Last chapter: What was supposed to be another boring day for Haruhi soon turned into a nightmare as an encounter with Sasaki goes horribly wrong. Chaos engulfs the world as Haruhi's friends make the greatest sacrifice to protect her... but does she have the power to make sure that sacrifice wasn't in vain?
There had been tough decisions Koizumi Itsuki had to make in his life.
Like right now, as he flipped the cell phone in his hand open and closed, open and closed again and again as the wait stretched into infinity.
He should just call her. He could talk to her, unsupervised and with no interruptions. At least for a minute or two. Kyon would be coming soon, too.
He calculated once more the distance and the time needed to cover it. Kyon wouldn't waste even a second getting here, that much was certain. Itsuki wanted to believe that some chance event of the numerous possible would slow him down, a collapsed building in his way, yet another earthquake, most anything would work. He did recognize his own wishful thinking, however. As long as this world existed and Haruhi was God, eternally, coincidence was on Kyon's side when it mattered most.
Itsuki didn't need more than a minute, though. If need be, three words would suffice. It would be quite pointless, true, but he should just call.
He flipped the phone lid open, closed.
The still-distant swearing which reached him was entirely expected, but Itsuki couldn't help a different kind of surprise rising within him.
Yet another chance he let slip past him doing nothing: thinking, playing with the phone, lying on the edge of the crater with the remains of a recently collapsed wall as his only support and company.
He could indulge in his penchant for drama and call it a most apt finale for his life, inconsequential as it was. But bitter thoughts would have to wait; he now had an acquaintance to entertain.
Chapter 2
With Credit to Spare and No Time Left at All
Kyon emerged from behind the damaged wall making for a satisfactory sight. The boy was heaving, swaying, his clothes wet from sweat, sticking to his body, one sleeve of his shirt torn on something-or-other on the way. Kyon surpassed expectations – he'd be perfect material for an action flick lead: brave, willing, determined – it all radiated from the usually ordinary high school student.
Ever the perfectionist, Itsuki would only change the informal clothes to something more Spartan. The shell-shocked expression had to go, too.
"You!"
Kyon's exclamation was supposed to be only a begging to their chat but, for a few seconds, it had nothing to come after it. The gasping boy was lost searching for the proper expletive.
Itsuki grinned genially. Was he a picture so pitiful he could enact no rage, even from someone so emotionally disturbed?
"Yo, Kyon." – It was supposed to come out, but didn't.
Instinct took over as Itsuki lunged forward coughing, spiting out the blood he had choked on. The urge to vomit overcame him once more, but this time there wasn't anything left in his stomach.
"Yo, Kyon." The second attempt went far better.
Kyon overlooked the colloquiality of the greeting, even if it was coming from the usually tactful Itsuki. And he surrendered the notion of insulting the other boy.
"You didn't tell me you could do telepathy!" Kyon accused, indignant.
Itsuki spread his arms open weakly, a completely unapologetic smile on his face.
"I can't, most of the time. Doing that in uncontrolled circumstances would make me a lightning rod for an alien attack, whichever faction we take into account."
Kyon was put off. Was Koizumi implying mistrust for Nagato's people at a time like this? He opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. Itsuki's annoyingly cheerful eyes got to him, and it so happened that the first ever attempt on his life had come from a humanoid interface. He'd just change the topic and ask about-
The silence remained.
What would he ask about? He didn't understand enough to ask general questions, wouldn't dare ask the specific ones. Where were they? Were they safe? Alive?
He had just come expecting a smiling Koizumi to explain all, just like he always did. But now, seeing his bloodstained colleague, he understood things were already too far from normal.
Itsuki laughed at his consternation, even if it was obvious even shaking from laughter cost him a lot of pain.
"My bad. I suppose this is the part when we get down to business."
Itsuki waved invitingly. Kyon hesitated, giving the esper his traditional distrusting glare. He couldn't hold it for long, however. He gave in under his companion's firm smile and kneeled next to the wounded boy.
For the next few seconds, Itsuki remained absorbed in silent contemplation, almost making Kyon believe his patience and nerves were being tested.
And then Itsuki's smile vanished and he attacked Kyon with a deadly forehead poke.
Kyon lost his balance. His eyes widened – he wasn't expecting the prick to-. But he had to extend his hand for support or he would fall. It was a simple action, his mind said.
But he couldn't He couldn't even-
Oh my God.
He gaped at the pale blue sky. Was it really there? Not that it was out of the ordinary, that wasn't it. But just a second before…
And he finally fell. The collision with the hard ground proved painful. He landed in the least graceful way possible, all of his mass pinning his twisted arm to the ground.
It took him a moment to gather his wits. What was he doing here? The images of Mikuru, Yuki… even Haruhi, all three facing deadly danger, were so clear in his head. And yet he was here, lounging around a nondescript and halfway collapsed building for no reason whatsoever.
"Cough. Cough."
Kyon's ears twitched in surprise at the sound. He lifted his searching for its source. Sitting near him was the patiently smiling Koizumi Itsuki.
Kyon connected the dots. He had been in this one place the whole time, never mowing a single step. Not when he saw Mikuru dissolving – her existence half-defied by a time displacement attack. Not when he saw Yuki stoically entering a sphere of antimatter. Not even when Haruhi, terrified, lying in a pool of thick blood, seemed to be so close to him.
"More… more of your psychic power crap, Itsuki?" he choked out.
"I'm quite proud of it, actually," The esper responded "If you'd like to know the details behind the process, I'd be more than happy to elaborate on it."
"Shut up!"
Kyon didn't know what made him yell. It was probably the combination of Itsuki's carefree tone and his fake smile. Still, Kyon momentarily forgot what he had to say.
Itsuki, helpful as always, aided him in jogging his memory.
"Disturbed, Kyon?" he asked cheerfully.
"Don't just sit there!" the inexplicable anger was back "Tell me how to save…" he hesitated "how to save…"
And his voice died in his throat once more for a different reason entirely.
A glare full of scorn, a violent smirk hiding clenched teeth, a face recoiling from him in revulsion, all of them oozing contempt. Kyon never imagined Itsuki's face could take on that expression. And in his worst nightmares he never thought it would be aimed at him.
"It's quite uncanny how your voice wavers before you make a choice." Itsuki ventured "But that's just it, isn't it. You've always been spoiled with choices. And here you are, deciding whom to save and whom to abandon."
Kyon's jaw dropped. He, he didn't have time to protest-
"But that's fine, for you, I suppose." Itsuki went on without pausing "It was never your conflict In the first place. Just another ill-deserved privilege of being chosen by her."
As his lips articulated that last sentence, Itsuki's eyes shone with an even more disturbing light. Kyon wasn't sure which was stronger: the urge to punch the man for his words or the fear screaming at him to run away.
"But if you do care about Suzumiya-san," Itsuki went on, flipping the cell phone in his hand open "maybe you should give her a call?"
Kyon's body leapt before his stunned mind could order it to. His hand grasped at air, and then he was losing his balance, falling and again lying sprawled on the ground.
Itsuki laughed quietly.
"I suppose you can still be a little dizzy" he said "psychic channeling tends to be demanding on newcomers. It might all be for the better, though."
He closed the phone.
"What are you fooling around for?" Kyon muttered weakly "Wasn't protecting her the Organization's duty?"
Itsuki took his eyes off Kyon and looked uninterestedly at the sky.
"Suzumiya-san read the Bible, inspired it, or wrote it herself" he responded "which is why before this very hour, the Organization was twelve. And now it is one."
He didn't wait for acknowledgement before going on.
"Twelve. God and her Apostles. That part seemed to us merely an impression left over by her whimsical interest in religion."
"But we misjudged!" Koizumi's arm cut through the air with all the energy he had left in him, as if he deemed words alone couldn't convey the meaning enough.
"It went deeper than that. Does the Bible not show God being outdone? At least would our enemies not seek inspiration within it?"
Koizumi's arm fell back to the ground.
"There was a traitor within the Twelve. A Judas Iscariot who sold out our God."
Kyon was afraid. And captivated all the same. As if he couldn't tune out the words of disaster, look away from Itsuki's grimace.
"We were blind to the possibility. How? The Twelve were born loyal to Haruhi. And we were perfectly hidden, our powers, our identities. Few humans had the power and influence to single any of us out. And those few would not have the knowledge of Haruhi… or the ability to manipulate any one of us."
Koizumi nodded to himself, rediscovering the reasoning behind his thoughts.
"And we thought, should there exist a power great enough to wipe us out, would it not have to face our allies? Do not get me wrong, Kyon. We used the time travelers and aliens to the greatest extent possible, and they returned this sentiment. To them, the Organization was a group of powerless, but knowledgeable humans who would give their all to preserving the stats quo. That's why we were a tool worth protecting."
Itsuki's eyes returned to staring at Kyon's face.
"And now I wonder who could have approached all three forces close enough to make sure all would be betrayed, who had the power to unite all three devils standing against us into one Mephistopheles, who could so easily convince that Sasaki to become a sacrificial lamb, and I find it so incredible, Kyon, that were you not now before me, I'd put all my money on you."
The smile, the ever pleasant smile, was back on Itsuki's face.
"Then again, I'm about as good at gambling as I am at board games."
"Itsuki." Kyon fumbled for words, even if the menacing aura within his friend seemed to have magically disappeared "I don't know what you're saying or what's going on, but… could you just hand me the phone?"
"I am not attempting to delay your contact with Suzumiya-san" Itsuki responded immediately "Talking to you is in her best interest, and what's good for her is good for us all – we loved Suzumiya- san to the utmost, in every way possible. But you know, this cell phone has no restrictions on calls. Once I hand it over, you'll have all the time in the world to speak to her, and I'm quite jealous. Do understand, then, this small bit of selfishness on my part."
Kyon didn't understand at all, but Itsuki was already pressing the first button on his speed dial – that was his most important number, after all. And he didn't wait for the receiver to pick up before speaking.
"Suzumiya-san. I understand you might not be in a position allowing you to take this message properly, but I know you can hear me and I implore you, listen carefully." Itsuki narrated "It is of paramount importance that you realize that whatever you might be seeing is one hundred percent real. Moreover, it is only a single incident of many that have been occurring for the past three years that can only be labeled as supernatural. Of course, in the face of what is happening, you must be afraid for your own safety. I hurry to assure you, no harm may possibly be incurred upon you. No matter what the person before you has become, you remain a thousand times above her. You will certainly learn more about this in the coming hours, although I cannot help it being the hard way. I may only sincerely apologize for not being there to guide you through this personally."
Itsuki fell silent and closed his eyes. Even in his woozy state, Kyon considered leaping forward and snatching the phone from him. This was another game – the esper wasn't dead, was he? His chest was moving, slowly, but still…
Kyon didn't pluck up the courage soon enough and Itsuki's eyes snapped wide open.
Once more, Kyon thought he didn't recognize the esper's face. Not when it was set alight with a burning determination, twisted with passion. And the so-unrestricted Itsuki spoke, lived, died, all very shortly.
"Haruhi. I loved the piercing eyes. All of you, but your eyes the most."
And he immediately handed the phone to Kyon, almost threw it into his face, no reservations, as if dealing with hot iron. And Kyon, so impatient, so urgent but a second ago, didn't take it.
Loved her to the utmost, in every way possible.
It was quite obvious after all and maybe it was just Kyon being too used to being spoon-fed answers why he didn't realize, didn't notice in time.
The cell phone now seemed foreboding, too distant to be reached and too heavy to be lifted, he couldn't simply reach out his hand and take it, right?
"You're not waiting for me to croak, I hope?" Itsuki questioned merrily.
Kyon's finger's closed gingerly around the device. And then he was catching it, surprised, as Itsuki's hand simply collapsed from under it.
It took a mere second for Itsuki to deflate like some balloon, and then he moved no more.
Kyon backed away, averting his eyes. He had seen giant cockroaches deleted in great flashes of light and slaughters in those late-night movies, but this wasn't a joke and was a bit too simple and real.
He focused on the device in his hand.
"Hi, Haruhi! It's Kyon."
Could he say that? Did he have the right to say that, wasting away seconds another had, Itsuki had craved?
"Haruhi. This is John Smith."
And soon there was a bleep, and then labored, terrified breathing from the other side.
Kyon could wait a second, and listen to questions. Some he'd be able to answer and others he feared even thinking about. But the option seemed somehow unappealing, even disgusting, and his finger went to the power button without giving it much thought.
And before he pressed it, the only thing he really had to say.
"You are God."
AN: Thank you for reading the second chapter of Ten Hundred Thousand Suns Rising to Hail You. If the previous chapter showed the opposition abandoning all restraints, this one is an equally drastic response from our heroes. Although Kyon and Itsuki didn't have much time to shine in my works to date, the circumstances they are acting under here force out some characteristics you wouldn't usually expect from them. Still, I tried not to go wild with them.
While Haruhi's fate remains uncertain, the next chapter may finally answer the most important question: Why?
Preview: Tsuruya saw the girl's eyes brighten in response to this gesture, and this insignificant detail was enough to convince her. The girl was everything Tsuruya needed, everything she had heard, and everything she had hoped for. In this greatest gamble of all, she was enough to rekindle Tsuruya's hope.
See you next time!