Disclaimer: I own neither Tsukihime or Suzumiya Haruhi

A grassy plane. The midnight sky, the moon high up in the air.

Red. Blood red. A crimson...vermilion. I laughed softly to myself, mocking my redundancy.

Scattered all over were the bodies of people that I knew. Aunts. Uncles. Friends, cousins. Some part of me was horrified of the carnage that lay so blatantly at my feet. But another, stronger part thirsted for more.

At the end of the field was a man. He was tall, as befitted someone of his age. His posture displayed a measure of arrogance; his face was stone cold. His hands were bright red. Suddenly, he turned to face me. His eyes had a madness laying deep within them, and it took all of my strength not to turn away. Slowly, a grin crept unto his face. He approached me, and I dared not move for fear of this nonhuman. He looked down upon me, and took my hand. I shuddered from the contact with the blood, but whether it was from fear or pleasure I do not know.

He said words. Words that could have been comforting had they come from another mouth. He finished, and he led me away from the site. I let myself be dragged along. There was nothing left for me there.

The years after that are hazy and unremarkable. The man's name was Tohno Makihisa. He took me into his home, though his motives were unknown to me. I made friends. My first friend was a beautiful girl, with the kindest smile I had ever seen. She got me comfortable in a home led by a mass murderer.

I was adopted. I didn't really care, at that point. I attained a sister, Akiha. She was a meek soul, and with her and my new friend we wasted the summer days away playing in the grass.

Until that day. A stabbing pain, unlike that which I had ever known before. My chest was on fire. My nerves were working double time; my head threatened to explode from the pressure. Blood spurted forth from my heart, tainting the green of the meadow a blood red. My sister- she was holding me. Crying over me.

Someone- Tohno Makihisa- appeared in the corner of my eye. I heard a scream. An inhuman sound. I was slipping from life, but it did not fail to fill me with rage.

Then, it was over. I was dead.

I awoke in a hospital, a bespectacled man looming over my bedside. He asked me all the preliminary questions, and I gave an answer in turn.

I do not know what happened. I felt as if I no longer belonged. As if my presence on this earth was a mockery upon the gods themselves. As if in response to my doubt, my eyes throbbed painfully. Then.

I could see them.

Lines, everywhere. Scribbles, to be more precise. They littered every corner of the room. I looked down upon body. Sure enough, the scribbles were a stark black against my pale skin. I took a hand and had to stifle a gasp as my finger plunged into a line on my wrist. I could not feel it, but there it was. I picked up a fruit knife from the stand beside my bed and rose onto shaky legs. I sunk it into the bed, and traced the longest line on it.

There was a crash as the bed split evenly in two. Doctors and assistants burst into the room, pausing briefly upon seeing the two halves of a bed.

I tried to explain it to them. They would not believe me. It's funny, really. I almost didn't believe myself either. But that bed was all the evidence I needed. It was there. I cut it, with that fruit knife.

No.

I killed it.

Pushing that thought aside, I made my way onto the hospital's lawn after the doctors took away my knife and saw fit to let me savor the sunlight. It was a surprisingly beautiful place. Nice and scenic. But before I could further appreciate that beauty, I noticed something.

Lines.

Everywhere. They crept along the landscape, like a cancer worming its way through the very foundation of the world. I had to stifle a scream. The idea- the idea of being able to rend the earth asunder was too much for me to bear. My head pounded at the implications. I did not want to think about it. But, there it was. Every time I opened my eyes, there was undeniable proof that the world was nothing more than fragile china waiting for a clumsy fool like me to slip and break it.

Then, I met her.

A foreign woman. Flowing red hair. Blue eyes. She called herself Miss Blue.

I called her Sensei.

We talked many times. About nothing. About everything. She was a masterful conversationalist, and I felt myself entranced every time she opened her mouth to speak.

One day, I brought along a fruit knife I had sneaked from another room. Excitedly, I motioned for Sensei to watch me do something incredible. She quirked an eyebrow, obviously curious. It made my heart warm. With a single stroke, I cut a line along a tree. The tree fell. It died. I turned to beam at her. Surely, this was something unique. Something that I and I alone could do.

But then.

She slapped me. Slapped me, and told me what a horrible thing I had done. I could not comprehend it. I broke down, and began to cry. Thorugh the veil of my tears, the lines became less apparent. I looked up to her face, which displayed equal parts pity and anger.

Sensei embraced me. She told me that what I did was terrible. Wrong. That the tree was a living thing, and I had killed it. This philosophy rooted its way into my mind, and began to sprout. The thought of killing something disgusted me. I promised her, then. That I would not use my power ever again. She laughed, and said that my power was mine to do with as I pleased. She said that no one was perfect. That she only wanted me to grow up a good man. Mentally, I made a promise to become that too.

Then, she departed. But she left me something important. A tool, that I could use to shield my mind from the truth. A pair of glasses, that hid the lines that signified death from my eyes.

But they were always there. I could always see them, haunting the edges of my vision.

Still, I am eternally grateful to Sensei.

Because from then on, I could manage.

After the incident, Tohno Makihisa disowned me. It was a pity, really. The old man was cruel when in a foul temper, but otherwise he was a fine father. He sent me to live with the Arimas, distant relatives of mine who had recently moved far away from the Tohno Mansion. They too had a daughter. She was much more enthusiastic than Akiha, though I was wary to get close to her.

Do I really love the Arimas? I like to think that I do. But in the end, they aren't really my family.

An image of Akiha shot through my mind's eye.

I decided not to think about it. Chuckling to myself, I dressed into my uniform and grabbed my bag. It was my first day of high school, and I did not want to be late.

I went downstairs and cheerfully accepted breakfast from the woman that has, for all intents and purposes, been my mother for the past 5 years. Her eyes were kind. Her smile radiant.

Why could I not accept her?

My sister bounded down the steps and crashed into me. With surprising strength, she embraced me. Miyako always was terribly affectionate. A pang of guilt went through me when I realized I could never feel the same love towards her. Patting her on the head, I forced myself to smile. She deserved better than a brother who couldn't love her back.

The trip to school was extenuating. The hill that one had to traverse to reach the campus was ridiculously steep. My anemia certainly wasn't helping matters.

I made it to school with some time to spare, and gladly fell into my seat. I looked around. There were a few familiar faces. Most of them, though, were entirely new. A twisted smile made its way upon my face as I reflected upon the popularity that I had unwittingly gained at my middle school. I wasn't particularly extraordinary or good looking, but it seems that plenty of females were attracted to me. At first, it was entirely welcome attention.

Then, one of them took of my glasses when they tried to kiss me.

Suffice to say that girl would probably never get my screams out of her head.

The bell rang, and more students filed in. Among them was an extremely attractive girl with a yellow ribbon in her hair. Her face was scrunched up into a look of discontent. Disdain, even. As she passed by me to sit in the seat behind mine, I felt strangely uncomfortable.

My turn came for introductions, and I answered as honestly as I possibly could. Unfortunately, as I made to say my name an acquaintance of mine from middle school yelled out 'Kyon!'

I will have to get Miyako back for that some day. At this rate, it appears that the dreaded nickname will follow me well into college. What is wrong with Tohno Shiki? I think it is a perfectly viable name.

Then, the beauty behind me stood up. I payed her no heed.

"My name is Suzumiya Haruhi. I graduated from East Junior High. Normal humans don't interest me. If anyone here is an alien, a time traveler, or an esper, then come find me! That is all."

I barked out a short laugh before I could stop myself. Others laughed too, but I happened to be closest. Her expression a caricature of fury, she reached out an arm and pulled me up from my seat. It was inhumanly fast.

No. Wait. It was really really fast.

"Do you have some sort of problem with me?!" Suzumiya barked this out like what I had done was the most offensive thing in the world.

I wracked my brain for an acceptable counter. "Not really. It's just that what you said was rather outlandish. I couldn't help but laugh a little at it, if you'll pardon me."

The look on her face intensified. It appears that my explanation had only served to further incite her. I briefly wondered why the teacher wasn't doing anything to stop this spectacle.

I decided then to try my luck a second time. "Aliens, time travelers, espers. Those things are all good and fine to believe in."

Her face softened a little. I had better not screw this up.

"But if you go looking for it, some day something big will happen to you. And then, what? You're stuck in a strange situation. You won't know how to deal with it. In the end, it'll be a bigger disappointment than if you had just left well enough alone."

The anger was back. With a huff, she dropped me back in my seat. Suzumiya crossed her arms, and sunk back into her desk. The rage was practically palpable.

I briefly considered taking off my glasses to see if I could kill something as abstract as anger. Then, I shook my head. What a way to start the year.

It was a downward spiral from there, I think. It seemed that Suzumiya refused to leave well enough alone, choosing instead to pester me endlessly.

I felt the sensation of a mechanical pencil being pushed into my shoulder blade for about the third time that day. The familiar sound of that hated name, 'Kyon.'

"What is it?" I said this with an embarrasing tone of resignation in my voice.

"Have you ever met any aliens?"

I quirked an eyebrow. The action threatened to displace my glasses, and I readjusted them before responding. "No."

"Time travelers?" She had a grin on her face. Like that character from that American animation, the Cheshire Cat.

I shook my head. "No."

"Espers?" Again with the grin.

"No."

The thought passed through my head that I should respond positively to the question. My eyes were certainly something magical. Since the power to see death was a direct result of my brain somehow warping my eyes, it was definitely psychic in nature.

She must have sensed the hesitation that I had put into my voice, for her face wore a disbelieving look. I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to face the board. It was only a while until lunch. That thought would carry me soundly though the period.

I sat down to eat my lunch peacefully in the cafeteria. A simple meal of curry bread and milk. Something in the back of my mind called out to me in opposition to the meal. I payed it no head.

Unexpectedly, I felt a presence in front of me. I looked up from my meal to find the class representative gazing at me with a heart-winning smile. I resisted the blush I could feel creeping up my neck.

"Class rep?" I asked this tentatively. I was sure that I did not even know her name.

As if sensing my inability to recall her name, she responded. "I'm Asakura Ryouko, Kyon. It's nice to meet you."

I gazed at her warily. Something was off about her. Within me, I could feel the stirrings of an unfamiliar, though rather welcome, feeling. "It's nice to meet you too."

Her smile widened. "You're friends with Suzumiya Haruhi, are you not?"

Something was...wrong with this situation. My hand beneath the table was twitching manically. I willed myself to calm down and respond normally to the nice girl. I could feel the blood pounding in the back of my head.

This girl. I felt myself going off on a tangent, and stifled the thought. "Not really. I just happen to sit in front of her."

"You're the only one she talks to, you know. I think you're the only person in this school she considers a friend. I've tried to talk to her many times, but..." Asakura's sentence trailed off there. A part of me was sickeningly pleased of these revelations, though I tried my best not to let it show.

"Really, now?" I said this with the intent of sounding casual.

"Yes. You're her tether to the rest of us. Please help Suzumiya to open up to the class!" She giggled and left the table, her meal finished while I was unaware. I turned to look in her direction. She caught my eye once more and waved before leaving the cafeteria entirely.

What exactly happened, there?

I made my way home oddly tired that day. After finishing my schoolwork, I lazed around in my room, thinking of the events that had transpired. Something about both Asakura Ryouko and Suzumiya Haruhi was off. There was something distinctly...

Inhuman.

...about them. My train of thought was derailed as I heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. Stumbling my way down the stairs, I was greeted with the sight of Miyako conversing with a delivery man. It appeared that she was trying to unsuccessfully sign off for the item the man brought.

"Yo." I approached the pair, my little sister pouting at the sight of me. The delivery man smiled and turned to face me. He handed me a board, which surprisingly enough requested my signature for delivery. Scribbling out 'Tohno Shiki' (though my sister was insistent on 'Kyon'), I took the package from him. I tossed him a tip, which he caught with a deft flourish.

The package was small, addressed to Tohno Shiki from Tohno Makihisa. The shock of receiving anything after so many years nearly caused me to drop it, but I retained my composure and started for the stairs. Miyako looked up at me with expectant eyes. Smiling for her sake, I opened the plain brown package.

An iron bar. Miyako seemed to be disappointed with the contents, and I shooed her off to bed. For my father to send me an iron bar had to be some sort of insult. I resisted the urge to throw it at the wall, and instead sliced the air with it in anger.

Click.

The sound drew my attention quickly. I looked at object in my hands, no longer an iron bar but a gravity knife with an engraving. It was small, to be sure. Hardly more lethal than a fruit knife. But lethal, nonetheless.

Nanatsu-yoru. Seven nights.

I smiled, a little. I felt as if my father was playing some sort of practical joke, giving one such as me something like this. Shaking my head, I pocketed it.

Common sense told me that I would never need something like this outside of the home. That Tohno Shiki should not be allowed to have such a thing.

Yet...

The next day, Suzumiya peppered me with the usual questions. I deflected them almost instinctively now, no longer caring much if she suspected me of being supernatural. Rumors were beginning to spread about me and her. It was getting rather annoying.

"If you're so interested in this sort of thing, why not join a club?" I said this on a whim. God I wish I hadn't. "There's that Supernatural Study Group, isn't there? They seem interesting."

The look on her face would have made small children cry. "Them? They're a bunch of freaks who want to summon the devil!"

"Have I succeeded where they have failed?"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing. Listen, then why don't you start your own club if you hate all the other ones so much?"

With that sentence, I set in motion something that I wouldn't understand even after years of contemplation. It's funny, how a simple gesture or noncommittal sentence can have an effect on one's future.

A few minutes later, the two of us were standing outside of the Literary Club clubroom. Never mind the fact that the Literary Club still had a member- Miss Suzumiya was on a mission. She strolled into the room, spouting off various ideas and plans. It appears that the Literary Club member, Nagato Yuki, did not mind. It seems Suzumiya had claimed her, too.

Nagato Yuki. Around her, I felt the same way I did around Asakura Ryouko. It didn't make any sense to me. They were two entirely different people. Yet, the discomfort that arose within me around the class representative was also present when I was in close proximity to Nagato.

I was scared, actually. I had no idea what the feeling meant. But whenever I looked at Nagato, I felt...uneasy. As if something was wrong. Once, I met her gaze. And in that moment my hand clenched painfully around the knife in my pocket. I wanted to do something.

I just didn't know what.

Asahina Mikuru. What a poor girl. If I felt disease around Nagato, then Asahina was practically a beacon that attracted my pity.

She was extremely attractive and kind. The kind of person I would date in a heartbeat. Yet, Suzumiya subjected her to both sexual and verbal harassment. Several times I tried to voice my opinion, but always barged into the room while she was dressing. Suffice to say that I ran right out.

Suzumiya was a terribly strong woman. As such, I could not actively stop the abuse without resorting to taking off my glasses, and that was a little too drastic for such an occasion. As such, I never took them off in her presence.

I sat in the clubroom one day, after we had gained a new member. One Koizumi Itsuki.

Even with my glasses concealing the truth from me, I could tell he was disgustingly fake. His smile was plastic, though the others seemed to not realize it.

Then, he invited me for some coffee. Seeing no polite way to refuse, I took him up on the offer. I ordered a simple roast, and we sat down to partake in the drinks.

"Do you believe in magic, Kyon?" He asked this to me with that sickening smile of his plastered on his face. I briefly wondered if I could kill it.

The thought made my head pound.

"Not really." I said this ironically. My eyes were probably glowing or something in response.

I glanced at a nearby window. Nope. Still gray.

"Then, you would not believe me if I said I was an esper?" His eyes danced merrily. My hand twitched. "A magician of sorts?"

I laughed. "Why not? We meet all sorts. It might not be a stretch to think that espers and magic are real." Still not glowing.

He took a long sip of his coffee. Judging from the color, it was startling sweet. "I love your attitude. Yes, I am an esper. We're an organization, really. An Agency dedicated to observing Suzumiya Haruhi."

I couldn't hide the shock on my face. So, now Suzumiya is special? The irony in all her statements became increasingly apparent by the minute. If nothing else, Koizumi was good for a laugh.

I think that Koizumi could make a good philosophy professor. He was extremely long-winded with a penchant for turning his lectures towards the absurd.

"Humans have called those who can create and destroy the world at will as God."

My eyes shot up from their gaze at my empty coffee cup. What of those who can merely destroy the world at will, then?

What are they?

"For some reason, you've been chosen by Miss Suzumiya. You are her closest friend. For the sake of the universe, it is imperative that you do not allow her to grow weary of this world. Existence as we know it is entirely dependent on it.

"You've awoken a vengeful god. Now, can you keep it amused?"

The way he phrased his question made the atmosphere extremely awkward. "That's the thing though. I don't want in her club. I'm quitting tomorrow, actually."

I might have imagined it, but Koizumi's eyes appeared to narrow. "Really, now? That is not a wise course of action, Kyon."

"What isn't a wise course of action is getting caught up with aliens, time travelers, and espers." I said this rather calmly looking back at it. "What of Nagato and Asahina? Are they like you?"

He seemed to light up again. A dim, artificial light. "They also have special powers, if that is what you mean." A smirk briefly made itself known before retreating back into a smile. "They are not espers, otherwise."

I felt my entire body grow taut with nervous energy. "And me?"

Surely they knew everything. Everything about the eyes which came so close to ruining my life those five years ago. I realized, then, the reason I had been summoned to Suzumiya's club. If her power was real, then my eyes were definitely something on par with magic powers, time travel, or aliens. This meant that there was an entire slew of people out there who knew of me. Sensei's teachings fluttered through my mind and I--

"Nope. I can guarantee that you are a completely normal human being." He flashed a slightly arrogant smile. "No offense."

"What?"

"I know you're disappointed, but so are we. It is quite the anomaly that Suzumiya would grow close to one such as you."

He stood up to move away.

"Well then, I'll be seeing you at the club room tomorrow won't I? Until then, Kyon?"

As he moved away, I lowered my glasses to gaze at his back. There, in the direct center of his body, was a collection of lines surrounding a a strangely colored dot. My breathing became shallow, and I quickly slid my glasses back up.

They didn't know what I was capable of. The reassurance allowed me to release a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Look, you ordered me up to your apartment in the most roundabout way possible then you sit here and quote a passage out of Dune or something at me." I quickly grew tired of Nagato Yuki's spiel. I could feel the sheer anger bubbling from my closeness to her. "Shut- shut the hell up and get to the point!"

My breathing was heavy and shallow. The occasional bead of sweat would form on my brow and slide down my face. My glasses were slowly becoming foggy. Was this all because I had been talking with Nagato for just fifteen minutes?

I resisted the urge to slip my hand around my knife for reassurance.

Kill.

I shouted and flew back towards the wall of Nagato's apartment. That- that bitch. I'll-

"Is something troubling you?" Her voice made me want to cut her throat and keep her from talking ever again. Her eyes, gazing at me with that expressionless stare made me want to carve them out and eat them. I tore my glasses from my face and stared at her unabashedly.

Good. Lines criss-crossed her body, as it should be.

"N-no. Continue. It's just, I've never been in a girl's house with her alone before." I managed to gasp that out in an attempt to play off my actions. No. I can't kill this girl. Not now. I wiped the sweat from my brow with a sleeve.

"Very well." She seemed to go along with it, though I honestly couldn't tell. "I am a Humanoid Interface sent by the Data Integration Thought Entity. My mission is to observe all data fluctuations that occur as a result of Suzumiya Haruhi."

Uppity little bitch. I could tear her into seventeen pieces in an INSTANT if I wanted to.

"You are the human that Suzumiya Haruhi has chosen to be her support. As such, it is important that you are aware of the circumstances surrounding her in order to better perform your task." She said this all with a straight face.

"I'm quitting the club." I managed to spit that out as normally as I could with my heart beating a mile per minute. "You- you can't keep me there. Nobody can."

"Seeing as you are a normal human with little to no influence over the flow of data governing this universe, it would be a simple task for an aspect of the Data Integration Thought Entity to coerce you into doing its bidding." SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

"How dare you!" I screamed that with as much force as I could. I rose to my feet and stumbled my way towards the door. "You- I'm not going to stay. If you and the Data Integration Whatever know what's good for you, you'll STAY OUT OF MY WAY." I hobbled out towards the elevator.

I slid down the wall of the elevator and dropped bonelessly. I hurriedly replaced my glasses, the constant sight of the lines beginning to overwhelm my senses. Blood rushed through my head at an amazing rate. I felt light headed. My anemia kicked in, and everything faded to white.

I awoke gazing up at an unfamiliar room. Seeing the lines of death snaking all over the ceiling, I quickly identified my glasses and put them on. I turned my head, and came face to face with Nagato Yuki.

"My anemia..." I managed to say that, if rather weakly. Nagato simply nodded and strode out of the room with an inhuman grace. It only made me angrier. I shakily rose to my feet and made for home.

Why was all of this happening to me?

"Classified information."

I couldn't help but smile at that. She was so cute. And time traveler or not, I felt no disease around her. Therefore, she was completely human.

Utterly fine to talk to.

"So, no special powers at all? Are you sure I can't fly or something?" I said that with a teasing tone in my voice. Looking back, it wasn't a very flirtatious comment.

She shook her head sadly. "Nope. All my superiors affirm that in all the timelines you never showed any sign of supernatural powers."

"And the rest is?..."

"Classified information."

I couldn't help but blush a little talking to that vision of beauty. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm still quitting Suzumiya's club. I don't want to get dragged into something like this."

She pouted. "But Kyon. The world depends on you keeping Haruhi stable!"

I barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Keep her stable? She wasn't stable to begin with!"

"But that's the point. You need to be there with her in order to stabilize her! Otherwise, she'll never be content." Again, I was nearly swayed by her sweet tone.

I patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry, sempai. But it's in my best interests to keep out of the so-called SOS Brigade."

"But you practically formed the club! You were the one who gave her the idea to make it. She won't be happy if her other founding member isn't there. You're one of the two pillars that supports the SOS Brigade!"

"Sorry, but no." Then, I walked away, not sparing the poor girl a second glance. It was cold of me, I know. But I didn't want to prolong this any more. I wondered then, what my life would be like if I returned to the Tohno Mansion. If not aliens, time travelers, and espers, I'd probably be mingling with the likes of vampires or something there.

Though, that situation seemed rather tame when compared to a teenage girl with absolute power.

"You- you can't QUIT!" Suzumiya screamed this in my ear, causing me to wince somewhat.

"I'm sorry. But there are other things that I need to do and I can't spend all my time playing around here." I said this apologetically. I felt a little bad, actually. I was leaving her to a disaster that I had basically designed. But it isn't like she could do anything to stop me.

I saw something from out of the corner of my eyes. I slipped off my glasses and put them in my pocket, to the confusion of the club members staring anxiously at me. I looked at Suzumiya and gasped.

"Well? What the hell is it?!"

She was flawless. Not a single line marred her body. Not a point blemished her skin. For the first time in my life I felt utterly powerless.

Around her, though, were a number of lines connected to nothing radiating from her like spokes. Suddenly, several of the lines sped towards me. With a speed I wasn't aware I possessed, I traced along the lines with a fingernail before they even came close to me.

"Uh, sorry. It was a fly." But they didn't even pay attention to me. Instead, all eyes were on Suzumiya, who looked as if she'd be hit by a car. She was clutching at her chest, her breathing shallow. She sank to her knees, weak and winded. I glanced at the others.

Nagato. Her eyes were widened in an expression of blatant surprise. Koizumi, a look of genuine worry plastered upon his face. Sempai, who had charged towards the fallen girl and cradled her in her arms.

I glanced once more upon Suzumiya and saw faint lines begin to appear on her body. Yes. They were pale. But they were there.

She was no God. It was a terrible thought, but I couldn't help but feel satisfaction at it. However, my mind turned to darker things. What were those lines? What part of her did I just kill?

The lines on her body grew darker every moment. Dots began to appear sporadically around her figure. Nagato had joined Sempai on the floor in taking care of Suzumiya. The two picked her up and made for the nurse wordlessly. I turned back to Koizumi. He seemed shocked. Genuinely confused.

"Does God ever get sick?" I asked him this with a regretful tone in my voice.

He stammered for a moment. "I'll have to contact my superiors about this. This is an unexpected development. Miss Suzumiya has never been ill in her life."

A familiar head poked its way into the room. "Kyon? Could I speak with you for a minute?"

"Sure, Asakura." I followed her out of the room, a distraught Koizumi in my wake.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I said that warily. Whatever made Asakura seem off to me appeared to be amplified a dozen times on that day. Merely seeing her had made me begin to sweat.

"I only wish to know what you did to Suzumiya Haruhi." Her smile did not leave her face.

"W-what I did? I didn't do anything to her." My tone did not even convince me. It only served to make Asakura smile wider. She stepped closer to me, and I stood my ground out of a mixture of fear and some other, more foreign emotion.

"Kyon, you made a brief swatting motion with your hand." The way she said it made it sound like such a trivial action was of the utmost importance. I nearly rolled my eyes. "In that moment, all data production by Suzumiya Haruhi came to a halt."

Data?

"The data fluctuation and the movement of your hand were entirely synchronized. There is no way that such an occurrence is a coincidence. During those moments, you severed part of the data flow from Suzumiya Haruhi to the world." She giggled. It was extremely unsettling. "Therefore, I need to know how you did such a thing in order to rationalize the situation."

Shut up. I wish she'd...shut up. She's such a nice girl. Then I wouldn't need to...

Wouldn't need to...?

"I didn't do anything, Asakura. I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to say this with a straight face, but the effect she had on me made it all I could do to keep from screaming at her.

"Interface Nagato Yuki has already told me that you have been informed of the current situation. There is no need to lie. I present no threat." She stepped even closer, and I could feel the heat rising from my body. "Unless you refuse to tell me. There are effective ways to make human beings talk. Do you intend to say nothing about your actions?"

I didn't hesitate at all. "Yes."

"Then I have no choice."

She charged at me with a solid black combat knife. My body instinctively reacted and I jumped away from what would have otherwise been a very painful wound. The entire edge was serrated. It was as much a tool of torture as murder.

I pulled my knife from my pocket and flicked it open with a satisfying click. Compared to her knife, it might as well be a stick. Asakura took one look at it and cracked up laughing.

"Hahahaha, you- you mean to combat me with a weapon such as that?" Tears streamed down her face as she doubled over in laughter. "Kyon, it's useless. Just tell me what I want to know."

I reached up and pulled my glasses from my face, carelessly throwing them to the side of the classroom. I knew they couldn't break anyway. I gazed up at her, and she met my eyes.

At the sight of my eyes, there was none of the usual fear I saw. Instead, there was only mirth. As if she did not believe me a threat.

As if this pathetic EXISTENCE did not think I could kill her.

With a smile, she swung her hand at me, letting loose a torrent of spears that seemed to be made of light. It didn't matter if it was alive or not.

I could kill it.

The light spears fell apart as I hacked my way through the barrage into Asakura's personal space. She raised her knife to defend, but I sliced through the blade so cleanly it might as well have not existed at all.

I looked up at her. Her face betrayed layers of disbelief.

I smiled.

"You're not human, are you?"

"N-no."

"Then die."

I made for one of the many points dotting her body, but Asakura was much faster than any of my usual foes. She managed to dodge, and tried to counterattack.

A futile effort, when my eyes can see all.

I bent over backwards, using my finger to trace a line underneath her arm. Her arm fell apart into two pieces, making a distinctive 'squelch' noise as it hit the floor. I could see the hysteria in her eyes now. I could see the fear.

Her mouth opened, and she said something indistinct rapidly. Then, lines shot up out of her much like they did from Suzumiya. They were not aimed at me, but rather my surroundings. I jumped up, and traced them with my knife in an instant.

I turned to face Asakura. She was grinning, as if she expected me to fall dead any moment. Then, the look of expectation turned to one of confusion. Why wasn't anything happening, she was thinking.

Because I killed it. I killed all of it.

I picked up her armless body with a single arm, my other hand softly stroking her supple skin.

I caressed her legs. They fell apart in a wave of blood.

I touched her other arm. It exploded.

I tickled her stomach. Her torso fell apart, piece by piece.

All that was left of her then was her head. Disturbingly, it remained animated. Self aware. As if the rest of its body did not matter at all. She spoke, even.

"I could never have foreseen this. For a human being to best the Data Integration Thought Entity is unheard of. It was supposed to be impossible.

"But you- what are you? You do not create data. Nor do you overwrite it. Data that you touch simply ceases to exist. I don't understand.

"Something like you could destroy existence itself. Everything could cease to be. You are a greater threat than Suzumiya Haruhi will ever be.

"Please, for the good of continued existence, kill yourself."

Anger surged through me and I plunged my knife into the dot on her forehead. She screamed, and then was gone. "Shut the hell up."

It was a fact of life. I refused to die. Killing others so that I may live was perfectly natural.

Wasn't it?

The heat left my body. I found my glasses and put them on. I could see clearly now. The mutilated remains of Asakura Ryouko. I had cut her into seventeen pieces of meat. I had done this. I, Tohno Shiki, had killed this girl in cold blood.

I threw up right there. No. This wasn't happening.

I-I'm not a killer! I'm not!

The pieces of Asakura faded away, as did the carnage wreaked upon the classroom. The blood on my uniform disappeared too, and for a second I fancied that it was only a dream.

Bile rose up in my throat. This was...wrong, wasn't it? I had not known Asakura for much longer than a week. One week, and suddenly I felt as if I had the right to kill her.

But then, did she also not wish to kill me? There's nothing wrong with killing, as long as it ensures your survival, right?

Part of me was glad that there was no evidence. Another part of me was going insane.

Did this happen? Did anything happen? Is Asakura still alive? What if she isn't? What if she is? Does she know? SHOULD she know? I stared down at my knife. It was pristine. In perfect condition. As if I had not bathed it in a woman's blood but mere minutes ago. The blade slipped back into the handle with an ease that seemed so inappropriate for the situation.

Panting heavily, I made my way out of the classroom. Waiting there for me was the one person I really had no wish to face at the moment.

Nagato Yuki.

"You- you! What is it?" I asked that in a hurry. It sounded rather suspicious. "Is Suzumiya...okay?"

"Suzumiya Haruhi's physical injuries were minor. I have not come to speak with you for that purpose." Every word she spoke only served to incite that horrible feeling yet again. "Rather, it is what you have done to the data flow governing this world that I wish to speak about."

That data bullshit again. I felt an irrational anger at hearing my murders equated to mere data.

"What do you mean? I haven't-"

"Do not deny my accusations. I felt the disappearance of my backup interface, Asakura Ryouko. She disappeared exactly five minutes and thirty five seconds ago in the classroom behind you."

There was a sudden explosion, and I found myself in the middle of a large desert. Nagato stood there, unfazed by the change in scenery. She was the one that did this. A witch. Some sort of demon.

"What is this?" I choked that out despite my surprise.

"This is a separate data plane that I have requisitioned from the Data Integration Thought Entity to ensure the total privacy of the ensuing affairs.

"You, Kyon, have been judged by the Data Integration Thought Entity to be a threat to the world. A threat that is much greater than the one posed by Suzumiya Haruhi. Our assessment of your abilities is incomplete, but we have concluded that you have the ability to erase data from the world at will. It is not known how or when you attained this ability, only that it is not apparent anywhere in your data. It is supposed to be a non factor. It does not truly exist. As such, we cannot quantify and remedy it.

"Therefore, we have chosen to take countermeasures to prevent you from incurring any other damages upon this plane. To appease Suzumiya Haruhi, we will create a Humanoid Interface in your likeness.

"I am about to rewrite the data that makes up your being. You will cease to exist to keep such an anomaly from surfacing elsewhere."

After that, she dropped down into a combat stance and charged towards me with speed that was far greater than that of Asakura's. It was all I could do to roll out of the way of such an assault.

She did not stop there. Without even touching upon the ground, she continued onto my position with ridiculous promptness. It was at a point where I could only barely make out her features in the haze that was her figure.

Then, she stopped. She stood a few meters away from me, her face betraying a quizzical expression. "Why have you not used your ability to delete data yet? Do circumstances not allow you to make use of your ability at will?"

In response, I took my glasses off and pocketed them. I drew my knife from my pocket and flicked it open, hearing that satisfying click as I dropped into a stance that had long been buried deep within my mind. To tell the truth, it felt good. As if I was dead all this time, and had recently returned to the world of the living.

"It is useless to engage me with physical objects. Any and all data changed by the application of such an item will return to its default state immediately."

"Are you saying...that I can't kill you?"

"That is correct.

Blood rushed through my head, sending a jolt of electricity through the nerves that connected my brain to my eyes. I saw the familiar lines everywhere, even on Nagato. Points dotted nearly every space. She was wrong. I could kill her.

I could kill anything.

"We'll see about that, I guess." Then, I charged forward. But I did not make to strike Nagato. No, instead I cut the lines beneath her feet, causing the ground itself to fall apart. She began to fall, but flew up, suspending herself in midair.

She said something and a pillar of sand rose up, threatening to engulf me. I ran along it, using pure speed to scale it with only my legs. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My body was on fire, and it felt good. I felt a grin crack my face. When I reached the apex, I jumped off the pillar towards the flying Nagato.

She was not prepared for this.

I noticed then, that the same lines that connected Asakura and Suzumiya to what appeared to be nothing were also existent on Nagato. A thought crossed my mind. What if I severed all of those lines?

She made to block, but look confused when I shifted my momentum and instead appeared to slash at the air around her. In truth, I was severing her connection to something. I had a few theories as to what could happen.

Her eyes widened. It appears that she had caught on to whatever it was that I was doing. Her brown orbs screamed desperation, but I didn't care. I cut the last line without a second thought.

Then I heard it. The pained scream of a human girl.

She fell through the air at an alarming rate. The world around us began to crumble, and I too began to fall from the sky. I willed myself to see more, despite the loud protest that my skull gave. Then, I saw it. The central point that marked the 'existence' of this world. With a flick of the wrist, I tossed my knife at it.

And suddenly, Nagato and I were back in the classroom, my knife laying a few feet away from me. My eyesight was blurry, but that much I could make out. Getting back up, I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket before anyone could see me. I turned back to the girl whimpering on the ground. I no longer felt that wave of xenophobic anger when I saw her. Instead, all I could sense from her was fear. She didn't know where she was and what she was doing. I think that when I cut those lines, I severed the connection to whatever higher power had spawned her.

In short, I had cut away the excess to reveal the human girl buried beneath the rubble, barely clinging to life.

I didn't know what to do. My glasses were still off if my pounding headache were anything to go by and I could see that there were many more lines and points on her than before I had cut away the links. She was in roughly the same condition that Suzumiya was.

She posed no more threat. And now was not the time to worry about what I was becoming. Now, there was a hurt human being lying at my feet.

After putting my glasses back on, I bent down and cradled her in my arms. She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, and a wave of guilt came crashing through me. I smiled weakly at her and made for the nurse's office.

It was difficult to ignore the stares that we were getting. People pointed and whispered, and I could only imagine what they thought had happened to Nagato. It didn't really matter what they thought, though.

The truth was so much worse.

I idly wondered how much of a sight I looked after engaging in combat with the two 'Humanoid Interfaces.' To my surprise, I realized that neither of them had even struck me during the fights. Exactly what happened back then isn't clear to me, but I knew then that something was wrong. Something was off about my body and mind, if I could simply kill and forget.

I sat in a small room with the members of the SOS Brigade, watching as Nagato and Suzumiya rested in the small beds the school could provide.

Their situations were all my fault. If I had simply let those lines strike me, Suzumiya would be okay right now. As for Nagato?

I don't even remember what exactly I did to her.

Then, I wondered if I could kill sickness. If I could stab the concept of pain within their bodies, and get them to be alright again.

Thinking of how much I would have to concentrate to do that made my head hurt.

I moved over to Nagato's bedside, watching her sleeping face. I lowered my glasses a little and was relieved to find that there weren't as many lines as there were a few minutes ago. It seemed that the girl was getting much better. The spoke-like lines that once radiated out from her no longer existed.

I spared a glance over at Haruhi, where the other members had their attentions focused. I had severed maybe three or four of the lines connected to her. However, countless others were slinking their way everywhere, touching everyone and everything in the room.

Except, I noticed, me.

Eventually, we had to return to class. I took one last look at the two girls before leaving the room and wishing them good luck.

Asakura obviously did not return from class. There was a bit of an uproar, as no one believed that Asakura Ryouko would simply skip class. Time passed, and eventually the day ended. Students filed out of class, Asakura out of their mind for the most part.

I made my way back towards the nurse's office to the sight of Suzumiya ranting something in Nagato's general direction. For her part, Nagato looked like a frightened puppy. Her eyes were filled with terror at the sight of the terrifying woman ranting at her. Her body was shaking. I felt terrible.

She was such a far cry from the alien who tried to kill me just hours ago.

"Yo." I said that greeting, though from the look on Suzumiya's face it was far too casual for such an occasion.

"What do you mean 'yo?!' I'm unconscious for four hours and the only thing you can say is 'yo?!'" I shook my head. I was partially hoping that severing those ties would have incited some sort of change, but it seems to have only made her angrier.

"Nagato, how are you feeling?" I say this and approach her bed. Immediately she sat up straight and huddled over to the wall, burying herself in her blanket.

It was way too cute.

"F-fine." She said this with an uncharacteristic stutter. It was so unlike her I did a double take, much to the confusion of the room's other party. "Um, I don't mean to bother you, but--"

"Hm?"

"Who exactly are you?"

The question hit me like a truck. Who am I? By severing those lines, did I kill her memory? Was she even herself anymore? I tried to think it through rationally. She still knew her name. She seemed scared, so she either remembered our fight or did not remember the school.

"I'm Tohno Shiki. We're in the same year, remember?" I tried to say it casually, but I could hear the nervousness in my voice. Nagato stiffened up and further huddled up in her blanket. Suzumiya watched all of this with a look of irritation.

"T-that's right." There was an uncertain tone in her voice that made me worry. "You're Tohno Shiki, and that's Suzumiya Haruhi."

I beamed. "Correct. You passed out in the halls, and I brought you here." The lie made me want to break something.

She looked away and blushed. "R-right."

"You know Kyon, if you hadn't refused to join my club this never would've happened!" The statement was incredibly stupid, but technically correct. I looked over at her. Her arms were crossed and she looked far too lively for someone who had been out for hours.

Nagato looked up at me curiously. "Um, Kyon's my stupid nickname. You can just call me Shiki or Tohno or whatever you want." She looked down and nodded.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" Suzumiya got up from bed and got right up in my face. A bead of sweat rolled down my face. "So in exchange for me not pressing charges, you're joining my club! Do you got that?!"

"P-pressing charges?!" The thought that someone like Suzumiya could give competent story to a lawyer was unsettling. "You can't-!"

"You caused me undue mental duress by refusing to join my club." She smirked. "So this is an out of court settlement. You're joining the SOS Brigade."

A brief thought flitted through my mind. A whim. A purely impulsive thought. I laughed. I laughed and backed away from the madwoman spouting these ridiculous ideas at me. "You know what? Fine. I'll join you." A satisfied smirk appeared on her face. "But not for you."

"What?"

I put a hand on Nagato's shoulder and grinned. She stiffened up in response to my touch. "She's still injured, and I don't want a banshee like you hounding her all day. So until she's better, she's my responsibility."

I didn't let her come up with a response. Despite the fact that I had just been sucked into a world of the supernatural, where aliens, time travelers, and espers had free run of the world, I felt like I had won a small victory. I moved out of the room, passing by the pair of Koizumi and Sempai.

"I joined the club. I'm with you, I guess."

"Kyon, that's great!" Sempai embraced me before promptly pulling away in embarrassment. I laughed.

"I knew you'd see it our way, Kyon." Koizumi said this with that fake smile in place. "It seems that Miss Suzumiya's plan was getting sick in order to worry you. It looks like it worked."

"Haha, I suppose you're right." I felt like I had just been removed from between a rock and a hard place. It seemed that even Koizumi had to grasp for an explanation to rationalize all this. I could only be thankful he did not make the connections the Humanoid Interfaces had. "She's more devious than I gave her credit for."

"This situation only proves just how important you are to her, Kyon. She was willing to suffer through all that just so you wouldn't leave her. It is a testament to Miss Suzumiya's determination." He somehow managed to say all that with a straight face. That familiar feeling of guilt once again made itself known and I hastily excused myself.

After dinner, I laid on my bed and thought about what had happened.

I was disgusted.

I was utterly disgusted at my actions. In only a few hours, I had driven myself to kill two people. People that I barely even knew. I could have reasoned with them. In Asakura's case, I could have just told her about my eyes. It was selfish of me. I wanted to live a normal life.

But when you have to kill to achieve a normal life, just how normal is it?

I practically killed Nagato. She was still alive. Her body was fine, and it seemed like she remembered everything that didn't have to do with her Data Integrated Thing. But that was her entire personality up until now. The Data Something made her the person that she was. Without that, she was basically a blank slate.

I killed that Nagato Yuki. There's a new Nagato Yuki, but she isn't the same person. I can only do my best to atone by helping the new one as much as a possibly can. To that end, I will protect her from whatever will be wrought by the existence of the SOS Brigade.

Koizumi was wrong.

Now, Nagato was the only normal human being in a club full of freaks. They're not aware, but my eyes make me just as special as any of the rest of them. In the end, the eyes made it impossible for me to live that normal life I so desired. It was entirely because of them that I could not leave well enough alone. That I could not just ignore Suzumiya Haruhi and go about my own life.

I picked up my knife and raised it. With a flick of my wrist, the blade extended itself. The Nanatsu-yoru was not a spectacular knife. It seemed cheap and old. Yet, it was the only tie I had to my old family.

But they're not really my family, are they?

Memories came rushing to the forefront of my mind. Suppressed memories of horrible things. A crimson field. My mother, dead at my feet.

Then, it all changed. I heard the sound of cicadas chirping in the background. I saw a boy with shock white hair standing over my body. His lips were curled into a feral sneer.

SHIKI.

Yes, that's my name. But what is his? Who is he?

My chest was burning. I tore my shirt open. Blood. There was blood everywhere.

I opened my eyes with a start. A dream. That didn't happen. I idly traced the scar that dominated the majority of my chest. That was a car accident. That was the reason my father disowned me. What was all that other stuff, then?

I looked up at the clock. It was three in the morning. Despite this, I could not sleep. My mind was shocked into a constant state of alert. My knife lay at my side. I quickly pocketed it. I had not changed clothes before falling asleep, so I quietly made my way out of the house and into the streets.

I had not been outside so late in a long time. It was a tranquil night, and I could not even hear the sound of animal calls. Cars seldom passed the street where I lived. All in all, it was a very calming experience. I made my way towards an old park where I used to play with Miyako.

On the way, I passed a strange woman. She was a foreigner, and ethereally beautiful. My head pounded, but I ignored it. Now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts. We didn't exchange a word. Perhaps it was better that way.

I made my way over to the park's bench. There was a figure sitting on it, hugging her knees to her chest. Worried, I made my way over to it. What I saw shocked me.

There was Nagato Yuki, sitting on a park bench at three in the morning. Her eyes were moist, and she appeared to be looking at nothing. The sight awakened within me a compassion I did not know I could feel.

It wasn't until I sat down beside her that she noticed my presence. She gave a yelp and jumped a little, though she didn't move from her seat. I favored her with a small smile.

"Nagato, it's three in the morning. Shouldn't you be asleep?" She looked at me uncertainly. I was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger to her. Someone who carried her to the nurse's office once, and nothing more.

"I, um, couldn't sleep. I've been..." She trailed off then.

"Thinking?"

"Y-yes. About all of this. About joining Miss Suzumiya's club. To tell you the truth, I'm a little..."

I decided to push my luck once more. "Apprehensive?"

"N-no, more like scared." A nervous quake seemd to underline all of her words. "I don't even remember agreeing to join, and she took my clubroom without even asking. But I don't want to make her angry, she's so much more forceful than I am."

She shot a glance at me. It was probably the first eye contact we had made all night.

"To tell you the truth, I don't want to join." I wasn't surprised by that. This new Nagato seemed to have many more human emotions than the Interface who I had.

Killed.

But neither was the other, and I could not make judgments based on past experiences. I had to actually get to know this Nagato Yuki.

"You don't have to, you know. You can quit anytime." I said this, though I did not entirely believe it. If Suzumiya was as all-powerful as the others stated, then someone who had no form of defense against her could not possibly go resist her will if she felt strongly about something. "We could quit together. I wouldn't mind joining the Literary Club, actually."

She blushed and looked down, unable to retain eye contact for more than moment. It was a quality that I could not reconcile with the taciturn girl who never showed a single weakness. "T-that's alright. You'll be there, right? Y-you said you'd help me. So if Miss Suzumiya..."

"If Suzumiya tries to force you to do something you don't want to do, I'll talk some sense into her." I raised my voice slightly to say that. This was a person that I killed once. I had a responsibility to her now. Had she been aware of what I had done, I knew she would have me take responsibility for killing her. "You don't have to worry. I've got your back."

She slowly turned and did something that I would never have thought possible. She looped her arms around my neck and hugged me, burying her face into my shoulder. I was horrified that someone who I had so wronged would be willing to put so much trust into me. Guilt shot through my every nerve.

I had.

A responsibility.

I returned the hug. In my case, it was a guilty pleasure. From then on, she would look upon me like a princess looks upon her knight. It was an honor that I did not deserve. I was bound by the teachings of my Sensei--

No.

As Tohno Shiki, I was bound to give my life to help her in whatever way I could. It was the only way I could truly pay her back, and even then it would never be enough.

Hesitantly, she released me. I smiled and told her to go home and get some rest. Since it was probably four in the morning at that time, I escorted her to her apartment. I still wasn't used to the elevator in her building.

She lived alone. It made sense. If the Data Integration Something had created her, then she had no family. Despite this, the thought of the poor girl wasting away in a dark, lonely room heavily disturbed me. She hugged me one last time, then retreated into her apartment.

What kind of person was I? I was concealing the truth from her. She deserved to know.

Yet...

I couldn't hurt her.

I made my way home, conflicting thoughts staging a battle within my mind.

A/N- This is a modification of the original concept presented by KChasm in his story The Melancholy of Tohno Shiki. The idea was never mine originally, but I felt that such a one-shot had the capability to be expanded. In truth, I would have preferred for KChasm to continue himself (as his writing is a bit more fluid than mine, and lends itself nicely to both universes), but I will settle for taking this in my own direction. Thanks, KC.