Disclaimer: I do not own Haruhi Suzumiya or anything related.

This is dedicated to my friend and partner-in-crime, Patty.

A/N: Here's Chapter 6! Oh, and a big thanks to B. for reviewing. I really appreciate your constructive criticism. I guess I forgot to mention that Italics are actually spoken by Koizumi. But I guess that means it's a bit confusing, ne?

Don't worry, guys, this time, I hope it will be clearer whether Itsuki is speaking or thinking.

Chapter has been delayed due to schoolwork… Curse you, schoolwork!

Title: The Origin of Koizumi Itsuki

Synopsis:

He was. And that was what he knew. He didn't know why. But he was chosen. Koizumi Itsuki searches for the reason why he was.


Chapter 6: Taichi Kurosaki

'Free your mind of all thoughts', that bastard. That training didn't do anything except exhaust my mind and body.

I sighed and plopped down the bed, thinking about what happened earlier this afternoon in some Closed Space Simulation.


"Free your mind of all thoughts, Koizumi."

Number 12 glowed with a powerful red aura.

"I'm trying!"

It was useless, all I could produce was a pathetic glow covering my right hand.

"I can still hear your thoughts! You may be good at hiding your thoughts with your actions, but your mind is weak!"

"Who are you calling weak?"

Bam.

I was thrown backward. His aura obviously overpowered my feeble attempts of resistance.

"Don't get distracted. I taunted you because I knew that was why you can't put up a good defense." He reached out a hand. "Here, I'll help you up."

"Thanks."

Somehow there was a hint of bitterness in that reply.

"Don't mention it. I think that's enough for today. You need to rest."


"I'm a neophyte esper after all. Give me a break."

At some point, I must have fallen asleep after this remark, because I could no longer remember anything.


The next day, I opted to take a leave of absence from school, owing to the fact that I was both mentally and physically drained from all this esper training.

But more than that, it was the bad mood that put me off from going to school. Knowing I had made little to no progress at all hurt my ego, and after the scene I caused the other day, I figured the class didn't need any more outbursts.

I'm hungry. I think I need to go look for a snack.

I wandered around the kitchen looking for something to eat. The house seemed too quiet for my taste, and that was primarily because my mother was off to buy groceries today.

I was about to open the refrigerator when I heard the doorbell ring. I was nonetheless surprised by the faces greeting me by the gate.

"Koizumi-kun! How are you today?"

I wouldn't have been surprised that it was Sonou Mori, had it not been for the fact that, according to my wristwatch, it was still twelve in the afternoon and she was in her school uniform.

Oh, that, and she was accompanied by Taichi Kurosaki.

"Oh, its you two. Come in."


It would appear that Sonou Mori has prepared yet another bento for me, and upon discovering that I was absent in class, dashed from school to deliver them to me. Kurosaki tagged along just to apologize to me personally.

"I know it's been quite a while, but I was too scared to approach you." The brutish Kurosaki said. "I sincerely apologize for that baseball incident."

"Oh, no worries. I was fatigued that day. It wasn't your fault I fainted."

"Koizumi-kun. You're quite a sickly boy, aren't you?" Mori piped.

"I guess." I said, downing a piece of meat.

Mori made superb bentos for the three of us. Wish I had tasted this a long time ago. In no time, the three of us finished ours, and she got up to clean the mess.

"Which way to the kitchen?" she asked.

"Oh, wait, I'll just help you with that." I replied.

Somehow, I could tell that she wanted to talk to me about something, so I took this as an opportunity to be alone with her.


"Tell me, Mori-san. Is there anything you wish to talk about?" I asked her as we were washing the dishes.

"There is." She whispered. "I talked to Yutaka-kun. I decided to join the Agency."

"You did? But this isn't safe. There's no telling what you're getting into!"

"I know. But you're there, right? Nothing wrong's going to happen." She smiled weakly.

I don't know. We're entering something that is probably beyond our control. We're joining an organization we know little about, doing impossible tasks and we could possibly get killed in the process by those crazy blue blobs.

To be honest, I only entered this job to keep Haruhi Suzumiya from screwing my mind. I can't have the thoughts of an adolescent girl breaking into my head every now and then, can I?

But what about Sonou Mori? What is the reason she joined this crazy circus of spoon-benders? It can't be that it was just because of me, can't it?

Sometimes, I wish I had mind-reading powers like yours, Mori. That way, I could tell what you are really thinking.

"Koizumi-kun."

Perhaps I said all this too loudly in my mind.

"It's very hard to be a mind reader." She said.

"Mori-san?"

"It's very difficult. I always get tempted to read other people's thoughts."

Maybe we joined the Agency for the same reason. Our powers.

"And as a result, I never learned to trust people I don't know."

I never imagined the sweet and timid Sonou Mori to be this distrusting of others.

I admit that I have not been the most honest person in the world. In fact, one may point out that I have been lying all my life. Acting this way and that, pretending to be someone I'm not just for the heck of it.

And yet this girl, who disliked people who said things when they meant another opened up to someone like me.

Is it because we are both espers? Cheesy as it may sound, there must be some sort of bond between espers. Kinda like a 'takes one to know one' kind of bond.

She must've felt that she was saying a bit too much about herself, for she abruptly changed the topic of the conversation.

"Koizumi-kun, do you think it is true? That she can change the world to the way she wanted?"

By that, I took that she was referring to Haruhi Suzumiya. Who else could it be?

"Even if you destroy this world, the world you wish for will never come."

She looked at me intently as I said those words.

"I see."

If you have the impression that I joined this crap just because I felt that I was the Chosen One to protect this world from the whims of a twelve-year-old girl, you are deeply mistaken, Mori-san. I've got no Superman Complex.

"I understand." she said softly. "Where do you put the rags? I'll clean up after the living room table."

"They're in the cupboard under the stairs."

She smiled and scooted off to go look for rags. I was left washing what was left of the dishes.

Come to think of it, I really don't believe in God. I don't believe in a higher being that controls every aspect of daily life. What happens to you is the consequence of your actions. I don't believe in karma either, but rather in causality.

"Hey. Have you seen Mori?"

No doubt that growl was Kurosaki.

"She's off to get rags from the cupboard." I said without looking at him.

"Oh, I see."

"Koizumi, what school did you come from before?"

"Ohashi Junior High."

Something was wrong. I could sense it. Why am I getting this feeling? It was a tad bit creepy.

"Ohashi? That's a good school. I daresay you got top marks?"

"Of course."

Still that feeling. It was as if danger was lurking around.

"Well... I wanted to know how things are now that you've transferred. Is it much more difficult?"

The sense of animosity heightened at this point. What was going on?

"Because if you find what's going on around you unbearable, I could always help you..."

Something flashed in my head. What was going on hit me like a thunderbolt.

"... I could always make the pain, and everything else go away."

There was a sound of a flashing blade coming right after me. Bless ESP. I was able to dodge the attack.

But the bigger question was why Taichi Kurosaki, a friend of Sonou Mori's, was hot after my blood.

"What the hell are you doing?!?"

"I told them to get it on quickly. They wouldn't listen."

Madness. He's raving like a madman.

"You were lucky that pitch really didn't hit you. I guess you must thank Haruhi Suzumiya for that."

"Haruhi Suzumiya? Wait. Her again? What has she got to do with you trying to rip me to shreds?"

"Those Faction members still believe that you mustn't be killed. They're such simple fools."

"Faction?"

At this point, he was circling me cautiously. He licked the blade. Such a sick freak.

"Asahina-san believed that you will be a threat. But she never had the balls to get rid of you. Well, she's a girl. So I wouldn't expect her to do anything of the sort."

"Asahina-san? Who's Asahina-san?"

"You don't need to know. You're going to die anyway."

He dashed after me, blade in front.

As I feinted to my right, dodging this maniac's weapon, I frantically thought about Mori-san. Does she know that her childhood friend is a crazy knife nut?

"They will be proud. I will be given the highest honor. I will be able to give them the head of the feared assassin, Itsuki Koizumi!"

What?

Me, a feared assassin? I may be cold, callous and heartless at times; I may act like I don't care about others, but you're going too far of accusing me of such a crime!

"Well, they say prevention is better than cure."

I leaned on the kitchen wall, panting. This chase has been going on for a while now.

Kurosaki found my mom's knife set lying by the sink. Great. Now he's got more equipment than a Level 10 Blademaster. That definitely doesn't make my life any easier.

My bad. Ironically, it does. He flung the knives at me like kunai. Had I not rolled to the floor immediately, my skull would have been cut in half.

I found the doorway and frantically ran outside. Mori, where are you? There's a psycho after me with a knife!

"Run, Itsuki Koizumi. Run like the coward you are!"

You don't need to tell me that. I'm not a coward, but I highly doubt that anyone who's unarmed and faced with a threat of death by your mother's entire Miracle Blade collection, would just stand there and do nothing. Damn it! If only I could use my powers right now.

A voice came from the nearby living room.

"Koizumi-kun! I'm done cleaning. Have you seen Taichi-kun?"

Kurosaki was hot after my trail, wreaking havoc on his way to the living room.

"Mori-san!"

She must've been startled. I dashed into the room, locking the door.

"What's going on?"

Ignoring her questions, I pushed the sofa behind the door, blocking it.

"I know you won't believe me, but Kurosaki is after me."

"Taichi-kun? But why?"

Boom. That was Kurosaki trying to break down the door.

"We have no time! We must get out of here, before he does anything!"

Boom. I fear that the sofa wouldn't hold much longer.

"I don't understand!"

"Neither do I." I panted. "Hurry!"

Too late. Taichi Kurosaki blasted the door open.

"What a pity. It was a beautifully crafted door. I didn't have any choice but to do this."

"Taichi-kun..."

Sonou Mori fell to her knees. Taichi Kurosaki took notice of this and suddenly, his eyes, which were glinting maniacally a while back, softened.

"Sou-chan. Forgive me. But I have to eliminate him."

I guess that even though he was a rabid killer, he cared for Mori.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"You won't understand, Sou-chan. I'm doing this for all our good."

"For our good? What do you mean?"

"He'll hurt you. He'll just hurt you in the future. I don't want that to happen... and..."

Her eyes widened. Tears were starting to fall.

"... I cannot allow the criminal of the highest risk level to exist!"

I noticed something. Kurosaki talked as if he knew all that would happen. Is he an esper? Perhaps his ability was clairvoyance.

For the first time since he charged at me with a knife, I gained some courage to address him directly.

"How can you be sure I would become the criminal you speak of?"

"To be honest, there is a chance of you not becoming one. But I don't take chances."

The blade flashed in my direction.

"The future is built around the actions we do every moment. Our task is to make sure that the time stream proceeds as normal as possible."

He went on with his explanation.

"We have detected you as a possible threat."

"I don't get it."

"Well, simply put, I am a time-traveler. And from the future I came from, you are the greatest criminal to walk the earth."

Prevention is better than cure, he said. So to prevent me from becoming this criminal, you opt to have me killed instead?

"That's the way it goes. Truth be told, my superiors know nothing of my actions right now. I'm acting on my own free will." he sneered at me.

"No! You're not the Taichi-kun I know!"

"Sou-chan, I am the same Taichi-kun you used to make special bentous with. I am the same Taichi-kun who gave you paper cranes when you were sad. But I was brought to the future to train and become a time-traveler. No matter what, I still feel the same for you."

Then that would explain why he looked like a high-schooler: he was actually older than us by give or take a few years.

"But Koizumi-kun has done nothing to you!"

"He might not have, but he will do you wrong."

If I had thought in the past that Sonou Mori was weak-willed, I sincerely ask for an apology. She stepped forward, placing herself between Kurosaki and I, facing him head on.

"If indeed you were the Taichi-kun I know, you wouldn't hurt me. You won't harm him while I live."

Kurosaki's eyes widened at the sight of his childhood friend protecting the person he wanted to kill.

"I see."

The room was silent. Until...

"I have no choice. I will have to kill you too, Sou-chan."

I can't believe this.

How far will you go to uphold your belief? Your duty? You would kill the longest and closest friend you've ever had just to fulfill it? How sick.

He flicked his blade. He was poised to strike.

Mori doesn't deserve this. I'm the possible future criminal, not her! Don't drag her into this!

Everything happened in slow-motion. Just like that day he pitched the ball. As he charged towards her, I dashed forward, and blocked his attack with my wristwatch, breaking it. I then punched him in the stomach as hard as I could.

Though my punch didn't knock him out, it knocked the knife out of his grip. It fell to the floor, a few feet away from us.

"Shit!" Kurosaki said, clutching his stomach.

"Koizumi-kun, the knife!"

At this, both of us dashed towards the blade.

I couldn't recall what happened exactly after that, but all I remember was seeing the color red mixing with the wooden floor.


A/N: Whoa. What was that about? The rating may go up after this! O_O Koizumi-kun, a criminal?!? Rogue time-travelers? R/R!

Oh, and by the way, Itsuki quoted another anime character. Bonus points to those who could tell who it is! :)

Clue: he has a personality somewhat similar to the Itsuki we know.

There are lots of Easter Eggs in this chapter, btw. ;)

Jaa! :)