A/N: I don't own the Haruhi Suzumiya series, created by Nagaru Tanigawa, produced by Kadokawa and animated by Kyoto Animation.

Enter the Crane

Chapter 1: The Smoked Cheese is Out of Sight Tsuruya (S.O.S.T) Brigade

I always thought mysterious crime fighters and aliens, and time travelers and espers were only in the movies. You know, the kind of movies that had that guy say "In a WORLD where two girls who would be Goddesses and one boy must choose between them, and smoked cheese has to be googled, there is only one who can save us….Batman". As I grew up, I found it more and more unlikely such fantastical things would ever happen. I knew it would be ludicrous that any one would fight to save smoke cheese, but people have lived and died for diamonds, tulips, oil and ambergris so a fight over smoked cheese would be par for the course wouldn't it? The notion that a masked vigilante would patrol a city at night and somehow be more effective than a hundred trained police officers was laughable at best. Also, two human girls having a teenage boy decide the fate of the universe.? Yeah, right. Still, it would have been nice to have been a spectator to a contest like that. Not a sidekick though, they often get hurt by the psycho stabbing them or nearly killed by the van driven by the bad guys. This was what I believed to be the truth in my younger days. This was reality before I attended North High School in Nishinomiya. I never would have known any differently if I hadn't played in a baseball game….

At the start of my second year in high school, I had expected things to go somewhat like the year before: Richest girl in the school who anonymously donates six computers to the Computer Research Society including a quite nice new computer with all the bells and whistles so those boys will have many hours to enjoy it, the Computer Club President and my trusted advisor would be the only two people to know that I was the benefactor. Then I'd try to make friends, but they'd be so intimidated by me, my family's reputation or both that to everyone I am just Tsuruya-san or Tsuruya-sempai and I would have to occupy my mind with other activities like softball, hunting down the best smoked cheese and sometimes donating some to the less fortunate, and of course, cosplaying as Trope-tan or those characters from Azumanga Daioh or Lucky Star. I loved how Konata was so into Trope-tan and her friend Kagami was into Full Metal Panic. I also really liked FMP especially the Fumoffu stuff, where Sousake would be all "serious business" and Chidori would whack him with her paper fan. Yeah, Chidori was an awesome character, I bet she would have shared some smoked cheese with me. Yes, I thought life was going to be more of the same, but then Mikuru Asahina walked into my life.

Our teacher introduced Asahina-san as a new student to this high school. She had the most extraordinary chestnut brown hair, and she was certainly well endowed, I would venture that she was at least a few cup sizes bigger than me, and she had such a sweet, innocent face which made her look like a twelve-year old in a sixteen-year old's body. She had said that her family had moved to this region about three weeks ago, and that she was from Okinawa. She mumbled something about "classified information" and then we each had to draw lots for our seating assignments. Her desk was in front of mine over by the window. I took the nearest opportunity to speak to her.

"Hey, how do you likes this area of Japan, nyoro?" I forgot to mention that I had a few verbal tics that made me sound funny. I saw that she had to think for a moment to answer me.

"Oh, it's nice. It's different from what I had imagined and been told. There are some things around here that I really haven't seen before too." She spoke in a pleasant yet soft manner. Her tone also betrayed a hint of naïveté that in common with her large bust size and baby face would make her quite attractive to a lot of guys. She was a living, breathing example of moe. I knew that I felt an inherent urge to protect her.

"I am sure Nishinomiya would be a change of scene from Okinawa, but if you needs a local to help show you around….I'm Haruka Tsuruya."

"Oh, I would like that, Haruka-kun. That is if it's not too much trouble" My heart just about skipped a few beats, she called me by my given name.

"It's no trouble at all" I laughed a little. "Actually, there's this nice little café near a local train stop, and not far from there is this nice little park with a brook that just runs through it. If you ever find a guy that you want to confess to, that is the spot to do so, Mikuru-kun" I wanted to say Mikuru-chan, but stopped myself. She probably would have been taken aback if I had given her an honorific that made her sound like she was my sister. I did like that she felt she could be familiar enough with me to use the -kun honorific.

"Oh, I'm nor allowed to date….." Mikuru's voice trailed off for a second, and then she said "I mean, It will probably be a while before I find a boy that I would want to date. I would like to see this park though." Her eyes looked more cheerful as she said that last sentence.

"Okay, meet me after all your class are done today, and we'll go together" I smiled as I said this.

I was coming out of the Tea Ceremony Club room when I felt someone rush past me. It was some long-haired girl with a ponytail and a colored hair band. She had a pretty expensive Nikon camera in her hands and she was almost randomly taking pictures with it. She had this aura of being extremely energetic, and yet…there was also a fire in her eyes like she was searching for something and just wasn't finding it. Her shoes indicated her status as a first-year student, and her manner suggested that she had just joined the Photography Club. I wondered just how long this girl would stay in that club though. I thought of telling this girl that she wears a ponytail really well, but thought better of it. This would be my first encounter with a girl who would soon be notorious around the campus. She would briefly join every club around and every single athletic team begged her to join their team. I had no doubt we'd be great teammates on the softball team if she had ever joined. Much later I would learn her name was Haruhi Suzumiya.

It was not two minutes later that I had met up with Mikuru. "I am here at 3:49 like we had agreed, Haruka-kun" She said with a smile. She really could warm the coldest heart with the way she moved her lips. This was also where I made note for Mikuru's first eccentricity; she was uncannily accurate about showing up at the precise minute she said she would, and she also was never off telling how much time had passed by more than ten seconds. She would have made a great Olympic timekeeper.

"So it is, Mikuru-kun." I said feeling as light as a cloud. "Say, do you haves any clubs in my mind that you'd want to join, nyoro?"

"Maybe the Calligraphy club. I've been told I have great penmanship and want to improve it".

I suppose there were duller clubs to join, but if it was going to make her love letters look more special, then that would have been a good investment of her time. "Sounds good."

As we walked down the large hill towards the trains, we made the usual small talk. No check that, I made the usual small talk and Mikuru looked like she had no idea what I was talking about half the time. I was surprised that a girl with her look hadn't heard anybody mention Shuffle! or AIR before. She had no idea who Aya-chan or Yuko Goto or Minori Chihara was. She actually looked really confused when I started asking her what her opinion on Eva was. Really, what did this girl watch: Pokemon? At least she didn't read that Twilight garbage that a quarter of the school goes gaga over. Bella was such a stupid Mary Sue with broody vampire who was all but gay and a hot werewolf guy both fighting over her. We were soon on the train for a short trip to the café and the park that was nearby.

"There's the café across the street" I pointed as we stood in a gazebo like structure. I thought about going into the Café Dream with Mikuru and then decided against it. I then pointed in a different direction "Down there is a wonderful park. Let me show you where my favorite bench is". We walked down towards the park and marveled on how wonderful the day was. Not a cloud in the sky and the temperture was just right. This was the beginning of a wonderful series of days with Mikuru. She was unburdened then. This was before Kyon entered both of our lives

Chapter End

Omake: The Misfortunes of Mary Sue Asahina.

Sono Asahina went looking after school for Haruhi. She was finally going to take her rightful place as the right Asahina sister to hang out with the legendary Suzumiya-san and her Kyon. She then bumped into Ryoko Asakura.

"Hi Asakura-san. It's Sono-chan"

"Oh Hi, who are you again?"

"I'm Haruhi's best friend from Middle School. I'm Sono Asahina: time traveller"

"Haruhi had no friends in middle school. I hate liars" Asakura then knocks out Sono by hitting her with the dull part of her ever-present knife. Yuki would know what to do with this pest.

End Omake.

A/N: Please read and review. I hope the little Omake there is appreciated. The first name for Tsuruya was borrowed from Durandall's great Kyon: Big Damn Hero which is a great fic.