Her Flawed Explanation
o o o
A/N I: The Haruhi light novels were written by Nagaru Tanigawa.
o o o
I'm not unaware of what they say about me behind my back.
They say I'm vain--the sort of person who stands around, admiring himself in the nearest reflective object. The sort of person who's best avoided.
When Haruhi started talking to me, there were few who were surprised. 'They're both just as big-headed as the other,' I heard them say.
Wrong.
I won't deny some of the things they say about me. I am, I suppose, a bit preoccupied with my own matters, usually. And, I do carry around a photograph of myself, which I take out of my wallet and look at, at least twice a day.
But if they knew the true story--if they knew why I act the way I do--they'd understand. Probably. It's the only warning sign I'll get, if something goes terribly wrong and I start to…
o o o
No time.
There's no time!
It happened once, and only once before--a time that feels like it must have been a million years ago, though I know it to be significantly less than that. I was half-prepared, at least, the first time, already knee-deep in trouble when it started to happen.
I'm counting on you, Professor. If that new gadget of yours detects anomalies like it should, everything should--should work out. Otherwise…
Well, otherwise, I'm out of here. Out of everywhere, in fact.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to find Professor Oushiki's house. In this section of the city, all the houses look the same. The good Professor himself was out of town--meeting his American friend, probably, the one who helped him with his car--but luckily, he trusted me enough to leave me with his spare key.
Quickly, not wasting a single step, I unlocked the front door, and--
"Ah! K-kyon!"
I froze in my tracks.
Oh, no. Who could that be? I don't have the time. I seriously don't have the time--
I turned my head.
It was Asahina.
"Kyon, y-you have to come with me--"
Not even a 'hello', Asahina? Ah, it must be a terrible emergency for you to have chased me all the way from my usual path.
Come to think of it, how did she know I was here, anyway? Must have been one of the other club members--I've no doubt Nagato always knows where I am, and while it seriously creeps me out to even admit it, the same probably holds true for Koizumi, as well.
Ah, but better to think of more pleasant things--like Asahina herself. She's so cute, that there's nothing that I wouldn't do for her. At any time, any place, if she were to call, I would instantly be at her side, ready to defend her from the evils of space and time.
Just--just not at this moment.
So, with a nodded apology, I ducked inside the house and locked the door behind me, cutting Asahina off in mid-plea.
Surely, such an action will consign me to hell, but I have no other choice. After all, if I don't fix this problem, how will I defend Asahina in the future?
o o o
I made my way into the garage and unlocked the car's driver-side door--luckily, Professor Oushiki had left that key with me, too.
Well, there wouldn't be much point in leaving me just the house key and not the car key. It would be like giving a person a music player but not leaving him any CDs. Actually, in this digital age, that simile's obsolete, isn't it?
I'd asked Professor Oushiki, once, why he'd chosen this particular kind of car. It was certainly the kind that stood out from all the other, Japanese cars.
He'd laughed and said that it wasn't his choice at all--rather, the technology inside the car was originally fitted for this particular make and model, and he hadn't wanted to change anything. Theoretically, he could have done some rearranging, but I suppose a philosophy of "better safe than sorry" is worth following, especially since it's my life at stake.
Though, I suspect his decision stemmed at least partially from laziness on his part…
With just a literal push of a button, the capacitor began to center in on anomalies--those beyond the infamous three-years-ago date. That last element had been a suggestion from myself, actually, with which the Professor had gleefully complied, just to prove that he could.
There are times when I think that the Professor's eccentricities will get him in trouble--well, more trouble--someday--
With a shrill 'beep', the car alerted me to the fact that the capacitor was done searching, and a date blinked into view on the LED display. Sweating from a mix of excitement and nervousness, I pressed another button--this time, the one that would open the garage door--and stepped on the accelerator.
As I peeled out of the driveway, I noticed Asahina, looking at me forlornly from the front steps. Had she been waiting for me?
I'm sorry Asahina. I'd take you along with me, but I don't think it's a good idea. Your Organization believes that time travel has yet to be invented, after all. I can't bear to think how they'd react if they knew that that sort of technology has been around since 1985--and that this is my third time taking a trip into the past.
And as the DeLorean reached 142 kilometers per hours, and the Mr. Fusion home energy reactor came to life, I activated the hover converter and hoped for the best.
o o o
A/N II: Back to the Future was written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The title, of course, refers to Mikuru's explanation that she can't actually change the past. Her metaphor's flawed, too, while I'm at it--a single frame in a movie can surely change everything.