Disclaimer: I do not Own Suzumiya Haruhi or any other properties mentioned in this story.
What you should know: This story is set before the book nine just before the end of the school year. Although not a sequel per se you may consider that this happens some time after my previous story 'Extra-Ordinary Vision' but is not necessary to read it to understand it. And please accept my apologies if this story hurts your sensibilities.
The SOS-Dan Junior Squad
Chapter 01: Kyon's Dilemma
***
I couldn't fall sleep
The tiredness of my body after its muscles have been used to the limit had me at a level were I was so tired that I couldn't sleep at all.
The warm night raising my body heat to uncomfortable levels.
And most of all, my mind refusing to let go of a certain train of thought even if said train was running in an infinite circle pattern repeating the very same stations that it has visited in the last 5 hours.
I think most people have had a night like this at least once in his or her lifetime. Although I doubt that it would be for the same reasons as mine…
Abandoning any idea of falling asleep anytime soon I rose up from my bed, went to the bathroom and washed my face hoping that the cool water and a clean dermis would be a step closer to the land of Morpheus.
No such a thing of course.
Instead I stared intently to the face in the mirror in front of me.
No, is not because I suddenly developed a complex in the same vein as Narcissus and condemned myself to death while gazing at my own reflection. It was because in that reflected face in front of me I dreaded to find the key to my most recent dilemma.
And, as you might have already guessed it involved, among others, a certain girl known as Suzumiya Haruhi.
***
It was a hot March Friday afternoon, just days away of finishing my first high school year, when this series of unfortunate incidents began.
Classes had just finished and I was on the SOS Dan club room (actually the literature club one) drinking a warm cup of tea lovingly made by the brigade's own angel, Asahina Mikuru, and playing a game of chess with the perennial board game's loser Koizumi Itsuki while the only real member of the literature club, Nagato Yuki, was reading a book as thick as a phone book.
While it is true that my wishes of a relaxing time had been constant since my joining this nonsensical brigade last spring in this occasion I felt that, this time, I really deserved it.
During the last two weeks our tyrannical Brigade commander had made us retrace our steps during most of our activities during the last school year.
We went to the locations were we filmed that accursed movie for the fall festival, we went to the stadium were our amateur Baseball team had its only game, we visited the place that several dogs avoided until just recently… heck Koizumi even arranged for us to visit the Island's Mansion were we spent part of our summer the previous weekend!
While the rest of the brigade members were granted some sort of supernatural endurance I, unfortunately, am not. So you can understand how I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
"Hello Everybody! Glad to see you all here!"
Of course that won't be the case If Suzumiya Haruhi has any say on it.
Ignoring Asahina-san's scared face, Koizumi annoying smile, the half-a-centimeter head movement that Nagato made acknowledging her presence and my own scornful face Haruhi went directly to her seat in the commander's desk.
"I am excited for our last activity of our school year."
So what do you have planned? A weekend dedicated to personal time and recovery rest?
"What are you talking about Kyon? We still have the biggest activity to perform in our big SOS-Dan memorial tour!"
Haven't we done enough this last two weeks?
"You see Kyon? That's the kind of thinking that had kept you as the lowest rank member of the brigade! Do what you want for once and not let other people force their ideals on you!"
So are you saying that I should do or should not do what you want?
"Ugh… Don't try to confuse your brigade commander! 9999 minus points!"
Minus points? Did you just strike me with Meteo and completely drained my HP?
"Don't be stupid! Those are merit points. As a punishment you'll have to pay for lunch tomorrow for all the brigade members!"
Don't I usually do that? And by the way, what are we going to do tomorrow? You still haven't told us.
"That is because you keep saying stupid things to distract me."
To distract you I bet I only need something shiny. Anything will do. I guess that even a sparkling yen coin would suffice.
"Anyway! We are doing a full city search this weekend!"
Wait a minute. Isn't that the very same thing that we did when the club was recently formed?
"I see." Added Koizumi with his annoying smile still on his face. "Ending the term with the very same first activity that our brigade started… It's a wonderful idea!"
No surprises in you agreeing to this. Oh and by the way, you may not know this since you weren't a brigade member at the time but there were some other things that happened before that. The illegal appropriation of the computer of the student council and the bunny girls distributing flyers for example.
But I'll refrain to mention them since those things had traumatized Asahina-san… maybe even scarred her for life. And also because if those actions ever came to a court of law I can pretend ignorance.
"That's right Koizumi-kun. 5000 plus points!"
Wipe away that smile Koizumi. You know that I am not jealous.
"Don't forget to be on the station at 9:00 a.m. and remember that there will be a punishment for anyone that comes late! Dismissed!"
If that's the case then I better leave now and get some sleep in order to avoid more penalties.
"Kyon! Where are you going? You can not leave yet!"
What are you talking about? You just said that we are done for the day.
"The regular members are but you still have too many negative merit points! So, as a punishment you must clean the club room before you leave!"
Now that's just plain mean. You know how dirty this place is?
"You should have thought of that before antagonizing your brigade commander!"
Now you're asking me to go against my nature.
By the way, how many times have I used the word 'now' so far? Could somebody count them for me?
"Ano…" the soft voice of our resident angel, Asahina-san, came to my rescue. "… I could stay and help Kyon-kun… I still have to change anyway."
"Denied!" and with a boom that hope was crushed under Haruhi's heel "This is Kyon's punishment and he has to do it alone. Besides you need your beauty sleep Mikuru-chan. As the SOS-dan's mascot you must have your presentation as moe as possible!"
With all the regret that my hearth could muster I'll have to agree with Haruhi here. This cleaning job would be too much for Asahina-san and her natural clumsiness could even made her end under a heavy object while trying to help.
"OK is decided! Kyon go for some cleaning tools and bring them here while Mikuru-chan is changing. After cleaning remember to lock the club room and return the key!"
With a sigh I began my pilgrimage to the janitor's room to ask for a broom and a rag.
While I was returning I realized that his wasn't such a bad punishment as some others. With all the garbage that Haruhi brought here, and the fact that she is unable to throw away anything, I bet that all I have to do is dust a little and that should be considered enough.
And if Haruhi complains about still being too dirty I could blame the spring winds bringing the dust over the weekend.
I was thinking about that when I found myself in front of the club room door. When I was about to knock in order to make sure that Asahina-san had already finished changing I could make some voices inside.
With my hand still frozen in mid-air I paid attention to the voices…
"No! I tell you that you can't use it like that!"
"But I feel… strange…"
"Then you should do what both of us did and cut it short!"
"But… but…"
At first I thought that the voices were from some strangers in the club room but after paying attention to the above exchange I could tell that the voices were very much like the ones from Haruhi and Asahina-san but they still sounded strange in a high pitched and softer kind of way.
The first thought that crossed my mind was that Haruhi was bullying Asahina-san again so, in a burst of anger, I opened the door with a slam.
"What's going on here?!"
The three figures froze in place when I made my entrance.
I was surprised. I really did not expect to find the vision that was before my eyes.
There were 3 girls wearing North High school uniforms in there. They certainly looked like my fellow female SOS-Dan members but they couldn't be older than 12!
At first I thought that something went terribly wrong and they had rejuvenated into their own junior high ages but paying attention I could tell that they weren't my friends.
There was the fact that their hair and eyes color was somewhat darker than their SOS-Dan counterparts. But what really convinced me that they were totally different persons were their expressions.
The one that looked like junior high Haruhi had an expression of a kid who has just been found with her hand in the cookie jar. If this was truly Haruhi, even at a young age and surprised in a felony, she would just have recovered quickly and let her mouth run a mile a minute.
The one that looked like an even younger Asahina-san had a surprised expression too but instead of the scared one that Asahina-san usually has when surprised she had one of childish amazement.
But the one that surprised most was the one that looked like a young Nagato had. While most people had just seen a expressionless face, I knew better. Nagato had the same type of visage but I've become quite adept at reading her expressions and could tell that she had imbued her expressions with emotions lately. But this 'Nagato' showed a surprise in her eyes that my Nagato wouldn't have been able to pull off even with her recent changes.
Given those observations I think is obvious what my next question was.
"Who are you?"
The one that looked like a young Haruhi (she even had her hair short and with a yellow band as our brigade commander) recovered somewhat and began to talk with a certain stammer (convincing me even more that she couldn't be the real Haruhi).
"Uhm… uh… ahem! My name is… uh… Suzumiya Haruhi-chan!" Said the girl while trying to stand in a confident way… and failing.
Realizing that they were introducing themselves I turned to the one next to her, the mini-Asahina, but she still had that amazed face looking unblinkingly at me and didn't seem to notice the recent introduction of her companion.
Noting that the little Asahina was still 'spell bounded' the recently introduced 'Haruhi-chan', without ever looking away from me, elbowed the girl arm softly but continually.
"Your name… he wants to know your name!"
"Uh?... Oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry very much!" Said the little Asahina-san while bowing profusely making her long hair move wildly. "It wasn't my intention to stare!"
"It's okay…" I said to the apologetic girl "No problem at all… uhmm…"
"Oh! I haven't introduced myself yet! It is so rude of me! Sorry!"
"You really don't have to apologize so much." I said while putting my hand on her shoulder. I guess it doesn't matter the age, Asahina-san is my kryptonite.
The little Asahina-san looked up with a smiling and fascinated face… becoming mute again.
"Your name! Tell him you name." Said 'Haruhi-chan' impatiently to the smiling girl.
"Oh yeah! My name!... uhm…" The small girl put her finger on her lips while thinking. The same kind of expression that Asahina-san would do if she was in the same predicament. "… my name is Asahina Michiru but please call me Michiru-chan!"
Looking away form the incredible amount of moe that 'Asahina Michiru' irradiated I directed my attention to the last person in the room.
The little Nagato seemed to the casual observer as wooden faced as when I come in but looking at her eyes I could tell that she had recovered from the surprise of my entrance and now was looking like a girl trying to give a speech during a school act.
"… Asakura Ryoko…"
To say this surprised me is of little wonder. Anything related to Asakura Ryoko would send a cold shiver trough my body. The girl had tried to kill me after all.
"Is that your name?" I asked to the little 'Asakura'.
"…" Her faced showed some doubts about what to say. "… for the time being…"
"I-In a-any case!" Said 'Haruhi-chan' taking my attention away from 'Asakura.'
"You are… Ky-Kyon" She said the accursed nickname uncomfortably. "Student of North High and grunt member of the SOS-Dan. Ri-right?"
I nodded while mentally sight at the fact that I'm better know by my childish nickname and status of Haruhi's slave than by my own real name.
"We are…" 'Haruhi-chan' drew in some air. "The SOS-Dan Junior Squad!"
At that the other 2 girls stood next to 'Haruhi-chan' while doing some kind of magical girl pose with 'Haruhi-chan' at the center. I found it uncomfortably familiar.
But it still wasn't over.
"We have come from the future in order to help our mothers in their time of need." Continued 'Haruhi-chan' with little bit more confidence. "And you… as the… grunt member… of the SOS-Dan… are in the… obligation… to help us." Said confidence went slowly away as she said the last part.
"What are you talking about?" I said to the three girls.
"I'm afraid that they are telling the truth Kyon-kun."
I turned to the familiar voice behind me.
There I found a person that had been a protagonist in some of the crazier events that have plagued my life in the last school year. The future version of one of my own brigade partners.
"Asahina-san?"
"Hi Kyon-kun! Nice to see you again!" Said a confident Asahina-san (big). "I'm sorry to bother you but we have found some problems with this time line. A problem that requires immediate action and only you and these 3 girls will be able to solve it."
I was stupefied.
"But they said… they want to help… their mothers…"
"I think you know the answer Kyon-kun. They have come to help their mothers in this time. In other words they have come to help the Suzumiya Haruhi, Nagato Yuki and Asahina Mikuru of this time…"
While I was trying to wrap up my mind around this crazy scenario Asahina-san (big) gave the killing blow.
"… And they need your help…"
I could only say one thing.
"Yare, yare…"
***
To Be Continued