ANOTHER DOOR ALWAYS OPENS

Chapter 6

A/N: Hey everyone, it's me again! I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it! This chapter has two major flashbacks in it to reveal some about Mitsuki's character. I'll be sure to write some about Itsuki and the S.O.S. Brigade in Chapter 7. This is a Haruhi fanfic, after all, right? (lawlz)

"Before I tell how we met Subaru," Mitsuki continued. "There's something you should know…about our situation."

"What's that?" Itsuki inquired, sipping his coffee.

"Well, Arashi and I sought help the morning after our father was killed. The villagers all came to our aid, of course. Our father had been deeply respected by all of them. They helped us bury him in a cemetery just outside of town. In the end, however, the events at the funeral itself were what caused my brother and I to second-guess everything."

~Begin Flashback~

Mitsuki sat whimpering at the foot of her father's grave. The only thing keeping her from sobbing uncontrollably was Arashi's arm around her shoulders. Behind the twins stood nearly half of their village, mostly teenagers and adults.

Three days had passed since her father's death. Somehow, the village had come up with enough money for a headstone and casket. Earlier that afternoon, the burial had taken place. The entirety of the townspeople and shown up for it, but the elders had ventured on home after the sun began to set. Only the young adults remained in the evening.

Arashi hadn't uttered a word since the morning they had gone to seek help. Mitsuki had done all of the talking for the two of them. He hadn't even shed a tear, to her knowledge. She suspected that he longed to be strong for both of them. If that was Arashi's wish, it just might have been granted.

The brunette had noticed the shadows growing longer in front of them and was about to turn around when she heard a faint whispering on the chilly breeze. There seemed to be a multitude of voices, though Mitsuki couldn't make out exactly how many. She could, however, recognize who was talking.

It was the villagers standing behind them.

Mitsuki turned her head just enough so that she could see their mouths. Once she did that, the statements her fellow townspeople made flooded her ears.

"I knew that those twins were unlucky. A boy and a girl…it's their fault Miss Ai died."

"Yeah. They're probably responsible for bringing those intruders in."

"Who's going to take care of them now? I surely have no room for two more."

"It's anyone's guess at this point. Oh well, I wouldn't mind seeing them run away."

As Mitsuki turned back to face her father's grave, she felt the waterworks coming back. She wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her kimono and leaned on her brother's shoulder. Those people didn't know what they were talking about at all. None of what happened had been neither she nor Arashi's fault. It wasn't like they had asked to be given life.

The thoughts soon became so overwhelming that Mitsuki began to sob quietly. She hugged Arashi for comfort. When he returned her embrace, she could feel salty tears on his face as well.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "I can hear them, too."

The twins were the last of the villagers to head home that night. Mitsuki curled up in her futon. She dared not walk around any other area of the house. The memories became too much to handle at that point, especially in the sitting area.

Arashi, however, was sitting up, his futon still folded in the corner. His knees were against his chest and he appeared to be lost in thought. Mitsuki gazed at him, wondering what was on his mind. She watched as his hands would tighten around his legs and loosen up again. That pattern continued for what seemed like hours.

Just as Mitsuki was about to drift off to sleep, she heard her brother stand up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling Arashi's intense stare on her.

"Get your things, Sis." Arashi ordered.

"What…? Why?" Mitsuki responded, feeling rather groggy.

"Grab whatever you can carry, especially your flute. We're leaving for good."

This got the young girl's attention. Her ocean-blue eyes flew up to meet sky-blue. By the look in her brother's eyes, she could tell he was dead serious. Mitsuki slowly stumbled to her feet.

"W-why are we running away? We don't have anywhere to go!" she asked.

"It's obvious that everyone else doesn't give a rat's tooth about us," Arashi answered, averting his eyes. "That's why we're leaving. They only cared about the image Father set for our town. We'll create a place for ourselves…somewhere. I'm going to get my drum and a change of clothes. You'd better do the same."

Mitsuki watched helplessly as her brother closed their door. No matter how much she wanted to think otherwise, she knew Arashi was right. If both of them were to survive together, they would have to make a place elsewhere. Their parents would never be coming back, and this whole situation wasn't a dream. That much was simple enough to figure out.

Hence, the young brunette found herself packing a change of clothes, her flute, and a couple loaves of bread. She took one last tour of her childhood home, etching every square inch into her memory. She even peeked into the living room for a split second. The blackened pool of blood was still there with the accursed sword laying in it. Even though a lump formed in her throat, Mitsuki refused to let it out. She had to be strong on this new adventure.

"Are you ready?" Arashi asked, walking up to her.

"Yes." Mitsuki answered softly. She took her brother's hand and the two stepped out into the crisp spring night. With only a sack of belongings each and the clothes on their backs, the twins set out into the world.

It would be much larger and more frightening than either had ever imagined.

~End Flashback~

"What did you two end up doing?" Itsuki inquired.

"Huh?" Mitsuki responded.

"How did you two survive after your father died? I mean…you left on your own at eight years old. That must have been rough."

"We basically ate whatever we could find out in the countryside. It's a miracle we were never caught by law enforcement, looking back on everything. When we would encounter a town, we got out our instruments and jammed together to make a few yen. Upon saving enough money, we would buy a new set of clothes or treat ourselves to some nicer food. We headed south until we could take a boat from Hokkaido to present-day Tokyo. It took us two whole years, but Arashi and I were able to survive on our own. That's when we met…"

"Subaru." Itsuki finished her sentence.

"Yes."

The two teenagers settled their tab at the coffee shop and walked out the door. They decided to meander over to the park and find a lone bench to sit on. Once they were settled, Mitsuki hesitated for a moment and then continued her tale.

~Begin Flashback~

Arashi and Mitsuki were just shy of ten years old and living on the outskirts of present-day Tokyo. They were still playing music and made approximately 100 yen a day, give or take a little. By this time the two had outgrown most of their previous clothing and were saving up to buy a couple of outfits each from a local seamstress. The two teenagers were quite street-smart, being able to detect a well-paying customer for music. They also knew what places in town were best to perform at, where they might be robbed, and were knowledgeable of great places to stay the night. It seemed that life was turning around for the twins.

However, nothing could prepare them for their next customer.

It was a frigid December evening when the Takiya twins were playing at a local tavern on the Tokyo outskirts. They had been invited to stay the night in exchange for performing their best improvisations. It was an offer they couldn't refuse. All in all, the two were able to play around three hours. Around the time they were finishing their set, a white-haired man in a black robe sauntered up to them.

"Excuse me, but may I buy you two a meal? I just love your musical skills." the man inquired cordially.

"My apologies, but we're pretty worn out," Arashi answered. "My sister and I aren't that hungry anyways."

Mitsuki's stomach, on the other hand, begged to differ.

"I hope that settles it," the white-haired man chuckled. "It's my treat, really. You two seem to have your mother's appetite!"

Now that piqued even Arashi's interest.

Once the three were settled at a table, the conversing heated up.

"I should introduce myself first," the man said. "I'm Subaru Otonashi. I'm Ai's older brother. I'm truly sorry that she couldn't be around to see the two of you grow up."

"I'm Arashi, and this is my twin sister, Mitsuki," Arashi replied. "Why did you never show your face sooner? Even if our father never talked about our mother's side, the least you could've done was be at her funeral."

"I'm afraid that your father and I never got along that well. How is the old man doing anyhow?"

Silence.

"…I see. My apologies, I should have known." Subaru bowed his head. "Say, how about you two come with me?"

"Really?" Mitsuki piped up. "We would-!"

"Hold it right there," Arashi interrupted, covering his sister's mouth. "How do we know you can be trusted?"

"I can understand your apprehension. Very well." Subaru relented. He pulled a folded-up photograph out of his robe pocket and carefully straightened it out. It was a sepia-tone picture of he and the twins' mother. They were sitting next to each other with straight faces, each holding a scroll in their hands.

"Whoa…," Mitsuki murmured. "I've never seen that picture before."

"So, I guess you're the genuine article after all," Arashi sat back in his chair. "That's the third photo we've ever seen of Mother."

Subaru gave a small smile, "I'm not surprised. Ai was never one to have her picture taken."

"When do we head out, Uncle Otonashi?" Mitsuki asked eagerly.

"Easy does it, child," the blue-eyed man answered. "We'll head out first thing in the morning. You two must be exhausted from your performance tonight."

Following one of the nicer meals the twins had eaten in a while, they went to the living quarters above the tavern and sat on opposite beds. Both were deep in thought. This was the first semblance of family they had encountered in nearly two years. The Subaru guy even had a rare picture of their mother.

"…But can he be trusted?" Mitsuki heard Arashi mumble.

"Why do you say that, Brother?" the young brunette inquired.

"There's something…off about him," Arashi answered a little absently. "For one, we've never met much less heard about him. The second thing is that he seemed to know who we were before we sat down. Don't you find that odd?"

"Maybe. This could be a chance for us to finally have a true home, though. I'm excited about having an extended family."

"I guess…but whatever. 'Night, Sis."

The two curled up in their individual beds and were quickly whisked off to dreamland. Both had a mixture of enthusiasm and uneasiness for what was to come.

~End Flashback~

Mitsuki could feel her vocal cords wearing out from all the storytelling she had done that day. However, she was starting to feel a bit cathartic about the thought of someone knowing where she came from. Especially since that person was Itsuki. She glanced over at her friend, who was gazing at her with something akin to fascination. She smiled and stood up to stretch.

"Well, I guess I should get home." Mitsuki mused aloud. "It's going on five-thirty already."

"Shall I walk with you? My house is that way anyhow." Itsuki said.

"Sure, I'd love that!"

The two sauntered towards their neighborhood, taking their time as they went. Mitsuki listened as Itsuki told her about his plans for their month-long summer vacation. Apparently, the S.O.S. Brigade had its first 'missing persons' case within the past week. As it turned out, the supposed victim had been turned into a giant camel cricket from hell. Despite her vigilant attitude about Miss Suzumiya, Mitsuki enjoyed hearing about the Brigade's escapades. It gave her an escape from the mundane.

Itsuki dropped the brunette off what seemed like much too soon. The two waved good-bye at the complex gate. Mitsuki, however, was not quite ready to part. As she gradually meandered onto the property, something inside her told her to look back. She did so and saw Itsuki starting to walk away. A wave of heartfelt emotion came over her and she dashed over to Itsuki and gave him a sharp embrace. The auburn-haired teen seemed bewildered at the gesture, but relaxed and returned it a moment later.

"Well, now, what's this?" he asked quietly.

"You're the first person I've ever told," Mitsuki replied. "Thank you for listening."

The brunette let go as Itsuki did, albeit reluctantly. Their eyes met, though they quickly looked opposite directions as soon as that happened.

"So…do you want to meet up tomorrow? It's Saturday, after all." Mitsuki suggested.

"My apologies, but the S.O.S. Brigade has a meeting tomorrow," Itsuki shrugged. "We could do a Sunday study party, though. We have exams coming up."

The blue-eyed teen nodded enthusiastically. The two parted ways for real, and Mitsuki skipped up to her apartment. She felt like she was on Cloud Nine when she twirled past her brother and into her room. The brunette felt that she and Itsuki were growing ever closer, though she realized in that moment that she barely knew Itsuki himself outside of school…

Oh well, that could wait for Sunday. It wasn't like much of anything was going to happen between now and then.

…Right?

Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed it! I'm having a blast writing this thing. I find it to be rather therapeutic. If you want to hear more about Itsuki, then stay tuned for Chapter 7. See you then!