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 Seven: Gaining Strength"
"When you devote yourself to getting stronger and more able to do things ... don't forget to practice being careful with your new powers, too...."
"Mirror, Mirror" -- T.K.
Tsuruya was sipping tea quietly near her father in one of the sitting rooms in her house -- the ancestral Tsuruya home. Koizumi sat at the same table next to Mori, his phone sitting on the table near his teacup, not ringing. Tsuruya's father nodded thoughtfully at something on one of the stacks of papers before him, then made a note and shuffled it to one side.
Aida paced softly in the back of the room, quietly punching things into his PDA and looking distracted -- but he stopped and was the first one to notice Kyon's return. The boy stepped in from the door leading to the porch, and Tsuruya instantly perked up. She had every faith in Kyon, but somehow, that didn't keep her from worrying.
Her fiance was walking next to Shinobu, looking at her slightly askance, his shoes dangling from the fingertips of one hand. Tsuruya's maid took Kyon's shoes before he could protest, then gently motioned him into the room properly.
He shrugged and stepped over the threshold, bowing politely to Tsuruya's father as the man turned to look. For her part, Tsuruya eagerly bounced up from her seat on the floor to traipse to Kyon's side and give him a kiss on the cheek. Though he colored, Kyon didn't remark or complain, and Tsuruya made a note to herself to make sure that she got to spend at least a few minutes alone with Kyon some point soon.
Well, maybe with Kanae, too.... Hmm, that might end up being awkward, though. She filed that thought away for later consideration.
"I'm back," he said, managing a nervously happy smile for Tsuruya, and a more neutral nod for everyone else.
"Excellent!" the Tsuruya family patriarch crowed, grinning widely, gesturing Kyon to take a seat. "How did it go, then?"
Mori and Koizumi also watched expectantly, though they remained silent. Kyon took a seat at the side of the table nearer to Koizumi, and Tsuruya unhesitatingly took the space directly at his side. Her father raised one eyebrow a fraction of an inch, then just scooted over, not particularly minding having one entire side of the table to himself. "It ended up taking longer than I originally planned, but I was able to reach Fujiya Masao-san," Kyon answered, bowing his head and giving Tsuruya another of his smiles when she poured him some tea.
She felt momentarily sad that she couldn't actually prepare tea very well, and that Shinobu had made the drink for everyone. Maybe she could learn? She dismissed the thought almost instantly, crushing it with cheer. So what if she couldn't make tea outside of the tea ceremony, or cook at all? She was a ninkyo dantai heiress, and she could do other things for Kyon. Why try and edge in on one of Mikuru's sources of pride?
"And?" her father prompted, while Mori picked up her teacup in both hands, not sipping it, but only holding the beverage.
Setting his own cup down, Kyon straightened slightly, pulling a flattened, somewhat crumpled origami flower from within his coat. "Fujiya-san said that he has broken ties with the Sumiyoshi-rengo, and is considering the offer to join the Yamaguchi-gumi," he answered. "He also mentioned that he thinks there's someone behind the scenes trying to pull strings, too, and that this note may be from that person."
Aida was at the table instantly, seating himself from his anxious pacing opposite Kyon and looking at the paper with undisguised interest. Tsuruya's father gave no indication that he noticed, just picking up the paper and turning it over, examining it closely. "Tawny day-lily," he determined after a moment, not trying to straighten it out or unfold it. He then handed the paper across the table to Mori, who accepted it curiously, unfolding the paper carefully and spreading it across the table.
Aida glanced quickly between his PDA and the picture, frowning intently. "Interesting," Mori remarked.
"'The NPA are chasing the gun; if Watanabe talks, you can walk'," Koizumi quoted. "Would it seem accurate to infer that this is the note that set our current bout of issues with the Sumiyoshi-rengo into motion?"
"I would guess so," Aida agreed, looking up.
"This was hand-painted," Tsuruya remarked, studying the characters.
"No pen or printer," Mori agreed. "If it were printed, there might be a chance of tracking it to the source. If it were written with a pen, it might have left an impression somewhere. While it's possible that whoever wrote this was trying to appeal to classical sensibilities, my speculation is that the writer was merely trying to avoid being traced."
"A calligraphy kit seems somehow more notable than a printer or a pen," Aida opined, frowning thoughtfully. "But I suppose a brush, ink stone, and paper can be hidden easily enough.... Well, what else would you guess?"
"I think the writers is a woman," Tsuruya added, noting the incredible neatness of the text -- there were no stray drops of ink, and the brush was meticulously groomed. No stray hairs had trailed extraneous tiny marks across any of the writing.
"I think you're right," Kyon replied, producing his own PDA and flipping through some options before handing it to Tsuruya. She blinked, looking at a picture of a woman in a smart, if somewhat drab, brown business coat and skirt combination, her hair neatly styled as she turned, mid-word, to look toward the camera. "Her family name is Akasaka; I don't know her given name."
"For some reasons, that sounds very familiar," Tsuruya's father murmured, as she handed the PDA to him to examine her picture. After a moment of study, he passed it to Aida, shaking his head. "She doesn't looks familiar, though."
Aida studied the picture intently, until Kyon's PDA made a quiet, muted buzz, and changed images to a dark screen that Tsuruya couldn't make out from across the table. Somewhat chagrined, the man passed it back, saying, "My apologies, Kyon-dono."
Tsuruya realized with some amusement that the PDA had locked itself, until Kyon touched it and pressed a fingertip against the screen. "It probably just caught your fingerprint," Kyon explained, shrugging. "If it doesn't match.... Did you want a copy of that picture?"
"If you don't mind," Aida agreed, nodding, tapping some keys on his own PDA. "By the way, what model is that...?"
"It's, uh ... custom," Kyon answered, shrugging. "Where should I send the picture?"
After a brief minute of technical chatter, Aida had the picture and excused himself with a bow, promising to return after he submitted a few queries.
"Impressive, though," Tsuruya's father remarked after a minute, draining his teacup. "How did you manages to get that picture?"
"Ah, well ... you know, if you do it right, people kind of just look right through you," Kyon answered, somewhat evasive as he chuckled nervously.
"I've learned it's better not to ask," Mori said quietly, when Tsuruya's father looked intrigued. "Sir, may I see that picture?"
Kyon nodded, handing the phone over for her to study. "She could be the one who's pulling the strings, or she could just be an NPA agent working on anything else," he warned apologetically.
"She's not familiar to me in any case," Mori sighed, shaking her head. "Well, at least I'll know who she is if I see her."
Accepting the PDA as Mori handed it back, Kyon shrugged slightly. "Anyway, back to Fujiya Masao-san -- he mentioned that he was going to need a new lawyer," he said, tucking the device into his coat pocket and turning to face Tsuruya's father.
The green-haired man raised his eyebrows, his smile returning. "Good," he decided. "We have many lawyers at our disposals; I will try to arrange for the best ones!"
Tsuruya looked for something to add, but couldn't find anything else at the moment, so glanced at Mori -- incidentally leaning against Kyon a tiny bit. He maintained his posture, his eyes flicking briefly to hers as he gave her a tiny a smile, otherwise still facing her father. Well, Kyon had just done the syndicate at large a huge favor, and helped fortify their positions.
"Right," he continued, furrowing his brow and giving Kyon a calculating look, his smile fading slightly. "Kyon-kun, to be honests, I'm quite amazed at your capabilities, here." He tapped the unfolded origami with a fingertip. "And it's thanks to you that our organizations has had Mori-chan's help in some recent matters."
Koizumi shifted slightly, putting on his implacable, smiling mask in the face of the man's speech. Mori looked uncertain, but Kyon remained politely attentive.
"That being said," the man said, lacing his fingers together on the table before him, completely enveloping his teacup in his hands. "I have every faith that you can works effectively as your own syndicate for a while."
Mori blinked in surprise, a pleased smile coming to her lips. Koizumi nodded thoughtfully, while Kyon looked to Tsuruya, who tried to keep her laughter in check, but let a wide grin blossom. "Who's the boss?" she asked her father, expecting that it would be Mori, but wanting to be certain.
"You, of course, Haruka-chan," the man said mildly. "I'm going to be very busy for a whiles with the Fujiya-tachi, especially with the new Sumiyoshi-rengo still in towns. But don't worry! I'll take care of that, and Kasai will helps you out -- I won't have my future son-in-laws getting attacked again!"
Then he raised his hands and clapped them together, grinning fit to match his daughter. "So! Kyon-kun here should eat somethings after his mission! Why don't we have dinner?"
Shinobu swept into the room, kneeling between Tsuruya and her father in a smooth, practiced motion. She bowed her head respectfully from her kneeling position. "A...actually, Tsuruya-sama," Mori interrupted apologetically, "Itsuki-kun and I already had dinner. And there's some paperwork I really have to take care of...."
"Homework, myself," Koizumi said with a mournful smile, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. The pair both rose and bowed politely to Tsuruya's father.
"Well, good luck, then," the man allowed. "I supposes it's just the three of us then, eh? Why don't--"
Shinobu coughed, very quietly, and Tsuruya thought she caught the most fleeting glimpse of the maid shooting her father a warning look. He sat up straighter at the table, patting his suit coat pockets before picking up the unfolded origami. "Uh, hum, actually, I need to discuss some business with Aida -- you two will have to have dinner without me." He rose from the table and quickly strode away, pulling a phone from his pocket as he did.
"Take care, Tsuruya-sama," Kyon said politely, rising from his seat to bow to the patriarch.
"Bye, Father!" she called, waving. "I'll see you on Saturdays for dinner, alright?"
"Yes, yes," he agreed, looking back over his shoulder to shoot a smile at his daughter and her fiance. "And you two have a nice evening! We shall have a meal together another times!" After that, he vanished through the doorway, already pressing a button on his phone.
"Hmm," Kyon mused, sinking to sit back at the table with a curious glance to Shinobu.
She returned an innocent look, and Tsuruya decided that warranted investigation ... later. For the time being, she said, "I'd like dinner for Kyon-kun and I, please!"
"Understood," Shinobu agreed, bowing even lower before she rose and smoothly began to glide away.
"So!" Tsuruya exclaimed cheerfully, reaching beneath the edge of the table and fishing out the remote. "Let's catch up on some Trope-tan before the movies tomorrow night!"
"Sure," he agreed, giving her an almost concealed smile of amusement before turning to look at the wall partition that slid quietly away to reveal the television behind it. "I think I saw through the end of season two with Kanae-chan and Nagato."
After punching in the first episode of season three, she confided, "I don't like this openings song as much as season two, but the endings are better." Stretching out to lean against him comfortably, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Hey," she wondered suddenly. "Haru-nyan is 'Haruhi', Kanae-chan is 'Kanae-chan', I get to be 'Tsuruya-kun'...." She trailed off and giggled, thinking about Mikuru, then skipped ahead to her main point: "Why is Yuki-chan still 'Nagato'?"
"Um," Kyon mused, frowning thoughtfully. "That is really not the question I had expected. It might be nice to call her something else, but I guess I'm just afraid of overstepping...?"
Tsuruya nodded thoughtfully at that. "Well, I thinks she wouldn't mind," she assured him. "But, you can always asks her!"
"That's true," he admitted, sighing softly.
She smiled ruefully, realizing she had worried him more than she had managed to calm him. "Well, don't worry about that! You did a great job on today's missions; you can handle anything!"
He pulled slightly away from her, enough to give her a smile that told her she had cheered him back up again.
Grinning back at him, she closed the distance between them for a kiss. It might be time for dinner soon, but she was confident that Shinobu would cough in warning.... As their lips touched, she wondered if the maid might instead just cover the dishes and wait. She knew she wouldn't mind, and doubted Kyon would, either.
Kanae's police-woman's costume was almost complete; Mikuru was positive she would be done with it after one more good session of work. In the meantime, the first year girl had agreed to let Mikuru wear her maid costume again, as Kanae and Tsuruya were both heading to the Trope-tan movie with Kyon that night. So, humming to herself, she pulled the bow tight just as Haruhi opened the door explosively, looking momentarily chagrined at the realization that she had almost exposed Mikuru -- again.
"Ah," Mikuru managed, slightly startled by the sudden appearance of the brigade chief. "Um! I'll make the tea!"
"I should have dressed up today," Haruhi sighed, shaking her head. "We have to figure out a better rotation for costumes."
"So far, I like pretty much all of them," Kyon mused. "Though, I have to admit that I've only ever seen Haruhi in her cheongsam once."
"Suzumiya-sempai has a dress like that?" Kanae gasped, eyes widening. "Ooh, those are, um, mature outfits!"
Mikuru felt her face redden, wondering what it meant that Haruhi had said the outfit wouldn't be good for her. Haruhi's own face was a bit red, too. "I just thought it stood out and was very pretty ... but I don't think that the cheongsam is a moe outfit, like a maid's costume, or a nurse's uniform!"
The rest of the group trooped into the room and took their seats while Mikuru prepared tea. At some point, Tsuruya and Kanae had gotten their own teacups added to the collection -- Tsuruya's a handmade traditional piece with her family crest on it, and Kanae a factory-issue hot-pink mug with a cheerfully waving Trope-tan.
After the door shut, while Mikuru was still quietly humming to herself and pouring, Haruhi rapped on her desk, surveying the collected brigade, her gaze settling on Kyon. "Okay!" she called, smiling, leaning forward. "So, I hear you had a mission last night, Kyon?"
He raised an eyebrow, looking up from where Koizumi was setting up a Stratego board. "That's right," he agreed.
"All the details!" Haruhi demanded cheerfully. "I want to hear about everything, since I didn't get to go!"
"I've pre-emptively classified the majority of my mission details," Kyon countered smoothly, turning to his school bag and producing a small stack of papers, the top of which read 'Confidential' in large characters. "I'm afraid this file is sealed to my rank and higher."
"Is that so...?" Haruhi mused, raising one eyebrow speculatively. "There must be incredibly sensitive information in this report -- hand it over!"
He shrugged, letting go of the papers as they flew through the air and into Haruhi's hands. The brigade chief began excitedly shuffling through the papers, reading them line-by-line. "Phone," she added, not looking up from the report, one palm extended expectantly.
Kyon rolled his eyes, setting his PDA on the table and turning his attention to the board between himself and Koizumi. Kanae watched excitedly, her sketchbook close at hand, and Tsuruya was sitting next to Yuki, the pair of them reading the Trope-tan manga. As the PDA began to drift toward Haruhi's hand, Mikuru smiled, serving out the tea.
She started with Haruhi, then went around the table, setting Yuki's cup down last. "There you go, Yuki-chan," she said cheerfully.
The smaller girl looked up, blinking once, and Mikuru got an odd sense of reassurance, that somehow, Yuki was more relaxed. "Thank you," she returned quietly.
Smiling, she stepped quietly behind Haruhi, freezing in alarm when the brigade chief suddenly extended a hand toward her, offering Kyon's PDA. In the meantime, Haruhi was still reading the papers, floating handily before her as her other hand toyed with her hair. As it was, the brigade chief's hair had grown surprisingly over the last month or so, probably a good six or seven centimeters at least. Mikuru fought back the urge to try and braid it, instead accepting the phone with an initial moment of confusion before realization set in.
She managed to keep herself from squealing in delight as the PDA immediately flipped to the 'wardrobe' function. Taking a breath to calm herself, she took her seat near the tea set, smoothing her apron down before taking the first sip of her own drink. That done, she skimmed through the recent costumes, scrolling back to the selection that Haruhi had scanned earlier.
With a single touch against the screen, Kyon's clothing had been replaced with the more classically refined outlines of the garb of Himura Kenshin -- a worn but clean samurai's garb. He merely glanced at himself for the briefest moment before playing a piece against Koizumi. Swallowing, Mikuru reached into the pocket of her maid's outfit, producing her phone and quickly pulling up her copy of the picture of Kyon in his apron. The PDA had no problems scanning the picture of Kyon himself, and adding it to the collection.
Her finger hovered over the button, and she realized that Kanae was watching her shyly from across the table. Swallowing, Mikuru forced herself to resist pressing it, and put her own phone away. The important thing was, it was part of the collection. Some day, her dream of a totally domestic Kyon would be realized.
Until then.... She smiled at Kanae and flipped to another costume, dressing Kyon in the outfit of Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist. He spared another glance for his cornflower blue military uniform, corded with gold at the shoulders and bearing mysterious emblems of rank, then flashily snapped his fingers when it was time for his next move, bumping the board and causing a single piece to flip into position perfectly. "Showoff," Haruhi accused, unable to keep from smirking as she glanced briefly up from reading the report. "Especially after these so-well-detailed 'minor technicalities'!"
"I didn't hear about these?" Koizumi remarked, glancing between Kyon and Haruhi curiously.
"That's classified," Kyon said without apology, making one last move. "Not bad, Koizumi, better luck next time."
"Yep," Haruhi agreed, folding the papers together. "But those are some surprising limitations on your abilities, Kyon."
"Thanks to Nagato, it's already been dealt with," he said with assurance, pulling the handle of his energy blade from his coat. "Now this has other modes."
"Like what?" Haruhi asked, intrigued. "It's a laser blade and...?"
"Sort of a harmonic key-simulator," he answered, frowning.
"So, a Swiss-army beam saber?" she teased, grinning.
"Sure," he agreed, tracing his fingertips across the handle. "It's mostly sound-based in tool mode ... I think of it like a sonic screwdriver!"
"A name like that would never catch on," Haruhi determined, shaking her head. "You'll need to work on that."
"I'm sure," he answered dryly, turning to Kanae as she produced a different board game.
Haruhi watched for a moment, then turned to Yuki, tapping a fingertip against the stack of papers. "Yuki-chan, what do you think about making a secure filing cabinet? Something we can store Brigade paperwork and important documents in?" she asked.
Yuki looked up from her Trope-tan manga, blinking as she met Haruhi's gaze. To Mikuru, she looked somehow uncertain, hesitant before answering, "It can be done."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Haruhi gave the shorter girl a doubtful look. "Really?" she pressed.
"Security is ... interesting," Yuki admitted. Mikuru cheered internally, glad that she had acknowledged such a thing, but aware of the way everyone else had turned to look at small girl with that remark. Her pale hair shifting as she tilted her face, Yuki turned her gaze to the low two drawer filing cabinet the brigade room already held.
Mikuru was positive that the tiniest hints of pink had come to Yuki's cheeks, and everyone else in the clubroom had turned to watch her. Kyon and Tsuruya had the decency to do it covertly, despite knowing that Yuki was undoubtedly completely aware. Koizumi was watching with mild interest, and Kanae was staring with a wide-eyed smile, blushing in sympathy.
"In that case, would you like to design our secure vault?" Haruhi asked, grinning.
Yuki gave a very solemn nod, raising one hand toward the filing cabinet, freezing the merest distance away from touching it. She turned to look back at Haruhi blankly.
"Go ahead!" Haruhi encouraged, nodding back. "Go all out!"
Yuki turned her gaze again, this time to Kyon, and Mikuru bit her lip, an unexpected message from her superior causing her to nearly fumble the PDA, her thumb jabbing the screen randomly before she caught it. Kyon's costume swapped to a gleaming suit of elaborate armor -- the outfit of some knight from an RPG that Haruhi had scanned previously. A billowing crimson cape filled the space behind him, and he looked at her sternly.
"I think," he said cautiously, "that it's time for you to trust your own judgment, too. You don't need my permission for this ... Yuki."
A squeak escaped Mikuru at that, and her eyes flew wide. Haruhi turned to stare at him in surprise, and Tsuruya's quiet giggle began building up into something even louder. Yuki froze, the tiny hints of pink in her cheek intensifying slightly, developing into a genuine, if mild, blush. Her lips formed something wordlessly, then she nodded at Kyon and turned her attention back to the filing cabinet.
"Augh!" Haruhi yelped, diving for her schoolbag and tearing it open, sending schoolbooks and papers everywhere. "Camera! Where's my camera!"
An instant later, a brilliant blue glow enveloped the entire cabinet, flashing blindingly for a moment before fading away into nothing. The cabinet looked exactly the same, except for the updated interface on Mikuru's augmented reality. She realized with a jolt of annoyance that the update had been what had made her press functions on the PDA at random. Scowling, she turned to the device, wondering what she'd done....
Strangely enough, she realized she'd somehow accidentally recorded Yuki's blush on Kyon's phone when the message had come through. "Um, Suzumiya-san," she called, holding the phone out for Haruhi's inspection. Instantly, Haruhi was at Mikuru's side, half glomped onto the older girl as she crowded close to watch the replay.
"This is going into the archives," she said momentously, watching the way Yuki's blush had been perfectly captured on the PDA's larger screen.
"In the meantime," Kyon noted, glancing down at himself, "how long am I going to be count Kyon von Tada--"
"Oh, hush," Haruhi overrode him, eagerly watching a second replay. "Did you, or did you not just see the most amazing explosion of moe within this room ever just now?"
Kyon's eyebrows rose and he gave Haruhi a challenging stare. The fact that he was wearing gleaming plate armor and a still-billowing crimson cape lent real gravity to his normally implacable look. Somehow, instead of being silly, he really just looked like he was some feudal lord, stepped forward from an ancient time and only somewhat amused about the entire thing.
"W...what?" Haruhi demanded, slightly defensive, still clinging onto Mikuru. "What's that stupid look mean!?"
"Nothing," Kyon relented, looking away, giving Yuki an apologetic shrug.
"Say, Kyon-kun," Tsuruya interjected smoothly, grinning, "do you knows any German?"
"Just a few words here and there," he allowed, shrugging, one gauntleted hand going forward to grab the dice and roll them. "Mostly from movies. I know Japanese best."
"It's easy!" Tsuruya said cheerfully. "They use grammars very similar to ours!"
Mikuru bit her lip with a smile, handing Kyon's PDA back to Haruhi. The brigade chief released her, sending a copy of the precious video to her own phone, while the time traveler busied herself preparing a second round of tea. Was it possible to have a gift for languages, but to be unaware of it? He had already established that he had a better knowledge of English than Haruhi, much to her annoyance.
He insisted it was all just a combination of luck and simple strategy, but Mikuru knew better. It was because he'd memorized such an extensive vocabulary.... Really, she was starting to suspect that Kyon liked to play dumb -- especially after how easily he figured out how to coerce that Fujiwara character into cooperating with the time loop.
Tsuruya, fluent in German, began drilling Kyon in the basics; Mikuru's augmented reality provided translations, and she giggled as she refilled Kyon's teacup. Kanae initially looked bewildered, but Haruhi leaped to her rescue: "It's perfect, Kanae-chan; Tsu-chan will distract Kyon with German, and we'll study enough English to beat him in Scrabble next time!"
"As much time as we have," Kyon allowed, poking at one plate-wrapped wrist with a frown before glancing to the clock. "Imouto and Miyoko-chan are going to be waiting for us to take them to the Trope-tan movie tonight."
"Ooh!" Tsuruya cheered, brightening. "That's right! Kanae-chan, you'll have to come home with me, so we can dress up together! Kyon-kun, you'll make sure that Imouto-kun and Miyoko-chan are ready?"
"If I don't, my mom will," he agreed, giving a lopsided smirk.
Haruhi grimaced at that, before remarking, "Okay, fine. Yuki-chan, Mikuru-chan, we should meet up tonight, anyway."
"Okay," Mikuru agreed cheerfully. She envied Tsuruya and Kanae a little bit, but she'd gotten to see movies with Kyon before; she couldn't really begrudge them that much. "Does that sound fun, Yuki-chan?"
Yuki nodded, not looking up from her manga, but adopting her tiny almost-a-smile expression.
"Good!" Haruhi cheered, clapping her hands together.
After walking home with Kyon's sister, the two had finished their weekend homework together, just settling down in the living room to play a game when the front door opened, Kyon calling that he had returned. Miyoko was a step behind Nonoko in the dash to the hall, both of them beaten by Nonoko's and Kyon's mother.
"You're going out with Tsuruya-chan again tonight, aren't you?" the woman fussed, studying Kyon's clothing as though he were going to the movie in his school uniform.
"That's right," he agreed, nonplussed as he switched his casual shoes for his house-slippers. "Kanae-chan, Imouto, and Miyoko-chan are going to be with us, too." He slipped around the woman as she pursed her lips and turned to watch him in thoughtful silence. "Oh, hey, you two," he added when he saw the smaller girls, tousling Nonoko's hair when she glomped onto him.
"Trope-tan movie tonight!" Nonoko barked, grinning up at Kyon.
"I missed you, too," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"Um, thank you for inviting me, Kyon-nii-san," Miyoko managed, feeling her cheeks pinken slightly. Now, if Koizumi had been going, too, then it would be a perfect evening....
"Any time, Miyoko-nee-chan," he replied, winking before he turned to jog up the stairs.
"Kyon," Nonoko's mother began, too late, as he was already out of earshot. She stared after him thoughtfully, then turned to Nonoko. "You know, your brother's growing into a fine young man, but sometimes I wonder at how quickly it seems to happen...."
For her part, Miyoko's friend gave her mother a blank, confused look before shrugging and turning a questioning look at Miyoko. "Um," Miyoko managed, giggling nervously, "I think that Kyon-nii-san is just doing his best. Isn't that admirable enough?"
The mother of Miyoko's best friends didn't have an answer for that, just turning to the door when a knock sounded. "Tsuruya-chan!" she greeted the girl standing outside in surprise. "Ah ... how good to see you again! Kyon's just upstairs, changing."
Miyoko felt her mouth dropping open at the sight of Tsuruya in a sleek, very classy black dress -- a slinky affair that seemed to magically cling to the older girl. It came down to end mid-thigh, belted with a thin golden chain, and showed just enough pale skin across her chest to be enticing without being what Miyoko thought was trashy; she immediately wished she had one, and that it would look nearly as good on her the next time she ran into Koizumi.
"Okies!" Tsuruya said cheerfully. "Kanae-chan and I are ready as soon as everyone else is!"
"Pretty hair!" Nonoko remarked, in awe of the way that Tsuruya's long hair had been painstakingly braided, a woven cord that ran to her knees, even bound up with the pretty dragonfly clips at the end.
"And a lovely dress, too," Nonoko's mother agreed.
Tsuruya giggled, ducking at the praise, then shook her head. "I just hopes Kyon-kun likes it-- Oh! Kyon-kun~!"
The boy in question stared at her, slowing as he trotted down the stairs to come to a full stop in another of his nice suits, right next to Miyoko. "Ah, Tsuruya-kun," he managed after a moment, trying not to stare. "You look great!"
"Thank you, Kyon-kun!" Tsuruya chirped, twirling in place and then winking at him. "I thoughts about a pony-tail, but decided a braids would be better for tonight!"
Kyon gave a very rare puzzled look at that, then shook his head. "Um ... is it time already?"
"I'd likes to get there a bit early," Tsuruya admitted. "The premiere was last nights at midnight, but this is a special showings. The directors and staff of the movie and seasons three and five will be there!" She bounced excitedly on her toes, which Miyoko thought a bit jealously caused some interesting things to happen beneath her dress, then twirled perfectly in place on one toe again before stopping, one arm extended toward Kyon.
This time, her skirt spun around her with her momentum, giving a brief flash of her long legs before it settled, only just missed by Nonoko's mother as the woman fussed over both of the younger girls, making sure they had everything they would need for the evening. "I'll take good cares of them," Tsuruya promised, as Kyon crooked his elbow for her to take in her own arm. "And Kyon-kun, too!"
"He really should have gotten her some flowers," the woman muttered, too quietly for the couple up front to hear as they trooped away. Miyoko shook her head, wondering if Kyon's sister had noticed any of the things she had. As it was, she suddenly had the worried notion that she and Kyon's sister were interfering with what might have been a romantic evening.
Shortly, they were in the limousine, much to Miyoko's amazement. She'd never been in such a vehicle before, until the last weekend's beach trip, though both Kyon and Tsuruya seemed to be familiar with it; Kanae was in the back, looking a bit nervously uncomfortable, herself, dressed similarly to Tsuruya. Miyoko tried to give the other girl an encouraging smile, even while taking solace in her presence. Surely it couldn't be a date with two other girls closer to his own age...? Miyoko wondered why that thought seemed so very familiar.
Shortly enough, Kyon was seated on the long bench-like seat, between Kanae and Nonoko, and Miyoko had gotten a seat on the other bench next to Tsuruya.
"I feel under-dressed," Miyoko confessed, plucking at her plain skirt and blushing.
"You aren't," Nonoko countered swiftly, before anyone else could speak. "It's no good if only I'm wearing normal clothes!"
Miyoko felt her face flush as Tsuruya put an arm around her shoulder. "You can dress up when you're as old as you looks," the green-haired girl promised her, grinning.
"W...what's that supposed to mean?" Miyoko whimpered in protest, her blush deepening.
The older girl burst into laughter, while Kanae gave her an apprehensive look. Kyon leaned forward, closer to Miyoko, and asked, "Are you looking forward to seeing the movie? So far, the reviews are saying that 'Trope-tan Begins' is the best Trope-tan film to-date."
"I ... don't know much more about the series than what Nono-chan has told me, and the few episodes I've picked up so far," Miyoko admitted, her blush fading. "I like what I've seen so far, though!"
"I haven't gotten much past the start of season three, myself," Kyon confessed, smiling apologetically. "I hope we won't be too confused."
"Me, too," Miyoko agreed, giggling nervously.
"I'll sit next to you!" Nonoko said eagerly, nodding at her friend. "I'll help you out if anything needs explaining!"
"I'll do the same for Kyon-kun," Tsuruya chirped, giggling. "It's my faults that Kyon-kun didn't get past season three!"
Kyon blushed at that, for some reason, but Miyoko wasn't certain why -- or how it was the older girl's fault. She decided it was better not to ask, in any case.... Soon enough, the limousine had come to a stop and the group had trouped out, into a small cleared area lined with somber, well-dressed security personnel. Beyond that was a milling crowd of reporters, most of them surprisingly well dressed, all of them eagerly snapping pictures.
Miyoko tried her best to look dignified and poised as she followed the much better dressed group past the flashing cameras, but found herself suddenly alone; Nonoko abandoned her to run up and grab her brother's hand. Almost instantly, Tsuruya drifted back, taking one of Miyoko's hands reassuringly in her own, somehow seeming to deflect or absorb the attention of the crowd away. A heartbeat later, they were through the doors and into a palatial theater lobby, brilliantly lit with dazzling golden ornaments trailing crimson banners festooning the upper reaches of the vaulted ceiling.
The relative silence left Miyoko wobbling at the sudden shift from unexpected crowd to equally unexpected sedate, mostly empty space. "Sorries!" Tsuruya apologized, patting her hand reassuringly. "I forgot to warn you about that parts. But don't worry! I'll stay by you next times, okies?"
"Imouto," Kyon murmured, looking at his sister sternly. She blushed darkly, releasing Kyon's hand and turning to face Miyoko.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I ran to Kyon-kun when there were so many people...."
Miyoko stifled a sigh internally, and gave her friend a smile. "It's okay," she reassured her friend.
"Right!" Tsuruya agreed instantly. "After all, Miyoko-chan has Tsuru-nee to watch over her, too!"
Miyoko giggled at that, looking around as another group of well-dressed men and women came through the doors, moving around them before striding across the quiet, empty area to the double-doors beneath the 'Trope-tan Begins' marquee.
"For tonights, this entire theater is just for the Trope-tan movie!" Tsuruya explained, leading the group across the hallway to where a group of ushers were waiting. A few minutes later, they were all seated in a half-full auditorium, listening to the subdued chatter of dozens of other people as they waited for the movie to begin. Surprisingly enough, as excited as she was, Nonoko ended up dozing during the wait, while Kyon obligingly got up to get snacks for everyone.
Miyoko patted her sleeping friend's shoulder, then glanced to the other side -- where Kanae was sitting, a space between her and Tsuruya still waiting for Kyon. Kyon returned, bearing an overloaded tray of drink cups and popcorn, sighing good-naturedly at his sleeping sister when he returned. He and Miyoko made a hasty bucket-brigade, ferrying the items by hand over the smaller girl until the tray was empty, and he woke her by gently bopping her with the cardboard tray.
"I didn't fall asleep," she instantly mumbled defensively, blearily sitting up. "I'm not too tired for the movie!"
"I'm sure," Kyon agreed, smirking.
Nonoko blushed and consoled herself with her soda, while Kyon settled back into his seat.... And Miyoko didn't at all miss the way that Kanae repositioned herself, leaning across the arm between their seats and pressing against Kyon. She felt her face turn red and quickly turned to the screen, as the house lights dimmed.
A spotlight targeted a podium at the base of the screen, and an unfamiliar man appeared, giving a short speech that Miyoko couldn't quite follow before thunderous applause flooded the room. Nonoko whispered over the roar that the man was the senior character designer for the Trope-tan movie, and then he bowed and the spotlight went out. The area was pitch-black, and Miyoko felt the familiar sense of Nonoko's hand grabbing her own, fumbling in the darkness before the first bits of music began to pour through the speakers, and the crowd when silent.
The screen lit up, and then Miyoko lost track of time as an explosion of color splashed across the screen, quickly resolving into familiar shapes as the film began.
Later, once the movie had ended, Miyoko found herself, still dizzy from the loud noise, and somewhat giddy and misty-eyed from the finale. She felt struck speechless from the end of the film until they climbed into Tsuruya's waiting limousine. Kyon's sister was happily babbling about the surprise appearance of Trope-tan's friends, Quote-tan, Wikipe-tan, and Media-tan -- Nonoko was explaining how they were a power-trio, sisters who had formed a group called the 'commons-tans.' Miyoko nodded, then turned a grateful smile at Kyon.
"What did you think?" Tsuruya asked him, when the door was closed, and the vehicle had smoothly rolled into motion.
"That was a really good movie," he decided, grinning. "Of course, the company didn't hurt." Whatever that meant, it made Kanae giggle and blush, and Tsuruya grab onto Kyon and squeeze him tightly.
"Good!" the older girl chirped, nuzzling briefly against Kyon before releasing him, pinkening slightly at the way Kanae stared at her with wide-eyes. "Ah ... so! Miyoko-chan, Imouto-kun, you had good times?"
"The best!" Nonoko agreed, throwing her arms wide. "Thanks to Kyon-kun and Tsuru-nee-chan!"
"My fiancee gets a 'nee-chan', and I'm still 'Kyon'," he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes.
"That's because Kyon is Kyon," his sister returned with a smirk. "Auntie Rika said so!"
He scowled at his sister, who merely giggled in response. "Um, Sempai?" Kanae ventured, before he spoke.
"What is it, Kanae-chan?" he asked, his annoyance vanishing as he turned to look at the girl at his side.
"Um, I've wondered.... Can you tell me why people call you by that instead of your name?" He stared at her for a moment, then glanced inquisitively to Tsuruya, who was already clapping both hands to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. Kanae's face darkened nervously with each moment that he hesitated to answer.
"I really can't say," he finally relented, when she looked nearly ready to faint. "I don't honestly know."
Miyoko bit her lip, giving the boy a sympathetic look. Well, she could cheer him up quickly enough, she realized. "Don't worry about it!" she encouraged him. "If I can beat my nickname, you can too...." She trailed off and realized that much to her horror, she couldn't actually remember his real name. She could call him by his family name, but that was hopelessly formal, considering their familiarity! "I know you can, um, Aniki," she tried, somewhat lamely.
Tsuruya seemed to have figured it out, because if anything, she began to laugh harder, until the infectious amusement drowned out Miyoko's embarrassment and everyone else began to laugh, too.
Even though she didn't really understand everything, when they stopped at her house so that Kyon and Nonoko could walk her to her door, she felt she could honestly thank them both for a great time.
In too much of a good mood to mind that Taniguchi had shoved a broom into his hands and demanded that he take over the taller boy's cleaning duties for the half-day, Kyon and a somewhat irritated Kunikida tidied up the room, along with Sakanaka. The class rep, Goto, had stayed a few minutes to collect papers before running off to the office, but the three remaining students were able to clean the room easily enough.
As Sakanaka put up the cleaning supplies, Kyon and Kunikida finished rearranging the desks and chairs. "Sorry that Taniguchi forced you into this, Kyon," Kunikida remarked, shaking his head as he collected his schoolbag.
"No problem," he replied, glancing to one side where Sakanaka fiddled with her own bag, repeatedly glancing toward the pair of them as she hesitated. Kyon wondered briefly what might have been bothering her, then decided he shouldn't worry about it; she and Haruhi were friends. Surely Haruhi would mention if it were serious. "Well, you two take care."
For whatever reason, Sakanaka looked flustered at the comment, though Kunikida didn't react much beyond nodding. "You, too," the boy replied, checking his phone. "Ah ... I've got to hurry to cram school." With that, he collected his bag and quickly trotted out the door.
Kyon turned at the tiny sigh Sakanaka heaved when his short friend vanished. "Something wrong, Sakanaka-san?"
"Er, no, no," she said quickly, shaking her head in denial as she picked up her own bag. "J...just.... Ah, it's nothing, Kyon-kun. Um.... Well, enjoy your free time; I'll see you later!"
He couldn't help but think he was missing something as she hurriedly jogged away, looking strangely disappointed to him. "Huh," he mused, frowning.
A quiet cough pulled his attention from the doorway that Sakanaka had fled through to the classroom's other door, where Koizumi was standing, with a slightly more natural smile than his usual. "Are you finished cleaning?" he asked politely.
Kyon snorted and shouldered his bag, closing both of the doors before stepping into the hall. "Haruhi sent you to find me because I was taking too long?" he asked.
"I volunteered for the duty, actually," Koizumi replied with a tiny shake of his head, before adjusting his tie with a small amount of pride. "I am your personal assistant, after all."
"No way that comment could possibly be misconstrued," he retorted, falling into step at the esper's side as the two began walking toward the clubroom very slowly.
"As it happens, based on recent discussions, I've spent some time learning the limitations of my powers," Koizumi began in a low voice, casting about for potential eavesdroppers.
Kyon nodded; knowing what his own limitations were seemed to be a critical exercise, lately. Obviously he wasn't the only one who would benefit.
"Interestingly enough," the esper continued, "my powers functioned previously on my awareness of Suzumiya-san's emotional state, and the fact that my own emotions are separate. If you will, imagine that using my powers requires detailed awareness of two emotional states. It's difficult to explain, but it's the differences between those two that allows me to define what my power is and does."
"You're saying that your power doesn't work if you're not linked to Haruhi," Kyon surmised, frowning. Haruhi hadn't liked realizing Koizumi was listening in on her feelings. Restoring that link so that Koizumi could use his powers....
"That's not precisely the case," Koizumi returned, smiling. "Suzumiya-san didn't destroy my ability to connect to the minds of others.... She merely removed herself as an endpoint for that link."
Kyon blinked, mulling this over. "So," he said slowly, glancing at the esper sidelong, "you've got a 'link' with someone else?"
"No!" Koizumi said, sounding strangely pleased, his smile widening. "Or rather, not a specific person," he clarified. "Now instead of being 'locked', as it were, to Suzumiya-san, I can read from nearly anyone I am aware of."
Kyon considered this further as they reached the staircase to the clubroom. "I see," he ventured cautiously.
"I suspect that with practice, I may be able to read surface thoughts, not just feelings," Koizumi continued, nodding happily. "But the reason I bring this up is the fact that there are people that I cannot read." He stopped in the switchback of the stairwell, dropping his voice slightly lower again. "It shouldn't surprise you to find that I cannot read Suzumiya-san, anymore. Likewise, Nagato-san is blocked to me, and Asahina-san is similarly guarded to my senses."
As he stopped, Kyon couldn't help but nod at Koizumi; that much, he would have expected. "That makes sense," he acknowledged. Though, the fact that anyone could read Mikuru's feelings on her face rendered her mysterious defense somewhat moot.
"Kanae scans very faintly, compared to most people," Koizumi continued. "Tsuruya-san appears completely normal from what I can discern...."
Kyon furrowed his brows as he stared at Koizumi, frowning. "So, well ... that all seems fine, to me," he said. "I'd urge against eavesdropping personally, especially on people who might be able to do something about it."
"Understandable, and I don't have any particular desire to upset my friends," Koizumi agreed. "However, all the same, I feel you should know ... when I attempted to read you, I found that there's nothing there."
Kyon blinked at that. "Maybe I was just feeling really calm at that point," he suggested.
Koizumi shook his head. "For Nagato-san, I can sense that she's there, but it's like there's a wall of some sort, an invisible barrier. For Suzumiya-san, the sensation is more like a strong wind that keeps me away. For Asahina-san, it's like a more solid block than Nagato-san's ... not as expertly made, but more than sufficient.
"However, when I try and sense your emotions," he said, raising a fingertip to tap the side of his head, "it's as though you simply aren't there."
Feeling very uncomfortable with that revelation, Kyon nodded. "I'll visit with Yuki tonight and ask her what she thinks about it," he decided. "Thanks for the heads-up, Koizumi."
"I'm still not worried," Koizumi noted with a shrug, smiling. "Most likely it's just some defense that Nagato-san has arranged for you ... or possibly even just a limitation of my own skill, poorly trained as it is at that point. I thought you might like to know, all the same."
Kyon nodded again, taking a final moment to consider things before trudging up the stairs. Right up until then, he'd really been able to enjoy those confusing moments when he'd dropped his sister off at home and then gone back to Tsuruya's place with her and Kanae. They had dinner while watching more Trope-tan anime, and when Kanae had excused herself to answer a phone call from her parents, Tsuruya had gleefully tackled Kyon to the floor for a brief, but enjoyable, make out session.
After that, he'd gone with Tsuruya to drop Kanae off, walking her to her door and unexpectedly finding the smaller girl launching herself at him, too. Worried about being caught, and more worried about her thinking he was rejecting her, Kyon found himself surprised by how easy it was to return the slider's inexperienced kiss. And that was enjoyable, too.
That had made things very confusing, so he hadn't said much of anything to Tsuruya on the ride home except to thank her again. She released him with a giggling wink and a kiss on the cheek, and then he'd tried to just think about the positives and remember what Tsuruya had said earlier.
All that was gone now, thanks to Koizumi's new revelation. The esper was a half-step ahead of him, so opened the clubroom door and stepped through first. Once again, the newest costume play had taken him by surprise; he was so prepared for the sight of Kanae in a policewoman's uniform that Haruhi being the one in costume seemed totally unexpected.
She was wearing her Chinese dress, her hair done up in a pair of cloth-wrapped buns. She was currently leaning over the table at Kanae's side, while the younger girl stared at the paper before her in determined concentration. Yuki sat further down the table, working on the last few volumes of the Trope-tan manga, while Tsuruya and Mikuru were engaged in a game of shogi -- at a glance, Kyon thought Tsuruya was winning, but he recognized how Mikuru could easily revise her strategy.
Haruhi looked up first, flashing Kyon an impatient grin. "Phone," she demanded, one hand going out.
He rolled his eyes and pulled the device from his invisible greatcoat pocket, letting her levitate it toward her while her gaze went back to Kanae. "Nice to see you too," he greeted her.
The brigade chief's expression shifted into a smirk. Koizumi took the seat near Kanae, setting his bag on the table as he glanced at Kanae's paper. "Ah," he said, nodding knowingly. "Suzumiya-san made you a practice exam?"
The slider nodded, sticking her tongue out with effort as she concentrated, and carefully picked out the answer for the next problem.
Kyon sat opposite Koizumi, uncertain of what to do. He wasn't sure if he felt like playing a game, but if it was any game, Mikuru and Tsuruya had inadvertently gotten him interested in shogi, and the group would probably want to play some multi-player game next instead.
Mikuru's quiet giggle, and Tsuruya's louder chortle alerted him to the fact that Haruhi had changed his own costume. He glanced down, not entirely surprised to see a movie-perfect Chinese kung-fu outfit. "What is this from?" he asked, bemused.
"'Fearless'," Haruhi answered without hesitation. Kyon thought he vaguely remembered that movie, and wondered if the illusion extended to him having half of his head shaved and a braid running down his back.
His ruminations were quickly interrupted by Haruhi seizing the collar of his greatcoat, invisible as it was; the coat automatically shifted the illusion it projected to make it appear as though Haruhi had grabbed his kung-fu outfit, instead. He felt somehow certain that Haruhi knew what the proper name for the garb was.
He was unceremoniously hauled out of his seat, though due to height difference, he had to stand up on his own. "Yes, Haruhi?" he asked placidly, turning to look at the girl hanging onto his clothes. She didn't meet his eyes, her cheeks pinkening faintly. "Koizumi-kun, Kanae-chan has eighteen minutes left on that test; help make sure she's not interrupted. Kyon-kun and I have to discuss something!"
And at that, Haruhi took off, forcing Kyon to either jog with her, or let her physically drag him out of the clubroom, down the stairs, and without any doubt, straight to a very familiar stairwell. She skidded to a halt as they approached the steps, mouth dropping open in surprise at the sight of Taniguchi and Yanagimoto coming down the stairs.
Unaware, somehow, of the two brigade members in Chinese garb, the couple descended together, Yanagimoto fussing with the tie of her school uniform blouse and muttering darkly at Taniguchi, and for his part, the boy smirking and looking aloof. Both of them had faintly flushed red faces, and given Haruhi's designs for the space, Kyon found it wasn't hard to guess what they'd been up to.
Yanagimoto cut off suddenly, eyes widening as she spotted Kyon and Haruhi first. "Uh," she managed, freezing in place, then hurriedly looking down at her blouse before dropping her hands to her sides. "Um...." Her face began to darken, turning deeper red, while Taniguchi's smug grin widened.
"So--" he began, before being cut off by Haruhi.
"We got dressed up as martial artists to investigate the haunted corner of the school," she said, with a strangely hooded, unimpressed gaze, "and we find out the 'haunting' is just you two?"
"D...don't tell anyone!" Yanagimoto begged. "I don't know how I let him talk me into it--"
Haruhi waved a hand to cut her off. "Say no more," she sighed. "It's Taniguchi's stupidity, so it isn't really fair to punish you for that...."
"Hey!" Taniguchi protested, before Kyon interrupted, cutting the boy off again.
"Don't you have studying to do, anyway?" Kyon asked Taniguchi, deciding that for the sake of Yanagimoto's humiliation, he'd pretend he hadn't noticed her.
"Yeah, yeah," Taniguchi sighed, deflated somewhat. "Okay, fine, put down the clue-by-fours, I can take a hint...." He gave Kyon a pointed glance, raising an eyebrow, before turning to the girl at his side. "Yanagimoto-hime, shall we go and study?"
"Yes," she gasped out in response, grabbing his wrist and fleeing down the hall away from Kyon and Haruhi, not waiting to discuss things further. Without Haruhi's amazing strength, he was amused to note how much slower their flight was, before turning to look at the girl in the cheongsam, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You know," he remarked, "Koizumi told me how you handled things when I was ... unconscious after that Sumiyoshi-rengo attack."
She flinched at that, scowling and discarding the masks she had shown the other couple. "Bringing that up again," she grumbled, shaking her head.
He gently took her hand in his, glancing back down the hall. Even with no one in sight, he decided it was safer in the stairwell, and led her there. She didn't resist, after a moment seeming to recover and walking in pace with him. As he reached the final step, she moved ahead of him, stopping with their faces roughly level, though she looked away.
"Look," she said, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably. "That was terrible for me -- for all of us. I.... I'm glad we were able to get through it, but--"
"Okay, that wasn't the right thing to say," he overrode her, shaking his head apologetically and releasing her hand to rest his grip on her shoulder comfortingly. "Let's step back further, over a year ago. When we were trying to get into Nagato's building to investigate, you surprised me with how well you questioned the superintendent."
Her discomfort vanished as she turned a purely quizzical look at him.
"You put on a role and you played it without any notice," he explained, smiling. "Like a secret agent," he decided. Or a confidence artist, but he didn't feel the need to say that much.
She looked surprised and satisfied at that, slowly smiling. Her eyes flicked to his, and then away, lightning quick. "Well ... thanks, Kyon. Um ... you should go visit Yuki-chan tonight," she mumbled.
"I was planning on doing that," he admitted, before he could stop himself.
Haruhi raised an eyebrow at that, her eyes locking onto his, and he wondered if he should activate his skinsuit and forcefield before she had a chance to shove or hit him. "Good," Haruhi decided, grinning. "Then I don't have to feel guilty!"
With that, he met her kiss and gratefully forgot all about everything else for a little while.
While she didn't mind him calling her up and asking her to teleport him early, for reasons it was difficult for her to define, it relieved the pressure of holding the day's junk data in check. As each day passed, she was able to refine the processes that handled that data, lessening the workload in general -- to say nothing of the bolstering effects of those occasional moments of intimacy with her primary protection target.
So, with a deal of effort, but lacking the courage to put it into words, she surmised that an average high school girl waiting for her male lover might find his current endeavor 'cute'. He had called her earlier, so she knew he was coming -- but the subordinate data of his PDA gave her occasional updates as to his whereabouts and condition, anyway, at least one every few dozen picoseconds. Under the guise of the stealth field in the coat that Mikuru had made, and she and Haruhi had modified, he bypassed the security doors by leaping up the side of the building, managing long, arcing jumps between landings until he lit on the space before her door.
She was already waiting for him, holding it open and trying to restrain her involuntary reactions with mixed success. The same capillary excitement that happened occasionally was sparked off already, and her lips wanted to curl slightly despite her own motor control functions.
He gave a little sigh and a roll of his eyes as he glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then stepped inside and dropped his stealth function. She observed the way he became visible to her eyes as well as her other senses, shrugging off the coat and draping it over one arm. "Heya, um ... Yuki," he ventured as she closed the door.
An involuntary reaction on her part caused her to twitch, inadvertently slamming the door in surprise for some reason, even as her capillary excitement went into overdrive. She tried to turn to face him, despite the fact that further strange muscle motions tried to turn her eyes away.
"I...is it okay to call you that, Nagato?" he asked anxiously, his smile fading.
She had determined that a part of her being resonated with the more personal name, and that it should probably be called 'enjoyable'. By that same token, however, she had also determined that it caused her self-control to waver, and her behavior to deviate dangerously. The only logical conclusion was that it wasn't safe for him to call her by another name.
"Yuki...rin ... is okay," she said, which she found disconcerting, considering her logical conclusion that she shouldn't say such a thing.
He gave her a strange look, his smile returning as he ducked, doffing his shoes and slipping inside. She moved past him, engaging herself in the familiar ritual of preparing tea for him. He gave her a more calculating look than usual as he took a seat at the table. She handed him a teacup and he accepted it with a solemn nod of his head, murmuring, "Thank you, um ... Yuki-rin."
Yuki found another series of those involuntary reactions had almost caused her to spill her tea, so instead patiently set the kettle down. Her eyes fixed on his and she warned him, "I am experiencing a near-error state."
His eyes widened with worry. "What should I do?" he asked her anxiously. "How can I help?"
She rose from her place at the table and moved to his side. "Requesting that alias has an unexpected side-effect that seems similar to the reaction as observed in the case of Asahina Mikuru."
He blinked, then looked to one side, his own face flushing red. "O...okay," he managed. "S...so you know about that.... Um.... S...so I shouldn't call you by that, then?"
She knelt next to him and observed her arms going around him. He nervously hugged her back, before she pushed him to the floor and lowered herself to lay atop him. "Be careful," she murmured, before kissing him, taking initiative for once.
He kissed her back, and when she broke it she managed to explain, "This key phrase temporarily erodes my self-control," before silencing any protest he might voice with another searching kiss. After a few minutes, she let him breathe, realizing aloud, "I trust you with this key." He was trying to say something in response, but for a little while, she was too busy kissing him to listen much.
Some time later, when she was in control of herself again, she lay curled atop him, the side of her face resting on his chest while he heaved for breath, recovering herself. She checked her log of actions, replaying what she had done with him, and found she hadn't exceeded any of her previously established permissions. There was a risk in the future, though, so she delivered one final warning, explaining, "Repeated use of this alias may disable certain inhibitions."
Strangely, she felt absolutely confident trusting him with that. He gave her a curious look, then shook his head, sitting up. She slid into his lap, still leaning against him. "Okay," he said, his voice a tiny bit ragged, "um, we shouldn't just.... Er.... So, Yuki..." She felt herself tensing, uncertain if he would complete the alias, or.... "...chan, um, w...would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?"
The near-utterance of her nickname made her face redden again, though not as badly as before. Without releasing him, her face still pressed into his chest, she nodded.
After taking Yuki out to dinner at the same Tsuruya-gumi-owned establishment he had taken his own family, Kyon had walked the smaller girl back to her apartment, and then been more than happy to receive a single good-night kiss from her -- though for his own self control, he didn't stay with her. He knew he'd see her soon enough, after all, for the nightly training.
The training came and went, now just another note of his normal sleeping cycle, and he found himself waking in the hazy glow of half-remembered lessons and practice. Someone in his bed made a quiet, mumbling noise and squirmed around; a moment later, he felt a small, warm presence pressing against his body, nestled naturally into the curve of his own sleeping form.
For the first time in a long while, he considered sleeping in, giving his little sister a few moments to salvage her dignity and run off. He resolved to give her a few minutes, at the very least, his musings turning to what might have scared the little girl so much she had run into his bed.... It had been months since she'd sneaked in to sleep with him. And, come to think of it, he mused, how had she managed to sneak in without him waking up, this time?
Stifling a yawn rather than risk waking the girl, he opened his eyes in bemusement and carefully peeled back the covers, revealing a familiar mop of curly brown hair -- but not his sister's. He stared in consternation for a long minute, his mouth dropping open as Kanae turned fitfully in her sleep, one arm going around him as she hugged herself to him and mumbled something incomprehensible.
Now, he thought to himself, how did this particular anime cliche come to happen?