A/N: Happy holidays!
Things are heating up and the story is reaching its climax. Hopefully you appreciate the new cover. Also, only three (or four) chapters remain!
If anybody is also reading "What remains of her", I shall be putting out a new chapter soon. Also, I am writing a more normal story revolving around Kyon, Sasaki and Haruhi. Enjoy the new chapter!
Light flickered in the apartment building like its existence was being sucked away from this world. The remaining active members of the Agency gathered in a circle, away from the hellstorm battering the city outside.
"Miss Asahina is with Miss Nagato, isn't she?" Mori asked, filling the silence of the room. "It should be fine if she's with her."
Koizumi wasn't so sure after what happened on lunch break. Nagato could religiously repeat that she wasn't suffering side-effects from breathing the gas entity, but something was obviously wrong with her. Besides, Asahina had been affected by the entity, and he couldn't trust her to make a logical move.
"It will be best if I'm with them." He turned to the cultists again. "But we're not done with these two yet."
Ikehara shook his head, almost shaking. "C-Come on, I told you everything!"
"Do you know who else was attacked?" Koizumi crouched beside him again.
"Anyone who was in town. We needed as many as possible for the transfer ritual," He answered.
"So the three of us, my brother and Arakawa," Keiichi confirmed, arms crossed. "Everybody else was away."
"Hold on. Cultists didn't attack me." Koizumi looked back at the two ESPers. "It was a creature just like the one last night, an air spider. However, it didn't do much besides bursting into the classroom. It merely disappeared afterwards."
Ikehara chuckled, first confused and then relieved. "So you're the big guy they were most cautious about. I thought you had beaten us just like the two over there."
"What? So that means…." The young ESPer turned towards his colleagues. "They're still after me."
"And they used us as a lure." Mori's eyes widened in realisation. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have left Miss Suzumiya's and Miss Nagato's side."
"My attackers indeed gave up fairly quickly," Keiichi admitted. "But Miss over here could have easily been killed. I don't think they expected her to be with us."
"Or that we'd have two hostages," Koizumi concluded.
"C-Come on, let's be reasonable. We're just dregs, not even worth a speck of dust." Ikehara tried and failed to come up with an excuse.
Koizumi considered his options. On the one hand, he was in the cult's sights, and his fellow ESPers were injured. They wanted him to be away from Suzumiya and the others as well. On the other hand, he had two unreliable hostages, and his powers were somewhat useable. With that, he had enough to work with.
"Keiichi, your car is here, right? Take me close to Kyon's house. We'll drop Mori at our hospital on the way there." His eyes shined with purpose. "These two are coming with us."
"Are you sure?"
"If they want to lure me out, they'll get what they want. But on my terms," Koizumi simply answered. "If we don't seize the initiative, we'll be lost."
Keiichi nodded, followed by a more reluctant Mori.
"H-Hey, Ishimoto is not feeling well." Ikehara awkwardly asked for help, getting the reaction he wanted from the ESPers.
Ishimoto was muttering in a low, blank voice, his body still wholly limp from Mori's kick. But, even then, something was moving inside him. Something alien, unnatural. His chest's breathing motion correctly drew air in, but it wasn't deflating.
"Ishi, dude, wake up!"
Ikehara suddenly stopped speaking Japanese, switching to a rough and clicking language. A chant or a song that relied on tunes, increasing in volumes. He glanced at the ESPers one last time before his eyes lost colour and light. It didn't look like he was breathing anymore, yet his chest was swelling in size. His eyes bulged even more like they were about to burst as his face became red and swollen. Yet he didn't stop chanting in that obscure, unpleasant language.
"What the hell?" Keiichi grabbed Koizumi's shoulder, moving him back from the odd spectacle.
Both cultists were chanting in unison. Next, their bodies began to bloat like it was a pufferfish, their fingers popping out of their cartilages as they expanded in size. Finally, it reached a point where they tripled in size, their arms breaking like twigs as their bindings became too much to bear.
Somebody yelled, and the three ESPers scrambled towards the exit. The apartment shook as an explosion had hit it, the apartment door being blown outright as the group left it. A dark green, heavy gas came out of it, creeping towards the shocked trio.
"They knew we were here," Koizumi whispered to nobody, not having a moment to breathe.
"Fucking hell…! We have to get out!" Keiichi yelled in panic, pushing the other two towards the staircase.
Mori clutched her broken right arm, climbing down the stairs with such finesse that it seemed she was gliding. Koizumi tried to help the limping Keiichi, who pushed his leg to his limit. They only had two floors to go down.
On the building entrance, however, only more surprises awaited them. A swirling mass of dead leaves resembling a torso and a dark wind sphere as a head turned towards them. It was big enough to cover the entrance doors.
The moment they climbed down, it rushed them. Its trunk-like arms swung down on Mori, who was aware enough to dodge it while throwing a fireball at its body. Dead leaves and debris burned up, but the creature's assault continued. Its hits were enough to tear off the brick that decorated the entrance and staircase.
Koizumi didn't take any chances, using the steps to jump up and attack the abomination directly. The monster's arms burned up unexpectedly as they hit his red barrier before Koizumi destroyed the golem's head with a well-placed energy ball. The mass of dead matter fell like a leaf in autumn.
"My powers are increasing. This isn't a good sign." He said, offering a hand to Mori.
"And we still have to deal with Suzumiya's closed space." She replied, taking his hand and following closely behind.
"The closed space comes second. We're literally being attacked right now!" Keiichi yelled as another amalgamation of dead leaves and wind crawled down from the floor's above. "Let's go, let's go!"
They rushed out of the building, a gale of humid air stopping them in their tracks. It was almost impossible to stay standing. Worst of all, they weren't alone. Dozens of spider-like creatures hung to the apartment's wall, while others stood accompanied by those golem creatures in the street. And in front of them, sat down on Keiichi's car's hood, laid a figure.
The masked figure was fully covered by a dark green robe and spoke softly, like a high-class lady. "The Prophet and his Acolytes."
"I should have expected that the one behind all of this was a lunatic." Koizumi snapped back, his red energy shielding him from the wind.
"I'm just a lowly Prior. I didn't set everything in motion. But I was the one who personally decided to take care of your heretic cult." The woman got up from the car, her robes unnaturally staying still in the wind. "The Prophet of Babalon, accompanied by Kawahara's kin. Two walls that protect our boon."
"We already know what you want. The two men you've killed told us everything." Koizumi was quick to answer, gritting his teeth. "Save the world with powers you don't understand."
"You know everything we wanted. In the past tense. Past is a fickle thing, is it not? That being said, we're not saving anything. Initiates join for various reasons. One of them might be that. Of course, they all change their tune after seeing our God. In any case, we do require the three of you to come and take part in the ritual. Your fellow Acolytes will be glad not to be alone. Arakawa and Yutaka, I believe that's their name." The woman walked towards them until she reached a comfortable position, five metres away.
"Koizumi, let's take her on. Then, we can kill these things as you've done before." Keiichi's breath was ragged but determined.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." All abominations moved at the sound of her voice. "I'm not a simple and traitorous pebble. And perhaps I haven't made myself clear. This language is a bit too primitive for my liking, it relies too much on sound. Because I'm not giving you a suggestion or a threat. I am giving you all an order. Come with me now. Let's not be irrational like the college dropout over there."
Mori held back a poisonous comment, settling with a glare that could kill people from kilometres away.
"The moment you endangered Suzumiya, you lost all credibility." Koizumi's aura wavered in intensity. "She's not a tool to be used. And Asahina isn't either."
"No, no. Tools serve a purpose. They have usefulness. Those people you talk about are more like… an ingredient. On their own, they're not beneficial at all. One is a puppet, and the other uselessly exudes energy like a star. But when used to serve Ninlil-Shu, they become part of something greater. Once the ritual begins, and we use your lifeforce and her energy, the new vessel shall arise between the winds of the mighty typh-"
A ray of red energy blew the cultist's mask off, interrupting her speech. Koizumi lunged forwards, punching the woman against Keiichi's car. He pummeled her face with three well-adjusted punches before kneeing her stomach and kicking her to the ground.
"The car, now!" Koizumi yelled, the monster around them standing eerily still.
He didn't register the pain until he saw himself ten metres above the air. Then, before he could even gasp, the cultist crashed into him, grabbing him with an air whip and propelling him against the apartment building. Koizumi crashed against a window, forcefully entering an empty apartment. His red shield had taken most of the window shards and hits, but his body felt sore and out of breath.
"An empty apartment building. Your cult has quite a lot of soft power. Ah, such a shame that you had to complicate things, didn't you, Prophet?" Like a puppet with strings, the cultist woman hovered above the broken window. "The ritual WILL happen. No matter your opinions. No matter your actions. I began this journey three years ago, and I will not let your petty heresy stop it."
At that moment, the ESPer could see the cultist's face, if it could even be called that. A swirling void had penetrated her face, making a deep, circular cavity from her temple to her mouth. It engulfed the nearby air like a black hole that thirsted for oxygen. Hair was all but lost, and a sickly white skin colour surrounded what remained of it,
"I'm not a Prophet, and I follow no God."
Koizumi sprinted towards the window and tackled the cultist. The red shield quickly cut into her clothes, but it didn't have the desired effect on her flesh. Regardless, Koizumi didn't let go and continued fighting above the air.
Below, Keiichi and Mori struggled to keep themselves safe from the horde of half-invisible creatures. The air golem's were easy to take care of, but the air spiders moved and shifted like they pleased, with a barely observable core. Their pressurised legs cut through the pavement like it was wet tissue, becoming clear that they were much stronger than the night before.
"Open the car already!" Mori blasted away a wave of red energy, banishing an air golem from existence.
"I'm trying!" Keiichi struggled to put the keys on the carlock.
The car's windows shattered as a finger of pressurised air crashed through it, piercing Keiichi's shoulder and throwing him to the ground.
"Keiichi!" Mori tried to rush to his aid, but a golem threw itself against her. The leafy body burned on impact, but its ashes were enough to make her fall on top of her broken arm.
The car creaked and jumped as Koizumi's body impacted and bounced off its roof, leaving a clear dent on top of it. Shortly after, he fell to the ground, his red shield feeble and flickering.
"Is your tantrum over? We need to get going. The typhoon will arrive, and we can't miss this chance." The Cultist landed beside them, taking her shattered mask and covering her face with it.
"…Itsuki…" Mori muttered, her broken humerus swelling from all the battering.
"Listen to your followers, Prophet. Cease and desist. Ninlil-Shu powers are way above anything you throw at me. These energies you throw at me… it barely tickles. I have been blessed by It, chosen in the moment of Its inception."
He stood up, pouring steel to his trembling legs and faced the Cultist.
"Then your supposed God has also blessed me." He answered, his breathing controlled and calm.
The Cultist didn't reply straight away, no barmy sentences leaving her face.
"Kawahara must have told you. Our powers only work on different dimensions, which your supposed God is kindly lending. As of now, I'd say I have around a fifth of my strength." Koizumi circled the Cultist, placing himself between the two defeated ESPers and her.
"…And?"
"It's fairly simple. I'm surprised Kawahara hasn't told you."
"The Automata only gave us what we asked for." The Cultist talked in another language before continuing. "You're buying time."
"Buying time? No, I'm the type of person who likes to be in control of the situation. Right now, I'll admit it. I can't do anything. Your scheme worked perfectly, and I don't have any backup plan. You captured my comrades, separated me from Nagato and Suzumiya, and your group is probably already trying to subdue them. I'm but a weasel fighting a bear. I admit defeat." Koizumi took a deep breath and glared at the Cultist. "Just kidding."
Keiichi shot an energy ball at the Cultist, impairing her sight. "Run, NOW!"
The Prior had made one fatal mistake. The Agency wasn't a cult; it was a group formed to help Suzumiya's emotional state. After the initial rocky start, only the most loyal members remained when Tachibana and others began their group. But that wasn't what kept the group together. That glue was trust.
All monsters started attacking again, and in that tumultuous affair, Mori shot the last of her energies into Koizumi. He glanced back one last time before his powers exploded into a red sphere around him.
"You really don't learn, do you? You cannot defeat me, no matter how much…." The Cultist waved away the dust of the explosion, to only see the two subdued ESPers. Then, she saw a red sphere flying and disappearing between the rain and wind into downtown. He had run away. "The Prophet abandoned his followers?"
"He's not a prophet." Keiichi slumped against his car, bleeding heavily from his shoulder.
"And we're not a cult." With that, Mori lost consciousness, the injuries of the accident proving too great to continue fighting.
The Prior clicked her tongue, this time in disapproval. "What the hell are you lot doing? Go after him!"
All air creatures started to give chase, leaving the two injured ESPers alone.
"You two will have to do." She motioned her hand, and the duo started floating, restrained by invisible air. "Four captives and a runaway. Minimal requirements for the ritual, at the very least. Now only the Automata needs to finish her duty."
The weather worsened as the evening advanced. The typhoon's strength began to take root as rain and wind made the town their own. The sun was setting, yet the density of clouds hid that fact. Regardless, inside Kyon's house, there was a lull of security.
Kyon yawned, turning another page of Nagato's book. Sitting on the corner of the sofa, the mood of the living room was tiresome. If he didn't take the book from his bedroom, he'd be out and about as the rest of the Brigade. He also brought down his mobile phone, but Koizumi wasn't answering. So Kyon simply attached the issue to the nearby phone tower breaking down. He finished reading another page and turned to the other with those thoughts.
Besides him, Asahina leaned on Haruhi, her eyes closed but not sleeping. The time-traveller wasn't feeling too good. It wasn't a physical illness. Instead, her mind couldn't help but think that she hadn't done anything useful at all. All the Brigade was dealing with issues way beyond their scopes, and here she was, just twiddling her thumbs. She had a plan to go back in time and discover who placed the idol on Kyon's jacket. But for some reason, Nagato was reticent in helping her. Something about applying barriers being a low priority mission. But Asahina didn't need her help, did she? If Nagato was worried, then let her be. Mikuru was already quite experienced in time travelling and had never needed any extra protection. This time wouldn't be different either.
While Asahina stretched herself with a big yawn, Nagato re-entered the living room. The alien had been keeping watch around the whole house, investigating every nook and cranny. The weather seemed to rage outside, but she hadn't seen any significant damage to the structures around. Something sketchy was going on, and if the Data Overmind wished to know, it would have to authorise Nagato to use her powers fully. But the Overmind was reserved and uncommunicative. And so far, the only one allowed to use the emergency powers was Kimidori.
Nagato observed Asahina for a few long seconds before sitting down near the coffee table. As soon as she sat down, Shamisen bursted out from underneath it, running away into the hall. And behind it, Kyon's sister followed him closely behind, her steps disappearing in the background.
"I, um, I'm going to check what they're doing." Asahina got up from the sofa, avoiding Nagato's stare.
"Sure, bring her back. I think she won't listen to me for a while." Kyon agreed, not removing an eye from the book.
With a bittersweet smile, Asahina left the living room. She was sure they would disagree with what she was about to do, but she was convinced that the ends would justify the means.
The room was silent once again, with only the wind breaking the monotony of the room. Haruhi was still sleeping. Or perhaps she was awake. Voices whispered words of change and cycles, on a loop that got increasingly more frustrating as time went by. Was Kyon talking with Yuki, or maybe Mikuru was muttering something? She couldn't tell. It didn't matter because the phosphenes' dance of lights in her eyes kept her from fully submerging herself into that chant. And then, those colours joined each other, forming a strange shape of dark green colour. And that blob spoke to her.
Like lightning, Haruhi shot up from the sofa, scaring both Nagato and Kyon. Her breathing was quick-paced like she had been running a marathon for the past hour. She stared at her hands like she didn't fully believe she was awake.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kyon got up, closing the book. "Had a bad dream?"
"Turn on the TV." Her voice was oddly forceful, so much so that Kyon obeyed her instantly.
The device, however, was still showing blank noise and static. Nothing would come out of it for the time being, it seemed.
"Radio might work." Nagato prompted, her stance rigid and tense. Kyon couldn't tell what, but she had noticed something.
"I tried it before. The crappy thing doesn't seem to be working either. It's dead quiet," Haruhi complained, glancing at the TV static behind her. "We need some contact with the outside world. I hope Koizumi's alright." She continued, her voice a pitch lower.
Kyon thought that perhaps she had dreamt something about the ESPer, but he knew she would never tell him.
"It's Koizumi. That guy will pop out of concrete when you least expect it." Unfortunately, Kyon's words didn't have a significant impact on her. "But what's wrong? Was it a nightmare?"
He didn't think that was the case. Even Haruhi didn't fall asleep in less than five minutes. But what else could it be?
"No, I just… I thought I heard something." With that said, she took hold of the radio sitting on the coffee table. "Maybe with a few smacks, I'll fix it."
"The batteries are new, so that's not the issue." Kyon started talking, following Haruhi.
Haruhi glanced at Mikuru's empty spot on the sofa before Kyon sat down beside her. "I can turn it on no problem. It's not catching any signal, so maybe the antenna is busted." The radio antenna was a thin metal wire. It was new and unused, so the chances of it being broken were slight.
"We can try wrapping it with tin foil." He suggested.
"I guess it's worth a try." She immediately got up and headed towards the kitchen. They quickly found themselves in the kitchen. Kyon rummaged through the cupboards, searching for the silver paper.
"I wonder if Mikuru is alright, it looked like she was in a trance before." Haruhi said, helping Kyon.
"Well, I'm sure she's nervous because of the whole typhoon thing."
"It's because… Oh, I didn't tell you. There was a bit of an accident this morning." Haruhi started tampering with the radio, keeping herself occupied. "A few windows broke down in class 2-1."
"Really? Did people get injured?" He pushed aside some baking paper, finding a tin foil roll on the back of the cupboard.
"Just a few, nothing too bad." She downplayed the event. "But I was so focused on Yuki that I didn't ask Mikuru."
Kyon raised an eyebrow, tin foil in hand. Since when had Haruhi acted so straightforward with everyone's emotions? Of course, he didn't mind this softer side of her. But it also felt like a revelation before the end of the world.
"Asahina is kind of shy, but I'm sure she's not the type to hold back her emotions. If there were truly something wrong with her, she'd tell you." Kyon affirmed, unrolling the foil. "Besides, Nagato looked very… upbeat. I'm not sure what you did, but I think you did it great.
Haruhi mulled over his words, forgetting the radio in her hands. "I haven't, really. I kind of yelled at Koizumi. Because… He was annoying, okay? I just wanted to help people, and he kept trying to get me out of there. And now he's really not coming. So maybe he's angry or upset. And it happened the day after I told him to say what he thought."
"We both know that Koizumi doesn't get angry," Kyon said, cutting and offering her a big piece of the aluminium. "I bet he's thinking the same thing. Besides, you said there were some issues at his side-job, so he probably had to go home when the storm got worse."
Haruhi didn't answer, taking the large piece of the tin foil and wrapping it around the antenna.
"Whenever you go quiet, you're overthinking things. You did good trying to help, you know? And I don't mean just the people in that class, Nagato and Asahina as well. Koizumi was probably just too worried about you overdoing things." He added.
"…Shut up. I'm just putting the thingy around the other thingy." Flustered, Haruhi pressed the paper, wrapping it tightly around the antenna. "Somehow, you're probably right anyway. He always delivers in the end."
"That's why he's annoying." Kyon held back further comment as noise came out of the radio.
"What the? It actually works?" Haruhi turned up the volume. "I think I hear a voice, or maybe the white noise is making me go mad."
"Of course it works. I've done this before." Kyon snatched the radio from her, changing the frequency until words became comprehensible. "I hear something."
"It's static," Haruhi answered with a deadpan expression.
"No, I hear a voice. It's like... Since when do you make those jokes?"
"Ever since you became an idiot. So always. That's still dead air." Haruhi quickly took back the radio, messing with the dials randomly.
"You're gonna screw it up."
There wasn't any other quip as the radio screeched an unintelligible string of words like there had been a clog and all sentences came out at once. Haruhi remained entirely in control and turned off the radio before the words made too much sense. Overall, the noise lasted for three or four deafening seconds.
"Huh." It was the only thing that came out of her mouth. "Well, it's broken."
"That was the emergency broadcast, right? I heard the tune somewhere in there." Kyon tried to grab the radio, but Haruhi stopped her.
"Nop, just broken." She removed the foil and retracted the antenna, barely restraining herself from throwing the radio to the ground.
"What's wrong? Did you hear something?"
"It was just white noise." She knew it sounded ridiculous. Haruhi turned to the shuttered kitchen window. "We should move to the bathroom. I don't want the windows breaking again."
Kyon found her sudden worry strange, but he had also thought about it. "We'll be a bit cramped, but I guess it's better than nothing."
He might not have heard anything from the radio, but Haruhi did. The same chant she had listened to the last night. The same tune. Except for this time, she could hear someone singing with a clear and crisp voice. Singing about how it was outside, waiting for her. Its intent was clear. And this time, she wasn't sleep-deprived or sleepwalking.
"Kyon," Haruhi muttered, getting in his personal space, trying to keep the conversation a secret from someone. "I think I'm going a bit crazy."
"Well, you're not the only one."
"I think there's someone outside." And she knew it was ridiculous, but it was the truth.
He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as fear took over him again. Kyon couldn't take any more eldritch creatures. "What do you mean? Did you see something?"
"No, but… it sounds foolish and stupid, but I feel it. Like, someone staring and waiting, closer every time, drifting closer to where we are. When I was in the living room, I saw something standing in the room. I think it wanted me." She crossed her arms, stopping them from feeling goosebumps. "And I don't know if it's evil or what, but it wants me out there."
There wasn't much Kyon could say. He was as lost as her. There was something out there, but how could he even begin to explain it? Besides, if that gas thing was calling Haruhi, things could get serious. He didn't want any more incidents like what happened with Fujiwara.
"I don't know what it is, but you'll be blown away outside. So let's just ride the storm together. After all, when has anything stopped the Brigade?" Kyon tried to sound optimistic even though his head didn't fully believe it.
Haruhi uttered a flat laugh, not fully believing it either but buying into his optimism. "I'll just kick whoever's ass is out there, how about it?"
"As long as it's not mine, go for it."
They shared a slight smile, not having enough time to enjoy the moment as Nagato entered the kitchen.
"TV is working again." She announced in a muted voice.
"Oh, is it?" Haruhi walked past her, perhaps expecting they would follow her into the living room.
When she left the kitchen, Nagato raised her hand forward. A few tiny specks of dust suddenly flew into her palm. Kyon noticed they were actually very small fly-like robots with a closer look.
"I controlled these microbots to inspect your house the day before. Now, I am transferring control towards you." Nagato's hand glowed slightly.
"What? Why?"
"Six microbots. You won't see through them, but you can command them. They can do small tasks and yield a small explosive charge. They will not explode if you are in range. Use them to protect yourself and Haruhi Suzumiya in a worst-case scenario." The small robots flew away from her, hovering around Kyon.
She turned around, grabbing the raincoat he had used to face the weird golem. It glowed for a long second before Nagato offered it to Kyon as well.
"This will protect anyone who wears it from blunt and edged weapons. Wear it." Nagato pushed it into his hands. "I detected a breach on the timeline. Mikuru Asahina is no longer here."
"What? Asahina? What's going, Nagato? Talk to me." Kyon asked, this time even more worried.
"Under attack. Connection with the Data Overmind will be shut down in approximately thirty seconds." Nagato turned from the kitchen, returning her stare to the living room door.
"Wait, but that means…" Kyon remembered exactly what that entailed. Nagato would become sick and powerless.
"Hey, the TV is shut down. Are you sure you saw anything, Yuki?" Haruhi wasn't too sure what to expect when he saw Kyon clutching the raincoat, the worry in his face completely palpable.
She didn't have time to say anything as the doorbell rang through the house. Everyone froze in place. With the storm outside, nobody in their right mind would be out. What's more, it was almost night. Visibility was almost wholly null.
"Ten seconds," Nagato said, heading towards the entrance. "I promised to protect you all."
"Wait, Yuki, what are you doing?" Haruhi tried to stop her, but Nagato avoided her grasp, only offering a steadfast glare before continuing.
Kyon clutched Haruhi's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen. But she remained in place, ignoring him and moving towards Nagato. Then, ten seconds passed. Finally, the door opened on its own, rushing air and rain into the household. And there stood a schoolgirl from North High. Kazumi Kawahara, smiling with the confidence of a conman.
Kyon and Haruhi had barely half a second to register the absurdity of the situation as they were suddenly pushed into the kitchen, the door closing right after they entered it.
Whatever mix of disbelief and shock going through their minds was quickly replaced by an all-encompassing miasma of dread that oozed out of the door and windows. Kyon might have kept his wits, but Haruhi had never experienced anything remotely like that before. But she didn't feel any joy or excitement like she had always expected.
"What just happened? I was in the hall, and then…." She muttered, not realising the tight grip she had on Kyon's hand. "Who was that girl? Why did she come here? How did the door open? And why are you not saying anything? This is weird, really weird, you know!"
"Shut up for a moment. I'm trying to think…"Kyon trailed off, briefly debating what the right move would be. There was no way he could fake that an unknown force had pushed them. Or that Nagato was probably fighting to get rid of Kawahara.
This was the worst-case scenario, wasn't it? So what could Kyon do? Koizumi was god knows where, Nagato was fighting out there, and Asahina was nowhere to be found. So the only one left was him. And without them, what could he truly do? There was no escape program this time, no clear answer. So now what?
"If you know something, you have to tell me! Mikuru and your sister are out there as well. We have to do something, anything." Haruhi kept talking about action, but she didn't understand what to do.
There was only one feasible option, was there? If he told Haruhi about her powers, then maybe, just maybe… But he didn't know if he could pull it off. Nagato said she promised to protect them. Koizumi was out there as well. And Asahina, whenever she was, Kyon was sure it was to help too. All of them wanted a peaceful yet exciting life for Haruhi. Could he throw it all away right now? No, not yet.
"Okay." Kyon broke the silence, staring at Haruhi. "The only thing I know is that there's something in the air, and that girl has something to do with it. But I'm not sure what to do. What about you? Any plan?"
"To open the door and help Yuki." She headed toward the door. "If there's something in the air, I suppose it explains why my nose is acting funny. Regardless, I don't know who that was, but I didn't like her at all."
"Wait, don't open it." Kyon stopped her. "That's not a plan. That's an objective. We don't know what's out there."
"It's just some random student that has traversed storm gales and rains to get here. And somehow trapped us here without moving." She pouted, realising her lack of foresight. "Let's grab a weapon, yeah."
Haruhi headed towards the countertop, searching for a kitchen knife.
"Good grief, this is mental." Kyon sighed as he searched the pockets of the raincoat, pulling out the penknife. This was like an ant fighting a giant with a nail. Haruhi could maybe just spirit her away, he hoped.
Koizumi said Kawahara was weakened, but so was Nagato. If that meant they couldn't teleport and transform entire rooms at will, then they may have a shot. And then Nagato could just finish her off, somehow.
"We're just going to threaten her. The bigger the knife, the better." She was searching another drawer when something substantial struck the kitchen door.
It took Kyon until the second crashing noise for him to rush to the door and hold it closed. He didn't have time to put on the raincoat. He recognised the type of slam, just like the creature that had tried to attack him before. Haruhi took whatever she could grab and dashed towards Kyon.
"Okay, open it, and I'll stab her." Haruhi was nervous, but the grip on the kitchen knife was calm and tight.
"No, this isn't her. It's something bigger." Kyon took another hit as the door almost broke in half. "Damn it, staying here is dangerous. But we don't have much choice."
Last time Kyon avoided the being because the rest of the house was safe. That was no longer the case.
"We can open a window and go around. As long as we stick close to the wall, we won't get into much trouble." Haruhi added, wholeheartedly believing his opinion. "And then we'll get the drop on whatever is in the hall."
"That would be like jumping out of the pan into the fire."
"You can't leave the pan without jumping over the fire." She asserted.
"That's a very Haruhi thing to say… Okay, fine. But if we see something dangerous, don't breathe and hide immediately."
"And that's a very Kyon thing to say." She answered with a nervous smile, not making much sense. "Okay, let me open the window, and then we'll rush out of here. Together, okay?"
Another hit shook the door, its hinges almost bursting out their place. "Okay, quick!"
Kyon glanced at the raincoat in his hands. It was supposed to be a shield. He should have offered it to Haruhi the moment this all went down. Sure, he didn't want to get stabbed in the back again, but who knows what could happen if she got hurt.
And he kept thinking that as Haruhi headed over to the window above the sink, pulling up the shutters. Then, for some reason, he remembered the incident in North High she had told him about. The windows breaking and people being hurt. He wasn't there, so he had no idea how it happened. He didn't know there wouldn't be any time to react.
A gust of wind smashed into all the kitchen windows, all of them exploding into shards like thin ice. Kyon could do nothing but stare with a silent scream as the razor-sharp shards completely engulfed Haruhi's face and torso. The impact threw her to the ground, knocking her head hard against it in the process.
Attacked by tunnel vision, Kyon completely forgot of the being trying to breach into the room. He didn't even notice the odd wind appendages entering through the room, looming over Haruhi's bloody body. Kyon could only scream her name before something knocked him over, falling on top of the glass shards, right beside her.