AN: It's been awhile, but here's the fourth installment of The End of the World.
Death is the concept which describes what happens to a person after life. It's the untimely end for all organisms, and it's the basis for all the fear in the world. I, along with a mass majority of the population, have always depicted death to be a black robed skeleton holding a sickly sharp sickle, since it's the only image that matches how scary that conception really is. So, how should one naturally react when told that they're going to die?
Theoretically, according to the psychiatrist Kübler-Ross, they go through the five stages of grief, starting with denial, then anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. It's a cycle that most terminally ill patients seem to undergo.
However, I'm pretty sure I'm not terminally ill, and, certainly, the boy in front of me isn't a doctor. This boy was just someone saying he's from the future, claiming that I was going to die. Obviously, this has to be part of some sick joke.
And this line of thought certainly does not come from denial.
"It sucks to be you, doesn't it?"
He stuck the straw in his mouth like a cigarette and plopped back down into his seat.
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
He held the plastic tube between his teeth and spoke.
"Not really, I expect you to treat this like a joke and live the next few hours happily. That is, until you ahem kick the bucket."
The boy shut his eyes.
"You see, I could care less if you live or die. I'm acting purely on impulse here. It's like how lactose intolerant people decide to eat scoops of pistachio ice cream, ignoring the consequences and thinking that the suffering in the future is worth the pleasure for some odd and unprovoked reason."
He looked up and scratched the side of his head.
"Actually, pistachio may not be the greatest example here. A good round majority of the population like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. But then again, I've always had a liking towards green tea ice cream, you don't think that's strange, do you?"
You're getting off subject. And plus, that was a very lame metaphor.
"Simile," he corrected, "but you're right. I am getting off topic, ain't I? Maybe it's because I'm craving something frozen right now."
The boy spoke dully, losing interest in his goal to warn me of my so-called future.
"All right, a long time ago in the far future, I was looking through some random obituaries. Now, why I was doing that, I don't remember. I was young and did a lot of weird things then. It's all a complete blur to me now, but…I remember coming across your name somewhere."
He shut his eyes halfway and chewed on the straw.
"And when I just happened to come by your house today during this time period, I just happened to remember that you live here, and so, I thought I might as well tell you."
I followed along with what he said, but with his tired and relaxed tone, I couldn't help but to feel a little irritated with his behavior. Though there's the possibility everything he was saying was a prank, he shouldn't be taking this subject lightly with me. This is about me, isn't it?
"Why are you telling me this?"
I asked, though, his answer really didn't matter. He was already branded a liar in my head.
"Because…"
He tilted his head and a wicked smile appeared on the boy's face.
"I'm bored."
He laughed with the back of his throat and then abruptly returned to his bored expression.
"I thought things here would end out different, but, since no one's here to stop me, it's apparently useless anyway."
The boy scoffed and looked to the side. Though he looked angered and melancholic, his tone demanded no empathy, and so, I gave him none.
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, shooting imaginary darts into my face.
"Yeah, that's all."
After he uttered those words, the boy crushed the juice box in his hands and tossed it over to me.
"It's about time that I've left. Recycle that for me, would ya? You'll thank me in the future."
It was at that moment I realized how much this kid annoyed me.
And so, the boy, without providing me any help on the matter whatsoever, waved goodbye and hastily walked out of my sight.
"I'll see you at the funeral, but until then, I expect you to get some health insurance."
He cackled at his own joke and made his leave…however, his exit was abruptly cut when he opened the door. A tiny fist flew out and nailed the boy in the face. The force was apparently enough to knock him off his feet.
"You ruined it!"
My little sister yelled at him as she held out her shoe…tattered with tire tracks.
"I'm sorry, what'd you say? The pain blocked my ears."
The boy said covering his nose. Though I've never seen my sister fight, this was proof that she knew how to throw a punch. To be honest, I'm impressed.
"After you threw my shoe in the street, a long line of cars ran over it! How am I supposed to wear this now?! It's all torn and dirty!"
"I could throw the other one out into the street."
He suggested indifferently. The boy stood up and faced her.
"If it gets run over, it'll make a matching pair."
"That's not what I want!"
She fumed. It looked like she was about to throw a tantrum, or maybe even start beating this kid up, but that's just me getting my hopes up there.
"Well, what do you want?"
The boy, seemingly tired and annoyed, responded to my sister's anger with exasperating apathy.
"I want you to apologize and get me another pair of shoes!"
The boy idly looked at her for several seconds and replied,
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because you're being selfish, and I don't want to. Now move. You're killing my exit."
"Compensate me!"
She extended out her arms, barricading him inside the home. The boy stared at her for a few moments and then sighed. He swayed his head to the side and cupped his hand around her cheek.
"Look here doll face, it's cute and all that you've got the guts to play ball with the big boys, but…don't mess with the kingpin when you don't even know the rules to the game, otherwise, you might have to start washing your neck early."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"I ain't no patsy. And I never won't take no nothing from no one, you hear me?"
"…what?"
After stringing those negatives together, the boy kicked her in the shins and walked over her body as she fell to the floor.
"Oof! Dang it!"
She yelled, clutching onto her throbbing leg. I would've helped her up, but, seeing her like this was a very rare occasion for me. To be angry instead of lulling in her usual happy-go-lucky mood was uncharacteristic and very entertaining to watch. And plus, it didn't look like she wanted any help.
She frantically lifted herself up and limped over to the door side. She glared at the far-off boy, but resigned herself to trudge back to her room. I heard her mumble something angrily as she passed by me.
"What a jerk…"
I pedaled my bike as fast as I could, ignoring everything that came my way. If a giant komodo sprang up from the ground and attacked me, I would run that over. If the ground turned into liquid concrete, I would ride fast enough to skip over it. Hell, if God raised the ground in front of me to make a cascading wall, I would conquer gravity itself and ride up that cliff face without a second thought. Why? Simple. I had a date with Asahina-san.
This was the first time me and Asahina-san would meet together alone, without any time related activities. This was perfectly out of our own free will and this ought to be the happiest day of my life. Screw that kid with that deathly premonition. I've got an angel waiting on me.
The finish line was the restaurant where the SOS Brigade occasionally gathered, since this had been established prior to my dismemberment, but I didn't have any problem with it, nor did I feel any nostalgia toward the building. That's to be expected, as I was disbanded just yesterday.
"Aho-"
I heard Asahina-san's voice as I walked inside the restaurant. She covered her mouth with her small hands to prevent calling out to me from and blushed furiously. She settled with waving out to me from one of the booths.
"Sorry, did you wait long?"
I said, sitting down across from her.
"…"
She stayed silent, looking down into her lap. Asahina-san seemed so eager to speak to me, but, at the same time, upset at me, causing her to hesitantly glance up at me several times before saying anything. It was cute to see her blundered like this.
"Kyon-kun…"
She said finally. Asahina-san spoke up to me, determined to get an answer out of me. I detected no anger in her voice. Rather, she seemed to be concerned about me. Oh, how sweet it is for you to care. I almost feel blessed.
"…you weren't at the clubroom today…why?"
Her teary eyes gazed up at me with exoneration. Oh, it must've been horrible for her when she didn't see me in the clubroom today. She must've been worried sick about my absence. Hmm, now that I think about it, Asahina-san should've been left alone with Nagato and... Koizumi. Jeez, that bastard. He better not had done anything to either of them. But now's not the time to think about this.
"Oh, that?" I said simply, "Haruhi and I just got into a little fight. In the end, I was kicked out of the club."
Her eyes widened with shock.
"About what?"
She asked. Asahina-san shifted in her seat.
"Something stupid, it doesn't matter anymore."
I promptly answered. I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of going over this subject with her. After all, it dealt with my pointlessly random place in the SOS Brigade.
A sudden thought hit me.
"Wait, didn't anyone tell you this?"
Unlike the other SOS members, Asahina-san was normal and had no outside resources to tell her what happened yesterday, other than her ambiguous superiors, but surely, Koizumi should've said something to you.
Asahina-san looked down solemnly, as if recalling a bad memory.
"Mmh…Koizumi and Nagato didn't come to today's meeting, so Suzumiya-san said it was okay for me to go home early."
Her statement hit me hard. I think I might've actually lost my breath. I don't know what to be more shocked over, the fact that Koizumi and Nagato weren't present at the clubroom, or the fact that Haruhi had the nerve to ditch class to avoid me, and still go to her club after school.
I don't know how long I was lost in thought, but Asahina-san brought me back to my senses before too much time had passed.
"Kyon-kun…promise me you'll make up with Suzumiya-san."
I stared into my senpai's cute petite face. Damn it, I just want to jump across the table and hug her.
"…fine," I said reluctantly, "I'll see what I can do."
I remembered saying the same thing to Koizumi. I also remembered that in the duration of that same day, I was faced with the wrath of Haruhi. I wonder, will something along those lines happen to me today? I really hope not.
Asahina-san smiled and nodded her head.
"Good, but until then, you don't mind taking me out to the movies, do you?"
I was caught off guard by the question. I pretty much figured that she'd want to call whole thing off and encourage me to apologize immediately, not that I was complaining. This is a thousand times better than doing that.
"Of course not."
While sitting in the theatre, I took in the pleasant image of Asahina-san next to me. Speaking of which, I haven't mentioned her apparel yet. Her attire today consisted of mainly red, which matched her angel hair and cherry lips. She also seemed to be holding a brown corduroy purse securely in her small hands. Though, I admit, she seemed to be a little overdressed for our "friendly get-together", but that made me all the happier.
The screen in front of us currently was projecting out a generic romance film. I've already seen this particular movie on my previous escapade with what's-her-face a few days back. Why was I watching it again? Well, I just couldn't shoot down Asahina-san's plea when she pointed it out to me and asked, "Can we?"
Eh, what can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face. And besides, I had some things to think about.
A fleeting image of Haruhi alone in the clubroom came to mind.
Right, Koizumi wouldn't be at club due to closed spaces. There's no other reason for him to not be there. That would mean the world is still on the brink of destruction. Jeez, I guess I shouldn't have jumped the gun and thought everything was okay. But, as for Nagato, why wasn't she there? If anything, she would be the one who would still be in that corner even after the world ends. This was an anomaly, especially with those last words of hers.
"Goodbye."
Alright, word then, but still, what was that supposed to mean? Was she simply doing a friendly humanly gesture, or was there some ulterior motive to that. Maybe she's taking a sick leave or something. Or…quite possibly, she could've been bidding farewell to the SOS Brigade as well to me, but that's ridiculous. There's no reason for her to do that, is there?
…damn kid. Okay, alright, I admit the possibility that he could be telling the truth, but I'm far from imagining a crazed Asahina-san wielding a giant cleaver. And I'm even farther from taking a metal bat with me everywhere.
Hypothetically, if I were to be murdered, it might explain her absence. She could be off somewhere fighting for my life, like with the incident with Asakura. That sort of makes sense, but, is that really all there is to it? The way I figure it, the only reason anyone would want to take me out would be for stirring Haruhi's emotions, so the only group troubled by that would be…
"If it just so happens that you fall out of Suzumiya-san's favor, I may have to step in and take actions into my own hands."
Would one of these actions per chance be getting rid of the root of the problem? Is Nagato fighting with members of the "Organization"? I hadn't thought about it before, but, Koizumi's a pretty frightening character with those murder games under his belt. And with the "Organization" backing him up, it's possible he could actually pull it off without arousing any suspicion towards himself.
But, then again, is the "Organization" really after me? If Haruhi was truly angry at me, she could easily smite me down with lightning subconsciously. Just give her someone's name and face, and I bet she could pretty much take out anyone with a heartattack. So, if I were really the source of Haruhi's frustration, wouldn't I already be experiencing some very unfortunate events? I mean, right now, I feel perfectly fine, unless…
I heard Asahina-san gasp right next to me. She covered her mouth and tears streamed off onto her rosy cheeks. The movie ended.
I walked out of the theatre with Asahina-san at my side. Her eyes were red from crying so much. I hadn't expected her to be this emotional, but that made her even cuter.
"It's so sad."
I heard her say. By coincidence, this is same way that other girl acted when I took her to watch this movie. Huh, I've watched it twice, but I still feel nothing. Does this make me a robot, or are the girls I take out supersensitive? Ah, well, it doesn't matter.
I closed my eyes and sighed, and when I opened them…
I saw her.
She was standing in the street, limping over to the side with her head hanging forward. It was like something out of a nightmare, lurid and unreal. It was almost too surreal for me, as I felt my hands start to shake and my heart beating in my ears from shock. And then, she disappeared. She was gone in a blink of an eye. I glanced around the swarms of people around me, wondering if I had suddenly gone insane.
"Is something the matter?"
Asahina-san looked up to me and asked. She apparently noticed my quick change of expression.
"I-It's nothing."
I said, calming myself down. It was apparent that I really was going insane. That, or things were more serious than I thought.
Asahina-san and I said goodbye to each other and went our separate ways. I would've tried to be more romantic towards her, but, it wasn't the best of circumstances, so, I settled with just being friendly. Really, my first real date with her, all ruined by that idiot kid. Well, I suppose I ought to fix all this before something terrible happens.
I took out my cell phone and dialed Haruhi's number as I walked down the city streets. By now, the sun was setting, casting a heavy orange glow over me. The back of my neck was getting sweaty from being sun-drenched.
After waiting a full minute, I shut my phone in annoyance. She apparently shut off her phone. Damn it, I guess I have to do this in person. And God knows what she'll do with me when I crawl back to her on my knees.
I tilted my head up towards the cloudless sky and gazed at the darkening shades of pink and orange. Heh, thinking about it, there hasn't been a cloud in the sky all week. Too bad Tanaguchi, your moron future in meteorology is a bust.
It was then that something caught my eye. An object from the sky slowly descended to the ground, and landed with a clean flap in the alley next to me. My head turned automatically towards the item. Before I knew it, I let my curiosity get the best of me, and I idly went over to the alleyway and picked up it up. It was just an old tattered notebook. It looked virtually useless, since the pages seemed to be filled with names, so, being a responsible citizen, I disposed of it in the garbage can next to me.
Damn hooligans, don't just throw your junk out into the street.
…the next few moments happened too fast for me to reconcile.
I turned around, but stopped as soon as I saw someone standing at the entrance of the alley. From the way the sun was positioned, her radiant beauty increased tenfold, and her shadow reached out into the ground, sending a mixed aura of anonymity and animosity. I didn't even have enough time to react before she took out a metallic object from the corduroy purse she held ever so tightly. It was smooth and rounded, unlike anything I've ever seen before, but it didn't take much time before I realized what it was. There was no doubt about it. It was a gun.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice was that of a fallen angel's. I stumbled backwards from what was happening. I could hardly believe any of this. What the hell was this?
"Kyon-kun, I'm really sorry."
She firmly held the pistol at me in pointblank range, but tears were streaming down the side of her face. I didn't know what to say or think. A part of me wanted to comfort her. Another part of me wanted to run. It was happening too fast for me to take hold of the situation, so I did what anyone else would've done. I stayed where I was like an idiot and did nothing.
Was this some sort of dream? …yes, that had to be it. She would never do this in real life. This was just a very, very, bad-
I saw her frown. It was like looking down a barrel of a gun, and it went off.
AN: I've got to stop leaving these cliffhangers. Then again, I did, after all, label this as drama. Oh well.
After reading this over, I find myself moderately satisfied about how this ended out. In the previous chapter, I accidentally locked Kyon's sister out of the house and forgot about her. I didn't even think about what would happen when the door was opened again. So, when I got to that part, I didn't know what to do. Then I thought hell, why don't I have her punch my character's lights out. And I pretty much went with that idea.
As for the end, I think I made it pretty obvious that this was going to happen. Or at least something close to this anyway. Well, I hoped you liked it.
I. Run. E.