Chapter Text
When Haruhi becomes aware, she stands before a monster. It looks like a man from the shoulders down, but above that… It reminds her of one of those creatures in the manga the twins read. Long, prehensile tentacles that sport sharp, metal-like blades, coming out of the neck.
Actually, she notes distantly, watching the downward arch of the glinting scythe, probably one in particular. Kaoru leant it to her last summer when her power was out and she had nothing else to do. Of course, then he kept loaning the next volume, and the next, even after the power was back.
Mostly, she’d read it because he always looked so happy to give them to her.
But that was all irrelevant right now, she reminds herself. Maybe it's Hani-sempai's influence (a whole year spent trying to escape his insistence that she learn self defense. "We won't be with you forever! You have to take care of yourself, Haru-chan!!") She doesn't know for sure, but she manages to dodge anyway. Barely.
She can feel the sensation of hot-cold along her cheek as she dives aside. The creature makes an annoyed sound and mutters something.
Haruhi doesn't pause to listen, blood roaring in her ears. There's adrenaline surging through her, and a roaring pressure in her skull. An awareness, maybe, coupled with one hell of a developing migraine.
She runs, throwing herself around a half crumpled wall, tripping over rubble. That's probably the only reason the next strike misses. It sweeps over her head with a flash of reflected light as she crashes to her knees.
What is happening? Is she dreaming? She shakes her head and rolls to her feet. No, her head hurts too much; this is real.
Not daring to look behind her, she keeps running. She can hear it, feel it each time she somehow manages to avoid an attack.
I don't want to die!
There's a door ahead of her, a shadow darkening it, and a memory sparks. The character, Kana, running from her death only to fail at the last moment. Impaled by a sharp blade through her heart.
She isn't Kana, it makes no sense, any of it, but she has a feeling. Right there amongst the pressure and awareness. Duck.
Without a moment's hesitation, she goes down. It plunges into the flesh of her arm instead, and the pain forces sound from her throat. For only a moment does it linger, and then there is a roar.
A figure dives over her, and Haruhi throws her uninjured arm over her head as metal clangs. She should escape, get to a hospital, but it's impossible. She's shaking too badly, breathing too hard. She can't get her feet-
"Kana!"
A hand grabs her good arm, and she looks up into wide, worried brown eyes. "You're hurt!"
"She'll be fine, Shinichi," a tiny voice announces from somewhere. Where? Shinichi? Kana? "It doesn't seem to be a fatal wound. However-"
His hand is talking. It's all a bit much. Haruhi reaches up to grab his other wrist with numb fingers. "I'm not… Kana," she says faintly, and then everything goes dark.