Chapter 3

You know how when you watch a show or read a story, you always chastise the character that says something like, "Well, at least it can't get any worse, right?" Well, let me tell you, give the poor guy or girl a break, because it's really just a desperate wish that things will get better, not a feeling that it has to do so.

Of course, as always when Haruhi Suzumiya was involved, life was much stranger than fiction, even as it adhered to all its rules …

"KYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!"

Including that tired cliché. Well, at least she's talking to me again.

I barely had time to finish that thought though before the enraged face of local cosmic powerhouse Haruhi Suzumiya appeared an inch away from my face. Of course, after knowing her for so long, I had gotten somewhat more used to her face being this close, but not when she was giving off the "I want to kill you and perhaps wear you as a pretty suit" vibe.

Needless to say, the hallway, which was previously full of the chatter and bustling of our fellow students, was first silent, then empty. "Better to be out of the blast radius!" is what they probably thought, not that I can blame them.

"You've got five seconds to explain just what the Hell you were doing back there before I personally find you guilty of treason and execute your death penalty myself!"

If she was at all torn up about being so close to me, Haruhi was doing a fantastic job of not showing it; she seemed genuinely and absolutely angry. The verbal barrage even had my brain addled, so it was without an ounce of irony that I asked:

"Care to let me know what exactly you're talking about?"

Okay, now I'd love to say I had an excuse due to the events of the last couple of days, but even in my current mindset, I should have realized how utterly idiotic a question that was. The next thing I knew, she was dragging me by the collar into the clubroom.

Wait, had I been wandering here without really thinking about it? Muscle memory is a powerful thing.

Anyway, after I was unceremoniously thrown into a chair, Haruhi slammed the door and locked it shut. I was modestly surprised to see that Nagato wasn't anywhere, but maybe she saw this coming?

"You've got some nerve, Kyon!" Haruhi finally yelled. "I know that breaking up is hard for most people, and even I'm having trouble with this, but to think that you'd go so far as to tear apart the brigade!"

At this point I was still no less confused — in fact, quite the opposite. I must have shown it too, as Haruhi soon realized despite her rage that I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Rarely one to leave me without elucidation, she quickly took steps to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, the shining example she decided to use was hoisting me up by the collar so that I was standing by my tiptoes.

You know, despite the numerous, numerous times that I've been subjected to this treatment, her bottomless wellspring of strength still takes me by surprise. Damn Haruhi, but you can be strong when you want to be.

"Maybe this will jog your memory, although I guess it's easy to forget when you're not in my position, isn't it?"

Oh, no. Please don't tell me …

"But hey, it was easy enough for you to do this to Koizumi-kun, so why shouldn't you get a taste of your own medicine?"

Haruhi saw our conversation, or at the very least my little outburst. I can safely say that any vindication that I might have felt was now long gone. Had Koizumi known that I'd react the way I would, and that Haruhi was watching? If he did, then I really need to repay that ass for this treat one day. But whatever, I could think about that later. Right now, I had slightly more immediate concerns.

"Listen, Haruhi, I know that it must have looked bad, but believe me when I say that Koizumi had that treatment coming."

Haruhi let out a short humph but I noticed that the grip was starting to loosen a little. Whether she was getting tired or was actually willing to listen was beyond me, but I wasn't going to waste any of that leniency, that's for sure.

"So then, Kyon. You better have a damn good explanation! Koizumi has been an upstanding member of this brigade, whereas you've never risen above the lowest rank!"

Koizumi is certainly an upstanding ass-kisser, I'll give you that. But I think that I've earned a little leeway for some explanation.

"The only reason I was so abrupt with Koizumi is because the topic of conversation turned to you."

At this point Haruhi was looking unsure, and although she still had my collar, my feet were now at least firmly planted on the ground.

Hahi, you have to believe me when I say that I wouldn't have reacted the way I did if he hadn't have made some pretty absurd suggestions regarding you and me. Of course, I couldn't outright tell her everything that he said, and even if I could, I'm not sure I'd want to.

"What could he have said that was so bad?"

Well, Haruhi, whether you want to believe me is up to you, but I think that if he told you what he told me then you'd be a hell of a lot meaner to him than I was. It's only because he's still my friend (even after what happened) that I'm not telling you what he told me.

Well, that and you might destroy the universe, but I didn't say that part obviously.

"I find that hard to believe, Kyon. Besides, why would he care so much? It's not like it's any of his business anyway …"

Whatever he's doing, he's only doing it because he's genuinely concerned about the both of us. But he needs to understand that it's really our business and ours alone; it shouldn't change the way other people interact with either of us. Whether or not we're a couple, I still care about you, and the brigade.

At this point Haruhi had completely let go of me, and although it felt nice to be free again, a part of me had wished I wasn't.

"Well, I can't have you here if all you're going to do is threaten other brigade members, Kyon. I don't want Yuki and especially Mikuru-chan having to deal with that."

"I know I overreacted, and I am really sorry, chief." Damn, I wasn't planning on that sounding as cheesy as it came out. "But with all due respect, if I didn't have the brigade, then what would I do with myself?"

"Idiot, what are you trying to say?"

Even though there was a small edge to the tone of the question, I would see that Haruhi's face was hopeful.

"I'm saying that I want to stay. I want to stay with my friends: Nagato, Asahina-san, even Koizumi at his most annoying. And… especially you. Girlfriend or not, you're still my friend, Haruhi."

I could tell that Haruhi was torn between wanting to know the details of what caused me to fly off the handle, but also knowing that I had made my decision, and that I wasn't leaving.

"I'll be watching you closely, Kyon. If there's any more outbursts like that, then like it or not, you're out of here. Or I'll make up a punishment so bad that you wish I only made your wallet cry!"

Ominous words indeed.

"But," she continued, "if you are set on staying here, then I guess that you've become a valuable enough grunt that I'll allow it."

She smiled the first genuinely sunny smile that I'd seen since yesterday. It wasn't long though before she looked at her watch and decided that she still had a myriad of things to do before lunch was over. Before I could really say anything or even manage a thank you, she was gone, leaving me sitting alone in the clubroom.

Well, at least I'm not quite as miserable as I was yesterday at least.

Looking at my own watch, I could see that there was still a surprisingly long amount of time left before lunch was over. So much for time flying when you're having fun. But given the quality of sleep I had last night, I drifted off in the computer chair before I realized it.

While I didn't know if I dreamt of anything for the short time I was out, I did know that my return to wakefulness was not a pleasant one, since rather than a soft kiss from a lovely lady or anything of that sort, I was roused back to life by a hard slap on my back. Jeez, had Haruhi decided that she wanted to kick my ass again?

"Not reallys. But considering how loud you were snoring I thought I'd have to hits you that hard to wake you up Kyon-kun!"

That upbeat voice and unique lisp of course cancelled out the possibility of it being anyone other than the energetic Tsuruya-san. When I turned around I saw her with her usual mirthful smile, her long hair that might make even Rapunzel jealous flowing freely as usual as the perfect match for her bubbly personality.

"Well, I came in here looking for Mikuru-chan. But it surprised me when I only found you. Usually Nagato-chi would be heres, right?"

Tsuruya-san was many things, but imperceptive was not one of them. I too was wondering where Nagato was, but I had assumed that she had been avoiding Haruhi's and my big blowout.

"I guess that it's obvious that Mikuru-chan isn't here though. She disappeared at the start of the second period and missed lunch. What a silly girl! She's lucky that she has me to give her whatever she misses in terms of homework."

Even if you are a little too eager to go along with Haruhi sometimes, Asahina-san is lucky to have a friend like you.

"Well, thanksa Kyon-kun! But don't forget that I'm Haruhi-nyan's and your friend too. I suppose that I haven't seen much of ya both in a while though. The last I heard, you two were going steady."

Salt, meet wound.

"I take it from the look on your face that I saids something wrong… Care to tell your sempai what's up?"

I know that I didn't want the world gossipping about the 'fallout' of Haruhi's latest relationship, but Tsuruya-san isn't exactly one to yap about these kinds of things; although she does talk a lot, she can still keep confidence when it's serious.

"Well, Haruhi and I broke up. Just yesterday in fact."

Tsuruya-san put on her very rarely used serious expression, holding her chin and seemingly mulling over the newly acquired factoid in her head.

"Is that so? Is that so, nyoro? That's kinda surprising to me, I always thought that you two would make a great couple. After all, it was pretty obvious that you two had the hots for each other. Well, that and you argued like a married couple too."

… I'm not quite sure what to say to that.

She let out one of her earth-shattering laughs, spending what seemed like a good minute or two bent over before finally getting it under her control, like a ten year old trying to walk a St. Bernard.

"Aha, phew. Sorry Kyon-kun, I'm not laughin' at ya, but you and the rest of the gang just have a way of gettin' to me sometimes. Seriously though, I don't know why you and Haruhi-nyan brokes up, but really, Kyon-kun, don't take it too hard."

"Well, I'm trying not to." But I'm not sure honestly how not to take getting dumped by your first love, whom you think might very well be the love of your life, too hard.

"Well, it's because I have a feeling. You can call me crazy, in fact, sometimes I'm sure people do—" She barely restrained going into another laughing fit at that point. "—but something tells me that this is all goings to work out in the end, and that everything will be fine."

Tsuruya-san, I wish more than anything in the world that you're right. You've always sort of hinted that you know something is up with our little group. So, if you've gotten a case of clairvoyance about this too, then I pray that you hit the mark again. "I just don't know if I have that much faith right now."

"That's alright, Kyon-kun. I'll make sure that I have enough faiths for the both of us."

I couldn't help but smile at that statement, a gesture which Tsuruya-san was happy to return ten-fold. It won't be easy, but still. Maybe there is hope that this mess can be sorted out.

"Consider it a Tsuruya-family guarantee. Oh, and by the way, if you see Mikuru-chan before I do, please tell hers that I have her homework from the classes she missed!"

With that, the ever-energetic girl was off again. After checking my watch and seeing that there was still a solid half hour left to lunch, I decided to try and catch up on sleep again.

Although not as rude as a giant slap on the back, waking up to the sound of the afternoon bell going off was no less aggravating to me than my previous wake-up call, and this time I didn't even have anyone around to talk about my woes with. I rushed to the classroom as fast as my lethargic feet could carry me, but still got a slight detention for being tardy.

After I sat down though, I felt something that lifted my spirits back up, even if the joy was mixed with apprehension—the sharp end of a mechanical pencil jabbing into my back.

I turned around as stealthily as I could manage to hear the chastisement come, just above a whisper:

"Don't be such an idiot, Kyon! Since you're going to be late to the clubroom thanks to this, I'm going to have to devise a really devious penalty for you this time!"

That playful smirk from her though was worth just about any weird punishment that she could dole out at this point. Maybe things really were turning back to normal. At the very least, this was a step in the right direction.

Class proceeded pretty much as normal, with me barely being able to keep from lapsing into a coma and Okabe giving me dirty looks for being late and yawning too loudly. Well, could I really help it if his classes bored me half to tears? But unlike a certain student sitting behind me, I actually had to make an effort to succeed so, trying my best to stay awake, I buckled down.

As the after-class bell rang, Haruhi tapped me on the shoulder and gave me an indication that she was going to head up to the clubroom ahead of me. Not that it bothered me—at a time like this, both her and I would probably need the brigade more than ever, even if things were going to be more awkward than usual between Koizumi and I for a while.

After a 15 minute detention (though it felt more like 45) with Okabe droning on and on about dedication and making something of yourself (I mean, can't this guy come up with any other speeches?), I was finally free to do whatever I liked. Although there have been plenty of times when I've wanted to go anywhere but the jam-packed little room the SOS Brigade called its home, now wasn't one of them.

But as I was turning the corner to get into the hallway, I heard a door violently swing open. In a flash, Haruhi and Koizumi were walking through it. The Esper and I exchanged glances, but I knew that he wasn't about to bring anything up in front of her.

Haruhi herself though was a different matter.

I saw a mixture of that same rage I saw on her face at lunch, but thankfully this time it was not directed at me. Anger wasn't the only thing there though—there was also confusion, even a bit of panic? If I had to pick one specific thing to call her, I would say she looked exasperated.

"Kyon!" she stammered out, looking back and forth between me and the clubroom as if trying to decide something vitally important. "Listen! I need you to stay in the clubroom until me and Koizumi get back: there's no time to explain right now! Come on, Koizumi, we have to go!"

And before I had even realized what happened the two were gone, and the hallway was silent. Or rather, it would have been were it not for the sound of increasing sobs, ones that sounded all too familiar to me. I quickly stepped through the doorframe, but nothing could have really prepared me for what I saw on the other side of the portal.

Sitting there, in her regular school uniform, was Asahina-san, and she looked like she had been put more though the ringer than I ever had. Her eyes were red from crying, as if she'd been sobbing for hours. When she saw me, she barely managed to get out an absolutely heart wrenching "Kyon-kun…" in between her racking sobs and hiccups. It was enough to tear my heart in two, like it would for anyone with any semblance of humanity.

My first questions were of course the most obvious: "Asahina-san, what's going on? Why are you crying?"

She barely managed to lift her head from her cupped hands, which were soaking wet from how badly she'd been crying. "Oh, Kyon-kun, it's horrible … I … I'm so sorry for all of this," she finally managed. "If I would have known that taking you to the past would have made all of this happen, I would have tried to find another way! Please, please forgive me Kyon-kun!"

Did Asahina-san really feel this guilty about what had happened? Although it's true that she might have known what was going to happen, she was kept in the dark so much that I severely doubt that this was the case. And regardless, things weren't that bad—Asahina-san didn't need to feel so guilty about what happened.

"But I do! It's my fault that you and Suzumiya-san aren't together anymore, and now there's nothing I can do to help either! Why can't I ever do anything?" It wasn't hard to imagine her tearing her own hair out in this condition, although I would have stopped her before she hurt herself. But wait, what did she mean 'And now there's nothing I can do to help'?

"Asahina Mikuru cannot remain on this time plane past the duration of this calendar day."

I was startled despite myself. I should have known that Nagato was in the room—where else would she be? But the statement that came from directly behind me still made me jump with surprise. It was partly due to that reason that it took a moment for the words to settle into place.

Asahina-san … can't be here anymore? Why?

Through her hands, I heard her trembling voice begin to explain the situation. "Earlier this morning, I was summoned to the classified information for a meeting. Once I was there, they told me that the timeline was stabilized enough that my role of observation here was no longer necessary."

No longer necessary? But what about the fact that they can't go back past four years ago?

"They told me that that was no longer a concern, that all that mattered was that the future was safe enough to recall a majority of the agents from their assigned placements in the past. I tried to argue, but I was told that I didn't have a choice in the matter. I was assigned to receive classified information in order to further my placement in the Time Bureau! And they told me that I wouldn't be allowed to remain or even return here until the completion of my training, which could take years!"

It was at this point that she completely broke down, and laid her head on the table while trying to control her tears. I felt my stomach turning; I knew what this could mean for the club.

"Asahina Mikuru delivered the news 10.2 minutes before your arrival, under the guise that she was to immediately transfer schools to a different country." Now where have I heard that before. Needless to say, I wasn't as happy about it this time though.

At that point the person responsible for that other 'transfer' spoke up again—well, as much as Nagato ever speaks up.

"Despite Suzumiya Haruhi's belief that something can be done about this, her rational self accepts that Asahina Mikuru is leaving. Time travel is therefore still functional, rather than discarded to prevent her departure."

While I struggled to catch up with that statement, the petite interface concluded: "Despite Suzumiya Haruhi and Koizumi Itsuki's efforts to the contrary, nothing can be done. Suzumiya Haruhi has already subconsciously classified it as unstoppable."

For once, Nagato, I perfectly understand what you are saying, although every ounce of me wishes I didn't. This must have been why Asahina-san wasn't in some of her morning classes, and why Tsuruya-san was out looking for her.

"I just don't understand how the future can be safe when so many of the people here are being hurt by what I had a part in doing," the crying time traveler lamented.

At this point, my thoughts turned to Asahina-san (big). I knew that she was a manipulator, but I didn't think that even she could be this heartless. Asahina-san may be from the future, but in the years that she's been here, she's made friends. She wasn't just an "extra frame" inserted into this story, even if that was what her future self kept insisting that she be treated like. My blood was boiling hot, but I knew that unless Asahina-san (big) wanted to talk to me, there was no way that I could find her. I was powerless to stop her from making Asahina-san (small) leave here.

"I have to go." With that, Asahina-san got to her feet, although she was none too steady.

"Wait! I doubt that Haruhi would want to come back to the clubroom to find you gone!" In fact, she probably ordered you to stay until she could find a way to keep you here.

"I know, but … it's too painful for me to see what this is doing to her. I'm sorry for being so selfish; please forgive me!"

She ran out of the room, still crying. This marked the second time in as many days that a girl ran down that hallway with tears in her eyes. Except if time had anything to say about it, this would be the last time I would see this specific girl.

I bolted to my feet, knowing I couldn't let it happen again. Once was more than enough for any lifetime, let alone twice in two days. But as I was about to fly out the door, an incredibly solid force pinned me where I stood. I turned around, realizing that Nagato had put her hand on my shoulder, and while she didn't appear to be exerting herself in the slightest, she had stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Please let me go, Nagato, I have to go after her!"

"I cannot."

"Why? There's got to be something I can do, anything! I can't let this happen again, I just can't!"

Nagato looked directly into my eyes, and blinked once, the obsidian orbs glimmering, as though she was somewhat at odds over how to say what came next: "This is Asahina Mikuru's request: that I stop you from pursuing her. She has deemed this way to be the least painful method for her departure. She said she did not want to give anyone, you in particular, what she called 'false hope'."

Those last two words shook me to the core. She was right, if I went after her, what could I do? Argue to her superiors in the future? That wouldn't work, even if I could contain myself if I saw Asahina-san (big) again.

"It was her 'last request'. A request I see fit to honour." With that, the pressure on my shoulder was released. Realizing that it was far too late now, I slumped back into the seat beneath me.

Asahina-san, you chose a bad time to get over your fear of talking to Nagato. But Nagato was right: I was powerless to stop Asahina-san from leaving, and I couldn't force her to stay, even if I somehow had the power. It would have been too cruel of me, even if Haruhi would have wanted it and despite how much I definitely did. The only thing I could think of now was what else could possibly go wrong, and just how far this group could be strained before it broke completely.

"Why does it have to be this way?"

For the second time in two days, I've been powerless to stop the people I care most about from getting hurt. I looked at Nagato, who had returned to her seat. I knew that in the past I had come to rely on her to help me through, but her silence now told me that she had no course of action to suggest, no miracle quick fix to make everything better. If there was a sword to untie this Gordian Knot, then it was in my hands, and my hands alone, to find it. The problem was that I didn't even have the faintest clue where to start.

Author's Notes: Well, at this point it must seem like I really love torturing Kyon. But hopefully this hasn't been too over the top for anyone to stomach. A heartfelt thank you once again goes to my awesome beta reader Arty Esbee d'Arc, without whom there would be many, many grammatical foibles and small ticks to annoy the pants off my readers. The next chapter should be interesting, as well as quite a surprise to some of you. I also hopefully will get a chance to go over a little of what hasn't been said so far: the events that took place during my version of the tenth novel. It should at least be touched upon, considering some of the people that Kyon will be talking to and about in the next chapter, so look forward to it!

All reviews, regardless of whether they are praise or criticism, one word or one thousand, are welcomed and encouraged. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far for their support as well. It was only thanks to the people that reviewed the first version of this work back when it was a one shot that I got enough courage to make this into a full fledged story, so I owe you guys a lot for that.

Finally, the disclaimer: I, of course, do not own any of the characters of the Haruhi universe, please don't sue me (strangely flattering as it would be).