Chapter 19: Let Me Sing You A Song
Stomach roiling, Haruhi stumbled down the hall of the school, desperately searching for the door to the SOS Brigade room. She would be safe there, she knew it. Around every corner, she heard whispers, but when she turned it, it was empty. The hallways were dark, but there were flickering shapes at the corner of her vision. Whispers behind her, but when Haruhi spun, there was nothing there.
The floor seemed to tilt and sway, and she couldn't get her footing. Her something was gnawing at her stomach, trying to get out, trying to take over. She couldn't let it. She tried to hold it in, to force it back down, to keep it contained. The SOS Brigade. They could help her. That's why they were here.
Shadows closed in, and Haruhi tried to scream, tried to shout for help, but her voice was muffled, weak. She staggered forward, hand outstretched. Someone reached back to her. A smiling woman of great beauty, with long, blue hair, and an odd ornament. Desperately Haruhi reached forward and-
"Haruhi? Your friends are awake now."
Muzzily, Haruhi shook her head, her vision swimming as she was pulled out of the dream. A face hovered over hers. "Aqua?"
"It's me, dear. Your mother."
Haruhi's vision came back into focus, and she blinked. "Oh. Sorry, mom. I thought…"
"It's OK. I'm here for you," her mother said, gently rubbing Haruhi's back. "But your friends are awake now. I thought you'd want to say hi to them. It's late, and we can't stay."
"I could stay overnight," Haruhi mumbled, standing and stretching.
"No. Not after what happened today. Your father and I want you where you're safe," her mother said firmly.
What if I'm the one who's dangerous? Haruhi thought, but she didn't argue. "Ok. I'll just go check on them."
Haruhi's mother went with her towards the patient rooms, passing nurses and other visitors in the halls. They hadn't gone far before a familiar figure hurried towards them.
"Ah, good, I was just coming to get you," Auntie T said, smiling at Haruhi. Her nut brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she was still dressed in her hospital scrubs, stethoscope around her neck. "Thalia, can I talk to you for a moment? There's something I need to tell you."
Haruhi froze, looking nervously back and forth between her aunt and mother. Both women looked concerned, more lines in their faces than Haruhi remembered. They were both relatively young, Haruhi was pretty sure neither of them were much over 40, though both absolutely refused to discuss their ages. They didn't look terribly similar; Haruhi's mother had blue eyes and blonde hair, while her aunt's eyes were purple. Their other facial features differed as well, though they were both strikingly beautiful in different ways.
Plus, Haruhi knew her mom was kind of a dope; not all that smart and easily flustered, while Auntie T was usually calm and intelligent. Though when together the two women had their moments. Haruhi had once joked that her aunt was really a natural blonde, but that had gone over extremely poorly. Even to the point her normally poised aunt had broken down in tears. It might have just been the drinking she had been doing with Haruhi's mother, but Haruhi had never made that joke again.
As intelligent as her aunt was though...it wouldn't surprise Haruhi if she could put two and two together and figure out something was up with Haruhi's friends. And maybe her too.
"I really think I should meet Haruhi's friends. Especially Aqua," her mother said, sounding rather firm.
"Perhaps later. But we do need to talk first. Come, my office is right this way," Auntie T said, taking her cousin by the elbow.
Haruhi's mother looked upset, but relented. "Go on, dear. I'll see you soon. Let your friends know you care about them, OK?"
"Yeah mom," Haruhi promised, and hurried off, feeling as though she'd dodged a bullet.
Aqua did come up first on Haruhi's list of people, and she wasn't surprised at all to find Kazuma was with her. They were, of course, arguing.
"-not going to just leave them, they need our help!" Aqua was saying.
"I'm not saying we just up and leave, I'm saying that you teach the Princess how to be a Big Girl, and then we jet! Come on, you get to go back to being a goddess, and I get to go back to Belzerg to be with Megumin!"
"Oh, so now you want to be with Megumin! You were always dragging your feet before! But I want to stay here and you just-"
"Are you two really shouting about that?" Haruhi demanded, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at them. "Is that really such a good idea?"
"S-sorry, Chief," Aqua gasped, but Kazuma rolled his eyes.
"They know already. Check her chart."
Haruhi picked up the chart and scanned it. "Yeah?"
"Look at patient information. The K-135? You see it?"
Haruhi picked up the paper, scanning it and finding the box. "Yeah, it says 'identifier: K-135'. What does that mean?"
Kazuma tossed Haruhi an official looking plastic binder, with color coded tabs. She flipped through it to the one labeled "K."
"K, Kami. Spirits and other manifestations that...wait, what?!" Haruhi read through the page, seeing everything from references to minor shrine spirits to angels. She found 135 listed as 'major water spirits.'
"There's other things in there too. They got a category for half-oni like Tsuruya and aliens like Yuki. Something big is up," Kazuma explained.
Haruhi slowly lowered the folder, breathing hard. "That's...that's all-"
"Um, mortals aren't supposed to know all that, but since you're the chief...or maybe...you will be?" Aqua said hesitantly.
"Whatever. Figured someone's gotta break the news to you. Congratulations: you found the weird stuff you wanted," Kazuma told Haruhi.
Haruhi's eyes misted over, and she felt her body trembling slightly. "I don't...I don't know if this is really what I wanted…"
"Want it or not, it's here, it's real, and you're a part of it," Kazuma told her. "So buck up, Princess."
Haruhi blinked away her tears and glared at Kazuma. "What did I tell you about that?"
"I forgot the part where I give a damn. You keep acting like a spoiled princess, so that's what I'm going to call you. Think of me as your fairy godfather, because I'm about to grant your wishes," Kazuma told Haruhi.
"Chief, I...I could help you. Learn how to be a goddess, that is," Aqua said, sounding painfully hopeful. "I lost most of my powers when I was made human, but...but I can still help! Maybe this is why you sent me here, so I could teach you, and earn my way back into heaven!"
Despite herself, Haruhi found she was fighting back tears again. "I just...I came here to say I was sorry to you, and now you're just trying to help me…"
To Haruhi's surprise, Aqua got up out of her bed, then came over and wrapped Haruhi in a hug. "Shhh, it's OK, you can cry. Crying always helps me feel better. And I'm here, OK? You can rely on me. Kazuma too. He seems like a jerk but he's actually really nice."
"Don't try to tell me that jerk has a heart of gold underneath," Haruhi sniffed, hugging Aqua back. It was...nice. Comforting, and soothing.
"You should see him when people need his help. He acts all tough but he's just a big softie. I remember when Sylphina asked him to play house and he-"
"Aqua! You promised you would never tell!" Kazuma hissed.
"What? You were very sweet, and you made sure to get her that medicine even though we didn't get any money for it," Aqua laughed, stepping back and wiping away some of her own tears.
"Hmph. Well, we'll see," Haruhi said, eyeing Kazuma suspiciously. Then she frowned. "Wait, how are you up already? I know Auntie T is good, but you looked like you were dying when you came here and it's only been a few hours."
"Oh, Kazuma gave me some of his mana and then I was better!" Aqua said with a big smile.
Her words caused Haruhi to go bright red though, and she jerked back. "Ugh, you two are worse than my parents."
"Huh?" Aqua blinked, looking confused.
"She thinks we banged," Kazuma supplied, causing Haruhi to feel even more embarrassed.
"No, Megumin is the one who makes bangs. You and I are just bestest buddies!"
"Who are definitely banging," Haruhi muttered, which earned her a glare from Kazuma and a confused head tilt from Aqua. "Look, I'm glad you're better. Just...take it easy, OK? I'm going to check on the others."
"Yuki's fine, I healed her myself. She seemed pretty excited when I helped Kyon 'transfer data' to her," Kazuma said with a lecherous grin.
"Good, I'll see her next. Um, Aqua, can you...do anything for Tsuruya?"
"Yes!" Aqua said at the same time Kazuma made a throat slashing motion and mouthed "No."
"What, why not? You're a...water kami...so…?"
"She, um, isn't compatible with Tsuruya," Kazuma explained, looking a bit worried.
"Why not?" Aqua asked, turning around to glare at him. "She helped rescue me, so-"
"Oh, right, er, I guess that makes sense," Haruhi agreed, realizing that a goddess and a demon probably wouldn't get along so great. "I'll just check on Yuki and Kyon then."
She left just as Kazuma and Aqua started arguing again. Gross.
Yuki's room was just down the hall, and Haruhi barged right in. "Hey, Yuki, are you feeling-"
Kyon froze, his eyes opening wide in shock and horror. He jerked away from Yuki, flushing deep red as he scrubbed at his lips. "H-haruhi, we were just-"
"I am feeling well," Yuki stated, nodding solemnly despite the fact she'd just been swapping spit with Kyon. "Haruhi Suzumiya: I have something to tell you."
"What, that you're dating Kyon? Think I just figured that out," Haruhi snapped. She'd known the two of them were interested in one another, and maybe even getting serious, but this still hurt. She'd liked Kyon, a lot. He was by far the most interesting boy she knew and, well, he got her. Kept up with her. And supported her efforts. Even when she knew they were silly. Or, maybe not so silly, but still.
"I am a construct known as a humanoid interface, created by a being known as the Data Overmind. In common parlance, I would be classified as an extra-terrestrial," Yuki said as though she were saying it was going to be sunny today and not that she was an alien robot. "I regret my inability to inform you of this earlier, but I have been independent of the Data Overmind for only 28 hours and 15 minutes. I have difficulty communicating per human norms, but as you are my friend, I wished to be honest with you now that the restrictions placed upon me by my creator are no longer a factor in our exchange of data."
"That's...thank you, Yuki," Haruhi managed. "I...that's a lot to take in."
"I understand. If you wish to discuss these matters later, I will attempt to explain my circumstances in as clear and concise a manner possible. Also, I wish to apologize for the incident on December 18th of last year, when I absconded with your data manipulation abilities and re-wrote reality. I was experiencing a number of errors at the time which were related to the time loop during last summer, and my inability to adequately process my own increasingly human emotions. I promise to ask your permission in future before tapping in to your data manipulation potential."
"I, um, I...I think I need to check on Tsuruya," Haruhi managed faintly.
"Very well. Kyon and I will be conducting further research. I suggest you knock before entering if you would feel uncomfortable witnessing such events," Yuki said calmly. "He is, after all, my Best Bud."
"We, uh, we're together now. As in, um, dating," Kyon managed. "We were going to tell everyone, but, er-"
"I get the picture we'll talk later bye!" Haruhi slammed the door and pressed her back to it, swallowing and trying very hard not to think about what those two were doing now that they were alone again. She gritted her teeth. She shouldn't be jealous. Mikuru had said she'd go out with Haruhi. Maybe they could try kissing.
Stupid Kyon.
Good for Yuki though. Haruhi was glad to see the shy little thing come out of her shell. Even if it was right into what Haruhi had thought was her territory.
No, no, be happy for your friends. Besides, you had plenty of chances with Kyon, and you never took them, Haruhi thought as she hurried down the hall. Stupid gender roles. I should have taken dad's advice and asked him out instead of waiting for him to ask me though. If I were a boy and he was a girl...nevermind.
The sound of braying laughter made it easy enough to guess which room was Tsuruya's, despite the fact that there was another name on the door. Haruhi wondered about that, but the noise from inside told her that there was no way there was anyone else. She did knock first though. No need to have a repeat of the last two times.
"Yes?" a gentle voice asked, and Haruhi nearly thought she had the wrong door until Tsuruya's brasher tone called, "Yeah? Come in!"
"It's me," Haruhi said, cracking open the door and peaking in. Inside, Tsuruya was lying in bed, looking rather healthy for someone who had been shot in the gut only a few hours ago. Next to her sat an older woman dressed in an elegant kimono, her long hair done up with a traditional hair stick.
"Oh, hey, Haruhi! Come on in, this is my mom! Mom, this is Haruhi Suzumiya! She's been over a few times but I don't think the two of you have ever met!"
"Oh!" the older woman stood quickly, smiling and bowing to Haruhi. "Hello there. I'll just leave the two of you alone then. I'll get us some food and drink, Tsuruya. A pleasure, Miss Suzumiya."
With that, Tsuruya's mother scurried off, leaving Haruhi and Tsuruya alone.
"Well that's weird, usually mom's a lot more polite. Guess she's upset about me getting shot and all. Check it out though, I'm totally fine now~!" In demonstration, Tsuruya lifted up her hospital gown, baring her abdomen and showing off an angry looking red scar. Indeed, it looked as though the wound had been suffered months ago, not hours, and from what Haruhi could tell it had healed nicely.
"Oh, wow. Er, did Auntie T help you?"
"What, you mean that bitch, Doctor Tiana?" Tsuruya demanded, dropping her gown and glaring at Haruhi. "Don't tell me you're related!"
"Hey, my aunt is great, don't you go bad mouthing her, especially if she helped you!" Haruhi snapped, the stress inside her flashing into anger nearly immediately.
"Well she didn't need to go and be so rude to my mom! Or treat me like a filthy half breed! Just because I'm half demon doesn't mean I'm a bad person, and just because my mom is a full-blooded oni doesn't mean she's not the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful person in the whole world!" Tsuruya snarled.
"My aunt would never treat a patient poorly! She takes her oaths as a doctor very seriously!" Haruhi argued.
"Oh, she was perfectly polite, but I could tell. I've seen how people treat me when they know what I am! Are you going to be the same way? Look down your nose at me just because of who my parents are, and not even bother to get to know them!?" Tsuruya raged. As she did so, a green glow appeared on her forehead, and the horn began to slowly emerge. Haruhi was transfixed by the sight, her jaw dropping open.
"What are you looking at!? You got something to say, you-OHCRAP!" Tsuruya blushed and clapped her hands to her head. She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes and forcing herself to relax. When she lowered her hands, the horn was gone. "Sorry. I, um, well, I had to tap into my demon blood pretty hard to heal, and, well, your aunt gave me some stuff that helps with that. It, er, makes me a bit emotionally volatile though. PMS times a thousand, basically."
"I...would guess that's pretty rough," Haruhi managed, feeling a bit faint.
"Basically, yeah."
Silence fell between the two girls, who fidgeted and looked away from one another.
Tsuruya broke the silence. Somehow, she was even more energetic and brash than Haruhi. "So. You and Mikuru, huh?"
"Um, maybe. She...she said she was a time traveler, and that...that she'd have to go back home with her cover blown," Haruhi admitted quietly.
"Oh. Sorry. She...she was a good friend. I was...happy to hear about it. You'd make a cute couple," Tsuruya said, fidgeting with the bedsheets in her lap.
"Thanks. You're, um, very open minded."
"What, for a demon?"
"No, for a Japanese. Most people…"
"Oh, right. Well, screw 'em. It's your business and no one else's. Except your friends, ha! We could celebrate! I...I hope Mikuru isn't gone. Time traveler! Who'd have thought shy little Mikuru was mega awesome like that?"
"Yeah. I thought she was special anyway," Haruhi whispered.
They exchanged a few more polite pleasantries, then Haruhi left before things could get awkward again. She noticed Tsuruya's mother standing awkwardly down the hall, and waved to her. All she got back was a bow. Haruhi sighed and moved on. Meeting a real oni would be interesting, but she'd had more than enough excitement of that variety for a very, very long time.
Haruhi found her mother waiting for her in the lobby. "How is everyone?"
"Fine," Haruhi said without further elaboration.
"Oh, good. Listen. Your aunt and uncle are coming over tonight. A family dinner sounds nice, doesn't it? It's been too long."
"Will Sasaki be there?" Haruhi asked bitterly. She really was not in the mood to confront her cousin at the moment. And it was way too late for a fancy dinner.
"Who?"
"Oh, sorry. Kiriko. She likes to be called Sasaki now."
"Why?" Haruhi's mother asked, looking completely baffled.
"I dunno. Guess she's more boring that way," Haruhi grumbled.
"Oh. Well, yes, she will be there, of course. You two...you're still not getting along?"
"Oh, we get along." Haruhi's mother beamed. "About as well as dad and Uncle Seiya."
"Ah. Well...please try to get along. They're the closest thing to family we have here, you know."
"Yeah, sure. I won't pick a fight if she doesn't," Haruhi agreed.
Her mother sighed as they exited the hospital. It was after dark, though after her nap Haruhi wasn't feeling tired. "That's what your father always says about him and your uncle. And yet those two always fight about something."
"Look, if Kiriko keeps her stupid mouth shut, then maybe I won't have to explain to her why she's wrong!" Haruhi snapped.
"I never did understand what you two are always arguing about. You both seem to have such similar interests. Don't you both like video games?" Haruhi's mother asked as they got back into the car.
"It's complicated," Haruhi huffed, buckling herself in. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You know, the two of you are going to have to put up with one another for a lot longer than you might think. Try to find some common ground and get along," Haruhi's mother lectured as they pulled away.
Haruhi didn't answer, staring out of her window. She sniffed, fighting back tears. It wasn't the argument with her mother, they did that all the time. It was just...everything else. The sudden new world she found herself in, where what had been just fun imaginings was now very, very real. Her friends seeming to find love, while Haruhi wasn't really even sure if she wanted the date she'd asked for. Molesting Mikuru had been exciting, but it had been a game. What would change if she had to take it seriously?
Worse was the idea that maybe Sasaki was right. That the world would be better off if it were ordinary and boring instead of full of wonder and magic. Then people wouldn't try to kidnap Haruhi's friends, and they wouldn't get shot. Or get discriminated against for being demons, because of course that was a thing.
"Mom, do you think magic is real?" Haruhi asked absently.
There was a squeal of brakes and Haruhi was slammed forward, the breath driven from her lungs. She looked up to see her mother staring at her, wide eyed, her face flushed.
"Why do you ask?" her mother gasped.
"I just...that's what Sasaki and I usually fight over," Haruhi managed, swallowing.
"Oh. Well. Of course. You, ah, don't have any experience with magic, do you?"
"No."
"Young lady, if you are lying to me so help me!"
"It was just a stupid question mom! You don't need to get so worked up about it!"
"Don't scare me like that then! Asking me if magic is real. That's not something you can just ask your mother and expect me to take it-"
There was a loud honk behind them and both Haruhi and her mother turned around and yelled at the car behind them. When they honked again, Haruhi's mother actually rolled her window down, flipped the other car off, then punched the gas and squealed away. She really was taking this poorly.
"And another thing! The next time you think you need to take on the yakuza alone, you tell your father and I! I ought to ground you for a week, with no video games! And never let you out of my or your father's sight again!"
"What!? It's not like I planned for my friends to get kidnapped! And I called the cops!"
"Well I didn't see any police officers there! And besides, what have your father and I told you about law enforcement?!"
"Mom, playing NWA when you're both drunk does not count as telling me about the police! And this isn't America, and I'm not-"
The argument lasted the rest of the way back home, with both women slamming their car door and glaring at one another. Haruhi broke first, laughing and going over to give her mom a hug. "Thanks. I feel better."
"I'm glad. Though I'm not sure why," her mother admitted. "I'm still upset you didn't call us, Haruhi. You know you can trust us, right?"
"Mom, if I need cheering up, I'll call you and dad. But I could never watch either of you get shot," Haruhi said, then turned and ran inside before her mother could protest.
Her father cornered her next, and after he hugged her and asked if she was alright, a rather similar argument erupted. Haruhi took it for a few minutes, yelling right back at her dad, before storming off and slamming the door to her room. Then her parents started fighting down stairs, though they moved into their bedroom before long. Great. So now, that was happening too. If it wasn't enough for her friends to all remind her Haruhi was getting left in the dust romantically, her parents were going to remind her just how gross they were.
Haruhi screamed into her pillow, then got up and opened her window, jumping down onto the garage roof, then down onto the trash cans and finally onto the ground. She went into the garage through the side door, then set up the punching bag before turning on speakers and blasting her J-POP mix as loud as possible to drown out what she was certain her parents were getting up to. They always did after a fight. Then she started hitting the bag as hard as she could.
She had just about completely exhausted herself a half hour later when she sensed someone behind her. She whirled, expecting to see her father there with a stupid grin on his face, ready to make up. Instead, she found her uncle standing behind arms across his chest, frowning down at her. He really was freakishly tall.
"Your form is bad," he commented. "I wouldn't say you were even ready to face a pitiful slime with that level of effort."
"Gee, thanks Uncle Seiya," Haruhi panted, turning back to the bag. "Everyone knows slimes are actually ultra badass end bosses, so I'll take that as a compliment."
Her uncle snorted, then came up to stand beside her. "Calm yourself. Prepare. Remember the basics."
Haruhi glared at him for a moment, but her uncle simply fell into a stance, carefully going through a kata.
After a moment, she copied him, and together they went through a few basic forms. Haruhi had never had the self discipline to commit to a consistent routine, but for the year or two she'd bounced from martial arts dojo to martial arts dojo she'd always been able to beat any kid even close to her weight, and occasionally even some much bigger than she was. Mostly thanks to the training her dad and uncle gave her.
"I hear you've had a rough day," her uncle said. "Yakuza. Can you describe them?"
"Well, they were all either out cold, or running for the hills by the time I worked up the courage to go inside, so I'd say not really," Haruhi sighed. Then she grinned and looked up at her uncle maliciously. "But before I tell you more, you have to say the line."
"I don't think it's appropriate," her uncle said seriously. "This isn't a joking matter."
"Yeah, but it's hilarious when you say the line. Come on!"
"I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman," her uncle deadpanned.
"No, come on, say it right!" Haruhi giggled.
"Such foolishness distracts from the seriousness of this situation."
"Yeah, well, maybe I'd like a distraction. Please?"
Haruhi gave her uncle her very best puppy dog eyes, and she could see his resolve crumble. He raised his arms high above his head, then growled in a gravelly voice, "I am Vengeance! I am the Night! I! AM-"
"Super lame. Ugh, is this what the two of you are doing in here? Playing pretend?"
Haruhi turned and glared at Kiriko, she was not calling her Sasaki, as she slouched in the doorway, glaring at them.
"Haruhi simply needed something to cheer herself up. She's had a rough day."
"Really? Because it sounded to me like she got what she always wanted. An Adventure." Kiriko gave Haruhi a flat look. "How did that work out for you?"
Haruhi sucked in a breath and raised an accusatory finger at her cousin, but a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. "Next time, she will be perfectly prepared. Besides. Everything was OK, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Haruhi sighed.
"Hmph. Well, dinner is ready. I'd suggest you wash up." With that, Kiriko strode off.
Haruhi didn't have time to shower, but she did change out of her sweaty clothes and scrub her face before dashing down to the dinner table. She slid into her seat and reached for the food, then paused when she saw everyone had an empty plate. "What?"
"Let's...say Grace," her mother said gently.
Haruhi blinked, then shrugged and bowed her head. It wasn't like either of their families were religious, but whatever.
"We thank the gods for the safety of our daughters," her father said, "and ask for the blessings of Fortune upon her, that she stay safe."
"May our children know the wisdom of caution," Auntie T continued, "and grow strong and healthy under the light of providence."
"Amen," the adults finished.
Haruhi opened her eyes and glanced at Kiriko. Her cousin rolled her eyes, then made a face. Haruhi was nodding before she could stop herself, then glared at Kiriko. But her cousin was already scooping up rice and vegetables, so Haruhi focused on the food.
Dinner was a somewhat sober affair to Haruhi's surprise. Usually her mother and Kiriko's talked endlessly, and their fathers sniped at one another, or talked about business. Tonight everyone was quiet. So Haruhi snarfed down her food, then stood. "Thanks for the meal. I'll be in my room."
"Kiriko, you're finished, why don't you and your cousin go play," Auntie T suggested.
"Mom, we're not six anymore. We're hardly going to play dolls together," Kiriko said dryly.
"You can go play in the game room. Pick a game and play together, it would be good for you," Haruhi's father said firmly.
The two girls exchanged looks, then scowled at one another. "Fine," Haruhi agreed.
She and Kiriko went to the game room, where Kirkio hooked up and powered on the GameCube while Haruhi slumped onto one of the bean bags.
"We never did get our game," Kiriko said, sitting cross legged on the floor.
"I was a little distracted," Haruhi said, rolling her eyes, but picking up a controller anyway.
"Ah, right. I'm...sorry about your friend. Is she…?"
"Fine. Even got a boyfriend out of the ordeal," Haruhi grumbled.
Her cousin jerked at that, then looked at Haruhi incredulously. "Her? You're not serious. She had purple hair."
"The heck does her hair color have to do with her getting a boyfriend?" Haruhi demanded, still irked at the entire situation.
"I...you don't know at all, do you?" Kiriko sighed and turned back to the screen. "Good grief. She who wished for knowledge is ignorant, and she who wished for ignorance knows too much."
"You and your cryptic nonsense again. You really do want the world to be dumb and boring, don't you?" Haruhi muttered.
"I did," Kiriko agreed. "Now, I work towards that. A perfectly ordinary world. I know how that bothered you. Well. Will it make you happy to hear me tell you I was wrong?"
"You know, if you'd told me you were wrong about all our arguments when we were kids in elementary school together a week ago I'd have rubbed your face in it. Now, I almost wish you'd been right," Haruhi muttered. She absently picked random. She didn't really care what she got.
Kiriko on the other hand locked in Zelda. She'd instantly swap to Sheik of course. She always did. "Do you? Well, maybe you've grown some sense. Given up on childish fancy then?"
"Look, we argued about whether or not stuff like if Santa Claus was real. It didn't really matter," Haruhi said in exasperation as the match started. It seemed she'd randomed into Peach. How appropriate. Two princesses, squaring off. "I just wanted you to admit that there was a possibility that magic was real."
"And I foolishly insisted it wasn't. I should have let you and those who still believed enjoy themselves," Kirkio said, sounding bitter as they fought. "No wonder I never had any friends while you had everyone following you around like the Pied Piper."
"I would have been your friend if you'd just admitted that magic could have been real," Haruhi snapped. They were pretty evenly matched, both of them were good with the characters, and they both had plenty of practice. The stage was the boring, basic, Final Destination. A flat plane with no features. Kiriko had picked, of course.
Kiriko nodded, and Haruhi saw moisture in her eyes.
"Ok, look. I should have been your friend anyway. We are cousins," Haruhi related. "Sorry."
"Cousins. Yes. Another lie our parents have told us," Kiriko grumbled, then landed a hit that sent Haruhi flying.
Managing to right herself, Haruhi tried to get back in the fight, but Kirkio didn't relent, punishing her and threatening a KO. "What makes you think our parents lied to us?"
"A lot of things. But that's not important. I just...I hope you learn the truth, and enjoy it. I just...I wish I could take pleasure in imagining a world that isn't. Instead, I'm terrified of the one we have."
Kiriko scored a KO, and Haruhi growled in frustration.
"For once, we're on the same page," Haruhi said as she respawned. "I wish the world was normal. God. I wish I just had a date. The guy I was into asked another girl out."
"Sorry. No one ever asks me out anymore. I'm 'the weird one,'" Kiriko said, making a face and a strange gesture with her hand.
"Why? You're cute. Even beautiful. Any guy should want to ask you out," Haruhi said with a frown. "You...into girls?"
"No. But I did give my class a lecture on how all love is an illusion and that it's merely a result of chemical urges in our primitive brains," Kiriko admitted. Haruhi had her on the ropes now, though she was taking some damage in return.
"Wow. I'm sure that went over with a bunch of hormone addled teens super good." Haruhi and Sasaki played for a minute or two in silence, trading KOs until they were down to their last life apiece, both respawning at the same time after a mutual KO.
"I asked a girl out," Haruhi blurted.
Kirkio nearly dropped her controller. "Funny. Trying to get the advantage on me?"
Haruhi sighed and set hers down. Kirkio wailed on her avatar for a moment, then frowned and looked up. "You're serious?"
"Yeah. There was a guy I liked, but...well, I dunno. Maybe I should have asked him out. Gender roles are bullshit."
"Amen, sister," Kirkio said, and held up a fist. The two girls exchanged a bump, then both smiled.
"I miss us being friends," Haruhi admitted. "I just...we seemed too different."
"Yes. Diametrically opposed, if you will. And our parents kept us apart after...that one time."
"I, er, I'm sorry I tried to pull your hair out," Haruhi said, looking away.
"I'm sorry I blacked your eye and called you an imbecile," Koriki whispered. "Haruhi, do you...you still don't know?"
"What, that it's all real, and that it's scary as hell?" Haruhi demanded, sitting up. "Aliens, time travelers, espers, they're all real!"
"Yes," Koriki said quietly. "Yes, yes they are. And they're terrifying."
"They shot my friend! And kidnapped two others! They knew who I was, they could COME for me!" Haruhi whimpered, shivering. The air seemed to shift, and neither girl noticed their avatars suddenly begin to fight again despite them not picking up the controllers.
"This is why I want an ordinary world! I remember...things! Things that never happened, Haruhi! I don't know what they are, I can't see them clearly, but the world shouldn't HAVE magic, or ESP, or any of that! It should be normal, and safe!" Kiriko argued.
"Yeah. And in a fair world, I would have been the boy. I would have asked Kyon out. Or Mikuru," Haruhi whispered, laying back and looking up at the ceiling.
Tunelessly, Sasaki began to hum. Without meaning to, Haruhi joined in, adding harmony to the song.
Neither girl had been paying attention to their parents' conversation, so they didn't notice when it suddenly hushed.
"Born a boy. It would suit you. Both of us. Would I have friends, if I were a boy? I'm athletic enough. But then, I'd be just like my dad," Kiriko sang in bitter tones. "I want to be my own person."
In the hospital, Aqua screamed in pain and reached for Kazuma, who took her hand in confusion.
"A song," Aqua wept. "Someone is singing a song, but it's all wrong!"
"Our own person," Haruhi sang in agreement. "Where our friends and family are safe, where things are normal."
Somewhere, Fujiwara laughed madly. Not far away, Itsuki Koizumi screamed for teams to deploy, and desperately raced for a Celestial as the giant glowing beings appeared by the hundred, destroying the world in Closed Space.
"Yes. Normal."
The Data Overmind and the Sky Canopy Dominion desperately fled Sol, but they were too late. They were sucked in to the discordant music as the galaxy itself was consumed.
"A world without magic."
Pounding feet in the hall, yelling, but Haruhi and Kirkio didn't look up, didn't notice. On the screen, Sheik sent Peach flying, and claimed victory.
"We could remake it," Kiriko sang, reaching for Haruhi. "A world where we're normal."
A Celestial struck down Itsuki, and he fell, bloodied and broken from the sky as the song thundered in his ears.
Haruhi reached for Kiriko, taking her hand as the door slammed open, panicked faces beyond. Neither noticed as their song swelled, becoming louder than sound.
Mikuru Asahina awoke alone, crying out in fear as Time came to an end.
Yes.
Kyouko and her new recruits screamed and wept as their own Closed Space ate the light, leaving them alone and in darkness.
A world where everything is normal.
Yuki Nagato desperately tried to shield Kyon, only for her diminished powers to do less than nothing.
And thus was sung the song that ended the world.