31_days | [28-Sep-2006] [The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya] The New World Order

Title: The New World Order Of Haruhi Suzumiya
Challenge: 28-Sep-2006 "a world order governed by rules"
Based on: The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
Characters: the SOS Brigade
Type: General / horror? / humor; exactly 1000 words
Warnings: Part of one bad word at the very end.
Notes: The obligatory "awakening" continuation. This probably takes place some time after the end of the TV series.

The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya © Nagaru Tanigawa / Noizi Ito / SOS Brigade / Kadokawa Shoten / Kyoto Animation.

Kyon walked into the SOS Brigade club-room. Haruhi was late, but the other club members had already arrived.

At first glance, all seemed normal. Yuki sat in her corner, engrossed in a book. Itsuki stood at the windows, hands clasped behind his back, absently gazing out across the quiet school campus. Mikuru had already begun her maid cos-play, and she was setting out the afternoon tea.

The only sound in the room was the rattling of tea-cups in their saucers as Mikuru set them out. Kyon glanced at Mikuru, and noticed that the poor girl seemed more terrified than usual. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Kyon pulled up a chair, sat down and slouched back, raising his arms to clasp his hands behind his head. He stared at the far wall.

"The tea is ready," Mikuru said with painfully fake cheerfulness.

No one answered her for a long silent awkward moment.

Itsuki suddenly came to himself. "Ah. Pardon me, Mikuru-chan. Thank you." He walked back to the table, sat across from Kyon, and took a sip from his cup. He winced, and set it down to let it cool.

And then, Itsuki rested his elbows on the table, held his folded hands against his face, and stared meaningfully at Kyon.

"What!?" Kyon said irritably.

"World peace," Itsuki said simply.

Kyon scowled. "What about it?"

"It's official," Itsuki said. "The political and economic momentum has been building for days, and the last armed conflict on Earth ended today. Treaties are being negotiated. Old debts are being paid or forgiven. In short, history is being made. Haven't you been following the news?"

"Yeah," Kyon said. "It's all I've heard about, the past few days. Frankly, it's getting boring."

"Well, then. You shouldn't have raised the subject."

Kyon sighed. "Look, she started it. All of a sudden, out of the blue, she just asked me, if I could wish for anything, what would it be? And I hate stupid questions like that. So I used the standard answer— world peace."

"And?" Itsuki asked, calmly but sternly, like a prosecutor interrogating a witness.

"And," Kyon said, more hesitantly, "she laughed at me... and she said, I'll see what I can do about it."

"And so she did," Itsuki declared. "Wittingly or otherwise, she did something about it."

Kyon stared blankly at Itsuki, and then he held his face in his hands. "You're sure about that? It isn't just a ridiculous coincidence?"

"The Agency is certain of it," Itsuki said. "I know it to be true, myself. And so do you, Kyon. More importantly, so does she."

Kyon gulped. The Agency was not as fearsome as... her, but... "Uh... the Agency isn't, uh... angry, is it?"

"No, no," Itsuki said. "No, for once, I fear that the Agency doesn't know what to think."

He turned in his chair, and spoke indirectly to Yuki. "And I would guess that the Data Entity is at a similar loss?"

Yuki didn't answer at all.

After a moment, Itsuki turned back to Kyon. "No, I expect this was an outcome that none of us imagined. Closed Space... Celestials... even the complete collapse of the ten-dimensional space-time continuum... but not world peace."

"But it's a good thing, right?" Kyon asked. "I mean, 'Good End', and all that?"

"For the world, yes," Itsuki said. "But as for us? And you?... This is the first major demonstration of her power in the waking world. And, just as you inspired her to bring us together, you inspired her to do this thing. It was inevitable, and this might have been the pre-ordained time for it to happen, or you may have triggered the event earlier than it would have otherwise happened... but you effected it. In a way, it made you even more powerful than her, if only for a moment.

"Not to be overly melodramatic, but... Kyon, you have awakened a god. Such actions, accidental or intentional, are not without their consequences."

And then, as if on cue, the club-room door opened, and Haruhi Suzumiya walked into the room.

For once, she didn't bother to lock the door behind her. The significance of this was not lost on the others. There was no need for locked doors now.

There was no escape.

Haruhi remained strangely silent. She brushed past Mikuru, and Mikuru glanced up at her.

Haruhi winked.

Mikuru slumped over in her chair and stared at the table, making pathetic mewling noises, and trying not to shake with fear so badly that she fell out of her chair.

After passing the table, Haruhi paused to stare at Yuki. The silent girl looked up from her book, and stared back at Haruhi. They both remained silent and motionless. Kyon imagined that they had somehow "connected," and that they were telepathically exchanging data in some strange inhuman way.

Haruhi suddenly turned away, apparently satisfied. An unperturbed Yuki returned to her book.

Then Haruhi glanced at Itsuki. Remaining silent, she crossed her arms, and comically raised one eyebrow at him. Itsuki smiled cheerfully, and shrugged his shoulders, in his usual noncommittal way. Haruhi smiled in benevolent amusement, and shrugged back at him.

And then, Haruhi walked up to Kyon. Still seated in his chair at the table, he turned to one side and looked up at her.

Haruhi leaned in slightly, reached out, and gently held Kyon's chin in one hand. She stared into his eyes. It was a look that seemed to say, you are a friend... and perhaps, more than a friend... but you are not my equal. In fact, the look said, I own you. You are literally my play-thing, and you will be mine, forever. And you know it, and there isn't a thing you can do about it.

Haruhi suddenly giggled once. It was a small sound, but it reverberated in the silent room like a thunderclap.

"Heh."

Kyon reacted in the only way he could. He face-palmed, and chose the perfect words to express his dismay.

"OH SHI—"