The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfiction

Somnus

Chapter I

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Warning: Spoiler from preview light novel vol. 10.

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Encounter with those Interfaces leave me shook up for a different reason then my default feeling for their existence. My anger slowly dissipated for sure, but when I think more about their exchange, more I fear them. It's like they don't care about us the Earthlings or Earth for that matter. All for their observation to continue to evolve and fighting among each other, and they would sacrifice everything, even their own.

I stepped to the very room of the source of my turmoil, instantly saddened with the small figure that lies on futon, surrounded by the girls of SOS-dan. Haruhi is still barking order to Asahina-san, who runs to the kitchen, while she changes the cloth on Nagato's forehead. No sight of Koizumi. Noticed that I come back from whatever I do, she points me with that accusing finger of hers. Oh, well…

"Where have you been, Kyon? Do you want to escape your duty given from your chief?" Like I want to, woman. I ignore her and walk to the only one that has my attention right now. Her cheek rosy from fever, and her shirt wet from sweat. Her eyes closed, looks like she really tired. Haruhi steals my attention with a good yank at my tie.

"I have enough of your nonsense. Now, make yourself useful and help Mikuru-chan." She sounds serious. Haruhi… you… She only huffs and goes back to her place beside Nagato. I don't think I will ever say this, but I can see it clearly. Her eyes soften as she caresses Nagato's hair. I decide to left them and do as she asked me.

There she is, in front of a boiling kettle, Asahina-san greets me with her bright smile as always. I give her a smile of my own and help her preparing some tea. Nagato really don't bother with her kitchen as much as the rest of the house, so it's easy to find her tea set that I recognize immediately. Asahina-san threw a grateful smile as I gave her the cups, and silently pours the tea for us. But I can see it on her beautiful face, she bothered by something. I want to ask her what's wrong, but I restrained myself. If she wants to talk about it, she will.

I heard the door opened and closed, Koizumi walked to the room with another shopping bag. Haruhi seems doesn't satisfy with Nagato's eating habit, so she make Koizumi bought those foodstuff. But… that many? She surely knows how to dry someone's pocket. He strode down the room with his patented plastic smile, but I'm too concern to care. Haruhi still isn't come out from the bedroom. Is something matter? The last thing Nagato said to me was very distorted, is it connected with her condition. Wait, Kimidori-san said that Nagato became an 'ambassador' for Sky Canopy Dominion…

Ugh, all those speculation make my head hurts. But if it's right, then Kimidori-san really know how to fix it. But she said, she can't interfere… I'm thinking about every possibility of this mess, remembering every exchange between those alien. Nagato became an 'ambassador' because of what? Why Data Entity chose her? But a crazy thought crossed my mind. Is her 'rogue action' on December 18th that makes it happening? Is my ultimatum that makes Data Entity tortures her by sending her to a creature that as alien to them as them to humans. I've see what effect that can happen to human when in contact with Data Entity, it's not pretty. And the revelation makes Asahina-san's heavenly tea tastes horribly bland today.

It's all my fault…

It makes me sick. Haruhi finally come out from the room and sit on opposite me, staring at my head when I don't give a damn to her calling. Koizumi shake my shoulder, snapping me from my self berating and make me see the God's anger. Haruhi only massages her bridge of her nose because of my lack of attention today, but say nothing about it.

"She's asleep, but her fidgeting just won't stop and her fever gets worse. Maybe we should call doctor for this one." Oh, no. we can't bring her to doctor. What if they realize that Nagato is not human. Haruhi only raised her eyebrow for my panicked eyes. She's more observant than I thought.

"So, what are you suggesting, Kyon? What if there's something really wrong happen to her, like dangerous diseases or whatever. I won't let it happen, I'm the brigade chief, my subordinates' well-being is my responsibility." Haruhi, as much as I touched by your extremely rare show of kindness, I can't say that Nagato is an alien, and is being tortured by her boss, all sudden. I've said that to you once, and you didn't believe it.

"A-Ano…" Thank goodness for interfering, Asahina-san. "Maybe it's not as bad as we believe. Maybe it's just a fever." Haruhi nods at her.

"Uhm, you're right. Maybe it's just a very stubborn sickness. But until she's well, we have to temporarily stop our routine search for mysterious phenomenon and use the time for treating Yuki as best as we can."

I smiled unconsciously at her statement. She truly cares. After made sure Nagato was fine by herself, Haruhi dismisses us. But I stay behind. I don't know why, but I have to say something about it. It's my fault, after all. I lean to her right ear, and whisper those words softly. I hope she can hear it, even when her eyes closed shut. Her gentle inhales and exhales calm me somewhat.

Please be well, Nagato…

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From next day, there's no club activity by the order of our merciful chief. Haruhi uses that opportunity to go to Nagato's apartment, and do whatever she can do. Changing her cloths, shoving foods to her throat, cleaning her house, all of those are necessary. Her already small and skinny stature got even skinnier, Haruhi almost has a heart attack when we came to her room and saw her tried to stand and just passed out with a thud. But I can see the improvements. Her fever was dropped significantly and she's strong enough to go to school. Maybe Haruhi wills her to get well, who knows?

But something's wrong, I just know it. I feel like there's someone watching over me, makes the hairs on my neck stand like never before. It seems like Asahina-san and Koizumi felt it too. It makes me worry. My feet bring me to a usual trek to the clubroom. Knocking at door, I heard a soft 'Come in' from inside that makes me calm. No sight of other, just a small girl sitting on a chair in front of the window. Nagato nods at me and closes her book. I put my bag on table and realize that she stopped her reading. She stares at me with those brownish-gold eyes, confusion subtle in them.

"What is it?"

"… Nothing…"

She went back to her book. I never heard her hesitating or did something without reason before. Another reason to worry. Koizumi comes next, tilts his head at the idle state of the room.

"Suzumiya-san isn't here yet?"

"Do you see her here?" He only let a small laugh.

"Then just give her my message. I have an urgent meeting with the Organization, just say it as usual." I only waved at him lazily, knowing what I should say and do. He gives another smile and a bow, before walks away from door. Asahina-san was a third year, so she was excused from club activity. The silence started to bore me. Without Haruhi, we have little reason to stay.

"Oi, Nagato…"

"What is it?"

"Looks like Haruhi isn't here."

"I see…"

"… I mean, why don't we a day off? I'll bring you to the library, how's that sound?"

She looks up at me, before closing her book once again and walk to my side. Suddenly she grasped at my shoulder and put herself in front of me. I can see the air flickers before take a shape of a girl with ridiculously large mass of black hair. Really reminds me to a horror movie if she keeps appearing and disappearing like that. But I quickly raise my guard. This is the same girl that disabled Nagato and almost killed Asakura. Kuyou Suou tilts her head to the right, and held up her hands like giving a sign that she don't have a hostile motive.

"W-What are you doing here?"

She's silent for awhile, it's like she's thinking carefully her next move. I shallow a lump in my throat, all of these tension make my mind goes to alert mode. She finally raises her head, and with a clear voice unlike when the first time we met, state her business, something that makes me quite taken back.

"We wish… to form a truce."

A truce? And who's the 'we'? Sasaki's group?

She shook her head. She then pointed to herself.

"Sky Canopy Dominion wish to form a truce with an organization named SOS Brigade as attempt to prevent any further accident."

Okay, time out. Did I hear this right? Isn't Sky Canopy the one who started those 'accident'?

"We apologize. Those angry confrontations are the results of our failed attempt to communicate with Planet N5972's inhabitant, also known as Earth. Our stray data was notice by Data Integration Thought Entity's interfaces and assumed as a threat. We only defended ourselves."

"My apologize for the misunderstanding."

"Our entity are hostile to each other. It's perfectly understandable to misunderstand our intention."

But how could you say that your bosses are hostile to each other when they not even knowing each other existence. The logic just doesn't work that way.

"Ignorance is a bliss, but it's also a source of fear, even for data-based entity."

I can't answer that statement. Nagato still doesn't let her guard down, asked with her usual monotonous tone.

"And what is this truce? What happen if we refuse?"

"Sky Canopy Dominion would give their protection to the SOS Brigade, if you cooperate with us in some investigation. If you refuse, we will not do anything to harm the SOS Brigade. There're some disturbances in our living space, which is center around, or should I say strongest in, Planet N5972."

Is Haruhi the reason?

"Partly."

I kne- wait, partly?

"There're some source of the disturbance, but Haruhi Suzumiya does not directly nor actively distribute the effect. Neither is Sasaki. It's someone else, whose more conscious and more in control with their power. But they also hide it better to pass the Organization's watchful eyes."

This is crazy. Someone stronger then Haruhi or Sasaki… unbelievable. But there're too many unbelievable things happen since then, why should it have any difference. "And what about the other member of Sasaki's group?"

"Kyouko Tachibana, along with her allies and more rebellious ESP users, are steadfast believers that Sasaki is the sole inheritor of reality-warping power, thus believing her as their 'God'. The fact that someone has a similar power was naturally unacceptable, just like Haruhi Suzumiya's case. Fujiwara was more concentrate in his attempt to prevent the creation of time travel, by standing on Sasaki's side; he will get some leverage that he needs. What kind of leverage it is, currently unknown. And as for myself…"

There's a flicker in her eyes, exactly the same as Nagato's subtle expression. And I know what it is: sadness. Nagato, who's as silent as owl hunting in the night, finished the sentence.

"Sky Canopy Dominion wants to make a contact with Earth, but with many Data Integration Thought Entity agents spread on world-wide scale, you forced to seek the protection that Sasaki could provide."

"Indeed. Unlike Data Integration Thought Entity, who observing Haruhi Suzumiya to learn how to continue their dead-ended evolution line, Sky Canopy Dominion accept the fact that they no longer able to evolve, and choose to make a connection with other sentient beings and having symbiosis relationships with each other. The only sentient beings that have potential to surpass our own intelligent… are humans."

"Then why this Interface?"

"Because of the circumstance between Data Integration Thought Entity and Sky Canopy Dominion, our deal makes it clear that as long as you made an ambassador to Sky Canopy Dominion, you are a free agent and you are free to choose your allegiance."

Wait a minute. I think I start to see the point. So Data Entity abandons Nagato to Canopy Dominion, thinking that by leaving her there, the sheer stress from them will break her. The deal was just a set up so they could got rid Nagato as punishment for going 'rogue'. If Nagato changes side or broken, they won't lose her and works just like what they planned.

She looks up at me, just like always when she asked for my permission. I'm nodding my head. Accept it, Nagato. I don't know what she said was all truth, but if you stay with Data Entity, you may not survive…

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Haruhi called me this morning, disturbing my weekend extra sleep. Well, it's not like I have a good sleep to begin with. I got a weird dream. It's like you have see a life that you never see before. Everyone you know was there, but you don't recognize the situation you're in. Maybe it's a vision, maybe it's just… well, dream.

Back to Haruhi. She claimed that she saw something in shopping district when she wandered there with Asahina-san. The place was quite far from my house, so I have to take extra yen for ticket. The train was surprisingly idle for weekend, with only some regular passengers linger here and there. Just two stations left, some new passengers take seats in front of me. One of them, however, quickly catches my attention, along with other passengers,

He just an ordinary guy, really. It's just his silver hair and piercing purple, almost red, eyes that attract so much attention. He sits directly in front of me, answering I stare with a smile. Unlike Koizumi's, his smile was pleasant, it makes me feel awkward for staring at him.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't really mind." He blew his very long bangs when it started to cover his left eyes. "I've learned to accept my weirdness long ago."

His words… make me think. I decide not to pry deeper, even when I'm curious. He hummed a tune that sounds like a national anthem of some sort, ignores the stare that he received.

"You're going out with your friends?" He asked me out of nowhere.

"Uhm, yes. She said she saw a paranormal phenomenon in shopping district." I don't know why I told him that. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I know, it's weird for me too.

"If your friend wants to find ghost, why don't find it in graveyard?" he says with a grin. "I'm sure, if you ask them, they will give you autographs." I snort at his words, but he continues. "You may not believe something until it appears in front of your eyes. But when something doesn't, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. World is vast, you can't see everything in just one lifetime, you know."

Again, his words make me think. I stop believing in Santa and other when I never see them. When you think about it, it sounds like I'm a very shallow person, especially when the very things that I stop believing really are exist and walk around me without me noticing. I don't realize we arrive in the station until I heard the announcement. My stop still one station away, but the guy in front of me stand and walk to way out. He smiles at me.

"Nice talking with you. Good luck with your ghost hunt."

I waved, then I realized that I don't even know his name. I continue my journey in silent, enjoying every minute before confront my 'benevolent and merciful' chief. I stepped out from the train when it arrives in my stop. Suddenly I feel it, the same sensation when you feel you're being watched. Caution, I turned my head. On way, the train was packed with passengers, one thing I don't realized. But I can't see someone watching over me. Shrugged, I go to our meeting place, preparing myself for my 'penalty' for being late as usual.