Chapter 6: Sliding Again

"Kyon? You okay?" The voice said again.

I don't care how masculinized it may sound... that inflection... the tone... it's her. I don't know how... but Nagato didn't do anything to her in this reality. She... he's still alive.

He started to approach me, and I backed up, instinctively. The guard rail was all that kept me from falling several stories to the ground.

"There's no need to run, Kyon. Unlike my counterpart, I won't try to kill you. There's no benefit. Haruki has no connection to you." He smiled, almost sadistically. "Now Kyonko, on the other ha-"

"That is enough, Ryou." Another voice came from inside the doorway. Another North High uniform, I could see it. The voice lacked... emotion. It was flat. I could guess who it was without a doubt. Thank you, Kami-sama... I am saved.

Ryou sighed, and turned back to the door. "Aww... but he's so fun to toy with."

The boy in the doorway just looked at Ryou. A cold stare.

Ryou sighed and started walking away. "Fine. But be straight with him... chances are, he's never going to get to his home."

"Come in." The boy in the doorway said, turning around and entering. His hair was the same as Nagato's. His glasses too... but shouldn't he not be wearing those? I'm starting to worry.

I found myself led to a room with one table... same as my world. Two cups of tea sit on it. "Uhh... we can talk here?"

The boy nodded, taking a seat on the other side of the table as I took my seat. "S.H. Nagato Yuki #3219 has contacted me. The bridge between our worlds is being repaired. Ryou was correct. I am unable to return you to your original world... immediately. While I cannot do so from here, a bridge may be created from another world, allowing you to traverse to your original world. Do you understand?"

I nodded. So something's preventing me from going straight home... I just have to take a round about way. At least, that's what I've gathered from this explanation. Does that mean..."Do I have to another reality? And find another way home from there?"

I dreaded the answer, but this Nagato nodded in agreement. "Kyonko has agreed to bring Fujiwara, the Slider to this residence. Before he arrives, give me your cell phone."

I must have give him a strange look. He stared at me, emotionless. "Why?"

"I will give you a chance to survive the trip. Currently, the chance to survive dimensional sliding is 3.0000000000000002%. If I make the appropriate changes, your chances of survival will improve to 14.000092%."

I..wait. My chances are WHAT! How did I... three percent... to here? And... my head spun. I couldn't think for a moment, but that moment passed. I handed Nagato my cell phone, and she returned it only a few seconds later, in the form of a wristwatch.

Is it... "What happens if I'm not in that fourteen percent, Nagato?" I asked hesitantly, I don't know if I even want that answer.

"Your consciousness will likely be absorbed into the data stream barriers surrounding each world. You will cease to be what you are now, and will not return to your original self." He said as much while cleaning his glasses with a cloth.

"N... Nagato... is there any way to make it... safer? Than this I mean?" I hold up the watch. It was silver, like the material of my phone, and the face had the symbol of the S.O.S. Brigade imprinted in it. I guess that's supposed to make me feel more at peace with those whole ordeal... fourteen percent... what am I thinking?

I hear a knock at the door. Looks like my time has run out. I slip the watch on, and feel a cool... no... I think it's warm. It's... comforting I guess. Cool... Warm sensation ran up my arm. I stood up and approached the door. "I'll get it, Nagato." I opened it, to see more than I expected.

The first face was one I recognized. Kyonko, from earlier today. Who she had in tow was what worried me. A girl in a north high uniform, bearing dark green eyes, and even darker red hair. Behind her was another girl from north high, with light brown hair... and ahem... well, you know.

"Kyon! I wasn't sure you'd make it... this is Fujiwara, and Koizumi." Kyonko said matter-of-factly. As if to emphasize that fact, the brown-haired girl moved up, practically sticking her face right in mine, and looking me up and down.

"Really? Yup... this is you. He has that same look you get," the supposedly female Koizumi said, finally pulling her face from just inches from mine. Even as a girl, she likes to invade my personal space... and that smile... it's even worse!

She went back to Kyonko's side, and the two of them came into the apartment.

"Now that everyone required is here, we can continue the process. Sit at the table." Nagato stated.

I sat back down with everyone, looking from person to person. At the core, things really aren't that different. I wonder if all the universes are this similar.

Nagato started explaining something to Fujiwara, but I couldn't really make heads or tails of it. I'm guessing it had something to do with him being a slider. Who knows? Who really cares, as long as I can get back home.

"Hectic day for you, huh? I know how that feels" Kyonko whispered with a sigh. "But it'll all be over soon. Nagato can take care of this."

"Alright, 'Kyon.' That's your name, right? Well, I think I understand. Just take my hand, and we'll get you back home," The female Fujiwara said. She offered her hand, and I took it, I think a little too eagerly.

I could hear Nagato start to speak. Well, I thought it was speech at first, but it sounded backwards... wait, it sounded like one of her 'spells.'

The world began to shift around us all, but I couldn't exactly see what it was. Small things in the room changed, rapidly. A bookshelf here, a table there, a chair over there.

And then I heard footsteps. "Tsk Tsk, Kyon-'chan.' I said I didn't want YOU dead..." It was that same inflection. And it was a lot more malicious this time. Damnit... I can't move!

I saw Koizumi jump out of view from in front of us, and heard a loud thud. "Hehe... this isn't your space, Itsuko."

Nagato was still 'chanting,' if you can call it that. I could feel Fujiwara gripping my hand more tightly, and then I saw him.

Asakura. He moved behind Kyonko, across from the table, and picked her up by the back of her outfit. "WAH! Wh—What the hell!"

"Heh, have a fun trip, the both of you," He said with the creepiest grin as he THREW Kyonko into me. I tumbled back, my hand loose from Fujiwara's.

Everything immediately went tie-die. I could feel Kyonko's weight on me for a few moments, then a scream as I reached out to grab her. I went numb. Completely numb. It felt like hours went by before I blacked out.

================INTERMISSION==================

I don't know how much time had passed, but I finally woke up. I woke and felt something disturbingly amiss. I looked down at myself and saw a North High 'girl's' uniform on... my...

The door in front of me creaked open, I didn't have time to think. I heard several voices from inside, and a group of boys dressed in blue sitting or standing in various positions. Oh Kami...

"Welcome to the Host Club."

==============END CHAPTER=====================

Author Notes: Wow... it's been months... MONTHS since my last update. You can think a real-life friend of mine for bugging me about this update, and story as a whole.

I know this wasn't much of an update, but I'm going to be working on the next chapters soon. Shouldn't be nearly as long for the next one. Probably.

JUNE 28 UPDATE: A few grammar fixes here and there, and fixed a description that I thought was quite ugly.