Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I don't wish to make a profit on this story.

"History Repeats"

The scene before me had to have been the most disturbing and frightening thing I had ever witnessed in my entire life. It could all have been avoided if Haruhi hadn't suddenly decided to show up at my house telling me she wanted to study. It never would have happened if I wasn't forced to leave her in the hall as I went, grumbling, to get my textbooks from my bedroom. The dread filled my stomach as I came back and saw Haruhi having a conversation...with my mother.

There was my sweet mother, in her white apron, wearing a curious expression on her face while talking to Haruhi. "And what exactly does your club do?" she asked.

Right then, I wanted to grab my mother and drag her out before Haurhi could reply. But it was too late.

"We're tying to find espers, time travellers and aliens."

My mother stared back, rather bewildered. I knew she was curious about what our club did and I had managed to change the subject each time before without answering. But now, all my efforts had been in vein. I had a list of what my mother would say next. The top two probabilities were "...That's different..." or "Are you allowed to have a club like that?"

Instead, my mother's reply proved to be the most chilling.

"My goodness, that sounds a little bit like the club I had when I was younger."

I stared at my mother in utter shock. What did she just say? Haruhi also seemed surprised. "You looked for espers, aliens and time travellers too?"

My mother frowned. "Well, no. I was much more interested in ghosts."

"Ghosts..." I replied, slowly finding the will to speak again.

"Oh, yes." Her eyes lit up in a way that scarily reminded me of Haruhi. "I've always been fascinated by ghosts."

I was about to protest "Since when," but I stopped myself. I suddenly recalled the collection of ghost stories sitting on our book shelf in Dad's study. The collection that had been there since before I was born, and that I had never given much thought too...until that exact moment. Oh...god...

"I started a club, hoping to have some encounters," my mother continued. "There were other clubs, but none of them really interested me as much."

Haruhi stared at my mother, but said nothing.

"In fact," my mother turned to me. "That club was how I met your father."

That I found even more hard to swallow. My father had to be one of the more logical people I knew. The idea of him searching for ghosts was well...illogical. "Dad liked ghosts?"

"Oh, no." My mother giggled, which I wasn't sure was a good sign. "He didn't believe in ghosts at all. He joined because of Sakura-san, an upperclassman who was a member." She winked at me. "He refuses to admit it, but he had a crush on her."

That made more sense...sort of.

"Did you ever find any ghosts?" Haruhi asked, now excited.

My mother stared back at her seriously. "Not face to face, but I've had some encounters."

"Really?! Like walls bleeding, or objects being mysteriously knocked over?"

"Yes! In fact, you know that house next to the video store?"

"The big, old abandoned one?"

It was clear by this point that Haruhi and my mother were in their own little world.

"It's also haunted. I've walked by there several times and I swear I've seen a young pale woman staring at me through the windows."

Haruhi's eyes lit up and I could hear the alarm bells going off in my head.

"I must have dragged my husband there a hundred times. I still remember how he would grumble about it each and every time." She folded her arms. "We never found the ghost, but every time we went in we always heard someone singing."

A buzzer in the kitchen went off. "Oh dear, my cookies are done. You two have fun." As my mother walked pass me, she whispered in my ear. "Haruhi-chan seems like a nice girl."

My brain died. Haruhi...CHAN?!

Once my mother was out of sight, Haruhi seized the phone on the side table.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Calling the other brigade members. We have to investigate this house immediately! Oh, and you're paying for lunch."

"Wait, what?"

"As a plenty for withholding information. Why didn't you tell me you had such an interesting mother?"

I then made a mental note to talk with my old man later. I had a sudden suspicion he could sympathize with me.