AMATERASU Chp. 1 : She Lives In Shimmers.
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You know that expectant feeling you get just waiting? The sheer anticipation of standing at attention waiting for the most important person in the world to come knock you off your feet and stick a stiletto in your eye? It's hitting me now, just waiting for the magical girl of the hour.
Here, the palace is for the most part empty, save for the few critical servants needed to run it, and the most important group on this world, the SOS brigade. Why would a girl capable of having anything she wants instantly be willing to wait for a chef to make her meal or for a dress to be fit? The same reason some people prefer the use of a live band over a DJ or interfacing with an actual salesperson instead of a machine: it's the human touch.
Maybe discovering that she could indeed change the world with a thought opened within her that realist, that pragmatic being, the kind of thing the philosophers wanted to search for and discover that made the human a hero.
Of course, that also meant she became more indirect, more subtle, more mature. Simply put, normal.
You'll see.
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Itsuki Koizumi, the fabulous brown-noser that he is, tapped his feet while he stood there within his hilariously luxurious tuxedo. As the Supreme Minister, he is above all other chief's of state save the Living Goddess herself.
That smile of his truly bothers me, because it's one of those cheshire cat ones that could be there in a much worse situation. I gotta distract myself. I bring myself about to Miss Mikuru Asahina, our always charming, time traveling SOS beauty was in a white Chanel getup, black pumps and sporting her voluptuous figure.
Heh, I remember something. Talk about getting the wrong end of the bargain. Pfft, I'm only joking.
Yuki Nagato, the Ambassador of the Integrated Data Entity stood poised, alert but not agitated. At least she is not wearing what she always wears, that same school uniform. It seems she has bothered to think about the things she'd wear for once. Robin's Egg Blue was her color though, that blue from our school uniform, especially with a long dress of light frills.
I'm tempted to ask, where'd you get the idea?
"The Integrated Data Entity orders that I attempt to improve my attire. I was commanded to take a dress from the store called Lord and Taylor's."
Ah, a Fifth Avenue place. Good choice.
"I chose the dress, as it met what is believed to be the best design for my particular figure."
Indeed, you do look beautiful tonight.
Koizumi motioned, "I sense that her majesty is to come around."
We all moved about in an attempt to face her as she enters from the fitting rooms. She has made it law that she must have attention or heads will roll. Once again, I lie to your face, but really, she is the sort to punish you for light transgressions.
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The throne room seemed to darken as she stepped out into the chamber. It astonished me as deep as my bones that such a fair creature could possibly exist. The light from the windows seems to have darkened, as if the very elements sense a moment to impress the sun goddess.
Glowing, brilliantly in both confidence and sheer literal energy, she becomes visible.
She had since reduced her use of the distinctive ribbon, but her hair was tied with a plethora of all kinds of different ribbons in an alternating red-orange-yellow, consolidating her breathtaking locks of earthen hair in a ponytail of such effect that I could not help but hear a throbbing of my heart as I stand. The dress she was wearing, a kind of robe with elements of yukata design, was again an alternating slew of warm hues and tones.
Suzumiya Haruhi, she is Amaterasu incarnate.
She walks toward us as we look upon her visage. I could hear Asahina, mumbling … "Such Beauty.."
And now to cut us back to reality with the lines that could take us to a less serious mood:
"KYON, YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE DRIBBLING YOUR SLOB ON THE FLOOR!"
Wow Haruhi, you know how to make a big man feel like a bad little boy. Or a dog. And your first words here had to be a scream? How appropriate.
Of course, I am indeed drooling on the floor like a dog on a hot day. Wait, it IS kind of a hot day. Somehow either the strange unnatural warmth of Russia in the late summer these days, or the effect of the suit, being stunned by Haruhi's appearance, or the fact I'm famished, has caused me to leave a trail of saliva from my mouth to the marble.
I move to take a tissue from my pocket, wipe my mouth before I lose anymore dignity, and try to bend down to remove the rest from the floor. I walk the tissue to the nearest trash bin and drop it in.
I return to the 4 main members of the SOS brigade. Haruhi was going over the plans, "We are about to head into the city to eat at a classic restaurant, the kind rich oil barons go to."
Sometimes Haruhi, I wonder if you really get what it means to be high class. It isn't just about money you know.
She knows.
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As we head onto the road into the city, surrounded by all the makings of a motorcade, our goddess Haruhi was chatting up the affable Koizumi. Usually, I heard something to the effect of a dictation of a speech, and an attempt to be some sort of wise person. So dumb, so funny.
I turned my head to look to my colleagues. Hmm...
I couldn't help but notice, of any little aspect here that looked to be a problem, Asahina seemed slightly bothered by something, a rare instance to be wary of. I figure that she could be warned ahead of time of an issue and act accordingly to it. What is she thinking about?
I read her lips closely. She was mouthing something that grew louder and louder...
"...time...time is coming...its coming up..."
...?
"...I see...so that is what..."
...And then she spoke up to herself aloud.
"So that's what will happen."
Haruhi and Koizumi stopped right there, noticing the audible words, and turned to Asahina. Haruhi begged to question her, "What will, Mikuru-chan?"
"Oh! uh, nothing, nothing..." She squirmed out with a tone of hesitation. I have to wonder…
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As we traveled through the city, we made it past the Hermitage. Koizumi looked upon the magnificent creation for a moment, and turned his head toward it to watch as it came fully into view. He took a second to note, deciding to speak aloud his knowledge of history, "To be in such a place of history, it just brings to you this sense of meaninglessness, and yet, joy that these things could be seen in our lifetime. Does it do that to you?"
I could say that it does, but I thought the fact that someone else can call all the shots and took your joy was what induced that meaninglessness. Well, maybe my joy, but what is the point of complaining when I get the benefits and joy? I have to stop that, it doesn't suit me. In reality I didn't respond to him, only nodding and looking over the building myself. I don't entirely get the idea of fancy architecture, but maybe I can see what he meant. More like being ant ant beside a tree, you yourself won't get it, but maybe some unusual ant knows the scope of things better than you.
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We came to our location, and entered. There were men and women in black everywhere, and the interior was trendy, not what I expected. Are we at the wrong place? This restaurant had a DJ who was blaring a tune, some foreign bit I could not understand. I get the feeling we're at a place that's really inappropriate to what we were wearing. Luckily it seemed no one cared to bother us.
We were seated and Koizumi signaled to a guard to watch what happens in the kitchens.
As I saw one of our staff members come back to shake his head at Koizumi, it hit me, that he could be trying to prevent Haruhi or anyone else from being poisoned. She could easily have willed away violence and death, but maybe she felt it would take out the intrigue.
She wanted someone to take a shot at her sometime. That wouldn't surprise me.
Well, maybe, or she just doesn't care. I don't get her logic sometimes.
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As I waited for my meal, I noticed there was something odd across the table. The music blared and I could hear nothing, but it seemed worthy of notice.
Asahina spoke into Itsuki's ear, and he made a face of contemplation, then smiled and told her something close to her ear. Why tell Itsuki and not me? This could be important.
I asked Nagato to take note and tell me if anything was wrong. She nodded and sat quietly.
We went through our meal, traditional fare. The first course was the same for all, a cabbage soup. After that, I consumed something called Kotlety. After our meals were finished, we cleaned up and left to go to the Bolshoi Drama Theatre. We were to see an opera, whose name I could not remember, but knew it was about a man who drove the polish army out.
A balcony was to be ready for us, and I was next to Haruhi. "It's called 'A life for the Tsar', and it tells the story of when Ivan Susanin sacrificed himself to protect Tsar Romanov." She spoke to me, attempting to educate me on a subject I bet she knows almost nothing of.
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She greeted and met with various heads of state, businessmen, and spiritual leaders. Some took a shine to her, while others looked as if they had seen a massacre.
Of course you might look like that too if it was Haruhi Suzumiya.
We left for the balcony, and I took a seat next to Haruhi, who was at one end, with Yuki next, Koizumi, and Asahina filling us out.
The thing progressed on and on, and I could not help but nearly fall asleep. Haruhi took a jab at me and I sat up. Always no fun, never a break. Heh, I know, I am a whiner.
Here was a turning point. I could hear a squeak and turned my head to see Miss Asahina. She was bothered in that same way as before. If I read her lips closely, they rhythmically chanted.
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"…Its Time."
What?
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*Klank, *Shuffle
I hear a knock behind me and I see them:
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Three darkly dressed men, with MP-5 sub-machine rifles above my head.
It was probably the most horrifying moment of my life. They raised their weapons, specifically to my head and …
Koizumi raised his hand in the periphery of my vision. Tat. Tat. Tat.
And before a fuss was had, they were gone.
Three men were dead, a hole in each of their heads. It was a moment of absolute quiet save for the voices of the operati below on the stage. The high notes rung from someones vibrato.
Koizumi spoke quietly into his cell, "Thanks, Ms. Celes."
When Haruhi turned her head, she screamed.
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After that, Haruhi was furious. Someone dared try to assassinate her? Could it have been the U.S. or the Chinese? Maybe the many religious factions upset with her? She's made many enemies in a single short lifetime. And how did they get past the measures of security? Hmm...
As I sit here on the stone steps, I see agents talking back and forth, clambering over who was at fault. Was it the gate security? Was it the hallway guards? Was it the prime minister himself?
In my opinion, it had to be no one but the attempting perpetrators themselves. People like guards get duped, and if they got duped, it wasn't truly their fault for being hired as much as it was our fault for bringing them in and not preparing them.
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It was after that when we withdrew to the limo and rode to the palace.
Haruhi stared at me with an expression that seemed to fault me for not protecting her better, as if I was the one who could have been expected to stop them from coming up to our balcony in the first place. Maybe I could have helped but I do stand by the decision that we had done no wrong, any of us.
Asahina however was relieved and Koizumi bright and cheerful. I asked him if he had known the whole time. "It was Asahina-san who warned me of the time, but I had already known of the operation as happening tonight." So you weren't certain until she said anything when it would happen? His reaction afterward was a positive shrug, suggesting to me that he was a fool, willing to take a gamble just to entertain of all people, the one he was supposed to protect. Maybe I could blame him.
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Every member of the SOS brigade parted in all directions to their respective places for the night, and I was left with the girl of the hour, the woman of the world, Haruhi. I could sense a tingling sensation of anger coming toward me. She was ready now to admonish me in private.
She stood before me, or rather I stood before her, as she began, "Kyon, what were you doing looking back and not saying anything?" Asking a question that did not matter? I spoke back to her...
"I was shocked enough to be speechless. If I had done anything wrong, that may have cost us. I did not want to do anything rash-"
"I could have died not knowing what hit me! If I at least knew, then we would have had more of a chance to stop it."
She does not seem to realize that this was to a degree staged. They were real, but they were also caught in an entrapment from Koizumi. You know what? It's all him. If he knew of the whole thing in advance, then this was all his fault. But then I would have to blame Asahina, at least, for not telling anyone else.
Though I do have to consider, maybe she expected that Koizumi would prevent any bloodshed...
In that case, I don't blame you Koizumi for doing your job, I blame you for being cocky.
Haruhi continued to speak.
"And it isn't like we could just be saved right there. If they had taken me down, I would not have the ability to stop anything from happening.
You have the potential to change the world, and still you leave death alone. My thoughts. Sometimes I don't get the logic of her world.
"But…" her face morphed through sadness, then grew into a cheery phase, "At least you were there." She brought herself to surround me with her arms. "Thank you." She kissed me, squarely on the lips with the lightest touch. "I do appreciate that you wanted to be here, at least if you aren't going to be later."
She let go and I watched as she left to change out of her dress.
I can only say that even in this late date, I don't understand her, even now, and a day may come that's a long ways off where I do finally get it, but it is here that I see right now, just exactly why a part of me loves her.
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Update: March, 18, 2010: I changed this one a heavy amount from the last time.
I had wanted for a long time to write a story linking Haruhi to the idea of the sun goddess, as I felt it was most appropriate. I may try to link Kyon and the others to different myths. Kyon is the most challenging, as he is no Dionysis, so I may turn to folklore for a better idea. Reviews are appreciated, and story alerts and favorites as well.