System Collection

Hello. This will be a collection of one-shots, with varying lengths. More to be added- as soon as the muse hits. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: If you sue me, just remember. I have Yuki on my side.

Announcement- Just to clear up (if any) confusion... I've changed my pen name to Cedarx. I think you'll be able to figure it out, but for politeness' sake, I'm putting this up anyway. Thanks.


Story 1: Guardian Angel

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.

I groaned and forced my eyes away from the clock. It was a hot, hot summer day, and the whole brigade was sitting in the clubroom. Haruhi wasn't here today, and by all rights I should have escaped to my air-conditioned, blissfully cool apartment already.

However... the memory of what happened the last time I attempted to escape my "club duties" still rung loud and clear in my head.

Flashback

"Kyon..."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Caught red-handed!

Turning around slowly, and fearfully, I found Haruhi standing at the doorway to the SOS Brigade, leaning against the doorway, for all intents and purposes calm and cool in gaze and posture.

I knew better.

"What do you think you're doing, Kyon?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Eh... umm... well... I- You see- I was just-"

"... Mhmmm...? What is it, Kyon? A bit... nervous?" At the word "nervous", Haruhi snapped her fist against the door frame, creating a small indentation. My eyes grew wide, and I started sweating.

"I- See, I can explain." I wanted to hit myself. Why did I sound so guilty? Was it my conscience? More likely it was the fear of facing Haruhi's wrath.

"I was going out to... erm... get water, for the Brigade classroom. Yeah, that's it!"

I almost sighed in relief. That was a relatively safe excuse- the club water dispenser was running low, and as I said earlier, it was a very hot summer's day. As for my real reason... much different. Apparently, today, Haruhi had assigned everyone a job for the "benefit of the entire club". Naturally, she herself didn't get a menial chore ("I have to lead! That's the hardest job there is!" she proclaimed) but instead, gave everyone else something to do, as if we all had no lives. Sadly, this was probably true.

Asahina-san, Koizumi, and Nagato had all been assigned printing duty. That is, Haruhi had made a new club pamphlet, and needed it copied. By hand. It was more "authentic", she said. Like it mattered one bit... Nagato probably traced and copied the entire thing out. The group might even get in trouble for suspected photocopying, due to the quality of Nagato's elegant calligraphy. It wasn't my problem though- my problem was, apparently, to stay in this 100-plus degree room, and clean. Clean, I say. It was a totally random chore, and extremely uncalled for! I had a feeling that Haruhi enjoyed torturing me. Sadist, maybe?

In any case, I had tried to sneak out early- after just 10 minutes in that room, with our pitiful desk fan going full blast, I had already sweated out about two gallons of sweat. My uniform was soaked, and I felt what seemed like the beginnings of a heatstroke. For the sake of my health, and general life, I tried to leave early, but to my luck, I had only started out for five steps before Haruhi walked up the corridor behind me, and started interrogating me. This was bad- really bad!

"Ah... so you were going to get water... and not shirk your duties as a lowly servant to the SOS Brigade... right?" Haruhi pondered. "I guess that makes sense. We do need water."

"Yes. That's exactly right. Now if you'll excuse me..."

I made a quick effort to scamper away as fast as my legs would carry me. No luck.

"Oh... well... too bad... BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, SLACKER!"

Haruhi lunged at me, and I covered my head, fully expecting a few bruises to accompany me home tonight.

"Wait."

Heh?

Haruhi stopped in her tracks, then turned around.

"Yuki? What is it? I'm about to punish Kyon for his laziness. And aren't you supposed to be helping Koizumi and Asahina-san copy those fliers?"

"It is done," Nagato intoned, "and you have no need. The set duties have been accomplished."

"What...?" Haruhi scowled, "no he didn't. I'm afraid that he's tricked you, or something. There's absolutely no way he could have finished cleaning the clubroom in 10 minutes. He just wanted to get out because it was a bit hot."

A bit hot? Gross understatement!

Nagato motioned toward the clubroom, and Haruhi frowned slightly. Haruhi opened the door, and stepped inside, while I winced in fear. I was grateful to Nagato for defending me, but she was only postponing Haruhi's wrath. I hadn't cleaned anything in the clubroom, choosing to spend my time wasting away and trying not to melt into a puddle in front of the fan. The Brigade clubroom was still a mess- like always

Haruhi blinked as she surveyed the room. This was new.

"What do you know... you did clean the clubroom! It's spotless! Good job, Kyon. For once, you're not slacking off in your duties to the club. Keep this up, and you might rise from your position as a lowly grunt." She smiled at me, and then frowned just as quickly.

"But don't think this is an excuse to become lazy in future club activities, or you'll pay big time. Okay?"

With those menacing words, Haruhi skipped down the stairs, presumably to bully some other unfortunate student.

I blinked twice. Then I turned to Yuki, who stood, emotionless through the whole spectacle.

"Yuki...? Did you do this? I'm pretty sure that I left the room just as it was when I left."

She stared at me. Her eyes were a dark pool of smooth caramel, framed by wisps of hair.

Then she spoke.

"Negative. You performed Haruhi's assigned duties in the time allocated. I arrived too late to be of assistance."

Then she turned, schoolgirl uniform spinning, purple tresses twirling, and left the hallway.

I just stared.

Thank you, Nagato.

End Flashback

Never did I feel like escaping more than today. It was even hotter than the other day I had tried to climb out of this hellhole- 105 degrees Fahrenheit at the very least. Koizumi and Nagato weren't the least bit affected- the former sat at the table, smiling at nothing in particular (as usual), and the latter sat near the blistering hot window, book opened, posture unmoving (also as usual). Asahina-san did not have this stoic, unnerving ability, but she was dressed in a bunny outfit today, giving at least some respite. I wasn't far gone enough to say that I would have donned the bunny outfit to cool down, but I was close enough.

Stop laughing. I can see you out there.

Then, with a rush, the door opened, and in marched Haruhi. She was smiling triumphantly, not a bead of sweat on her forehead. One of the "temperature-oblivious" club members. It just wasn't fair.

"Okay, club. I was kinda late today-"

Lies! An hour and a half is by no means "kinda"!

"But I've got exciting news! We're going to march down to the journalism department, and help them with a few odd jobs. In return, they'll write a 3x3 piece on the SOS Brigade for their next issue!

WHAT?

The journalism department stayed after school for more than an hour from now. We would have to walk up, into an equally hot room spinning with heat-exhuming machinery, just to get some space on a daily paper nobody reads. And 3x3? Did Haruhi even know what that meant? An area of 9 square inches, or centimeters, total, on the paper. That was barely enough to fit a group picture!

Apparently, it was all the same to Haruhi, however. Publicity was publicity, especially when using free club (slave) labor.

I almost sighed aloud, but there was no resisting Haruhi. I was about to resign myself to a hellish hour, when suddenly Nagato stood up from her chair.

"Huh?" Haruhi whirled around, and looked quizzically at Nagato, "What's wrong?"

"Severe heatstroke."

Nagato nodded toward my direction, with a calculating look, as if checking me for symptoms.

Haruhi frowned, and said in a slightly panicked voice:

"What should we do, then?"

Nagato turned her even gaze to Haruhi, and stated, "I will escort him to the school nurse. If I start now, he will be well by tomorrow."

Haruhi sighed in relief. I couldn't tell what for. My general health, or the fact that she wouldn't miss one of her club members (slaves) for more than a day.

What was really strange, however, was the fact that I didn't feel like I had a heatstroke. Granted, I was blazingly overheated, but my body had withstood tougher rigors. Then again, I had learned to trust Nagato's judgment. There must have been some symptoms, an irregular pulse, or something, that Nagato had spotted. That must had been why she alerted all of us.

I actually grew kind of worried. What kind of condition was it? Was I honestly inexperienced at dealing with my own body?

This worry manifested itself as a slight frown. This was the final piece of evidence Haruhi needed.

"Okay, Yuki. Take Kyon to the nurse's office. Me, Koizumi, and Asahina-san will be in the journalism room, if you need us, okay?"

Yuki nodded.

"Take care, Kyon. Be sure to be right back tomorrow!" With a wave and a wink, Haruhi and her two tortured servants were out.

I sighed. Of course. My well-being was comparable to that of a pack mule.

Now, I turned to Yuki, and I started. She was standing right next to me, a calm expression in her crystal-clear eyes. I didn't even hear her move.

"Uh... Yuki? Shouldn't we go to the nurse's office, to get some ice packs, or something, now?"

Yuki shook her head.

"Irrelevant. You do not have heatstroke."

I breathed out in relief, but stared confusedly in the same moment.

"Then why...?"

Yuki surprised me, by abruptly leaning forward, and wrapping me in a hug. The soft material of her uniform was surprisingly cool, and the contours of her body fit mine perfectly. Her skin was very soft, and unexpectedly cold. At least compared to my feverish skin. Her body probably stayed the same temperature year round, kind of like built-in climate control. I took the opportunity to return the embrace, noting that her expression had not changed during the entire exchange.

Time froze. Her head rested gently on my shoulder, and my chin grazed the top of her head. It took me only a second to realize how much I cherished this moment.

After a few seconds, we broke apart. I searched Yuki's face, but only found trace amounts of any emotion. It might have been my imagination, for all I know.

The only thing I knew for certain was that, I felt refreshed from the hug, like a crisp winter breeze had just found its way into the room, just to suck the heat out of my body. Mind and spirit renewed, I turned to thank Yuki.

She nodded, and intoned, "Heatstroke treated. Please return home to recuperate."

I started again, in shock. Did Yuki honestly just give me permission to play hooky with Haruhi for the rest of the day? I searched her eyes, and, it could have been my imagination again, but I could have sworn I saw the briefest glimmerings of amusement dancing in her coffee-hued orbs.

She turned away.

"Get well soon."

Then, expression neutral, she left the room.

…

I stared after her, smiling wryly.

Thanks, Yuki.

Thanks for reading. I'll try to post the second one-shot as soon as I can. Until then...

-Cedarx