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 (the website) 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.
Notes: Count the tropes! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!
"Chapter Three: Strike While the Iron is Hot"
"Living explosion-to-explosion is all well and good, but remember that you should be living, not just surviving. There is a difference. So, for better or worse, recognize when you can steal a moment to relax, and do it. If such moments cannot be found, on occasion, you must make them."
"Roll With the Punches" -- Tadamichi Kyousuke
Shortly after Yuki had been let into the Tsuruya compound without Mikuru, Haruhi sat upright and gasped in realization of something. Tsuruya evidently figured it out it, too, springing to her feet and charging for the estate's security control room.
Even though she didn't know what was going on, Kanae followed the other girls, through the halls, suspecting it involved her sempai.
She'd never seen the interior of a security room, before, so stopped to look around, seeking some clue that would explain the behavior of the others. A large console filled one whole wall, the upper half a bank of no less than twenty smaller monitors above a pair of screens the size of her living room television. A surprisingly small array of switches and buttons were built into a small desk below that, clearly labeled with numbers that did nothing to explain their function.
A single chair stood before the desk, and Kasai, one of Tsuruya's imposing bodyguards, sat there looking over his shoulder and arching one eyebrow up at the intrusion into what also probably doubled as his office. There was a filing cabinet and a smaller desk against one wall, where a computer sat, currently showing a screen saver of a bouncing Tsuruya family crest.
"Gots to check something out," Tsuruya said, somewhat apologetically, gesturing to the hallway.
"Understood," the large man replied, rising from his seat and retreating to the hallway, closing the door behind him and leaving the four girls alone with the security equipment.
"What's going on?" Kanae asked, scanning the bank of monitors. The smaller screens showed various external views of the estate, most of them looking down at the walls surrounding the perimeter. One in particular caught her eye, and she realized it was her sempai and Mikuru standing together in the entryway, evidently discussing something. It was hard to make out a lot of detail, though, given it was one of the smaller screens.
"I don't actually knows how to use this," Tsuruya confessed, studying the array of switches. "Haru-nyan, do you know?"
"No, but that's no problem!" Haruhi said cheerily, patting Yuki on the shoulder. "Yuki-chan is great with computers and computer-like things! You can show me how this works, right?"
Nodding her understanding, Yuki approached the console and tapped a handful of buttons, bringing the tiny image to the main screen. She toggled a switch, and Kanae nearly jumped to hear her sempai's voice coming from a small speaker between the monitors. He'd evidently just concluded some point or another, since all she heard was, "... Mikuru-chan."
Haruhi started, eyes widening. "Wow," she murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Kyon hardly ever changes how he calls people--" The rest of her statement was ripped from her with a gasp as the older girl on screen suddenly launched herself at Kanae's sempai, pushing him back against a wall and....
Kanae felt very, very faint, and more than just a little bit jealous. Tsuruya burst into nearly hysterical laughter, Haruhi clapped one hand over her own mouth as her eyes bugged out and her cheeks turned scarlet, and Kanae was almost certain that Yuki's eyes were glowing with amusement.
"W...why is she ... protesting?" Kanae managed to ask.
"Haha! She's sure resisting!" Tsuruya shrieked, grabbing onto Haruhi to steady herself between guffaws.
There was a good minute of necking before Kanae's sempai gathered the wherewithal to respond, and then Kanae-chan felt her face redden, but was unable to look away. She wanted to melt like that in her sempai's arms! But instead, it was Mikuru.... Well, she tried to cheer herself, it was Mikuru right now. Maybe tomorrow at the beach....
When they stopped kissing they hadn't quite broken apart. They only hesitated for a moment, though, before Mikuru ... 'attacked' wasn't quite the word, but 'pounce' seemed about right. Well, she couldn't really blame Mikuru -- if she was as brave as the older girl, she might try that, too! But Mikuru only gave him enough time to catch his breath and admit that he couldn't resist her before she pounced him again.
Haruhi flinched. "Ah..." she breathed. "W...well, I always thought so...."
Tsuruya's laughter subsided to occasional giggles, but she turned her attention to Haruhi. "That didn't sound like he thought less of you," she remarked, judging Haruhi gently with an elbow and winking. "But, see, we gots to explain things to Kyon-kun, soon. I think this is starting to get to be too much pressures for him; most engaged people don't have to worry about things like this."
"Y...yeah," Haruhi agreed, frowning. "The beach trip might be a bit too public for that, though...." She shook her head. "I don't know -- we can figure it out after we bring Mikuru-chan in -- if she ever breaks that eternal lip-lock!"
As though she had heard, Mikuru abruptly jumped away from the boy, clenching her fists together below her chin and looking around frantically. "Ah, um, ah!" she managed. "Um.... Er.... Thank you, Kyon-kun!"
"Um, thank you, too, Mi--"
The girl in question frantically pressed her hands over Kanae's sempai's mouth before he could go on. "No! No! No, d...don't say it right now; I'm no good at resisting, either! Uh, um, t...take care!" She instantly whirled and fled through the gate, leaving him alone to totter on his heels.
He hesitated a moment, then shook his head with a hearty sigh. "What now, Skynet?" he asked plaintively, pulling his PDA from his pocket before sighing. "Back home, then...." Despite his annoyance, his steps were light as he trotted around the corner and toward the train station.
"Ah, right, okay," Haruhi said, shaking her head. "Yuki, we need a copy of that video. Can you do that?"
She nodded.
"And also clear it out of the systems here," Tsuruya added, giggling. "It would not do for my father to get winds of that!"
Yuki nodded again, making a small gesture. Kanae expected the screen to somehow flicker or distort, some visible display of her power, but she saw nothing visible, save for one of Tsuruya's maid's calmly walking back into the estate through the gates. Haruhi cracked the door to the hall open a tiny crack--
"Hello~?" Mikuru's voice called tremulously from the hallway. "Tsuruya? Suzumiya-san? Um, Kanae-chan? Yuki-chan?"
Kasai coughed very loudly from the other side of the open doorway, his voice booming somehow even louder than normal. "Asahina-san, I believe the other young ladies mentioned preparing for the baths," he called.
Kanae winced, looking nervously at the other girls -- except, they didn't really seem nervous at all. She supposed that left her and Mikuru to be the anxious ones, so, for the moment she was on her own. Even as she started to think that, Tsuruya nudged her and winked.
"O...oh? Um, okay, thank you, Kasai-san," Mikuru replied. "I...if you see them first, would you tell them where I'm headed?"
"I will see to it that she knows as quickly as possible," the man assured her.
"Ah, okay, then, um, thank you again.... Oh, Shinobu-san, um, could you...." The rest of the request was lost to distance.
"Oh, well, you know," Haruhi remarked, as Tsuruya swung the door open, "I kind of have always wanted to see if it was like one of those scenes from an anime ... the bath is just about the perfect setting for such a revelation like this, too!"
Kanae tried to puzzle out what that statement meant as Tsuruya acknowledged Kasai with a nod, and the four began trooping toward the baths.
His head still light, Kyon was still trying to sort things out after Mikuru had finally fled. Probably it was for the best that she had broken away. Each step from the path of the proper young man left him more susceptible to stray. Why was Mikuru so cutely tempting?
Even if he'd always thought about her that way.... Was saying it a mistake? Was letting her know that he thought those things....
He'd gotten himself entangled in an engagement with Tsuruya, some indefinable situation with Yuki involving frequent make-out sessions, another equally indefinable situation with Haruhi involving something quite similar, and now, he'd just admitted that as much as he should have enjoyed what he had going on with three adorable girls, he really liked Mikuru, too.
As if he weren't feeling guilty enough, he spotted that same Tsuruya family maid emerging from a small, evidently hidden door in the outside of the wall surrounding the estate. He stopped and cocked his head to one side in bemusement, bracing himself for the inevitable warning.
The maid looked determined, but only mildly disappointed. "Kyon-dono," she greeted him, bowing slightly. "A moment of your time...?"
He nodded, dutifully returning the bow, catching the fact that she didn't request his time.... "Anything for Tsuruya-kun," he agreed.
She smiled, giving a tiny nod, obviously pleased that he had grasped the basics of the situation. "Given the stature of the Tsuruya household, and in consideration of circumstances, please exercise discretion," she warned, still sounding cheerfully polite.
"Yes, right," he realized belatedly, sighing. "I.... I shouldn't have...."
Nodding brightly, she giggled, adding, "Next time, step through the gate first; it wouldn't do if anyone outside of the family were to see. Oh, and ... for Haruka-chan, try not to leave her behind in your affections."
He blinked at that, stunned at the maid's endorsement of-- But that would be-- Surely he couldn't--
Scowling, he realized that the woman had breezed past him silently, and the hidden entrance had closed and melded into the wall invisibly. "Ninja!" he grumbled, shaking his head. Either that, or the woman was psychic.
Best hurry home before his mother sent him another nagging text berating him for being out late on the evening before planned activities with Tsuruya.
After hazily making her way to the bath, Mikuru realized with consternation that she was the first one there. Still, she couldn't imagine Kasai would lie to her, and she'd needed to wash herself anyway....
She had stripped down and started scrubbing herself on the sloping washroom floor before she heard the others. She smiled softly, calling out a greeting as she worked up a lather, "Hello!"
"Heya, Miku-chan~!" Tsuruya caroled in return, first out of the changing room. As usual, she didn't bother with a modesty towel at all, so Mikuru looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Ah, I'll scrubs your back~!"
Haruhi, Yuki, and Kanae trooped in next, just in time for Mikuru to feel even more embarrassed as the center of attention.... Worse, she had to lower her own towel so that Tsuruya could scrub her back. "T...thanks," she stuttered, blushing under the scrutiny of the other club members. "U...um, sorry I'm, um, late?"
Tsuruya giggled behind her, drawing the soapy rag up and down once Mikuru pulled her ponytail out of the way. "So," Tsuruya asked, while the others washed, "how was your date~?"
"W...wonderful," Mikuru managed, before gasping in alarm, her eyes going to Haruhi, who had raised one eyebrow and was watching her expectantly. "Ah! It, I mean, we had fun, er, the three of us! It wasn't a date, Tsuruya!"
"Oh?" Tsuruya asked. "Hum, but, you know ... Kyon-kun and I are engaged, did you hear?"
"Bwa?" Kanae coughed, her eyes crossing as she slipped off the side of her bathing stool and landed solidly on the wooden slats of the floor. "E...engaged!?"
"Yep!" Haruhi agreed, nodding. "Some day, Kyon is going to marry Tsu-chan."
Mikuru stared, mouth hanging open. She had no idea what to say, or how to react....
"Um," Kanae choked out, still sitting on the floor. Yuki wordlessly started scrubbing her back. "M...m...married.... S...Sempai...." That seemed to be the extent of what she could say with words. Her eyes conveyed slightly more; a hint of jealousy and and a library of stark awe.
"Don't worry, Kanae-chan," Haruhi assured the smaller girl, soaping up her arms. "Kyon isn't any further out of your reach ... or Mikuru-chan's."
"Huh?" Mikuru eked out, puzzled. "W...what are you talking about?"
"First of all," Haruhi began, seeming to Mikuru to be very much in her element as the authority of the group, "Tsu-chan and I are working together." She paused for a moment, hefting Kanae upright and helping her sit on the bathing stool she had fallen from. "Aaaanyway. I've been setting a bad example, in some ways, but then, it's not all about me, anyway, it's about us, right?"
"Right!" Tsuruya agreed enthusiastically, giving Mikuru absolutely no warning before splashing a wash bucket across her back, causing the time traveler to squeal in alarm at the unexpected sensation. "Don't you agree?"
"Right!" Mikuru gasped, not certain what she'd just agreed to.
"O...of course," Kanae echoed uncertainly.
Yuki offered her own wordless nod when Haruhi glanced at her questioningly.
"So, there you have it!" Haruhi declared, confident the issue was decided. Mikuru nervously accepted the washrag from Tsuruya as the two switched roles, and she scrubbed the heiress's back. Come to think of it ... at some point, hadn't Kyon, in this same bath.... She was better off not thinking of that, she realized, turning her attention back to Haruhi.
"Um, what next?" Kanae ventured, rinsing herself off before heading into the bath proper.
"What?" Haruhi asked, looking up from where she was scrubbing herself off.
"You said ... 'first of all'," Mikuru prompted, hesitant, but not wanting to leave the slider on her own against Haruhi. Plus, maybe she could figure out what Haruhi was talking about through context...?
"Ah, right," Haruhi grumbled, her face slightly red. "Well, let's get in the bath, first."
Shortly, everyone had finished scrubbing and trooped in after Kanae, lounging about the spacious stone indoor bath. Really, it was a full-sized outdoor bath that just happened to be enclosed with a roof....
Once Haruhi had situated herself comfortably against a boulder with a cool washcloth on her forehead, she explained, "So, Mikuru-chan ... about your date today."
"I...it wasn't a date!" Mikuru protested, shaking her head quickly. "U...um...."
Tsuruya snickered, turning her attention to Yuki. "Nagato-chi, did you enjoy your dates?" she asked.
Yuki nodded without hesitation.
Mikuru waved her hands before her, as though to ward off the claim. "N...no, no, um, I wouldn't.... I mean, Kyon-kun...."
"So, then, you're saying that wasn't your first kiss with Kyon earlier tonight?" Haruhi asked, raising one eyebrow.
She could feel the power of speech leaving her with the realization that she couldn't offer any sort of justification for her behavior. Oh ... she was going to get it now! If not from her superiors in her agency, then from ... her superior in the SOS Brigade! "T...that," she sputtered, her hands waving twice as quickly as her face reddened. "Uhh...!"
Haruhi fixed Mikuru with a gaze that she couldn't really gauge. Haruhi was upset, but didn't look angry.... At her side, Tsuruya merely looked amused.
"S...sorry!" Mikuru finally wailed, unsure who she should even apologize to. Haruhi, since she had obviously liked Kyon? Tsuruya, since she was ... somehow ... engaged?
"I don't mind~!" Tsuruya said easily. "As long as Kyon-kun doesn't get ahead too much with anyone else," she added, winking.
"B...but the plan," Haruhi pressed, her face reddening, "is that we can all share Kyon. Um. Because ... if we're close enough of friends, I know we can make it work!"
Mikuru blinked, cocking her head slightly to one side. Was Haruhi still anxious, and thinking that they weren't good friends? She might be closer friends with Yuki, but she didn't think poorly of Haruhi!
...except, maybe, just a tiny bit, because Haruhi meant that Mikuru could never have Kyon.
But as soon as she'd acknowledged that to herself, the words Haruhi had spit out reached her. "Umm," she managed, sinking into the bath. "W...what do you mean, make it work?" she asked cautiously.
"I...it means," Kanae said, sounding timid and not meeting her eyes, "that we, um, can all ... share Sempai. E...even though I'm the only one he's never kissed...."
Mikuru tried to process that. Ignoring the fact that it went against her training.... She turned her confused gaze to Yuki, wondering if the typically impassive girl had some input. Very subtly, Yuki nodded at her.
Well, that was some encouragement.... She wasn't certain that she could ever even have a 'share' of Kyon without breaking so many rules.... But then, Haruhi had always been about breaking rules, including the seemingly standard 'two partners per relationship', so making that small leap from a forbidden two-person romance to some bizarre polyamorous endeavor....
She knew she should protest, but all that really came to mind was the image of Kyon in his 'domestic' mode, and the sensation of him kissing her back in the estate entrance. She wasn't really sure she understood all of the details of Haruhi's plan, but ultimately, she realized, "Um, w...well.... I...if it means more things like tonight with Kyon, I'd be willing to try my best." What did it matter what the details were? Somewhere in there, she could have her moments with Kyon, and for her ... that would be more than enough. And if Haruhi ignored the rules ... then maybe she could, too.
"Great!" Tsuruya enthused, grabbing Mikuru in a modesty-towel scattering hug. "That's all any of us can do!"
"Now, this is more like I expect these scenes to go," Haruhi judged, nodding at the pair.
"A...ah," Mikuru managed, feeling her face redden as Tsuruya clung to her. "Um...."
"She's too cute!" Haruhi declared, splashing after Tsuruya to glomp onto Mikuru a moment later. "I want to be jealous, but I can so understand why Kyon goes for you! It's frustrating, but at least my pony tail idea worked!"
"Wah!"
Miyoko was excited to be spending the day at the beach with Kyon and his friends. She wasn't a particular fan of the beach, but she did like to spend time with Kyon's sister, and she thought that Kyon's friends were interesting and fun people. Plus, if she was calling Kyon her big brother (Nonoko didn't seem to mind that at all, which was a bonus), spending more time with him was great, too. It seemed a way to make up for what happened the last time she had gone somewhere with him, at least.
They arrived before noon, storming the beach with eager cries after Haruhi had assembled the lot of them in the nearest parking lot. Most of Kyon's friends came in a limousine, which Miyoko couldn't help but be a little jealous of. She'd gotten to ride with Kyon and Nonoko, though, in a nice black taxi-cab. Kyon spent most of the ride conversing with an older woman named Mori, that Nonoko had whispered was a secret agent of justice, frequently disguised as a maid.
She had sharp ears, though, and glanced back at the girls when Nonoko mentioned that. Aside from which, their conversation was eerily reminiscent of Kyon's conversations with that other woman, when he'd revealed himself as a time traveler. There were a lot of big words like 'pre-determined' involved, and it was too difficult for either Miyoko or Nonoko to follow. Once they reached the parking lot and everyone had assembled for Haruhi's roll-call, the invasion proper began.
Kyon was sent out first, given the noble title of 'mine-sweeper', followed by the most handsome boy Miyoko had met in person, who was told to report any untimely demise to Haruhi, should Kyon actually find any mines and be blown up trying to find a good spot. With his typical enthusiasm, and also carrying the heaviest of the coolers, Kyon found a spot that wasn't claimed and was relatively free of litter. It was midway between the beach front and the shore, atop a slightly taller dune, making it a good vantage for the rest of the beach.
In short order, they had staked out a claim, throwing out several beach towels and umbrellas. After that, Kyon and the handsome boy ('Koizumi', according to Nonoko), lounged on the towels with a huge, unfamiliar man, while the girls gathered their swimming clothes and changed. And that gave her a chance to meet the beguiling, amazingly good-natured Tsuruya.
She was beautiful, too, and Miyoko felt a bit jealous of how good she looked.... Well, based on appearances she was probably good enough for Kyon. And Nonoko was a good judge of character, so if she said Tsuruya was reliable, and good for Kyon....
After reaching what Haruhi had dubbed the base camp after changing, the boys trooped off to change. Miyoko and Nonoko found themselves gravitating to Kanae, who Miyoko also hadn't met, and the trio sat near Yuki, chatting about what games they might play. "Ah," Kanae-realized aloud, after introductions were made. "Um.... I...it seems that the ... least developed of us all came together."
Miyoko wasn't entirely certain what Kanae meant by that, until she spent a moment to take stock. Nonoko was utterly indifferent (or hadn't caught it), merely nodding and agreeing, "We're the youngest!"
Yuki quirked one eyebrow higher, turning her attention from the manga she was reading to scan across the other nearby three.
Tsuruya seemed to hear, and shifted to Kanae's side, patting her head reassuringly. "Don't worries so much about it!" she encouraged the smaller girl. "You'll fill in, in times!" Then she leaned close and whispered something that made Kanae's face redden, even as she tried to hide a tiny smile.
Miyoko wanted to find out what it was, but then the boys had returned. Kyon was wearing swim trunks, and an unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt. At his side, the handsome Koizumi was wearing the most brief of bathing suits and a pair of goggles. Miyoko wasn't sure how the other girls kept from staring at him. Kyon, naturally, was taken, so shouldn't this other boy be of more interest...?
Behind them, the hulking Kasai was wearing a pair of knee-length khaki shorts, and a loose long-sleeved shirt in a vivid Hawaiian red. His sunglasses were still covering his eyes, but Miyoko thought he looked vaguely amused....
"Why long sleeves?" she asked him, distracting herself from Koizumi.
Kasai scratched the back of his neck and coughed quietly. "Well," he said, apologetically, "I actually shouldn't swim here because of a ... skin condition."
"It's true," Tsuruya agreed, offering an apologetic smile. "My father has the same conditions!"
"Oh, right," Kyon mumbled, nodding. "Ah, well...." He frowned, shooting a sidelong glance at Mori, who looked entirely ready to swim, wearing a one-piece bathing suit. Only Haruhi, Tsuruya, and Yuki were wearing two-piece outfits.
"Where are those eyes wandering?" Haruhi asked, staring at Kyon suspiciously.
"Nowhere," Kyon replied quickly, shrugging and dropping to sit on a towel. "So, what's first on the activity list, anyway?"
"So you say, but if you've got time to relax, you obviously need something to do! We should investigate some mysteries, don't you think?" Haruhi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Surely there's going to be something amazing and interesting to find here on the beach, given all these people!" She gestured with one hand, sweeping across the still-gathering crowds surrounding them. "I think we should break into groups and check out specific areas! Look for sea monsters, mermaids -- that sort of thing!"
Kyon scratched behind one ear, looking doubtful, but shrugged, glancing to Koizumi speculatively. "What did you have in mind, then, Suzumiya-san?" the pretty-boy asked politely. "And how shall we determine our teams?"
"Yeah," Haruhi agreed, nodding vigorously. "Um.... Kyon! You and Kanae-chan are a team! I expect you to lead by example and be a good sempai for Kanae-chan! Our longest-term member and our newest recruit, together."
"Okay," Kyon agreed, nodding doubtfully and offering Kanae an apologetic smile. "What did you have in mind?"
Haruhi faltered, frowning. "We'll worry about that later. For now, I guess, since this is a beach, everyone should have a chance to relax."
"Hmm. Why did you decide that Kanae-chan and I were a team without drawing straws?" Kyon pressed.
"N...never mind that! Look, it's your pervy friend!"
Kyon blinked and turned to look. Miyoko followed his gaze, wondering what kind of 'pervy' person that Kyon would associate with.
"Ah!" a taller boy with slicked-back hair complained, emerging from the crowds and pointing an accusing finger at Kyon. "I knew it! Enjoying a beach scene with such a fine assembly!"
An unfamiliar girl emerged from the crowds in the boy's wake, fixing him with a dire stare.
"Almost as fine as Yanagimoto-hime," the boy tacked on quickly, glancing back at the girl with a forced grin.
"Yanagimoto!" Haruhi called, recognizing the girl. "Still putting up with Taniguchi's antics?"
"My lowly 'B plus' self seems to be keeping him in line ... mostly," she agreed, shrugging. "Oh, say, Suzumiya, you're interested in investigating mysteries, right?"
"Well, yeah," Haruhi allowed, nodding. "What, you know some good ones?"
"Maybe not too much of a mystery," Yanagimoto said, smiling softly. "Um, so, you see that large rock formation over there?" she asked, gesturing to the western end of the beach. Miyoko had noticed that herself, since the beach was smooth white sand except where it ended abruptly in a thirty meter high slab of weathered stone. Going the other direction, the beach continued past a curve of land, out of sight. Trees grew atop the rocky pile, but not on the steeply sloping sides, or the sheer cliff that faced the sea. There may have been a path to the top of the trees, if one tracked inland far enough, but Miyoko didn't want to explore it alone to find out.
Haruhi turned to study the rocks for a while, then nodded, turning her attention back to Yanagimoto. "Anything good?" Haruhi asked, curious. "Maybe it's haunted?"
"At low tide, you can walk on the beach to the cliff face ... the rocks break, and there's a little hidden alcove," Taniguchi explained, waggling his eyebrows. "That's a two-person mystery, if you ask me!"
Yanagimoto smiled and elbowed the taller boy in the ribs fiercely. "Forgive his valiant attempts at painting us as the beta couple," she sighed. "Now come on, Taniguchi-baka, I think you've done enough damage."
"Yes, Yanagimoto-hime," the taller boy wheezed, before the pair turned and strode down the beach.
"What the heck is a 'beta couple'?" Kyon asked quietly, watching his friends leave.
"That's what Trope-tan calls her cool big sis and her boyfriend!" Nonoko explained eagerly.
"Entirely irrelevant here," Haruhi said, shaking her head. "However! Even if it's not the best mystery in the world, that's what I want you and Kanae-chan to investigate!"
"Got it!" Kanae cried, in Miyoko's mind, almost too eagerly. "Er, um, um! Sempai, before we start exploring, though, um, could you help me make sure I get sunscreen everywhere I need it?"
Miyoko thought that was a good idea, since she had forgotten, herself. "Yeah, sure," Kyon agreed absently, turning to study his sister. "Imouto, Mom will kill me if I let you get sunburned; let me get you, first."
"Okay!" Kyon's sister agreed, moving to kneel in front of him as he rifled through the small heap of bags Haruhi had ordered dragged to the base camp. Shortly, he found what he was looking for, dutifully tending his sister before turning his attention to Kanae.
"Um, Kyon-kun, can you get me, too?" Tsuruya asked, clasping her hands together and grinning.
"Sure," he agreed, focusing on Kanae as he rubbed sunblock into her shoulders and the back of her neck. "Um, it'd probably go faster if I wasn't the only one putting this on people, though."
"I can help," Koizumi offered. Miyoko wasn't quite sure how she had moved to be kneeling in front of him before anyone else, but she counted it every other girl's loss. For some reason, though, the boy seemed very disappointed.
Seeming to pick up on Koizumi's mood, Mori spoke for the first time since they'd gotten to the beach, stretching her arms over her head in her modest dark one piece outfit. "It's okay, Koizumi-kun," she assured him. "I'll let you get me." She winked at him even as Miyoko gasped at the cold sunblock on her bare skin. "Do a good job, and I may get you back!"
Soon enough, everyone had finished the ritual, even the implacable Kasai consenting to allow Nonoko and Miyoko to smear his face with sunblock. The only real slowdown was the fact that there seemed to be some argument over who got to take care of Kyon, but while the older girls drew to one side for a hushed debate, Nonoko declared, "I am returning the favor!" and took care of it herself. For his part, Kyon either ignored, or just hadn't noticed the other girls.
Since it was still early in the day, and they needed to let the sunblock dry a bit before swimming, Mikuru suggested breaking for lunch, which Tsuruya and Haruhi agreed to quickly. Then Miyoko was staggered by the unreasonably good fare that Mikuru parceled out, apologizing that it wasn't her best. If this girl could cook so well, with looks like that....
Well, that cinched it. The world just wasn't fair.
While they were eating, Nonoko told a story for everyone's entertainment, about how her family was descended from a legendary samurai woman. She even brought a prop along, a worn sword hilt with a missing wrapper, and no blade or guard. Kyon chastised her for taking it from the house and confiscated the thing, but his sister's spirits were buoyed by Tsuruya chiming in and filling in the details Nonoko had dropped.
"...and that is the story of Kyon-kun's lineage," the green-haired girl finished proudly, just as Mikuru started wrapping up the remnants of lunch and putting them away.
"I hadn't known that," yet another unfamiliar voice broke in, much to Miyoko's exasperation. How many people did Kyon know? Nonoko complained that his popularity meant she didn't get to spend the kind of time she wanted to with her brother, but Miyoko hadn't realized how bad it was until that day.
There were a group of four others standing at the edge of what Haruhi had termed the base-camp, and Miyoko wasn't certain how, but she was confident that they were together. At the center, but somehow not feeling like a true leader of the party was a pretty girl of around Kyon's age with short, styled brown hair. To her left was a girl with twin ponytails, her hair longer and lighter brown. Past her was a young man with a too-pleased sneer and wind-tousled light hair, almost as handsome as Koizumi....
...almost.
To the central girl's other side, her face eerily impassive, her dark eyes focused on Kyon, was a silent girl with ankle-length black hair in a giant, sweeping fan. All of them were dressed for the beach; the girl with the twin pony tails was carrying an inflated beach ball, while the boy behind her was holding a mesh bag containing a watermelon. The impassive girl was already wearing a white one piece swimsuit with no designs or lettering on it, carrying a folded towel in one hand, while the lead girl bore an over-stuffed duffel-bag on one shoulder.
"Maybe," the short-haired girl continued, smiling, "your name isn't too noble for you after all.... But, what fortune this is, don't you agree?"
"What are the odds!" Kyon exclaimed, though Miyoko didn't really think he looked like he considered it to be fortunate. "Sasaki, um ... these are my friends; we had just come to the beach to relax ... get away from things for a bit...."
"That was my goal, as well!" Sasaki returned, clapping her hands together and smiling. "Hum, do you have a few stray moments, Kyon? If you're not terribly busy, ah ... I've heard there's a small cove around that rock formation, and--"
"He's booked!" Haruhi snapped suddenly, narrowing her eyes at Sasaki. "Really! Crashing our meeting like this? That's no coincidence! I'm not clear on the circumstances, but I believe there's something more to this encounter than just chance!"
"That may be a possibility!" Sasaki admitted, her smile not fading, even though her eyes changed when she shifted focus from Kyon to Haruhi. "In fact, it was Fujiwara-kun who suggested coming to the beach!" She turned to him, cocking her head to one side. "Did you know that Kyon and his friends would be here?"
The fair-haired boy looked irritated. "If it's time for interrogations, shouldn't you try and get introductions out of them?" he asked, though Miyoko thought his tone was impolite, especially to one of his own friends.
"That," Sasaki said, somewhat primly, "would be rude."
"It sure is!" Haruhi agreed, frowning darkly at Fujiwara. "What's your plan here, today? What are you up to?"
Miyoko looked between the two groups, catching parallels as she looked. Yuki seemed fascinated by the dark-haired girl; Kanae was staring just as avidly, but looked much more frightened. Haruhi was fixated on Sasaki. Mikuru was torn between cowering from the fair-haired boy and the girl with the twin-tails. Koizumi's attention was entirely on the twin-tailed girl.
There were odd people out, though. Kasai, mumbling to someone on his cell phone. Mori, who had vanished, probably to get shaved ice or something from a nearby stand. Tsuruya, herself, and Kyon's younger sister.... But, no matter who was focused on who, everyone stole glances at Kyon. Well, she'd thought he was pretty neat, but seeing him be the focal point of this much attention was a bit surprising.
"I don't need to tell you anything," Fujiwara spat, grinning.
"Fujiwara!" Sasaki protested crossly, shooting him a glare, her smile slipping for the first time. "Behave yourself! I've told you many times already, if you are a part of the group, you are just that -- a part. We didn't entrust you to dictate policy! If this whole thing is some elaborate scheme of yours, then I'd like to know about it!"
The fair-haired boy looked very cross, just turning to stare out at the sea and ignore Sasaki and the others for the moment.
"Please ignore my embarrassing friend," Sasaki said, struggling to force a calm, polite mask over her angry features. "I cannot discount some strange ploy on his part. All the same, I'm merely requesting some time alone with Kyon to speak of some things.... Is that too much for you to bear, for some strange reason?"
Haruhi flinched away, then rallied and bounced to her feet, hands on hips as she leaned toward Sasaki. "Kyon is my friend," she growled. "So I don't know why you're asking me if you can talk to him."
Instead of stealing glances at him, everyone overtly shifted their attention to Kyon.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead, then shrugged. "Well," he said philosophically, "Haruhi did mention that I was booked -- and I am."
"Ah," Sasaki managed. "I see...."
"R...right," Haruhi said, nodding. "So, you and Kanae-chan better get to work!"
Kyon reached down and offered a hand to the small girl. "Kanae-chan, I suppose we should finish our assignment...? I'm sure Haruhi has a penalty scheme for whoever discovers the least interesting thing, so we should get an early start."
The girl with the exceedingly long dark hair raised a hand, her eyes deep pits, focused on Kyon. She moved her mouth to shape several words, but nearly a minute passed before she said, "Events are _______ at this ____. Do not _______ him." She blinked smoothly, then finished, "I am ______ to ____."
"Fine by me," Fujiwara grumbled, his gaze flicking between Kyon and the dark-haired girl. "If you leave the protection of your precious dolls, you're in for something else entirely."
Very abruptly, so fast that Sasaki blinked in alarm, and absolutely everyone on the beach who could see it turned to follow, Kyon had shifted from helping Kanae to her feet to standing directly before the light-haired boy, so close that Fujiwara actually yelped and stumbled backward, tripping to sprawl on the beach and look upward in alarm. "You can badmouth me all you want," Kyon warned. "I really couldn't care less. But if you try making trouble for my friends, my patience will run out."
And then, just as quickly as he had moved the first time, Kyon was back to Kanae's side, offering the wide-eyed girl a hand up. "Everything okay, Kanae-chan?" he asked, as though he hadn't just menaced ... well ... someone well deserving of such behavior, to appearances.
"Y...y...yeah," Kanae said shakily, staring at the strange dark-haired girl. "J...just fine...."
Kyon nodded doubtfully, and Miyoko noticed that Kanae didn't let go of his hand once he had hauled her upright. The boy gave a meaningful, questioning glance to Kasai, who returned a nod, adjusting his sunglasses slightly and closing his phone. Evidently satisfied with the exchange, Kyon said, "We'll take care of our assignment now, I guess, Haruhi."
Sasaki pursed her lips, watching Kyon walk off with the short brown-haired girl. While she personally suspected that Kyon was oblivious to such things -- or more likely, pretended to be oblivious just because he didn't know how to deal with it -- she was obviously infatuated with him. She could only think of a few reasons why Haruhi would send him off alone with her, but they didn't make a whole lot of sense....
She personally would have guessed that Haruhi herself liked Kyon, given the first-name basis....
Well, Kyon didn't usually have much of any kind of demeanor beyond passively attentive, and she'd never really seen him roused to action. It was a point of interest that Fujiwara had provoked a response from him, but she found herself understanding much better why Kyon had complained about the company she kept. The boy who insisted he was a time traveler was usually more polite.
"Fujiwara," she said, turning to look at him, frowning, "it's unfortunate to have to ask this, but since you seem a bit prone to causing turmoil, I think it would be more respectful to Kyon-kun's friends if you were to give them space while we properly apologize."
"It would be," he agreed, not meeting her eyes.
"Fujiwara," she pressed, wishing -- not for the first time -- that she could give orders instead of requests. Well, friends meant she didn't have real power over him ... the most she really could do was ask. It wasn't like she was Haruhi, and could claim Fujiwara as a subordinate.
"Fine," he sighed, scowling. "I've got something to take care of anyway." He shoved the bag with the watermelon in it at Kyouko and stormed away before the other girl had time to recover.
"Friendly guy," the girl with the long green hair said dryly. Turning to the large man next to her, she added, "Kasai--"
"Mori-san is taking care of it," the huge figure returned, his attention on Sasaki and her friends. At least, she thought ... those shades seemed a bit menacing.
"Really," Sasaki sighed, "I would like to apologize. I don't like the idea that we're both friends of Kyon, yet adversarial to one-another. After all, shouldn't we try to be mutual friends?"
The youngest looking girl there squinted at Sasaki, then shook her head, her side pony-tail bobbing. "Friends make each other smile," she said.
Haruhi raised her eyebrows at that, then nodded. "That's true," she remarked.
"I realize that Kyon's not here, but I think we can still try to be friends," Kyouko suggested, frowning. "Except for the fact that Itsuki-kun and I don't see eye-to-eye on certain matters, we should still try and get along."
"That's an interesting observation, coming from Kyouko-chan," Koizumi returned, smiling politely. For some reason, Kyouko's eyebrow twitched slightly at that. Sasaki decided to let it pass, given her own annoyance with the self-proclaimed esper.
"See?" Sasaki asked, ignoring the fact that she could tell the two weren't getting along. "That's a great start! Why don't we join forces and spend some time together today? I've been trying to get a hold of Kyon for weeks, anyway!"
Haruhi's features relaxed slightly. "Hmm, and he hasn't been responding to you?" she mused.
"Well, he says he's gotten a part-time job," Sasaki answered, shrugging. "But, surely you wouldn't mind so much if the three of us joined you...?"
"The two of you are quite welcome," a cheerful voice from behind her noted, as an older woman in a modest one-piece swimsuit clapped a hand on Kyouko's shoulder. The twin-tailed girl stiffened, her face a forced smile barely concealing utter terror beneath. "We haven't had time to properly chat in a while, Kyouko-chan! How is your grandfather doing in Osaka?"
"He's f...fine, M...Mori-san," Kyouko stuttered, looking anxiously toward Sasaki.
For her part, Sasaki realized that Kuyou had vanished ... probably with Fujiwara. She suspected the two of them, with their communication woes, got along the best. Well, if it meant finally having a chance to speak with Kyon, Sasaki didn't mind making Kyouko uncomfortable in the slightest.
Haruhi seemed doubtful, but after glancing between Mori and Kasai, nodded. "Sure," she allowed. "There's space enough. Throw down your towel."
Kanae was shaken by the sight of one of the other sliders during the beach visit. Stranger, her sempai seemed to know her.... But, she hadn't acted like she usually did, when Kanae encountered her. In fact, for whatever reason, she seemed completely oblivious to Kanae. Not that she would mind being beneath her notice....
"I...is it okay for us to leave the others alone?" she asked hesitantly, as they picked their way across the beach, weaving between the towels others had laid out, and ducking the occasional thrown beach ball. She couldn't bring herself to release her sempai's hand, and he didn't really seem to mind. Though ... he didn't really seem to notice, either.
"I don't like leaving the others like that," he admitted, "but ... this seems like the best opportunity I'd find to ask you; did that quiet girl with really long hair seem familiar?"
She nodded quickly, and realized that he grasped the connection from what little she had mentioned before.
"Now, I just have to figure out if it's the same one, or if this is like ... I don't know ... the local copy of her," her sempai mused, frowning. "It's entirely possible that she has no relation to the enemy slider, yet."
"M...maybe," Kanae agreed uncertainly. They reached the end of the beach, walking along the shore as they came upon the rock formation. At high tide, the path would be beneath a foot or so of water -- probably still traversable. As it was, there was a path a few feet wide right against the sheer stone cliff.
Her sempai led the way around the stone, almost crashing into a couple -- an older looking boy and girl, both giggling as they rounded the corner. The girl blushed crimson and wordlessly dashed ahead, while the boy bowed apologetically, unable to keep a satisfied grin off his face before running after. "Well," he judged, rolling his eyes, "I think I get why Taniguchi knew about this place."
"I...it's okay to keep going, right?" Kanae asked nervously.
"Sure," her sempai agreed, as they finished walking along the cliff, and found a surprisingly open space -- probably a good fifty meters wide -- before another tumble of tree-topped rocks. The beach extended between the sheltering stone walls before coming to a large and imposing pile of very steep rocks, most of which looked rough and jagged. Kanae suspected that she could climb up the sprawl, but it would take some doing ... in the meantime, there was a small, private section of the beach, empty except for a smattering of litter -- discarded soda bottles and a few unidentified wrappers.
The noise of both the city and the other beach-goers was entirely blocked out, leaving the silence to be interrupted only by the softly rolling waves. Her sempai surveyed the jumble of stones for a while, then shook his head. "It's private, but I don't think there's much mysterious here," he observed. "Plus, given who Haruhi's got in the club, I'm kind of surprised that she still wants to find more things ... though, I guess I shouldn't be."
"We're not really supposed to find anything mysterious," she confessed, feeling her face warm up. After the shock of seeing an evident clone of one of her pursuers, she wasn't really sure that she wanted to try and get her sempai to kiss her. Actually, she knew that was exactly what she wanted, but she wasn't confident she could face the risk of his rejection right after running into an enemy.
"Huh," he mused, frowning slightly, then giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Well, if this was Haruhi's way of letting you avoid Suou Kuyou, I guess I understand that."
"I...it was so we could, um, spend some time together," she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.
"Really?" he asked, sounding confused. "Well, never mind why; her mind works in strange ways. To be honest, I'm somewhat grateful for the chance to spend some time with you."
Her eyes widened and she turned to look at him as they walked very slowly toward the center of the small beach. "R...really?" she asked, quietly hopeful.
He nodded, his eyes scanning the stone around them. "I'm worried at how things are right now," he admitted, shrugging lightly, sparing a glance at her with a wry grin. "Between me and.... Well. So, I didn't like the idea of you trying to rely on me while I was ... uh ... distracted."
She giggled quietly, reassured by that. Even if Haruhi hadn't explained the situation to him fully.... Still, the others had all gotten kissed before he knew. Was she pretty enough to get the same...? She didn't have Yuki's quiet reserve, or the other girls' ... attributes to bank on. Then again, as much as it bothered her, Yuki seemed unconcerned with her own stature, which was roughly identical, and the other girls' continually waved it off as something that would solve itself with time.
But she didn't want to have to wait to be appealing to her sempai. "S...Sempai?" she asked cautiously.
"Yeah? What's up?" he asked, giving her a soft smile.
"D...do you think I'm cute?" she managed timidly.
His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in astonishment. "Of course!" he answered, quickly shaking his head and banishing the surprise that she seemed to evoke. "And I'm not just saying that because I look out for you -- I hear that you're considered to be highly rated among your year!"
She felt her face warm up even more, but wasn't able to keep a nervous grin from forming. "R...really?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he agreed. "If I weren't your sempai ... and engaged to Tsuruya-kun ... I might even try and ask you out!"
They had stopped walking, she realized, his hand slipping from hers as he turned to regard her. "U...um," she managed, momentarily stymied. She had wanted him to say something more overt, but then she realized that from his perspective, he really couldn't. It wasn't like he had said he thought of her like a sister, exactly, but she could hardly expect him to declare that he had feelings for her without understanding Haruhi's plan.
She hesitated a moment, then made herself admit that if the other girls had to initiate their own kisses with him, it would hardly be fair to the others to expect him to suddenly make the first move here. She hesitantly raised a hand to the side of his face. Understanding seemed to dawn on him very quickly, but he didn't move away, merely looking troubled.
"S...Sempai," she managed shakily, "t...this may seem, um.... W...well, what I mean to say is...." She steeled herself, taking a deep breath before blurting out, "I've always wanted you to be my first kiss!"
He struggled internally, finally closing his eyes and sighing explosively. "Kanae-chan," he said slowly, offering a weak, apologetic smile, "I don't know what you or anyone else would see in a really average guy like me. Lately, I've felt both incredibly fortunate and undeserving. I'm not sure I'm the kind of guy you want to waste something that precious on."
And that, more than anything else, told her that in fact, he was exactly the guy she wanted to give such a thing to. "Please?" she managed.
They stared into one another's eyes for a long, quiet period ... and she thought that he might refuse, or push her hand away. Instead, though, he nodded. "Alright," he allowed guiltily. "As terrible a person as I am--"
"Not half as monstrous as that thing you're trying to kiss," another boy's voice interrupted. Kanae felt another shiver of raw terror run through her at the recognition of that speaker's tone.
Even though Kyon had taken away the sword hilt, Nonoko didn't mind too much. Tsuruya had backed her up on the story, and even though it was unexpected, she thought she was being given all sorts of clues as to what her brother dealt with. Mori, the secret agent of justice, had targeted the sneaky-seeming girl with the twin ponytails. Kyouko couldn't politely refuse Mori, but Nonoko felt that was fine; she was just a normal person.
Yuki, the magical girl, had initially seemed worried about the dark-haired girl. But once she vanished, her attention had gone to Sasaki. And Nonoko had not missed her brother's reaction to Sasaki at all. Though, that was troubling to her, too....
He didn't seem to dislike the girl, exactly, even though he was a bit cold to her, which she'd never seen him do before. Then again, she'd never seen her brother threaten someone like he had the light-haired boy -- a friend of the dark generals if there ever was one!
For the moment, Haruhi was talking with Sasaki, though Nonoko could tell instantly that Haruhi didn't trust the other girl at all. But Nonoko agreed with Haruhi; whoever could take away her brother's smile was either working with the dark generals, or worse. Then again ... maybe it wasn't her fault or choice? Either way, she contented herself by sitting next to Mikuru, keeping a close eye on Sasaki.
The situation felt oddly tense and uncomfortable for an expedition to the beach, though. It didn't help that Sasaki had spent a solid minute laughing about Miyoko, somehow recognizing the girl's old nickname -- though, for all her laughter, Nonoko couldn't help but think that Sasaki had seemed somehow very upset with herself. After that she'd tried to change the subject, but Nonoko could tell she was still troubled about something.
"So, then, you have a fascination with the supernatural?" Sasaki was asking Haruhi.
"I'm not sure I'd call it that, but I find it interesting," Haruhi allowed, taking out her hair ribbons.
"Ah, my companions are interesting that way," Sasaki commented, giggling quietly. "I don't really believe it, but Kyon seems to understand maybe better than I do; Kyouko-chan here says she's an esper!"
Kyouko flinched at that. Was an 'esper' some kind of magical girl?
"You don't say?" Haruhi asked skeptically, redoing her hair in a ponytail. It was just barely long enough to pull off, and she seemed immensely satisfied once she had finished. "And, let's see.... If she's your esper, then Fujiwara's, what, your oni?"
"He says he's a time traveler," Sasaki said, shrugging. "I have yet to see anything I'd accept as proof of that, though."
"Oh?" Tsuruya mused. "What about the dark-haired one who ran away with him, then? Magical girl?"
Nonoko was certain that Tsuruya was pretending to be uninformed, for some reason.
"She says she represents some sort of alien power," Sasaki acknowledged. "To be honest, she doesn't speak much, and most of what she does say is incredibly vague, or just difficult to understand -- for me, at least. In the meantime, I try and be the best friend for her that I can."
"Interesting," Koizumi remarked. "So, Sasaki-san, if you don't believe your associates' back stories, why do you ... associate with them?"
"It doesn't prevent us from being friends," she said, shrugging and giving the boy an even smile. "We all have our differences. So, Suzumiya-san, what sort of amazing thing do you expect Kyon to find on his journey? And why have no other teams been sent out?"
"That's classified information," Haruhi countered without delay, rising to her feet. "Um, Tsu-chan, you'll keep an eye on things here for me, right? Koizumi and I were going to check something out."
"Okies!" Tsuruya agreed cheerily. "I'll hold down the forts!"
Koizumi rose, giving Haruhi a curious smile, but asking nothing. "We'll be back in a bit," she advised. "Then once Kyon and I are both back, we can see about sending out the next team."
At that moment, a brief but thunderous roar shook the entire beach, and Nonoko found herself clinging to Mikuru in alarm as shock waves from down the beach flattened all of the rising waves in a cone emanating from somewhere beyond the formation of rocks. Nonoko was absolutely positive that everyone except her and Miyoko knew something about what was going on, judging by the quickly exchanged glances among them.
"Later!" Haruhi cried, sprinting away, Koizumi just behind her as she dashed toward the rocks.
"I want to go too!" Nonoko cried, releasing Mikuru, but finding the older girl holding her still. "But, Kyon's over there!" she protested, pouting.
"S...sorry," Mikuru offered, smiling nervously. "Um, I think we should stay here for now."
Tsuruya nodded resolutely, as the crowd of beach-goers stirred, milling uncertainly before deciding to dismiss the event.
"Still," Sasaki murmured, frowning toward the rock formation. "What do you suppose that was?"
Nonoko didn't know ... but for some reason, despite Mikuru's reassurances and Miyoko's strange confidence in him, she was worried about her brother.
Kyon instinctively moved between Kanae and the new arrival, noting his features. He was taller than Kyon by a few centimeters, and looked better muscled. He wore a clean but heavily worn blue coat, looking vaguely militaristic, and black pants. His belt had a pair of remarkably familiar looking silver cylinders on it, and while he had probably generally average features, his face seemed more ugly for the sneer he was sending toward Kyon.
The sneer may have been directed at Kanae, but he had decided to try and be that protective sempai Kanae adored, so that meant it was being sent to him in any case. Other than his surprisingly long, unbound black hair, and his rude tongue, there wasn't anything else for Kyon to note. For the moment, they were about seven meters apart, though to Kyon's eyes the other boy (he seemed about Kyon's age, at a glance), wasn't in a ready stance, just crossing his arms over his chest.
"I know you," the boy remarked dourly. "Don't filthy yourself by associating with that creature."
"What do you have against Kanae-chan?" Kyon returned, scowling. "What's she ever done to you?"
"That's classified," the boy said, rolling his eyes. "An ignorant monkey like you wouldn't be cleared for that. Never mind what she's done; whatever you think, she's a monster from another world who's just possessed that body."
Kyon could feel Kanae's nervous trembling, and without taking his eyes off the boy, slipped back a half-step to pat her shoulder once in reassurance. "Assuming I believe that," he said, shaking his head, "what evidence do you have of wrong doing?"
"Evidence?" the boy asked, doubtfully. "Listen, monkey, I don't need to justify myself to you or any other primates around here. I'm being considerate, here!"
"Yeah, I'm really feeling that," Kyon retorted. "Whatever you think is going on, I think it's best that you get going. Until we can really communicate on the level, I don't see us getting much done, here."
The boy rolled his eyes and reached for one of the cylinders at his belt. "Don't know why I even bother," he remarked, taking the object in his hand. As Kyon watched, it reshaped itself, becoming some very alien looking gun with multiple sharp prongs, and casual flickering bolts of energy arcing between them. "Since I'm such a nice guy, and you're unarmed, I'm going to give you to the count of one to let go of her before I reduce you to a chunky salsa. Ready?"
Seeing as Kanae was still paralyzed with fear, Kyon shifted his shoulders, setting his feet in. "You don't want to hurt her," he warned. "You really don't want to hurt her."
The boy flinched at that, for some reason, then grumbled as the weapon in his hand shifted, now more streamlined and with fewer prongs. "Fine," he spat. "I'll knock you out first so I don't hit her instead. My point still stands! So, one." At that, he leveled the weapon at Kyon, just as -- from seemingly nowhere -- Fujiwara swept in, kicking the weapon from the other boy's hand. Leaping smoothly away several meters, clutching his injured hand, the other boy spat a guttural curse before reaching toward the other cylinder.
Kyon held his ground, ready to move, but waiting to see what happened. Fujiwara spared a sneering glance for Kyon before jogging to the fallen weapon, kicking it into the air and snatching it with one hand. Kyon was not terribly surprised to see the entire mass seem to turn into a blob of quicksilver and fall to the beach. "Shouldn't be surprised," Fujiwara grumbled.
"So, how does this character figure into your goals?" Kyon asked, watching both warily.
"He's got some nice toys," Fujiwara grumbled. "I want one."
"I'm more than willing to let you have it!" the other boy snarled, the larger cylinder in his hand becoming a larger firearm, shaped vaguely like what Kyon envisioned a shotgun to be. He aimed it at Fujiwara and pulled the trigger--
But Suou Kuyou was standing before Fujiwara, one hand raised, palm out, and the brilliant surge of energy, while staggeringly loud -- seemed to accomplish nothing, just narrowing and vanishing at some point between the two. Kyon's eyes hurt trying to determine where, and he decided he was better off not worrying about it too much.
"Why aren't you integrated?!" the rude boy screamed, face reddening with anger as he glowered at the alien.
Kuyou ignored him, bending down and collecting the quicksilver mass, reshaping it in her hands until it was a cylinder again. She turned around, her back to the stranger as she held the object out before her, her dark eyes sweeping between Kyon and Fujiwara. "Blank slate," she uttered.
"All I needed to hear," Fujiwara declared, snatching the object and vanishing into nothingness instantly. There was an eerie, mind-wrenching otherness to the space around him, and Kyon was certain he actually felt the reverberations of his retreat.... But there was time for that later; he already knew what happened to that cylinder.
The other boy swore again. "Useless, unintegrated...." He trailed off, shaking his head, turning his attention to Kyon. "Whatever." The gun turned, too ... and even though she didn't move, somehow, Kuyou was between the two of them. From this perspective, the brilliant lines of energy abruptly turned, seemingly diverted to some other place, though it hurt Kyon's head to try and follow it. This time, the sound was louder, and Kyon was distantly aware of shock-waves radiating away behind them, into the sea.
Instantly, the girl was somewhere else again, already pulling the weapon from the other boy's hand -- then just as abruptly, standing before Kyon, holding it out, unblinking. "Blank slate," she repeated.
Kyon hesitated, for a moment uncertain.... But if she had wanted to hurt him, or Kanae, she'd had ample opportunity. Hopefully she wasn't an enemy after all. Despite his misgivings, and still aware of Kanae's paralyzed form, he reached out and took the device. Instantly, he saw the tiniest hints of emotion flickering within Kuyou's eyes -- the barest gleam of satisfaction before she blinked, and it was concealed.
The new, larger cylinder in Kyon's hand went through the same strange and unsettling sense of awareness that the first one had, and Kyon inclined his head slightly to Kuyou. "Thank you," he acknowledged, still uncertain.
"Good ... luck," she replied.
"Luck?" he asked, as Kuyou seemed to turn away -- and vanish, leaving him and Kanae alone on the beach with the other boy.
Instead of looking particularly upset about the loss of his weapons, he merely looked disgusted. "You'll need it, monkey," he sneered, as space around him tore, and he backed through a jagged black portal leading into mystery. The tear sealed almost instantly behind him.
Despite everything, Kyon was just considering relaxing when Kanae's shrill cry of alarm warned him. He had just enough time to turn and grab the girl, diving to safety as a brilliant beam of energy swept from a half-glimpsed monstrosity several meters tall and spider-like, crawling from the sea.