Midnight's POV

After school today, I was dragged around the entire school by Asakura. I have to admit, it was a very interesting school. I really didn't know what it had to do with the murder. Maybe it was to keep my cover story secret. Anyway, after a few minutes of following my fake girlfriend around, we came to the Principal's office. It was still closed off. Asakura offered to bend reality to make us invisible so that we could go in, but I declined the offer. I prefer to do things legally. She nodded and we walked back to the apartment. As soon as we got back, I went to my new bedroom and collapsed on the bed. I was still tired. I must still be recovering from Asakura's kiss, or whatever the hell she did to me.

I was almost about to doze off when I heard a knock on the door. I heard Asakura open the door. voices from the other room. A few seconds later, someone opened the door

"Oh, uh, hi guys," I heard Asakura say.

"Can we come in? We want to ask you a few questions." Why does that voice sound familiar?

"Sure," I heard Asakura reply. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Nothing for me," I heard the same voice reply.

"N…no thanks," I heard a new female voice interject.

"I'm fine. Thank you for the offer, though," Another voice, this one male. What was going on?

I just lay there and continued to listen. "Well, then, what's this all about?" Ms. Asakura finally asked.

There was a pause, and then, the first female voice said. "We'd like to talk to you…about your new boyfriend."

Uh oh. I slowly got out of bed and crept to the door. It was open slightly so I put my ear to the crack and continued listening.

"Okay! What do you want to know about him?"

"Only that he's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet!" I rolled my eyes and smiled. That sounded so corny.

"Is that all? Can you tell us a bit about his family? Why is he staying with you?"

"You mean, he didn't tell you?" Oh, no. please, don't bring that up. Please! That'll complicate things immensely.

"He made me promise not to tell." Phew!

"Aw, c'mon! We won't tell anyone! Please?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Hmm," I heard the voice murmer. I finally was able to place the voice. It was that girl from earlier who was questioning Asakura in the classroom. I really didn't catch her name.

"Well, is he here? Maybe he'll talk to us." That was the male voice I heard earlier.

"Good idea, Koizumi!" the girl said.

"He went to his room after we got home. I can check to see if he's awake," I heard Asakura say.

Oh, damn it, damn it, damn it! What should I do? Should I pretend to be asleep, or go out and answer their question? Gah! Think, Midnight, think!

I was interrupted by Asakura opening the door with a loud bang. Fortunately for me, I had begun to pace the room and wasn't anywhere near the door. Damn, she can move fast.

"Midnight," she whispered, "There are some people here who want to speak to you."

"I heard," I replied.

"What are you going to do? Haruhi seems pretty insistent on seeing you. I would recommend you go. She is capable of doing…unspeakable things if she doesn't get her way."

Unspeakable? Like murder or something? Well, I may as well get this over with. I suppose having a strange student transfer in only a week after someone at the school was murdered is a bit mysterious. Ah well. Time to put some people into some false ease.

"Okay, I'm coming," I sighed. Asakura smiled and grabbed my hand. She led me out and into the living room. Sitting on the couches, I saw five young teens. Two I knew: the girl and guy from my class, but the other three I hadn't seen before. One was an extremely sexy redhead with a somewhat confused look on her face, another was a blank faced purple haired girl who just stared at me. The only other guy just smiled at me and nodded as I entered the room.

"Um…hi everyone. Asa…I mean, Ryouko here tells me that you want to ask me a coup;le of questions. Is that correct?"

"Yes!" the girl in my class replied.

"Well, I'd be glad to help, but can I at least know your names?"

"Sure. I am Haruhi Suzumiya, leader of the S.O.S. Brigade" S.O.S. Brigade? What the hell…? "This is Kyon, Itsuki Koizumi, Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina," she continued, gesturing to each in turn. The name Mikuru Asahina sounded familiar. It took me a few seconds to place the name.

My ring began to vibrate like crazy.

Now, before I go on, I suppose I should break down and tell you what the deal is with the ring I keep mentioning. Basically, it's a Paranorm detector. The jewel on it would change color and patterns to alert me to what type of Paranorm I was dealing with right after vibrating. I had connected a number of patterns and colors to their names. Whenever a new one came up, I would see the words appear hovering in the air.

Where did I get it, you might ask? Truthfully, I found it lying on the ground a year before I started taking up cases and had immediately seen the value of a Paranorm detector after my first encounter with the vampires in my hometown. So I had acquired the habit of never taking it off. And apparently, my ring was detecting three types of Paranorms.

"So, you're Asakura's boyfriend, huh?" Koizumi asked. His voice seemed jovial, but I got the feeling that he was putting on airs.

"That's right."

"How did you two meet?" Koizumi asked again.

I sat down and began.

"It was about a year ago. I had just gotten back from a week trip to New York." (I saw Kyon glance over at Koizumi slightly) "I saw a moving truck outside of my apartment complex. She was trying to lift something heavy, so I went over to help. For the next few hours I helped her and her family unpack. To thank me, they invited me out to dinner at a local restaurant that I recommended to them. After that I found out that Ryouko and I were in the same class at my high school. We became good friends and about six months later we became boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Where did you learn Japanese?" the guy from my class finally spoke up. I could tell from his face that he didn't seem to trust me.

"Ryouko taught me," I replied, and I felt my cheeks get hot at the memory of the kiss that started it all. I supposed that helped my credibility. "Apparently I'm a quick study. When we first met, she said hello to me in Japanese. I had no idea whether to be polite or insulted, since I didn't know what she said. To me, it sounded like an insult."

I saw Koizumi smile even more at that.

"Any other questions I can answer?" I asked.

"Yea, Asakura here says that you two are roommates. How come you're not with your families?"

That struck a chord with me. My pleasant demeanor faltered for a bit. I felt the sadness returning again. With an effort of will I pushed it back down. I can't afford this. I have a job to do.

Apparently Haruhi noticed my falter. Unfortunately, she decided to press the matter.

"So, what happened to them?" she asked. Finally, the one called Kyon spoke up.

"Hey, Haruhi. If he doesn't want to say, then don't make him, okay? Sorry about that."

I raised my hand and waved it. "It's not a problem at all. I don't mind telling, but I need to get Ryou-chan's permission first. Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead," she replied in a sad voice. Wow, she's a great actress, for an interface.

I cleared my throat and continued.

"My parents have been dead for some time. They were prominent and wealthy lawyers. On September 11, 2001, they were on one of the flights that hit the World Trade Center. I moved in with my uncle in his apartment. Ryouko's parents died about two months ago. She was so sad, that she wanted to move back here, and she asked me to join her. Well, my uncle gave me permission and so, here I am."

It should be noted that the hand I waved earlier was the one with the ring on it. With that wave of the hand, I had identified three of the Paranorms in the room. There was an interface, a time traveler and an Esper in the room. I didn't have to have my ring identify which one was which, because I could tell. I'll explain why later. But the ring had said there were five in the room, not counting Asakura. I didn't know who the other two were, but I had a suspicion that they were a type of Paranorm called Otherskind, who were humans who had been granted powers from some unknown source. I had heard some of my Paranorm friends say that their powers came from God, but I wasn't so sure. It was the best explanation I had ever heard, however.

"How long have you been in Japan?" the person called Kyon asked.

I could tell that he didn't believe me, but I had to keep up the façade, so I replied without thinking, "About a week. I haven't been in school because I've been settling in." Oh, crap! Why did I say a week?

"Did you hear about the principal of North High being murdered here a week ago?" Haruhi asked. Yup. I knew she'd pick up on my mistake.

"Uh, no," I replied in what I thought was a relatively innocent voice. I turned to Asakura and asked, "Did you know?"

"Yea. Some of the girls were talking about it earlier." I knew she was telling the truth. It had been during lunch time. I was resting on my desk when she had the conversation. Even then, she had been a great actress.

"I see…" Haruhi said, focusing on me with intense brown eyes. I could almost hear the wheels in her head turning.

"Well, thanks for talking to us, Midnight! It's always a policy of the Brigade to get to know new people! Well, see you in class tomorrow! Bye!"

And with those eccentric, the girl known as Haruhi Suzumiya stood and was out before I could blink. Everyone else filed out slowly. Just before he left, however, I saw Kyon look back at me with a suspicious look on his face. I smiled slightly and waved. He waved in return and was gone.

"Hmmm, okay, what was that about? Who was that girl and her friends?" I asked, switching back to English, when I was sure they were out of earshot.

Asakura sat down beside me.

"Ms. Suzumiya is not your typical human." Well, after all, she's an Otherskind. But I kept my mouth shut and let her continue.

"She subconsciously has the ability to create or destroy specific data from out of thin air. In other words, she could be classified in your terminology as an omnipotent being."

I'm not going to argue with her about that, although I do know that she's wrong. But seriously, two Otherskinds? I really hope they don't interfere with the investigation.

It was then I realized that one of them would be trying to interfere. Asakura didn't talk about Kyon as being an Otherskind. Kyon was a pre-awakened Otherskind. So, as far as he knew, he was a normal human being, and for all intents and purposes, he was. He couldn't use his powers, both consciously or subconsciously. Haruhi, on the other hand, was a half-awakened Otherskind.

Now, I don't claim to know much about Otherskind, since I've never run into any of them before, but I do know this: the half-awakened and full-awakened can subconsciously sense others of their kind and alter reality to become close to them. Obviously, this had happened with Haruhi and Kyon, but what was with the other three? Was she one of those supernatural loving weirdos? Who knows?

"She was my first assignment before I got decommissioned."

"Really? You were meant to keep an eye on her?"

"I was just a backup unit, as I told you before." Right, I remember now.

"My faction of the Data Integration Thought Entity was hoping that, by taking action against the human called Kyon, there would be some type of reaction from Ms. Suzumiya, but I was stopped by the interface called Yuki Nagato." So, the purple haired girl was her primary, huh?

"Wait, what type of action did you take against him?" I asked, somehow knowing that I wouldn't like the answer.

"I attempted to kill him."

I stood suddenly and backed away. She smiled and continued, "Do not worry, Midnight. My faction was taken over by Yuki Nagato's faction, and as such I no longer am a danger."

Easy for you to say! For the moment, however, I decided to try and trust what she was saying. I mean, I don't think an interface would lie.

I sighed and sat down again, suddenly very tired. This is going to complicate things. I mean, I don't think Haruhi's going to be as direct about trying to find out more about me. And Kyon seems to know more than he let on. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows who his fellow Brigadiers are. If he does come back with the other three, then he does know, but if not, then he probably doesn't know yet. I'd be surprised if he didn't come back with them, though.

"I think that they are going to be back sometime soon," I said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they came back tonight."

She seemed a bit surprised by that. "How do you know?"

I smiled and winked at her. "That's what I'm paid the big bucks for, baby," I said. "Now, if you don't mind, can you get the police file for the murder of the principal? I would like to get started on solving this place. The less I'm around anyone here, the better."

She smiled back and went off to a bookshelf. She retrieved a file and handed it to me.

I sat down and began to read over the reports carefully. According to the report, the principal was last seen in the school by his secretary leaving for his hour lunch break at 12:30 P.M., local time. The last time anyone saw him was at a local restaurant ordering his lunch. When he didn't return after two hours, his secretary phoned his cell. After about five tries, she began to worry. She went into his office to see if he had returned when she had been away from her desk for about five minutes. It was then that she found him sitting in his desk, stabbed to death about sixty-five times. The pictures confirmed this.

Now, I had seen a few murders in my time, and this ranked in my top five most gruesome murders of all time. I had seen worse, though, so I'd rank this as maybe the third worst murder of all time.

I noticed that there was some type of symbol burned into his forehead. It was just six circles, like a target. I frowned. If this was the work of Paranorms, I hadn't encountered these specific ones before. On the other hand, the other logical explanation was that this was the work of some type of cult.

I asked Asakura if she knew of any cult or religion that had this mark as a symbol. She didn't know of any. I went back to reading.

It was then that I heard the door knock.

Kyon's POV

As we were leaving the apartment and going our separate ways, my mind wandered and continued to replay the entire encounter with the individual known as Midnight. This was my though process after I waved goodbye.

Okay, it may be just me, but that guy seemed a bit too comfortable in the role as Ms. Asakura's boyfriend. Could it be that he really does like her, and that his story is true? Or could it be the more frightening option?

He knows what she is.

Okay, assuming that the first one is true, what does Asakura want with him? Why the show? Is she trying something?

Now, let's just put the first option aside for a bit. What if the second option is true? In that case, who is he really? Could he really have something to do with the murder? I mean, I could be wrong, but I saw his expression change slightly when he said how long he'd been here. I guess after achieving the ability to see slight changes in Nagato's emotions, everyone else's stand out like a million watt light bulb.

I was so deep in thought that I suddenly found myself at the park where I met Nagato. Ironically, I found myself at the same bench where I had met her when she first told me who she was. It was still light out, so I decided to sit down and continue thinking.

He must be a very good actor, because he was able to blend his real story into his obvious cover story with expert detail. If it was on the fly, that is. I wonder how many times he practiced doing this in front of the mirror.

Okay. It's obvious that Haruhi had something to do with him transferring. What could he be now? Let's see, he seems pleasant enough. Could he be an Esper that Koizumi hasn't told me about? Maybe, but he did seem to recognize Ms. Asahina. Could he be a time traveler?

What about a slider? That might explain why no one knows much about him.

"That does it!" I said to no one in particular. I pulled out my cell and called Koizumi. He answered instantly.

"Koizumi, meet me back at Ms. Asakura's apartment in a half hour. We're going to have another chat with our new friend Midnight without Haruhi present." He agreed and hung up. I called Ms. Asahina and Nagato and repeated the message. I turned around and started walking back to the apartment. It took me twenty minutes to get there. Even though Haruhi didn't call this meeting, I was still the last one there.

"Okay, let's go," I told the others. Soon we were outside the apartment we had so quickly vacated. I knocked. The door opened to reveal Ms. Asakura. She smiled and said, "Midnight thought you might come back. Come on in."

Wha…? That means…

"Hello." I saw Midnight sitting in the same place where we had left him. He had what looked like an official looking folder in his hand. He closed it and put it down on the table then leaned back and smiled at us.

"I kind of expected for you to come back without Haruhi. The fact that it was the four of you means that you, Kyon, know who your friends actually are."

Are you kidding me? How does he know that?

"I also gathered from Asakura here that you know who she really is, Kyon. I mean, she did try to kill you. So, I guess you and I both have reasons to mistrust humanoid interfaces."

He gestured to the couches we had so recently occupied. Without saying a word, we all took a seat. Ms, Asakura had, by this time placed herself in the place beside Midnight.

"Now, what questions do you have that you don't want Haruhi to hear?"

He knows who Haruhi is, too?

"Okay, then, straight to the point. Who are you, really? Time traveler, alien, esper, slider, what?"

He smiled and replied, "Yes."

What kind of answer is that? Unless…

He laughed when he saw my face. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. But I have had dealings with each of them in the past. I have also time travelled to the past and future," (here he winked at Ms. Asahina), "been in a parallel universe, had dealings with all sorts of aliens and have used what could be considered esper powers before. Plus much, much more. I don't get why I keep running into you Paranorms all the time."

"Paranorms?" Ms. Asahina asked.

"A phrase I use to describe aliens, time travelers, sliders, espers, angels, demons, witches, vampires, fairies, mermaids and various other paranormal and unusual beings that you've never heard of before. And yes, the ones I mentioned all exist. You can trust me on this."

Okay…

"But let me answer your question from before. What I said in class was true. I am called Midnight by my friends and family. I am from the United States. What I lied about was the relationship between me and Asakura here. It's strictly professional. You see, she hired me to investigate the murder of your principal. And she wanted to observe me, much like your interface is watching Haruhi. And don't worry, I'm not like her. I'm just a normal human being. In fact, the only one in the room."

But I'm human too!

He saw the look on my face and laughed again.

"I'm sorry, Kyon. For the moment, yes, you are as normal as I am."

For the moment…?

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you more. How would the Bureau of Temporal Investigations put it? 'That's Classified.'" I saw Ms. Asahina flinch at that. Was that the name of the organization she worked for?

"Even though I didn't state my age in class, how old do you think I look? I want Ms. Nagato to answer this question."

She didn't hesitate. "From the dating of your cells, you are sixteen Earth years old."

He shook his head, still smiling. "So close, and yet so far. I'm actually twenty-one. go ahead, scan me for cellular regeneration imprints."

Nagato stared at Midnight for a few seconds. There was silence in the room.

"Confirmed. His cells have been regenerated. He is telling the truth."

Coming from anyone else, I wouldn't have believed it. But coming from you, Nagato, I believe it.

"I have a part time job back in the States, but the majority of my time is spent doing what I love: detective work, if you hadn't already guessed."

I kind of had a suspicion after what he had said earlier, but to hear him say so was still somewhat of a shock.

"How long have you really been here?" Koizumi asked, that plaster smile still on his face. Oh, if only punching it would break his face like a mirror…

"Only for a day."

"Okay, if you're really from America, how did you learn Japanese?"

His expression changed and I saw his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Let's just say I received some instant tutoring courtesy of Asakura after I arrived."

"I rewrote his neural pathways so that he instantly knew the Japanese language," Ms. Asakura finally spoke up.

"But, that is not important right now," Midnight said. "Any other questions?"

"H…how do you know so much about us?" I heard Ms. Asahina ask again.

He smiled. "I'm a detective. It's what I do. Okay, no more questions. Any more might reveal too much. If you have any more burning questions, I'm sorry that I can't answer them."

His tone convinced me that he was serious. I stood, thanked him and walked to the door. Everyone else followed me. I held the door open for everyone. After everyone was out, I began to follow the others down the hall. Midnight came up to the door and poked his head out.

"Before you leave, I need to give you a warning." We turned back. Suddenly his pleasant demeanor vanished as if by magic and he became very serious. He glared at everyone. His last five words somehow sent chills up my spine.

"Stay out of my way."

Yay! Third chapter is finally up! Enjoy it. Or not. You decide! :)

morbiusgreen