Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten for this story so far. I really appreciate the advice. I know that my biggest criticism has been stupid errors in spelling and grammar. It's not that I don't know spelling and grammar. It's just that while I'm typing my hands go into auto-pilot a bit, and sometimes they type out things I don't want. :P

Finally into the meat and potatoes of the story. I don't expect this chapter to be as long as the last one. Hope you're okay with that.

Chapter 4

"Kyon, you're going to move in with me!"

It took me a moment to let her words sink in. I think that part of me understood what she said quite clearly, but the other part of me wanted…no needed to believe that I had only misheard her. So, like an idiot, I said "What?"

"You heard me, Kyon! You should move in with me. It's obvious that no one else can really help you, and you can't really afford your own place. I have a guest room you can stay in at my place. That way you won't have to get a job which would interfere with Brigade activities. It'll be perfect!"

While your logic in the last statement was sound enough, you're forgetting a few crucial factors. I'll illustrate them right now…

Factor One: I'd be living with you. Do you have any idea how stressful it is dealing with you for as many hours a week as I do? I need a break from you every once in a while. It bad enough that I'm around you every school day, not to mention the weekend excursions around the city.

Factor Two: I'm a boy. You're a girl…Okay? I really don't want to go into details about this one. Call me old-fashioned, but I just don't think it's right for people of opposite sexes to live in under the same roof if they're not married or dating.

Factor Three: Remember that it's not your house. I'm pretty damn sure that your parents are going to say something about me living there. In fact, now that I think about, do I even want to meet your parents? Anyone that could raise a person like you…I need to stop…the thought is too scary…

Factor Four: I'll be living with YOU!!! I know I said this already, but I cannot state it enough.

"Don't worry about my parents. I'm sure I'll be able to talk them into letting you stay."

Obviously, once again, you refused to listen. I stated three other factors…well technically two but never mind that!

"It's settled then! You're going home right now to get your things ready while I get my place ready. I'll be over at two. You better be ready!"

And just like that, I'd been bullied once again into doing something I didn't want to do. I mean sure, a lot of guys would jump at the idea of living with an attractive girl. They read those stupid manga of two strangers living under one roof, having crazy things happen to them before finally falling in love. But this is reality, and those kinds of things never happen. Besides, I'm sure Haruhi's parents will say no anyway, and we'll be done with it.

Before leaving Haruhi had one more thing to say. "Kyon, since you're not leaving after all, you have to return all of the gifts everyone gave you. It's only fair that way."

Since when were you the judge of what's fair. I looked at Koizumi, Asahina and Nagato. They all insisted that I keep their gifts. Haruhi on the other hand…

"I want that armband back!"

"Do I really have to? I kinda liked it."

"Yes! My original plan was to have to use it to advertise at your new school so you could create a new branch of the SOS Brigade there."

Yeah right. Like that was ever going to happen…

"But since you're not going anywhere, there's no need for you to have an armband. We already know where you stand in the Brigade!"

Well using that logic, you shouldn't need to wear one either. It's not like we have any confusion about your standing in the Brigade.

"It's different in my case. I'm the chief of the Brigade. I need something to allow me to stand out."

There are few people in the universe that stand out as well as you do, but nevertheless I really don't want to give my armband back.

Haruhi stared at me with narrowed eyes for about half a minute before sighing loudly.

"Fine, keep it. But you have to wear it whenever I order you to!"

Do I really have a choice? Anyway, with that said we all decided to leave the café. After we went our separate ways, Koizumi walked up beside me. I figured he'd have something to say.

"Well, this turned out to be an interesting set of events."

Interesting? To say the least, Captain Understatement.

"To be honest, I was expecting today to be the worst day of my life. I'm terribly glad that things worked out differently. I can't help but get the feeling that Suzumiya-san wished for something like this to happen."

Oh God, please don't go suggesting that this is all her fault…well even if it is, it's incredibly inconvenient to think that my destiny could change at the drop of a hat like that. I'd rather believe that this is a coincidence.

"And perhaps it is. I'm only speculating. I'm sure it goes without saying that her emotional state is exponentially better than it was the entire week before."

"Yeah…" was the best I could come up with after what he said. It was then that a thought had crossed my mind "Koizumi, do you know anything about Haruhi's parents?"

Koizumi stopped walking and smiled at me with that incredibly annoying smile.

"It goes without saying that studying Suzumiya-san requires some knowledge about her parents as well. In fact, there is a small faction in our Organization that looks upon them with some reverence. After all, they did create her, so to speak."

As creepy as that is, I couldn't get images of Catholicism and Mother Mary out of my head. I couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to give birth to a God…

"What are they like?"

Koizumi's smile grew even larger and more annoying.

"I think it's best for you to find out yourself."

And with that, Koizumi began to walk away. Why wouldn't he say anything? All of a sudden, I found myself becoming deathly afraid. I wonder if it's not too late to move up north anyway. I looked at my watch and realized that my mother would likely be hundreds of kilometers away by now. Damn…

I finally got home and, seeing as all my stuff was technically already packed and ready to go, decided to lie down and take a nap. I was still beat from all the sleepless nights and packing from earlier this week. I got back on my futon and was quickly asleep before I knew it.

I was awoken by the sound of loud banging at my door. Behind the door, I could hear the voice of an irate teenage girl screaming at the top of her lungs. Oh boy, I can't wait to be living with her…if that even happens.

I finally opened the door after wiping the sleep from my eyes to find Haruhi's scowling on the other side.

"About time! Were you sleeping? How lazy can you be?"

"My stuff was already packed, so there wasn't anything for me to do."

"Whatever…get ready! We're leaving now!"

"Did your parents say it was okay?"

"Quit wasting time with unimportant questions! Get your suitcase and get going!"

Unimportant questions? I'm pretty sure it's damn important that your parents agree to me living there. After all, if I have to bring my stuff back after finding out I can't live there, then that would be a real waste of time.

"We'll come for the rest of your stuff later. Let's go!"

With that, I grabbed my bag and began to follow Haruhi all the way to her house. I have never been there even once since I've met Haruhi, a fact that was made painfully obvious during the events of her disappearance when Nagato changed the world. I was a little curious about what such a place would look like, but more than that I was terrified. I began to imagine the most twisted and horrible place imaginable. A place only a demon would want to call home. Yep, that had to be it.

Haruhi didn't have her own bike, so I was forced to walk the whole distance there, which I had to admit sucked pretty bad, but it was still manageable. It took almost an hour to get there. When we did, I was greeted by the site of a typical two floored, western-styled house with white colored siding. In other words, it was completely normal looking. I wasn't sure whether I should be relieved or disappointed. Am I nuts?

We soon entered the house. After taking off our shoes, I was given the opportunity to see the inside…which also appeared suspiciously normal. Everything was clean and well furnished. I noticed that the living room had a lot of baseball paraphernalia. I could only surmise that Haruhi's father was a baseball fan…Wait, didn't Haruhi tell me she was taken to a baseball game with her father once? Right, that makes sense. Maybe her father's a pretty normal guy after all.

Haruhi turned to me and told me to wait in the living room. She then walked into the kitchen, where I assumed her parents were. It was then that I heard this statement.

"Mom, Dad, I have a really big favor to ask you…"

Wait, what?! You mean to tell me you haven't even asked them yet? What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how bad this is going to look?

"You see, there's this…friend that recently became homeless and my friend needs a place to stay."

This is going to end really badly. As soon as they find out that this friend of hers is a guy, I'm probably going to get my ass kicked by her dad…and maybe her mom, too. Then I'd have to make the trek back to my house with all kinds of injuries. That would suck big time.

"I was wondering if we could let them stay here."

Okay, this is the part where they say no, and I can go home. I'm sure Haruhi will probably fight with them for a bit, but I doubt they'd change their mind. I'd go home and forget all about this silly idea. Yeah…except when I heard what appeared to be Haruhi's parents, they didn't sound completely against the idea. They sounded more…unsure. It was then that Haruhi peeked her head into the living room and waved me in. Oh crap…here we go…

My heart was pounding in absolute terror. I took a deep breath and slowly walked into the kitchen. I decided to try and pull an Asahina-san and make myself look as humble as possible as I made myself visible. I kept my eyes on the floor, afraid to even look at them. I bowed deeply before speaking.

"I'm terribly sorry for inconveniencing you. This was Suzumiya-san's idea to do this. I'll understand if you are against the idea."

I rarely if ever refer to Haruhi as Suzumiya-san, but since I was trying to be extra polite and formal it seemed necessary. To be honest, I was extremely uncomfortable acting like this. I don't know how Asahina-san does it all the time.

I had managed to get a quick glance at the both of them. Haruhi's mother had long brown hair, much like Haruhi did when we first met. I couldn't make out her eyes as she was giving a Koizumi like smile, only her smile was warm and gentle where as Koizumi's was fake and annoying. She was actually an incredibly lovely woman, exhibiting a charm not too different from Asahina (big).

Haruhi's father had short, black hair with eyes matching Haruhi's. He had the build of a man who stays in very good shape. I guess you could say he was a handsome guy, not that I'd really know. Both of them looked way too young to be the parents of a teenage daughter. However, unlike his wife, his expression could best be summed up with one word…unamused. This was made even more obvious by the fact that he put his newspaper down and crossed his arms.

"I see…"

Haruhi decided to continue to introduce me. "This is my friend. His name is Kyon. We've been classmates since we both started high school, and we're in the same club."

Damn you Haruhi! Did you have to tell them that stupid nickname? I made sure to tell them my real name after Haruhi was done talking. Haruhi's father continued to stare me down while her mother smiled innocently at me. The room was silent for about a minute before the silence was finally broken by the following statement, care of Mr. Suzumiya.

"Absolutely not."

There we go. Just as expected. Can I go now?

Unfortunately, his authority was challenged shortly after all not by Haruhi, but her mother.

"Oh, why not? He seems nice enough. We can't let him be cast out into the streets."

Great, now those two are about to argue. Just what I wanted to see…

"I'm not letting some boy I don't know live under the same roof as my daughter. It's out of the question!"

It now Haruhi's turn to object. Yay…

"He's not like that at all! You're over reacting!"

I decided to butt in, trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"It's okay if you don't feel right about me staying here. It really was too much to ask. I do have a little money. I can just find my own place. I'm really sorry for wasting your time."

"How much money do you have?" asked Mrs. Suzumiya.

"Um…about 40,000 yen. That's what I'm expecting to receive every month. I was planning on getting a part time job to supplement that."

"You can't expect to live off that little money," said Mrs. Suzumiya before turning to her husband. "Can't you reconsider?"

Mr. Suzumiya now had his hand folded together in front of him. He was still staring me down though. "Where are you getting this money every month?"

Damn, he got me. I know what he's going to say next. As soon as I tell him my parents are sending me the money, he'll ask why I don't just live with them. I could see in him a man with street smarts. Someone who has been in a lot of situations where one would have to rely on instincts and quick reasoning skills to survive. If this was a game of chess, I would be in check right now with my next move almost certainly lead me into a checkmate. Since I really didn't want to play this game, much less win, I decided to play into his hands. "My parents…"

"Why can't you live with them?"

Before I could answer, Haruhi interrupted me. "He can't because…of certain extenuating circumstances."

What are you doing? Don't tell me you're going to lie about my situation. Please don't do that. I can only foresee bad things happening because of it.

"Such as?"

"Well…his father recently lost his job and they couldn't afford to live at their place anymore so they had to move in with relative, but there was no room for Kyon so he had to stay behind."

"They can't afford to stay in a place of their own, but they can afford to send 40,000 yen a month to him?"

Haruhi paused realizing she was busted. See? I knew you were going to screw it up. Thanks, but no thanks for the "help". It was then that I explained the actual situation to them, assuring them that my reason for staying wasn't urgent or anything. My mother just felt bad about forcing me to transfer schools when I had so many friends. Nothing all too special.

Mrs. Suzumiya appeared touched by my situation. "What a wonderful thing for your mother to do." She turns to her husband once again and pleaded with him. "Oruki, you can't be so mean. It's so unlikely that he'll find a place that affordable. I'm sure we can have him help around the house. Please?"

Oruki-san was beginning to rub his temples, a clear sign that he was buckling under the pressure. Wait, no! I don't want to stay here! Please don't change your mind!

"Come on Dad! We can just charge him rent. We could use the extra money."

"Our finances are none of your business," said Oruki-san as he buried his face in his hands. After about half a minute he looked up. "You can stay here for a month. That's it! In that time you need to find your own place. You will be expected to pay some rent and help out around the house in that time. And so help me…" He then stood up, his finger pointing directly at me. "If you do anything that I don't like in the slightest, you'll be out the door so fast you won't have time to flinch before your face eats asphalt. Got it?!"

After I nervously nodded, both Haruhi and her mother exclaimed in joy. Mrs. Suzumiya got up from her seat and finally properly introduced herself.

"I'm Naru Suzumiya. Welcome to out home. I hope we all get along well." She then leaned in close to me and whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry my husband was so mean. He doesn't usually take kindly to strangers. He'll warm up to you in time."

After that, I felt a powerful tug on my collar as I was soon dragged out of the kitchen and then up the stairs in the living room. It didn't take long before I realized it was Haruhi. Who else would it be? She dragged me to what appeared to be a bedroom. It was painted green and lacked anything other than a bed, dresser and nightstand. Obviously this was the guest room.

"You're staying here!"

No kidding. I could have figured that one out on my own.

"Don't give me that attitude! You should be grateful that I went through all the trouble to do this!"

If there is anyone I should be grateful to, it's your parents. More specifically, your mother. She's the real reason I have a place to stay, even if it's only for a month. She's so sweet, nice and thoughtful. I can't even begin to imagine how she could be your mother.

Haruhi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't think that it'll be fun and games now that you're here. I'll be sure to keep your lazy butt busy while you're here. No excuse! Those are direct orders from your leader!"

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Are you done? I'd like to try to get settled in my new surroundings."

She turned around and began to walk out. Just before she did, though, she added one more thing. "By the way, you are absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent not allowed in my room without permission! And you are not to touch anything when you are in there!"

That's pretty much standard common courtesy, not that you'd know anything about that.

When she finally left, I closed the door behind her and lied down on what was for the time being my bed. I stared up at the ceiling, feeling a bit uneased by the situation. I really didn't want to live here, but I guess I can't turn down a roof over my head. At least it's only for a month. I'm not sure I could take more than that living with Haruhi.

The one thing I was both surprised and grateful for was the fact that Haruhi's parents seemed so normal. Her father's a bit rough, but not a weirdo. And her mother? She was a breath of fresh air. She could be my Asahina-san when I'm not in the clubroom. I could almost fantasize the both of them…wait, I should stop. She is married after all and bit old for me. I'm not really a MILF person to be honest.

Anyway, I couldn't fathom how someone like Haruhi could come from either of them. Was she adopted? No…I could see the resemblance she had to both her parents. It doesn't matter anyway. I don't think I could stand living with that many weirdoes…

If only I knew then what I know now…I would have been much more worried…

There we have it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you need a reference for what either of Haruhi's parents looked like, think of Oruki as looking a bit like Mr. Hiragi (Kagami and Tsukasa's dad) but with more of Haruhi's face and darker hair, and Naru as Miyuki's mother but with long brown hair instead.

We will definitely see more of their eccentricities next chapter. :)