Side Chapter: Koizumi

...

Koizumi walked through the hallway at a slackened pace. He would walk determined one moment and yet his back would curve like a drooping tree in the next. It was as if his internal forces were shifting between two warring emotions at the same time.

When he spotted his target, his shoulders came to their max height. Walking serenely and without a hint of hesitation he approached, a bright smile adorning his lips.

"Suzumiya-san, may I have a word?"

The girl in question swiveled her head at his voice. Smiling in recognition, she beamed at him with a suspicious glint in her eyes. Koizumi knew he was just the man she was looking for to get started on her next plot.

"Koizumi-kun! Thank goodness, we need to head to the-"

He held up a gentle palm and interrupted her rantings, "Pardon my rudeness but I'd like to speak first if that's alright."

Sensing his serious tone, Haruhi's smile slowly disappeared, her raised fist falling to her side. Koizumi was usually the only one who willingly went along with her plans. To see him this way made her anxious.

"Go ahead," she said, moving closer to hear him in the loud hallway.

"Here it is..." Koizumi smiled, "do you remember when I first transferred to this school?"

"Of course! You were the mysterious transfer student. I had to recruit you into the SOS Brigade," Haruhi spoke excitedly.

"Precisely. It was something that I never expected to happen. And when it did, I was grateful to be recognized."

Haruhi nodded along, her attention at full.

"I was planning on being an ordinary transfer student, but with your call, my entire plan had to change."

Koizumi's smile slowly faded away.

"It was difficult being the way I was. Often, I thought you only ever saw me as that "transfer student" and nothing else."

"Koizumi-kun..." Haruhi started nervously. She's never seen him speak this way.

"I had to smile and be agreeing and go along with whatever you said. I won't lie and say that that was entirely enjoyable."

"You weren't just a transfer student to me! Koizumi-kun is Koizumi-kun!" Haruhi defended.

The ESPer smiled at the admission, he wished he heard such words sooner.

"I'm happy to hear you say so," Koizumi continued, "...though putting on this false persona was exhausting..."

Haruhi stared at him with bright, serious eyes.

"... my experiences with you were some of the best moments of my life. And I will never forget you, Suzumiya-san."

Haruhi began to shift in her spot, her eyebrows turning between upset and confused. "What are you saying? What do you mean by that? False persona?"

"I've since transferred in, and now it is time for me to transfer out. I'm sorry to say that I will be leaving the SOS Brigade," Koizumi bowed slightly, "thank you for having me and I wish you all the bes-"

"No!" Haruhi screamed, catching the attention of students down the hall, "absolutely unacceptable! There is no leaving the SOS Brigade! If you have any complaints, you will take it up with me before making any rash decisions!"

Startled at her outburst, Koizumi's face fell. He didn't expect her to fight him about this. After all, he never saw himself as a very prominent member of the club. He merely followed around her orders, he figured that position would be easy to fill.

"I'm sorry, Suzumiya-san, it is beyond my control. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with your leadership skills."

"No! I refuse!" Haruhi spat and crossed her arms, turning away from him childishly.

Sighing, Koizumi reached out and placed a placid hand on her shoulder. Haruhi's grimace became rather sad. Dropping her arms to her side, she turned to Koizumi and looked at him pleadingly.

Koizumi's hand sprang away from her, the look in her eyes frightened him in their sincerity. It was a face of Haruhi's he had never the privilege nor the opportunity to witness. Directed at him was all the more shocking. Koizumi found he was having difficulty summoning the right words to say.

"I..."

"Can you at least tell me why?" Haruhi asked in a softened tone.

"I... I'm being called away. My family is moving." Koizumi finished up the lie as convincingly as he could muster. He found he had little desire to keep the charade authentic. Whether she believed him or not was not something that bothered him at the moment.

"Ridiculous," Haruhi whispered now, almost speaking to herself, "what a stupid reason..."

Her head turned away as she talked, her face becoming invisible behind a curtain of black hair. Her arms crossed again and her shoulders began to tremble. Gripping her upper-arms, Haruhi strained against her bubbling emotions.

Koizumi reached out again, placing a hesitant hand back on her shivering shoulder. She turned to him then and Koizumi caught a glimpse of tears threatening to slide down her cheeks.

For the second time, the ESPer reared back in astonishment. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine Haruhi to be shedding tears at his expense. Perhaps she was just sad to be losing her lackey, Koizumi thought darkly.

However, in the back of his mind, he knew that at this moment, Haruhi was as vulnerable as she would ever show to be, and it was to him of all people. He took it as a sign of trust. Against his wishes, his heart sped up. Clenching his teeth, he sought to quell the emotions that were now building inside him. He was worried he might say something problematic.

"To be honest..." he began in a quiet voice, "I'm surprised to see you react this way."

Haruhi whipped around to face him, her eyes blazing with fury. "See me what way? Upset that my brigade member is abandoning his team?! What are you surprised about? That maybe I'd miss you!?" Haruhi 'hmph'ed and turned away again, this time a steady blush appearing.

Koizumi frowned, realizing that his goodbye was becoming more difficult than he expected going in. He figured a quick explanation along with some cryptic undertones was going to be enough to get the message across. Seeing Haruhi this way made Koizumi feel things he would really rather not feel. Especially given the situation. He was leaving and only now she acts like she cares about him?

"Haruhi..." he said her name hesitantly, letting the syllables roll over his tongue. It was a foreign word to him. She turned expectantly, mouth hanging slightly open. There was so much he wanted to say and so much he couldn't. No matter what, it was already too late.

"...Forgive me," he said, bringing a hand to rest over his heart, "I spoke without thinking."

"It's fine... just don't ever say anything like that again, you understand?" A smile broke over her face; it was filled with melancholy.

Koizumi was lost now, never having been put in this situation. He never spoke against Haruhi like this. In fact, his sole purpose was to keep her entertained and pleasantly satisfied. How to proceed?

He looked at her half-grin and attempted one of his own. Keeping the fake smile was becoming more difficult by the second. He settled on a straight face. There was no reason to keep pretending anymore. He could finally remove the mask.

Letting out a huge sigh of breath, Koizumi reached out in a tenderness not ever before directed at the Brigade leader. He put his hands on her back and pulled her towards him. It was a soft hug and a miserable one. It was filled with longing and unspoken words. Haruhi was uncharacteristically silent, dropping her head against his neck in quiet submission.

His throat closed around his words, making it difficult to speak. "I will miss you," he whispered into her hair.

She punched him softly in the chest, "Idiot... don't talk like we will never see each other again."

The pair stayed like that for as long as necessary, Koizumi being the one to break contact first. Her touch was beginning to become painful.

"And besides, there is no leaving the SOS Brigade. Consider yourself on temporary leave!"

Koizumi's smile returned, this time a genuine one, "Of course, Suzumiya-san."

...

AN: If you haven't already, please read the short piece I posted right before this: The Conclusion of Suzumiya Haruhi. Cliche title, I know.

Koizumi was always one of the most fascinating characters to me. He was so mysterious and constantly said twisted things, I could never know what was the truth. I also wished there was more to Haruhi and Koizumi's relationship. They could be equally great friends if Koizumi were to act like his true self. But what is his true self anyway? Wish I could know!

Thank you for reading and please review! Seeing people enjoying my pieces always encourages me to write more! hint hint