The Eternity of Haruhi Suzumiya

Chapter 2


[Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, I hope you enjoy the story I'm writing to fill the void until we see anything new of Haruhi Suzumiya, in either Anime or Light Novel form. As always any reviews positive or critical are greatly appreciated and I look forward to reading them. - Godric]


I sat in my new classroom, half listening to the new teacher explain the obvious about life at North High. Behind me I could hear the rhythmic tapping of Haruhi's nails on her desk, trying to drum away her nervous excitement at our first day.

As we announced our names to the class Haruhi surprised me by just saying her name, followed by a friendly greeting. I'd been expecting her to proclaim some crazy philosophy or ask if anyone was an alien or something. But it seemed she had lost interest in all that now, a few years ago it was all she'd talk about and I'd been dragged all over town searching all kinds of mysterious entities. I wondered if she'd finally grown out of such things, but as she shouted, "his name's Kyon," over my own announcement, I realised that wasn't the case. So I settled for glaring at her, while she grinned mischievously back and the rest of the class burst into laughter.

Once everyone was introduced, I sat talking to a boy from my old school called Kunikida and a guy from Haruhi's school called Taniguchi. Unsurprisingly the main topic of discussion was how cute the girls were in our class, though they were noticeably avoiding mentioning Haruhi, while making furtive glances at her and me. I explained to them that Haruhi and I were just friends, but left out that I had been putting quite a lot of consideration into taking it further.

Up until recently, I hadn't even been sure that we'd be in the same school, let alone the same class. But here we were, like it was some crazy destiny and now it was just a case of figuring out if Haruhi even liked me that way. Girls could be funny about going out with guys they were friends with and I definitely didn't want to wreck our friendship. I'd done that with a girl back in middle school and regretted it ever since, though I doubt that girl even remembered me now. So I'd wanted to wait until I was sure and hell you never know, there might be an even cuter girl here instead.

Speaking of cute girls, the one with the highest rank according to Taniguchi, chose this moment to come over to greet Haruhi and myself. Completely ignoring the other two guys, she introduced herself with a charming smile. "Hello my name's Ryoko Asakura, you two are Suzumiya and 'Kyon,' is that right?"

I nodded with a sigh, I'd been hoping to rid myself of that nickname, but it looked like I was stuck with it, thanks to Haruhi. Asakura gave a charming smile of delight as she said, "Well I hope we all get along and if there's anything you want to know, just ask."

I couldn't think of anything, but Haruhi immediately launched into a torrent of questions about the school and specifically the clubs. Asakura seemed a little taken aback by Haruhi's enthusiasm, but carried on smiling anyway. I felt bad for making assumptions about a person I'd just met, but there was something off about this Asakura girl, that I couldn't quite put my finger on. There was an artificial quality to her and I couldn't shake the feeling that she was the kind of girl who'd stab in you in the back, if you gave her the chance.

I shook the disturbing thought away and tried to force a positive attitude towards my new classmates. After all the formalities of the first day were concluded, we went out to investigate the clubs. Haruhi dashed hither and dither, wanting to see everything this school offered, but unable to decide on anything. While I struggled to keep up, holding on to various flyers and over junk that Haruhi threw my way, in her pursuit of the best club.


We passed the animal suit clad Light Music Club as they passed out flyers and marvelled as the various martial arts clubs launched into ferocious bouts. The guys seemed to mainly basing their choice on which club had the cutest girls and it seemed to be the Calligraphy Club was top in that regard. A small crowd of guys was watching a particularly cute second year girl, who was intensely focused on her demonstration of brush work.

She became flustered as she saw me and Haruhi watching her, with an adorable squeak she lost her grip on the brush and sent ink all over her sizeable chest. The green haired girl next to her burst into laughter and cried, "Oh Mikuru, you're such a klutz," before slapping the poor girl on the back and sending more ink flying. This 'Mikuru' was now in a state of panic as she dabbed at the ink on her uniform, sending her bosom bouncing to the great delight of the surrounding boys.

Haruhi frowned at my wide eyes and yanked my tie, pulling me away from the glorious sight. A short distance away we sat on the grass beneath a small tree, taking a break from the festival like atmosphere as we sipped some drinks.

"So have you decided on a club?" I asked Haruhi, "there's quite a selection here."

Haruhi looked unimpressed as she said, "nothing has really grabbing me yet, I was hoping for something really strange and exciting." She ran her fingers through the cool grass and pondered the surrounding buildings, "to be honest I'd be happy just hanging out with you after school. Are there any clubs you like the look of?"

I considered for a moment, trying not to glance at the chaos of the Calligraphy Club table. There had been a club that I'd had a strange urge to try, but I'd not seen any sign of it, so I asked Haruhi, "I was thinking of the Literature Club, but…"

"There isn't one," said a cold voice from a silhouette that stood over me. The figure sat down and became Asakura, looking at me with with an expression that brooked no argument. I felt a chill run down my spine as her smile returned and I muttered a vague okay.

"The Literature Club sounds boring anyway," said Haruhi and Asakura chuckled in agreement.

"I'm sure as long as you two are together you'll have fun whatever you do," said Asakura sycophantically. Causing me to scoff as I laid back on the grass and relaxed to the sounds of the school around me. I was surprised how comfortable I felt here, it was like I'd been here for years rather than just a day. I felt Haruhi's fingers brushing my fringe as I closed my eyes and smiled at the caress of the sun on my skin.


"Late again Kyon," shouted Haruhi in irritation, though the glee was all over her face. I sighed as I plonked myself down opposite her, accepting that no matter how hard I tried, I was always late. I ordered teas and sweets for the two of us as my punishment for my tardiness. Which was ridiculous really, since I'd happily paid for her bill out of simple chivalrousness, but Haruhi insisted on this little ritual.

Thinking about it, I suppose these outings on our days off from school, were pretty much just rituals now. We'd go out around town looking for anything that could be vaguely described as strange or unusual, but never finding anything. Haruhi used to get really frustrated, but now she didn't seem to mind, if anything it was just an excuse to hang out. Not that our lack of success meant our days were uneventful, Haruhi had a knack for finding places giving away things for free or having some kind of special events. Granted these usually involved some chores for yours truly, but that gigawatt smile on Haruhi's face made today's batch of hard earned, 'free' ice cream worth it. It was now coming up to July and the cool treat felt particularly nice after carrying those boxes around, with a little help through motivational speeches from Haruhi.

My task completed, we walked down by the river, the sun filtering through the trees as cherry blossom drifted in wind around us. The trees should have shed their blossom a long time ago, but for some reason the variety that grew here stayed eternally in bloom. It confused the hell out the local scientists, but Haruhi loved it as she danced through the falling petals, giggling with a happy grin. I smiled, simply enjoying the sight of her swishing that ever so hot ponytail, then laughing as she became giddy and almost fell over.

I caught her just in time and I held in my arms for a moment, trying not to lose myself in the feeling of her body against mine. We both blushed and awkwardly coughed, deciding to sit on a nearby bench in unison. Haruhi smiling at me as she pulled two cans of soda out of her bag, another prize from a grateful shop owner.

I nodded a thanks and took a swig, trying to keep my mind off the tension in the air. I gazed at the bright sunshine, at the petals tumbling through and most importantly at the beautiful girl sitting next to me. It was clear that if there was a moment to ask her out, it would be now. It was almost like this moment had been made for it.

Looking down at my twiddling thumbs, trying to get my words in a coherent order. I had vague plan, but I could feel it unravelling the moment I tried to think seriously about it. I glanced at Haruhi, who was looking at me expectantly, which only made even more nervous.

"Haruhi," I started with a cough to clear my throat. "Haruhi, you know, it's Tanabata soon and I was thinking that..." I was stammering so hard I wasn't sure if I was making sense, but I ploughed on. "...That since it's been like three years since we met, we could go out somewhere fancy, just the two of us."

I looked into her glittering brown eyes and felt myself becoming lost. As my train of thought started to derail, I had to force myself to look down at my hands again, just so that I could finish with a stumbled, "You know, like, a date?"


I closed my eyes, like I was cowering from an explosion, not daring to see Haruhi's reaction. The only sound was the jackhammer pounding of my heart as I experimentally opened an eye and looked at her. She was sitting there with a pondering finger at her lips, clearly trying to hold in her amusement as Haruhi dragged out the silence.

I'd been holding my breath for so long my lungs were starting to hurt and I could feel cold sweat running all over me. I was about to ask again when Haruhi said casually, "okay Kyon."

Well I say casually, but her voice shook with excitement and her cheeks were flushed bright red. I let out a big sigh of relief as Haruhi added, "though it'd better be somewhere really fancy, you're not taking me that stupid café."

"Oh of course," I said quickly, thinking of the exclusive restaurant that loomed ominously over my wallet. We grinned at each other, then the tension broke and we burst out laughing at our own awkwardness. We chatted for a while, experimenting with how our new relationship status affected how we talked to one another. Though as it grew late I did the knightly thing and offered to walk her home.

As we stood I heard a squeak and rustle coming from the bushes behind us, along with a flash of auburn hair. But when I looked closer, the cause of the disturbance had vanished and I assumed it must have been some animal. A short way up, we saw Asakura relaxing beneath a tree under a straw hat and returned her wave with cheerful smiles. Though when an irritatingly handsome boy smiled at us as he walked past, I decided to slip a risky hand into Haruhi's own and was relieved when she gripped it tight.

So we walked together back to Haruhi's house, it was a long way, but the company made it feel short. On the path leading up to her door, I was mentally debating whether to kiss Haruhi goodbye, unsure because of her father watching from the doorway with a raised eyebrow. But Haruhi leapt forwards to give me a hug and a peck on the cheek, leaving me reeling, while she skipped up to the front door. She gave me a final happy wave, as her father giving me the long look of a judging parent. Before shaking his head and muttering, "finally," when he closed the door.


We tried to keep things normal at school, but it wasn't long until the gossip spread, though I wasn't sure why it was such a big deal to them. Taniguchi and Kunikida thought I was mad of course, but they still looked at me with envious eyes. While Asakura thought it was absolutely wonderful, saying we made for fascinating 'data,' whatever that meant. Haruhi and I generally hung out together anyway, but now it was pretty much during every free moment. Proceeding to do all the annoying 'couple in public' things, that had always sickened me in the past.

Today I was relaxing outside again, waiting for Haruhi to finish helping a teacher. I was puzzling over my exact plan for the date, studying every detail like I was planning a military invasion. I knew Haruhi was also taking this with a level of seriousness that I'd never seen before in her. At least judging from the intense discussions with Asakura I overheard, on subjects like getting their hair and nails done, along with what the best clothes to wear would be.

As I thought about what outfits would look good on Haruhi, I suddenly felt that strange itching feeling, the one that says someone is watching you. The school was pretty empty now that lessons had finished, but I could hear the distant sounds of the baseball team practising in the cages. I lazily scanned the school, searching for anyone looking back and eventually, up on the third floor of the old building, I saw them.

Behind a dusty window, I saw the afternoon sun reflecting off a large pair of glasses for the briefest of seconds, before quickly vanishing from view. I tilted my head, puzzling over what I'd just seen, but there was no time to investigate, as Haruhi appeared in her usual bluster of excitement.

Over the next few days, I kept finding myself drawn to the face in the window, wondering who they were and why they sat there seemingly every day. I never saw them leave and only occasionally move from the spot on the left side of the window, so it was a big surprise to one day see Asakura in there. Our class president was considerably more animated than the glasses wearer, who only shook her head as she stared impassively at the gesticulating Asakura.

For some reason seeing that nosey girl interrupting the peace of that lonely room, really irritated me and I hopped to my feet, heading for the stairs up. As I reached the top Asakura burst from the room and I dived for cover, holding my breath as she stormed past in a towering rage. Once she'd gone I slowly approached the room looking up at the sign which read, 'Literature Club' in faded writing. So there was a literature club, why had Asakura been hiding it and who was the mysterious occupant?

All these questions ran through my brain as I gently eased open the door.


The room inside was pretty empty, a large overladen book shelf, a long table and a battered locker, were all that comprised of the furnishings. There were no decorations and I'd considered the room abandoned, if it wasn't for the small girl silently reading a book by the window. The strangest part was how familiar the room was, even though I was sure I'd never been there before in my life. Despite its sparseness, the place felt as comfortable as my own bedroom, though I couldn't even begin to explain why.

I shook the thought away and gingerly walked in with an awkward, "excuse me." But the girl didn't respond, she just sat there with the only movement being the occasional turn of a page. The girl was so still, if it wasn't for that single movement I'd thought she was a mannequin. Even then the rhythmic turning of the pages had a mechanical quality, like she was some strange robot cooked up by the computer club next door.

I walked up to her and clumsily said, "Look, if Asakura has been bothering you, let me know and I'll get her to stop."

I smiled in a friendly way and at first there was no response. I was just about to repeat myself when the girl turned her head in a disturbingly artificial fashion. It reminded me of one of those old clockwork automatons that I'd once seen in a museum, when she looked blankly at me and said flatly, "please leave."

I blinked in surprise and laughed nervously as I said. "Sorry I just saw Asakura up here and wondered if you were okay, I know she can be a bit of an interfering busybody."

"Leave now," said the girl staring at me with unblinking eyes. There was no hint of anger in her voice, but the finality of her tone was absolute. She stood stiffly and started to walk steadily forwards, sending me stumbling against a chair as I was forced to the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," I stammered. "But if she ever bothers you again, let me or a teacher know." I reached out to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but her hand shot out to block it. Smacking into my palm with a force surprising for such a tiny figure. The impact caused me to instinctively closed my hand over hers and the girl stiffened.

The world seemed to hold its breath, when suddenly she let out an ear piercing scream.


Requesting data connection.

Request denied.

Sending Temporal Passcode

Temporal Passcode invalid, request denied.

Begin aggressive override…