This fanfic is currently under construction and the chapters are therefore subjected to minor changes. I apologise for any confusion.
AN APPROACHING STORM
"Umi! What are you still doing? We're going to be late, you know?!" The voice of Umi's mother suddenly sounded behind Umi, making her jump a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Suzumiya-san, I really need to go now," said Umi apologetically.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," said Haruhi.
"Anyway, I hope to resume this conversation with you soon, Suzumiya-san!" said Umi as she left.
"Yeah..." Haruhi whispered unconciously, not leaving the spot.
Umi likes Koizumi? she thought. Umi had asked her whether Koizumi was dating someone or not. The honest answer was no. Of course, as the commander, she would know whether any of her subordinates were dating someone or not. But would she have given Umi the honest answer?
Of course, I would.
Haruhi turned and started walking towards the exit.
Umi would be so happy to hear that. She'd probably start making plans to meet Koizumi and Koizumi would probably –
She stopped in her tracks.
He'd probably agree smilingly.
No problems with that, right?
Of course not.
Haruhi continued walking.
How could he refuse a cute girl like Umi?
There's nothing suspicious or dislikeable about Umi; so far she felt that she was quite a decent girl. But somehow, something felt wrong. And it wasn't Umi; nor was it Koizumi. Was it jealousy?
"Of course not! Why the hell would I be jealous?!" Before she knew it, she had spoken her thoughts out loud – too loud, that is. An elderly man nearby stopped and stared at her. Haruhi ignored him and continued walking.
It feels wrong because...
She needed to come up with a reason for the way she feels.
Because...
Her footsteps increased by speed as her brain frantically searched for words to complete that sentence.
Because...
She didn't even noticed she had already entered the hospital. The guard at the entrance raised an eyebrow at her.
Because...
She pressed the button of the elevator repeatedly, as if the answer would result from it.
Then, just as the elevator bell tinged, she finally grasped the words that suited her.
"Because it would distract Koizumi from the SOS Brigade's activities and his responsibilities as the vice-commander," she said aloud, as if stating it as a fact. She crossed her arms and nodded.
Yes, that must be it.
- -
"Hey, I've got scallop snacks!" Haruhi held out a bag of scallops with her broad smile.
"Wonderful, Suzumiya-san," said Koizumi cheerfully.
Haruhi threw the bag to Kyon and began removing her jacket.
"Listen up, Koizumi," she said, "As the commander of the SOS Brigade, I won't be expecting nothing but exemplary diligence from the vice-commander."
"Naturally, Suzumiya-san," said Koizumi graciously.
"And complete reliability."
"As expected from Suzumiya-san," said Koizumi as he continued to smile.
"It's not his fault he's in the hospital, you know," said Kyon drily.
"Shut up, Kyon. Koizumi, I want you to adhere to your responsibilities as the vice-commander," said Haruhi.
"With my entire pleasure, Your Excellency."
"Therefore, I will not tolerate any distractions," continued Haruhi.
"What the hell do you mean with that?" said Kyon.
"That means I don't want any trivial matters to interfere with the Brigade activities," said Haruhi.
"If you're talking about his being in the hospital –"
"I'm not talking about that. Don't be a prat, Kyon, you call that a trivial matter?" Haruhi grabbed the bag of scallops from Kyon's hands.
A knock emitted from the door. Kyon stood up and opened it to let Nagato in.
Later that evening, the doctor came in to tell Itsuki to stay another day for some tests. Unaware of the actual situation, he was, as expected, still confused about Itsuki's extraordinarily healthy condition.
- -
The next morning, before going to the hospital, Haruhi went to the store to buy some scallop snacks again. Since Itsuki was faring well, she had persuaded Kyon to stay overnight in the ward.
Then, just as she was about to enter the hospital building, Umi came out of the entrance.
"Ah, Suzumiya-san! Good morning!" said Umi cheerfully.
"What are you doing here?"
The cheerfulness on Umi's face disappeared. Haruhi's eyes looked scary.
"Ah – I – Uhm, I decided to drop by to wish Koizumi-kun a speedy recovery. Uhm... I left some cake for you guys." Umi tried to smile, but only managed a weak one.
There was a moment of silence.
Feelings of shock and anger were boiling within Haruhi and she didn't quite understand why. Confusion added itself to the mix. This pot-pourri of emotions seemed to show on Haruhi's face.
"Uhm... Suzumiya-san? Are you alright?"
"Umi, what the hell were you in Itsuki's room while I wasn't there?" The coldness in Haruhi's voice seemed to disconcerted Umi a little.
"Ah – Well, since it's a holiday today, my family's planning to visit some distant relatives. Uhm... But when you told me about Koizumi's incident, I wanted to wish him well before going..."
Another moment of silence. There was an air of awkwardness which became thicker as time ticked by.
"Is that so?" Haruhi's voice felt like ice. "Umi, Koizumi-kun's the vice-commander of my Brigade, so you'd better not dare distract him from the club activities."
Umi blinked.
"Suzumiya-san, do you... like Koizumi-kun?"
Haruhi was shocked. Certainly, this was unexpected. Even Kyon wouldn't dare ask her such a question.
"Of course not! What made you think that?!" said Haruhi loudly. "I was talking about my Brigade! What does that got to do with it?! That's the most stupid thing I've ever been asked!"
"... I see. I'm sorry, Suzumiya-san, please forgive my discourtesy," said Umi apologetically.
"Hmph, you'd better think first before you say something," said Haruhi sharply.
"Ah, all right, I'll try next time. Uhm... I'd better go now. Please take care." Umi hastily left.
As Haruhi watched her leave, inside a ward, Itsuki's phone began to ring.
- -
Kyon rose up and scratched his head.
"Good morning," greeted Itsuki.
""Morning," mumbled Kyon.
"I'm sorry to tell you this first thing in the morning, but something came up," said Itsuki.
Kyon rubbed his sleepy face. He wasn't really interested right now in whatever that guy had to say, but he changed his mind when he looked up and saw a serious-looking Itsuki.
"What is it?"
"The Organization has just called me. A large Sealed Dimension appeared," said Itsuki, this time without a smile.
- -
"How's the hansome young man, Umi?" asked Umi's mother while turning the steering wheel to the right.
"He's quite alright. He seems to recover quickly," replied Umi from the backseat.
"Well, that's nice to know," said her mother.
Umi watched the hospital disappear from her sight.
And nice to know who my rival is.
To be continued...
© Mademoiselle X
I apologise for being an extremely slow writer. Writing down the story is one hell of a task. Sometimes, I just feel like jotting down the plot in a summary. Of course, that would be incomprehensibly stupid, so I'll just refrain myself from doing that.
Anyway, delicious chocolate brownies for the ones who reviewed and waited for this chapter. Thanks again! This week's going to be busy, but I'll try to get the next chapter done by Saturday. In fact, I'll start tackling chapter 5 tomorrow, so I might get it done earlier... I hope.
Until then! - Mademoiselle X
Sorry guys, this fanfic's been postponed. Blame my laziness and short-spanned attention for it. - Mademoiselle X