# Sympathy

## A 'Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' fanfiction

### Chapter Five -- Phenomenon

Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with 'The
Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. No
disrespect is intended by the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the
characters or settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of
paints.

* * *

Unless I'm being chased down by Yanagimoto and Sakanaka, I can still run off
between classes, or for lunch, and not be bothered. Kyon was quiet in class
today, probably still upset by how we left off yesterday. I can't say I'm at
all happy about it, either -- but the important part stuck with me.

Koizumi seemed to care a lot more about Kyon than his own club president, and
I don't think a common bond of playing the same video games quite explains
things. Skipping the cafeteria, I run to his classroom and drag Koizumi aside,
just like I did the first day I met him.

He lets me haul him out of class, and once we're alone in the same bushes, I
cut to the chase, not letting him say anything before I begin: "You've got
something to tell me-- Something involving Kyon. Am I right?"

He purses his lips and gives me a much more thoughtful look than his typical
disarming, somewhat goofy smile. It's a strange shift, but less jarring than
when Mikuru drops her moe-moe mask. "A question for a question -- you've heard
something involving him from someone else?"

I frown, not entirely liking the fact that he doesn't just spit it out or
confess. I nod cautiously, though -- this feels better than my talk with Yuki
or Mikuru!

"So-- Say what you know, before I say anything in return," I challenge. "And
if you're going to feed me another stupid story that I won't buy without
proof, save your breath!"

"Proof?" he returns, raising his eyebrows. "Well-- Wait a moment, then." Then
he turns to his phone as though I weren't there, and punches some buttons
quickly. I try to read the text he's typing up, but he angles the screen so I
can't read it before hitting 'send' and pocketing the device.

"So.... You _can_ prove things?" I can't help but ask hopefully.

"With permission, perhaps," he allows. "I will find out and inform you after
our club duties end. It seems only fair that you should get a chance to see
it, considering how rarely it appears these days. However, I must ask you to
say nothing of this to Kyon-kun beforehand."

"...what?" I have to ask, not following this at all. Still, he says there's
proof involved! For proof, I'll put up with this! Hell, even if it's a sham,
at least I'll be able to point at whatever he's calling 'proof' and laugh. And
all I need to do is not talk to Kyon about it?

So for that reason, I can't be that put off when Kyon's voice is a little more
sour than usual, and he grumbles, "You seem excited today."

I almost tell him why, but catch myself. "That's because I'm working hard for
our club," I reply, which silences him, even if it doesn't actually seem to
reassure him.

I can't believe he's still buying into Mikuru's act....

* * *

After a relatively boring day of club -- Kyon was too distracted to play board
games with Koizumi-kun, just mumbling and doing his homework -- I accost
Koizumi-kun on the way out the door. "Oh, I wanted to talk to you about your
tardiness for our assignment this weekend," I say, as he and Kyon are out the
door.

Kyon pauses, and something seems to go through his expression when he glances
back at us. He quickly seems to dismiss it, shaking his head and walking away.
Mikuru goes to the costume rack and takes her uniform down, then gives
Koizumi-kun an expectant look.

Well -- _I'm_ not going to tell him to accommodate her, not as annoying as she
is to me.

Yuki closes her book in her seat and watches us curiously.

Sighing, Koizumi-kun gives a small shake of his head and tells me, "I'll pick
you up for a demonstration at your place in about forty minutes." He glances
at Yuki and Mikuru, then shrugs. "Be ready," he adds, giving me the impression
that the notice was more for _their_ benefit than _mine_.

Yuki's expression doesn't change, and Mikuru looks uninterested, though.

I'm not sure what to make of that. That they're not all on the same page? I'm
not sure.... If Mikuru's supposed to be a time traveler, and Yuki's supposed
to be an alien ... then what about Koizumi-kun? Maybe a youkai? Or a cyborg?

I can't come up with any especially good guesses before getting home. My mom
isn't there yet, so I have plenty of time to switch out to casual clothing. A
skirt with pockets, and a purse with everything I think I could need in it.
Most important is my phone, which has a GPS, and a camera, in case there's
anything worthwhile to see.

Koizumi comes by not long after I finish changing. It's maybe a _little_
strange, now that I think about it, that he already knows where I live. That
doesn't really prove he's something paranormal; anyone who put enough effort
into it could find their way to a student directory. I do pause for a second
to think about what we must look like to the house across the street, though.

Probably, we look like highschool students on a date. And even _more_ likely,
that nosy old woman who lives there will tell my mom about it.

He arrived in a cab, at least, so that's better than running to the train
station. "Well?" I prompt Koizumi, glancing at the older gentleman who's
driving, once the doors are shut and we start rolling into motion.

He starts off by explaining that something happened to him -- and a small
number of other people -- across the world around three years ago. The same
time as the 'data spike' and 'temporal anomaly.' He also explains Kyon's
ability in _slightly_ more detail. The part that catches me the most is where
he says he thought at one point he might be going crazy; I've got to have a
little sympathy for that, because I've felt similar things recently!

He's easier to talk to about it, but to cut a very, very long conversation
into a more reasonable-length one, his stance is basically a rehash of the
same bizarre Kyon-centric solipsism as the others. This is the longest car
ride I've ever been on, and if the material were any less interesting, I'd
have fallen asleep! He's a bit clearer about it, and also throws in his
'type.' Evidently Koizumi's an _esper_, able to sense Kyon's unrest.

As an added bonus, he's _also_ a member of a shadowy secret organization,
that's devoted to keeping Kyon calm! I pay attention when he says that,
because it's the most interesting part of what's otherwise a very dull car
ride.

"Kyon-kun has a relatively stable disposition," Koizumi-kun explains. "He was
more ... energetic and enthusiastic in earlier years -- around the middle of
his last year of middle school, he calmed down greatly, thanks to a
particularly influential classmate."

That sounds so cliche....

Koizumi-kun doesn't respond to my expression, continuing, "While it's very
rare that Kyon-kun truly becomes troubled, we take note when it happens.

"Effectively, the stress between his subconscious will and his conscious
understanding of a situation occasionally conflict. It's rare -- but you can
imagine, I'm sure -- the difference between rationally knowing a thing, and
feeling that it should be otherwise simultaneously."

"Well, yeah," I agree. I don't see anything remotely like this being _proof_,
but as an idea, I can agree with it. "You're saying that Kyon's super power is
almost always dormant?"

"Almost," he agrees. "On those occasions that Kyon-kun is pushed far enough
... those in my organization who were gifted with powers by him join
together." The cab stops abruptly, and I realize that I have no clue where we
are. Koizumi steps out of the car without hesitation, and I crawl after him,
popping out the same door before he can shut it.

He shrugs slightly, then reaches out to me. "Take my hand?" he suggests.

I grab it, warning him, "This _doesn't_ mean we're dating -- and if that's all
this is a ploy for...." I let the threat dangle at that.

He chuckles dryly and says, "You may find it more comfortable if you close
your eyes."

Yeah -- like the _rest_ of this wasn't suspicious enough? I keep my eyes
peeled -- on _him_ -- as he leads me across the crosswalk. Like I pushed into
a pool of water, I feel something strange envelop the hand that Koizumi's
holding; it sweeps across me and then hits my face -- and my eyes suddenly
fill with a kaleidoscope of strange shapes, most of them in shades of
electric, glowing blue-white.

* * *

When I can make sense of things again, I'm laying on my back on the street,
Koizumi-kun's hand free of mine as he crouches above me and looks down warily.
"I warned you," he reproves mildly, standing up and surveying his
surroundings.

I'm on my feet like a shot after that, though when I stumble, he catches my
arm, making a 'tsk'ing noise.

"Where the hell are we?" I can't help but shout. The sky above us is gray, the
building's around us are gray, the sky overhead-- hell, except for us and our
clothes, _everything_ is gray!

"This is the closed space that's generated as a side-effect of his restless
unease," Koizumi-kun explains, shaking his head slightly. "As I just
explained. Here, this way."

I ignore him and immediately try the first thing I can think of -- walking
back out. The edge of the space is like some gelatinous barrier that pushes
back, but is too firm for me to get through. It doesn't matter that I'm stuck
here, though. Actually, I'd be more worried if I managed to go back and never
found this place again!

What _matters_ is that I _found_ it, and it's _real_!

I turn back to Koizumi-kun, and can't stop from grinning. "You're an _esper_,"
I declare, re-evaluating things.

"That's right," he agrees, his appearance going from 'mildly annoyed' to
'amused.'

"And this means-- This means that Yuki's really an alien, not some crazy
prankster?"

"We believe that to be the case."

"And Mikuru's a time-traveler? Not some-- She-- She's _really_ a time
traveler?"

"As we understand things, yes."

"Okay!" I exclaim, turning around and fixing him with a sharp look, locking
gazes.

He raises an eyebrow and looks at me curiously.

"Go out with me," I demand.

He snorts, rolling his eyes. "No," he returns instantly, pulling his hand
back.

Hey! I'm about to press further when we're _both_ distracted by a distant,
muffled explosion. I turn to look, and....

How distracted was I to miss something _that_ obvious? There's a massive semi-
transparent glowing blue figure, easily twenty stories tall! It's just
standing to one side, probably a kilometer away, slowly straightening up from
studying the building it had just smashed.

He shakes his head at my indignation and says, "I'm hardly done with my proof,
for one. I'm afraid my colleagues need me, so ... please enjoy your view of
this rare event!"

He takes another step back and is wreathed in an aura of red flame-- In a
flash it's become a red orb, with him vanished inside of it. He streaks
skyward, and is joined by a group of others. I watch in surprise as they
engage the giant, which only belatedly reacts to defend itself.

This is the most epic and surreal fight scene I've ever seen! It blows away
any _movie_, that's for sure! I'd cheer for Koizumi-kun, but I can't even tell
which one he _is_! The spheres -- looking like red dots at such a distance --
cut the giant apart, piece by piece. The severed pieces fall toward the ground
and dissolve into slime or some liquid-- It splashes down out of my sight, but
it was _amazing_!

I can't speak for the others, because they weren't willing to give me proof.
But that doesn't matter anymore, because Koizumi-kun did! This is the start of
something amazing -- with him at my side, there's no _end_ to the amazing
adventures we could have! Checking out these closed spaces, using his powers
to solve mysteries....

One of the red spheres zips to my side, the light fading to reveal Koizumi-
kun, looking no worse for wear. Plus, how many other people have been able to
be this close to an esper -- and known it? That thought in mind, I grab
Koizumi-kun's nearest hand and hold it tightly. On the small chance that he
forgot, I welcome him back with, "Go out with me!"

"No," he returns again, looking amused. "That's not going to happen. You
understand that my goal is stabilizing Kyon-kun, don't you? Beyond that-- The
others have as much as spelled it out to you, based on your complaints. If
Kyon-kun has _chosen_ you, wouldn't I be foolish to get in the way of that?
We're working toward his greater _stability_, not a desire to unbalance him.

"As things stand, he's content, and because of that, seldom employs his
powers. I don't like to think of the world should he come to believe it's a
dismal, unhappy place."

To punctuate that remark, and perfectly capturing my feelings for the moment
it happens, the sky overhead shatters into a billion fragments of light, all
of them noisily thundering down like some form of psychic snow. I watch in
stupefied silence until they're all gone, realizing only at the end that I've
forgotten to take a picture with the camera I stuffed into my purse.

_Damn_. We're back in the real world!

"I believe my reasons have been clear enough," he adds. "To say nothing of the
fact that outside of Kyon-kun, we don't exactly have common interests. You're
interested only because I have powers, not because of who I am. Really, you
hardly even know me -- especially compared to how well you should know Kyon-
kun, by this point."

The ride back home is silent.

Getting home isn't any problem in itself, outside of dealing with my mother.
"Takahashi-san from across the street called me today. I should say that I'm
glad to see you're back to dating boys again," she says, sounding less than
fully convinced.

...this is just what I _don't_ need right now.

"I gave it a shot," I grumble, which is the same thing I realize I said about
Yuki. Well-- She wouldn't believe me if I were to tell her the full truth, so
I offer a cut-down, but still honest, explanation: "I really tried, but he's
more interested in a boy we both go to school with."

"W-what? Oh, Haruhi...."

She trails off as I storm into my room. Really, the sad part is, that's the
first time in a long time that my mother's actually looked sympathetic to my
dating situation.

* * *

I hear that some girls skip dinner because they're worried about their
figures. I think that's stupid -- though I can't judge them for skipping
dinner entirely. I miss my own, just holing up in my room and shutting out the
outside world.

So. Koizumi-kun is an esper. And shot me down.

I can't really say that he's wrong when he claims I was more interested in him
as an esper than anything else. He's right that I don't really know him. He's
just not that interesting a guy-- I wanted amazing and cool, not to meet some
slacker with powers he uses only when he has to.

I guess I mostly wanted to keep him from running away, not _really_ to 'date'
him. Then again, isn't the key to that Kyon, not Koizumi-kun?

Absolutely, he's at the middle of everything. Yuki for 'data,' Mikuru for 'the
timestream,' and now Koizumi-kun for ... I'm not sure. The stability of the
world?

If I wanted amazing and cool, wouldn't Kyon be it? Except ... Kyon doesn't
know he's got amazing powers. Hell, even though I can believe Koizumi-kun's an
esper, and the others are an alien and a time traveler, I have yet to see any
proof of Kyon's ability. Koizumi-kun _claimed_ that Kyon had made the closed
space, but how do I know that?

I don't know. There's no point to thinking of Kyon as someone with amazing
powers if he doesn't know about them. I could try telling him. Still, at this
point aliens, time travelers, and espers have all decided not to.

Why not? Mikuru made it sound like they weren't very good friends -- it'd be
something for them to disagree and yet all cooperate to keep Kyon in the dark.

Okay. What do they want with Kyon, then?

For Koizumi-kun, it's simple. Keep Kyon calm enough that he doesn't destroy
the world.

For Mikuru.... I don't like where this goes. Perfect moe-moe act? Actually
coldly calculating? And then she says I make her job easy? Obviously ... she's
trying to manipulate Kyon, for some reason.

Well-- Putting those two together, Kyon really _was_ upset. Mikuru's act got
to him so badly that....

I mean. If I _do_ believe that Kyon is somehow the one responsible for that
strange space that Koizumi-kun showed me, then.... It's hard to accept that
the awesome thing that Koizumi-kun showed me may have been _my_ fault.

That thought keeps me up very, very late.

* * *

"Bad dreams again?" Kyon asks the next morning, seemingly calmed once more.
He's relaxed, but slightly wary, instead of yesterday's grumbling
uncomfortable avoidance of meeting my gaze.

"Hardly slept at all," I mumble, grimacing. At least this time, I did my
homework, so I don't need to worry about _that_.

He nods at that, and we both stare out the window in silence. Distantly, some
third year girl and boy are taking down the tennis netting. As we watch, he
says or does something he shouldn't -- she shoves him and turns, running away,
leaving him to handle the netting himself.

Kyon sighs softly, resting one elbow on his desk, and his chin on the palm of
that arm.

He doesn't start any other conversation, and actually takes a nap through
English, so for the first time in a very long time, there's nothing to talk
about in the morning until lunch.

I'd forgotten how quiet it really got.

* * *

Okay-- He got the better of me last time. I could run Koizumi-kun down for a
rematch, but I realize at this point all I'd really get is more of the same
nonsense. Instead, when the lunch bell rings, I go for Kyon's tie again.

He's still faster than me -- but he still follows me when I try and lead him
away. He looks confused as we come to a stop in the same corridor where I
announced the plan to form a club, not that long ago. "Kyon, I need to tell
you something important," I warn him.

"I'm listening," he returns solemnly, the traces of a smile on his face
vanishing. "What's this about?"

"Our club has been ... almost too successful at finding what we want," I tell
him slowly, staring into his eyes. "So-- You may find this hard to believe,
but, Nagato Yuki is an alien!"

"...really?" he answers, giving me a strange look.

"Asahina Mikuru is a time traveler!" I add quickly, scowling when I recognize
his skepticism. "It's true-- And Koizumi Itsuki is an esper!"

"And you're the magical girl that brings them all together?" he asks, rolling
his eyes. "Really, Suzumiya...."

"H...hey," I protest, scowling.

"I was hoping this was about you deciding to apologize to Asahina-san."

Apologize!? But-- "She's a time traveler from the future! She only acts like
that to trick you!" I complain. "You can't still be falling for that act, can
you?"

He purses his lips and looks away.

And ... I've been running around and demanding proof the entire time. I don't
have any of my _own_ to offer up, either. Probably this is the kind of
situation that I should have had more of a plan to deal with. Something more
than 'get it to stop being so quiet,' anyway. If I'd just remembered to take
those damn pictures!

I guess if what Koizumi-kun claims is true, I could just piss Kyon off enough
to make another one of those spaces. That idea makes my stomach turn, though
-- and not just because there's no guarantee that Koizumi-kun would agree to
take me along again. More importantly, while it might have seemed like a good
plan at one point, all I can think of is how much that would make me like
Mikuru -- and that's _not_ a pleasant thought at all!

I have to figure out some longer-term plan to reveal the truth to Kyon. I
think I'll leave Koizumi-kun alone for now, since he was the least rude and
annoying about things. Yuki.... Yuki, I'm honestly not sure what to make of. I
have no idea if there's anything about her that would qualify as 'proof' or
not that I could uncover without her realizing, and she'd ... well, she'd
already told me Kyon wouldn't believe me, hadn't she?

It circles back to Mikuru again, doesn't it? She's tricky, and I can't use the
straightforward approach. I'll have to figure out a more subtle way to pull
this off -- get her to reveal that she's coldly manipulative, and not the
adorable moe-moe figure Kyon _thinks_ she is! And -- no matter what -- I can't
afford to let her paint me as the 'bad guy' again!

"...yeah, don't worry-- I won't go after Mikuru like that again," I mumble,
when the silence gets uncomfortable.

This is the saddest thing ever-- It's not that I want Kyon to be around as
much as ... of all the people he hangs out with, I'm the only one who even
tries to be honest with him. If somehow, our positions were reversed, I'd hope
he at least tried as much as I did right there. I'm not happy with things as
they are, but until I can figure out some way to make him believe me -- that
_doesn't_ play into their hands -- what can I do?

"I don't know about that last part, but ... is that a promise?" he finally
asks.

"I swear," I agree, grimacing. There's no way in _hell_ I want to help her
play up that farce! It was really cute -- right until it turned against _me_.
"I don't _ever_ want to have things turn out like that again!" But I _will_
find a way to show you what she really is!

"You look especially determined," he allows. "Alright ... well, in that case,
I should apologize for my own roughness."

I blink at that, a bit surprised, then he smiles nervously and shifts his gaze
to one side.

"So .... even if you were out of line, I'm sorry for that, Suzumiya."

...that's really not what I expected to hear. Still ... I suppose there _is_
something great about how we can speak more honestly than anyone else in the
Brigade. "I'll let that go, then," I agree, nodding. Maybe it's just a little
bit, but I manage to smile back at him.

* * *

Figuring out that we're all stuck until I can explain things to Kyon, that
session of our club is the most boring session yet. Koizumi and Kyon play
Reversi. Mikuru's got her maid uniform on, but I don't want anything to do
with that anymore. Yuki's by herself in the corner, reading her book and never
looking up.

It's the kind of situation that's just _begging_ for a client to come in and
give us a case-- Not that we put out many flyers, really. Or that _something_
would break the tension....

I don't want to be the one who breaks that silence; I think the way things are
now is pretty lousy, and don't want to make it worse. Kyon didn't believe me,
but I'm probably on better terms with him than the others.

Somehow, that seems like it's the only good thing to come out of this. I'm not
sure what that whole 'chosen' bit the others threw out means entirely.... I
mean, I don't think Koizumi-kun is completely right when he suggested that
Kyon might want to date me. If _that_ were the case, he could have asked me
out at any time.

What I _do_ know is ... one way or another, I'm closer to Kyon than they are.
That's probably the fact that keeps me from exploding, just practicing
spinning a pen across my hand and surfing the web. Even Mikuru isn't _that_
close ... though if I'm not careful, her act could change that a lot.

Figuring out how to move against Mikuru when Kyon still buys into that is the
tricky part. I do remember what he said, and there's no great reason to leave
things as they are. Even if Kyon's not that upset with me, knowing what kind
of person Mikuru is.... Yeah, there's no _way_ that I'm going to let her
manipulate him if I can help it!

"Ah, Mikuru-chan," I say, not as smoothly as I hoped.

She looks up from where she was observing Kyon's game with Koizumi, looking
surprised and anxious. Kyon, Koizumi-kun, and Yuki naturally watch as well.

It takes me a moment to figure out the words that I want to use while still
being technically honest, but I finally say, "I'm ... sorry about yesterday. I
don't want something like that to happen again! I promise you, Mikuru-chan, I
will work very hard to make sure it doesn't!"

I don't think I'd bother normally-- Apologies aren't usually my thing; I
prefer to not screw up in the first place. But in some ways, this is my own
act to counter Mikuru's. Well, as close as I'm willing to get to it, anyway.
Fight fire with fire, as they say. So ... not the full ninety degrees, but I
give her a bow anyway.

It's almost silent in the clubroom, until Mikuru manages to uncertainly reply,
"U...um.... It's ... okay...."

When I rise, I get the satisfaction of seeing her look confounded -- maybe
_genuinely_ so, not just pretending! Well, I can hope, anyway.

She seems to realize her expression is off, and quickly gives a bright smile.
"Ah-- T...thanks, Suzumiya-san, then, I'm happy for that!"

Kyon nods very slightly to himself, giving me a smile of his own. Well, that
dims things for me a bit; he doesn't understand what's really even going on.
At least ... not _yet_. "That's great!" I tell Mikuru. Shaking my head, I
glance across the others and add, "Alright, I'm heading home early; I've been
having to rush to finish my homework lately, so need to catch up on that. You
can stay or leave as you like-- See you tomorrow!"

My homework hasn't been that big a problem, and I think Kyon picks up on that
too-- But he nods to himself as I step through the door anyway. Maybe he
thinks it was really hard for me to apologize, or something? He shouldn't ...
I mean, I apologized to _him_, right?

Still.... My real reason to use that time is to try and come up with a solid
plan to solve this whole mess-- Some way to prove to Kyon who the others are
-- and then himself!

* * *