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The Unwilling Slider [Azecreth & Wingshadow]

It was a silent and frankly awkward walk back, with Nagato having returned to her usual attitude and demeanor now that the wisp was gone. Kyon glanced over at her, wondering just what was going on here, what was wrong, before leaving it be lest she ask. This was all so strange, and he would not make any judgments until he had the opportunity to investigate further. He definitely was not about to take this thing at face value and start mistrusting Nagato, not after everything she had done for him and Haruhi. Yet those nagging doubts still appeared.

"Oh, right," Kyon remarked when Nagato asked for the recording. That was unusual given what he knew of Nagato's capabilities, but he was probably just being paranoid. More likely than not it had to do with the damage she had taken, and he wasted no time in presenting her with the camcorder. He didn't see the need for it given that they weren't at the meeting spot yet, but if Nagato wanted to do that now then so be it.

Still, he couldn't help but admit that the way she was acting was a bit strange and worrying. It just kept aggravating upon his mind, with the way she stood now that wasn't characteristic. Maybe it was nothing, but with the situation he was in he couldn't just dismiss it out of hand. "Hey Nagato, are you alright," he asked then. If the wisp had done more damage to her, he wanted to know about it. With these circumstances, he needed every resource at his disposal, and that especially meant Nagato. That, and he was just concerned for her as a friend.
 
Nagato reached out and accepted the camcorder with her left hand, her eyes glancing over it for a moment before handing it back, "The data should be sufficiently altered to avoid suspicion." Kyon's next string of words, however, struck a cord within her.

At first Nagato said nothing, her head not even turning toward him to aknowledge that she had even heard him. "I am..." Nagato slowly turned back toward him, her eyes shimmering in the dim light, gleaming, bursting forth with thoughts she could not hope to express. She took two steps, her right hand grasping with two fingers the very edge of his jacket. "I am..." She repeated, but the river of words refused to pass through her lips. She could grasp at them, claw at them, reach toward them, but simply passed through her fingers like a fine mist that can be seen and felt but not handled.

"I..." Nagato attempted once again, "Numerous conflicts have begun to emerge within my data structure. Abnormal motor function, sensory perception, and metabolic regulation have been observed. Conflicts cannot be resolved without substantial resource allocation." She then countered, "My current priority is to prevent the timelines from colliding. Furthermore, preserving your own continued existance is a personal objective. Complications beyond that are unnecessary."
 
As Kyon had expected, altering the camcorder recording to erase any trace of what had occurred only took a few moments over all, and he gratefully took the camera back once she had finished doing so. "Thank," he replied gratefully, keeping it in a firm grip as they continued to walk. That had been handled, but he was more concerned as to whether she was alright. Obviously not given all recent occurrences, but he meant more after this single interaction more than anything. A man had to have priorities after all.

When she stopped he did the same, turning to face her even as his worry intensified with her apparent reluctance or inability to answer the question. It definitely solidified that something was wrong after all, but he couldn't understand why she was having such a problem saying it. That was in time for his own shock as he caught a view of her appearance, the glimmering eyes that just seemed to scream with how much pain they were in, breaking through that normally emotionless facade. Perhaps it was a result of everything he had done to try and make her more human, but at the moment it just hurt.

When the answer came, it was all that he had expected. She admitted that there were problems, but was nonetheless resolved to go ahead and carry on anyway until the crisis was resolved. He had expected that that might be the answer, based off of what he knew about her, but it was nonetheless infuriating. "Nagato, don't be stupid," he snapped, perhaps a bit more harshly than intended as he took a step closer to her, hands balling into fists as he made his impression known. "If there's a problem, then you need to deal with it. What's the point in saving the universe if you aren't coming with it?" One would think that she would remember this after the last incident when the timeline had been changed.

Another step closer then, even as he provided his own in the way of conclusions. "I can handle things for now, so you should be ore worried about yourself than me." Maybe it was just the experiences of the other timelines, or a remnant from the time when she had 'disappeared', but he wasn't about to let her do something so stupid, even if it was logical, again. Not if he had a say in the matter.
 
At first Nagato showed no indication that his show of anger had any real impact on her. She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, but then her eyes widened, a slow breath leaving her as they then returned to a state of repose. Something in his words had touched her, touched her in a way he likely never anticipated.

"My continued existance is insignificant compared to the potential loss of data should the current circumstances be allowed to continue along their current path," Nagato replied, a hint of warmth passing through her words as she spoke them. She released her grip on his jacket and placed her hand against her chest, "However, I will follow your advice and place a higher priority on resolving said conflicts." She stepped toward him abruptly, her body tilting forward until her head pressed against his chest, her right hand reaching up to grasp his back while her left hand reached downward and clasped over his tightly clenched right fist. Her body felt light, almost frail. She had dropped the camcorder, the forgotten impliment no longer her concern. No, what occupied her thoughts, her actions, was the being before her. the termoil within her eyes gradually faded, replaced once again by that mysterious calm. Then, as abruptly as she had embraced him, she began to withdraw, fingertips sliding across the back of his hand as she took two steps back.

She blinked twice, speaking no more words as she turned to begin walking at a brisk pace. The significance of her actions and words, however were not completely clear, but for whatever reason she had in some way quelled the outward signs of her inner torment.
 
It was probably a bit much for Kyon to expect that she would fully sacrifice whatever responsibility she felt to the world just because he told her that she should focus on herself. That would be selfish, and it was hardly in her character to do so. And that she confirmed with her response, even as she took him by surprise once more. It was the least he could hope for, and he was glad that she had agreed to see reason to some extent and focus on getting better, and dealing with whatever her own problems were at the moment.

His eyes lit up in surprise as Nagato practically collapsed against him, wrapping an arm around him as she held herself up. In that moment he was aware, perhaps even hyperaware of how light she seemed, how frail and vulnerable. In that moment she wasn't the unstoppable, reality warping alien that he knew, but as human as ever, like her self in that timeline. He grunted at the same time, but gave her the comfort of his company nonetheless.

Then as suddenly it was over, Nagato stepping away and resuming her walk at a brisk pace. He grabbed the camcorder before following after her, shocked into silence and not sure how to go on after that abrupt display. He would merely keep at her side as they headed towards the meeting spot, to give the bad news to Haruhi.
 
When the pair met up with the others, Haruhi's disapproving gaze met them as she stood arms crossed and feet in line with her shoulders, "What the hell have you two been doing? Its been nearly fifteen minutes past when we were supposed to meet up. You'd better be pulling your weight, Kyon, I'm warning you." She also cast a brief glance in Yuki's direction, but the taciturn interface passively aknowledged her presence and nothing more. Nagato saw no need to justify their tardiness, and in all honesty considering what they had been through it was rather remarkable that so little time had been lost. Nonetheless, Haruhi would hear no excuses, voiced or otherwise. She stomped over to Kyon and confiscated the camcorder before dismissing the other brigade members for the day.

Once Haruhi was well out of sight, Koizumi stepped over to Kyon and Nagato, "I take it that the two of you had something of an adventure out there. From what I can tell, these fox fires people have been seeing of late have been nothing more than illusions created from Haruhi's subconcious desire to see fox fires for herself. the ones from tonight were a little different, however... I'll have some of my colleges look into them and see what we can learn about what changed between last night and tonight. Perhaps I'm just acting paranoid, but I have a feeling that things might be getting a bit more dangerous around here until we learn more about what these things are and what their purpose is."

"Of course, the one in the most danger would be you," Koizumi granted him a smile that was anything but reassuring, "So I hope you will take precautions as necessary from here on out. As much as I'd like to believe Haruhi's subconcious would never cause direct harm to anyone, the same does not apply to whatever beings are created from that subconcious. This is just a theory, but, I think it is more or less tied to her emotional state." He waved to the two of them, "Of course, you have more options than the rest of us. If things get out of hand, you could always just calm her down the same way you did when she nearly recreated the world."

Mikuru seemed rather drained, and simply bid a simple farewell before she left for home as well.
 
Unsurprisingly, Haruhi was angry at them when the two of them returned to the meeting spot. Kyon hardly expected that she would be happy, and he handed over the camcorder with little complaint on his part. "We lost track of time," he protested, even though it made no difference at all. So he took the abuse, and was glad when she didn't look past it to inquire further as to their experiences. She wouldn't learn anything.

"Yeah, it was odd," he agreed, glancing over to the still silent Nagato as Koizumi stepped over to talk to the both of them. He wasn't ready to go into the full detail about it. but that seemed to be fine with the Esper, merely warning him to be careful as one might expect. At least it was a theory, but Kyon had the feeling that it wasn't correct. "Yeah, I know that," he replied somewhat dismissively. "I'll watch out." With how the fox fires had acted thus far he would have to, even if they weren't connected to Haruhi's emotional state but rather some other entity. Especially one as unknown as this.

Once the two of them had gone, he turned to Nagato, carefully eyeing her lest she collapse again. "Do you want me to walk you home," he asked her, wary of her ability to do so under her own power. It wouldn't be too far out of his way, and it wasn't as if he had never done this sort of thing before. At the moment, the well being of his friend was all that mattered.
 
Once Koizumi had also bid the two of them farewell, only Kyon and Nagato remained. The night had drawn on, the dim night air hanging over them stagnant and resolute, chilling and somewhat unnerving. She looked up at him inquisitively, as if at a loss as to why he would even make such a request. Nagato wasted no time in replying, however, with a simple nod and a single spoken word, "Yes..." Without waiting for him, she turned and began walking toward her appartment, as she had not brought any form of transportation with her. As one who valued simplicity and function, this came as no surprise.

Along the way she shifted back and forth on occasion but never truly lost her balance. She cast backward glances over her shoulder at him somewhat routinely, from a few minutes into the walk until the appartment complex proper began to emerge from behind the other nearby buildings, whereupon her pace quickened from a simple walk to just shy of a slow jog. Upon reaching the base of the building she turned, "Do you want to come in?" It was already quite late, but even so it had been quite some time since she had last invited him up to her room. On this particular occasion, the possibility of her discussing anything concerning aliens, mysterious entities, or the like remained slim, but a possibility nonetheless... Still, the way she calmly waited for his reply conveyed a different sentiment entirely.
 
The night was strange, the traces of the fox fires seeming to hang on the air over the duo as the past threatened to rise up and swallow them once more. He stood waiting to hear what she would say, whether she would go it alone or allow him to help her. At this point she could really say either, and while he might insist on coming with, he could provide no objection if she refused. She was cognizant enough to make that decision at the very least. But at last she chose, and with a hum he fell into step next to her, as they made their way to her apartment.

The walk there was quite, Kyon preoccupied with worry as Nagato swayed back and forth, yet never toppling. She was worse than he had remembered from earlier, and it made him glad that he had come with even if he hadn't needed to. If she had become overwhelmed and collapsed, or been attacked by those fox fires again, who knew what might have happened? No, it was better for both of them this way.

At last they reached the base of the building, and Kyon was taken off guard once more as she offered to let him come inside. This was strange if only because she never did that, instead requiring Kyon to ask her first. It was late, but it was hardly the latest that he had ever been out, and in her current state he was understandably leery to leave her alone without being sure that she had made it to her destination safely. "Sure," he agreed, a hint of reluctance in his tone, but he nonetheless followed her as they took that familiar path up to her room.
 
Nagato nodded back at him and showed him inside, pressing the elevator button preemptively. Her movements flowed more smoothly than before, with a certain lightness to her steps as she moved. Before long, the two reached that familiar appartment door, which she promptly unlocked with the turn of a key. A dim interior greeted her, but she passed through the doorway without pause.

Upon entering her room, Nagato reached out and flipped on the light switch, the bulbs flickering to life as she slipped out of her outside shoes. She shuffled over to the kitchen, emerging shortly thereafter with a bowl of tangerines, which she carried with her to the living area. The room was as bare and expressionless as all of his earlier visits, with the exception of a kotatsu replacing the tea table that normally stood in the center of the room. She placed the bowl down onto the table and slid herself up to its edge before looking up at Kyon.

"Eat," she gestured toward the tangerines, although she made no effort to sample any of them herself. Instead, she simply switched on the heater below the blanket and waited for her guest to join her. Leaning forward she slid her arms under the thick blanket as well, until her chin rested on the edge of the table.
 
The trip upstairs to Nagato's room was the same as it always one, and he was glad to see that her state had begun to turn around now that they had entered the apartment building. He didn't know exactly why, but given everything that had happened it was less of a concern for him at the moment. Together they went up the elevator and then headed on to her room, soon entering inside her apartment as she had wanted him to do.

The inside was much the same as it had been the last time he had visited, or rather much the same that it always was. It had the bare necessities of life with nothing else extraneous. He took off his shoes and headed into the living area, which he was surprised to find had a kotatsu now as opposed to the table that had been there before. The change was unusual, but he moved to sit beneath it as Nagato returned with a bowl of tangerines, of all things. That was also unusual, but from what he remembered she didn't do much cooking for herself anyway. So he would survive.

"Oh, thank you," he replied with a grateful nod, reaching over to take one of the tangerines. He would remove the peel before biting into it, enjoying the citrus taste even as the heater warmed her legs. Glancing across the table, he would admit that Nagato looked pretty cute posed as she was, even with the worry he had for her. There was silence for a bit as he waited for her to begin to talk, leaving her with the initiative. She had invited him, so he figured that she would start the conversation first, if she wanted to talk.
 
Instead of talking, however, Nagato simply watched him eat, her eyes following each movement his hands made. Ever so subtly, or perhaps not so subtly, she scooted around the edge of the kotatsu until she sat beside him at the table. All this she somehow managed to accomplish without once leaving the warmth of the blanket or even taking her arms out from under it. Either she had rehersed this maneuver before or the humanoid interface possessed exceptional kotatsu skill. In either case, Nagato leaned against his side silently, tilting her head to the side as necessary to continue observing Kyon.

"Comfortable?" she spoke at last, her right hand sliding out from under the blanket to slide the bowl of tangerines closer to Kyon and by extention herself as well, "Eat." Did she find some sort of interest in seeing Kyon eat, or was there something more to her actions? Nagato's blank expression certainly did not offer any overt hints pertaining to her reasoning behind the invitation, but the similarity between their meeting now and the first time she had invited him to her appartment doubtless did not go unnoted. This time, she did not begin dumping information concerning cosmic collections of sentient data, however. Instead, Nagato directed the conversation to a more personal subject.

"What do you think of Ms. Suzumiya?"

Nagato spoke abruptly and to the point, but to what point exactly still remained nebulous.
 
Kyon would admit that he was more than a bit unnerved as the silence stretched on, him enjoying the tangerine while Nagato seemed merely content to do so. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, or why this was going on, but it was obvious that she wouldn't be telling him any time soon. Yet even he couldn't help but notice as she made her way around the table, somehow keeping her limbs beneath the kotatsu until she was sitting next to him. It was an impressive feat, and he made no move as she leaned against him once she had arrived at his side.

"Uhh, yeah," he confirmed, taking another bite from the tangerine he held. It was definitely comfortable, even if it was only the addition of the kotatsu and not any other real development of homeliness in the apartment on Nagato's part. Well ,small steps, small steps. If this had overall been some sort of plan of hers, he was unaware of it, and relatively oblivious at the same time. "I will," he reiterated then as she gestured for him to eat once more, mostly because he was still working on the one he had, even if it was just the remnants.

He was busy enough wondering what was up with her, the tangerines, and whatever subliminal messages she might be trying to send, that the question caught him off guard. "Huh?" That wasn't the sort of thing for Nagato to ask, at least this version. Perhaps the other Nagato might have, but she was much too shy for that sort of thing, at least in his own appreciation. So what was up with this then?

"Don't you know what I think about her," he asked before letting out a sigh, head tilting upwards to the ceiling as he gave an actual answer. "Well, she's bossy, annoying, has no regard for the feelings of others or what they might think, she's energetic, aggravating, and she has the powers of a god which we can't do anything about. I think that covers everything." Okay, perhaps a bit of sarcasm there, but it was all true.
 
She did not bother answering his retorical question, instead patiently enduring his unflattering reply from start to finish. It seemed that whether or not she actually knew the answer she desired to hear it from his own mouth instead of being implied or inferred from what she could observe from his overall behavior toward said young woman. "I see..." Nagato blinked then nodded once before looking down toward the bowl of tangerines, "Then I may conclude from your reply that being specifically chosen by Ms. Suzumiya has little to no bearing on your overall outlook of her as a person."

"That being the case," Nagato paused, "It appears that Ms. Suzumiya's subconcious does not directly influence your own will. She respects your judgement and does not desire to manipulate your person as she sees fit. In a way, she values your feelings to that extent, even if it does not extend further into concious actions or motives." She then looked back up at him, "A similar conflict between the internal, the essential desires, and the external, the outward actions and observable actions based upon said desires, has manifested within my own data. It is the reason for the various instances in which I have opperated outside permitted bounds..."

Nagato then added, "And it is also the reason why I am speaking with you now."
 
Having finished his piece, Kyon waited to hear why Nagato had asked that particular question in the first place. It wasn't as if he had made any secret of how he felt about Haruhi and her antics, though there were some positives, and the other universe that he had visited did a good ob of shining a light on the more pleasant experiences that could come from it. It was just a pity that she was in that universe and he was stuck in this one. Otherwise he might have actually been interested.

"As far as I know," he confirmed as she listed off her observation, slowly getting some idea of where she was going with this, and becoming more certain as she went on to explain what her apparent problem was. The observations made sense, and it was only until she explained that she was having a problem in terms of actions and desires that he really understood why. It made him think of that time before, and he had been certain that that had been resolved. Perhaps he was wrong though?

He looked over to her, a mixture of confusion, worry, and calm acceptance on his features. "What's bothering you," he asked. She had a problem, and she had just said that it was why they were talking now. Hopefully she would be willing to tell him what it was.
 
"For some time I have been unable to determine the source of the data corruption with any amount of certainty," Nagato continued, "The inward and outward drives did not converge at a single point until recently. The directions had been scattered, in some cases in complete opposition to each other at different times and complimentary to each other at others. That is no longer the case. The object has become centered, even if the actions and behavior has remained varied." Her gaze then pointed directly at Kyon, "You are the source of the data corruption."

"When comparing data fluctuation patterns during our interactions in the past to the current observable fluctuations, I have determined that you are the origin of the data corruption," Nagato explained, "However, that does not mean I wish to prevent our meeting. In fact, I propose the exact opposite. The data corruption has reached such a point that reverting back to my former state is all but impossible. However, it has also come to my attention that it is not the presence of the corrupt data itself that inhibits my capabilities, it is the conflicts between my original operational bounds and that of the evolving data structures. In other words, the process is harmless as long as it is encouraged rather than fought against."
 
The first tangerine finished, soon replaced by another as Nagato continued with her explanation. He knew of the errors of course, had been told as much by her before and so it didn't come as anything unusual. Perhaps the mention that they were centered on him was, though he would be lying if he hadn't had some sneaking suspicions based on what had happened over winter break. That sort of thing was hard to miss, as you might guess. "M-Me?" Hearing it confirmed, after all, was not the sort of thing that he especially wanted to hear.

"O-Oh, okay," he said then as she confirmed that she didn't want these meetings to stop, and would rather move with the changes than against it. "Well, we'll see each other all the time anyway....but won't the Data Entity have a problem with this?" He knew that he had made that threat before at the end of the crisis in winter, but he wouldn't put it past them to try anyway if they felt that they had to do so. And such drastic changes in Nagato would definitely be a cause to do so if nothing else.
 
"The Data Integration Thought Entity is currently in a panic due to the danger of the universes colliding, but is unable to act directly due to the vast amounts of unknown data fluctuations that could potentially occur," Nagato nodded, "We are safe for now, but there is no way to say how long the Data Integration Thought Entity will remain a passive observer. As an observation interface, I have a reasonable amount of autonomy. However, if the Data Integration Thought Entity determines that my evolution poses to great of a potential threat, your threat may prove insufficient to keep its actions against us in check."

"You should instead focus your attention on severing the links between the universes," Nagato added, "I will continue observing the Data Integration Thought Entity's actions and take actions as necessary, but such actions should be considered secondary rather than primary concerns." She then eased back slightly, "That being said, are you aware of any actions that we could perform together that would quicken my data evolution? At the current rate of stabilization, it may take several weeks for me to return to my previous operational capacity."
 
What concerns Kyon might have had were quickly laid to rest by Nagato, and he was inclined thus far to trust her. If she said that they were busy then they most likely were. She wouldn't lie to him without a good reason, and in this case it seemed as though lying wouldn't really help her. "I see. Well, I guess we'll just have to see how things turn out," he decided after a moment. There wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment, and if something did he would just have to see if his threat was effective after all.

Moving on, he nodded then. "Don't worry, I will," he confirmed. Obviously the imminent destruction of the universe was pretty important overall. But he would still pay attention to Nagato if he could do so. He owed it to her for all she had done for him. is brow furrowed slightly at her request, trying to come up with something before he shook his head. "Uh, not that I can think of," he admitted at last. "How does this data evolution stuff work?"
 
"It is difficult to express it in terms that you would comprehend," Nagato replied, "The data evolution rate is a function of proximity to the source. I have determined that sitting at a meal while seated together at a table allows for ease of conversation while also meeting this criteria. I also find it pleasing on a personal level. That being said, I would like to hear your input as well, as you are an integral part of this as much as I am." Unlike Haruhi, Nagato had little difficultly consulting Kyon on such matters instead of simply dragging him along, both figuratively and literally, whenever she found need of his services.

She leaned against his side a bit more, resting her head on his arm, "Current proximity allows for accelarated rate, shortening estimated time of completion from three to five weeks to one to two weeks. However, as it is impractical for us to remain in such a state for extended periods of time, additional sources may be required. On the other hand, full operation may not be required within the immediate future."
 
Kyon listened carefully as Nagato explained what she meant by this evolution, or at least tried to do so. It was definitely interesting, though he could hardly be expected to explain why it required being close to him for it to work. but if that was what she said, then he wouldn't contest it. Of course her just enjoying it because she liked to, and if that was what was required then he would do what he could to help her. The sooner she got better, the less of a problem it would be for all of them. "Oh, I see," he replied with a nod.

After a moment of thought he added his own input. "I guess we'll just have to spend more time together," he noted aloud. "Though I guess we don't want to get Haruhi jealous or angry at us." That probably wouldn't help. It was, perhaps, an option to convince her that Nagato was sick and have her use her godly powers subconsciously to help out, but that would be a risky tactic at best. "Other than that I'm not sure."
 
"If you ever think of something, do not hessitate to inform me," Nagato then rose from the table and placed her hand on his head, "If you are away much longer, your family members may begin to worry. Please be careful on the way home. I doubt they will act again today, but it would be best to remain cautious." The softspoken humanoid interface maintained her deeply peering gaze, a gaze that had once again grown discomforted in light of their parting. Still, it would have been unthinkable for him to stay with her for longer than they had. Even if he could fool his parents by asking Taniguchi to cover for him and claim that he had stayed over at his place that night, Haruhi doubtless would catch wind of it one way or another and rake him over the coals for it.

Even so, their fates had become intertwined, in ways that even she could not fully comprehend, and her recent developments doubtless had to be in some way related to the current predicament that they found themselves in. To what extent and end, however, remained to be seen. At present, the taciturn bibliophile simply conveyed her deep-felt desires and the undefined emotions as cleanly as she could manage, an honesty that few others surrounding him to lay claim to.
 
"Right, I will," Kyon agreed as he finished the second tangerine and then rose to his feet. He would have been fine staying even if Nagato had proven that she was alright now, but he recognized the wiseness of the choice. They didn't need to risk Haruhi finding out, assuming that something had happened, and then making their lives miserable as a result of it. That wouldn't be fun for anyone, and it would just make Koizumi's job more difficult as well, even if he didn't have too much of a problem with that fact.

Back on his feet, he put his shoes on, waved goodbye, and headed out the door and back towards home. He had a lot to think about, the recent events and the mysteries that swirled around, the nature of this opponent they were trying to defeat, the problems with Nagato, and everything else that he had learned. It was a more complicated problem than one would expect, and he would have to do his best to face it. Nonetheless at the same time he prepared for the change, to return to the world where Asahina was his childhood friend, and all that that meant. He had the feeling that it would be quite interesting.
 
Early the next morning by the time the clock in his room should have been ringing, Kyon instead discovered a pleasant hand stroking his head, a hand that according to his own memory had not done so before. At the same time, the hand did so with such precision and confidence that its movements had doubtless resulted from countless hours of practice and preparation. That is to say, the hand in question belonged to one Mikuru Asahina. She bent over him at his bedside, her cute fluffy coat over her school uniform as she gently and affectionately nudged him awake, "Kyon... Wake up, Kyon. Its time for us to head to school."

She smiled at him warmly, a full blush tinting her features as she waited for him to become fully aware of his surroundings. Doubtless she had seen such an event countless times already in the past, and every day granted her that same familiar joy as the day before. "If you don't hurry, we will be late again. Ms. Suzumiya might chase you around school again if that happens." The mere suggestion would have struck fear into the heart of even the most hardened soul...
 
Kyon had been expecting the transition between universes at this point, but what he had not been expecting at all was the hand stroking his head in a delicate yet firm manner, as opposed to the annoyed blaring of his alarm clock. It was a nice change all things considered, up until he wondered who it was in his room. It certainly couldn't be his sister, since she was too little for the approximate angle that this hand seemed to be at. So with a groan, he opened his eyes to find himself confronted with Asahina's smiling face.

Now this was the sort of morning call that he wanted, Kyon decided in that moment, greeted with sunshine personified, which made him want to simply bask in her presence and not get up at all, lest this come to an end. He supposed it wasn't a surprise that as childhood friends she might do this, though he wondered why it hadn't happened yesterday. Nonetheless, he wasn't about to disagree with the situation at hand.

That was, until Haruhi was mentioned. She might approve of them being friends like this, but he really didn't want to be chased by that maniac around the entire school. Another groan escape as he rose, sitting up and putting an end to his wonderful experience. "Right," he agreed. "I'll be right there." He had become an expert in preparing for school quickly, though oddly enough this had only happened after he had met Haruhi. Some connection? It seemed likely. He would do his best to get dressed (Once Asahina was out of the room), then collect his school work and eat breakfast so they could head off, as rapidly as possible.
 
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