If there is one thing I have learned after becoming an honorary member of the infamous SOS brigade, it's that it doesn't take much for a certain someone to become bored, and by extension, cause trouble for me. But in every instance everything had somehow worked itself out. Of course, in some cases our solutions may have left Einstein rolling in his grave, but we always beat the odds and kept the world turning. I never thought that everything could so easily come crashing down, that reality as I knew it had been balancing on the edge of a knife, waiting for a gust of wind to push it over the edge. Yeah, I may have had something to do with that.

Chapter One/prologue

Today was good, no, phenomenal. It was the last day before vacation, and lessons seemed to breeze right by allowing me to leave school and enjoy my normal, relaxing break. At least, that's how it would be, if my life were anything but normal. Instead of heading home, I let my legs take me along the long since memorized course from the classroom to the old literature clubroom. I knocked twice, a precaution I had learned to take after many "unfortunate" accidents, and I was greeted quickly by a heart-meltingly cute girl wearing a maid costume.

"Kyon, it's good to see you! I made a new kind of tea today, though I'm not sure if I brewed it correctly," she said in a quiet, yet enthusiastic voice.

Nonsense. If you made it Miss Asahina, then there is no doubt in my mind that it will taste like the very nectar indulged in by the gods!

As I entered the clubroom, I gave it a quick scan with a flash of my eyes. Yuki Nagato, bookworm/alien data interface, was sitting in the corner of the room, intensely focusing on her latest thick, hardcover book. This one seemed to be another old, western science fiction novel, one far too complex and thickly plotted for my understanding, no doubt. Adjusting my gaze to the center of the room revealed Itsuki Koizumi sitting at the table in front of a ready to play Othello board. He looked back at me with the same stupid smile that he always wore, and motioned suggestively towards the game. Noticing that our fearless leader was nowhere to be seen, I decided it might be nice to sit in for a game with him and enjoy a cup of the sure to be delightful tea that Miss Asahina had made.

"I wonder what's keeping Miss Suzumiya. I would think that she would want to be present today, if for no other reason than to brief us on some new mission for the long break," he said with an irritatingly fake chuckle.

Seriously, just let it be will you? Worrying about something like that, it's only a matter of time before she senses herself being missed and comes barging in through the-

"I bet you were all worried sick, weren't ya!"

...door.

"But don't worry yourselves, because I was just busy planning our top secret, highly classified, incredibly dangerous assignment that the SOS brigade will courageously tackle over the vacation! I'm sure your not doing anything over the break, so I expect every one of you to be present! No exceptions!"

After being under the tyrannical rule of Haruhi for almost a year, I've grown accustomed to her making plans for me. And to tell the truth, I really didn't have any plans.

"Um, what kind of, um, assignment is it?" stuttered Miss Asahina in an innocent tone.

"I'm getting to that, Mikuru! Now, what is the one thing that the SOS brigade has yet to do?"

One thing? I can name plenty more than that. For instance: taking a walk, relaxing in the shade of a cherry blossom tree, or pretty much anything else that a normal group of high school students would want to do.

"Isn't it obvious!" she asked as she forcefully presented us with a page of the daily newspaper, "we're going to sneak into this old house out in the country side! I did some research, and found out that people were still living there less than a month ago, and now it's set to be tore down! My gut tells me that something totally weird and interesting must have happened there! Don't you feel it!"

She took a deep breath and let us soak in what she had just said. Nagato quietly flipped another page of her book, Miss Asahina just cringed and whimpered like she always did when Haruhi talked, and Koizumi just smiled creepily at her. It probably wasn't the response she had in her mind, at any rate.

"Well, I think it's a splendid idea. It sounds much more interesting than staying at home every day," replied Koizumi.

Seriously? At least show some kind of resistance! And besides, staying home and doing nothing is far higher on my list of things to do than spending the night in a deserted old building that is only suspicious because Haruhi decided it was.

Sigh, I guess there's no stopping it now.

"Alright, Haruhi, I'll accompany you on your little adventure. But don't you think this is a little silly, even for you?

"Kyon, why even be in the SOS brigade if you're too scared to get out and put your nose right into all of the weird happenings in this world! After all, it's better to regret going there and not finding anything than regretting not going and wondering forever if there really was something there!

I'd heard a similar saying before, but it was certainly not from your mouth, and the outcome of that particular situation was anything but pleasant. Just thinking about it made me shiver. I really hope this isn't some kind of sick foreshadowing for what's to come.

And by the way, I am totally NOT scared.

I'll finish it later.