Chapter 28 - Final Words

Final Words
Naluri coughed, her throat making an unnatural hoarse echo. She very slowly opened her eyes, seeing blurry images of people around her, the black sky providing a contrasting backdrop.

"Naluri..." spoke Sasaki, her face the closest to Naluri's. She was crying with a sorrowful smile. "... How are you feeling?"

Naluri blinked slowly, her vision clearing, realising her head was laid on Sasaki's lap who was sitting on the ground of the car park. "I feel... very little," whispered Naluri, unable to speak any louder. She could not feel her lower body or her right arm, lacking the energy to lift her head to see the damage for herself. Naluri rolled her eyes, to see all her fellow comrades from the just finished battle. Haruki was stood in the circle, wiping his eyes. Alice and Cirno were there, eyes full of fear but hearts full of respect. Naluri's injury had to be bad. Alice's had two deep blue pupils, Ilse once again possessing her own eyes. Ilse, Sora and KC were repaired. Oddly, Marisa's eye was still glowing green. Among the ring surrounding her were the past Sasaki, still in her Liquid Barrier, and Naluri's past self, both staring at her in the eyes, now completely aware of her. The DeLorean had been stopped. The past was now safe from overwriting. Naluri turned back to Sasaki, "... How long do we have?"

"Four minutes. Five at best."

"... And me?"

Sasaki glanced at Naluri's lower body, "I honestly don't know..." She looked back to Naluri, "I'm sorry..." she sobbed, "For the pain I caused you."

"I apologise for not believing in you," smiled Naluri, "Are you not mad I disagreed with your plan?"

Sasaki shook her head, "I said I would stand by your decision. And I will. It will be for the best." She paused to sniff, "I- I have a confession to make... I had another motive. I-"

"I had just noticed," interrupted Naluri, still with a smile, "I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"No..." whimpered Sasaki, "Please, don't apologise to me... Don't waste your precious time on me..."

Naluri blinked slowly once more, obeying Sasaki's request, looking once more round the circle in an anti-clockwise direction, "Haruki. Yuki. Ilse. Solace. Alice. Cirno. Maria. Reimu. Reisen. Sakuya. Nitori. Santiago. White. Black. Sora. Len. Rin. Miku. Gumi. Lynette. Ælious. KC. KITT. Sasaki. Konata. Ritsu. Mio. Thank you all for laying my concerns to rest. Please pass on my thanks to the crew of the Normandy, Superman and Galactus too. And Doc Brown. And whoever else lent a hand. You've all made me a very... very happy person." She coughed hoarsely. As she opened her eyes again, she looked towards her past self between KITT and Sasaki. "Naluri..." She gradually rose her shaking left arm towards her. Her past self rushed forward, kneeling by her side and taking her hand. "Naluri... Your life is mine. But my life is not yours. I know what you're going to be doing over the next few days. Do not mourn me. While we may not be the same person any more, I ended my path so you can take yours for the both of us. Please, make best use of it." Naluri's past self was speechless, her mouth opening and closing, unable to think of a response. "And forgive Haruhi. She's... a good person. Understand?" Her past self hesitated before nodding twice. Naluri looked at Haruki, "I have something to say to you too." Her past self backed off, allowing Haruki to take her place.

Haruki was crying, "Why? Why did you do it?" He held up Naluri's arm higher, close to his shoulder. She could see that her arm was drenched red.

"Haruki... When do you plan... to go home?" Naluri asked, her voice quietening.

"I can't go home like this," argued Haruki, "I said I wouldn't go back until I helped save everyone... didn't I? I haven't saved you or Sasaki."

"You did, Haruki," responded Naluri with a caring expression, glancing over the past versions of herself and Sasaki, "You did. We made it out just fine."

"You know what I mean."

"Haruki, I do not want to risk the DeLorean... to rewrite history after our successful run."

"Isn't there some way to stop your disappearance? Like stasis fields?"

Sasaki shook her head, "The Convenience Theory stops even me from preventing the DeLorean's effects..."

"If you knew that then why did you have to stop the DeLorean the way you did?" wailed Haruki, looking at Naluri's lower body to remind himself of her fatal injury. "I could have used the Super Driver to make Solace invincible to stop the DeLorean for you..."

Naluri did not answer immediately, Sasaki glanced away and Konata fidgeted uncomfortably. Looking up into the sky, Naluri began to explain, "Haruki... You're a good person. By extension, Haruhi is a good person too. Haruhi suffered terribly on Doomsday. She was shunned, either due her potential threat to freedom or her inability to reach that potential in time. I hated her from the start. Ignoring your genders, your biggest difference is that Haruhi is internationally famous in this world. You are not. Even though I knew you were an alternate version of Haruhi, I considered you a different person. On Sasaki's request, I decided to try to see what Haruhi was really like beyond her goddess abilities." She turned back to Haruki, "You are exactly one year younger than what Haruhi is now. You are the same age Haruhi was on Doomsday. To you, today was your Doomsday. By the nature of your existence, you should have had the same attitude Haruhi had back then. You cared not for your own wellbeing, you cared not for total and supreme control even after being informed of your potential power, you followed me without question even though we've never met before. You, like most newcomers on Doomsday, were lost." Naluri began to cough violently. Sasaki placed a hand on Naluri's chest to stabilise her.

Haruki gulped, "I'll be honest... When I was told about my powers, I considered taking control of everyone to stop the conflict immediately." Reimu brushed a hand through her hair, this attitude in line with Haruhi's revelation back on the spacecraft. "I didn't say anything because Haruhi failed to do it on Doomsday and had the advantage over me in terms of power."

Naluri chuckled, "I'll be honest too... I was secretly hoping you'd be thinking that. Remember when we fell off that cliff back in Brazil next to Arkham? I was hoping to spark off your powers. Turns out it wasn't so easy..." She sighed. "Sadly, I am not an expert in human personality. There is only so much I can gather about you, especially given we've only known each other for an hour. I cannot truly know if you are really are a good person but that is something I would like to believe." Her breathing was becoming irregular and quick. "Something I realised a moment ago was that even though I didn't know you well, I still had hope that we would succeed, I was never truly afraid." Her chest began shaking, the damage taking its toll. Naluri's past self rushed in with an oxygen mask, placing it securely over her face. Naluri took a deep breath before continuing. "To confirm my believes, I have one final task and you have one final test. Pity that the results will be unknown to me." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She choked once more.

"Anything!" called Haruki, urgently, "I'll take it now. Just start it, please..."

Naluri smiled once more under the mask. Slowly, she moved her left hand to hold Haruki's right shoulder. "... Haruki... We... are not real..." she wept, unable to speak steadily, "We... are all a figment of your imagination... You don't really have godlike powers... You... are an ordinary school student with a big heart... This is all really just a dream..." Naluri closed her eyes. "Haruki..." she mumbled, her head tilting to one side, "It's... about time... you... woke up..." Naluri's lifeless arm fell from Haruki's shoulder onto the solid tarmac of the car park. There was a tense pause. Naluri's past self slowly removed the oxygen mask, head down, Black and White saluted, Sasaki wiping her face on her arm.

"Naluri..." sobbed Haruki as he began to change form, his clothes changing shape and colour as the Hand Canon's effect waned. He had changed into a girl. A very certain girl.

Haruhi, who was knelt down in Haruki's position, gasped with surprise before realising the sight in front of her, Naluri's limp body fading away into nothingness, the torso down already gone. Haruhi, breathing heavily under shock, looked at Sasaki, who was similarly disappearing. Sasaki placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder, transferring her knowledge. Naluri had completed her final task, Haruki had passed the final test, revealing Haruki's, and Haruhi's, true fear, the one emotion the Hand Canon could not stabilise. "Sasaki...?"

Sasaki smiled at Haruhi with sadness. Naluri's early departure granted Sasaki her final wish, to talk with Haruhi one last time. She wrapped an arm round Haruhi's neck, taking her in an embrace. "The past was never meant to be rewritten, Haruhi," whispered Sasaki, "The future's greatest asset is the past. Take care of the world for everyone. Live and learn, Haruhi... Live... and learn..." She smiled as she and Naluri faded away completely.

Nobody moved for ten minutes.

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