Kyon -- Big Damn Hero: Homecoming (Take Two)

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 licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (and it's possible that this fic technically is, too; seems fair to me). Additional characters are borrowed from Higurashi, which is the creation of Ryukishi07.

"Chapter Two: Fight or Flight"

"Running away is just buying time, not solving a problem. You may not be able to solve every problem on your own, but if you just run from everything ... then you never solve anything at all."

"Mirror, Mirror" -- T.K.

After being given cursory inspections by the Organization members of the hospital staff, Kyon was pronounced fit to return home. His parents and sister left him alone long enough to change into his own clothes, and then his father drove the lot of them home. Expecting that the strange, harmonious peace of the hospital stay would be shattered the moment he stepped through the door, he tried to brace himself for whatever it was that his mother was going to come up with next.

The moment came, and as if he'd tripped some door-mounted motion-detector, his mother commented, "You know, Kyon, I think that Tsuruya-chan is a good influence on you. She's from a good family with a respectable background and excellent upbringing! You should invite her over more often!"

Off-balance by this sudden show of support for one of his friends, he stared. "Um ... maybe," he allowed. "I mean, she lives in a mansion, you know; her family is really, really wealthy."

"I've noticed that," Kyon's father remarked, flopping onto the couch in the living room and turning on the television. "Anyway, Dear, give Kyon some space -- he did just get out of the hospital, after all."

"I know!" his mother exclaimed, snatching Nonoko's jumper just as she lunged toward Kyon, leaving the little girl straining like a dog trying to pull its owner. "Nono-chan, you're growing up a bit, so it's time you learned something important! We'll let the boys talk about things, and you can help me make a 'welcome home' dinner for Kyon! Won't that be fun?"

"Yay!" Nonoko enthused, switching directions from a charge toward Kyon to the kitchen, but still straining his mother's grip. "Cooking~!"

Staring at the pair as they vanished into the kitchen, Kyon gave a slow sidelong glance at his father. For all that the television was on, quietly reporting a baseball game that he doubted either of them cared about, the man's gaze was on the far wall, his focus absent.

Sighing quietly, Kyon left the small bag of his possessions at the foot of the stairs for the moment. Settling onto the couch near his father, he asked quietly, "Is something up?"

"You know your mother," Yuuto groaned, rubbing at his face with one hand. "Hey, I asked you once if she was worth it, and you said 'yes'. That girl is Tsuruya-chan, right?" Kyon did not miss the way that his father's expression had become simultaneously worried and hopeful.

Yuuto grimaced, turning the volume up slightly, providing a screen for their conversation as the sounds of pots and pans clanging together carried from the kitchen. "I'll be blunt," he said, giving Kyon a stern look. "I know this is a bit sudden -- but you like her, don't you?"

Kyon looked sharply away, feeling his face heat up. That was blunt. If there was one thing he could usually rely on his parents for, it was that they were indifferent to his romantic life -- or, really, the total lack thereof. "I wasn't trying to take Miyoko out on a date, if that's what you're asking," he answered. "Man, one thing after another ... I don't have an interest in young girls that way!"

He looked back in time to see Yuuto sharply wince, for some reason. The man coughed into his hand. "That wasn't what I was asking at all. Seriously, Kyon ... do you like her?"

He considered the green-haired heiress. She was attractive in a different way from Mikuru, usually very poised and athletic, and even though he was reluctant to admit it, he firmly remembered first meeting her on the baseball field, when she put her hair up in a--

"Yeah," he allowed. "I mean ... I'm not really looking for a relationship," he said, the same lame cop-out he had given Haruhi. "But if I was, I wouldn't really complain about her."

Yuuto looked troubled. "Look at it this way," he posed, instead. "I mean, when you consider her, could you imagine being part of her family?"

With supreme effort, Kyon managed not to roll his eyes. He was already part of the Tsuruya organized crime family. "I think I get what you're suggesting," he said slowly. Obviously, even though his mother was in the dark on it, or had been given some good cover story, Kyon's father had been told about the truth of Kyon's role in Tsuruya's family by her father. Did he mind being an advisor to Tsuruya?

He wanted to say that he didn't like it at all ... except, it did a lot of good for the brigade. And on a personal level, he could admit that he enjoyed being closer to Tsuruya, even if it was only as a friend and advisor. It wasn't sensible for a boy his age to be satisfied with such a career....

"I can," he finally answered his father, nodding. "Yeah ... I mean, if her father asked, and Tsuruya-kun wanted it, I'd probably spend the rest of my life at her side. Actually, if she wanted it, and her father didn't, well.... If that's what it took...." He shrugged.

His father's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth hung open slightly. Well, perfectly reasonable, in Kyon's mind; his son had just admitted he was happy in organized crime. "I know," he said, before the man could protest, "it sounds crazy -- but ... well, I've had time to think about it. And I kind of ... ended up talking about things like that with uncle Keiichi and aunt Mion, while I was up in Hinamizawa." The man's eyes managed to widen even further. "Yeah, I know mom will throw a fit if it comes to light, but it worked out for him, and aunt Mion, so if I can make it work nearly so well, it's entirely worth doing."

Yuuto worked his jaw twice, then managed to nod. "I am so proud," Yuuto said, when he found his voice again. "You're right -- your mother can never know about certain parts of this -- but ... my son, if I'd been half as decisive as you at your age.... Well! Anyway, I think at this point, there should only be good things in your future!"

Kyon nodded uncertainly. Considering that the job had already gotten him shot, he wasn't sure why his father was so enthusiastic ... but then, maybe he was considering the money? Deciding it wasn't worth discussing where there was further chance of his mother overhearing, he shrugged and turned his attention to the television.

After returning to school, Kyon realized that once again the high point would be the club room. Even though he was keeping his head above water -- so to speak -- thanks to Haruhi's efforts, spending time in the hospital hadn't helped. His shoe locker was stuffed with notes again, this time mostly get-well wishes from the other students.

He despaired Mikuru's future self ever being able to send him a message that way again. But, maybe she had known how overwhelmed his shoe locker would be, and thus taken advantage of it for personal amusement because she knew what was coming?

As he walked slowly toward the club room, he tried to banish that thought. He would have preferred to walk a little more briskly, but he'd been given a note that said he didn't need to participate in physical education for two weeks to better suit his cover, and his pace needed to match accordingly.

By the time he reached the clubroom, costume changes had been finished, and when he knocked, it was Tsuruya who answered: "Come in~!"

"Well, it's got so little material it didn't even take Mikuru-chan an hour to finish," Haruhi commented with a smirk, hands on her hips as she admired the taller girl, as if she had done the sewing herself.

"I ... could have made it a bit more modest," Mikuru managed, her face red in embarrassment for her friend.

Kanae stared at Tsuruya wordlessly, looking a little envious. As usual, Yuki was reading a book in the corner. Kyon didn't check the title; it was struggle enough to tear his eyes from Tsuruya's tiger-striped two-piece bikini. "Lum, right?" he asked, trying to rivet his gaze on the tiny horns that Tsuruya had peeking out of her hair, and not the expanses of smooth skin--

Horns. Two of them. They looked spiraled. He wasn't sure how they were kept in place, but they peeked out through her long hair, which flowed down her back, past her almost entirely bare sides--

"Yep~! You gots it!" Tsuruya said enthusiastically, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

That had an interesting side-effect, and Kyon gave in to a sudden need to sit down at the table, barely remembering to close the door behind him. "Looks good," he managed. "Um. I don't ... think you should ... wear that outside, though."

"I don't look good enough?" Tsuruya asked with a pout, leaning forward to stare at Kyon.

He screwed his eyes shut, which didn't help, just bringing to mind the image of her saved on his phone. "That's entirely opposite the actual problem!" he choked out.

She sounded on the verge of sniffling -- or giggling -- when she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Hello!" Koizumi said brightly, stepping into the room. "How is eve-- ...uh." Kyon was rewarded, however briefly, with the view of Koizumi's face showing an expression of near shock, before he mastered it, turning to close the door and taking a seat just as quickly as Kyon had. "That's an, um, enticing outfit you've got, Tsuruya-san!"

"That's more of what I'm getting at," Kyon said, nodding. "Haruhi's idea, right?"

"What makes you think it was my idea?" Haruhi asked warily, raising one eyebrow.

Kyon decided he would live longer if he didn't say, 'because it shows off too much skin'. Instead, he tried, "Well, you know, the Lum character is an alien, so I thought it would appeal to you."

"It was my idea," Tsuruya said, pouting more deeply. "I wasn't sure what kind of characters to be if I were picked for the day's mascot. So I thought of something that wouldn't bother Mikuru-chan for materials~!"

Her face glowing red, Mikuru sank slightly in her seat. "That is not the problem," she whimpered very quietly. Sitting up straight, she added more firmly, "Um, I mean, that's.... Such an easy costume -- to make, I mean -- isn't any problem! Something more intricate would let me use the skills I've learned! So, I wouldn't mind making you something more elaborate, even if it was a floor-length dress! Or a formal kimono! I really, really wouldn't mind!"

"Oh, are you sure?" Tsuruya asked, putting her right fist on her hip and touching a fingertip from her left hand to her lip. "Well, in that case, I'll let you come up with somethings! I trust you, Mikuru-chan~! But I wear kimono all the time at home and for work, so that's not much of a costume for me. Let me know if you need money for materials!"

"Yes!" Mikuru said quickly. "Um, um, Suzumiya-san, what do you think about Tsuruya-san in a Gothic-Lolita outfit?"

"If you want to make it," Haruhi agreed, shrugging. "We don't have one of those on the rack. Anyway, we need to discuss something else right now."

"I'll need a lot of lace," Mikuru mused, already scribbling in her sketchbook intently. "Um, hmm ... maybe petticoats...."

"Eh, um, Mikuru-chan?" Haruhi posed, leaning forward from where she stood to peer into the other girl's eyes before sighing. "Okay, well, we've lost Mikuru-chan for the moment -- I swear, she didn't get this focused before she became better at sewing."

"No, she's been like that for a while," Kyon disagreed. "You weren't often here to see it when you were running around for the Literature Club anthology we had to publish. She almost completely tuned everything out while she was drawing pictures for her story. She's just really involved because she's trying her best."

"Really?" Haruhi asked, staring at Kyon in surprise before shrugging and taking her seat. "Hum. Okay, I guess. Anyway, since she's distracted, I guess that leaves tea to you, Tsuruya!"

"Even Kyon knows how to make bad tea!" Haruhi protested. "You can't really mean you don't know!"

"Never learned!" Tsuruya waved one hand dismissively. "But how hard could it be? Um, let's see.... It needs water, tea leaves, and heat, hmm? I think I've seen Mikuru-chan do this--"

"On second thought," Haruhi decided, rising from her seat with a sigh, "I think I'd better take care of the tea." Tsuruya beamed Haruhi a smile and stole her chair while the brigade chief went to the tea set and started the kettle.

"What's this 'something else' we should be discussing, Suzumiya-san?" Koizumi asked politely, setting a deck of cards on the table.

"It's about Kanae-chan, actually," Haruhi said, glancing over from where she was working. "I thought I mentioned this? Anyway, Kanae-chan says she's on the run from some other sliders -- and one of them evidently had that thing that Kyon got."

"Right," Kyon agreed, pulling the chunk of metal from his coat and setting it on the table, balanced on one end. "I'm not clear on all the details yet, but somehow this came from the future."

"What's that mean, though?" Kanae asked nervously. "I thought it was from another world?"

"I think I follow," Koizumi said, shuffling the cards absently. "So, would I be correct in guessing that if this is here, now, that it means that in the future, the slider who brings it over loses it to a time traveler?"

"That's my guess," Kyon agreed. "But the only other time traveler I know of is the smirking bastard. He arranged for Asahina-san to be kidnapped once."

"It's funny you should bring that up," Koizumi remarked, frowning. "Ah, this may not be news to you, but the vehicle that your enemies were attempting to use to escape you is the same one that was once used for her attempted abduction. Albeit, evidently an alternate-time version of herself."

"Kyon mentioned that," Haruhi mused. "So, somehow this time traveler character was involved again?"

"I didn't know about that," Kyon mused, rubbing his chin. "Seems kind of stupid of him to use the same vehicle a third time."

"Third time?" Koizumi and Haruhi asked together, looking at Kyon quizzically. Tsuruya looked mildly confused, and turned to check on Yuki, who merely turned the page of her book. Kanae stared at the table in concentration, also silent.

"Um, yeah," Kyon said, frowning. "You know, that same van was once used to try and run over that kid your tutored? If it weren't for Asahina-san telling me to be there at just the right time, he would have been flattened."

Haruhi blanched. "Er, I didn't ... actually pay much attention to that part of his story," she mumbled.

Kyon blinked in surprise. The kid had told her about the rescue? Evidently Haruhi was too distracted by the supposed 'date' aspect of the encounter to pay attention at the time. "Anyway, yeah, that leads to what Asahina-san's people call a 'predetermined event'. That is, something that cannot be changed. Or really shouldn't be, anyway."

"Predetermined events are symptomatic of a stable-time loop reality," Yuki observed, turning another page. "Entanglement with predetermination makes it exceedingly difficult for the Integrated Data Sentience Entity to actively interfere. Other temporal agencies are likewise hampered by predetermination."

"That's the first time my procrastination has done me any good," Kyon noted. "If I get that right. You're saying that because I haven't gone back in time to deal with certain things that it's already revealed that I'm going to do, the IDSE can't do anything against me?"

Yuki looked up from her book long enough to meet his eyes, and then gave her tiny nod. "Other temporal agents with the capability to require their own predetermination would also likewise have some limited protection," she added.

"Well, if I follow this right, then ... I'd already guessed the smirking bastard was involved initially. It involved a time traveler, and he's the most malicious time traveler I know." He paused to thank Haruhi as she passed out tea cups, and took a seat at his side. "It's just a guess, but my suspicion is that Miyoko-chan is going to be one of his ancestors. I think that's why she was able to touch it while it was genetically linked to him."

Mikuru looked up from her sketchpad, blinking, then studied Tsuruya for a long moment before turning her attention back. "More ruffles," she mumbled. "And ribbons."

"That seems logically consistent," Haruhi allowed. "But you don't have proof, just speculation. What if it's actually just some person who's, say, Miyoko's brother in an alternate reality? Then it would be a slider, and not a time traveler at all."

"That's possible," Kyon admitted, flicking one finger at the base of the cylinder and making it resonate with a quiet 'ping'. "But I do have it on good authority that time travel was involved."

"Well, if that's the case, how did that person get it, if it's got a genetic key lock thingy on it, and Kanae says that it's from the other slider?" Haruhi posed, frowning. "How is that possible?"

"Well, as I understand it ... Suzumiya-san and Nagato-san were able to 'hack' this device," Koizumi said, gesturing at the metal object. "I'm not at all clear on the capabilities, but isn't it within the realm of possibility that Nagato-san's ... unknown counterpart may also have that ability?"

"I think I'm missing some backgrounds," Tsuruya said uneasily, smiling anyway. "Who's this 'smirking bastard' fellow? What's his real name?"

"No idea," Kyon sighed. "I don't know much about him, either, except that he's a time traveler who wants to prevent time travel from being possible, or something along those lines. We don't know how he gets this, or why he brings it back to last Wednesday. Evidently, I get it from him ... or it's just sitting in the back of the van and he left it there, or something. I'm not sure about that."

Kanae's face fell. "If I understand this," she said shakily, "you mean I'm going to stay here long enough for m...my enemies to find you? And you say it's already a pre-something event? W...what does that part mean?"

"It's just speculation," Haruhi said, looking at Kanae closely. "You don't need to panic about it. I promised we'd take care of you, you know!"

"Some parts are known and should be immutable," Kyon argued, setting his fingertips around the upper rim of the cylinder and spinning it, causing it to wobble for a moment before it lifted off the table and spun smoothly in midair. "This thing is here, already. That means that at some point in the future, it does get sent back in time -- to last Wednesday. So ... at some future point, somehow, it gets into the hands of someone else who can time travel, and then ... well ... we end up getting it."

"To play the role of devil's advocate," Koizumi mused, sliding the thoroughly shuffled cards to one side, "that's a lot of elaboration. Isn't it also possible -- however grim -- that the one responsible for orchestrating what happened last Wednesday was yourself, Kyon-kun?"

Haruhi blinked, then narrowed her eyes at Kyon. "Kyon," she warned, "if you mastermind your own failed assassination attempts, I will kill you, is that clear?"

"Well, I'm under orders for it to not be me," he told the esper dryly. "On point of death. I assume I get a pass if I'm supposed to die, and engineer a minor wound instead?"

"Perhaps that's a bit far -- but bear with me," Koizumi continued, giving a small, polite smile. "Perhaps the shooting was inevitable, and already happened. And your own 'entangled' involvement was to leave that weapon somewhere it could be retrieved now."

"I don't think it quite works that way," Kyon disagreed. "And, anyway, if it were genetically locked, and I touched it, it would melt, wouldn't it? How would I get it into the past? The only one who could move it without touching it is Haruhi, and I think she's opposed to being party to such a thing."

"Absolutely," she agreed. "I didn't like Kyon needing to go to the hospital last time, when I thought it was an accident -- if it's on purpose and we're behind it?! Not happening!"

"So," Kanae mumbled, her eyes distant, "I'm destined to cause trouble for everyone."

Kyon bit his lip. He hadn't expected the slider to get upset about her enemies following her. Were they really so terrifying?

"I don't think that's a good way to look at it," Tsuruya disagreed, shaking her head quickly. "If I gets this, then Kyon-kun got some important tools because of that!"

Kyon nodded his agreement, but snatched the cylinder off the table and stowed it in his greatcoat. No reason to leave one more thing to unsettle the slider laying around.

"You know," Haruhi said slowly, getting up out of her seat and circling around the table to Kanae, "Kyon was going on for a while about how important friends are. And I'll admit, until recently, I didn't actually put enough stock into the idea. So, as much as I hate it, I might be just a bit out of my depth on this one. Even so, I think that you have the same problem I did, Kanae-chan. You're afraid to let people really be your friends, aren't you?"

"In fact, I've been thinking further, since I figured Kyon was distracted ... and I've been trying to figure out you and what to do with the people you've been running from. I never said anything about it, because I wasn't sure I could figure it out, but I remember something you said. You said, 'Even though everything changes from world to world, I still have my family! Sometimes I even have friends! And most importantly, I almost always have Sempai.'

"But, I'm starting to get that when you say 'family', you don't mean the parents you grew up with. When you say 'friends' you mean people who are friendly to you -- that you don't remember. I get that you think Kyon is important, because he's the biggest element of stability in your life. And then I think I was more right than I realized when I said you'd been running for a very, very long time. Kanae-chan ... how long has it been since you left home?"

"I don't remember," the slider whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry ... I ... I don't remember! It feels sometimes like, like, ages, always running.... I counted slides, at first. But sometimes they were really close together, and I ... I lost track around seventy six. I ... think it's more than that, now? By maybe fifty? B...but I don't know! I'm so terrible at this!" She shook her head, sitting up and dragging her sleeve across her eyes, wiping away her tears. "N...never mind that! It doesn't matter.... I've been really lucky this time, but I like you all so much! You're so nice to me ... I won't let my enemies come here and give you trouble!"

She sniffled loudly, giving a decisive nod. Mikuru looked up from her sketchpad, realizing how the mood had changed, but not sure what was going on. The time traveler looked around in bewilderment, giving Kyon a questioning look before turning her full attention to the slider.

"W...what I want to say then, is thank you ... b...but I've avoided my problems long enough. I may not be able to face them, but they're my problems, so I won't let them become yours!" She took a deep breath, as though to say something else--

"Dimensional anchor engaged," Yuki remarked, flipping pages in her book without looking up. "Your ability to slide has been blocked."

"Future events require your presence in this world," Yuki explained, closing her book and looking at the slider. "This is the nature of predetermination. Attempting to deviate from this path could have catastrophic effects upon causality."

"How can me staying here and having my enemies follow be worse than me running away?" Kanae protested, unbelieving.

"I have mentioned previously that his use of predetermination and temporal self-entanglement prevents the Integrated Data Sentience Entity from directly acting against him," Yuki said in a quiet, toneless voice. "If you attempt to break the causal loop and are successful, then the Integrated Data Sentience Entity will no longer have any cause for restraint."

Kanae's expression become incredulous. "S...Sempai's in trouble because of me?! And it gets worse if I don't make it happen!?" she cried. "No! That's awful!"

"You've been running so long, you act like it's your only choice," Haruhi said, shaking her head. "Well, I won't accept cowardice like that in the brigade! Your enemies are our enemies! I told you that before, you know, and I meant it then, too! If you're really too scared to do anything, then believe in us! Follow our example!"

Kanae wobbled, and was about to collapse back into her seat when Haruhi, waiting for that moment, swept in and caught the small girl in a hug.

"I have absolute faith in Kyon-kun when he says that things are predetermined," Mikuru volunteered, still uncertain what was going on. "Tsuruya, Nagato-san, Suzumiya-san, Koizumi-san -- everyone here is able to do different things, but if we work together, then it will all be okay!"

"I'm really lost," Tsuruya said, shrugging with a wide grin. "But I knows this is a good crowd; Mikuru-chan is right!"

"Perhaps, as Tsuruya-san said before, we should take a more positive view," Koizumi suggested, nodding. "If it's already determined that you stay here, couldn't that mean that you have chosen to face your enemies in the future?"

"Yeah, it does make perfect sense!" Haruhi disagreed. "Kyon, stop staring like an idiot and tell her so! You're the expert, aren't you?"

"I don't know that it's a specific message from your future self," Kyon said, pinching the bridge of his nose. From experience, time travelers tended to be able to be pretty hard on their past selves, given that their future selves knew what they could endure already. But that hardly sounded reassuring. He already wasn't looking forward to whatever future point he would travel back to in order to watch himself get shot. He dropped his hand to the table and sighed. What were the magic words Haruhi thought he could just pull out?

What would a shounen hero say? Then it clicked for Kyon, and he realized he was over thinking it. They all were, really. Haruhi had been on the right track, before straying into complex justifications involving time travel. "But that's not the point," he said, looking at Kanae earnestly. "You're being selfish, Kanae-chan."

She squeaked in response, looking mortified, and Haruhi gave him a very confused look. "W...what?" the slider eked out. "S...selfish!?"

"You think you're the only one who can handle your problems, and you're not willing to share them with people who can help. Kanae-chan ... maybe I've got my head in my old manga, but you like manga, too. You know what nakama are. Right now, we're a nakama that's waiting for you to realize that we want you to join, to stop running and take a stand. I'm not going to try and say that there's an absolute message from the future to you, here; that keeps you from making your own choices and having them be meaningful.

"Instead, I'll say that whatever choice you make is yours ... but Nagato relies on your help very much. And the rest of us wouldn't do well without her. Is it so bad to depend on us, when we're already depending on you?"

Kanae's already wide eyes managed to widen further before she began bawling in earnest, clinging to Haruhi for support and clutching at the front of her uniform. "I'm s...sorry!" she managed, between sobs. "I j...just don't want to make trouble!"

"That's more like it!" Haruhi said soothingly, patting the smaller girl's back. "Okay, Kanae-chan, you've had a really stressful day, so we can talk about this later.... Kyon, you and Koizumi get out of here for a few minutes to let Tsuruya-san change -- we'll work on a different project for today!"

After calming Kanae down slightly -- the girl was incredibly jumpy and nervous after her breakdown -- Haruhi forced as much cheer as she could and gave Tsuruya and Mikuru instructions to take care of her for the weekend. The time traveler and the heiress both seemed to understand the smaller girl's frail emotional state, so offered no complaints. Haruhi was certain that Tsuruya's ever-positive demeanor would break through some of the slider's depression, and Mikuru was a gentle, soothing presence anyway.

More importantly, once she was gone, Haruhi closed the door and took her seat at the head of the table in the club room, very pensive. Even though clubs were typically already letting out, she, Kyon, Yuki, and Koizumi remained. The cards that Koizumi had set out were still in a relatively neat stack, untouched for gaming.

Yuki's book was closed and she seemed to be staring at nothing in particular, though Kyon was in her field of view. Kyon was staring at a different nothing in particular embedded in the ceiling, and Koizumi was absorbed in examining Kyon thoughtfully. "Okay," Haruhi said abruptly, jarring the boys to look at her. Yuki continued looking at Kyon.

"I had a suspicion something like that was coming, but I didn't think it was going to be that ... intense," Haruhi said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm worried about that girl."

"It caught me by surprise," Kyon sighed, resting his elbows on the table. "Damn. Still, I'm glad the 'nakama' bit worked ... sad that my life is becoming a shounen story."

"Seinen," she corrected him absently. "There's no way in hell we're going through a tournament arc."

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Thanks for that moment of levity. Anyway, we didn't find as much out about Kanae's enemies as I'd hoped, and even if she does open up to us more and actually gain the confidence to stick around, I don't want to push her."

Normally, she would have disagreed ... but seeing how easily Kanae had snapped under pressure already.... "Yuki-chan, Kanae-chan is blocked still, right?" she asked.

"Well, let's start with a reasonable basis," Koizumi suggested. "Her enemies are sliders, so the better we understand how her ability to 'slide' works, the better we can understand them."

"Maybe not," Haruhi said glumly. "I have a very bad suspicion about that. See ... Kanae-chan has her family here, right?"

"Yeah," Kyon agreed, frowning. "But that makes sense, doesn't it? If her family were here in other realities ... why not this one?"

"You're missing the point," she said, shooting him a sharp look. "Time travel expert, slider inept. The question you should be asking is, 'what happened to the Kanae that was here originally'?"

"That is a good question," Koizumi remarked, frowning. "But isn't she also being pursued by an alternate version of her? It may be related, somehow."

"I think it is," Haruhi agreed. "Now, I'm just guessing here.... Well, never mind. There's no need to guess -- Yuki-chan, you've been trying to study how her sliding works for weeks. How has that been going?"

"Progress has been minimal," Yuki answered. "Michikyuu Kanae is capable of opening dimensional breaches in simulation, but there are discrepancies between simulation and emulation."

"Okay, maybe I will guess, then. Yuki-chan, do you think it's possible that when Kanae 'slides', she leaves her body behind and just swaps places or overwrites her 'local' self? That she only sends her mind?"

Yuki blinked several times, seeming to digest the thought. "This theory," she said, very slowly, "does not contradict gathered information."

"Now," Haruhi continued, twirling her pen through the fingers of one hand so she'd have something to fiddle with, "this does mean that sliding physically should also be possible, if she's being chased, and that weapon that Kyon's got now came through. She just doesn't know how to do it, yet!"

"But, she told me that she had landed badly from a jump once, and hurt herself," Kyon countered, frowning. "Wouldn't that mean she moved physically, not just her mind?"

"What if the body she jumped into just happened to have a skinned knee, or something, and that's how she interpreted it?" Haruhi replied. "And I hate to bring this up, too, but if she's moving her mind instead of her body, Kanae-chan ... may be older than she realizes."

"Looking at it from that perspective, she could very well be in denial," Koizumi mused, frowning. "Or, less pleasantly, an unwitting pawn of the 'enemy', inadvertently forging a trail ahead."

"That pisses me off!" Haruhi snapped. "If they did that.... Oooh, we will so stop them!"

"...right," Kyon sighed, rubbing at his temples. "And today started off so well, too.... Tsuruya-kun gave me a ride to school in the limo and everything. Nagato, does any of this make your job of trying to train Kanae-chan in sliding easier?"

"Excellent!" Haruhi enthused. "I have a feeling that solid progress will help cheer her up!"

"Yeah, look ... for the time being, I think it's best we not let Kanae-chan know that she may have potentially overwritten previous versions of herself," Kyon opined. "That terrified me when I ended up in an alternate reality, and to be honest, I still have nightmares about it sometimes. For her, with hundreds of slides.... Gods above, I'm now absolutely terrified of facing whatever enemy slider it is that looks just like her!"

Haruhi felt a small shiver down her spine at that thought as well. "Of course we're not going to blab this to her yet!" she grumbled. "That's why I brought it up after she was gone!"

"Anime marathon at Tsuruya's," Haruhi answered with a shrug. "I wanted to do something more adventuresome originally, but given how Kanae's rattled, I think it would be better for her to stay in one location with a lot of friends. That should make her feel safer."

"You know, you really are a good leader," Kyon remarked, smiling softly. "Thank you for being so responsible, Supreme Commander."

She wished her face wasn't so warm at that comment. "Of course! Anyway, you're supposed to be injured -- I'll walk you home. Let's go!"

After spending a day to set his affairs in order -- visiting his mother for the first time in seven years, donating a small fortune to Kannon, goddess of mercy, and finishing it off with a visit to soapland -- Iyouji found himself ready to face his ultimate destiny. Dressed in his cleanest suit, wearing a pin of affiliation that he'd taken from an enforcer who took better care of the decorative piece, and staring down the street, he swallowed, then put one foot before the other.

It was a breach of protocol for him to approach a higher ranking member of an opposed family directly; ideally, he should find another accountant of his own rank in the Tsuruya branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and pass the message through the ranks that way. However, that took time and social graces that Iyouji simply didn't have. Aside from which, a street shooting was an even greater breach of protocol.

After all, he told himself with dark humor, walking down the street toward Tsuruya Towers, the publicly known residence of the Tsuruya family head, he could expect to be killed properly by these people. He came from a two-bit operation, and the Tsuruya branch would probably nod at him and quote poetry before politely stabbing him to death, like civilized criminals. They might even have a priest on hand to ensure his spirit wouldn't get the chance to haunt them.

He was completely unsurprised, but still very nervous, when a neat quartet of dark-suited men with unsmiling faces and Tsuruya family pins on their collars seemed to materialize from the surrounding shops, a few steps away in any direction, but easily able to prevent him from fleeing. All the same ... they hadn't tried to grab him, or just killed him yet.

The civilians in the area had their gazes slide over him, as he settled into that uniquely Japanese social invisibility that all yakuza engendered. So much easier to ignore the problem when it was someone else's.... Though, as he came nearer to the base of the thirty seven story luxury apartment building, he couldn't help notice that the crowds became thinner and thinner ... at least, in terms of civilians.

Even though the density of dark-suited Tsuruya branch members increased as he strode toward the lobby doors, none of them moved to stop him, until he stepped into the shadow of the building. He froze on some unknown impulse, looking around him. There were only a handful of civilians, busily walking away at high speeds and seeing nothing, but several dozen men in black, some of them watching him warily, more looking to see if he'd brought any friends.

For a moment, he wished he had. The base of Tsuruya Towers was strangely lush, a small man-made watercourse wending between vibrant patches of flowers, and tall, skinny trees. Walkways wove through the foliage, occasionally crossing the -- perhaps -- half a meter deep flows with elegant, classically styled wooden bridges, and near the bridges, the occasional park bench was placed with a sign reminding any guests not to feed the pigeons.

The nearest of these benches was a handful of meters away, and a figure seated at it was partially concealed by a large newspaper, the headline bemoaning the Hanshin Tiger's crushing defeat in their last game. The figure behind the paper grunted, folding it in half, then again, and a third time, before setting it on the bench.

Iyouji's mouth suddenly felt dry. He thought his knees might literally be shaking, as the figure before him -- not the dreaded bodyguard Kyon, or the near silent little girl who juggled grown men like rag dolls ... but almost as terrifying, the Tsuruya heiress's other personal bodyguard: Kasai. The huge form lumbered to his feet, adjusting his sunglasses and peering down at Iyouji as if he were, perhaps, a particularly interesting type of bug.

Sensing imminent chastisement, he realized that the Sumiyoshi-rengo, or at least, his own branch, had significantly more to apologize for than they had initially considered. Even though Masao had not dwelled on it, he had followed the dreaded bodyguard Kyon's instructions. They no longer did anything involving illicit photos of high school students at all -- but they'd never even made overtures toward actually apologizing to Kasai.

Kasai remarked, "I assume it is some grand purpose that summons you here, Sumiyoshi-rengo."

It took every bit of resolve in Iyouji's spineless body to keep from throwing himself to the ground at the big man's feet right then and there. "I have a message for the Tsuruya branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi," he replied instead, pleased his voice only cracked a few times. "Fujiya Masao wishes to apologize for a mistake made by a man we no longer consider to be part of our organization."

"Oh," the bodyguard said, nodding easily, smiling slightly. "This should be amusing."

"Kyon-kun~!" his little sister caroled as he climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around himself. "Phone~! It's Yuki-nee-san!"

He frowned, wondering what was wrong, and opened the door a crack. "Alright," he said, reaching a hand out.

His sister gave him a strangely determined look through the gap and held the phone out of reach. "Nope!" she said, shaking her head. "Not until you give me a small secret! I'll really keep it this time, just something to prove that I can keep secrets!"

After Kanae's breakdown earlier that day, and the unfortunate implications of the theory behind the slider's power, Kyon wasn't really in the mood to play around. He was about to snap at his sister for being childish when he caught himself -- outside of inconsequential chatting while he was recovering, he hadn't really paid much attention to her. He was beginning to suspect that the vague message his future self had left was nothing more than a tool to make him so paranoid he paid more attention to everyone, because it could apply to all of them.

Still, his sister trying to use coercion to get her way.... "No," he said sternly, giving her a small smile anyway. "If Nagato called, then I need to talk to her. How about I promise to talk about this with you later?"

She seemed surprised at the offer, and hesitated a bit, then gave a decisive nod. "Okay!" she agreed, holding the phone out. "But you promise, right?"

"It wasn't a pinky swear," he noted, taking the phone. She pouted, but shook her head and skipped to her room. He rolled his eyes and lifted the phone to his ear. "Nagato?"

"I wish to request your assistance in an unresolved matter," she said without hesitation.

Mindful of what he said, unless he wanted to get instantly teleported to her apartment wearing only a bath towel, he replied, "Once I've finished dressing I'll call you back; I'll be all yours, then."

Yuki was silent for a moment, just the sound of her breathing carrying across the line, before she asked, "Promise?"

She must have overheard his sister's remarks, he decided, and then followed it with one of her rare attempts at humor. "Just in case, let's leave swallowing needles out of it," he answered with a chuckle. "But, yeah. Anything I should know before I call you back?"

That didn't sound promising.... But he doubted she'd ask him to bring the coat just for another session of kissing. And that meant he wasn't going to visit her just to make out, which simultaneously saddened and relieved him. He realized he was distracted by nothing, and shook his head. He was straying way too much for a guy who had declared his interest in Haruhi. Especially given how jealous she got.

"Understood," he said, trying to put that extra bit of meaning in it he always felt from her. Of course, he couldn't see her response, and she wasn't the type to gasp or giggle. "I'll call you back soon."

"Thank you," she said softly, hanging up. Heading back to his room to change, he tried to focus on whatever was to come next. If she wanted him to bring the coat, that most likely meant that she thought he might need the weapon with it. The previous night's training session left him with a good overview of its capabilities, and how it worked ... but the thing was damnably complex. It was easiest to regard it as more mechanical than it really was, and pretend there were buttons or contact points that would cause it to shift shapes on demand.

Otherwise, it just seemed to read his surface thoughts, and he was terrified what that could mean if he tried using it while angry. He was satisfied with just using a small handful of preset functions on it, with the ability to add more later -- if that somehow became required. For the time being, the only 'modes' he'd learned were designed to disable without injuring.

Of graver concern was the fact that it could hold a small charge, but was otherwise powered by his own kinetic energy -- using it literally stole his body heat. Effectively, he was best off using only weaker, more power-efficient attacks, or waiting several minutes if not longer between uses.

That was still better than the cliche of 'life force', but he somehow felt it would be more shounen if it were that way, instead of just making him cold. As he finished pulling the coat on, he mused that Haruhi might be right; it really could be that his life wasn't turning into a shounen action story as much as a seinen drama.

Well, shounen stories seldom progressed, so he supposed he could settle for that.

He had just grabbed the cell phone he had left on his desk when his sister peeked in, her eyes widening. "Do you wear that for fighting the forces of evil?" she asked in an excited whisper.

He grinned weakly. "Actually, yeah," he admitted. "See, it's even got this spot here on the collar that's reinforced, so it'll hold up better when I put my pin on it."

She gasped in delight. "I know that pin!" she said quietly. "I see people walking around with them on my way home from school all the time!"

"Alright, Imouto, here's a secret for you, then.... This pin means that I'm part of a special organization. I can't tell you what we do, but Tsuruya-kun is in charge of it," he told her. That should be harmless enough for a secret. His father evidently already knew, and his mother seemed to like Tsuruya so much -- for some reason -- that she wouldn't care.

"So, if I ask anyone who's got that pin to call you, they can do it?" she asked, her eyes glowing eagerly.

"Well, I don't know about that," he said, frowning. Getting calls from random members of the organized crime syndicate that he hadn't properly met yet.... "But if you're in danger, you should be able to ask them for help. Just make very sure it's this pin!" He leaned close and pulled the collar of his jacket out slightly. "See? The crane means Tsuruya's family."

He tousled her hair affectionately before trotting out of the house, watchful for his mother's sharp-eyed gaze. Surprisingly, after being attacked, he wasn't grounded ... but why tempt fate?

Iyouji found himself hemmed in closely on all sides by burly and unsmiling Tsuruya family enforcers. The doormen were sharply dressed, blank looks in their eyes suggesting that they, too, saw nothing worthy of comment. There were a number of elevators, but only one with a pair of guards, standing at attention on either side. That elevator was the one that Kasai gestured Iyouji toward.

He tried to console himself -- a thirty story fall would be terrifying, but it wouldn't hurt. Not for long, anyway. The elevator opened silently to admit him and the five men escorting him. Surprisingly, there was enough room for all of them to stand comfortably. If he were in a more cheerful mood, he might try to stare out the glass wall of the elevator at the skyline, but as it was, Iyouji was just thinking about how powerfully chastising the figures around him were.

Then again, he was never one for violence, anyway. The elevator stopped and opened at the top floor, revealing a large private lobby where a half-dozen uniformed members of the Tsuruya branch sat on the sofas lining the walls, looking up from their newspapers or books at Iyouji and raising an eyebrow. Nervously, the accountant followed Kasai across the thick, plush carpet to a massive pair of double doors.

The doors swung open silently as Kasai approached, allowing the lone member of the Sumiyoshi-rengo to see into what was probably the heart of the Tsuruya branch's organization. A large room, the far wall of which was all glass, showing the skyline of the city as lights came on, and the sun's glow vanished from the sky. Before that was a large, imposing desk, which the Tsuruya patriarch sat at, a smoldering cigar held in one hand.

Turning around to study the newcomer, standing side by side in front of the desk, was a pair of women. One of them was the feared heiress, and she seemed to recognize him instantly, not looking terribly amused to see him at all. The other was unfamiliar, a brown-haired and slightly older woman; she began to smile slowly.

It was not a friendly smile. Iyouji had watched enforcers learn menacing smiles over the years -- it was a powerful tool for any low-ranking criminal, allowing suggested chastisement to persuade people without needing to actually chastise them. This woman, however, could probably teach even Fujiya Masao or the incarcerated Watanabe a lesson in grim amusement.

He didn't realize he had frozen until Kasai jabbed him in the back with one hand, and he stumbled forward, nearly sprawling flat on his face on the floor of the grand room. He caught himself and hesitantly moved to the center of the area. Far enough from the lobby and the imposing figure of the Tsuruya family head to-- Who was he kidding? He was at the heart of their territory. He needed to cling to the most likely hope, that being that he would be killed swiftly, without much suffering.

The Tsuruya patriarch took a few thoughtful puffs from his cigar, blowing the plumes of smoke straight up. A ventilation system made the smoke stream away into a nearby vent before it could spread, then he stubbed the brand out in a nearby ashtray and interlaced his fingers, setting them flat on the desk. "Sos," he said, leaning forward and giving his own ominous smile as his giant leather chair creaked. "A member of the Sumiyoshi-rengo, hmm?"

"Yes," Iyouji yelped, as Kasai walked around the desk and took a stand before the glass wall, but far to one side of the patriarch. "Uh.... That is...." He swallowed, taking a moment to try and stand up straight -- impossible, under those gazes, but he really did try -- and said with slightly more conviction, "Fujiya Masao wishes it to be known that the offense perpetrated by Watanabe Daichi and his underlings was not the plan of the Fujiya branch of the Sumiyoshi-rengo! Furthermore, he wishes to meet in person to apologize for the offense, as it goes beyond and above reasonable conduct! We in no way intended to insult the Haru-tachi, or the Tsuruya branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi!"

One of the patriarch's eyebrows rose, and the brown-haired woman shot him an inquisitive glance before returning her attention to Iyouji. "What says you, daughter of mine?" the large man asked, turning a questioning glance at his heir.

"Kyon-kun doesn't approve of violent revenge," she judged after a moment, shaking her head. "Howevers, this is an affront to all of us. So, the apology is in orders."

"Fine, fine," the patriarch rumbled, nodding. "Where is this meetings to take place?"

"That is your decision," Iyouji squeaked out. If they were to choose on their own, it would look too much like a trap.... But then, he was still stunned over the fact that, evidently, they would at least be heard out. How could the dread bodyguard Kyon just dismiss being shot? What kind of person was he!?

The patriarch nodded slightly. "We will meet and discuss terms at that point," he allowed. Turning to the brown-haired woman, he added, "Mori-chan, arrange a neutral place to meet. Daughter, asks Kyon-kun to attend." His gaze went back to Iyouji. "And you, messenger ... wait in the lobby for now."

Kasai nodded, moving from his place behind the man and motioning Iyouji through the doorway to the lobby. All of the men in that room watched him silently, none offering him a seat or even so much as speaking. "Stay here," Kasai instructed as he stepped back into the main room and the door began to close. "It will be a few hours."

As she had anticipated, her primary protection target contacted her shortly after she had requested his presence. It took only a moment to summon him, and he arrived with his eyes closed, almost instantly adjusting to the teleport. He brushed one hand across the greatcoat, glancing down before kicking his shoes off and walking into the room from the entryway he had arrived in.

He gave her a smile that seemed different from the other smiles she knew; she'd only seen it a handful of times before. She poured tea for both of them, then knelt at the table. After a moment of thought, he shrugged off the coat, folding it over one arm, and joined her at the table.

"Well, I don't know what it is, yet, but I get the idea that there's finally something I can do to help you?" he asked cautiously, taking the teacup and sipping from it.

She gave him a nod, and that rarer smile returned. She blinked as the most logical reason was calculated. Was it possible that somehow, instead of being inconvenienced, he actually desired to do things for her?

Strangely, the thought triggered another unexpected excitation in her capillary loops and the temperature of her face increased accordingly. Another enjoyable, unexpected reaction from him. She wished she could smile back at him as easily ... but as always, he somehow seemed to read her anyway.

His own face reddened slightly and he looked away, gesturing at the folded coat. "So, what is it that I can do for you, then?"

"Previously," she began, tilting her head back to gaze into his eyes, "I identified a corrupted function created by Asakura Ryouko."

"At that time, I believed that I had purged Yamane Jun of all unknown mechanisms. However, it appears that the function re-engaged itself, or there is some source that empowers him and reapplies the corruption. I wish to investigate this."

He blinked, turning the cup before him in place absently. "How is it that I can help you with this?" he asked after a brief period of contemplation.

"Normally in this situation, I would request unknown protocols and information from the Integrated Data Sentience Entity," she said slowly. "Currently, I must rely on my memetic link to Suzumiya Haruhi for new information. Due to recent data exchange concerning Michikyuu Kanae, while it is unlikely, it is possible that she may become aware of information requests. In this instance, your guidance will ensure that she is not notified, as I have observed emotional destabilization when Suzumiya Haruhi perceives threats to your well being."

"Ah.... Um," he manage in response, furrowing his brow. "I guess ... it's a bit flattering that she's upset when she thinks I'm in trouble...."

"I also experience emotional destabilization in those instances," she said, struggling to form the words, feeling that same increase of heat and blood pressure in her face. "It is ... difficult to experience that and also filter accelerated attempted subconscious data-creation from her."

"So ... when she's upset and confused, it comes down on you?" he asked, staring into his tea. "Like Koizumi said?"

"Well ... in that case, I don't know what I can do specifically, but like I promised, whatever I can do for you, I will," he swore, looking up and giving her a smile. She felt a very strong impulse to attempt to engage him in another physical exchange of affection, but filed it for later consideration. "What would it be?"

"Firstly, I must establish direct contact with Yamane Jun to examine him and determine the effects of data-manipulation on him, and then purge those effects. Secondly, the source of corrupted data must then be located and dealt with."

"This is going to be kind of difficult," he answered after ruminating. "I understand that it's something we have to do ... but Yamane Jun should be held by the police. I can probably have Koizumi use his Organization contacts to find out specifically where, but I really don't think they'd let us talk to him easily ... and I think what we are doing would be pretty obvious, too. Hmm, well, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem for you ... you can just go like you did when you met Hanyuu, right? And then you'd be invisible."

Her eyes went to the coat. "I do not have the ability to bring you into such a state," she said, "but I can temporarily allow you enhanced stealth capabilities so that you can accompany me on this investigation. There is a significant probability that I may require further assistance and information from you."

"I really don't think I understand," he sighed, even as he picked the coat back up, "but I trust you. Alright, then, let's get to the bottom of this, okay?"

He caught her uncertainty and gave her a reassuring smile before she formulated a response to that.

"Alright, Nagato, first off, we're going to have to get to the police station, right?"

Kyon: Big Damn Hero

Gearing Up Arc IV

Chapter Twenty Two: Homecoming (Take Two)