Forbidden Fruit

["A metaphor describing any object of desire whose appeal is a direct result of the knowledge that it cannot or should not be obtained or something that someone may want but cannot have."]

Disclaimer: I do not own the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. That is owned by…whoever conceived the idea of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya! (walks off)

The Right Gift

It's hard to stop yawning if you didn't sleep much last night and the weather's not helping… A certain esper thought to himself as he handed a plastic bag containing purchases to the customer that just paid him. "Thank you for your patronage. Enjoy your books." He said, somehow managing a cheerful smile despite how tired he was. Itsuki wondered when his break was coming up, if at all.

The esper shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up properly, his mind lingering on last night's meeting.

"Time compression? Isn't that applicable only to machines and technology?" He inquired as he refilled her cup. Mikuru began drinking almost as soon as he finished the refill, taking a few gulps before answering his question. "For the most part it usually applies to that, it's true. By my time however, two definitions exist." She paused to drink more tea before putting the cup on the table. "Are you familiar with Final Fantasy VIII?"

"Thank you for your patronage and enjoy your reading." He sounded more convincing this time but only because his cashier shift was done for the moment. Itsuki was still working, only now he was reorganizing the shelves and helping customers find the books they wanted. While reorganizing a shelf of cookbooks he did not immediately notice the lady standing beside him looking at the books. She looked at the titles, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Finished with the cookbooks he noticed her plight and addressed her. "Do you need help with something, ma'am?" The young woman smiled as she nodded. "Yes, I'm trying to find a gift for my husband." Itsuki smiled back as he put on his "helpful employee" face.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" The esper inquired as he led her through rows and rows of bookcases. "A book on astronomy but I'm having a hard time finding the section. Also are there any books you can recommend?" A smile graced his lips. "Certainly, ma'am. We also have a good selection should you prefer to look through them yourself."

"Time compression means focusing the past, present and future into one point, causing them to merge and exist all at once. However, if it goes on long enough it also means the end of existence. Luckily, the focus point had not been around for very long." Itsuki raised an eyebrow. "A focal point that just happened to be within the radius of the closed space. Coincidence much?"

Mikuru drained the cup before reaching out to grab his hand. "Pretty much. It's strange though…Statistics put those with a 10% likelihood of occurring in Remote Dimensions, even less in actual reality." A pause, followed by a sigh of resignation. "Then again, this is Suzumiya we're talking about."

He lead her to the Astronomy sub-section in Science, asking questions regarding her husband's interest in the field and recommending books that were best suited for whatever he was researching. This eventually lead to a more personal exchange, regarding hobbies, common interests and such. After a while, the young woman picked out a few books before turning to him. "Seeing as we've gotten to this point, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to know your name." The esper nodded in agreement.

"Likewise. Name's Koizumi Itsuki, but you probably already knew that because of the nametag." She smiled, taking the extended hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you. Admittedly it's quite a coincidence that you have that surname, it's not very common."

Blink. "Are you saying you're a Koizumi too, ma'am?" She nodded. "Koizumi Mikuru. Pleased to make your acquaintance. It's unlikely but we could be distant relatives."

The customer remarked as he marked the books at the cash register. "What are the odds of that happening? Anyway, the total should be showing up on the screen about now, Koizumi-san." He put the books inside a bag as she used her credit card to pay for the books, studying her out of the corner of his eye. There was something oddly familiar about this woman.

What that was he couldn't say and since she was wearing sunglasses at the moment, the only detail reminiscent of anything was the length and color of her hair: the same as a certain time traveler's. "It was nice talking to you and thank you for your patronage. Hopefully your husband will be satisfied with the books." She smiled. "Oh, there's no doubt of that. He can be quite the astronomy nerd when the mood gets him. It's cute."

She headed towards the door, waving goodbye to him as she walked out. "Please come again soon!" Itsuki called out. It was something typically said to costumers but he actually meant it that time, having enjoyed her company. "She seemed familiar…but how?" He mused as he closed the register and began closing up shop.

A block away from the store, the young woman entered a café and headed to one of the tables. A young man with light brown hair worn in a ponytail waited for her. "Well…?" He inquired as she sat down, shifting in his seat impatiently. Sighing she handed him the bag.

"Here. The last editions of these books, since I couldn't give them to you on your birthday." Her companion smiled, reaching out to take her hand. "I appreciate the thoughtful gift, love. The only thing that's better than this is being with you." She giggled upon hearing his words and squeezed his hand.

"Corny…but it's sweet of you to say that all the same. Speaking of which, you were so cute back then. Of course, that isn't to say you aren't cute now." She said as a waitress approached the table to take their orders.

A/N: Many apologies for the long-ass wait..._ Anyways, I'm not too happy with the chapter on some parts--that there's only two flashback sections is just the start--but overall it's alright. Now...to figure out what happens in the next chapter. Also, there is a small(coughnotreallycough) hint as to who the mystery adults are. I'll just leave you to your guessing now, don't forget to read and review! =D