[Haruhi Suzumiya] Standing on the Clifftop, Crying
Title: Standing on the Clifftop, Crying
Fandom: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Genre/Rating: Dark // 12
Characters/Pairings: Itsuki Koizumi, plus Yuki, Haruhi and Kyon.
Summary: As the final battle comes to a close, Koizumi finds himself on the edge of a cliff, clinging on for dear life.
Notes: Contains Spoilers for Book 9. Written for 31_days 03/08 - 'Gravity kills'. 'Haruhi Suzumiya' is the property of Nagaru Tanigawa.
1,113 words! Wow ^^ I'm actually quite proud of this fic.
Standing on the Clifftop, Crying
The first thing Koizumi did in Closed Space was jump off a building.
Not that he was suicidal or anything, it was just that wanted to know how it felt to be inches away from death. He did a lot of crazy things like that during his first trip into Closed Space, simply to test out his new powers and explore the area. It was completely impulsive, and he didn’t regret it - the adrenaline kick was mind-blowing, and the seconds of pure terror he felt towards the end was unforgettable.
He’d never do it again though.
He was reminded of the incident over four years later, hanging over a cliff edge in the dead of night, sobbing and shaking in fear. How undignified. There was a sheer sixty metre drop below him, and the only thing keeping him alive was the slim hand of Yuki Nagato, which held onto him with an iron grip. Her face, lit up in the moonlight, was full of concern. It was unlike her to be so emotional, and from that alone Koizumi knew there was something seriously wrong. Mikuru was battling Fujiwara, and Haruhi and Kyon were missing. Mikuru would be fine, both Nagato and Koizumi were confident of that, but Haruhi and Kyon…
Koizumi couldn’t help it. He knew he was panicking, He knew that panicking was the worst thing he could do right now. There were no ESP powers to save him; no colleagues to aid him; no Closed Space to confirm that he was in familiar territory - he was in the harsh, brutal world of reality, with two women fighting over the power of God and the fate of the entire universe. Really, his own life was nothing in comparison to what was at stake, and in theory, Haruhi could always bring him back to life. Why not? She had the powers of a God, after all. Sasaki was benevolent enough to resurrect him should she win, although he didn’t want to consider that option. Should he die, there was a back up plan of sorts.
Right? Then why was he crying? Why was Nagato holding on to him so tightly? Why did his stomach lurch in terror whenever he looked down? Why was he so terrified of dying when the probability of being brought back was so high?
Because it wasn’t a guarantee.
In fictional stories, right after dispatching the bad guys, the heroes would be allowed a moment of rest before rushing off to aid their friends in the final battle. He and Nagato had fought hard against Kuyou and Tachibana, trying their best to defeat them yet keep them alive, at the very least. Kuyou had been successfully deactivated, but Tachibana was dead. She fell off the cliff in the mist of battle, trying to pull Koizumi down with her. Perhaps some of his current trauma was linked to that event; maybe he was going into shock. He hadn’t seen her body fall, but he heard it snap. He saw the look of subtle horror on Nagato’s face when it happened. She was dead.
His arms felt like they were being ripped apart from the strain. His stomach hurt. His chest was painfully tight from the rapid breathing and all the crying. His eyes stung. Nagato was holding onto him so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh. One of his shoes was coming loose. He could feel the wind blow through his clothes and that made him shiver harder and harder. His head swam. He was going to faint. He was going to faint. He was going to faint and he was going to die.
Nagato had tried to pull him up three times. The third time she almost lost her grip, and stopped trying after that. When Kyon finally turned up with Haruhi twenty minutes later, Koizumi thought he was hallucinating. They were alive. They were alive! He felt two sets of hands clasp onto his. He felt his feet brush against the rock face, knocking off the loose shoe and sending it tumbling down the cliff. By the time it stopped falling (with a soft thunk and a roll), Koizumi was clutching onto the person nearest to him (broad shoulders; it had to be Kyon), sobbing onto their shoulder and shaking violently with relief. He felt Haruhi hug him (“Don’t you dare do that again!”) and Nagato had a hand on his shoulder. Even Kyon had one arm around him, although Koizumi couldn’t see his face, so it was hard to tell if the other boy looked horrified, relieved or even disgusted at being used as a tissue. It didn’t matter. They were safe now.
He tried to put on his familiar act and smile, but it was impossible. His emotions had overpowered him, just this once.
“It’s OK now, Koizumi-kun!” declared Haruhi confidently, although her voice wavered slightly. “You needn’t cry no more! Everyone’s alive! Even Mikuru-chan! I told you we’d all get out perfectly fine, didn’t I? And Kyon, you’re treating us all to dinner tomorrow in celebration of this victory!”
“You’re thinking about dinner at a time like this?” muttered Kyon in disbelief. Koizumi raised his head and wiped his eyes, and saw that the other boy was smiling faintly.
“Oh,” Koizumi leapt up, suddenly embarrassed. He wobbled a bit (his legs still wouldn’t stop shaking) and brushed down his shirt weakly. He attempted a smile. “Sorry about that. Where’s Asahina-san?”
“She’s coming,” said Haruhi, beaming, energy flowing back into her. “You should’ve seen her! That ugly sneering guy didn’t stand a chance!” Kyon nodded, a satisfied look on his face. “That’ll teach him never to mess with us again! No one messes with the SOS Brigade and gets away with it, right Kyon?”
“Yeah,” Kyon sighed. He looked extremely tired. Everyone did. Koizumi briefly thought about telling Haruhi what had happened to Tachibana, but decided against it. He didn’t want to upset her now, and he wasn’t in the mood to go into any Closed Spaces or fight avatars. In fact, he didn’t want to think about anything at all.
It was hard walking with only one shoe, but he managed. His heartbeat still thumped in his ears, and he was still shaking, but he managed to put one foot in front of the other. Kyon looked like he wanted to talk to him, but for once in his life, Koizumi didn’t want to say anything. He just wanted to go home, pull himself together, stitch his façade back in place and go to sleep. The next morning he would be smiling like he always does. Back to normal.
In theory anyway.
Fandom: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Genre/Rating: Dark // 12
Characters/Pairings: Itsuki Koizumi, plus Yuki, Haruhi and Kyon.
Summary: As the final battle comes to a close, Koizumi finds himself on the edge of a cliff, clinging on for dear life.
Notes: Contains Spoilers for Book 9. Written for 31_days 03/08 - 'Gravity kills'. 'Haruhi Suzumiya' is the property of Nagaru Tanigawa.
1,113 words! Wow ^^ I'm actually quite proud of this fic.
Standing on the Clifftop, Crying
The first thing Koizumi did in Closed Space was jump off a building.
Not that he was suicidal or anything, it was just that wanted to know how it felt to be inches away from death. He did a lot of crazy things like that during his first trip into Closed Space, simply to test out his new powers and explore the area. It was completely impulsive, and he didn’t regret it - the adrenaline kick was mind-blowing, and the seconds of pure terror he felt towards the end was unforgettable.
He’d never do it again though.
He was reminded of the incident over four years later, hanging over a cliff edge in the dead of night, sobbing and shaking in fear. How undignified. There was a sheer sixty metre drop below him, and the only thing keeping him alive was the slim hand of Yuki Nagato, which held onto him with an iron grip. Her face, lit up in the moonlight, was full of concern. It was unlike her to be so emotional, and from that alone Koizumi knew there was something seriously wrong. Mikuru was battling Fujiwara, and Haruhi and Kyon were missing. Mikuru would be fine, both Nagato and Koizumi were confident of that, but Haruhi and Kyon…
Koizumi couldn’t help it. He knew he was panicking, He knew that panicking was the worst thing he could do right now. There were no ESP powers to save him; no colleagues to aid him; no Closed Space to confirm that he was in familiar territory - he was in the harsh, brutal world of reality, with two women fighting over the power of God and the fate of the entire universe. Really, his own life was nothing in comparison to what was at stake, and in theory, Haruhi could always bring him back to life. Why not? She had the powers of a God, after all. Sasaki was benevolent enough to resurrect him should she win, although he didn’t want to consider that option. Should he die, there was a back up plan of sorts.
Right? Then why was he crying? Why was Nagato holding on to him so tightly? Why did his stomach lurch in terror whenever he looked down? Why was he so terrified of dying when the probability of being brought back was so high?
Because it wasn’t a guarantee.
In fictional stories, right after dispatching the bad guys, the heroes would be allowed a moment of rest before rushing off to aid their friends in the final battle. He and Nagato had fought hard against Kuyou and Tachibana, trying their best to defeat them yet keep them alive, at the very least. Kuyou had been successfully deactivated, but Tachibana was dead. She fell off the cliff in the mist of battle, trying to pull Koizumi down with her. Perhaps some of his current trauma was linked to that event; maybe he was going into shock. He hadn’t seen her body fall, but he heard it snap. He saw the look of subtle horror on Nagato’s face when it happened. She was dead.
His arms felt like they were being ripped apart from the strain. His stomach hurt. His chest was painfully tight from the rapid breathing and all the crying. His eyes stung. Nagato was holding onto him so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh. One of his shoes was coming loose. He could feel the wind blow through his clothes and that made him shiver harder and harder. His head swam. He was going to faint. He was going to faint. He was going to faint and he was going to die.
Nagato had tried to pull him up three times. The third time she almost lost her grip, and stopped trying after that. When Kyon finally turned up with Haruhi twenty minutes later, Koizumi thought he was hallucinating. They were alive. They were alive! He felt two sets of hands clasp onto his. He felt his feet brush against the rock face, knocking off the loose shoe and sending it tumbling down the cliff. By the time it stopped falling (with a soft thunk and a roll), Koizumi was clutching onto the person nearest to him (broad shoulders; it had to be Kyon), sobbing onto their shoulder and shaking violently with relief. He felt Haruhi hug him (“Don’t you dare do that again!”) and Nagato had a hand on his shoulder. Even Kyon had one arm around him, although Koizumi couldn’t see his face, so it was hard to tell if the other boy looked horrified, relieved or even disgusted at being used as a tissue. It didn’t matter. They were safe now.
He tried to put on his familiar act and smile, but it was impossible. His emotions had overpowered him, just this once.
“It’s OK now, Koizumi-kun!” declared Haruhi confidently, although her voice wavered slightly. “You needn’t cry no more! Everyone’s alive! Even Mikuru-chan! I told you we’d all get out perfectly fine, didn’t I? And Kyon, you’re treating us all to dinner tomorrow in celebration of this victory!”
“You’re thinking about dinner at a time like this?” muttered Kyon in disbelief. Koizumi raised his head and wiped his eyes, and saw that the other boy was smiling faintly.
“Oh,” Koizumi leapt up, suddenly embarrassed. He wobbled a bit (his legs still wouldn’t stop shaking) and brushed down his shirt weakly. He attempted a smile. “Sorry about that. Where’s Asahina-san?”
“She’s coming,” said Haruhi, beaming, energy flowing back into her. “You should’ve seen her! That ugly sneering guy didn’t stand a chance!” Kyon nodded, a satisfied look on his face. “That’ll teach him never to mess with us again! No one messes with the SOS Brigade and gets away with it, right Kyon?”
“Yeah,” Kyon sighed. He looked extremely tired. Everyone did. Koizumi briefly thought about telling Haruhi what had happened to Tachibana, but decided against it. He didn’t want to upset her now, and he wasn’t in the mood to go into any Closed Spaces or fight avatars. In fact, he didn’t want to think about anything at all.
It was hard walking with only one shoe, but he managed. His heartbeat still thumped in his ears, and he was still shaking, but he managed to put one foot in front of the other. Kyon looked like he wanted to talk to him, but for once in his life, Koizumi didn’t want to say anything. He just wanted to go home, pull himself together, stitch his façade back in place and go to sleep. The next morning he would be smiling like he always does. Back to normal.
In theory anyway.