Noise of the everlasting summer nights

Repeat 583

Taking action

by Synaps

I was shocked to find that I, once again, was not in control of my body. Having gone to sleep in my bed the previous night, an odd habit I had taken up in order to pass the time, the first thing that tipped me off to being in trouble was finding myself walking across the street. Even worse, I was humming a currently popular song under my breath. Ko had terrible taste in music, something which momentarily distracted me.

I tried to tell her to stop, as one would with a child, to no help. I was unable to move my lips.

"Don't worry, what I'm doing is in your best interest too" she mumbled, clearly noticing my suddenly alert mind.

'Stop this. This is my body, you can't just…' I stopped myself in embarrassment, my inner voice was highly emotional. 'What are you planning?'

"I figured I'd kill Kyon" she said, her voice completely even. Ko pulled up a knife half-way from my pocket, letting me see it only a moment before putting it down again.

'Why is that your answer to everything?'

"I figured that if Suzumiya Haruhi is completely discontent with the summer, in a state where she just wants to forget about it, she will allow it to end."

'Don't be an idiot!' I paused, trying to find a reason even she couldn't deny. 'She'd kill us.'

"I don't think so. She'd want to forget it and would therefore turn everything back to normal. Including you. Besides, right now there is no way to know. It's like Schrödinger's cat, my guess is just as good as yours." With that she seemed to think the conversation was over, as she ignored my continued protests.

-l-

It was the day of part time jobs. This time it was handing out balloons. As my body moved around to perform the task I was still screaming from inside my head. The first time Ko had taken over my body I had been able to regain control… How?

While I pondered this Ko was keeping a close watch on Kyon, almost like a predator stalking its prey. I wanted nothing more than be able to call out to him, to warn him. Eventually Ko told me to shut up, which only made me try all the harder. If I irritated her enough to make a mistake it would be worth it.

I could feel the twitch of her fingers, as she pondered the best time to "take care of him". She was ever so patient, merely logically looking at the situation.

It was then, in the midst of all that chaos, that I truly realised it. I had somehow developed human emotions. Looking into Ko's mind, I saw none of the turmoil that was torturing me. It had happened so gradually I had been able to ignore it, but in comparison it was obvious. I had a system error.

-l-

The locker room we had been allowed to use to change stank of sweat, most of it could be attributed to our costumes. As Suzumiya Haruhi raced into the room to tell us of the payment, Ko's fingers reached into my pocket and pulled up the knife. The movement was so sudden, nobody had time to react as she stood up and drove it into Kyon's chest. I could not take my eyes off Kyon's face as his shock and pain became obvious. A silent scream was on his lips. I felt my fingers being stained by his blood as Ko pulled the knife out, preparing to strike again. I could feel my heart pumping in my ears, it was completely calm. Then a sound broke through the silence. Suzumiya Haruhi was screaming. Ko turned around, looking for the desired reaction. Then the world broke down once more...

-l-

I was holding a book, which slid between my fingers. After all that had just happened, it seemed to fall in slow-motion. I myself followed it, unable to keep myself standing. I was shacking uncontrollably and I couldn't stop crying.

'Well' said Ko, once more banished into the back of my head 'that was boring.'

"You! You could have killed him!"

'Of course not, Suzumiya Haruhi would not allow that'

"Is that all you care about!"

'Of course'

"I… I hate you! Get out of my head!"

'I'm afraid I can't do that. You are unable to get out of this situation by yourself. You want to, but you won't. I am only doing what you yourself should take care of. I am helping you.'

"You don't care about me! Don't try to give me the blame for this, when the only one you care about is YOURSELF!"

'But I helped you, didn't I? I made you realise.'

"Go away."

'I got you to understand that you love Kyon.'

"Go. Away."

'You wouldn't be so worked up if I had killed say, Asahina Mikuru. And besides, it's not like Kyon is dead for real. You can see him anytime you wish'

"I don't care especially much about him."

'Really, perhaps then I will kill Asahina Mikuru the next time. As an experiment. We can test your reaction and compare.'

"What do you want?"

'To help you of course' Ko was almost purring 'I can give you a future with Kyon, all you need is to ask me for help.'

"That won't happen."

'Anytime you change your mind, you know where I'll be.'

I hesitated then. "What would you want in return?"

'A body of my own. Set me free. I will even promise to not do anything you wouldn't want me to do.'

"I… No! You can't do it to begin with. There is no point in listening to a figment of my imagination!"

'Anytime you change your mind…'

Author's note: This was short, but filled with action and plot. This chapter is a turning point in the story. From this point and on things will get more angsty. The pressure is truly getting to Nagato… and we're only on repeat 583 out of 15,527. This story won't be that long, but there are reasons for that…