I'm sorry for the late update… Was busy with everything… Really, I would've updated on the day Endless Eight ended but… Anyway.

I finally realized. I really can't write from Mikuru's POV. It's waaaayyy too hard. I mean, come on. How does a panicky, Lolita face with a big front think? I wouldn't know. I ain't one. Soooo, I'm gonna be writing from Yuki's POV! Again, sorry but, no Mikuru... (And no, I don't hate her. I kinda like her, really but...)

Soooo, Yuki might seem a bit less formal here, but well, it's ME writing it ^^. I'm trying my best though. And... there are times when the words wouldn't make sense ^.^ I'm trying to use those big words that I'm not sure of the meaning... Though I'm not sure if I should even use them at all. Anyway, I may not be sure, I think they're used correctly, that's why I used them ^^

Oh, and yeah, I'm a math nut, dont kill me.

DISCLAIMER: Haruhi Suzumiya no Yutsuu is copyright to whatever/whoever. We all know I'm just a fan of it, and could never be anything more.

~~~ENDLESS EIGHT: REQUEST~~~

August 31st. Ten seconds before midnight.

The 689th repetition is about to end.

I put down the pencil I was holding, having finished writing on the Math notebook filled with lines that were not made to graph the equations given. Shifting my eyes to the side, I took a look at the members of the SOS Brigade for the 689th time.

Observation Specimen # 2, otherwise known as Kyon, was leaning on the wall, looking at each of us with a thoughtful expression.

The human, with Esper ID number of 67, was sitting on the bed, smiling, though with less radiance than usual.

The orange-haired time traveler was huddled at the corner, her arms around her legs, sniffling softly.

I felt a tinge of something, what it was I don't know what. Every time the midnight of the 31st comes along, I always feel it, each time with more intensity than the last.

I had labeled the feeling as irrelevant, and chosen what I believed was the appropriate course of action. I ignored it as I got ready to shut down my Graphic User Interface.

I had received instructions from the Data Integration Thought Entity to turn off my GUI a fraction of a second before midnight strikes. By doing so, I was able to erase my existence for just a split-second and therefore be exempt from the memory reset that Observation Specimen # 1 was capable of.

DITE had sent me the information pertaining to these during the second August 31st. During the first repetition, I had not been aware of time looping. My memory bank had been erased the first time and reset to record the events of August 17th to 31st as if it had been the first time they occurred.

But though I was affected by the worldwide memory reset, the DITE was not, being a distance from the third planet of this solar system. Only when I was contacted was I able to sync data transmission properly.

11:59:59:99:99. It's time.

August 30th. The 690th repetition.

I turned on my GUI, waited a few seconds for myself to stabilize, and headed out the door. A meeting was to be attended.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Everything stems from Suzumiya Haruhi. Even I, who had been observing her for three, no, more than 500 years, am not able to predict her actions.

Though the others' actions follow a pattern, those are based on the Brigade Chief. Suzumiya Haruhi herself is unpredictable.

By saying that, I pertain to the variation in the behaviour of the SOS Brigade members.

When Kyon is damaged before the words 'Are you retarded?' are said, Asahina Mikuru would not approach me, and therefore the exchange between us, where the esper, time traveler, and high-schooler would become aware of the time loop, would never occur.

It is in the event that the brown-haired girl would say 'Are you retarded?' before physically hurting Kyon that their actions would have a greater degree of variation.

"Okay, that's all for today. I had tomorrow set aside, but stay home and rest if you want. We'll meet in the clubroom the day after tomorrow."

When those words are said, Suzumiya-san would stand up from her chair, and start to walk towards the door. Kyon would jump up, run to her, put his arms around her shoulders and whisper, "I love you." That was what happened in the past loops, and that's what happened this time.

Suzumiya-san facing Kyon, that would be the turning point. The one that would tell whether they would find out about the loop or not.

"Are you retarded!?"

Now, the question would be, what would they know? It all depends on where Suzumiya-san would damage Kyon.

If she were to punch him on the nose or slap him, Asahina Mikuru would visit me at my house, and we would then proceed to Koizumi Itsuki's to inform him of the new time loop, and after that, Kyon's.

If she were to poke his eye or pull his hair, Asahina Mikuru would first visit Koizumi Itsuki, whom she will invite to accompany her to my apartment. It is then that I will tell them of the time loop, and on the way to Kyon's residence, Koizumi will start talking to me, but would immediately turn silent, as if hesitant to say what was on his mind.

If she were to step on his feet-

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

I looked up, and saw Kyon jumping up and down, before losing his balance and falling down, all the while cradling his foot in his hand.

A not-so-unfamiliar sensation started to swell inside me.

It wasn't unfamiliar, because I had felt it the last few times this had occurred. But it was also, at the same time, unfamiliar, foreign, alien to me, for I could not label the feeling, could not tell what it was, what it meant.

I have tried to understand it, tried to analyze what it meant, but as I looked at Kyon's angry face and Koizumi's smiling expression, I knew that it was futile. For the time being at least.

~*~*~*~*~*~

August 31st. An hour before midnight.

Koizumi Itsuki was standing before me, his eyes serious, his expression serious. "So what you're trying to say is... The time repetition of August 17th to the 31st has ended."

"Yes."

"And instead of reverting to the 17th at the night of the 31st, time now repeats on the morning of the 30th."

"Yes."

"I see..."

I then turned around and started walking, not bothering to motion them to follow me. I knew they would, whether I do or not.

"A-A-Ano... Where are we going?"

I answered in the same monotone I always use. "Kyon's residence."

I heard Asahina Mikuru's hesitant steps behind me, and Koizumi Itsuki's confident strides just a step in front.

"Nagato-san."

I gazed at him through the corner of my eyes, pausing in my steps. His feet were still, his eyes clear.

My heart rate increased by 1.46%. I determined that what I was feeling was 'excitement', in one form or another. Though this has happened tens of times before, my pulse rate never failed to increase. "What?"

"When I tell Kyon about the time loops, it's a sure thing he will ask you about it."

"Based on the past time recursions, there is a high probability of that happening."

"Well then, in the instance that he does, what do you tell him?"

"My words are: This will be the [insert number of time recursion]."

I went silent, equal to the average time Kyon took until he asked his next question. The esper just stood back patiently, the tapping of his shoes joining the orchestra of crickets.

"That hasn't necessarily been the case. In the past [insert number of time recursions] time loops, there have been two variations of Suzumiya Haruhi damaging you. She may either say 'Are you retarded' then damage you, or damage you, than say 'Are you retarded.' There has also been-"

Another silence, this time equal to the mean of the Esper and Kyon's dialogue. After that, I told him what I first told Kyon, what I told him on the 327th repetition, when Suzumiya-san first stepped on Kyon's foot.

"-five different variations of her ways of damaging you. Besides stepping on your feet, Suzumiya-san has also punched you on the nose, pulled your hair, poked you in the eye, and slapped you on the cheek."

"I see," he said, his smile radiating triumph."If that is so, then I believe I have the solution. The one that would break us free from this time recursion."

I remained silent, all the while playing his next words in my mind.

"In which case, there's a favor I want to ask of you. Two, in fact."

He was quiet for a moment, whether to give emphasis to what he was going to say or wait for me to respond, then spoke up again.

"Would you please inform us of the next time loop?"

Once again, I searched his eyes for something. I didn't have to ask him 'why me?' It was obviously because I was the only one who could. But something told me it wasn't just that. There was something else. And though I've looked at him 157 times, looking for what that something was, I still couldn't tell.

"And also, when you tell Kyon about how Suzumiya-san hits him, would you also please include-"

He then glanced at Asahina-san, whose face was shining a little at the mention of a solution. Then he smiled, and leaned closer to whisper in my ear, the same words I was to tell Kyon a few minutes after.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"OOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"K-Kyon-kun!" exclaimed Asahina-san as she stumbled to the side of the human hopping on one foot. His leg was raised to his waist, his hands reaching for his foot.

"It seems Suzumiya-san did more damage than she thought she would," commented the esper as entered Kyon's room.

"Based on my data on Suzumiya-san's athletic ability, and the analysis of how much your nose has been damaged, I must say that she never truly wished to hurt you. If so, then the acute sprain you have right now should be triple the pain and damage," I said as I followed the two of them inside.

After a smile at Asahina-san, a glare at Koizumi and a blank look at me, Kyon said, "So? what are you guys doing here?"

Koizumi looked up from writing on Kyon's notebook, put down the pencil he was holding, sat down on the bed, and after another smile, began his speech.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I stood by the desk, looking at the familiar curves on the math notebook, which were not the parabole for the quadratic equation. I've looked at those curves a lot of times, and it never fails to amaze me how Kyon, or Koizumi Itsuki would be able to write those each and every time.

"If I'm getting what you're saying, which I think I'm not, you're trying to tell me" a voice said in the background, "That Haruhi's past regrets, have been completely forgotten because of her regret of not doing whatever it is after I hugged her!?"

I brought my attention back to the conversation of the two. "There seems to be no other explanation is there," replied the esper.

The house's man sighed and looked at me, his eyes searching for confirmation. "Nagato, is this true?"

"Yes."

"And... how many times have we repeated this new loop?"

"This would be the 680th time."

His expression turned from disbelief, to confusion, and then to self-pity,

"That many times, my foot has been…?"

I shook my head before saying, "That hasn't necessarily been the case. In the last 680 cycles, there have two different patterns of hitting you. She would either first say 'Are you retarded?' then hit you, or hit you, then say 'Are you retarded. There has also been-"

Kyon seemed as if he were getting more and more crestfallen at each word I said. "I think I get the point," he said, raising his hand in a gesture for me to shut up.

The ever-smiling lips on the human sitting on the bed opened, and out came these words, "I think you might want to hear what she has to say next."

Kyon cocked his head to side, as if asking me to explain and continue.

"-six variations of where she hit you. Besides slapping you, Suzumiya-san has also punched you on the nose, pulled your hair, poked you in the eye, stepped on your feet and-"

Silence.

Even though I've done this several times before, I never failed to look at Koizumi Itsuki for confirmation, though the times he never knew his own solution just made him look back at me with confusion.

Suzumiya Haruhi's chosen one was getting more impatient and nervous. "What is it?" he asked.

"The sixth way of damaging you was..." I hesitated, still unusure whether to continue. The first time I had intervened, the DITE had summoned me for questioning. The next time, my actions had been overlooked. This made me certain I was not to be punished, yet I have not seen any results from my intervention. "…kicking you in the 'balls.'

Another silence.

Tick. "Well," the esper said, "It's too late to do anything anyway. All we can do now is hope for the déjà vu feeling to help us next time."

Tock. "It can't be helped then," said Kyon, a resigned look sketching features.

Tick. A sniffle could be heard from the silent Asahina Mikuru.

Tock. I looked at the Math notebook once again, and for the 353rd time, read the words written in my language. 'Thank you.'

Tick. I picked up the pencil and wrote below the lines made by Kyon and Koizumi. 'You're welcome.'

Tock. Putting down the pencil, I got ready once again to turn off my GUI.

Tick. Midnight.

~~~ENDLESS EIGHT: REQUEST end~~~

O.O Do I sense ItsuYuki here!? (Yes, I made that up, I think...) Hmmm... Anyway, the only pairing I really REALLY like is Haruhi and Kyon, so for me, anything is fine for the others. ^^

Oooooookay people! I've been dropping hints all over!

What does Haruhi want to do? And what should Kyon do to make Haruhi do it?

Everything's answered in the next chap! The conclusion! (Yup, it's gonna be the end.)