"It figures you'd want to experience emotions when you've never even had them. I mean, didn't you want to shout or cry or yell "leave me alone, I've had enough"? sometimes? Well, even if you never thought about that stuff, it's normal for you to want to. You should have been allowed to do that. I'm partly to blame too. Without thinking, I made it a habit to rely on you more and more. I wouldn't think for myself. It was always "Oh, Nagato can fix this. She can do anything". Turns out, I'm an even bigger idiot than Haruhi."
"You haven't been home for dinner lately, Kyon-kun! Where've you been?" His sister accosted him as soon as he walked in the door.
He quickly dodged her outstretched hands and made his way to his room. "Out," he said easily, carefully avoiding the topic of Nagato. For some reason, he didn't want his sister to know who exactly he was hanging out with. His sister's persistent whines could be heard trailing from behind and he quickly shut the door and fell into bed. Shamisen the calico cat turned over in annoyance. He hadn't even noticed he was there.
His hand draped over his face as he let out a tired sigh, glancing at a book sitting harmlessly on his desk. The one Nagato had loaned him. He sat up and brought the book between his hands. He had figured the bookmark was the largest piece of the puzzle and hadn't even considered the possibility of the book meaning something. He didn't even know what kind of mystery he was attempting to solve anyway. Was it really so important that he know what Nagato meant by lending this to him? If it was of any true importance, and he was meant to figure it out sooner or later, Nagato would have made sure that he discovered its truth, wouldn't she?
'She's being awfully vague this time…' Kyon thought, flipping through page after page for another clue. He mulled over the evidence he had thus far and found he had absolutely nothing to go on except for the bookmark and Nagato's curious words. Either of which didn't help. That left the book, but Nagato had never required any reading of him in order to get a point across. He felt it would be easier that she just tell him in that straight-forward tone of hers.
He opened the book up to the first page anyway, out of mere curiosity, and began to read.
…
Kyon awoke with the book on his face. He read as much as he could last night. It was an interesting story; a science fiction mystery romance. It didn't strike him as too out of the ordinary. He knew Nagato enjoyed her sci-fi. Heck, she was practically a sci-fi character in her own right. Maybe she felt connected to creatures and robots of a similar nature.
Particularly the robot of this tale… she falls in love with a human but because of her state of being, could never truly pursue anything. She constantly questioned her feelings and existence, passing it off as mere programming than any real self- awareness.
Kyon scratched his head. He had to be dumb not to see the similarities between this character and Nagato. She was in the same boat… a robot that doubted her own emotions. He wanted to groan. 'Is this how Nagato feels?' The thought made him frown. 'Was this her version of a cry for help? …But even this seems a little on the nose for Nagato.'
But in the end, Kyon couldn't do anything for her. He didn't know what he could do besides convince Haruhi to change her mind or to get the Data Overmind to reconsider Nagato's 'purpose.' Neither thing seemed feasible so the best thing he could do for her was stay by her side and help her whenever she needed him, which wasn't very often anyway. He was often relying on her, wasn't he?
He deposited the book back on his desk, lingered on the cover for a second, and then got ready for school. It was going to be a long day.
…
School passed by in quick succession, the fear of any approaching tests made apprehension ripple throughout the hallways, coupled with the apathetic ease of students who couldn't care less. Kyon felt rather indifferent about the whole thing. However, in class, he could sense the jittering of the girl behind him, her hands in fists as she shook lightly from excitement.
Excitement that had nothing to do with academics in the slightest. The girl in question placed two fingers in the crook of his back and poked sharply.
Kyon flinched and turned to her against his will.
Haruhi leveled him with a haughty stare. "You ready to be destroyed, Kyon?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," he deadpanned in response.
"Perk up, Kyon! I need everyone at their top form today or else I won't have a single worthy competitor!"
"Do you ever?" he said, almost to himself.
"Oh ho~ so you have been paying attention?" She turned and began mumbling to herself, something about inviting other people 'up to the challenge.'
Kyon turned away, a smirk on his face. Regardless of Koizumi's words, there are some parts of Haruhi he figured would never change and the thought gave him relief. He quickly tried to dismiss the feeling.
His head dipped lower and he switched to ignoring her as usual as her rantings grew louder, calling unwanted attention from the rest of the classroom. He prayed silently that Haruhi kept other unsuspecting and innocent people out of this but he was daft to hope at all.
…
The clubroom was already bustling with activity by the time Kyon slowly made his way over. Taniguchi was there, fawning over an oblivious Mikuru, already dressed in her maid outfit, probably at the insistence of Haruhi as the club's mascot. 'She couldn't have found her a more fitting attire for the occasion?' Kyon thought offhandedly. He banished the thought as Tsuruya teased and prodded Mikuru relentlessly nearby, a high-pitched cry escaping the time-traveler's mouth. Kunikida stood by idly, a light and pleasant smile on his face. Haruhi was totally engrossed at the board, erasing the previous day's tournament sketch and opting instead for a double-elimination style to accompany the larger group.
Neither of Kyon's friends acknowledged his presence, probably too enraptured by the promise of the afternoon. They had rushed over as soon as class ended but Kyon had taken his sweet time, dragging one foot in front of the other. He didn't know the source of his fatigue, but whatever it was, made him more apprehensive than usual.
It certainly was messing with his calm demeanor and he needed something or someone to balance him out, someone actually calm he could latch onto for strength. And with Asahina currently occupied…
Only one person really came to mind. Kyon made his way over to the window. Predictably, Nagato was there staring out into the field below. Her lap still devoid of any literature.
"Nagato," he began, "how are you feeling?" He wasn't sure why that was the first thing he thought to ask but it just felt right.
She turned to him with all the interest of a bored housewife. "Functional," she answered.
Kyon thought that was as good an answer as any and peered around the room. "Where's Koizumi?" he asked without really wanting to know. He just didn't like the idea of the smiling man being somewhere where he couldn't see him.
Before she could answer, the man in question burst into the room, an apologetic grin adorning his face. "Excuse me for being late! I had some business to attend to," he pleaded in Haruhi's direction. She honestly would be the only one who would care. Or did she only care when Kyon was late?
"Nevermind, Koizumi-kun! You're here right on time!" Haruhi called in response, getting up from her crouched position against the board. She turned it towards the now hushed crowd who regarded it with mixed expressions.
Kyon frowned. Were that him who was so late, she would have punished him into next week.
Once all eyes were on her, Haruhi launched into what Kyon thought was an unnecessary explanation of the tournament rules. She detailed the order and (she claimed) that it was in a randomized order she drew from a hat. It would begin with four simultaneous instances of the simplest of games, and following that, the winners would challenge each other and so on, like a regular tournament style. "However!" she stuck a finger at the group, "this is double elimination! So the losers still have a chance to make a come-back and claim victory!" As it went, the losers of the first round would face each other and so on and so on. Kyon had stopped listening as his eyes swept over the line-up.
It was as follows:
Round 1-
Koizumi vs. Taniguchi
Yuki vs. Mikuru
Kyon vs. Tsuruya
Haruhi vs. Kunikida
Kyon figured it seemed simple enough. He looked over at Tsuruya who was grinning open-mouthed at the prospect of being involved. Her pointed tooth giving her a rather silly appearance. Sensing she was being watched, Tsuruya turned to look at him, her mouth closing in a self-confident grin. She winked at him and Kyon nearly reared back, not expecting the exchange. He always thought there was more to Tsuruya than met the eye. He just didn't have nearly enough experience with her to claim anything concrete. She was always there, slightly involved, and yet not at all. Could there have ever been a chance Haruhi considered her as a member of the club? Did the thought bother her that she wasn't?
Kyon shook his head, his mind wandering far too long on the subject that was the green-haired girl.
He turned away then, wondering if some other peculiar girl of the room had been acknowledging Haruhi's explanation at all. And once more, to his great displeasure, Kyon was made to bear witness to the bent form of Koizumi in front of Nagato's prone figure by the window. He was telling her something with a stern expression, no smile gracing his features. Nagato nodded in response once he was done and he returned it, his body returning upright, a grin back on his face like nothing had happened.
Whatever he said this time seemed about as serious as the uncomely smiling man could appear and it took Kyon's every ounce of will not to march over there and ask exactly what he had said to her. Nagato didn't appear cowed by his words at all, however, though it almost looked as if he were leturing her. But that couldn't possibly have been the case, right?
Kyon didn't get the opportunity to further mull over this as Haruhi loudly slapped her hand against the surface of the table. A gesture she seemed to have adapted as the best method of getting a room's attention.
"Gather 'round, everyone! Grab a seat across from your partner and let's begin! Round one… Connect Four!"
'Connect Four?' Kyon questioned. Now that he examined the board games stacked around the room he noticed that they were almost all western-style games. He wondered if Haruhi had grown bored of the Japanese-style assortment that Koizumi had collected over time. Or perhaps this was her method of shaking things up. If that was the case… this was quite a tame conclusion she had made.
'Maybe Koizumi was right', the thought came unbidden, 'maybe Haruhi was calming down in her overly expressive demeanor as god.'
"Ah! And before I forget… this wouldn't be a proper tournament without a proper prize for the winner would it not?" Haruhi circled the room, a pointed finger held up by her other hand. All pairs of eyes followed her mechanically, waiting for the punch-line. "The winner will receive…" An anticipated hush fell over the room as she paused dramatically. 'Just kidding.' Kyon rolled his eyes in impatience.
Haruhi caught his eye and frowned at him for a split second before immediately continuing… "—Eternal glory on the SOS Brigade's newfound wall of fame!"
'The what?' Kyon's eyebrow rose. This was the first he was hearing about this. He glanced around at the surrounding walls and for the first time he noticed that one of them was covered in colorful bulletin board paper. He figured that must be it and his eyebrow fell in humor at the pathetic display. He hadn't been expecting a prize in the first place so this should have come as no surprise really. He would've tried just as hard (which is to say, not at all) to win this tournament even if the prize was an outing alone with Asahina-san. 'On second thought…'
A few calls of excitement rose from the group, mainly from Tsuruya, and the rest got into position across from their prospective partners.
Koizumi smiled pleasantly at Taniguchi who flinched in an exaggerated but appropriate amount. Nagato stared silently at the table as Asahina looked almost half-delighted at the premise. Kunikida looked the same as ever and Haruhi just appeared determined and eager to destroy her opponent over a simple board game. Tsuruya slid into her seat in front of Kyon and offered greetings as well as a friendly challenge in his direction. She seemed just as eager as Haruhi and Kyon wondered why the two didn't hang out more.
Before Haruhi set the timer (she insisted on making sure no games went past a certain time limit), Kyon briefly speculated about the coordination of the groups. If this was Haruhi he was talking about, and considering Nagato's warning of the previous night, there had to be a catch. Though she claimed it was random, Kyon couldn't help but think there was deliberate thought put into the order or, at least, as Haruhi had been accustomed to do unbeknownst to her own self, the order had come to exist from some otherworldly place to fulfill some inner and unknown desire that she had.
Either way, Kyon's apprehension mounted the more he thought about what the alien android had said. 'Events may come to trouble me? Don't they always?' He wondered if it was a warning or simply a consideration on his part. Synchronization was blocked, could Nagato still know what would happen? Kyon still couldn't see how simple board games could cause some disturbance in the forces of the universe but Nagato knew more than he ever would so he trusted her words wholeheartedly.
And she did tell him not to worry.
So Kyon took a deep breath, offered Asahina an adoring grin at her innocent enthusiasm, hoped Nagato would go easy on the club's sole tea-server, glanced warily at Koizumi, ignored Haruhi's deranged smile, and then finally set his gaze on the child's play-thing in front of him.
The room was oddly charged with an excited energy considering what they were all about to do.
"Ready? START!"
…
'There's no ref, I cry foul.'
Kyon was by no means bad at board games. He played them often with Koizumi in the clubroom and figured he had developed some sort of propensity towards logic-based puzzle games. Especially one as easy and simple as getting four colored discs in a row before your opponent did.
So when he looked upon the four adjacent red-tiles belonging to Tsuruya, Kyon could only grimace in disbelief. He had almost had her, so he thought, it was even a trap set-up that he had learned from the esper in the room. Supposedly he was too focused on setting it up that he hadn't even noticed Tsuruya ignoring his scheme entirely and building up a row of four outside of his line of focus.
He wasn't planning on going far in this little competition. He figured he would play as normally and make his way about halfway through before losing to someone better suited to the position (namely Haruhi if it came down to it.) What he wasn't expecting was to lose in the very first round. To Tsuruya. At a game of glorified Tic-Tac-Toe. He felt foolish.
And there was another person in the room equally incredulous at the results.
Haruhi's face was a mixture between odd disappointment and mocking disbelief as she looked upon Kyon's frozen figure staring at the colorful game.
"Kyon, you lost? I expected more from you!" She laughed a hollow laugh and grimaced, leaning over to whisper closer to his face. "You better not disappoint in the next round!"
Kyon briefly thought that that was her idea of cheering him on and almost considered nodding back at her seriously before remembering who he was. Plus, even if he did won, he would just be squaring off with Haruhi. Maybe she wanted the satisfaction of beating him…
He sat back up in his seat and watched Tsuruya exchange cheers with a smiling Asahina who had taken point against Nagato. A fact that Kyon found strange. He figured Nagato might have either not understood the game or let the time-traveler have her chance. Looking at the board in front of her told him that Nagato gave Asahina an honest fight. He still couldn't be sure if she let her win though. It didn't even occur to him that Asahina held the capacity to beat Nagato at something like this, a thought that made Kyon frown guiltily.
His eyes found the gray-haired girl sitting reticent in her chair, unmoving. She almost appeared… down, if Kyon had to apply words to her appearance. She seemed low in her seat than her usual stiff, up-right posture. He would've considered this longer when Haruhi ushered the losers back into position, announcing the 'Losers round one' of the same exact game.
Kyon sighed.
Kunikida plopped in place in front of him and Kyon resisted asking him why he and Taniguchi were even here. Kunikida just offered him a closed-eyed smile and remarked about how "willful" Haruhi was when it came to games.
'Judging by how quickly you lost, I'm not that surprised,' Kyon thought sardonically. Both Kunikida and Taniguchi met swift defeats at the hands of their foes. Koizumi having far too much experience for his own good to be defeated by a fool like Taniguchi and Haruhi being… well Haruhi. Kunikida didn't stand a chance.
They were just childish board-games. Yet a part of Kyon didn't want to lose in the first round without claiming even a single victory. By the way things were set-up, he didn't see himself going very far anyway but he knew he could at least beat someone like Kunikida, right?
He fixed Kunikida with a hard stare, willing him to submit, a sudden flare of wilting pride growing in Kyon's chest. This wasn't a group effort, the same way the baseball game or the computer club's game was, so Kyon didn't have to worry about the universe if he lost. Though it seemed Haruhi's demented need to be the best at everything must have instilled something inside of him over time.
"Usually I'm quite good at these sorts of things," Kunikida commented and Kyon tried not to scoff at his friend. If he lost here, it was the end.
Instead of answering, Kyon's head turned to the movement beside him as Nagato re-took her seat towards the middle of the table, the rest of the games having been swiftly cleaned up.
Kyon couldn't help but bend his head down to ask her quickly before the games resumed. "Are you okay?"
Nagato merely nodded, her eyes never leaving the center of the table. Kyon couldn't think of anything else to say, and the crowd was making it even harder to find words. Whatever it was that was plaguing her, and he was sure it was something, he definitely couldn't pry it out of her just now.
He offered her a lopsided smile. "Well, do your best. I'd hate to see Taniguchi get a big head winning one over on someone like you."
At this, Nagato finally swiveled her head towards him, her eyes bright and open, as if she were studying him and waiting for some sort of clarification. After a moment, she nodded in understanding. Kyon didn't understand what she had took from that exchange, but after that, Nagato's posture changed.
Kyon blinked and then watched with disdain as Taniguchi interrupted to try and make friendly chatter with Nagato's stiff figure. He didn't seem at all perturbed by his loss, just happy to be in the company of the girls of the SOS Brigade. He probably wasn't even trying, which annoyed Kyon further.
As Haruhi marked the results on the chalkboard. The rest of the occupants of the room gathered around the loser's circle. This time, there would be an audience and Kyon didn't want to disappoint.
AN: Heeeey Happy Holidays everyone! I'm happy to be updating so soon. I remember when I was writing this story about a year ago. Almost exactly a year ago actually lol. And even though there's like 5 of you reading, I just want to see this story come to life and the few of you reading give me the motivation to continue :) I know this fandom is pretty dead these days... especially this rare pair haha.
So Finally something is happening... well, sorta. Thanks for sticking around this far if you have! Please leave a review if you have something on your mind, I love seeing what people are taking away from my stories.
