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.
Unless I'm being chased down by Yanagimoto and Sakanaka, I can still run off between classes, or for lunch, and not be bothered. Kyon was quiet in class today, probably still upset by how we left off yesterday. I can't say I'm at all happy about it, either -- but the important part stuck with me.
Koizumi seemed to care a lot more about Kyon than his own club president, and I don't think a common bond of playing the same video games quite explains things. Skipping the cafeteria, I run to his classroom and drag Koizumi aside, just like I did the first day I met him.
He lets me haul him out of class, and once we're alone in the same bushes, I cut to the chase, not letting him say anything before I begin: "You've got something to tell me-- Something involving Kyon. Am I right?"
He purses his lips and gives me a much more thoughtful look than his typical disarming, somewhat goofy smile. It's a strange shift, but less jarring than when Mikuru drops her moe-moe mask. "A question for a question -- you've heard something involving him from someone else?"
I frown, not entirely liking the fact that he doesn't just spit it out or confess. I nod cautiously, though -- this feels better than my talk with Yuki or Mikuru!
"So-- Say what you know, before I say anything in return," I challenge. "And if you're going to feed me another stupid story that I won't buy without proof, save your breath!"
"Proof?" he returns, raising his eyebrows. "Well-- Wait a moment, then." Then he turns to his phone as though I weren't there, and punches some buttons quickly. I try to read the text he's typing up, but he angles the screen so I can't read it before hitting 'send' and pocketing the device.
"So.... You can prove things?" I can't help but ask hopefully.
"With permission, perhaps," he allows. "I will find out and inform you after our club duties end. It seems only fair that you should get a chance to see it, considering how rarely it appears these days. However, I must ask you to say nothing of this to Kyon-kun beforehand."
"...what?" I have to ask, not following this at all. Still, he says there's proof involved! For proof, I'll put up with this! Hell, even if it's a sham, at least I'll be able to point at whatever he's calling 'proof' and laugh. And all I need to do is not talk to Kyon about it?
So for that reason, I can't be that put off when Kyon's voice is a little more sour than usual, and he grumbles, "You seem excited today."
I almost tell him why, but catch myself. "That's because I'm working hard for our club," I reply, which silences him, even if it doesn't actually seem to reassure him.
I can't believe he's still buying into Mikuru's act....
After a relatively boring day of club -- Kyon was too distracted to play board games with Koizumi-kun, just mumbling and doing his homework -- I accost Koizumi-kun on the way out the door. "Oh, I wanted to talk to you about your tardiness for our assignment this weekend," I say, as he and Kyon are out the door.
Kyon pauses, and something seems to go through his expression when he glances back at us. He quickly seems to dismiss it, shaking his head and walking away. Mikuru goes to the costume rack and takes her uniform down, then gives Koizumi-kun an expectant look.
Well -- I'm not going to tell him to accommodate her, not as annoying as she is to me.
Yuki closes her book in her seat and watches us curiously.
Sighing, Koizumi-kun gives a small shake of his head and tells me, "I'll pick you up for a demonstration at your place in about forty minutes." He glances at Yuki and Mikuru, then shrugs. "Be ready," he adds, giving me the impression that the notice was more for their benefit than mine.
Yuki's expression doesn't change, and Mikuru looks uninterested, though.
I'm not sure what to make of that. That they're not all on the same page? I'm not sure.... If Mikuru's supposed to be a time traveler, and Yuki's supposed to be an alien ... then what about Koizumi-kun? Maybe a youkai? Or a cyborg?
I can't come up with any especially good guesses before getting home. My mom isn't there yet, so I have plenty of time to switch out to casual clothing. A skirt with pockets, and a purse with everything I think I could need in it. Most important is my phone, which has a GPS, and a camera, in case there's anything worthwhile to see.
Koizumi comes by not long after I finish changing. It's maybe a little strange, now that I think about it, that he already knows where I live. That doesn't really prove he's something paranormal; anyone who put enough effort into it could find their way to a student directory. I do pause for a second to think about what we must look like to the house across the street, though.
Probably, we look like highschool students on a date. And even more likely, that nosy old woman who lives there will tell my mom about it.
He arrived in a cab, at least, so that's better than running to the train station. "Well?" I prompt Koizumi, glancing at the older gentleman who's driving, once the doors are shut and we start rolling into motion.
He starts off by explaining that something happened to him -- and a small number of other people -- across the world around three years ago. The same time as the 'data spike' and 'temporal anomaly.' He also explains Kyon's ability in slightly more detail. The part that catches me the most is where he says he thought at one point he might be going crazy; I've got to have a little sympathy for that, because I've felt similar things recently!
He's easier to talk to about it, but to cut a very, very long conversation into a more reasonable-length one, his stance is basically a rehash of the same bizarre Kyon-centric solipsism as the others. This is the longest car ride I've ever been on, and if the material were any less interesting, I'd have fallen asleep! He's a bit clearer about it, and also throws in his 'type.' Evidently Koizumi's an esper, able to sense Kyon's unrest.
As an added bonus, he's also a member of a shadowy secret organization, that's devoted to keeping Kyon calm! I pay attention when he says that, because it's the most interesting part of what's otherwise a very dull car ride.
"Kyon-kun has a relatively stable disposition," Koizumi-kun explains. "He was more ... energetic and enthusiastic in earlier years -- around the middle of his last year of middle school, he calmed down greatly, thanks to a particularly influential classmate."
That sounds so cliche....
Koizumi-kun doesn't respond to my expression, continuing, "While it's very rare that Kyon-kun truly becomes troubled, we take note when it happens.
"Effectively, the stress between his subconscious will and his conscious understanding of a situation occasionally conflict. It's rare -- but you can imagine, I'm sure -- the difference between rationally knowing a thing, and feeling that it should be otherwise simultaneously."
"Well, yeah," I agree. I don't see anything remotely like this being proof, but as an idea, I can agree with it. "You're saying that Kyon's super power is almost always dormant?"
"Almost," he agrees. "On those occasions that Kyon-kun is pushed far enough ... those in my organization who were gifted with powers by him join together." The cab stops abruptly, and I realize that I have no clue where we are. Koizumi steps out of the car without hesitation, and I crawl after him, popping out the same door before he can shut it.
He shrugs slightly, then reaches out to me. "Take my hand?" he suggests.
I grab it, warning him, "This doesn't mean we're dating -- and if that's all this is a ploy for...." I let the threat dangle at that.
He chuckles dryly and says, "You may find it more comfortable if you close your eyes."
Yeah -- like the rest of this wasn't suspicious enough? I keep my eyes peeled -- on him -- as he leads me across the crosswalk. Like I pushed into a pool of water, I feel something strange envelop the hand that Koizumi's holding; it sweeps across me and then hits my face -- and my eyes suddenly fill with a kaleidoscope of strange shapes, most of them in shades of electric, glowing blue-white.
When I can make sense of things again, I'm laying on my back on the street, Koizumi-kun's hand free of mine as he crouches above me and looks down warily. "I warned you," he reproves mildly, standing up and surveying his surroundings.
I'm on my feet like a shot after that, though when I stumble, he catches my arm, making a 'tsk'ing noise.
"Where the hell are we?" I can't help but shout. The sky above us is gray, the building's around us are gray, the sky overhead-- hell, except for us and our clothes, everything is gray!
"This is the closed space that's generated as a side-effect of his restless unease," Koizumi-kun explains, shaking his head slightly. "As I just explained. Here, this way."
I ignore him and immediately try the first thing I can think of -- walking back out. The edge of the space is like some gelatinous barrier that pushes back, but is too firm for me to get through. It doesn't matter that I'm stuck here, though. Actually, I'd be more worried if I managed to go back and never found this place again!
What matters is that I found it, and it's real!
I turn back to Koizumi-kun, and can't stop from grinning. "You're an esper," I declare, re-evaluating things.
"That's right," he agrees, his appearance going from 'mildly annoyed' to 'amused.'
"And this means-- This means that Yuki's really an alien, not some crazy prankster?"
"We believe that to be the case."
"And Mikuru's a time-traveler? Not some-- She-- She's really a time traveler?"
"As we understand things, yes."
"Okay!" I exclaim, turning around and fixing him with a sharp look, locking gazes.
He raises an eyebrow and looks at me curiously.
"Go out with me," I demand.
He snorts, rolling his eyes. "No," he returns instantly, pulling his hand back.
Hey! I'm about to press further when we're both distracted by a distant, muffled explosion. I turn to look, and....
How distracted was I to miss something that obvious? There's a massive semi-transparent glowing blue figure, easily twenty stories tall! It's just standing to one side, probably a kilometer away, slowly straightening up from studying the building it had just smashed.
He shakes his head at my indignation and says, "I'm hardly done with my proof, for one. I'm afraid my colleagues need me, so ... please enjoy your view of this rare event!"
He takes another step back and is wreathed in an aura of red flame-- In a flash it's become a red orb, with him vanished inside of it. He streaks skyward, and is joined by a group of others. I watch in surprise as they engage the giant, which only belatedly reacts to defend itself.
This is the most epic and surreal fight scene I've ever seen! It blows away any movie, that's for sure! I'd cheer for Koizumi-kun, but I can't even tell which one he is! The spheres -- looking like red dots at such a distance -- cut the giant apart, piece by piece. The severed pieces fall toward the ground and dissolve into slime or some liquid-- It splashes down out of my sight, but it was amazing!
I can't speak for the others, because they weren't willing to give me proof. But that doesn't matter anymore, because Koizumi-kun did! This is the start of something amazing -- with him at my side, there's no end to the amazing adventures we could have! Checking out these closed spaces, using his powers to solve mysteries....
One of the red spheres zips to my side, the light fading to reveal Koizumi-kun, looking no worse for wear. Plus, how many other people have been able to be this close to an esper -- and known it? That thought in mind, I grab Koizumi-kun's nearest hand and hold it tightly. On the small chance that he forgot, I welcome him back with, "Go out with me!"
"No," he returns again, looking amused. "That's not going to happen. You understand that my goal is stabilizing Kyon-kun, don't you? Beyond that-- The others have as much as spelled it out to you, based on your complaints. If Kyon-kun has chosen you, wouldn't I be foolish to get in the way of that? We're working toward his greater stability, not a desire to unbalance him.
"As things stand, he's content, and because of that, seldom employs his powers. I don't like to think of the world should he come to believe it's a dismal, unhappy place."
To punctuate that remark, and perfectly capturing my feelings for the moment it happens, the sky overhead shatters into a billion fragments of light, all of them noisily thundering down like some form of psychic snow. I watch in stupefied silence until they're all gone, realizing only at the end that I've forgotten to take a picture with the camera I stuffed into my purse.
Damn. We're back in the real world!
"I believe my reasons have been clear enough," he adds. "To say nothing of the fact that outside of Kyon-kun, we don't exactly have common interests. You're interested only because I have powers, not because of who I am. Really, you hardly even know me -- especially compared to how well you should know Kyon-kun, by this point."
The ride back home is silent.
Getting home isn't any problem in itself, outside of dealing with my mother. "Takahashi-san from across the street called me today. I should say that I'm glad to see you're back to dating boys again," she says, sounding less than fully convinced.
...this is just what I don't need right now.
"I gave it a shot," I grumble, which is the same thing I realize I said about Yuki. Well-- She wouldn't believe me if I were to tell her the full truth, so I offer a cut-down, but still honest, explanation: "I really tried, but he's more interested in a boy we both go to school with."
"W-what? Oh, Haruhi...."
She trails off as I storm into my room. Really, the sad part is, that's the first time in a long time that my mother's actually looked sympathetic to my dating situation.
I hear that some girls skip dinner because they're worried about their figures. I think that's stupid -- though I can't judge them for skipping dinner entirely. I miss my own, just holing up in my room and shutting out the outside world.
So. Koizumi-kun is an esper. And shot me down.
I can't really say that he's wrong when he claims I was more interested in him as an esper than anything else. He's right that I don't really know him. He's just not that interesting a guy-- I wanted amazing and cool, not to meet some slacker with powers he uses only when he has to.
I guess I mostly wanted to keep him from running away, not really to 'date' him. Then again, isn't the key to that Kyon, not Koizumi-kun?
Absolutely, he's at the middle of everything. Yuki for 'data,' Mikuru for 'the timestream,' and now Koizumi-kun for ... I'm not sure. The stability of the world?
If I wanted amazing and cool, wouldn't Kyon be it? Except ... Kyon doesn't know he's got amazing powers. Hell, even though I can believe Koizumi-kun's an esper, and the others are an alien and a time traveler, I have yet to see any proof of Kyon's ability. Koizumi-kun claimed that Kyon had made the closed space, but how do I know that?
I don't know. There's no point to thinking of Kyon as someone with amazing powers if he doesn't know about them. I could try telling him. Still, at this point aliens, time travelers, and espers have all decided not to.
Why not? Mikuru made it sound like they weren't very good friends -- it'd be something for them to disagree and yet all cooperate to keep Kyon in the dark.
Okay. What do they want with Kyon, then?
For Koizumi-kun, it's simple. Keep Kyon calm enough that he doesn't destroy the world.
For Mikuru.... I don't like where this goes. Perfect moe-moe act? Actually coldly calculating? And then she says I make her job easy? Obviously ... she's trying to manipulate Kyon, for some reason.
Well-- Putting those two together, Kyon really was upset. Mikuru's act got to him so badly that....
I mean. If I do believe that Kyon is somehow the one responsible for that strange space that Koizumi-kun showed me, then.... It's hard to accept that the awesome thing that Koizumi-kun showed me may have been my fault.
That thought keeps me up very, very late.
"Bad dreams again?" Kyon asks the next morning, seemingly calmed once more. He's relaxed, but slightly wary, instead of yesterday's grumbling uncomfortable avoidance of meeting my gaze.
"Hardly slept at all," I mumble, grimacing. At least this time, I did my homework, so I don't need to worry about that.
He nods at that, and we both stare out the window in silence. Distantly, some third year girl and boy are taking down the tennis netting. As we watch, he says or does something he shouldn't -- she shoves him and turns, running away, leaving him to handle the netting himself.
Kyon sighs softly, resting one elbow on his desk, and his chin on the palm of that arm.
He doesn't start any other conversation, and actually takes a nap through English, so for the first time in a very long time, there's nothing to talk about in the morning until lunch.
I'd forgotten how quiet it really got.
Okay-- He got the better of me last time. I could run Koizumi-kun down for a rematch, but I realize at this point all I'd really get is more of the same nonsense. Instead, when the lunch bell rings, I go for Kyon's tie again.
He's still faster than me -- but he still follows me when I try and lead him away. He looks confused as we come to a stop in the same corridor where I announced the plan to form a club, not that long ago. "Kyon, I need to tell you something important," I warn him.
"I'm listening," he returns solemnly, the traces of a smile on his face vanishing. "What's this about?"
"Our club has been ... almost too successful at finding what we want," I tell him slowly, staring into his eyes. "So-- You may find this hard to believe, but, Nagato Yuki is an alien!"
"...really?" he answers, giving me a strange look.
"Asahina Mikuru is a time traveler!" I add quickly, scowling when I recognize his skepticism. "It's true-- And Koizumi Itsuki is an esper!"
"And you're the magical girl that brings them all together?" he asks, rolling his eyes. "Really, Suzumiya...."
"H...hey," I protest, scowling.
"I was hoping this was about you deciding to apologize to Asahina-san."
Apologize!? But-- "She's a time traveler from the future! She only acts like that to trick you!" I complain. "You can't still be falling for that act, can you?"
He purses his lips and looks away.
And ... I've been running around and demanding proof the entire time. I don't have any of my own to offer up, either. Probably this is the kind of situation that I should have had more of a plan to deal with. Something more than 'get it to stop being so quiet,' anyway. If I'd just remembered to take those damn pictures!
I guess if what Koizumi-kun claims is true, I could just piss Kyon off enough to make another one of those spaces. That idea makes my stomach turn, though -- and not just because there's no guarantee that Koizumi-kun would agree to take me along again. More importantly, while it might have seemed like a good plan at one point, all I can think of is how much that would make me like Mikuru -- and that's not a pleasant thought at all!
I have to figure out some longer-term plan to reveal the truth to Kyon. I think I'll leave Koizumi-kun alone for now, since he was the least rude and annoying about things. Yuki.... Yuki, I'm honestly not sure what to make of. I have no idea if there's anything about her that would qualify as 'proof' or not that I could uncover without her realizing, and she'd ... well, she'd already told me Kyon wouldn't believe me, hadn't she?
It circles back to Mikuru again, doesn't it? She's tricky, and I can't use the straightforward approach. I'll have to figure out a more subtle way to pull this off -- get her to reveal that she's coldly manipulative, and not the adorable moe-moe figure Kyon thinks she is! And -- no matter what -- I can't afford to let her paint me as the 'bad guy' again!
"...yeah, don't worry-- I won't go after Mikuru like that again," I mumble, when the silence gets uncomfortable.
This is the saddest thing ever-- It's not that I want Kyon to be around as much as ... of all the people he hangs out with, I'm the only one who even tries to be honest with him. If somehow, our positions were reversed, I'd hope he at least tried as much as I did right there. I'm not happy with things as they are, but until I can figure out some way to make him believe me -- that doesn't play into their hands -- what can I do?
"I don't know about that last part, but ... is that a promise?" he finally asks.
"I swear," I agree, grimacing. There's no way in hell I want to help her play up that farce! It was really cute -- right until it turned against me. "I don't ever want to have things turn out like that again!" But I will find a way to show you what she really is!
"You look especially determined," he allows. "Alright ... well, in that case, I should apologize for my own roughness."
I blink at that, a bit surprised, then he smiles nervously and shifts his gaze to one side.
"So .... even if you were out of line, I'm sorry for that, Suzumiya."
...that's really not what I expected to hear. Still ... I suppose there is something great about how we can speak more honestly than anyone else in the Brigade. "I'll let that go, then," I agree, nodding. Maybe it's just a little bit, but I manage to smile back at him.
Figuring out that we're all stuck until I can explain things to Kyon, that session of our club is the most boring session yet. Koizumi and Kyon play Reversi. Mikuru's got her maid uniform on, but I don't want anything to do with that anymore. Yuki's by herself in the corner, reading her book and never looking up.
It's the kind of situation that's just begging for a client to come in and give us a case-- Not that we put out many flyers, really. Or that something would break the tension....
I don't want to be the one who breaks that silence; I think the way things are now is pretty lousy, and don't want to make it worse. Kyon didn't believe me, but I'm probably on better terms with him than the others.
Somehow, that seems like it's the only good thing to come out of this. I'm not sure what that whole 'chosen' bit the others threw out means entirely.... I mean, I don't think Koizumi-kun is completely right when he suggested that Kyon might want to date me. If that were the case, he could have asked me out at any time.
What I do know is ... one way or another, I'm closer to Kyon than they are. That's probably the fact that keeps me from exploding, just practicing spinning a pen across my hand and surfing the web. Even Mikuru isn't that close ... though if I'm not careful, her act could change that a lot.
Figuring out how to move against Mikuru when Kyon still buys into that is the tricky part. I do remember what he said, and there's no great reason to leave things as they are. Even if Kyon's not that upset with me, knowing what kind of person Mikuru is.... Yeah, there's no way that I'm going to let her manipulate him if I can help it!
"Ah, Mikuru-chan," I say, not as smoothly as I hoped.
She looks up from where she was observing Kyon's game with Koizumi, looking surprised and anxious. Kyon, Koizumi-kun, and Yuki naturally watch as well.
It takes me a moment to figure out the words that I want to use while still being technically honest, but I finally say, "I'm ... sorry about yesterday. I don't want something like that to happen again! I promise you, Mikuru-chan, I will work very hard to make sure it doesn't!"
I don't think I'd bother normally-- Apologies aren't usually my thing; I prefer to not screw up in the first place. But in some ways, this is my own act to counter Mikuru's. Well, as close as I'm willing to get to it, anyway. Fight fire with fire, as they say. So ... not the full ninety degrees, but I give her a bow anyway.
It's almost silent in the clubroom, until Mikuru manages to uncertainly reply, "U...um.... It's ... okay...."
When I rise, I get the satisfaction of seeing her look confounded -- maybe genuinely so, not just pretending! Well, I can hope, anyway.
She seems to realize her expression is off, and quickly gives a bright smile. "Ah-- T...thanks, Suzumiya-san, then, I'm happy for that!"
Kyon nods very slightly to himself, giving me a smile of his own. Well, that dims things for me a bit; he doesn't understand what's really even going on. At least ... not yet. "That's great!" I tell Mikuru. Shaking my head, I glance across the others and add, "Alright, I'm heading home early; I've been having to rush to finish my homework lately, so need to catch up on that. You can stay or leave as you like-- See you tomorrow!"
My homework hasn't been that big a problem, and I think Kyon picks up on that too-- But he nods to himself as I step through the door anyway. Maybe he thinks it was really hard for me to apologize, or something? He shouldn't ... I mean, I apologized to him, right?
Still.... My real reason to use that time is to try and come up with a solid plan to solve this whole mess-- Some way to prove to Kyon who the others are -- and then himself!