Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. No disrespect is intended by the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the characters or settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of paints. TVtropes(dot)org is part of the public domain, I think? I actually couldn't find a 'legal' section on the site!
Notes: Count the tropes! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!
"Chapter Seven: Practical Considerations for the Apocalypse"
"...if that happens, and there's nothing else to be done, the next question is going to be survival. There are things more important than food, water, or even reasonable shelter. There's no reason to try and survive alone, unless you're just a die-hard, and even then you're still probably clinging to hope. So make sure you're not alone, or else there's not much reason to keep on going."
"Clearing the Event Horizon: How Close is Too Close?" -- Tadamichi Kyousuke
"It happens," he said casually, seeming unconcerned. Glancing at their surroundings, he observed, "I don't see any Shinjin. Back in the school again?"
"I don't even understand how you can see this and not be alarmed," she said with a sigh, looking up at the sky with him. "So ... you said that this happened last time when I got too frustrated, and then I accidentally almost destroyed the world?"
"That's what I've been told," he agreed. "But we've got a little time, I think."
"I can't help but feel a bit simple-minded if all it took for you to snap me out of this last time was...." She trailed off and looked away. "That wasn't an invitation," she added in warning when he lowered his gaze to study her.
He raised an eyebrow at her and said nothing before he shrugged, leading the way into the school building. He moved to the same locked door he had smashed the window of last time, but she stopped him with a shake of her head. Didn't he understand? This was the world she was constructing ... not even meaning to ... and he'd gone and told her what she was, here. "I have the keys," she said, willing them to appear in her skirt pocket.
Naturally, they did, and he followed her, nonplussed. After a moment, she realized he was holding one hand out, very slightly toward her, though he didn't actually look at her directly. Fighting her own hesitation down, she took his hand in her own, and they walked together to the club room. "You can take my arm," he suggested, just like the last time they had been in this strange space. "It makes for a better mood."
She shook her head at that, then unlocked the door, wondering why she had bothered with keys ... she could just have willed the door open, after all. He flipped on the light after releasing her hand and went to the window, gazing outside. "Well?" she asked, breaking the silence and closing the door behind her. "I'm sure you've got something to say."
"I could say I'm sorry," he told her, shaking his head. "Would that be enough?"
"It's not your fault," she sighed. "I'm just ... really stressed out."
He shrugged, turning around and fiddling with the tea kettle for a minute. "My tea still sucks," he warned her. "It may not be deadly, but I can't promise anything."
"You have to change the leaves," she observed. Then she shook her head again. "Are you serious? Here we are on the verge of me destroying the world -- again! -- and all you can think to do is make tea?! Gods, if aliens arrived, what would you do, apologize for being out of crumpets and discuss the Hanshin Tigers?"
He snorted, carelessly dumping the old leaves into the trash and eyeballing a replacement fill of tea leaves from one of the metal cannisters that Mikuru had bought. "I'm not actually a fan of the Hanshin Tigers. Setting aside the aliens we've already met.... After dealing with some of the things I have ... last February, I guess it was? Anyway, a while back I told the universe, though in more words, that it could bring any trouble it wanted," he said resolutely, his attention focused on the kettle as it heated up. "As long as we had the brigade together, I'd be able to handle it. With you in front of me, the others at our sides, and Tsuruya behind us ... I could deal with the smirking bastard, the Sky Canopy Domain.... Whatever the world brings, as long as we're a brigade, what did any of that matter?"
"But you get to have fun," she protested. "And all I do is make trouble. That's not fair for either of us!"
"Now you're being too hard on yourself," he said, straightening up with a frown. "And that's not like you. Maybe I made a mistake telling you what I did."
"And you only did it because of Yuki," she muttered, turning away. A glowing figure appeared on the distant skyline, and she focused her will on it, desperately wishing it would go away. After a shuddering heartbeat, it did, vanishing into motes of light. Kyon seemed not to notice, though he was watching her.
"I would have done the same thing for Asahina-san or Koizumi," he returned levelly. "And if I thought I could help, Tsuruya-san and Kanae-chan as well, even though we've only just met her."
"What about me?" she asked quietly. "I understand that I'm the leader of the brigade, but does that mean that I'm just that?"
"That question," he said darkly, grimacing. "You have no idea how long I've struggled with it. I asked myself last May, 'what is Haruhi to me?' You ... probably remember the answer I came up with."
She felt her face color and nodded stiffly, turning away again. "And that's what's bothering me," she admitted. "I guess I can't keep it bottled up, or I'll blow up the world as we know it. But reality bends itself the way I want it to. It's not right that you do, too. How can I feel I'm achieving anything, if I'm cheating without even meaning to?"
He said nothing for a long minute, pouring the water into the teapot over the tea leaves and ruminating. "You're still being too hard on yourself," he decided, when pouring was complete. "If I could only pick one thing to blame myself for, it would be for revealing things to you that changed who you were so much. That, honestly, I do regret. I don't regret saving Nagato. I don't regret being honest with you. But causing you pain because of what you know.... That, I never wanted at all. Please believe that, if nothing else."
"I still don't know why you're so nice to me," she mumbled, staring at the floor.
"I am an endless fountain of support," he agreed heartily. "Telling you when I think your ideas are stupid, being unhelpful when you're starting to drag us into problems, sabotaging baseball tournaments you haphazardly coerce us to join even when I risk destroying the world by intentionally antagonizing you.... That's me, alright! An all around great guy." He shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not sure what's gotten into you, Haruhi, but I'm not as perfect as you act right now, and you're nowhere near the villain you make yourself out to be at the moment."
She stood up straighter and looked at him closely. Seemingly unconcerned, he filled two cups with tea and handed one to her. "You are unreasonably reasonable," she accused, unable to keep a tiny smile from forming on her lips.
He inclined his head to her very slightly in acknowledgment as he took his seat.
"Alright, mighty philosopher Kyon," she decided, "riddle me this: what do I do now? I'm stressed out because of all this power I have that's too dangerous to play with, and the idea that I'm forcing people around me against their will -- if I'm not outright breaking it. If there were a flaw that you could point out that I needed to fix, what would it be?"
"You should seek happiness," he said without hesitation, sipping at the tea and making a face. "Ugh. And don't drink that tea, I think it turned out pretty nasty."
"I'm trying to be serious here!" she yelled. "This is the end of the world as we know it!"
"And I feel fine," he said back in a sing-song tone, smirking. "Come on, Haruhi. I mean it; you should seek what makes you happy. As far as your flaws, well, I could whine all day, but to be honest, the one big thing you do is have no real respect for other people's feelings. No empathy." He raised a hand to forestall her protest and added, "Even so, you've come a very long way since we first met on that count, so who am I to judge?"
"Oh," she replied, deflating.
"What, you wanted the boxed shoujou-romance answer of, 'Never change, you're perfect the way you are'?" he asked, dropping his hand to the table. "Well, we're real people in the real world, not characters in a television drama or manga. I know you'd be happier with me if I had more energy and got better grades. None of us are perfect."
"You sure aren't," she retorted, smiling again as she took her seat at the desk and sipped her tea. "Ugh! You're right, next flaw, your tea is terrible."
"I warned you," he said gravely, shrugging and sipping his tea anyway. "Truth in advertising, right?"
"Yeah, well," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't like ... not knowing where we stand with one another. I guess that's selfish.... Damn it, I want...." She struggled for words, unable to meet his eyes.
"You want to be in charge?" he asked, leaning his face on one hand. "You are the brigade leader, you know."
"Yeah, but...." Shifting her shoulders, she said, "I'm not happy being a tsundere character. Just like you said, we're real people ... right?"
He nodded, frowning slightly. "I did say that, but I don't know what 'tsundere' means."
"Stereotypical anime relationship?" she asked. "Girl likes boy, boy likes girl? Girl hits boy, boy mouths off to girl? You could change the order of operation, but it all works out the same."
"Oh ... well, that's not a real relationship," he agreed. "Just a mechanic to let the viewers know that a relationship exists while artificially keeping it from developing, since it's a minor point at best in the role of the show. Should have known you'd know the proper term for it."
"Don't give me that!" she snapped playfully. "I bet you can name a dozen more characters that fit the stereotype than I could!"
"Probably true," he acquiesced. "But I think we're both avoiding the main issue here. That's not us; you don't intentionally cause me trouble, and you listen when I complain. Sometimes, anyway."
"W...well.... I'm not satisfied with your suggestion to make myself happy," she said, her smile fading. "I mean, I know I could. Just," she snapped the fingers of her right hand, "make ... things perfect. Clouds of sakura petals on demand, constant appropriate music somehow always surrounding us, no misunderstandings ever...."
"You'd get so bored of that," he said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Actually, probably so would I."
"Or, I could," she snapped her fingers again, "make myself happy with whatever happened, so that I was just satisfied all the time no matter what happened."
"I don't buy that," he disagreed, sipping his tea again. "It'd be just as true of your last suggestion, but the person who looked like you would not be Haruhi if you did that."
"Wouldn't it be better for the world, though?"
"Honestly? I can't say that for certain," he said, shrugging. "Look, I was given ... advice before I came here. And I don't mean to make you feel like this is less important than it actually is, but ... I haven't become the future self that travels back in time to last Sunday, yet. As strange as it all may sound, I'm confident that we get through this alright. Even without that knowledge, I'd still believe it to be true, though."
"I ... want to be the person who can make you happy," she mumbled, her face coloring. "I want to be able to draw you into the mysteries around us, and explore all of the fun things that happen ... but together."
He nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "That sounds fine to me. There's no conspiracy trying to keep things hidden from you, anymore."
"What I really wanted," she said softly, "was to some day be the ... girl that ... you would confess to."
Looking away with a grimace, he sighed. "I get that," he said quietly. "And don't think it hadn't crossed my mind. But ... and don't take this the wrong way, but what could myself, who has never had an actual girlfriend, offer to someone with your confidence? Your dating history?"
"I'll have you know that our first kiss in May was my first kiss," she protested hotly, her face turning red. She felt Shinjin forming, smashing apart distant buildings, and struggled to disperse them. "I wanted to meet people, I am not that kind of girl! Hell -- you didn't even ask me for permission!"
He winced, ducking his head. "Sorry; I didn't think you were! I just meant ... you know about relationships and how they're supposed to work. You show almost unlimited confidence. What am I able to or supposed to bring to the table? It's not that I wouldn't like to try, but.... What do I do when I fail you? When it's not enough? I want to try my best, but I am just a normal person with extraordinary friends. Being dragged along behind you while weakly protesting is one thing ... but being rejected because you're bored with me...." He trailed off and looked away, his face displaying a raw vulnerability she didn't think she had seen on it before. His eyes were shining, as though....
He wasn't so great an actor that he could be faking it; he might maintain an impassive facade at times, but assuming some other emotion? She spent a long time mulling over what he said, studying that expression before she forced herself to act. "Okay," she acquiesced, nodding. "I guess ... I can see your point of view. So," she said, her voice shaking a little bit, "I need to forget about my power."
He blinked at her, taken aback.
"Or, not entirely forget, but ... um ... rewrite how I remember it a bit. I want to have a power, but I want something I can have fun with that doesn't mean destroying the universe on an accidental whim." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Here it goes," she decided. "I trust you, Kyon ... if I can't trust you, I can't trust anyone. So ... I'm going to have a minor power to affect things ... objects, anything more I'll need Yuki-chan's help with, until I can learn to be responsible with that power."
"Haruhi," he said, with the sound of his chair scraping across the floor as though he were standing up, "you don't need to do this--"
"Shut up," she ordered tersely. "My power's going to be more limited so I can play with it without hurting or scaring people. I'm going to make myself ... a tiny bit more open-minded ... with regards to you. Don't say a word! You will thank me for this later! And then, um, I'm going to believe that if we all work together, like you believe, we can make the world a better place."
She nodded decisively, then opened her eyes. "B...because I trust you, I'm going to try not to remember this when I wake up," she added. "And ... you can tell me you're John Smith again if you need me to know everything, for some reason." He was standing close to her, one hand on her desk as he peered at her intently.
"You're sure about this?" he asked anxiously. "You're ... still going to be the same Haruhi I know?"
"More than I have been lately," she agreed, nodding. "I hope, anyway. Why else would I be giving you an emergency reset codeword? I may not have a mind like Yuki's, but I can still think ahead!"
She rose from her seat smoothly, still gazing up into his face. "So ... just in case I get this wrong, I want you to do what we did last time, so I'll have a good note to go out on."
He stared at her for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. "I'm going to do my best, Haruhi," he promised her, his hands rising to her shoulders, then sliding up to gently cup her cheeks. She let her eyes drift shut as her head tilted back and her lips pursed, the last thought through her mind as everything turned into light that he would probably notice the small change she had made in him, as well.... But he probably wouldn't mind too much.
Kyon leaped out of bed with a handspring, landing in a crouch before the opening door and lunging instantly into the forbidden little-sister-submission-tickle-strike, completely foiling her attempt to sneak in and wake him up first. Only after he had reduced her to a shrieking, laughing pile, and his mother was tiredly staring up at the pair of them from the bottom of the stairs did he relent.
"T...tickle-ninja!" his sister protested, her face red from laughter. "No fair!"
"When you wake up with as much energy as I do," he told her sternly, "no surprise attack is going to be effective enough."
He grabbed his sister's wrists and hauled her upward, leaving her to dangle a few centimeters over the floor before gently lowering her to stand and releasing her. She stuck her tongue out at him, giggling, then ran down the stairs to their mother.
"Mom!" she yelled. "Kyon-kun had his brain eaten by a pod-person! The alien that's replaced him wakes up in the morning without needing help!"
"That's very nice, dear," he heard his mother say as she bustled back into the kitchen. "Maybe he'll get good grades, too. Now wash up before breakfast."
"Hmm," he mused, his smile fading as his dream and the vague, uncertain memory of Yuki's 'training' session replayed themselves in his mind. The training was a headache, and he had thought oddly draining.... Maybe Yuki just hadn't perfected it, the first time? Even so, it was hard to grin when he considered what Haruhi might have done to herself that night.
Even if his future self would evidently find nothing worth mentioning to him via the letter he had passed to Haruhi, or a hidden message elsewhere. After washing, gobbling down everything his mother put in front of him and still feeling hungry, he told his mother and sister, "There's a math test tomorrow; I'm headed in early to study."
"Pod-person!" his sister yelled, as he left the house.
She woke up, staring at the ceiling of her room and blinking. She'd had a dream.... She knew it was important, but the details kept slipping just out of her reach. She got out of bed and went about her morning routine, concentrating on the hazy recollections. Kyon was there ... and it was at school.
Something had been different about it, she was certain, but all she could remember was the kiss. And she'd had that dream before. Before Kyon's revelation to her that she had a power. Remembering that she could do such things, and ensuring no parents were around to witness it, she closed one eye and pointed at a toothbrush, pleased as it wobbled unsteadily out of the holder and drifted to her hand.
Good, she thought. That hadn't been a dream ... even if kissing Kyon had been. She felt her face warm up as she remembered the conversation she had with Yuki and Mikuru the day before. Even Kanae had some input, despite her relative newness to the group.
"I said I'd help him with his homework," she realized aloud, hurrying her pace and rushing to the kitchen. No parents around, still, which was good for today. That meant she could cheat. He always gave her a long-suffering sigh and mumbled about responsibility when she did, but what he didn't know, he couldn't whine about.
So, under her dutiful eye, she watched utensils and ingredients dance across the kitchen, laboring as intently as a quartet of herself ... or a single eight-armed girl, she supposed, but that thought caused her control to wander. Focusing more intently, she watched as preparations finished, then spent an annoying ten minutes combing through every cupboard and pantry door in the house until she found her old bento and the spare. "He'd better appreciate this," she mumbled, wrapping them both after packing them unreasonably full.
That done, she tucked the packages into her bag and settled on stuffing the remaining portion of rice and assorted bento ingredients into a single plastic container. Inelegant, but she could eat while drilling him on his homework. She hurried out the door and to school.
Stopping just before the gates, she realized she hadn't thought so specify where he was to meet her, so flipped her phone open and called him. "Kyon!" she barked, the second he picked up. "Why aren't you here yet?"
He said nothing in response, merely stepping from behind the gatepost he had been leaning against with a raised eyebrow. "Well-played," she allowed, flipping her phone closed. "For once, you dodge a penalty!"
"You're in a good mood," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he closed and pocketed his own phone. "Have a good dream last night?"
She fought to keep her face from coloring, and quickly jogged past him so he couldn't see her expression. "Wouldn't you like to know," she said with a chuckle. "Come on, let's study in the club room."
"Pathetic," Haruhi told him between bites of her delayed breakfast, observing Kyon's progress through his homework.
"Thanks for the morale boost," he grumbled, struggling with another answer. "Okay," he declared, finishing one of the many problems he had remaining. "I'm not going to make it. I'll focus on the classes that happen before lunch, and finish the rest later. Math's an afternoon class, so...."
She nodded dubiously, then turned around and put something in the club room's mini-fridge. He flipped through the history notes she had written, paying special attention to where she had underlined specific dates or names. History was defeated quickly, thanks to the accuracy of Haruhi's notes, and the sketchy grammar notes she had left were more than enough to bolster his own knowledge in that regard. It may not have been much, but at least he had one good subject....
"You hungry?" she asked.
He nodded, glancing briefly at her before turning back to his homework. "A bit," he admitted. "Just don't feel like I'm getting enough these days. Constantly ravenous.... And I slept through dinner last night." He sighed, breaking from his homework to stretch his arms overhead. "I really need to stop doing that."
"Nighttime heroics?" she teased him, smirking. "Alright. If you finish your homework for the periods before lunch, I'll let you have my leftovers during break. It's a good deal, you know! But the brigade chief can't just hand out rewards with no rhyme or reason, so, be sure to earn it!"
"Sure thing," he agreed, finishing up the last few lines he needed before he was done. "Lucky there's no essay," he added, clenching and unclenching his right hand to relieve the writer's cramp he'd started to develop. After a glance at the clock, he started packing his homework and the notes Haruhi had made for him into his schoolbag. "But, seriously Haruhi ... thanks for helping me out with my homework."
Her face colored very slightly, but she puffed out her chest and lifted her nose to sniff imperiously. "I told you once, and I'll say it again," she insisted, "no vice commander of mine is going to settle for bad grades when they can obviously earn better!" She relaxed her stance a bit, stealing her own glance at the clock but not moving to collect her bag. "But...." After a brief hesitation, she blurted out, "I'd help you even if you weren't the vice commander," without meeting his eyes. "I'd do it for any member of the brigade ... you're just the only one that doesn't do well."
He winced, realizing that it was true.... Koizumi was smart enough that he was placed by his own merit, not Organization manipulation. Yuki's average was only short of being perfect by the four percent of answers she simply didn't bother completing. Mikuru struggled for her grades, but diligently did her homework despite brigade duties. Haruhi, naturally, was Haruhi. So he had no real excuse for poor grades except for being unintelligent. His head sank, considering that. He couldn't even think to try and seek solace in Kanae's grades, whatever they were. It just didn't seem right to judge himself against an underclassman.
"Yeah," he allowed after a moment. "It's a bit sad being the dumb one."
"You're not dumb," Haruhi retorted with an instant roll of her eyes, snickering. "You quote string theory and ancient philosophy offhand. I've seen your grades for grammar -- and English. Obviously, your issue is motivation. You don't really need my help with your homework ... it just seems that if I don't help you, you don't do it."
She had him there, he realized, grimacing. "Touche," he allowed, smirking. He decided to take a stab at something, unsure what Haruhi had let herself remember of the 'dream' the night before. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she said quickly, nodding at him. "But, we should head to class."
He rose from his seat and hefted his bag, while she shoved her own collection of papers into her bag. "Haruhi, if I can ask you to be honest about this ... when you say you would do it for anyone in the brigade ... don't you really mean any of your friends?"
She made a choking noise, dropping the container on the floor. It remained sealed, and she hid her expression from him while she stooped to collect it. "W...well, if you're going to be so blunt about it," she managed, her face dark with a blush. She stomped one foot on the floor and waved the container menacingly. "Why are you asking me this now?!"
"It was something Kanae-chan mentioned the other day," he said with a shrug, opening the clubroom door. "She said she was occasionally 'lucky enough to have friends'. I just sometimes worry that you forget that your fellow brigade members are friends, too, not only subordinates in the club."
"Man," Haruhi grumbled, closing the door then hurrying to Kyon's side, "you make it sound like I can't stand having equals!" She playfully punched him in the shoulder, though he was surprised that it didn't sting in the slightest, even though he felt it. "What, do you think that just because you're getting your homework done, now, I've turned stupid on you? Or weak? You know, if you had the chutzpa for it, you could have formed the SOS Brigade and I would have followed...."
He glanced at her sidelong as they stepped into the stairwell. "Really?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "I find it hard to imagine...."
"That's because you're laaaazy," she said, drawing out the sound and sticking her tongue out at him. "If you had actually made the club instead of just giving me the idea.... But that's also why you're not an idiot, even if you do dumb things sometimes."
"Sing on sweet angel;" Kyon retorted with a roll of his eyes, "mine ears ache for thy faint praise; damning though it be."
She snickered at him, narrowing her eyes as though she knew something he didn't. "Oh, and now the refuge in sarcasm," she chided him. "Sometimes, you are sooooo predictable. Hey, when did you pick up poetic verses, anyway? The haiku is kind of new."
"Felt a little left behind when you and Tsuruya were passing back and forth those poems you memorized a while back," he admitted. "I read up on the style, but didn't feel like destroying precious brain cells to memorize anything."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Haruhi protested, stomping one foot on the floor as he slid open the door to the classroom. "You're lazy."
She fell silent at the sight of the classroom, all other students already seated, glancing over their shoulders at the pair. Everyone quickly looked away, though at a glance, Okabe-sensei hadn't arrived yet either. Shrugging, Kyon closed the door after Haruhi stepped through and went to his desk.
"Anyway," Haruhi continued in a semi-hushed tone, eying the other students in the room, "what's going on, here?"
"No idea," he tossed back just as quietly. His eyes scanned across Kunikida and Taniguchi, but both of them kept their eyes oriented directly forward. "Seems a bit odd, though."
"Eh," Haruhi mused, tapping a fingertip on her desk thoughtfully. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing ... probably."
Kyon nodded, getting out his homework for the next period as well as the detested, unfinished math. If there was no teacher around....
After the first period chime rang, Haruhi leaned back in her seat, sticking her feet out straight off the floor to stretch her calf muscles, and extended her arms over her head, balancing precariously. She felt something in her lower back pop into place and smiled slightly, turning her head to Kyon as she leaned forward, her toes touching the floor once more. Before she could speak, she saw Sakanaka rise from her seat two desks to the right and pad cautiously toward the door, beckoning Haruhi to follow.
After only a moment of consideration toward Kyon, who seemed to be behaving by working on his math homework, she tapped his shoulder and handed him the container of leftovers. "Keep up the good work, subordinate," she encouraged him, climbing to her feet and striding into the hallway to see what Sakanaka wanted.
"Hey," she said to the other girl, once they were in the hallway and out of earshot from the other students. "What's up, Sakanaka-san? Is JJ still okay?" She made a mental note to try and visit Sakanaka sometime relatively soon ... since Yuki had fixed the problem of 'haunted' dogs, Haruhi hadn't had a chance to play with the terrier.
"He's fine," Sakanaka replied, smiling weakly. "Um, Suzumiya-san, I don't mean to alarm you ... but ... um.... W...well, I feel I owe you honesty after everything you did for Rousseau. I'm sorry to be the one who bears this news to you, but...."
"Well?" Haruhi asked, restraining the urge to tap one foot through sheer will alone. What news could Sakanaka have that would be important or critical? Given the powers of the SOS Brigade, what could even really be a concern? Though, she made herself realize, there was no way anyone outside of the SOS Brigade could know that.
Unable to meet her eyes, Sakanaka blurted out, "Suzumiya-san, there's a rumor going around that Kyon-kun is two-timing you with Tsuruya-sempai!"
Haruhi blinked, staring at her classmate, and tried to suppress the smirk she felt forming. "Really?" she asked. "That's ... pretty funny. So, where did this rumor start from?"
"Er ... that is...." Sakanaka visibly deflated, staring at the floor. "Tsuruya-sempai said it herself. R...really, I wouldn't believe a rumor spread about you offhand. But, others may, and.... Well, I feel you should know the truth!"
"She...." Haruhi blinked and waved a hand dismissively. "What exactly did Tsuruya-san say?"
"I ... don't really trade in rumors, so I only overheard it from Yanagimoto-kun," Sakanaka allowed. "But she insists that she verified it with Tsuruya-sempai herself."
"Yanagimoto," Haruhi murmured, concentrating. "Oh, yeah, I remember her from when I joined the rhythmic gymnastics club. She sits in front of Goto-kun, right?"
"Right," Sakanaka agreed. "I don't ... want to cause trouble. I just thought you should know."
"Well, it's a misunderstanding," Haruhi said with a shrug. "Last I heard, Kyon trashed some goons who were giving Tsuruya-san some trouble." Though, he was time traveling at the time, and technically, hadn't done it yet. "On Sunday, right?"
"Um, maybe that's it," Sakanaka agreed with a weak shrug, trying to smile. "There is ... another thing about Kyon-kun...."
Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "What else is it? And who's spreading all these rumors?" she asked.
"Aside from him ... um ... spending time with Tsuruya-sempai yesterday, he got into a fight with Ryuguu-san from class 3-4," Sakanaka added in a very hushed tone. "No one is certain why, but, um, Ryuguu-san hasn't come back to school yet today. This fighting ... Kyon-kun's gathering a bit of a reputation as a delinquent."
"Seems kind of sudden for him," Haruhi mused. "But, hey, as long as he doesn't get in trouble with the school, what does it matter?"
Sakanaka blinked, her eyes wide. "Y...you don't care that he could be a violent person?" she asked, astounded. "That he spends time with other girls?"
Haruhi shrugged, shaking her head. "Nah, I'll give him a stern talking to, let him know he should watch his reputation," she said in answer. "Him spending time with other girls would bother me ... but Tsuruya-san's an honorary member of the SOS Brigade. How can I get mad at him for taking care of brigade business with her?"
"I'm glad," Sakanaka decided, giving Haruhi a bright smile. "I worried for nothing, then; sorry to trouble you, Suzumiya-san!"
"No trouble at all," Haruhi returned, nodding at the other girl. "Thanks for the update anyway. It's good to know where the brigade stands in the scheme of things...." She glanced down the hallway, where their next teacher was approaching. "Well, maybe we can chat later; I want to give Kyon a few choice words before class."
She hurried back in and took her seat, unsurprised to see Kunikida and Taniguchi shoulder-to-shoulder at the side of Kyon's desk. Watching quietly, she caught the tail end of whatever conversation they were having, Taniguchi shooting her a nervous look before saying, "Anyway, Kyon ... I'm just saying you should watch yourself."
Kunikida gave a matching solemn nod with his taller, more perverted counterpart, then both boys moved back to their own desks. Kyon shook his head, watching them leave, then hurriedly shoveled the last few bites of leftovers into his mouth as the teacher strode into the classroom. While the teacher was setting up his notes, and the other students' final murmurs began to die down, she whispered, "Kyon!"
"Yeah?" he asked, not quite turning around.
"Take note! You're going to go back to yesterday and help Tsuruya out with something after school."
"I gathered," he sighed, taking a fresh sheet of paper and writing notes to himself.
Haruhi nodded thoughtfully, though he wouldn't be able to see the motion. It was a real pity she couldn't time travel herself, but at least she could be a significant contributor to Kyon's efforts in that regard.
After the lunch chime rang, Haruhi ordered Kyon to report to the clubroom, then immediately took off in search of Tsuruya. She skidded to a halt in the corridor before the girl's class, watching her walk out of her room with Mikuru just behind her. "Oh! Haru-nyan!" Tsuruya said cheerfully, waving the hand that wasn't carrying her lunch. "Good to see you!"
Haruhi smiled back, unable to keep her cheer down. "Good to see you too, Tsuruya-san," she agreed. "Oh, a bento? You and Mikuru-chan should come have lunch with us in the brigade room!"
"Yeah!" Tsuruya agreed, nodding vigorously. "I wanted to thank Kyon-kun for his help yesterday!"
Haruhi grinned, turning her attention to Mikuru, who seemed less tired than the previous day. "Feeling better rested, Mikuru-chan?"
"Yes," the time traveler agreed hesitantly, looking around at the surrounding students. Haruhi was annoyed to realize that the other students had gathered around, defining a circle around the trio, almost as though they expected Haruhi and Tsuruya to fight. "Um ... what's everyone looking at us for?"
"Jealous over our good looks," Haruhi replied without hesitation, ratcheting her grin wider. "Anyway, off to the clubroom!"
The sensation of excitement thwarted from the other students was practically palpable. "Idiots," Haruhi grumped, once they were underway to the clubroom, out of earshot.
"Eh? Goons giving you a hard time too?" Tsuruya asked sympathetically.
"Huh? Oh, just ... there's some rumors going around," Haruhi said with a grimace. "Stupid stuff. Evidently some people are saying that Kyon is two-timing me with you."
"Haha! That's not right!" Tsuruya said with a chuckle. "I'm borrowing him for my investigation! Oh, he said you were okay with it, but I never got to ask you.... You don't mind, I hope?"
"Doesn't bother me," Haruhi replied.
"T...two-timing!?" Mikuru yelped belatedly, realization settling in. "N...no! Suzumiya-san, Kyon-kun would never--"
"Actually, Mikuru-chan," Haruhi overrode the time traveler, "we'd need to be dating for him to cheat on me. So if he would or wouldn't doesn't even matter -- technically, he can't."
"W...well..." Mikuru tried to begin. "Um, even so...."
"I think I agree with what Mikuru-chan is trying to say," Tsuruya said, shrugging helplessly, still grinning. "Kyon-kun wouldn't do that to you, Haru-nyan."
"That's entirely not the point," Haruhi countered, though she couldn't help the little glow she felt inside at the reassurances. "Moving away from those rumors, I'm more interested in the ones about Kyon behaving like a delinquent."
"Eh!?" Mikuru protested, her eyes wide. "Kyon-kun?"
"Delinquent?" Tsuruya followed, actually clapping one hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter. "Him!?"
"I know, right?" Haruhi said, smirking as they topped the stairs to the clubhouse and she reached for the doorknob. She wrenched it open as she usually did, catching part of a conversation between Koizumi and Kyon, both seated at the table. Yuki was seated in the corner, flipping through yet another book silently.
"...greater self-contro-- Ah, sorry," Koizumi said, breaking off with a grin, turning to look at her. "Hello, everyone! Are we going to be meeting for lunch regularly, now?"
"Not a bad idea," she agreed, closing the door once everyone else was in. "Hmm, where's Kanae-chan? Ah! Kyon, once you finish eating, go find her, will you?"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied with his standard lack of enthusiasm, bolting his last few bites away. "You happen to know her classroom?"
"Um, 1-7," Mikuru offered helpfully, taking a seat at the table.
Kyon rose and nodded, while Tsuruya slipped into the seat he had only just vacated. "Thankie again for yesterday, Kyon-kun!" the cheerful girl called out.
"No problem," he replied, heading toward the door. He paused with one hand on the knob and added, "Though, if you want to update Haruhi on the situation, that'd save me some work."
"You got it!" Tsuruya said brightly, grinning. Once Kyon was out the door, she turned to face Haruhi and asked, "Did he tell you what he did on Sunday?"
"You mentioned it," Haruhi said, pulling a bento from the refrigerator and pushing her chair around the desk to sit at the table with the others. "But I was helping Kyon with his homework, so we didn't have a lot of time to discuss it. Why?"
"Well," Tsuruya said, her eyes narrowing as she peered around. "There's a dark conspiracy underway," she said in a very quiet voice. "Some peoples are doing unsavory things in the background! Naturally, I tried to investigate them so that I could takes care of them! But unsavory things are done by unsavory peoples, so ... on Sunday I found out the peoples responsible, but they were a bit rougher than the kind you can talk things out with! They outnumbered me and Kasai, and I thought I was in big trouble for sure when they knocked him down!"
"Kasai?" Haruhi asked.
"Yeah! My bodyguard," Tsuruya said, nodding quickly. "Anyway, Kyon-kun saved the day, so Kasai is goings to make it, though I was worried for a bit! That would be very bad, to have him be permanently injured for a little investigations on my part ... it'd make me look bad, too!" She mimed a jabbing motion with one fist, grinning. "I gots some training, but Kyon-kun was like a can of carbonated Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan that got all shook up! Bam! Pow! No joke, Haru-nyan, there were twelve of those bad guys still standing when Kyon came in, and there were none when he was done!"
Haruhi raised one eyebrow. How much had Kyon actually learned from Yuki? At a glance, the girl in the corner only turned the pages in her book, nearly silently, not even looking up.
"K...Kyon-kun ... fought people?" Mikuru asked, her face turning pale. "W...was he in danger? Wait! Tsuruya-san -- were you in danger!?"
"I'm fine, Mikuru-chan! Kyon-kun was there!" Tsuruya said brightly, sticking her tongue out before unwrapping her bento. "Anyway, after helping me get Kasai to the hospital, Kyon-kun found out about my investigations and said that he wouldn't take no for an answer -- he had to help me out with it, especially since Kasai was injured, and I wouldn't haves a bodyguard for the next few weeks while he was recovering."
"W...weeks?" Mikuru managed, wobbling unsteadily in her seat.
"I gather that these weren't just random thugs," Koizumi murmured, one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Tsuruya-san, I don't mean to be rude, but were they Yakuza?"
"Ooh! Naturally," she agreed, nodding brightly. "Yous are a sharp one, huh?"
"H...hehe..." Mikuru wheezed, slumping in her chair in a faint.
"That girl has got to get some spine," Haruhi muttered. "What about yesterday, though?"
"Oh, that," Tsuruya said with a chuckle. "Well, my investigation's still top-secret, so I can't say anythings about it to anyone but Kyon-kun until it's resolved."
"You really think I would be satisfied with that?" Haruhi asked flatly. "I could easily revoke your Kyon-borrowing privileges, you know!"
Yuki blinked and raised her eyes from her book, though her expression remained unchanged.
"Not you, Yuki-chan," she added, glancing at the shorter girl.
Nodding very slightly, Yuki turned her attention back to the pages before her. Haruhi glanced at the title, 'The Mirror of Her Dreams'.
Tsuruya's usual smiling expression had faded to a look of worry. "Um, please, Haru-nyan, it's very importants, you know.... I made Kyon-kun promise that no matter what, he wouldn't reveal what he knew to anyones -- even you -- until the investigations was complete! But don't blame him; I made him promise! I...if you insists that he can't help me anymore, then ... I guess that's SOS Brigade rules, so I can't do much about it."
Haruhi grimaced, realizing that very likely, with time travel involved, Kyon made the promise because he had traveled back from some time after Haruhi already knew what the investigation results were. "Alright," she agreed decisively. "Next time I'd prefer you were more straightforward and brought requests like this to me directly! So I'll allow it this time, but I will need accurately recorded receipts accounting for all times and locations that you're utilizing Kyon in."
"Ah, that's no problem," Tsuruya said brightly. "I can even tells you where we were yesterday! I just ... can't says why yet."
"So, where, then?" Haruhi pressed.
"Yesterday, I met Kyon-kun on the way to your club," Tsuruya explained, her smile returning full force. "I guess he was just leaving; he said he was dismissed for the day and could help me out! Hmm, he didn't mention anything ... is there a rental fee or a deposit for Kyon-kun's help?"
Haruhi blinked, then considered. She had suggested renting Yuki to the Computer Research Society once ... Kyon had adamantly vetoed that, but he wasn't here to veto this, and he'd somehow gotten roped into helping Tsuruya out anyway. But, then again.... "Well, you're a good friend, so you can skip the deposit," she decided. "I guess it wouldn't be fair to charge you after you shared your winter home with us, and invited us to the flower viewing. Just realize you're getting a great deal!"
"For sure, Haru-nyan! Kyon-kun's super handy!"
After knocking, Kyon opened the door, his expression more sour than usual. A faint line of blood trickled down one cheek, and Kanae stood at his side, holding his free hand and looking downcast. "Kyon!" Haruhi yelped, rushing to his side and peering at the cut -- more of a deep scratch, really. Even so, she dragged him to the nearest chair and sat him down. "What happened?"
"You're still bleeding?" Tsuruya asked, blinking in surprise. "But I put a bandage on that for you yesterday!"
"Long story," Kyon said, shaking his head and grimacing.
"I'm sorry, Sempai," Kanae managed timidly, releasing his hand and taking a seat by Koizumi.
"Don't worry about it-- Haruhi, Asahina-san and I need to take care of something relatively quickly." Mikuru stared, snapped out of her faint only to see the scratch, blood dribbling down Kyon's cheek to run along his chin.
"Wah! Kyon-kun!" she wailed, dashing to his side and dabbing at the injury with a handkerchief. "I'll take you to the nurse's office, right away! Please don't die!"
Haruhi nodded, unhappy with how things were playing out, but understanding at least what went on. Time travel really explained quite a bit. "Mikuru-chan," she said, waggling a finger, "it's just a scratch. Kyon is made of tougher stuff! Now, remember yesterday, while we were in the club meeting. We were all in by ten minutes after class got out, right? Make sure he gets there alright."
"W...what?"
"Ah, got it," Kyon said, nodding sagely. "Anything else?"
"I've agreed to let you help Tsuruya-san out when she asks," Haruhi added, drumming her fingertips on the tabletop. "But I expect a full report from both of you when the 'investigation' is complete!"
Kyon nodded again, not reacting much except to look more thoughtful. Well, Haruhi admitted to herself, he really was good at this time travel stuff.... Sadly, he was probably just the role-model Mikuru needed.
"Right, I'll see you in class," Kyon decided, checking the clock on the wall and climbing back to his feet.
"The nurse's office, Kyon-kun," Mikuru insisted, taking Kyon's hand and leading him into the corridor, the boy reaching back to push the door shut behind them.
"Okay!" Haruhi declared, turning to the downcast Kanae. "What happened with Kyon? Why did he get cut getting you for lunch?" And speaking of lunch ... she hadn't even managed to give Kyon the bento she had made! She didn't know who Tsuruya was investigating, but she was certain she'd make them pay!
"I...it's my fault," Kanae said meekly, hunching in on herself.
In the corridor, Mikuru yelped something indistinct, moments before there was a strange thudding noise and an eerie silence. "Lunch with the brigade is exciting," Tsuruya decided, while Kanae sniffled meekly and blew her nose on her handkerchief.