There was a dead mercenary in the hallway. An unconscious Jaws laid on the presents and Kyon who was in critical condition. He found himself covered in darkness. Maybe he passed out from the blood loss or from shock of killing someone? Was this it? What going to happen to him? What is going to happen with Haruhi and the Brigade? More importantly what's going to happen to the world? Maybe it is not too late for him, he just needs to fight. Then again why bother? It was bound to end like this. She was his downfall the moment they had met.
His eyes slightly opened seeing a silhouette approaching him. No don't… Kyon tried to crawl away from the unknown person using his good arm but he eventually lost all strength. Wait…Maybe he isn't hostile? Maybe he wanted to help? If this person wanted him to kill him he'd be dead already. The unknown person got closer. His hair style looked familiar along with his soft spoken nature. Could it be?
''Koi…zumi?"
The person chuckled, trying to lighten the situation. "I know by now you have a lot of questions Kyon. I can't explain but it will all come to you eventually."
He felt himself being picked up.
"Just try and relax for now. We'll talk again soon."
Wait.
And once again, Kyon was wrapped in the darkness. He wanted to get his hands on the esper so badly for being so secretive. Why was it so difficult to be open cards with him?
Hours had passed before his eyes opened up in an all too familiar sight. Kyon was back at the hotel. Maybe it was a dream? Or everything is a dream within a dream? It sounds as mind bending as the endless eights.
However, the fact that his arm was in a sling and his face was covered in scratches proved otherwise. This is real. There are really people that want to kill him and it's very likely that he has not seen the last of those mercenaries. Other than the one guy he killed of course.
The unpleasant image of what happened came back to him, killing that guy made his stomach turn. Kyon covered his mouth with his hand as he made a ran for it to the bathroom, throwing up. Why him? Why John Smith? Why did those guys go through so much trouble? Surely, it has nothing to do with the fact that Haruhi Suzumiya was interested in him, right?
There was a sound of phone ringing as he left the bathroom. Strange. There was no phone. The only thing on the table was an expensive silver watch with a sticky note next to it that said "Put it on- K" Please let it be Koizumi.
He did as told, putting the watch on his wrist. The ringing immediately stopped. What the…Kyon started panicking as he felt a needle stabbing him in the pulse. Son of a –
"Reading DNA sample…" A woman's voice said. "Welcome 007 Smith, John."
The television in the room went on and with it, a very familiar face appeared.
"Oh hello." The esper said with his usual friendly tone. He was sitting behind a desk, dressed in a suit. "How are we feeling today?"
"KOIZUMI!" Kyon gritted his teeth. The esper's smile quickly faded away. Kyon looked absolutely furious, so furious that if he could, Kyon would pull him through the television and smack him. He had to calm him down.
"Oh right." Itsuki said nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess I have some explaining to do."
Kyon calmed down, sitting on the arm chair. "Yes, you do. You can start off by telling me what the hell is going on, Koizumi?!"
"Let me start from the beginning; I got tired early in the marathon and decided to rest my eyes. When I came to my senses, I was here in London. Luckily, I still had contact with the organisation to ask what is going on and well, it is not good news. There are some irregularities. Everything is completely unstable inside closed space. It is so bad that the espers had to evacuate. All I know is we are in a completely different time loop in the same world. Just with Suzumiya san's touches added to it. That being said there is another possibility…that we are maybe sucked within Miss Suzumiya's mind as a story plays out."
That sounds terrifying. Kyon thought about it. In a world where so many mysterious things happened. It certainly does not sound so far-fetched. Anything can happen.
She's been watching way too many of that damn spy movies and her imagination is going crazy. It happened before.
There was only one way to fix this, Kyon had to find the cause of these changes. "We need to find Haruhi."
"Way ahead of you Kyon, I already found her address. However, you should rest and enjoy Christmas. Think of it this way, you'll be experiencing this holiday two times this year! If the time loop returns to normal you'll be back the month it last was which was May. You can meet her first thing in the morning.''
"No." He declined. Kyon slowly and in pain stood up from the sofa and walked up to the wardrobe. "The sooner we find Haruhi, the sooner we get out of this hellhole she made."
The esper was biting his lip, contemplating. He was very worried of his friend well-being, but eventually gave in. One thing that Haruhi and Kyon had so in common was how hard headed both of them can be. The former however still takes the cake.
"All right, then but…"
Kyon looked at the screen "but…?"
The esper continued, "Finding Miss Suzumiya is just the beginning, I'm afraid. It might get even more difficult for us as we don't have the script, and the only one is in her head. Could you just imagine that happening to actors! They at least know what to expect. We on the other hand… If we don't play our roles accordingly as she wants it then who knows what could happen. Our lives depend on it Kyon."
'Isn't that always the case?'
"But hey!" Koizumi said, looking on the bright side. "Suzumiya-san must think very highly of you to give you the role of James Bond. She is attracted to the guy. Truth be told I'm kind of jealous.''
I never asked for this!
"I called the agency. They already organised for transport. The driver will take you to Miss Suzumiya. You can call me anytime using the watch Kyon. Oh and one more thing…." The esper smiled and gave a wink. "Chin up John."
The television went off.
Easy for you to say.
There was a lot of struggling to get dressed, due to his injured arm. Kyon had to first remove the arm sling, then get that arm through the blue long sleeve and then he had to button up his shirt. Kyon decided to leave the tie and grabbed a long winter coat, going through the same painful progress with the coat before putting the arm sling on again. It took him awhile to get finished. With the crazy accident happening less than 12 hours, Kyon was dressed up and ready to go outside. Kyon stopped at the entrance, seeing a gold object on the table, definitely something of interest for him. As with the watch, a note was attached to it. ''Only use during emergencies-K'' The notesaid.
Is this another one of your toys Koizumi?
He picked up the golden ring; it had the word 'AGENCY' written on the top. Kyon put it on his right hand, third finger. 'I guess that make me one of their stooges. Not much of choice now, do I?'
A big guy wearing a top hat stood at the entrance of the 5 star hotel. His hands were inside his pockets as he shivered in the cold. Immediately, the guy noticed who his client was when he walked out of the lobby.
"Merry Christmas mate." The driver of the taxi cab said, opening the door for Kyon.
It was colder than it last was. Fortunately for Kyon the car's heater was on.
"So John Smith, Koizumi called and told me to take you to the Suzumiya residence. Are there any other stops I am not aware of?"
Kyon leaned back, putting his safety belt on. "No that is it."
While driving past Victorian Park, the driver kept on looking at his rear view mirror to look at his passenger. Kyon caught him looking. Needless to say he looked like he was hit by a train. Kyon was certainly not into a talkative mood about it right now.
That, however, did not stop the driver's curiosity getting the better of him. "If you don't mind me asking mate, who the bloody hell did this to you?"
Trust me, I wish I knew. Everything happened so fast that he never had time to sit down and think who would actually kill him, whether it is Kyon they wanted dead, John Smith they wanted dead or both as a matter of fact. They have a bull's-eye on their back just for being associated with the enigmatic Haruhi Suzumiya. It also does not help that she is interested in him. Back to the question that was given to him, he did not want to straight out lie to the driver, but then again, he did not have half the truth and giving an answer involving phenomenon's like time travelling and aliens would make him look well…crazy.
"I guess you can say I was in the wrong neighbourhood." Kyon said staring at the window, the snow gently hitting the glass. Or that people trying to kill me has become the norm.
The driver was outraged. "Bloody chavs they are! I promise you that not everyone's like it in England. Trust me. Once you and Koizumi are done, we'll share a six pack of bud light at a pub. It'll be on me."
A small smile appeared on Kyon's face. He should probably take him up on that offer. Although, if he is not mistaken, the legal age to drink in the UK is actually 21, which is perhaps for the best. Last thing, he wants is to drink him to death. Who know what would happen to the world and everyone on it if he dies of alcohol poisoning. Mom, my little sister, Haruhi, Koizumi, Miss Asahina, Nagato, Taniguchi Tsuruya. Kunikida. The list just goes on…and on.
Still he could not help but wonder why she would give him this role.
Why me Haruhi? You had so many other people to choose from. Why not take someone that was originally the character like Sean Connery? I am sure that he knows what to do in these situations. Alas you are completely unpredictable. I know the future Miss Asahina told me that I was going to look back to this in rose tinted glasses but somehow I doubt that.
…It was quiet at least for a while. There was quite a commutation just around the corner.
"Sorry Mr Smith. There is a bit of a traffic jam, no biggie. I know a shortcut." He took a left. Kyon took a last glance at the traffic. There were barriers. There were media vans everywhere. NNC (New News Coverage) who's a very big media was covering a new story. The camera was aimed towards a beautiful news reporter. Behind her there were people that tried to get a wrecked Aston Martin off the road. Interestingly it was at Baker's Street.
Sucks to be them.
And so Kyon had used the quiet moment trying to figure out on what to do once he finds Haruhi. Just do what he did back when the two of them were alone inside closed space? This is inside Haruhi's mind? That's what Koizumi said, then again he's been wrong before…Thought technically that must mean he's really not here so to speak? He must still be sleeping along with the others back at the club? Kyon sighed, I don't know what believe anymore. It is hard to keep up with everything. Regardless, of where it was. One thing was certain, she was the puppeteer and all of them were her puppets.
The cab drove by the familiar and popular landmarks, such as a very big spinning wheel known as the London Eye and Buckingham Palace, where all the royal hospitality is. Since he was probably going to be here for a while, Kyon might familiarise himself with the sights.
Eventually the car stopped. The driver looked over his shoulder, tipping his hat.
"Here we are. Good luck Smith and God save the queen."
Kyon stepped out of the car, seeing a Victorian designed mansion that he thought that he would only see on something like on a postcard and not in person.
"Hey, are you sure this is the right-"
He turned around.
The taxi was gone.
"….place."
Kyon faced the place once again, as he looked on with a bewildered face. The place feels like it has a long history and was here for centuries. The wind blew a few strands of his brown hair back, "Here goes nothing."
The place was astronomically huge. Pushing the huge front gate open, Kyon, in a crippled fashion walked towards the front door which was at the very least 100 yards away. A golden name plate was next to the door. It was written in Japanese. 涼宮ハルヒ ( Suzumiya) This was definitely the right place. Kyon knocked on the door hoping that she would be the one to answer and that he'd get to see her face again. Instead an ancient looking old man slightly opened the door to see who was knocking.
"Oh dear.."
With a slight budge, the butler opened the door enough for Kyon to fit through.
"My Apologies. I did not expect you to come today."
The butler closed the door behind him, "The weather lady told us that we can expect quite the storm but I see that did not stop you from coming here and a day earlier none the less."
The butler continued on, "I know it is very difficult to find a replacement this time of the year and the last one ….just ran away."
Only Haruhi can scare someone off that badly.
"Glad to finally make your acquaintance. Mr Smith. Isn't it?"
"Yes Smith." Kyon said shaking his hand. "John Smith."
"I'm Alfred but people call me Alfie."
He chuckled half-heartedly as he joked "I apologise to you in advance if I forget your name Mister Smith. Age has just been recently getting to me."
"Would you like some tea and biscuits? Miss Suzumiya is not here yet unfortunately.''
Kyon shrugged, "I guess so..."
Their footsteps echoed throughout the manor. It felt weird for Kyon not to take his shoes off in a house since he'd always do so back in Japan. The butler was in front, leading the way, with the guest Kyon a few feet away, his eyes fixed on the ceiling jaw wide open in amazement. A beautifully painted mural kept his eyes glued to it, stopping to have a better look.
"I've served the Suzumiya's for generations and I too still am amazed by it.''
"Yeah no kidding…."
"With or without sugar?"
"With is fine." He replied. The butler complied, putting a small sugar cube into the warm steaming cup of tea, before handing it over to him.
"Thanks." Kyon said, when the butler turned his back Kyon took a small sip of the tea to make sure that it is not poison before taking a drink of it. Kyon was shocked. He's kind of a tea connoisseur and this was perhaps the second best tea he ever had. Right after Miss Asahina's lovely tea of course. Nothing can ever beat hers.
The living room they were at had mostly antique furniture. Kyon sat in front of window where the curtains were slightly opened. The back of the manor was like endless golf course. In fact it even had a golf course and more to it! At the far north of the manor there were horse stables. They even had one of those hilarious hedge mazes that would make anyone feel they are trapped in a Pac man arcade game. Money was definitely not a problem here.
Hmm…Kyon took another drink of the tea, sitting back and for a rare moment just relaxing. Watching the snow falling down gave him some solitude. Kyon wondered what kind of jobs her parents had and how they handled their daughter Haruhi Suzumiya of all people. To his surprise, she hardly mentions them. Kyon figured that he might find out soon. Now he would finally get that chance to meet them.
"This is place is amazing. So I take it Haruhi's parents must be big time politicians?" Kyon asked.
A long silence was in the room. "Mister Smith… What you are looking at is what Haruhi has inherited. Her parents died in a car accident five years ago…. It took quite a toll on her."
An awkward silence filled the room. 'Crap.'
"It's fine Mister Smith. You were not aware. "The butler assured. "Whether Suzumiya likes it or not, I promised her parents that if something ever happened to them that I'd get her through college and that's a promise I intend to keep.''
"She can be quite troublesome however. " Alfred whispered to Kyon.
Kyon smiled. Tell me about it.
"Speaking of the lady" Alfred pulled out his pocket watch. "I am also the assigned driver for Miss Suzumiya and I am running quite late. You are more than welcome to join me to the limousine Mister Smith."
"Yes quite." The butler said opening the front doors.
"Koizumi run a background check on the butler" Kyon whispered in his watch. "Make sure his entire story checks out."
"I'll see what I can do Kyon."
It's difficult for him to just sit back and relax. The butler could not have said it any better Haruhi was indeed troublesome.
"Hey hold up!" Kyon screamed. The guy can sure walk fast for his old age.
Author's Note= Hello! Thank you for talking your time to read this. It makes me very happy. That alone just makes my day! I really wish that I could update more for you guys but it is really difficult to do so. English is not my home language. As usual, leave a comment and subscribe. Oh and leave a like on my facebook page. On there I can tell you how longer until the next chapter. Again, thanks for readingl! I'll see you in the next update!
All My Love,
The Officer and Gentleman