User blog:Hcobb/Taniguchi and Kunikida are dead, chapter three.

Taniguchi and Kunikida are dead, chapter three. By Henry J. Cobb

[The Haruhi Suzumiya characters and situations are the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. Other than that, he's blameless for the following.]

The Thursday morning trip to school passed silently. Sasaki had still come over to my house for the bike ride, she just didn't say much to me and I still couldn't find words to describe what she had saved me from.

Asakura departed from her usual routine of handing things directly to each student. She handed one pile of tests to each student in the front row with instructions to pass them down. She warned that we were being watched and her eternal smile faded for a moment as she frowned directly at me.

Taniguchi looked back at me with a confused look then turned forwards to take the pile of tests being handed back.

I was still so nervous of being in the same room as Asakura, that I didn't do very well on that test.

Sasaki and Kunikida ate lunch at my desk as usual, and as we were wrapping up Taniguchi walked over.

"Kyon, what did you say to Asakura to piss her off?"

I looked around and saw that she wasn't in the classroom. Even with her incredible powers, did she still need to use the bathroom?

"I think she's angry with me, sorry."

"What? Why Sasaki?"

"Sorry, I've said too much." Sasaki picked up her empty bento and turned her chair around to face her desk.

"But isn't Asakura on Suzumiya's side?" Kunikida asked.

"What?" I asked him.

Taniguchi and Kunikida froze for a moment, then turned and returned silently to their desks. I could feel the same trigger, it was that sense of impending doom that occurred whenever Suzumiya entered a room with Sasaki in it. Strange how the other students never seemed to notice it.

After classes I made sure to stick closely behind Sasaki on the walk to the clubroom. Suzumiya walked alongside Sasaki, but neither spoke to each other. Kunikida said he had an activity with his real club and so couldn't attend today.

In the clubroom, Asahina and Suou were in their regular chairs, but Nagato had joined them at the table and was writing something in a notebook. She looked up as we entered. "Miss Suzumiya, you said you were interested in time travelers?"

Suou turned ever so slightly towards Nagato. Asahina's mouth widened in shock. Sasaki sighed.

Suzumiya's face brightened. "Yes?"

"I'm a time traveler."

"Really?" Suzumiya almost skipped over to Nagato. "What year are you from?"

"This year. I'm from December. I thought Mr. Kyon had been playing a trick on me, but the questions on the test today were exactly as I had remembered from May and nobody else in the classroom noticed."

"What proof do you have for this claim?" Sasaki asked.

"Yes! This could be our big chance to raise funds for the brigade. Do you have winning lottery numbers, stock market moves, political events, or other market moving news events?" As usual, Suzumiya thought first for herself, even given something that could turn the entire world upside down.

"I didn't pay much attention to the news, but maybe there's something on the computer? Has anybody seen my computer? It was right here on the table. The Computer Club gave it to me during summer vacation. Oh wait, it's just May, isn't it?" Nagato looked down at the pages in her notebook.

"So you don't have any physical proof for this claim." Sasaki stated it as a fact, not a question.

"My memories are real, I know it."

"So what will you have done this year?"

"Mostly I attended classes and read novels, but I did have make a few friends. Come along, and I'll prove it." Nagato rose and led us all down to the Computer Club. Even Suou drifted along with us.

The Computer Club president demanded to know who we were. Nagato introduced herself as the president of the Literature Club and addressed each member of the Computer Club by name. She told each one of them something she said they had shared with her, and each seemed shocked to hear these things.

"Wait, wait, wait. When did you met us?" The Computer Club president asked Nagato.

"It was at the start of summer vacation, later this year. We were some of the only students left around, and you seemed very disturbed. I asked you what the problem was, and you said you had a bug in Day of Sagittarius III. You finally let me look at it, and I figured it out. So then you gave me that computer over there."

"Oh come on, we haven't even finished Day of Sagittarius II yet. One of you jokers must be putting her up to this, right?" He looked over his club, but nobody volunteered.

"You said Day of Sagittarius II was boring and that the big change in III was the addition of hidden movement and scouting."

He turned back to Nagato. "Damn. You're right. That would be a neat change. How do you know about this? Well fine, you can have that old computer. We'll even run a network cable to your clubroom."

"Old computer? Can you edit videos on it?" Suzumiya asked.

"Don't be stupid. It doesn't have nearly enough RAM, and the CPU and graphics card are a few generations behind, but it's good enough for web browsing and word processing. You're the Literature Club, not the Film Club."

"Give us your newest and most powerful computer."

"Why should we do that? We have to buy these with our own money."

"It's not a question of money. We have the girl who has already seen and fixed the bug, that you haven't even written yet. We're offering you months of your own time, straight out of the rabbit hole. What store are you going to go buy that from?" Suzumiya put her hands on Nagato's shoulders and gave her dreadful, mischievous smile.

"Okay, so what's that bug then?"

Nagato explained some sort of logic error in a file of some sort.

He looked at her in shock. "Yeah, that's the kind of mistake I'd make, and yeah, I'd need a file like that. Okay, it's a deal, but you'll need to type in the parts you saw, or will see, or how do you say this?"

Nagato nodded.

Suzumiya insisted on getting the computer desk and office chair also. For Nagato's comfort while typing in their files, she explained.

As the Computer Club members started moving everything over, and wiring the network, we returned to our clubroom.

"There, Sasaki, see? Time travel exists. Now we just need aliens, espers and sliders, I guess."

"Suzumiya, the most logical explanation remains that the Computer Club set this all up with Nagato beforehand. But I do appreciate the generosity of whomever set this in motion. Having a computer will help with looking up references for the Literature Club."

"Any old computer could do that. This one will allow us to edit my movie."

"What movie?"

"But I finally have something boring enough for you to do. Every great movie requires a novelization. You just type in everything in my movie, and then I'll edit it to be not boring. So, Nagato, how did you travel in time?"

"I don't know. It was late December and I was out walking. I was thinking about Kyon, and then suddenly I was back here in May and he was in my apartment."

"Kyon, you're seeing both Nagato and Asakura? Sorry, it's your own life." Sasaki turned away.

"No, no, it's nothing like that!" Nagato shook her head vigorously.

Suzumiya looked at me with narrowed eyes, then turned back to Nagato. "Okay, so what am I going to say next?"

"I don't know."

"But, didn't you already live through this time?"

"Yes, but none of you were in this clubroom back then, I mean now. I was the only member of the club all year. Nobody else joined."

"So, I could kill you right now, and it wouldn't cause a paradox?"

"No, I don't know?" Nagato turned to me with pleading eyes.

"Cut it out, Suzumiya." I almost reached over and slapped her. "Nagato's your trump card, remember?"

"Nobody knows how to take a joke anymore." Suzumiya crossed her arms and pouted.

"Nagato, do not tell anybody else that you are a time traveler. In fact, none of you should mention this to anybody else. Whatever happened, it's been quite a shock for her."

We all agreed to Sasaki's request, except for Suou, who never really did much anyway.

Except of course for helping to save my life the previous day. And there she was, sitting in silent passivity once again.

I took stock of Suzumiya's checklist. Nagato seemed to be a time traveler, or perhaps a slider? Suou seemed alien enough. Did that mean that Asakura must be an esper? I kept my suspicions to myself.

Nagato seemed to have things well in hand with her Computer Club friends, so I left with Sasaki.

Suzumiya followed us down the hill. "Give me a ride too!"

"I can't carry both of you on my bicycle, and you live in a different direction than us."

"No, through time, Kyon. Let's go see the pyramids being built or meet Genji Minamoto."

"Genji is a fictional character. Murasaki Shikibu may have existed." Sasaki was as skeptical as usual, even towards historical controversies that made no difference to me.

"That's what I meant."

"Suzumiya, I can't travel through time. Whatever happened to Nagato has nothing to do with me."

"Hmph! I'll get to the bottom of this. Don't think you can get away with this favoritism so easily, Kyon." Suzumiya pointed at me, then turned and walked away.

"She may be right."

"What?"

"You are starting to seem a bit like Mr. Minamoto. So, Kyon, what is your relationship with Miss Nagato? Not that it's really any of my business."

"Sasaki, I only went to Nagato's apartment because Asahina said she could help us."

"Miss Asahina also? Are there any of the other girls in our club who haven't show you their panties yet? Surely not Miss Suou?"

"I was paralyzed at the time. I couldn't close my eyes even if I'd wanted to."

"But you didn't want to look away? Shall we tell Miss Suzumiya that have a script for her movie then? It seems to be the tale of a modern Genji Minamoto."

I sighed as we continued down the hill towards the train station.

On Friday we repeated the silent commute to school. Sasaki seemed to be interpreting everything I said in the worst possible way, and I was running out of words. Suddenly amazing, impossible things were happening to me on a daily basis, and my close friend of almost a year was treating it all as my fault. She was walking right next to me, but with every step she seemed to be getting further away.

"Kyon!" Taniguchi ran and caught up with us. "What exactly is your relationship with Asakura?"

"Yes, Sasaki mentioned something about you and Asakura." Suzumiya had been waiting in ambush just out of sight, at the point where her path to school intersected with ours. In addition to her bookbag, she carried a paper bag.

I sighed.

"What did you mean, Sasaki?"

"It's none of my business." Sasaki looked away from Suzumiya.

"Asakura tried to kill me."

"Kyon, I didn't see much, but it looked like the reverse to me."

"The reverse of killing?" That idiot Taniguchi tried to make sense of Sasaki's words. "Is that what her group is here to do? Why would she go after you, Kyon, instead of one of these two?" He pointed at the two girls.

"what are you talking about, Taniguchi?"

"Sorry. You're being such a bastard that's it making my head spin." He gave me a solid punch in the gut and I fell over.

"Hit him again!" Suzumiya looked down at me with gritted teeth.

"I don't work for you." Taniguchi turned away and stormed up the hill.

Suzumiya walked after him at a more moderate pace, while Sasaki helped me to my feet. She asked if I needed to go to the nurse's, but I said I just had the wind knocked out of me.

When we got to the classroom, Suzumiya was sitting at her desk and looking out the window. Taniguchi was talking to Asakura, but he stopped when she shifted her focus over to me. She put on her standard lovely smile, but I thought I could almost see the cracks in the paint.

At lunch Sasaki did not turn around. She simply ate at her own desk.

Kunikida pulled his chair up to my desk. "What happened between you and Sasaki. Did I miss something at the club meeting yesterday?"

"Remember the promise, Kyon. Don't tell him here." At least Sasaki was still paying attention.

"What?"

"Yeah, Kunikida, come to the club later. Apparently a miracle has occurred."

"A miracle?"

"Perhaps something even more astounding than that. Suzumiya was finally proven right."

Sasaki turned around for a moment, then returned to picking at her lunch.

"You're not falling for Suzumiya, are you, Kyon?"

"Kunikida, I could never compete with her favorite person." I replied in a whisper as I nodded towards the door. The sudden tension in the air had warned me of Suzumiya's reappearance in time.

Kunikida was almost beside himself on the way to the clubroom, but I waited until the door was closed behind us before I spilled the beans. "Well Kunikida, apparently Nagato is a time traveler."

"A time traveler? But, she's a - a time traveler?"

"Yeah, from the far distant time period of this next December."

"Ah, Miss Nagato, are you sure about this?"

"I thought I was crazy too, Mr. Kunikida, but it seems to be the facts." She looked up from typing on the computer for a moment. Then it beeped and she looked back down at the screen and started typing again.

"Your new fan club?" I asked.

"It's the Computer Club members. They all want to chat at the same time."

"Then go over there and talk to them in person."

"Is that okay?"

"I'll go with you."

"Don't worry, Kunikida. I'm sure that like most geeks, they're harmless to girls."

"Who'll run the Literature Club meeting today?"

"I'll handle it."

"I appoint you vice-president, Kyon. If you don't mind?"

"That's fine. I look forwards to working with you." I bowed to Nagato.

"Uh... Me, too." She blushed, bowed back to me, then left with Kunikida.

A minute later Suzumiya arrived with the paper bag. She must have stored it in her shoe locker during classes and had taken a side trip to pick it up.

"Kyon's the vice-president."

"What?" Suzumiya turned to Sasaki. "I never agreed to that! Oh, you mean the Literature Club. Yeah, whatever. Miruku, look what I've got for you." She held up the paper bag.

I turned to Asahina. I hadn't noticed her sitting in the corner. She looked like she wanted to just curl up and die.

"Come on." Suzumiya grabbed her hand and yanked her to her feet. "Get undressed."

"What are you doing?" Sasaki asked.

"I brought her maid costume."

"Miss Asahina, you don't have to let her do this." Sasaki stood up.

"It doesn't matter." Asahina looked down at the floor. "Nothing does."

"See? She doesn't mind."

"I'm going to get some tea." I picked up my bookbag.

"I think I'll join you." Sasaki grabbed hers.

Suou floated along behind us to the cafeteria. I briefly considered offering to buy her some tea, but thought better of it.

We sat in silence, sipping at our tea. I was pondering what I could say to Sasaki when Asakura entered the cafeteria. I thought about running, but figured that sitting between Sasaki and Suou was the safest place to be, somehow.

Asakura addressed me by my actual name and said that the matter she had brought up with me previously was on hold for the moment. Then she turned around and walked away. That strange lovely smile never slipped from her face.

"So it seems that you're down one girlfriend, Kyon. What does that leave the count at now?"

"I don't have any girlfriends, sorry."

"Oh? Well Suou, what do you see in Kyon?"

Suou smiled at Sasaki for half a minute, and then finally said. "Eyes pretty." As usual, the voice sounded in my head and her lips never moved.

Was she talking about me, Sasaki or perhaps Asakura? She said nothing further, so we all returned to the clubroom.

Suzumiya showed off her new maid, and said that she'd soon pick up a tea service. She coached Asahina through the duties of a "clumsy maid" and when Nagato returned, she said that the first brigade outing would be a nine a.m. the next morning at the train station, and that everybody should be there.

"And what exactly would we be doing?" Sasaki asked.

"Scouting locations! You don't have to attend, Sasaki."

-HJC