a strong aura of latent power. While no match for her Father, he was certainly acceptable as a teacher. However the issue of his tardiness had mostly pushed that thought to the back of her mind.
Getting up from her desk, she turned to face him. "Hello Kakashi-Sensei, Its nice to meet you. My name is Moka Haruno."
After so long repeating time with the others her personality and Inner's had slowly begun to bleed into one another. While Inner had developed the ability to express herself in a gentler manner; especially towards their loves and most especially towards Tsukune; she had gained the ability to fully channel her pride as a Vampire and to demonstrate her displeasure as befitting a S-Class Monster whenever she felt the situation called for it.
Thus while she had outwardly kept up a polite and respectful demeanor during her introduction, at the same time she had released the full extent of her Youkai Aura. One which, as a Vampire, literally screamed of the desire for blood.
Kakashi blinked. In his time as a Shinobi he had felt some truly monstrous Killing Intents on the battlefield. While this girl's was impressive – very, very impressive – it paled in comparison to the true monsters he had felt over the years.
However combined with her youthful appearance, genuinely friendly smile and the fact that he had been utterly unprepared to face this level of blood-lust in an Academy classroom, he was left momentarily speechless.
"As our Sensei it is up to you to demonstrate proper behavior. Leaving us to wait for so long was mean and unprofessional. Please don't do it again." Moka continued with a gentle smile, even as she focused the absolute extent of her Youki against the Jounin. The full might of which she had used to defeat her sisters Kahlua and Akua on numerous occasions.
Kakashi was briefly reminded of the few times he had ever seen his Sensei's wife truly angry. It... rarely ended well for anyone on the receiving end. While outwardly he managed to maintain his calm, inwardly he was rather disturbed. The only other people he had ever felt demonstrating this level of Killing Intent were on the other side of the battlefield. That this barely even Genin Kunoichi could unleash such a potent aura over something so simple as a couple hour wait didn't bode well for the future.
He idly made a mental note to be slightly earlier in the future should this team pass, unlikely though it might be. Thirty minutes should be enough.
"My first impression of you all, less than I expected. Meet me on the roof."
Naruto jumped up from his 'sculpture' with an enthusiastic grin. "Yosh! Lead on Sensei, let us work together to unleash the glorious flames of Youth together!"
Kakashi's visible eye widened in disbelief, before developing a small twitch.
"Hn. If we can't gain your approval by the end of the day, we'll climb the Hokage mountain with our arms tied behind our backs." This, said in a dull monotone, was accompanied by Sasuke's joining Naruto in front of Kakashi; who's twitch was now rather more pronounced.
"Come my Eternal Rival, I will race you to the roof. If I cannot beat you I will go one full week without my Youthful Ramen!" Naruto punctuated this with a tooth filled grin and a thumbs up. Moka was caught by surprise when abruptly the area behind Naruto was filled with the sight of a twilit beach.
She was even more surprised by the sudden appearance of a full harvest moon over the desert from behind Sasuke as he nodded agreement. "If I cannot defeat you I will go one month without my Youthful Tomatoes."
As if a switch had been flipped, suddenly there was a tension in the air as the two stared each other down. In the background the two illusory scenes began to push against one another, as if trying to overpower the other. Without another word, the two dashed out of the classroom leaving Moka and an irregularly breathing Kakashi alone.
Moka gave her future instructor a pleasant smile, the air visibly distorting from the malevolent aura surrounding her. "We should hurry Sensei, it's impolite to be late."
With that she moved past the twitching Jounin and made her way after her teammates, leaving Kakashi staring with unseeing eyes into the now empty classroom.
-x-X-x-
A short time later the four Shinobi had gathered onto the Academy rooftop, Kakashi sitting upon the rails with an orange covered book in his hand as he discretely observed his would-be team.
Upon his arrival he had been caught off guard to see Naruto had somehow dragged his metal abomination onto the roof with him and had added a second layer of what looked like two vaguely human figures in mid-stride. The one in the lead appeared to be eating from a cup of noodles.
As for Sasuke, he had been crouched in the corner rocking back and forth with his arms around his legs and a literal storm cloud floating over his head as he glared viciously at a nearby trail of ants. Kakashi wasn't sure how that was even possible, and considering the cloud kept unleashing random strikes of lightning against said ants he wasn't going to be asking any time soon.
Again the only seemingly normal member of the trio was Moka, who had turned attentively to face him moments before he had body flickered to his current perch. However the fact that her hair seemed to be rising slightly into the air, much like a certain red-headed Kunoichi he had once known, belied the apparent normality of the pinkette.
Having learned all he could from just watching, he gave an exasperated sigh and snapped his book shut.
"Alright. Why don't we get started by tell each other about ourselves. You know, the usual. Likes, dislikes, dreams for the future. Why don't you go first blondie?"
Naruto stood with a flourish and snapped a sharp salute. "Yosh. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like Ramen, training, seeing new things that I haven't seen before and Hinata-chan who I will one day marry and have two perfect angels with!"
Sasuke snorted. "Still not over the new expansion yet dobe?"
Naruto glared. "Oh, like you aren't spending every spare second planning how to spoil you're future kid."
Sasuke turned away with a huff.
Moka had to giggle. This boy wasn't anything like her memories told her he was. Which was good, because she remembered him being far too much like Kuyou for her taste.
Moka's smile died down as she recalled the Kitsune who had killed her love. Naruto noticed this and continued.
"Things I dislike are a certain plant faced bastard and his rabbit goddess mistress, nightmares of Sakura's experiments, dying and the three minutes it takes for Ramen to cook. My dreams for the future are to kick a god-tree in the ass so hard it makes the moon hurt, bring peace to the Elemental Nations, and to become the Seventh Hokage. And then to marry Hinata and have two of the best kids to ever exist, ever!"
Kakashi blinked. 'Well that was... enlightening? Sort of.'
"Right, your turn then." he said, pointing to Sasuke.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like tomatoes. Which I cannot have for the next month because somebody decided to cheat by using the Speed Force."
Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke's glare. "Cry me a river Mr. Flash Step."
Sasuke's glare increase, before turned away and continued.
"Like Naruto I also like training, learning to combine my abilities, and discovering new things. I also like cooking and working on machines. Things I dislike include a particular white rat, fangirls – especially yaoi fangirls, and Abridged Variants."
Naruto grinned. "All praise the Log, he who sacrifices himself that we may live."
Sasuke groaned and held his face in his hands. "I hate you. I really, really do. As for my dreams for the future I intend to skin a snake, talk to a weasel, not become a vagabond and... I guess open a restaurant or something."
Kakashi had to ask. "A restaurant?"
"Eh, why not. Either that or a Go Salon. Shikamaru would probably like that."
"I... see." He didn't. He truly didn't.
"Okay, well then. Last up..."
Moka nodded. "My name is Moka Aka-um, Haruno. I like... my friends. Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, Ruby, Keito... Tsukune."
Naruto and Sasuke shared a look as Moka spoke, her words growing softer with every word. Naruto nodded and pulled out a small piece of paper which he quickly wrote a small seal onto before crumbling it up and rolling it towards Kakashi, who didn't notice due to his curiosity over Moka's behavior; as well confidence that the three were no threat.
This was quickly disproved as the wad of paper burst into a small flash and abruptly the entire world went still. Naruto got up from where he was seated and approached the pink haired vampire. "Moka? Are you alright?"
Moka didn't answer verbally, instead releasing a shuddering sob. Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Okay, I know this is all a little overwhelming but really its not that bad. I mean, yeah it can get a little boring, but still."
Moka only wept harder, hunching over as she cried.
"Hey, hey, hey. Really, its not a problem. You'll get used to it after a couple hundred years. Honest."
Moka gave a choked laugh. "I've been 'looping' for several thousand years already. How can I get used to this? One minute I'm watching the man I love have his heart torn out of his body, and feeling like mine went with it, and then suddenly I'm here. I don't know where this is, or what's happened to Tsukune and everyone else and you keep telling me it's okay. How can this be okay?!"
Naruto stared with wide eyes at Moka's outburst, before sharing a glance with an equally surprised Sasuke. "Wait, I thought you said this was your first Fused Loop. If you've been Looping for so long, shouldn't you have had one before this? How long has time been repeating for you?"
Moka gave a pitiful shrug. "We've lost count. Somewhere around ten thousand I think."
"That would explain it." Sasuke said, running his hand through his hair. "That was about the time of The Crash wasn't it."
Naruto nodded with a look of understanding, smacking his fist into his other hand. "You're right. So if her Loop was activated during the Crash, then that would mean that something got screwed up with it."
Sasuke nodded. "Which means that she's been Looping with no idea why, and no one to rely on but her friends and lover. Who she just watched get brutally murdered for what I'm assuming is probably the first time."
This caught Moka's attention, as she turned horror-struck eyes to the two ancient beings in youthful form. "F-first?"
"Uh h-heh. Yeah, I guess I kinda forgot to mention that huh? When a Looper dies, they just get reset. They'll show up in another Loop later. It's no big deal."
Moka stared blankly for several seconds as she processed this. Then abruptly, her aura flared so brightly that the nearby bench began to smoke. "No big deal. No big deal! I thought Tsukune was gone and you say it's no big deal."
"Uhhh... sorry?"
One moment Moka had been staring far too calmly at her blonde teammate, the next she had reappeared in front of the empty space where Naruto had previously been standing. Previously, because he was currently mid-air following a perfectly executed high-kick. A severe beating soon followed, as Moka unleashed all of her sorrow turned anger onto her target; subconsciously channeling her other self's personality in the process.
With a final shot, Naruto impacted against the ground at high speed; leaving a sizable crater around the point his face met the tile. "Know your place."
Turning with a huff she took a seat and crossed her arms with a frown, before catching sight of Sasuke; who was prodding Naruto with a stick. Seeing her confusion, he smirked.
"I give it an eight out of ten. You lost a point for property damage."
Naruto pulled himself out of the rooftop with a glare. "Screw you Sasuke."
"Whatever dobe, just fix yourself up before your Time-space Seal runs out."
Naruto continued his glare for another moment before rolling his eyes, a visible arc of energy running over his body leaving unblemished skin and clothing in its wake. Pulling out a small wooden wand from apparently nowhere he gave a small flick, and the roof restored itself. Only once that was done did he turn back to Moka.
"Do you feel better now? I know how hard it can be to see someone you love get hurt."
Moka gaped in astonishment, before pointing accusingly at the blonde. "You! You... let me do that?!"
Naruto barked out a laugh and nodded.
"But, why?"
Sitting next to her, Naruto gave her a sad smile. "I guess I just forgot how bad it can be at first, you know? Me and Sasuke, we're one of the first. We've been doing this so long, there isn't even a number for how many years it's been since we first started. It just – stops being important after awhile.
"But you? You've only just begun, you're still just a new kid taking their first steps out of the house."
He pulled out a small picture from his Pocket and looked at it with a small smile. "You know, not long ago our Loop got its first expansion in practically forever. I finally got to live to see my future. And in that future I have two kids, a boy and a girl. Boruto and Himawari.
"I just want to protect them you know. Watching them grow up and see the world, its like I'm seeing it all again for the first time. And it's beautiful."
He gave Moka a grin. "I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but I promise it'll get better. This Tsukune guy may not be here, but wherever he is he's fine. I'm sure of it. In no time at all you'll be back with him and all your other friends, and this will be just the first of many adventures you'll all take together."
Moka had no words. She had just attacked this boy, no this man, viciously; and here he was being so nice to her. It was too much. Grabbing the front of Naruto's jacket she buried her head in it and allowed herself to let out all of the pain she had been forcing herself to ignore since the first moment she found herself in this strange, new world.
-x-X-x-
Kakashi gave a start as he looked around in surprise. He thought he just felt a flash of Chakra, but several seconds of intense search revealed nothing out of order that he could see. Everything was as it had been before whatever he though he had felt, his potential students still seated in front of him as Moka gave her introduction. Maybe he was just imagining it.
Although, he could have sworn that Naruto's 'art project' had been a lot larger a moment ago. And that there had been two humanoid figures on it. Neither of which had been feminine. And that it had been on the other side of the roof, rather than in Moka's lap.
...On second thought, maybe he should think about having a 'talk' with Inoichi.
Moka pulled herself straighter as Kakashi stopped glancing around suspiciously, and continued where she had left off. "Things I dislike are bullies who hurt those close to me. My dreams for the future are to become the best medical ninja I can so that I can protect those I care about, and to try and look forward to the things to come; no matter how strange or frightening they may be."
Kakashi looked with surprise at the pinkette, who returned his gaze evenly. Perhaps there was hope for this team after all.
4.5 – (Dalxein)
[Kill la Kill/My Little Pony]
Ryuko Woke Up, as she usually did, having just fallen down the trapdoor in her old house to the basement full of dust and clothes and bits of research equipment. After digging around a bit to find Senketsu and confirming he was Awake, her cell phone started chirping.
"Yah?" She snipped into the thing. It was always... interesting... when Satsuki called her before they were ever supposed to have 'met'. "What do you mean I need to get to your place ASAP? What's wrong? Satsuki? Oi, Kiryuin!?" She hated it when people hung up on her, but that was fine. She'd get to the Kiryuin mansion and yell at her there.
Pulling out a grappling hook from that one Loop she spent as Batgirl, She shot up and smashed her way through the closed trap door. Her last angry thought as she mounted her bike right out of her Pocket before she ever hit the ground was that someone better have a good reason for this.
-x-X-x-
Hours of driving had given her a chance to think, so she wasn't entirely surprised when Satsuki met her in the foyer of the Kiryuin Mansion with an unfamiliar woman she suspected was replacing Ragyo this Loop.
"I'm still having trouble believing it- living clothes! Oh my but that is just fabulous!" The lavender-haired woman gushed to a grouchy Satsuki. Ryuko laughing at the girl's plight brought the woman's attention to her. "Oh my, but you must be the Anchor, yes? My name is Rarity."
"Yeah... I'm Ryuko Matoi." She answered, hesitantly. A Looper replacing Ragyo. That was just asking for trouble. "Just so you know, you're kinda' replacing the big baddie around here. We're not going to have to stab you lots, are we?"
"Oh my no, dear." The woman seemed a tad affronted. "As long as I get a chance to examine these life fibers, I'll be more than happy to do what I can to make this into a nice Vacation Loop for everyone."
This had eyebrows twitching upward. "The First Life Fiber isn't going to be a problem?"
"Not at all, dear. He rather agreed that the Baseline plot was rather silly, all things considered. Honestly, destroying the world by eating everyone... that's just not sustainable at all. Making clothes that kill their wearer is incredibly distasteful as well." She huffed.
And now the locals were panicking."Someone Looped in as the First Life Fiber!?" Ryuko yelled over Satsuki's glaring expletives.
"Gotta admit..." The room was stunned silent again as they noticed the male voice was coming from Rarity's dress. Her rather form-fitting purple and green dress. "At first I thought this Loop was really going to suck. But then it got better." No one missed his cheerful tone at the end.
"This is my husband, Spike." Rarity supplied.
4.6 – (jxz)
[Ojamajo Doremi]
"Yawn... again? I thought this time I would pass the 18 years..." Doremi Harukaze said. For a while, she had been returning to her past, to the time then she discovered the magic in first place, until she was going to be 18 years old. Rinse and repeat. She saw that she was the only one remembering; whenever she told her sister or friends of it, they just said it was a weird dream.
"Well, if it's going to repeat... I'll better make this good. And I have some ideas..."
"Mom! Doremi's talking alone!"
-x-X-x-
Doremi stood in front of the Maho-Dou. After that last Loop, she wanted to make this quick and use her magic to age to 16.
"Okay, here I go." she said, holding a thing she acquired in her last Loop: A smoke grenade. "I have to thank Randy for this..."
She reached the door.
SLAM!
"Whuha?!" The sound startled Majo Rika and Lala, who was sent into the air.
'Now!' Doremi thought, launching the grenade to the front of both magical beings. the effect was fast. in few seconds, the entire store was covered in a pestilent smoke. A few seconds later and before Majo Rika dispelled the smoke with a wind, Doremi escaped the store, holding the three taps she and their friends had.
'And thanks Snake, for the Solid Eye.' she thought, putting both taps into her Subspace pocket. Now, how to give them to her friends and one to Onpu, that was another thing... and she berated herself for not thinking about it.
-x-X-x-
Aiko sighed. It was that time again. When she and the other Ojamajos went to Osaka to see her mom take care of that man. Even if she knew it was a misunderstanding, that image still wasn't pretty. Even after tens of Loops, it still hurt.
"Uh, Doremi?" she called her friend/Anchor.
"Yes? What's wrong?" Doremi said. She was polishing her pink Scissor Blade.
"Can we avoid the trip to Osaka? I just don't want to..."
"See your mom? I see," the pink Ojamajo said, "It still hurts?"
"Yeah. I mean, I know what it is, but yet... I can't feel pain when I see that." Aiko chuckled. "Heh. Funny, no?"
"Maybe. But I can relate," Doremi said, looking at the confused Osaka girl, "Every time we lose Hana, even if I know we will see her again in a few days, it feels... bad. And I have been in more Loops than you." Her grip in the sword/scissor loosened, but she regained it quickly. "But that's ok. That means you haven't suffered Sakura Syndrome, that you still feel something when the things happen. I can recall Lina and Ranma lost their feelings once, and it wasn't pretty."
She smiled, a creepy smile. "And, as long as you continue feeling something, you won't end in Eiken."
"... really?! That's the punishment?!" Aiko then took her Jewelry Tap from her Subspace Pocket and transformed. "Forget what I said! I'm ok with going to mom's! Please don't send me there!" she shouted, flying in Osaka's direction. Doremi just chuckled, and returned to polish her blade.
"Ok... next time, don't attack Majo Tourbillon when she's in her 'I-hate-humans' phase." Doremi said, stripping herself of the solid sap the old queen had thrown onto them.
"Agreed," all Ojamajos said.
"Dear Kami, it looks like she took a page of the CMC's book..." Onpu said.
-x-X-x-
"Good morning! The owner of this shop is a witch! Goodbye!"
Doremi closed the door as soon as she said that. She knew that was bad... but she couldn't help it; the way the witch flew across the room was too funny to let it pass.
-x-X-x-
Doremi and Onpu were outside of the Maho-Dou. With a bit of help from a teleporter taken from Engie's things back in a TF2 Loop, they were ready to make their plan. Also, Onpu was able to teleport back and forth from Doremi's house to wherever she would be.
"Ok, you distract her while I do that," Onpu whispered to Doremi.
"You know, I've been in weird Loops and have been part of weird plans. Heck, I even defeated Nightmare Moon with three tons of magical spheres and a caribou!" Doremi said, nervously. "But I don't think this is a good idea..."
"Don't worry, it will work out," Onpu said, "Now, give me the Goku 1-star uniform and we'll start."
"I still say a 3-Star would be a better thing to use," Doremi said, giving the clothes to the purple Ojamajo.
"Nah, this will do. Ready?"
"Yeah, let's do-" Doremi said, but when she turned around, Onpu had disappeared. "-it." She sighed. She had forgotten how fast someone could be in a Goku uniform.
"Well, let's do this."
"Welcome, welcome to my magic shop." Majo Rika said, her face covered with her hood.
"Uh... good afternoon... do you have..." Doremi thought it well. "Dream stones?"
"That depends. What kind of dream stones do you want?"
Doremi forgot how weirdly mysterious Majo Rika was when she wasn't a witch blob. "I want stones that grant my wishes, like magic." She noticed the muscles on the witch's hand tense. "Do you know if they exist?"
"W-Well, maybe, but I haven't heard-oh, right!" Majo Rika remembered the things she sold to the girl before. Those would do. "Here, there are pendants. They are not what you are looking for, but are just like it. You can wish for whatever you want..."
"Really? Can I try one?" Doremi asked.
"Hmpf! I only accept effective," the old witch said. Doremi tried her best not to sigh. Whenever Majo Rika was Awake or not, she wanted to gain money. She picked some yen from her Subspace Pocket (Majo Rika didn't notice it, though, she didn't want to finish the charade showing she had powers), and gave them to the old lady. "Thanks, now, you can try them."
Doremi picked one. 'And now, the fun begins.' "Thanks. Now... I WISH EVERYTHING TURNS DARK!"
And so it did.
"H-Huh?! What happened with the light?!" Majo Rika shouted. Whenever she tried to light something, she just couldn't.
'I have to thank Apple Bloom for making darkness lights for me,' Doremi thought, escaping from the Maho-Dou. "You know, you're right, this will work! Thanks!"
"Wait you-"
Suddenly, the light returned...
But everything else was gone.
Majo Rika and Lala just blinked. Then the witch snapped her fingers, and two packages appeared. "Well, so much for my shop. C'mon Lala, we're returning to Majo-kai!"
"And now, what are we going to do with this?" Doremi asked.
"Well, with the Porons, we can give a few to Apple Bloom and Dr. Light and see what can do they do with them. As for the other things... I can send them to the school as a gift." Onpu said.
"Good plan... but how does Hana fit in all of this?"
"... oh, Kami."
4.7 - (DrTempo)
[Hellsing/Castlevania]
"Hard to think I got stuck in this role."
That was one Seras Victoria, aka Police Girl (she hated that nickname, and it was even worse when everyone in her home Loop called her that), and Anchor of the Hellsing Loop.
She'd been around since the early days of the Loops, back when Sakura was still in her 'REALLY insane' phase.
The Loop where Sakura had replaced Millennium's Doktor still sent shivers up her spine. As for the role she was in this time, she was in the role of the 'other' Alucard during the events where Richter Belmont'd been possessed. Seras had played the game which chronicled these events during a Hub Loop, so she knew more or less what to do. The powers she had here were nice, as well.
Having to hold back so much as not to cause suspicion and potentially cause surprises, though...At least she could test her combat skills. Right now, she'd just slain the dark priest responsible for the whole mess, and her 'father' had just been revived. What he said next surprised even her.
"Well met, fellow Looper."
WHAT THE... Seras took a look at the man sitting where the Prince of Darkness'd appear; instead of the man she expected, she saw a different person. One she recognized.
"Soma Cruz?" Said man nodded.
"Correct. Pleased to meet you...Seras Victoria, I believe?"
Seras, confused and bewildered, asked the obvious question. "Where's Dracula?"
Soma laughed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm right here. Keeping this place Anchored is not an easy job, and keeping a low profile and having this Loop's Alucard pretend to be the Anchor is annoying."
Seras thought to herself, Well, that reveals who's Anchoring this particular Loop. Makes sense though. He IS Dracula. Impressive how he's fooled quite a few Loopers, though.
Soma chuckled again. "I've heard tales of you, Seras. I have a feeling despite my usual Loop lasting over a millennium, I haven't had enough time to stand a chance against one who has your level of experience in these Loops. Still, I expect you'll pull no punches. I've no intent on doing so."
Seras smirked, and summoned her shadow arm, which surrounded her blade. "Trust me... I won't. Enough talk. Have at you!"
Soma snickered. "That's MY line. Let's go!"
4.8 - (KrisOverstreet)
[Haruhi Suzumiya]
When the elder Asahina failed to visit me before the Sleeping Beauty incident, that was the third strange thing about my fifteenth Loop. Unfortunately at the time I gave it the same amount of concern as I had the first two: none whatever.
The first strange thing was Haruhi spending more than a day as a member of the baseball club. Girls are supposed to play softball, but Haruhi insisted on playing for the men's team. After seeing her fastball and her running speed, the captain agreed. She lasted eight days before the school administration ordered the club to remove her. I found out later from her that she would have quit after the third day, once she'd mastered pitching the curve. But when she was told by the principal that she couldn't stay on the team, she refused to accept defeat. By the end three-quarters of the team was on her side. That was a group of boys really desperate for a winning season, for once... and with Haruhi they would have had one, one way or another.
(Later on, when the SOS Brigade entered that baseball tournament, we still needed Nagato's bat to win, but we never came close to the ten-run mercy rule. When the Pirates' captain came up to me, it wasn't to ask to buy the bat, but to ask if Haruhi would consider joining as a backup pitcher. I sold him the bat as a sort of consolation prize. I don't like to think of what would have happened if he'd asked Haruhi directly. Probably neither did he.)
The second strange thing happened during the first, when a certain lovely second-year student, stammering so hard I could barely understand her, tried to recruit me to the calligraphy club. Nothing I had ever said or done in middle school, or during my brief time at North High, suggested that I had either interest or talent for writing with the brush. Granted, I spell better than anyone else in class, but that's a minor, unimportant thing. Surely it wasn't enough to bring the cute, irresistible Asahina to class 1-5 while Haruhi was spending every break fighting the administration for her right to pitch overhand.
Unfortunately I couldn't accept the offer. I knew what was coming. In a couple of weeks the invitation would be going the other way, and only an answer of "yes" would be accepted. I couldn't join a club wth Asahina in it under such false pretenses. Besides, as lovely as it might be to stare at her while pushing a brush across parchment, I preferred to enjoy my period of going home early for the brief time it lasted.
I never stopped to consider why Asahina would seek me out like that. Nor did I spend more than ten minutes wondering why Asahina (elder) never showed up.
Not until Tanabata.
-x-X-x-
I wasn't particularly surprised when I woke up on that park bench, nor when Asahina told me it was July 7, three years to the day before the point at which we'd begun. Asahina had told me she was a time traveler, and I hadn't asked for any proof. And if Asahina has passed out asleep like she'd done fifteen times- no, wait, only fourteen, counting the time Nagato had been ordered to kill me- anyway, if she'd passed out asleep of course I wouldn't have been surprised.
When she didn't, surprise was the least of it.
Asahina (elder) not showing up to prove time travel existed and to drop her hint was one thing. But this was a point in time Asahina absolutely had to be present for. She had to put her younger self to sleep so she could point me to a certain middle school and a certain middle school student. And as soon as she accomplished that, she had to meet me from six months in my future, from the disappearance, so we could first confront Nagato and then go back to the future and prevent the disappearance from happening.
Even telling you that confuses me, and I've lived through it time and again. Now imagine how confused I was, trying to figure out how any of it would work out without a second time traveler.
And as I stumbled through the motions of being John Smith for young Haruhi, with Asahina watching from the fence, I never stopped to think about why Asahina (elder) hadn't shown up.
And I let it slip my mind until December 12, a week before the disappearance... when Asahina disappeared.
-x-X-x-
"I don't believe this!"
Haruhi waved the letter in front of my eyes again, as if I could read it with her jerking it back and forth like that. "Three weeks in America? No warning? No announcement? No assignments from teachers? And not a word to the brigade chief?"
Well, let's be honest; you're pretty intimidating. I can see why a girl might not want to say something like this to your face. She might be afraid you'd rip her arm off.
"That's absurd! How could anybody think I'd harm a hair on her head? The very idea!"
So you say, but I could make a list of things you've done to her that were harmful, or at least incredibly cruel, if I were feeling suicidal. But it was only a few weeks after the cultural festival, and I didn't want to dig up the bad feelings from filming the movie again. Instead I simply asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I'll tell you what we're doing!" she snapped. "If she's going to America for Christmas, then we're going to have a Christmas party so big and so fun she'll regret missing it for the rest of her life! We're going to outdo an entire nation with our Christmas!"
Typical Haruhi answer, but even as we spent the next few days planning out a Christmas feast, games, even a comedy program, I felt the absence. So did Nagato and Koizumi. There was a hole in the brigade, and Haruhi's attempts to pretend it wasn't there only made it more obvious. The day before the disappearance she drafted Tsuruya to be the brigade's fifth member, but it wasn't the same.
I recovered from activating Nagato's emergency program as usual, in the park off the path, hidden from that eternal park bench by some bushes. I saw myself and Asahina sitting on that bench. I felt sweat begin to trickle down my neck through my winter clothes.
And then I felt a hand on my shoulder and a quiet, "Ssshh," in my ear. It was Asahina.
Slowly, quietly, I turned to look at her. Like me, she was wearing cold-weather gear. This was the Asahina who had "gone to America." Odd, this didn't look much like Hollywood to me.
Asahina didn't smile at my little joke. I could see tears forming in her eyes, tears she was trying very hard not to shed. "You have to come with me," she said. "Please."
To Nagato?
"Yes. As soon as our past selves leave."
So, for some reason the younger Asahina was taking the role of the elder.
And only now, only now did I ask: why?
But I couldn't ask Asahina. She wouldn't know.
And I couldn't ask Nagato when we got to her apartment, because this Nagato wasn't the one who had apologized for allowing Asakura to kill me eight Loops before. It wasn't the Nagato who had run the Literature Club with a silent iron fist three Loops before, much to Haruhi's bemusement. This was an ordinary Nagato.
Ordinary Nagato? That phrase shouldn't exist!
We went through the routine of explaining what had happened- Haruhi's power stolen, the world altered, with only myself left with memories of the previous world.
"I cannot go. Your past selves will be here shortly. I must be present to meet them."
Oh, that's right. Normally Asahina (elder) and I have a discussion about the situation, and about the fact that she's her own immediate superior. That consumes time, enough for me to meet young Haruhi a second time and reinforce the name John Smith. This time none of that had happened. Asahina (younger) hadn't said a word, and we had come straight and swift to Nagato's.
But Nagato's failed synchronization with herself of our time had given her knowledge of our impending visit. Once again the story repairs itself. And for only the second time, I ask myself, why?
But I can't spend any time thinking about the question. Not when Asahina follows by saying, "My superiors don't want me to go with you either, Kyon."
The hell? I can't jump three years forward in time on my own!
"I can send you forward myself," Asahina said. "The trip will be rough, but you... you..." The tears she'd been fighting finally burst out, and her lovely soft body pressed itself so hard against mine I thought I'd suffocate. "I don't care what they say!" she sobbed. "I'm going with you! They sent me to watch you, and after all these months I'm not going to say goodbye now!"
What? Weren't you sent to watch Haruhi?
"Th-th-that was a lie," Asahina gasped. "I was told to tell you that. But we had someone else watching her from a safe distance. I was sent to watch you."
Watch me? Why me?
"C-c-c-clas-sified... c-c-classified... B-b-classified information!" She shrieked in frustration, squeezing me tighter in her arms, her bosom squishing in a very distracting way against my side. "I can't say it! I can break training to go with you, but I can't tell you why! I wish I could!"
This wasn't strange anymore. This was wrong. Up until this moment I could ignore the differences, since everything had gone on as usual. But Asahina sent to watch me? And ordered not to go with me, when she would be needed to help repair history? That didn't make sense.
I shot a glance at Nagato, whose hands were clutching her school uniform skirt. They weren't trembling, but even that grip on fabric showed me this wasn't the Nagato of three years ago. This was the Nagato of three days ago, the Nagato on the brink of giving in to emotions she'd never been designed to experience.
"My future self does not want you to go," Nagato said quietly.
Well, I certainly can't stay here. There's already a me here, twice over, and the older of the two will be here any moment.
Besides, I'd made the decision when I activated the escape program. I was committed. I had to see it through to the end. To stop now, with the job less than half done, wasn't fair to the human Nagato of the disappearance, whose life I kept sacrificing for the SOS Brigade.
One day, I swore, I'll let the change become permanent, just to see what happens. But today I can't.
And so the younger Asahina and I went forward through time, to the early morning of December 18th of my first year of high school.
-x-X-x-
This time I didn't question Nagato. I didn't try to ask her what she had meant by changing the world. (Some time I won't wait for Asahina, big or small, to drop the shield. I'll confront Nagato just before she makes the change and ask. I can always tell her to go ahead anyway, to keep the timeline tidy.)
No, we waited as Nagato grabbed the air and did something Asahina could see but I couldn't. And then, as Nagato staggered, becoming the ordinary president of the Literature Club, we stepped forward. The dart gun made by the Nagato of the past, intended to revert the human Nagato to her true self, felt heavy in my hand.
And I hesitated. I've never been able to pull the trigger, even knowing what I knew had to happen, what I knew had happened. Looking into those terrified eyes behind the glasses, hearing that shy voice gasping, asking inarticulate questions. Feeling like an absolute heel for taking away Nagato's first genuine wish for herself.
And, as usual, the blade in my right kidney took me completely by surprise.
"I won't allow anyone to hurt Nagato-san!" Ryouko Asakura's voice, shouting right in my ear.
When Nagato had stabbed me, it hadn't hurt at all. This stabbing always hurt.
"I'm right here, Nagato-san! I'll always be here to protect you!"
Asahina screamed.
I realized, even as I collapsed, why Asahina (elder) had never appeared. The Asahina from the future didn't exist in this Loop.
Because Asahina had no future.
Because I had no future.
I'm going to die here, I thought.
"That's why I'm here, right? That was your wish, right?"
Nagato had foreseen this somehow. She'd even gone so far as to send a warning message to herself of three years before, somehow.
"Does it hurt? Of course it does. Savor the pain. It'll be the last thing you feel in this life!"
No. I have to close the loop. If I don't reset Nagato...
My future self isn't going to bring Nagato and Asahina to rescue me. I have to do it now.
I saw Asakura raise her bloody knife for the final blow. I saw young Asahina, shrieking with terror, unable to move.
And under the streetlight I saw a blur which was probably Nagato, trembling, too scared to scream herself.
I raised the dart gun.
I think I pulled the trigger just as Asakura's second stab took me straight in the heart, but I'm not sure.
For an instant I felt absolute, total agony.
And then I didn't feel anything anymore.
Anything.
At.
All.
-x-X-x-
That shuddering breath again, and then the shallowest of breaths after, as I lay absolutely still in my bed and listened to the frantic beating of my completely intact heart. It was four thirty-eight AM on the morning of my first day at North High School.
I probably would have repeated my performance from the last time I'd died had my phone not buzzed on the table next to my bed. After the fourth buzz I reached a shaky hand over to pick it up.
YUKI.N] Awake
YUKI.N] Asahina is with me
YUKI.N] Both Asahinas are with me
YUKI.N] Come at once
I don't remember getting dressed. The only reason I know I used my bike to get to the station is that I remember having to retrieve it from impound later. I don't remember anything from the moment I read those messages until the moment, just as the light of day was brushing out the last shadows of night, I keyed in 708 on the intercom and said, simply, "Here."
The door to the apartment complex buzzed open, and I ran up the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. I didn't even take off my shoes in the entryway. I remember the burning in my chest by the time I got to the sixth flight, but I don't think I actually slowed down until I actually got to the door.
And when Nagato's door opened, Asahina (younger) barreled through it, crying and wailing, and hugged me tight around the waist. Behind her, standing in the door, the taller, elder Asahina stared at me with a sad smile on her face. For just a moment I thought she might begin crying as well, but of course the elder Asahina was stronger than that.
Somehow or other the three of us joined Nagato in her living room. The bedroom door, of course, remained shut; the bedroom where the Asahina and myself of over three months in the future lay frozen in time. Asahina (younger) kept crying, still hugging me tightly, occasionally whimpering something incoherent. Nagato sat down and deliberately removed her glasses, revealing herself as the Looper, the one who had experienced the SOS Brigade from beginning to end.
And there was also Asahina (elder). "Why are you here?" I asked her, the first coherent words any of us spoke.
"Because I was here," she answered. "This was established information. And as you can see," she said, gesturing at her younger self, "the first time I was here, I was in no condition to explain anything to you."
I looked at Nagato. She looked slightly tired, as if, however curious she might have been about why two different Asahinas were in her apartment, she would appreciate it if the visit were kept short.
"This is going to be difficult to describe," Asahina (elder) said. "First, Nagato tells me you are aware that both she and you are under the influence of a strange temporal anomaly, something even we in the future don't understand."
I nodded agreement. It didn't seem like that long since the phrase temporal anomaly would have been some nonsense Koizumi would go rambling about, rather than something I was personally expert in.
Asahina (elder) pointed to her weeping younger self. "My younger self is now under the influence of the same anomaly," she said. "She remembers having lived for almost two years as part of the SOS Brigade, years which haven't happened yet. This shouldn't be possible as we understand time travel."
It's both comforting and disturbing to learn that there are things about time that you don't know, Asahina-san.
"It gets stranger. She also has a second set of anomalous memories. They end with your death at the hands of Ryouko Asakura. At the moment of your death a massive timequake struck the timeframe you were in, opening up into a temporal fault that eventually devoured the universe."
And she told you this? No, wait, stupid question. You are her, so you remember it.
"Not... exactly." Asahina (elder) looked uncomfortable. "She is part of the temporal anomaly. I'm not. It's impossible for me to explain properly, and not just because of classified information. Your language simply doesn't have the words. But there is a... disconnect, of sorts, between myself and her. I know the facts of what she experienced, but I don't have the actual memories." She tapped her head with a finger. "It's like someone told me everything like in a story, but without any pictures. She was there, but I wasn't."
She threw up her hands, surrendering the fight to explain. If I were you, Asahina (elder), I'd give up too.
I gingerly placed an arm around Asahina (younger)'s trembling shoulders. I had to call home to let my family know what had happened- a friend was in trouble and I'd rushed to help, no details. I had to get not just myself but Asahina (younger) to school, a job Asahina (elder) absolutely couldn't help with.
But I sat there for a moment, mind still jumbled from having died, from my point of view, an hour before.
All I could think of was: How is Koizumi going to get me killed?
And when Haruhi joins this little dance round and round time, how high will the body count have to be?
I wouldn't mind getting killed by Tsuruya. She'd probably make it hilarious.
But I draw the line at being killed for Taniguchi or Kunikuda. Sorry, we're lunchtime friends, but I'm just not dying for you.
4.1 – Sometimes you just need to let it all out. Time-travelinggical card spirits make excellent counselors.
4.2 – Different role, same old Tomoyo.
4.3 – A message of hope and despair. One half of a single whole, awaiting reunion.
4.4 – With age, comes experience. Passing on a little wisdom to the next generation.
4.5 – People are People, and clothes are clothes! Except when they're dragons.
4.6 – Do Re Mi Fa So, so many things are going to go wrong with this troublesome little witchling.
4.7 – Dracula... meet Draculina.
4.8 – Casualty of Causality: The Disappearance of John Smith.