Here's the newest chapter everyone! Summer has begun, so expect writing from me as usual, since I don't have school to bring me down. However, I may have extended leaves of writing absence, so if there's a week break of chapters once or twice, I'm on vacation or something. Enjoy this next one! Especially the end of it. XD
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I don't think I would have ever guessed in a million years that I would ever be sitting in a position of command over an entire fleet or starships. I certainly didn't expect to suddenly have the power of destruction in my belt either. Especially when that power was represented by a gigantic swarm of space cruisers that looked powerful enough to obliterate a small moon.
I have to say that for the first time in my life, I feel like I have something that I can finally use to fight back against my oppressors. To tell the truth, it's not a special power, or some sort of training that enables me to go beyond mortal ken.
No, I have warships at my command. I've been told time and time again that all I am is a normal human being, with no special esper powers, no classified temporal knowledge, no alien origins, and certainly no influence as a reality-altering deity. So naturally being able to command these ships was sudden rush of liquid ecstasy flowing straight into my brain.
The Kyons below me were doing a fine job running the rest of the flagship, considering I had no idea how to do it myself. And so I remain sitting in my command chair. Not many exciting things are happening right now, so I can't help but begin to get bored as we continue to drift through space.
As I had told the ship's personnel, the fleet around us is close; so as to make sure that my flagship is adequately protected on all sides from an enemy attack. Plus, I always found that spreading your forces out too thin in any game will probably end in you losing. But this really isn't a game, so my strategy has a good chance of not working out so well anyway.
Speaking of enemy, I can't help but become surprised at the fact that there is no enemy for us to fight, as far as I've seen. Now I'm not one to say that I'm looking for trouble like Suzumiya-san might be, but I'd expect that if that orange orb went through all this trouble in sending us here, it might at least give us something to face. Gah, I think I just perceived all this like it really is some big simulation. Of course, even I'm not stupid enough to believe what Nagato-san said. I know this is all clearly real.
Of course, one can't help but wonder how the hell Haruhi was able to believe that so easily. I sincerely think that she needs her brain checked sometime soon.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking about Suzumiya-san. Being the commander of this ship began to get boring fast, mostly because there were no orders to give, and the Kyons below were not too talkative at all. In fact, they followed orders and worked very well, and I wondered if they were emulating that part of me that can't help but submit to Haruhi's every whim.
I sighed to myself. Something inside me was already beginning to question this recent relationship I've been having with Haruhi. I never glossed over it before, but it is only now that I realize that this essentially my first girlfriend. I haven't had one before this, and I don't think I'm going to even end up having one after this. I think if I know what's good for me, I'd better stick with Haruhi.
But what does that mean? What kind of relationship does sticking with her entail?
So far, all we've really done is kissed each other, held hands, gone on a few dates and not much else. Come to think of it, I've yet to hear Haruhi say one "I love you". I mean, seriously. How can she be my girlfriend when all she wants is physical affection? Doesn't anything beyond just kissing and holding hands appeal to her?
This is quite aggravating to think about. Does this mean the relationship I have with Haruhi is in danger of falling apart? Of course, it can't really fall apart if it wasn't actually there in the first place.
I don't know if it's right to think this, but I'm also beginning to feel like Haruhi is essentially using me. Maybe she just has trouble expressing her inner feelings, as we've all seen. Or maybe it's deeper, and she just doesn't feeling like getting any farther than where we are now. For all I know, she'll be dumping me like she's done to all the other guys before me. Like Taniguchi had once told me, the longest relationship lasted for a week, and the shortest one was five minutes, right after the guy asked her out.
This is hopeless. There's no way out of a relationship with Suzumiya-san anyway. If I leave her, she'll just get pissed off enough that the world will disappear in an instant. I feel like a monkey on a chain, forced to continually crank music out in some dreaded carnival. And at the end of that chain, lies our Brigade Chief, with the same deathly overpowering glare apparent on her face.
Just what the hell does she want out of me?
A beeping sound seemed to wake me up from my inner monologue, and all I have to do is look beside me to see that a large holographic screen has spontaneously appeared. It shows the image of Itsuki Koizumi in his green commander's uniform, with his usual smiling expression as he speaks from his command chair, on the same green flagship that he took command of.
"This situation was certainly unexpected, though I can't say that I don't enjoy my new position of command."
I was ready to groan, but I did not. Still, the words that came out of my mouth were coated with distaste and boredom. It's not like anything had actually happened yet.
"Yeah, speak for yourself. I don't know what the point of putting us in control of all these starships is, so hopefully we can figure all this out. What the hell does this orb thing want with us?"
"I think a better question might be, what does it want with you?" Koizumi said, his tone not changing a bit as he spoke through the holographic projection screen. His over-cheerful face was already starting to annoy me.
"You've got a point. This thing seems to have a crush on me or something." I said in an uncaring tone, and I found myself almost wishing for us to be attacked or something. Just sitting here and talking to Koizumi while the Kyons below me punched in computer keys was turning out to be incredibly boring.
"I wouldn't go so far as saying something like that, but it certainly does have some sort of attraction to you. Like a paper clip might to a magnet. It's a very intriguing phenomenon." Koizumi replied, and he gave me a more serious expression now. Even still, it did not cease to be annoying.
"Yeah, well I wish it would go follow someone else. Why can't it be attracted to Haruhi or something? And where is it anyway? It brought us here, but we obviously haven't spotted any sign of its presence yet. For all we know, we could just be stuck in space forever."
"I sincerely doubt that. There is some underlying purpose that this being has. I don't think I've figured it out yet, but due to its nearly autonomous nature, I believe that it will reveal its goals in due time." Koizumi replied, his expression reverting back to the usual smiling one.
"I hope so. As long as Suzumiya-san doesn't get us all killed by causing us to charge in like bloodthirsty warmongers."
I found myself raising an eyebrow when Koizumi seemed to just smile wider when I said that. I could already tell that he was going to say something that I definitely wasn't going to like.
"I don't think she'll be able to do that. Especially since the red fleet turned out to just be a large conglomeration of derelict ships. It's quite strange, actually. They had a working energy signature one second, and then they turned up to be useless starships the next. Suzumiya-san seemed very unhappy when we she watched us leave to our own command ships via the matter transporter."
I felt my face just begin to twist in anguish after hearing what Koizumi had just told me. Haruhi's ships were rendered unusable? And she didn't get off this ship with the rest of them? Wait a second. Doesn't that mean that she's still on my flagship then?
"Kyon! I don't have a stupid fleet to command! What a dumb game!" Suzumiya-san shouted from way down the hallway that lead into the main command area, and I couldn't help but face palm as I listened to the sound of Haruhi walking down towards me in those high heels of hers.
I don't get a break, do I? Why must the world be so against me in so many ways?
"Don't you know what this means? She's going to take over my ship! How am I going to survive with this crazy girl putting me on a leash?" I exclaimed to Koizumi as Haruhi approached, and I felt ready to put my fist through the holographic screen in front of me as he just smiled again. Of course, such an act would be relatively useless.
"It seems that the fleet needs my attention. Try not to aggravate Suzumiya-san. We cannot afford the consequences." Koizumi said to me, and almost immediately after, the holographic screen in front of me quickly shut off, disappearing in a flash of light.
Koizumi! You smiling son of a bit-
"This is stupid, Kyon! My fleet is just a bunch of wrecked ships. I have no ships to control at all. I find this to be a disgrace to my position! The Brigade Chief needs something to command, or the point of my title becomes irrelevant!"
"How is that my problem? Just go find something else to do. I need to keep watch for enemy ships myself!" I replied to Suzumiya-san with an annoyed tone in my voice, my back facing her as I sat up in my command chair. My focus was to remain in control of this fleet, despite the fact that Suzumiya-san being present was only making me think more about the various relationship issues that I've been having with her.
Nevertheless, I must focus on the fleet.
"Increase us to 70% velocity. There must be something in this space besides our allies. And make sure not to go bumping into them. The last thing we need is to end up getting obliterated because of pure stupidity. Send out a few scouts ships to scan the outlying space. I'd like to know if there's anything of particular interest." I relayed to the Kyons below me, who silently acknowledged my orders. I could feel the flagship moving faster underneath me, although it wasn't actually that noticeable.
It was good to be in command. For as weird as it sounds, I guess I could say that was almost beginning to enjoy this whole situation. But as with most things in my turbulent life, something just has to ruin it.
"Kyon. Get up from that chair. Now." Haruhi said next to me, towering over me with her arms crossed and a glare that said "obey or die". I looked up in confusion, raising an eyebrow after hearing such an order from Suzumiya-san.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Get up and relinquish this ship to your new commander. Your Brigade Chief orders you to do it!" Haruhi exclaimed, the words in her sentence becoming louder the more she spoke.
I knew that I had multiple options after hearing this. I could get up, and bow down to Suzumiya-san's rule over my newly acquired fleet as she took command of it from me. I could tell her to screw off, and probably earn a punch in the face and a hard kick to the groin. I could beg her to let me keep it, and then she'd end up just pushing me aside and taking it from me anyway. So the way I see it, any option at this point ends up in me either submitting to Haruhi's rule, or being physically harmed. Not so much a good selection of options, if you ask me.
I sighed, wondering what I should say next. Koizumi said not to aggravate Suzumiya-san, and I guessed that telling her to screw off would just end up aggravating her a lot, not to mention leaving me on the floor in pain. So with no other viable options in front of me, I figured I'd take the less traveled road.
"Can't I just command this fleet for once? You always get to tell the rest of us what to do. Why can't I tell someone else what to do for once? You can watch and all, but wouldn't it be fair to give me a chance for once?" I pleaded, looking up at Suzumiya-san with the best innocent eyes that I could muster.
Haruhi looked back at me, and her expression calmed as I watched her rub her chin in thought. It obviously seemed like she was thinking over exactly what she was going to do, and part of me was wondering if what I had said might have actually worked. Perhaps I've hit a lucky break and she was just going to leave control of the fleet over to me.
"You have a point. However…."
I sighed in relief, but Suzumiya-san's loud voice broke that relief.
"Denied! I'm taking over this ship now!" she said to me, and I felt both of her hands latch onto my arm, and with surprising strength, Haruhi threw me right out of the command chair. I skidded into the ground a few feet away, and my head was spinning like a runaway top.
Without further ado, Suzumiya-san took a seat in my blue command chair, reveling in the fact that she was now in a position to order people around. I don't get it. Why the physical violence? Couldn't she treat me a little better? Like I said, something about this "relationship" doesn't seem so right to me.
"General Kyon!" one of the many Kyons said in horror from down below in the lower deck, and I sat up to see that most of the Kyons were now staring at Suzumiya-san like she was a Spanish conquistador who had just blown off the head of their Aztec leader with her musket rifle. Looks of anguish, anger and discontent were being shared all around, and it was safe to say that the Kyons didn't look happy at the sudden coup.
"That's the general's seat! You're not the general!" one of the Kyons said to Suzumiya. I couldn't help but groan at such lame dialogue. It was beginning to actually sound like a video game, and a very badly dubbed one, to say the least.
Haruhi looked down upon the many Kyons, and I could see a frown already appearing on her face. I guessed she hadn't noticed that the entire ship was being run by multiple mes at this point, and I could only expect that she didn't like this fact too much.
"There's a new general now. And you're all going to call me Brigade Chief. The consequences will be unfavorable for all of you if you don't." Suzumiya-san said, leaning back in the command chair as if she was relaxing in her new state of power. I had finally gotten up and brushed myself off, but I was still clearly annoyed by the fact that my role as general had just been taken from me.
"And what if we don't want this new general?" one of the Kyons said angrily, raising his fist in the air as if trying to incite revolution among his fellows. Others stood behind him, and a smile was beginning to appear on my face as I realized that the many Kyons could just easily overthrow Suzumiya-san. This was unexpected. These other Kyons certainly have a lot more courage than the original.
Haruhi stood up, getting out of the command chair and leaning on the wall that separated her from the rest of the ship's personnel below. There was an angry glare on her face, and from the sound of her voice, I could see that she had stopped being so calm.
"Listen you idiots! I'm in charge now! You better deal with it, and obey me like you're supposed to, or some of you are going to end up being sucked through the garbage disposal airlock! Or I can just use you all as live ammunition when we run into the enemy fleet! Either way, you better listen, or there'll be severe penalties for all of you! Insubordination on my ship will not be tolerated under any circumstances!!! Do I make myself clear?"
I have to say one thing about Haruhi, and that is that she definitely has a way with persuading people. Any manner of threats seems to be sufficient for her, though she blackmails others much more.
"Yes…..Brigade Chief. We'll be getting back to our posts." One of the Kyons said feebly, and it was easy to see that the rest were already beginning to back down after hearing Haruhi's declaration. It was obvious that although these Kyons seemed so defiant on the outside, they had been quick to show their weak, easily broken shells once they were faced with opposition.
Wow. They really are copies of me. But personally I don't think I suck up to Haruhi that much…
"Good. Full speed ahead! Separate the fleet, and make sure that any stragglers are vaporized immediately. We don't need ships that can't listen to my orders correctly." Haruhi announced, sitting back in the command chair as a devilish smile began to form on her face.
Is she insane? What do you mean separate the fleet? What the hell is she saying when she mentioned vaporizing slower ships? Suzumiya-san is going to just get us all killed!
"What are you doing?!? You're leaving us completely open to attack! You just want us to lose before we even started?!?" I told Suzumiya-san, but she seemed to just generally ignore my pleas, and continue facing forward in the command chair as she watched a large part of the fleet's ships zoom ahead of the rest.
"Be quiet, Kyon. I'm in charge now, and I know what I'm doing. Go find something to do. I'll call you when I need you." Haruhi told me, and it was clear that I had been shut up at this point. Haruhi neither wanted my input, nor did she want me to stick around. I was beginning to feel useless and unwanted. And with all this coming from my supposed girlfriend, these were not good things to be feeling at all.
And so, I walked out of the large command bridge, discontented and annoyed. I had command of an entire starship fleet for a total of ten minutes, before Suzumiya-san came in and took it over like nothing. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Sleep?
Surprisingly, I managed to pass right by what looked like a very nice captain's room as I walked down the hallway that led out of the command bridge. It was adequately furnished, and the bed that lay smack in the middle looked very comfortable to my eyes.
Suzumiya-san said that I should find something to do. With command of my ship now having been lost to her and my only other option being to watch Suzumiya-san lead us to doom, sleep seemed like a good thing. I figured that if we happened to get obliterated by an unknown enemy fleet, I could at least get vaporized while I was sleeping, and I hopefully wouldn't feel a thing.
And so I lay down on the comfortable bed, which felt like laying on the surface of a puffy cloud. It seemed to just absorb all the stress flowing through my body, and it was safe to say that I fell asleep before I could even take off the blue cap on my head.
I guess I've been more tired than I previously though. I definitely don't get enough sleep for a teenager.
"Get up, you idiot!"
The voice was unmistakable, and my eyes opened before I could tell them not to. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head, and finding myself face to face with a determined looking Haruhi. Her face was extremely close to mine, but this was normal between us now, so I didn't blush or overreact as usual.
"What is it? I was taking a nap." I said, still groggy even though I assumed that I probably got thirty minutes of dreamless sleep at most.
"Well, I got bored while you were sleeping. The rest of my subordinates are taking us on the right course, but I have no reason to watch over them until something actually happens." Suzumiya-san said to me, her voice right in my face and extremely bothersome. I find it quite amazing that she can sing so well.
"So what do you need me for then? Can't I just go back to sleep?" I asked, obviously annoyed with her for waking me up in the first place. Not surprisingly, I wasn't too much in the mood to even be talking to her right now. Something about Suzumiya-san has been coming off wrong lately, and I'm already becoming very skeptical over the nature of our relationship.
I felt Suzumiya-san grab me roughly by the collar, and before I could react, she pulled me hard so we were face to face. Her glare burned into my very soul, but her voice was low as she spoke.
"I need you for something."
"What is it? Is it even important?" I asked, and it was safe to say that I was getting pissed off enough not to want to even hear what Haruhi had to say. Whatever it was, I expected that it was just idiotic.
"Just shut up and enjoy it." She told me, pushing me back so I landed right on the bed behind me again. My face was already wrought with confusion. What's gotten into this girl? What the hell is she going to do to me this time?
When I watched Haruhi reach for the bottom of her red uniform, my eyes dilated to an unhealthy size, and I was already beginning to realize what she had in store for me. I backed up a little bit, still very confused as my words came out quickly and jumbled.
"What are you doing?" I said nervously, and I think I could feel a bead of sweat already beginning to come down my brow. Is Haruhi serious?
That question was a stupid one, be it in my brain or not. Suzumiya-san took no time in answering my question, pulling off her red uniform top and nearly ripping it in the process, and therefore completely revealing the orange bra she had been wearing underneath. The sight of her like this caused multiple blood vessels to pop in my nose. Suzumiya-san was not as well-endowed as Mikuru, but she had assets just like any other beautiful girl her age. But don't ask me to compare such a thing. It's not like I've seen much beyond that one magazine of mine that continues to remain hidden away in my hallway closet.
I should have remembered that Haruhi is always dead serious. No matter what.
"What are you gawking at? I should have figured that guys can't think of anything else besides what's under a girl's shirt. And I thought you were ahead of the curb, Kyon." Suzumiya-san said nonchalantly, with her red uniform top now a discarded item on the floor.
What do you mean that's all I think of? You're the one who just decided to start taking off your clothes out of nowhere!
"Get those off! You're not going to need them for what you're going to be doing." Haruhi told me, pointing an almost accusing finger at my pants. I already didn't like where this was going.
I'm not ready to just do this kind of thing with Suzumiya-san. I mean, of course it's come up in my dreams, but that's different! She just expects us to get past first base so early? We've only been together for a few weeks! At least, all this feels way too early to me.
God, this girl is really impatient. I should be enjoying this. In fact, I should be screaming in joy that I'm literally about to sleep with this eccentric beautiful girl in front of me.
But I wasn't doing any such thing. Someone like Taniguchi would leap at the opportunity like a starving shark. With Haruhi just presenting herself like this for me, I somehow felt myself becoming inadequate. I just couldn't do this. Something didn't feel right at all.
"Did you hear what I said? Get the pants off now!"
I narrowed my eyes and put on a serious expression. What I planned on saying next wasn't going to make Haruhi very happy.
"No. I'm not some puppet for you to play around with whenever you feel like it." I said to her, and her expression changed to even more impatient looking and annoyed. She was obviously becoming more discontent by the minute in response to my attitude. Her hands went to her hips, and our faces became very close as we became eye-to-eye. I will admit that it took some self-control to stop myself from looking down below Haruhi's face.
"Listen Kyon. I have desires that need to be fulfilled. I'm not in the mood to hear your whining. Either you listen, or I'm just going to have my way with you anyway!"
Wait a second. Is she threatening to rape me or something? This is getting insane! What did I do to myself when I decided to start going out with this girl? What the hell was I thinking?
Alarm klaxons seem to begin blaring throughout the ship at this surprisingly convenient time. Red lights flashed around us in the spacious room, and Haruhi was obviously getting annoyed by the sound enough to put her hands to her ears. I didn't do the same, taking a moment to silently admire her figure. Very out of place, but I guess I couldn't help it.
"Brigade Chief! We need you at the bridge immediately! There are unknown ships approaching our space! I repeat! Unknown ships are inbound!" the voice of a Kyon said, and I watched Haruhi look up with an expression on her face that was probably meant to be a mixture of disgust, impatience, anger and annoyance.
I think luck had been on my side for once. I had just narrowly avoided being literally raped by Suzumiya-san. Or some sort of equivalent. I guess it's safe to say that I was seriously beginning to question our relationship now. Unless of course she was only doing this because she believed us to just be in a game simulation. At this point, I couldn't be sure.
"Unknown ships? They have some nerve coming up on us now!" Haruhi said out loud, obvious discontent in her voice. While she wasn't looking, I wiped sweat off my brow. That was beyond intense.
I guess I'm not feeling to great right now. Haruhi has some energy she needs to get out, and somehow she finds me to be her reliever. Is that what she thinks dating is all about? Forcing someone else to submit to your orders? I think that while she has dated many guys in the school, she hasn't actually taken enough time on any one to realize what it means to be someone else's significant other.
I sighed as I stood up, and Haruhi began to silently put her red uniform top. Even though she nearly forced me into sleeping with her, I guess I have to admit that she's really well endowed in that special area that all girls have. I don't think I need to go explaining any of it to you. And I know that sounds perverted, but it's true.
Maybe I'm just a real idiot for not taking up on her offer. Or maybe I'm really ahead of the curb like she said.
I sighed again. What a ridiculously crazy life I happen to lead.