The last day of school. Finally. No more hiking up this annoying hill, no more Haruhi, no more stupid S.O.S. Brigade. I could finally have a few months all to myself without anything bad happening. I could finally do things that I wanted and not what Haruhi demanded I do. I could finally sleep in, stay up late, go to the park, something other than follow Haruhi and her S.O.S. Brigade minions around school. Knowing that put my mind at ease and as I went through the school day, sweating to death may I point out, I kept imagining what my summer would be like.
Maybe I'd go walk around town just for the hell of it. Or maybe I'd even take Ms. Asahina out somewhere. The more I thought about this summer, the more excited I grew and eventually, I was walking in the door leading to the S.O.S. Clubroom. Haruhi was there and was already beginning to strip Ms. Asahina of her clothing. So, like the good guy I was, I set my bag down on the table and quickly left the room. Sorry Ms. Asahina.
After about half an hour of listening to Haruhi yell at Ms. Asahina and Ms. Asahina protesting, the room grew silent. That was my cue to re-enter and when I did, I quietly sat back down just as Koizumi walked in the door. We began playing Othello, while Haruhi did something on the computer, Nagato read her book, and Ms. Asahina quietly made tea. This was definately a sign that this summer vacation would be great.
Well, that's what I thought until I found myself stuck with Haruhi Suzumiya in a Closed Space again.
Haruhi, why can't you just leave me the hell alone?
Today is the first day of summer vacation and like any other normal teenager, I'm spending it sleeping in. Well, I was spending it sleeping in. But as I was dozing, I heard my cellphone ringing and wondered who the hell would be calling me this early. If I were awake, I would've known not to answer the phone. I would've screamed to myself, "Don't answer the damn phone!" But of course, I wasn't awake and was merely half-awake, so I couldn't warn myself. Thus, the minute I answered the phone, the eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya began shouting in my ear about "getting my lazy-ass out of bed" and then adding something about making a commercial and then hung up.
A commercial? What the hell kinda idea is that? I mean honestly Haruhi, it's summer vacation. Go on vacation somewhere, preferably far away from here. But of course, that wasn't going to happen. I'm sure Nagato, Ms. Asahina, and Koizumi wouldn't allow it since Haruhi needs to be happy twenty-four-seven or else...well, let's just say the world could be destroyed.
So after finally pulling myself out of bed, I got dressed and made my way to the spot where I was supposed to meet Haruhi and the other S.O.S. Brigade members. I was the last one there, as always, and was forced to pay for everyone's breakfast. So much for perfect vacation.
After watching Haruhi chug down a glass of OJ and then finish her bacon and eggs in a matter of seconds, I was then dragged along to begin passing out flyers to everyone. Koizumi, Nagato, and Ms. Asahina split off from me and Haruhi to pass out flyers around the school, while Haruhi and me passed out flyers by the park. Haruhi was dressed in her school uniform for some reason, and had forced Ms. Asahina to wear the bunny suit again. Not that I was complaining of course, but what was the point? Was it for her stupid commercial?
"Kyon!"
Looking away from the tree I was staring at, I turned to meet with Haruhi's eyes, who was about two inches away from my face. Startled, I yelled something random and fell to the ground with a loud THUD! Hearing Haruhi make a loud, "Hmph" noise seemed to only worsen my mood and I was about ready to bite her head off. However, just before I could, the eccentric girl shouted angrily, "Were you even listening to me?"
No Haruhi, I wasn't. I was actually paying more attention to the tree. How does it feel to know that the tree is more interesting than you?
"No, Haruhi." I grumbled instead, standing up and brushing myself off. She rolled her eyes and growled angrily, "Idiot." Not only did I get called a name, but I also earned a quick glare before she put her hands on her hips and said loudly, "I said we're gonna have to attract more attention so you need to start doing something!"
"Like what?"
"I dunno. Maybe if you pointed at me or made up some story about how the S.O.S. Brigade helped you or something. Oh! Or maybe you could dance around, like this!"
Now is really not the time for the Hare Hare Yukai dance, Haruhi.
"Haruhi, look. I know it's normal for you to get up at seven o'clock in the morning and hand out flyers, but people don't usually get up and come to the park until noon or something." Where the hell did she think everyone was? Avoiding her? Well, if you were smart, you would be avoiding her, but not a whole lot of people were smart enough to know that this beautiful young girl was actually an eccentric loudmouth who caused nothing but trouble. I of all people should know.
"I know that, stupid! But I devised the perfect plan!"
With a sparkle to her eyes, Haruhi spun on her heel to turn and look at me proudly, hands on hips, smile that stretched across her entire face, and confidence etched in every corner of her face.
"People don't usually get up until noon, but what if they heard that something was going on here at eight in the morning, like a concert or something?"
She didn't.
"So, I decided to perform a concert here at eight! Until then, we're gonna keep handing out flyers!"
"What? Haruhi, are you insane? In order to have a concert, you need a stage and lights and a band in order to perform the concert!"
She better not expect me to pay for this!
"I know that, stupid!"
Wow. She repeated herself twice in one day. She must really like the word, stupid.
"That's why I asked Koizumi to make us a stage, borrowed some lights and speakers, and made my own band! The S.O.S. Brigade!"
The S.O.S. Brigade?
"Koizumi's going to sing for us, Nagato's playing guitar, Mikuru's performing any background music we need, and I'm playing the drums!"
"Well, what am I doing?"
"Passing out flyers!"
Of course, I get stuck with the job that requires standing off to the side and wondering silently where Haruhi gets all of her energy from and where in the world she gets all of her ridiculous ideas!
So after about half an hour of standing in front of the park and passing out a total of five flyers, we began walking to the area where Haruhi had the stage set up already. But where were the people supposed to sit? On the grass?
"I'm sure they won't mind. Besides, I made sure to include on the flyer that there weren't any chairs and should probably bring their own."
Of course Haruhi had already thought this through until the very end and it would probably turn out to be a success. The minute we got to the stage, Haruhi said something about changing with Ms. Asahina and rushed off in the back of the stage, behind some thick, red curtains.
Where did she get those?
"What do you think of the stage? I know it's not in the best of condition, but it should be alright for the concert."
Jumping at the sudden voice, I turned to look at none other than Itsuki Koizumi, the only Esper in the S.O.S. Brigade. Of course, Haruhi had no idea that her club consisted of an alien, time-traveler, and Esper. I tried telling her once, but it didn't turn out so well.
"I didn't know you could sing."
Earning an annoying chuckle from Koizumi, I watched him smile, as always, before replying to my statement.
"You don't know a lot of things about me, Kyon. But I suppose it's better off that way, don't you agree?"
What the hell kinda question is that? Is he trying to imply that he's hiding something or that he didn't want me to know more about him?
"Yeah..."
It was at this time that I finally realized what Koizumi was dressed in. His brown hair had been tied into a small ponytail with his bangs still hanging in his face. He had a white T-shirt with a brown button-up shirt over it, left open and sleeves rolled to his elbows, jeans, and sandals. Haruhi had probably picked it out, telling Koizumi that it looked like something a singer would wear.
"Koizumi! Get up here!"
"Coming."
Hearing Haruhi's voice, I looked up to see what the girls were wearing. Nagato was dressed in her school uniform (Did she ever change clothes?) and the black cape and hat from the movie Haruhi had made. Haruhi was wearing the bunny suit while Ms. Asahina was dressed in the too short, pink, maid outfit, also from the movie.
The way she was messing with the bottom of the dress sent chills down my spine. I quietly wondered what would happen if a particular gust of wind suddenly blew onto the stage, and felt my cheeks burn red.
"KYON!"
Looking up at Haruhi quickly, the blush hopefully faded, I watched as Haruhi glared at me angrily.
"You're curtain man too so get your ass up here!"
Geez. She's in a sour mood all of a sudden.
Rushing onto the stage, I stood by the rope that pulled open the curtain and sighed heavily, my eyes meeting with Ms. Asahina's for a split second. She waved at me softly, before quickly looking back at Haruhi, who had yelled something to her. Man, Haruhi, chill out would you?
Hearing people beginning to arrive, I suddenly wondered how many people were actually going to show up. Were there a lot or did people show up just for the hell of it? Well, either way they were crazy for coming to a concert at eight o'clock in the morning.
I watched Haruhi nod at me before raising the curtain and rushing off the stage to hand out flyers. At first, all you could hear was a guitar playing a few notes and Haruhi hitting her sticks together. After that, the guitar began to pick up on all of the notes and the sticks stopped. Finally, after I handed out half of the flyers I had, I heard Koizumi's voice come on over the speakers and too be honest, he wasn't all that bad.
"Let's get this record straightened out,
they filled us up with so much doubt,
they even laughed at us,
to take this serious..."
Looking up at the stage, I couldn't help but stare at the small foursome band in front of me. For a "garage band", the S.O.S. Brigade really wasn't that bad at all! And looking around at the crowd, I think they thought the same thing. Some of them were clapping with the beat, the teenagers that had shown up were cheering, the guys were whistling to the girls, and the girls were falling head over heels in love with Koizumi.
"To make this work out,
This is all we've got,
It makes me want to,
Shout!,
From the top of my lungs,
I know we're the ones..."
Hey wait a minute! I don't even know why we're doing this stupid concert anyway! I mean, I know it's to hand out flyers, but what are the flyers even for? Besides, I thought we were doing a commercial!
Looking down at a flyer in my hands, I began reading quietly, ignoring the small band.
The S.O.S. Brigade
We the S.O.S. Brigade have commited ourselves to seeking out mysteries in this universe. If you've experienced any strange phenomenon in the past, present, or maybe even future, please contact the S.O.S. Brigade immediately. We work with all kinds of mysteries, may it be murders, aliens, Espers, time-travelers, ghost, or anything else supernatural. If you would like anymore information about the S.O.S. Brigade please talk to me, the Chief of the S.O.S. Brigade, or visit our website.
-Haruhi Suzumiya
Man, Haruhi. Why didn't you just come out in the letter and say, "Hey! I really need something to do!" Then maybe someone would've come up with a story to help you out a little.
When people began clapping loudly, I realized that the song was over. Haruhi then came to the front of the stage and shouted something about having seven more songs to sing, so I gladly took a seat in the grass and set my back against a nearby tree. Since I had finished handing out flyers a while ago, I decided to just sit back and relax until Haruhi needed me to do something again. She'd probably give me some dirty look or throw something at me to catch my attention, so I'd be sure not to fall asleep.
Well, that was until I realized it was eight o'clock in the morning again. So, I decided that if Haruhi needed me, she'd make sure I'd get up anyway and slowly fell asleep against the tree.
"Uhm, K-Kyon, you uhm, you have to uhm, get up n-now. M-Ms. Suzumiya w-wants to uhm, go somewhere else."
"That's not how you wake someone up, Mikuru! Here, try this!"
"GAH!"
Waking up to cold water splashing onto my face and dripping onto my body, wasn't the way I planned on waking up. Truthfully, yes, I heard Ms. Asahina trying to wake me up and was about to get up, but if I had known Haruhi was there, I would've shot awake.
"What the hell, Haruhi?"
Oh man, watching her flick her hair made me want to punch her. She definitely shouldn't have woken me up so early this morning.
"Shut up, you slacker. The show's been over for half an hour and you didn't help with a single thing."
Shoving a finger in my face, she added with her regular smile, "Penalty!"
So, I was forced to once again buy everyone lunch. However, this time, we went to some little diner across from the park and ate outside. I guess Haruhi wanted to get out and enjoy the heat. It wasn't too hot out, but lets just say it was hot enough to the point where I was grateful that Haruhi dumped cold water onto me...even if I looked like a total moron.
"Ms. Suzumiya seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit."
Looking away from my soba noodles, I gave that stupid Esper-boy a glare to acknowledge that I heard him. "Yeah, maybe a little too much. I'm not going to do this all summer..."
"I don't think she really expected you to. I think Ms. Suzumiya just wanted to get this rolling and she'll probably wait around for a few days to see if anyone has responded to it. After that, well, then it'll be back to doing things like this."
"I'm not rich, you know. Someone else has got to start paying for all of my penalties."
Earning a soft chuckle from Koizumi, I watched the brunette look over at Haruhi. What did he find so fascinating about her? Anything? Or did he just like to stare at her? Not that I wouldn't doubt that. I mean after all, he is a really creepy guy. Believe me.
"I don't think all of her penalties will be something you can pay for."
"Is there something you know that I don't?"
"No, it's just a hunch."
When that guy turned back to smile at me, I wanted to punch his pretty little face until it caved in. But then again, I'm not really the type to punch someone for smiling at me. Though sometimes I swear that this guy is practically begging me to punch him or do something to him and it's damn annoying.
After finishing up our food, I followed Haruhi and the other S.O.S. Brigade members to the spot where we were to host our commercial. Although, I lingered in the back of the group so that I wouldn't be confused with the strangely dressed group of people walking in front of me. I didn't want to be clumped in the same category as them. Well, not with Koizumi and Haruhi. I wouldn't mind being clumped together with Nagato and Asahina, but that was just me.
"Kyon!"
Haruhi's loud voice boomed as she turned to give me a dirty look. "Get your ass up here! I need you to hold the camera!"
"Why do I have to do it? Get Koizumi to hold it for you!"
"If Mikuru asked you to hold the camera, you'd hold it!"
"Well yeah...but she's a lot nicer than you."
Glaring at me and making a loud, obnoxious hmph noise she turned towards the two actresses.
Looking up at everyone, I noticed that Asahina and Nagato were standing side by side while Haruhi held a board with lines on it, holding it up for them to see. Koizumi was sitting down on a nearby bench watching the girls with his legs crossed and that obnoxious grin of his plastered on his face.
Taking my place as camera-man and standing with the camera in my hands, I stood in front of the two girls and began recording.
"H-Hello, my...m-my name is M-Mikuru Asahina and uhm, I was uhm...s-saved by the S-S.O.S. Br-Brigade from violent gh-ghosts. Uhm...th-this is Yuki, uhm, N-Nagato and sh-she is a ghost wh-which can now, uhm, pass to the other s-side, uhm..."
Haruhi are you kidding me? This is supposed to be our commercial? Man, it's almost as bad as the movie. Although, I didn't mind the movie so much since I got a lot of footage of Asahina. Not to mention that there was an entire three minutes of watching her run.
"No, that's not how you do it at all! Do it like this!"
Haruhi shouted angrily as she stormed off to grab Asahina's arms and direct her in the way she wanted her to move. I relunctantly turned off the camera and took a seat beside Koizumi, sighing heavily. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Koizumi's always smiling face falter to a slight frown. But when I turned to look at him, he was smiling. Was I seeing things? Or did he seriously just frown a minute ago?
"Kyon! Keep recording!"
"Alright."
After another half an hour of recording the video, we finally ended it. Haruhi had dragged Asahina into the nearby bathrooms to change and Nagato had taken a seat at a nearby bench as well, plunging herself into a book that she had been carrying. She was always reading and it didn't really come to a surprise to me that she had brought a book with her.
"Closed Spaces have been appearing more frequently."
Looking at the Esper-boy, I began thinking about maybe taping his mouth shut. Everytime I heard his voice, I knew it wasn't going to be anything good. Whenever he talked he would talk in long, run-on sentences or give me some stupid lecture about Haruhi.
"Yeah, so what? Haruhi's bored again?"
"I don't think that's the problem lately, but you can believe what you want to."
What the hell kinda comment is that?
"Actually, it would appear that the Shinjins are becoming more aggressive and violent."
"So, Haruhi is angry?"
"Exactly."
Alright, so why is she angry? Maybe it's because the S.O.S. Brigade still hasn't become very popular. Or maybe it's because of the fact that even though we have a website up and everything, we still haven't received any information about any mysteries.
"You still don't understand what you mean to Ms. Suzumiya, do you, Kyon?"
What I mean to her? What does that mean? That Haruhi thinks of me differently than the others? Well yeah, I could've figured that out for myself. I'm her little slave, Ms. Asahina's her toy, Nagato's her follower, and Koizumi is the guy who always agrees with her.
"Sure I do. I'm her slave."
Earning a chuckle from Koizumi made me twitch slightly. What did he find so funny?
"Alright, I understand."
Understand what?
"But anyway, I digress. There is an actual problem that is putting this world at risk. It is beginning to look more and more like this world will be erased from existence and Ms. Suzumiya will create an entirely new world once again. However this time, the Organization fears that the world will be a very small place filled with only two people."
Hearing that brought back painful memories of my nightmare. So Haruhi was going to destroy the world and leave just me and her in it..but why?
"I fear that unless something is done, the Shinjins will destroy the entire world and you and Ms. Suzumiya will be trapped inside the Closed Space forever."
Moving his arm, Koizumi lifted the side of his black tanktop to show me his bandaged side.
"What the hell happened to your side?"
"The Shinjin was able to get a hit in on me,"
He put on another smile before continuing.
"Many people of my group were killed that day and that is why we are beginning to fear that Ms. Suzumiya may do something rash. In otherwords, the Shinjin will destroy this world completely. It is moving at an alarming rate and has already taken over the entire western hemisphere of this planet."
"The entire western hemisphere? So that means...?"
"That's correct. All of Japan is trapped inside a Closed Space right now. Haven't you noticed the changes?"
The changes? Like what? Sakuras blooming when they're not supposed to? Doves instead of pigeons? No offense Koizumi, but that happened when we were making the movie and that really doesn't surprise me now. So what the hell changed that I'm not noticing? Did the people start to turn different shades of colors? Although, that would be pretty cool to see someone green walk by with blue hair and pink eyes. But I don't think Haruhi would think up something like that. She would probably dream up Espers, time travelers, and aliens roaming around the streets like it was normal.
"Look at that tree over there, Kyon."
Koizumi extended a finger to show me a nearby tree and I followed. Nothing looked any different...so what was I supposed to be seeing? It just looks like a normal tree with a transparent girl standing-Wait a minute!
"Is that...?"
"That's a ghost, correct."
Koizumi placed his hand back down on his lap and stared at the young girl with a remarkably serious face. I watched her too, watching as she paced back and forth before sitting down against the tree and crying. I had to look down at the ground to keep myself from running over there and saying something to her. I mean damn...she looked so real, but she was see-through.
"That ghost is only a minor change in the world. Of course, by now, people are expecting ghosts to pop up and wouldn't defy that they exist. That's because that is what Ms. Suzumiya wished for, for ghosts to roam the planet and for it to be normal. Some of the major changes include things such as specifc animals, plants, and even supernatural beings to migrate here and live in Japan as though it were normal."
No way. This is all happening in a matter of minutes and everyone is okay with it? No one is noticing the change?
"Carbion dioxide level in the sky has also decreased by thirty-five percent. Forest fires have increased by twelve percent. Meteor showers have increased by seventy-five percent. Droughts have increased by thirty-seven percent."
Nagato turned to look at me with her amethyst eyes and a look that actually looked slightly alarmed. Well I mean, if you could see that through her expressionless face I suppose.
"Remember Ms. Suzumiya's wish during Tanabata, Kyon?"
Well yeah I remember Haruhi's wish. It was so stupid because it already became true and if the other one became true well, wouldn't that mean that night would actually be the morning and the day would actually be the night?
"She wished for the world to revolve around her and well, it already has. However, her other wish was for the world to spin in the other direction. If it were to do that, our entire world would be thrown out of balance. Think about this for a moment. Like humans, animals have specific times that they fall asleep at or go out for the night at. So, if bats were to go out at night at eleven and return back to their cave at five in the morning, they're used to that cycle. However, if the world spun in the other direction, they would leave at eleven in the morning and then return to their cave at five at night. Though technically, the time would still be eleven p.m. and five a.m. Do you understand?"
"Yeah kinda. So what you're saying is that night would be day and day would be night...am I right?"
"Yes, if you want to put it that way. Animals would begin to die soon and if that happened, well, we'd have no food. Humans would be going to school at six at night and returning home at two o'clock in the evening. "
"So, wait a minute...if this Closed Space continues to grow, then the world will eventually spin in the other direction?"
"Correct. And when it takes over the entire world, then it will be Ms. Suzumiya and you trapped inside a world of gray for the rest of your life. Ms. Asahina, Nagato, and I will be erased from all existence and so will everyone else you know."
"So this...this is even worse than the other Closed Spaces, right?"
"Right."
Wow...Haruhi, what's got your panties in such a tight bunch that you'd want to destroy the entire world because of it? Or maybe you're just really pissed off and don't realize what you're doing?
"Don't tell me. You want me to do something about it for you, right?"
"Unless you want the entire world to be destroyed, then yes. I'd appreciate it if you did something."
Why am I always the one who has to do something for everyone? I'm like their secretary or something. No, not even that. I'm more like the guy who was forced to test out their theories while they stand behind me observing and writing notes in their frickin little notebooks labeled "To Die or Not to Die".
"I'm going home."
Looking up from my gaze on the ground, I looked up at a very melancholic Haruhi Suzumiya. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a sour look on her face as she glared at Asahina like she were the plague or something. "I'm fed up with this and I'm really tired too." With those words, Haruhi spun on her heels and began walking in the other direction.
Man, she certainly was a sourpuss today. I had to admit though, as she was walking away in her pair of shorts and pink tanktop, she looked really hot. But because I knew what kind of person she was, I knew that she wasn't the sweet girl that she looked like.
Koizumi smiled as he stood up and said softly, "Well, I'll be heading off now. I have to go talk to my colleagues and check on my wound." He gave me a look before moving aside his bangs and then smiling with his familiar, white-toothed grin and walking away, giving me a slight wave of the hand.
Sighing, I stood up and stretched. Ms. Asahina smiled at me as she walked off happily and Nagato shut her book with a thud before walking off as well. Thus, I was left alone to stare at the ghost girl before me and wonder what else would be happening in the next few days. She seemed so helpless and alone and if I could see her, didn't that mean that Haruhi could see her too? So why didn't she see her when she was leaving? Was she that angry that she didn't notice the supernatural things going on around her? Or did she honestly just not see her?
And it was at this moment in time, for some unknown reason, that I yelled out to Haruhi, "Hey, Haruhi! Before you go home, how's about we check out the haunted lighthouse by the beach?"
When she turned around with this wide smile, I felt like her happiness had somehow radiated off her body to mine. But why did I feel so happy just because she smiled? Haruhi had smiled plenty of times, believe me. This was the first time that I'd felt happy about her smile and not worried about what scheme she was coming up with. Well, I suppose that it was because I was glad that I had devised the scheme and not her this time. In other words, we'd be a whole lot safer with me forming the schemes and plotting our next move. That was the only reason I was happy. I was glad that Haruhi could smile without thinking of a scheme or haressing Ms. Asahina. That was why I was smiling too, because I knew that Ms. Asahina was safe and away from Haruhi.
Looking up at the large lighthouse, I began fearing that this wasn't such a good idea after all. I mean, if you could see this place, anyone would be scared. It looked like a house of death and every move could be a step closer to death!
Like always, Haruhi was enjoying the experience and couldn't wait to go inside. So how was I going to break it to her that we couldn't go inside?
Man, why did I even offer this as an idea anyway? I must be out of mind or something. To think that I'd actually take Haruhi somewhere haunted and about to fall apart.
"Hey, Haruhi, I don't think this is such a good idea."
I began to protest, but the eccentric S.O.S. Brigade leader had already grabbed hold of the front of my shirt and dragged me into the lighthouse. Damn was it spooky. It was dark and everytime the wind blew the entire thing moaned like it was in pain. We could barely see it was so dark and if it weren't for Haruhi holding onto my shirt still, I don't think I would've been able to find her either.
"Kyon, do you hear that?"
"Yeah, it's just the wind, Haruhi."
"No, not that you idiot! That voice! You don't hear it?"
When she looked at me, I flinched. The way the light was streaming through one of the windows made her face look hollow and, well, scary! She looked like a dying Haruhi, not the familiar eccentric, pretty Haruhi that we were all used to. Thus, when she spoke to me, I couldn't help but grab her wrist and take it off my shirt like it were poison.
"Haruhi, if you're trying to freak me out, it's not working."
Who am I kidding? I'm about to piss my pants right now! If she hears a voice and I saw that girl in the park, then that should mean that what she heard was a real ghost, right? Whatever the hell Haruhi is trying to tell me that she heard, it's really in here!
"Shh, Kyon, listen!"
Alright, I'm listening, but all I can hear is the waves and the building and the wind...But wait a second. What was that?
"...elp."
No way! That was someone's voice! That was someone crying for help! Not only that, but followed by the strange cry for help, a loud bang followed shortly after.
"Kyon, did you hear that?"
"Y-Yeah and I thi-!"
"Come on, let's go!"
She didn't even listen to what I had to say, which is normal, but I was against going any further into this place. What if there's a murderer or something in here and he left the body to rot in a room?
In my head, I was laying out all these different scenarios of who or what might be in here and every time I imagined these things it ended up with the same ending; Both of us dead.
"Kyon, look!"
Turning my head away from a nearby window, I could clearly see a woman standing in front of us. She was staring at us with eyes that were more empty than Nagato's and a black cloak shrouding her body. She was see-through, meaning she was a ghost, and that sent chills down my spine. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my entire life!
Wait a minute, it looks like she's trying to talk. Is she...What is she saying?
"I dunno, but she looks really scared."
"Please..."
A word that we could understand left her lips at that moment. When she spoke, I couldn't help thinking about how much she sounded like Ms. Asahina. Come to think of it, her face looked a lot like her face too.
"...ed help...Ple..."
I don't reall understand why her voice keeps fading, but she looks really scared. Almost like she had seen something that a human should never see with their eyes.
"What do you need help with?"
I was the first to ask, since Haruhi seemed to be concentrating on something really hard.
"I...kuru...elp..."
Wait a minute? Kuru? Does she mean that Ms. Asahina is inside this house?
"Wait! Are you referring to Mikuru Asahina?"
Staring at me with what looked like begging eyes, the girl gave Haruhi a look and then rushed down the hallway. Haruhi suddenly looked really pissed and she took off after the ghost, leaving me alone in the dark hallway. Which, frankly, didn't help calm my nerves at all. After standing there for a bit and closing my eyes for a good ten minutes, trying to calm my nerves, I took after Haruhi and followed her up until the hallway split into two.
Dammit. Why the hell did she run off so quickly without me? Did I say or do something wrong? Then again, Haruhi has been treating me a lot different lately. Everytime I bring up Ms. Asahina, she gets angry and starts treating me like I was one of the Americans who had bombed her family in World War II.
"Kyon!"
The sudden yell of my name made me jump, and I think I yelled something too. It was probably something stupid or something that Haruhi would hang over my head for life.
"Koizumi? What're you doing here?"
That stupid Esper was here the entire time and didn't catch Haruhi for me? Geez, what a jackass.
"I'm not quite sure to be honest."
"What...?"
How can you not be sure why you're here? You've got to have a reason for showing up here. Just like when you go to school. That's because you have to learn to get a good job and when you go the store, you're there to buy something. Am I right?
"Well, I had a terrible vision that someone was going to kill you both and I rushed over here in a haze."
"..."
"No, just kidding."
How did I know that was coming?
"Seriously, though, do you have any idea what time it is and where you two are?"
"Uhm, well my watch says it's still three in the afternoon."
Pretty dark to be three in the afternoon though. So was Koizumi trying to suggest something about how dark it was? Did that mean that we had stepped into a parallel universe? Or did that mean...That the earth began spinning in the other direction?
"No, fortunately, the planet is still spinning in its correct direction. However, your clock is off by an entire seven hours, Kyon."
"S-Seven hours? But wait, we haven't been inside this stupid lighthouse for seven hours! We just got here ten minutes ago."
"Kyon, when you two arrived it was three-fifteen in the afternoon. You may not have noticed it, but the minute you stepped into this lighthouse, time outside passed. Time inside this place passes at a much slower rate than the time outside."
"So...We're stuck in some kind of time void or something?"
"No...Well, sort of."
Make up your mind.
"To be blunt, you're trapped inside a Closed Space. However, I don't understand how you both entered without sleeping or at least without an Esper."
"So we're...This is a Closed Space? Then why are you here?"
"I have no idea. One minute I was asleep and the next, I'm waking up in a lighthouse."
"Suzumiya must have something planned. Mikuru Asahina is not with us."
Turning to look at the robotic Yuki Nagato, I began trying to wrap my head around this.
Koizumi, Nagato, Haruhi, and I are all here, but not Asahina? How does that make any sense? Why would all of us be here but her? And for that matter, how did we end up here? It's as Koizumi said, I can't just walk into these things without an Esper like him with me. That was what his power could do and normal humans couldn't enter it alone. Then again, Haruhi couldn't really be classified as normal and if she was the one who ran this place, it was possible for her to stop time whenever she wanted right? Unless time simply froze in a Closed Space while everything else outisde of it moved on like it were normal. That makes...A bit of sense, I guess. But why only us?
"He still doesn't understand."
Koizumi, one of these days I'm gonna punch you in the face and then pull out all of your teeth so you can't speak in stupid riddles anymore.
"Hey...What're you guys doing here?"
Turning to look at none other than the girl who had done this herself. She stared at all three of us before asking, "Am I...Dreaming again?"
Koizumi smiled as he stood there with his stupid, happy expression, and Nagato stood off to the side like a ghost herself. I guess I was the one who had to talk to her about this, right? Based on the looks they were giving me, I'd vote yes.
"I dunno. But whatever the hell is going on, these two came along for the ride."
I really need to get in a better mood at the moment. I don't want to tick Haruhi off even more than she is.
"Where'd that girl go?"
"I dunno, but hopefully far away from here. She was annoying."
I couldn't tell if she was saying that truthfully or was just upset that she hadn't caught her. Or maybe she was upset about the fact that she couldn't harass her like she does to Ms. Asahina all the time. Not that I don't mind, but I'd prefer she do it with Ms. Asahina's consent next time.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
Following Haruhi outside led to a whole new world of trouble. The entire world was gray and it was entirely empty; aside from the buildings and what was in those. Other than that, nothing made a noise but us and Haruhi didn't sem all too scared...Again.
"Let's split up and then meet at the school in half an hour. I think there might be a few mysteries lying around here, so let's go! Boys go that way and we'll take this way!"
Watching her run off made me deeply regret ever talking to Haruhi that fateful day. If I hadn't talked to her, then I wouldn't be wound up in this mess and someone else would've been stuck dealing with the S.O.S. Brigade and Closed Space and Haruhi for that matter! I mean, why was it always me that got stuck in these stupid situations?
"Kyon, look."
Turning around to see what Koizumi was showing me, I couldn't believe my eyes. One of the Shinjins were walking over to the lighthouse that was a mere three feet in front of us, but it looked like, in a way, like it was really mad at something.
"I think it would be best if we stepped off to the side."
Following Koizumi over to a safe area, we watched as the Shinjin raised its mighty fist, and brought it down on the lighthouse. It was at that moment that I remembered the girl and looked at Koizumi.
"Hey, wait a minute! The girl-!"
"Look."
Tearing my eyes away from the serious Koizumi, I stared at the blue Shinjin with slight awe. I mean, aside from the fact that these things could kill me or make me go through a world of hurt, they really were pretty sweet to look at.
Looking at it some more, I noticed something gripped in its left hand. It looked a lot like Asahina, but I thought she wasn't here! Watching it some more, I noticed that the girl turned around to look at me. She smiled and did some kind of hand motion, before the Shinjin's hand clamped around her more tightly and her entire body shattered. It was right then and there that I realized what the girl had been trying to do.
"That was Ms. Asahina!"
"Correct. She has been erased from the world now and soon,"
He looked at me with dead serious eyes.
"you'll begin to forget about her, Kyon. It is as Ms. Suzumiya wished, thus, it will happen."
No way! Forget about Ms. Asahina? How the hell is that possible? Haruhi, you little bitch! If you weren't so stuck-up all the time, then maybe Ms. Asahina would still be here! Maybe she'd be alright and safe and smiling next to me. Why the hell did Haruhi have to hurt her just to make her feel good? Why did she even erase her from existence?
I heard a loud sigh next to me before watching Koizumi drop his body down onto a nearby bench. He looked really beat...And really pale. But that really didn't matter to me right now. All that mattered to me at that moment was punching Haruhi in the face and knocking all of her teeth out. I'm not usually the type to punch girls, but I mean, come on! If no one's gonna say anything to her about it, then I will! She just erased one of her S.O.S. Brigade members from existence! And she uh...What was her name again? Chestnut hair, big boobs, baby face...Oh, right! And Ms. Asahina doesn't deserve to be erased from existence!
"Kyon, I fear that this may be the end for me and Nagato as well."
"Now what are you talking about?"
Turning to look at the obnoxious Esper, I began forming ideas of how to kill Haruhi in my thoughts. I still couldn't believe she did what she had. Was there even a purpose? Or was she just so damned pissed that she didn't care who she hurt?
"It would appear that my wound is worse than I first thought. Therefore, I probably will not make it."
"W-Wait...What? You mean to tell me that you think your wound will kill you?"
"Possibly, yes. That or the Shinjin will get ahold of me and well, you saw what happened to that girl."
Oh no! I forgot her name! No...No, I know her name. I know I do. She just...What does she look like? Dammit Haruhi!
"Why is she doing this?"
I hadn't realized how angry I'd become on the outside. Sure, I was ready to kill Haruhi inside my head, but on the outside I thought I looked pretty mello, like normal. But after hearing my voice, I didn't think that was the case.
"Kyon...If you still haven't realized why Ms. Suzumiya is doing what she's doing, then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. However I will tell you this; Ms. Suzumiya cares about you and she will do nothing to hurt you."
"Yeah, well she'll kill everyone else, won't she?"
"Most likely, but not on purpose. The Shinjins are just beings that resemble Ms. Suzumiya's feelings. Ms. Asahina's leaving was for a reason."
Standing up, the Esper turned to look at Nagato and Haruhi coming towards us. Now was my chance to talk some sense into her and tell her how much I hated her for everything that she was doing. First she drags me out of bed at seven in the morning on the first day of summer vacation. Then she spills cold water on my face and snaps at me, which is normal. Later on, she leaves me alone to be killed in the lighthouse and after all of this, she erases that...That cute girl from existence! Now I can't even remember her name!
"Hey Kyon, look!"
Looking at where Haruhi was pointing, I was alarmed to see at least fifteen Shinjins heading our way. I looked at Koizumi, hoping he had something to say or tell me; explaining what was going on. However, all I got in return was a shrug and a small smile.
"Haruhi, let's go!"
Grabbing her hand tightly, I rushed off towards the school and away from the Shinjins. I knew Koizumi and Nagato could handle themselves and if they were erased too, well, that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was snapping Haruhi into her senses and getting out of here...Alive!
When we arrived at the school, I took Haruhi to the clubroom and sat her down in her normal chair. Listening to her talk about how great everything was gave me a chance to collect my thoughts.
"Hey Haruhi, why is everyone but...uhm, Ms. Asahina here?"
Haruhi looked at me like I had just asked her if she were human. The more I looked at her, the more angry I became. I mean, she erased Asahina from all existence which meant that she probably didn't even know who the hell she was at this point. Not to mention that all of my memories of her were disappearing at an alarming rate...Along with the memories I had with Nagato. Dammit.
"Well because she's not needed. She'd just ruin everything."
"How?"
"By crying and everything. It's so lame."
"Well maybe that's because she's scared."
"Yeah I know. That's why she's not needed."
Listening to her talk about how the girl wasn't needed, sent me off the edge. What gave her the right to decide that? I mean, maybe she was needed, whoever we were talking about. Maybe she had a family, friends, a life! Maybe, just maybe, she didn't want to leave or be 'erased', in this case.
"Besides, she was just a pathetic member of the S.O.S. Brigade that should've gotten lost a long time ago!"
My anger went through the roof and before I knew it, I had grabbed Haruhi's shoulders and began shouting at her.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Like you, she's a person! This girl is a person and she deserves the right to be treated as one! Do you understand what you did? Because you're so pissed off at something that's probably ridiculous, you ceased her existence!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Haruhi, you're the creator of this world! You have the power to change it and twist it in anyway you want!"
Why am I telling her this? She'll think I'm some kind of idiot again and scream at me. Oh well, I didn't care. I was pissed that I could no longer remember the girl we're talking about and couldn't remember the alien's name anymore. Come to think of it, why can I still remember Koizumi? He was the one with the wound. Shouldn't he have been erased first?
"All of this time, you've been surrounded by mysteries and you never even noticed! The S.O.S. Brigade had an alien, an Esper, and a time-traveler in the group and you hadn't even noticed! But there won't be an S.O.S. Brigade anymore if you keep acting like this! You've already gotten rid of the time-traveler and alien and the more angry you get, the bigger this place gets. Soon, we'll be trapped in here forever, Haruhi. Just like last time. And like last time, this isn't a dream, Haruhi. This is real."
"Then why didn't it mean anything?"
It was at this moment that I understood why Haruhi was so angry. I don't know why it hit me just now, but I realized that Haruhi wasn't just angry. She was filled with all kinds of emotions. Pain, sadness, and heartbreak.
However, before I could explain myself, Haruhi stood up and growled angrily, "I'm gonna go look around." She stormed out of the room and I sighed heavily, taking a seat in her chair. I began thinking of ways to make this nightmare stop, to make it all stop. I began thinking about different kinds of things that could explain why last time...Hadn't meant anything.
After a long period of time of sitting there, I began forgetting Koizumi. This was really the end. Unless I did something soon, there would be no world anymore. There would be no S.O.S. Brigade, that idiot Taniguchi or Kunikida, or even my family. There would be no friends to talk to, no school, no homework, no TV, and worst of all...There would be no more mysteries.
It was at this moment that I realized why I liked that world so much. Sure, it got boring and I complained about it numerous times, but I had friends to make sure life was more interesting. I had Haruhi Suzumiya to make life more interesting. If it wasn't for her, I would have never gone to that mansion to investigate a murder, which I gotta admit was pretty cool. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't be an S.O.S. Brigade which meant no alien, Esper, or time-traveler. Without Haruhi, I don't think my life would be very interesting at all. If I hadn't talked to Haruhi that one fateful day...I'd be like any normal kid and lead a normal life with boring, everyday happenings going on around me. It was because of Haruhi Suzumiya...That my life was more interesting.
When I found Haruhi, I was out of breath and wasn't sure if I would be able to say anything to her. She was sitting outside on a bench, staring at the Shinjins like they were her idol and she didn't seem to notice me at all.
"H-Haruhi."
I decided to start the conversation. After all, I'd be doing most of the talking anyway. But instead of the words I expected to leave Haruhi's mouth, I only heard her say, "What?" Now, I know that sounds like something Haruhi would say, but the way she said it...It made me wonder what was going on inside her head. She sounded so alone so...empty. She almost sounded like a friend of mine...I think.
"Are you...Are you okay?"
Of course she's not okay, idiot! Geez, why did I even ask her that? Now she's probably gonna snap at me or scream at me or something. She was really starting to make me feel guilty here!
"Yeah, I guess..."
I decided to take a seat next to Haruhi and I heard words come from Haruhi's mouth that I'll never forget.
"I'm sorry, Kyon. I destroyed the S.O.S. Brigade and got rid of two of our members...I didn't realize what I was doing or even how. But the reason why I'm so mad is because..."
I watched Haruhi's hands clench into tight fists as she sat there with her head down. I waited for her to finish her sentence and as I waited, I noticed that Haruhi's shoulders were shaking slightly. So was the rest of her body. At first, I thought maybe she was scared of what kind of power she posessed, but after that I realized...Haruhi Suzumiya was crying.
"Because well...I...I don't really know why, Kyon. I guess it's because last time, even after what happened, it didn't really mean anything. I thought that maybe something would've happened...But it didn't and I got really mad at you and Mikuru. Mikuru the most because...Well...She uhm, I don't know. I'm just really sorry, Kyon."
"I get it now, Haruhi. But now it's my turn to talk."
I wasn't sure why I was saying what I was, but I knew there was a reason for it. There was something inside of me egging me on and telling me what to say. And for a moment, I thought that it was maybe my heart, but that was too cheesy.
I pulled Haruhi up to a standing position so that she was looking at me as we stood there and I watched her tears fall off her chin. She tried to hide them, but I grabbed her hands and held them tightly in mine.
"Haruhi, I don't like that you keep trying to change the world and make it more interesting, when it already is interesting. You make it more interesting, Haruhi, and I thank you for that. If it weren't for you, I would've never been apart of the S.O.S. Brigade or the fantastic mysteries we've been on. So why is there reason to change the world, when it's perfect the way it is? I guess what I'm trying to say, Haruhi, is that...Without you, my life wouldn't be interesting at all."
Thinking back to all of the things that me and Haruhi had been put through, I realized how true everything was. Haruhi was the one person who had made my life more interesting and fun and mysterious, even. She was the one who had made my life the way it was. If it makes any sense, I guess you could say I've wanted to meet Haruhi all my life. After all, I went back in time just to help her draw that thing when she was in middle school and because of that, she came to my high school.
"I know why you're so upset, Haruhi. I've been spending a lot more time with...Mikuru, was it?...And I should've been spending that time with you. I've treated her a lot differently than you and I'll admit, it was because I liked her a lot more. But then I realized, if it weren't for you, my life would still be boring and average. My life wouldn't be interesting and strange. If it weren't for you, there'd be no Mikuru or the other two members. I should be treating you better than Mikuru, not the other way around, and I'm sorry for that.
"And what happened last time, it did mean something to me, Haruhi. It meant a lot to me, but I had no idea that it was real and I didn't realize that I had broken your heart. Now I plan to fix that, by showing you what it meant to me."
I don't know what I was thinking at this moment, but I suddenly put my hands around Haruhi's waist and took a deep breath in. After that, well, I kissed Haruhi Suzumiya for the second time in my lifetime. As we kissed, I thought I felt Haruhi stiffen at first, but after a little bit, she leaned into it and everything around us began to warp out of proportion like last time. And before I knew it, all I could see was darkness around me, but I could still feel Haruhi's warm lips on mine.
"Kyon! Kyon, get up! Come on, Kyon!"
Waking up to Haruhi's voice, I had to wonder for a moment if I were dreaming. Were we still trapped inside the Closed Space? Or were we really out? Opening my eyes, I saw two things. One of these things was the ceiling of the lighthouse and the second thing was Haruhi staring at my face. She was leaning over me and looking at me with worry, but that quickly changed to annoyance when she saw that my eyes had opened.
"Geez, I leave you alone for a few minutes and you pass out? It's not that scary in here, Kyon!"
Woah, wait a minute. Why isn't she treating me any different? Didn't we just, you know, for the second time? I figured she'd at least be a lot nicer to me, but she's just the same as before.
"Look, I called Koizumi and the others and told them to meet us at the beach. I decided it'd be fun if we went swimming for a bit! Maybe we'll even find a sea-monster!"
"That's great and all, Haruhi, but I don't have a bathing suit."
Sitting up and looking around me, I still didn't quite understand what was going on. I couldn't tell if we were still trapped inside the Closed Space or if we were in the real world now, safe and sound. Haruhi seemed to be her usual self, so I figured that this was the real world. But after what had happened, I couldn't help thinking that we were still inside the Closed Space.
"Then get your ass up and go buy one! There's a store right down the road!"
I stood up and brushed myself off, watching Haruhi stand with her hands on her hips and a sour look on her face. She's been sour all day and since her mood didn't seem to be any softer, I would have to assume that this was the real world again. Did I really pass out and dream all of that?
As we began leaving the old, weird lighthouse, I opened up the door for the two of us and winced at the bright light. The lighthouse didn't have very many windows, so it was a lot darker in there, making the sun hurt my eyes.
It was at this given moment in time, that Haruhi turned to look at me and smiled gently, saying, "I'll even help pay for it." I smiled back at Haruhi and turned to look at the stores ahead of us. Apparently, whatever I had "dreamed" wasn't really a dream. Every single last bit of it was what had really happened inside another Closed Space and now I had to ask her something serious.
"Haruhi, did you pass out too?"
"I'm not really sure. But I do remember having another nightmare, so I probably did."
"I see."
We walked in silence for a bit before arriving at the store. As Haruhi went to reach for the door handle, I suddenly grabbed her wrist gently. She looked at me and was about to yell something, but she stopped when I said softly, "Hey Haruhi, thanks for making my life a lot more interesting. If you hadn't decided to talk to me that one day, I don't think I'd be here doing the things that I am."
The slight blush on her cheeks made me smile. She looked sort of weird with the red tint on her cheeks and as she stormed into the store, I knew that Haruhi realized that I had meant what I said. Well I mean, let's just hope that she didn't buy the thing about everyone being either an Esper, alien, or a time-traveler. I mean after all, the S.O.S Brigade was created to search for these things. We wouldn't have any more mysteries if she really believed what I said.
Well, there's no sense in worrying about it now. Haruhi's happy again and that's all that matters.
So after buying myself a swimsuit, we headed down to the beach where everyone was waiting for us. I guess this entire experience finally showed me what Haruhi felt towards me and what I felt towards her. Sure, I didn't expect my feelings for Haruhi to go from hate to love in little under an hour, but I don't think she did either. Which was a good sign for me.
This way, we both had feelings that we had shared with each other and this way we didn't have to get to the confusing stuff; relationships. But thanks to this experience, I realized three things. Haruhi really isn't that bad of a person, she's just really strange and that's what makes her, her. Ms. Asahina and I had been the whole reason as to why Haruhi was in such a foul mood at the beginning of the day. And finally, Koizumi and the others need to learn how to give more blunt hints. They're complete morons if they think I'm going to understand what their little codes mean, Haruhi loves you.
But anyway, I'm just glad that I'm back in the normal world with my friends, family, school, and the S.O.S. Brigade. After all, I missed having this life full of color and people. It's this world that makes it possible for me to have a normal life and it's because of Haruhi that I have an interesting one. So even though my life is still on the slightly normal side, it's mostly interesting and strange. It makes me proud to say that I really enjoy my life. Even when Haruhi's yelling at me about getting into the water.
However, the most important thing about all of this is that I realized who was the most important person in my life. I had finally realized why my life was the way it was and I realized why I was so happy to be in this world again.
Haruhi had made my life the way it was and she was the one who was responsible for the smile that was plastered on my face today.
To be blunt, if Haruhi hadn't stormed into my life, then it probably wouldn't be this amazing.