Chapter 01:

I never really liked that Haruhi girl. Really annoying if you ask me. And too assertive. Way too assertive for my tastes. And she brings trouble with her wherever she goes. Of course, I just had to land up with her.

I swear I don't know why she had to sit behind me in class. She never spoke much, that girl, but she wasn't quiet. Oh no, she was a bomb waiting to go off. Believe me, you do NOT want to be there when she does.

So here was this crazy chic sitting behind me in a classroom in Nishinomiya. I couldn't deny she was beautiful. Stunning, actually. No, not like a fresh winter morning; not like the mountains in springtime; not like an autumn breeze. No, she was a goddess; she was a stormy night; she was the sensation of fire on your skin. And she caused in you an insane rapture just from that twinkle in her eye that would rocket you through the air and drop you down on the earth harder than you'd expect and give you pleasure from pain. Like fireworks ready to blaze through the sky at any moment, waiting for that rare smirk on her face.

Well, at least that's what I thought. No one really noticed her in class, but her presence was felt, oh yeah. Like a law of nature, Haruhi was destined to be there. Something would be missing without her. This girl, this strange girl completely changed my life. I don't know why but something attracted me to her madly. She was unexplainable; she was different from everything I've known all my life. No, I wasn't in love with her, and no, I didn't have a crush on her like the others say. But I couldn't describe this feeling. This girl, Haruhi Suzumiya, was a phenomenon.

The first thing I noticed about her was the hair. Boy was she crazy. She would do her hair up every single day in a different way. I later found out that was to attract aliens and supernatural thingies. Yeah sure, we believe you Haruhi. She still looked pretty though. That expression on her face would always be the same. It screamed "Bah…Stupid humans!"

Just my luck, one day I tried to talk to her. Talk to Haruhi Suzumiya. Now that's a feat. Normally one doesn't dwell on how to begin a conversation, but this was different. She was different.

"So…do you do that hair thingy everyday to attract aliens or something?"

She was looking out of the window. When I spoke she whirled around and gave me a stare that I'll never forget in my life – like an icy north wind.

That was the most embarrassing moment of my life.

I was about to grin and slide away quietly when she spoke.

"How did you notice?"

How did I notice? How did I notice? HOW DID I NOTICE?

No, I thought, that ain't the question. The question is, I WAS RIGHT?

Score, I thought with a smirk.

Little did I know what she was about to do to me. To me and my normal average life. Ahh, sweet sweet regret.

I later found out I was the only person she talked to. Who knew what went on in that head of hers? Haruhi Suzumiya…Haruhi Suzumiya…that name cast a spell on me, and I couldn't get her out of my mind. Maybe I was going crazy too, eh?

I always thought of the day I would go home with a girl. Would it be right to classify Haruhi as a girl? Who knows? But I did walk home with her, and the funny thing was she walked me home, and not the other way round. Like I said, weird girl. I wasn't a very orthodox guy myself, so I just listened to what she said.

We pranced down the steep hill leaving behind the school and the grounds till we were running towards the bottom. Haruhi said it excited her. I secretly agreed. The wind blew hard as Suzumiya slid down the pavement, her shoes bringing up clouds of dust – which of course HAD to blow on to MY face and no one else's. There was no point in yelling at her, she'd just blow me away. Yeah, that's Haruhi.

Of course, every dog has his day. I swear – when the wind blew so strong it almost lifted her and her little skirt up in the air – I swear, I saw nothing.

(Just kidding. I saw everything.)

It was a long tiring way home and I hated walking back and forth to school everyday. But this time Haruhi kept me company. Damn, she sure loved to talk. And she talked and she talked and chattered and gossiped and dreamed of future plans of meetings aliens, espers and time travelers; and when she laughed I could hear bells ringing in the air, and her eyes flashed and her hair swayed in the wind. She was beautiful.

I don't know if it was a mistake to show her where I live. I didn't know she would be crazy enough to come visit me.

It wasn't exactly a casual visit. I skipped school next week to baby-sit my sister. It was boring. Kids are stupid. Cartoons and cake. Yuck.

At least I was enjoying a peaceful evening.

Maybe I'll go out for some fresh air. Open the window a little.

This window seems stuck I guess. No, I got it open. Ahh, its cool outside. Nice breeze blowing. Streetlights are a bit too dim though.

I scanned the landscape with my eyes, though it was impossible to see anything. Dark grey clouds hovered over our house and blemished the horizon. The sun had almost set and the air was crimson with flashes of lightning. A storm was coming.

Birds whizzing past in the air, open land extending for miles in the north, a moth buzzing near the branch of a tree, Haruhi sitting on the garden fence, the weeds attacking the water line in the ground…

Haruhi sitting on the garden fence? Huh?

I slammed down the window and ran to the door at an incomprehensible speed. A click of the knob and I flung it open.

And I saw her. There she was sitting there on the fence, her eyes alert like always, facing the house and searching intently. The tilted her head when she saw me, long legs dangling, shoes open on the yellow stale grass. She had a look of keen impatience.

Her frowning face didn't match the atmosphere.

She jumped off the fence and came towards me. I thought she was about to hit me or something, but she just walked up to me, very close, grabbed my collar and said

"Let's go"

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