The Alternate World of Nagato Yuki

A Suzumiya Haruhi fan fiction by Rick.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Suzumiya Haruhi franchise or any of its characters. This work is purely fan made.

Foreword.

This story is an alternate version of "The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi". It starts with Kyon meeting Nagato Yuki in the alternate world.

Chapter 1.

I skipped knocking on the door for the literature club room, and threw the door wide open.

"...!"

And then I saw. A petite figure sitting on a makeshift chair, with a book spread at a corner of the long table in front of her. It was Nagato Yuki, staring straight at me through her glasses, with her face written all over with surprise, her mouth popping open.

"You're here..."

I muttered a sigh of half resignation, half relief, and closed the door behind me. Nagato did not say anything as usual, but I couldn't loosen myself and rejoice. The Nagato I knew did not wear glasses, ever since the incident with Asakura. However, the Nagato here had the exact same glasses she had worn some time ago. I thought about it the second time, but Nagato just looked cooler without her glasses. That was my preference.

Moreover, that expression just didn't match. What was with her face, like a female Literature Club member caught off guard by a male student dashing in, someone she didn't recognize at all? What was with the surprise? Isn't it characteristic of Nagato to be furthest away from such emotions?

Wait a minute. This Nagato has long hair... and is wearing a ponytail!

Nagato's face was just as surprised as mine. Just what in the world is going on in here? Why is Nagato wearing a ponytail? Is she the same Nagato that I know? Will she be able to help me?

"Nagato..."

With the lesson from Asahina-san fresh in my mind, I managed to suppress my about-to-pounce upper body, and walked to the table.

"Yes?"

Nagato replied without moving an inch.

"Tell me. Do you know me?"

She tightened her lips, and pushed the bridge of her glasses. Then came a long period of silence.

I was thinking of giving up, and find myself a monastery to retreat from this world, when a reply came.

"I know you."

Nagato put her gaze somewhere around my chest. My hope welled. This Nagato might be the Nagato I knew. I know this is very improbable, but I just had to give it a try.

"In fact, I also know a little bit about you. Would you listen to me for a second?"

"..."

Looking at her ponytail and her face looking at me, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and it seemed like if all my hopes were slowly dissolving in the air, like a bottle of alcohol in a hot, dry weather. This is much more difficult than I had expected. And why, of all things... why a ponytail!?

I took a deep breath, and rested my hands on the table.

"Nagato... please forgive me if what I'm going to say is crazy... but I need to say it... I need to know. Maybe this is just a horrible nightmare for me... so please excuse me if I feel out of touch with reality. But I promise I won't harm you in any way. Please?"

Nagato looked at me. She looked as nervous as I did. She even swallowed. I sighed, and spoke.

"You are not human, but an organic android created by aliens. You had wielded impressive powers like magic several times, like the homerun-mode bat, and invasion to Cave Cricket Space..."

As soon as I started talking, a sense of regret gradually crept into me. Nagato was apparently making a strange face. Her eyes and mouth were open, and her gaze was wandering around my shoulders. The ambience around her read like she felt frightened to look straight at me.

"...That was you whom I knew all along. Was it correct?"

"I am sorry."

Nagato's reply made me doubt whether my ears were working properly. Why apologize? Why is Nagato saying this?

"I... know you are a student in Class 1-5. I see you from time to time. However, I know nothing except that. To me, this is the first time I've talked to you."

The final foundation turned into a house built on loose, weathered sand, collapsed and crumbled.

"...So you're not an alien? The name Suzumiya Haruhi does not ring a bell to you at all?"

The book that Nagato was holding fell to the floor. Nagato looked shocked. So, you do remember that name?

"Nagato, do you recall that name? Suzumiya Haruhi?"

Nagato began to shake her head. "No... it can't be true..."

"What, Nagato? What do you know?"

Nagato slowly knelt down, and picked up her book. She put the book on the table and sat down.

"This has to be a coincidence..." she said, staring at the wall in front of her, and still shaking her head in denial. "Just... a coincidence..."

"Nagato."

I paused for a second and swallowed. "What coincidence are you talking about?"

She looked at me. "I... know that name... from my dreams."

Nagato looked at the floor. As if she was planning to tell me something, but wasn't sure whether she wanted to or not.

"Please sit down" she asked. I followed, and she began to talk.

"I... in these nightmares... there was a time traveler... and an Esper... and I was an alien android like you just said..."

Nagato took off her glasses and stared at the floor.

"and Suzumiya Haruhi... had a power that could recreate or destroy the world... and... in my dreams, I had gone through many problems, like you said... and I had to stand hundreds of years repeating the same vacations... over and over..."

Nagato's voice was trembling. Her eyes looked glassy, as if she was about to cry. So this is you? The real Nagato? There was no other way. I remember those vacations too. And week of August that seemed to last for so long. A very strong Deja Vu feeling. It was Nagato who told us that there had been over 15,000 iterations of the same week. We had been trapped in a time loop.

"I remember the number... very well... Fifteen thousand... four hundred... and ninety eight times..."

She couldn't go on. She wiped her eyes with her fragile little hand and sobbed a little.

"One day," continued Nagato... "I was scared... that it would happen again... winter vacations... in an endless loop... I couldn't take it anymore. I stole Suzumiya Haruhi's powers, and changed the world. That was the last of my nightmares. The next thing I knew... was that I woke up in front of this school. Today, around 4 o' clock in the morning. I..."

Her voice calmed down, as if the worst part of the dream had been said.

"I normally don't sleep walk. But what was I doing today, in front of school?"

She looked at me with her eyes expressing an amazing amount of sadness. "Please tell me that was just a dream.... please tell me that I didn't reconstruct the world today... please tell me... that Suzumiya Haruhi never had that power... please..."

Her eyes began to fill up with tears.

"it was just a dream... right?"

I was frozen. I had never seen her so sad. I tried to speak but the words just couldn't come out. Especially when she spoke again and her voice felt all broken.

"... right?"

I looked down... and swallowed. Why is this so difficult?

"I'm... sorry. It..."

I clenched my fists. "It wasn't a dream, Nagato. Everything was real, and I want to go back to my world."

When I raised my sight from the table to Nagato, I realized that perhaps I shouldn't have said that.

Because she was crying again. She was now resting her arms and her head on the table, sobbing.

"N... Nagato... are you feeling alright?"

She looked at me like the face of a girl who had just been beaten by her father. With a trembling voice, she said: "Hug me... please..."

The 'please' was completely redundant. I jumped up from my seat, walked to her chair. She stood up and hugged me.

"It must be a dream... I don't want to go back... I don't want to!" she said, still crying. "I'm scared!!!"

She began to sob for a second time. "I'm scared..."

I petted her back. "Nagato... I'm... I'm sorry, it's just that... I was scared, too!"

A couple of tears left my eyes. But I hadn't cried as much as she did. We kept hugging each other for a while, when her arms dropped my back and hanged down from her shoulders.

"I want to go home", she said. "Will you... will you come with me?"

I couldn't refuse. How could I? Seeing her cry like that? And it's not like refusing to help her would accomplish anything. My God, Nagato... I had no idea you had to go through so much pain. Dammit, what kind of idiot am I!?

"Okay, I'll go home with you."

Nagato sniffed. "I'll be waiting here".

I quickly ran to my classroom and grabbed my schoolbag. Taniguchi was eating from his bento box on the classroom.

"Taniguchi... you were right. I think I got the flu. I'm going home to rest."

Taniguchi raised his hand. "Take care!"

I walked up the stairs to the literature club room, and opened the door. Nagato had packed her things and was ready to leave.

We left school, and Nagato kept hugging my arm. I still couldn't believe it. Was this the same Nagato that had saved my life numerous times? She looked so... weak... so... vulnerable... and I felt terribly guilty for wanting to go back. If what she said was true, this wasn't some imitation in an alternate world, but the real Nagato... only human. Seeing her like that, hugging my arm and reclining her head on my shoulder... resting... I wondered. Did you really suffer that much?

I'm sorry, Nagato... I... I had no idea.

Before I knew it, we were already at her apartment.

"We're here", she said, sighing.

"Nagato, are you feeling better?"

She turned around and looked at me.

"Yes... I feel better... thank you." And her face...

I would never forget that face - and I asked myself if I could really go back to a world where she didn't have that beautiful face.

Because... right now...

She was smiling.

(End of chapter 1)