Nightshift 25; M30 Hallway

[bored_narrator]

Clicking the flashlight he had found in his room to life, Kyon surveyed over the contents in the room he woke up in. He was glad for the flashlight, because he couldn't seem to find a damned lightswitch. This told Kyon two things: He wasn't in his room, and, thanks to earlier experience, he was probably not in his reality

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[the_clown_king]

Tamaki was feeling good about tonight. Maybe it was because Adel had treated him like a friend in the Sun Room. Maybe he'd just recovered from the horror of last night. Whatever it was, despite his injured arm and leg, there was something of a bounce in Tamaki's step as he entered the hallway, flashlight tied awkwardly to his hip with a pair of pants and sword held in his left hand.

"Hello?" he called out, realizing there was a bobbing light just a few doors down the hallway. Was it another one of the Club, maybe? "Kyou-kun? Is that you? Hikaru? Kaoru?"

[bored_narrator]

Kyon was somewhat lost in thought when he heard a voice down the hall call out. Quickily turning his head, not so much that he looked startled just surprised, and flashed his light.

There were other people here, as well. That was strange thing number three. Last time he was completely alone (save for Haruhi of course) and the time before that it was just Kiozumi and his esper pals. Maybe that's who he was. He was an esper!

"Ah, not quite, sorry," Kyon answered the man a few doors down. "You know where we are?"

[the_clown_king]

"Oh." Tamaki's face fell for a moment, and then realized exactly what had been said.

"Oh no!" Now his face did really fall. "You... you must be new!" How awful. "And I know as much as anyone. This is an awful, horrible place! And you shouldn't be out alone!" He closed the distance between them, his bandaged arm hanging limply on his right side now clearly visible. As was the sword in his left.

"I'm afraid you've been kidnapped by horrible people from another dimension!"

[bored_narrator]

Well then. If that didn't make things perfectly clear.

This wasn't any closed space known to him, this guy was probably not an esper, since he was carrying a sword. Call him niave but he didn't see energy wielding super beings doing that sort of thing. It appeared he'd had that run in with the Slider he'd been wondering about not long ago.

Kyon gave him a sort of dry look and said, "Oh." After a moment he added, "So there's others besides us?"

[the_clown_king]

Oh, well, that was easy.

"Lots more," Tamaki said, nodding. "From all different times and worlds and everything. And there's monsters out at night and all kinds of horrible things!" At least it seemed he wasn't going to have to spend any time making this person believe him.

"Oh! I'm Lord Suou Tamaki," he finally added, realizing he hadn't introduced himself.

[bored_narrator]

This was getting stranger by the minute. Maybe he'd become too accustomed to his own brand of wierd, but this threw everything that he knew about the paranormal out the window.

Unless of course, Koizumi had been keeping things from him, and this he didn't doubt for a second. The damned, smiling esper had a habit of witholding information until he wanted to let you know, and when he did, the result was an hour long speech of thoeries and hypothosises. Ugh.

Kyon gave him a nod at his name and replied, "I'm Kyon," almost without thinking. Damned nickname, he was getting so used to being called it, he was starting to introduce himself as such.

[the_clown_king]

"I'd like to say it's very nice to meet you, but the circumstances aren't nice at all," Tamaki said. "I'm going to meet with someone, you can come along. It's not safe to be alone in the intsitute at night." A strange look passed over the blond's face as he remembered last night.

"Can you use any weapons?"

[bored_narrator]

Kyon again nodded at the ...very much taller than him blonde. He somewhat understood the dark tone he spoke with. No, this was probably a very dire situation. Kyon especially got that when Tamaki's face shifted like it did and he was asked about weapons.

"I took a kendo class in the sixth grade, but that probably doesn't help," Feeble joke? Kyon tried, at least.

[the_clown_king]

"Oh, it's something!" Tamaki said. "I never took kendo. Come on, we shouldn't be standing around like this." He offered up a brave smile and struck out down the hallway, sword held in front of him.

"Renji-san might teach you, then. I think that's what we're doing tonight. He didn't really tell me, but he was very insistent I meet up with him!" And other people, too. Tamaki thought Sheska was the cute girl with glasses from the bathroom, but he couldn't be sure.

[bored_narrator]

Kyon's mouth twitched a small smile as Tamaki struck a heroic pose. His attitude was slightly contagious. Oh well, if this place was as bad as he made it out to be, then he sure as hell wasn't going to do it alone. Maybe whoever these people were, they could help him find out more of what was going on.

Oh, right, and she should probably ask Tamaki about this while he thought about it. As Kyon started down the hall he asked, "Hey, do you know anyone by the name 'Haruhi'? Or maybe a 'Koizumi'?"

He wasn't sure if he should bother but he figured it couldn't hurt.

[the_clown_king]

"H-Haruhi?!?!"

Tamaki spun like a top, an expression that defied words coming over his features. Could this person possibly know his beloved Haruhi?!?!

"You know Haruhi? How? Oh, please don't tell me she's here! I couldn't bear it! Not again! My poor Haruhi...." He rapidly descended into unintelligible rambling, fear gripping him at the thought of Haruhi being trapped in this place, being hurt....

It didn't once occur to him that there could well be other people named Haruhi.

[bored_narrator]

Kyon blinked. He also stared. He stared a great deal at this Tamaki as he broke down into a fit of paranoid, depressed rambling.

Wait.

His Haruhi!?

No, no, no. That couldn't be right. No one in their right mind would refer to Haruhi in that manner. It was the other way around! Okay, Kyon got what was going on now.

"Ah, Haruhi Suzumiya. You're not thinking her are you?" He was hoping not, anyways. Anyone that spoke like that of his Haruhi had to have their head examinded.

[the_clown_king]

Tamaki froze, and his face seemed to lose all color.

"Oh," was all he said. Not his Haruhi. Some other Haruhi. His Haruhi was still safe. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"No. Fujioka Haruhi," he clarified. "She's... I know her. I don't want to ever see her here." He'd given up hope that Haruhi loved him the way he loved her, but that didn't stop him from worrying and caring and...well, everything else.

He'd wanted to become strong for her. And he still did, even if he had other people he needed to protect here.

[bored_narrator]

Okay, so he calmed down. It was a different Haruhi than his. That made a lot of sense. It wasn't hard to imagine another with the same name. Also it meant that His Haruhi was probably not here either, which he couldn't decide was a good thing or a bad thing. He didn't want to be here alone ...he also didn't like the idea of anyone in the Brigade being caught in this.

Kyon tried to offer the sullen looking guy a smile and said, "Sorry."

He looked back down the hall and then back at Tamaki, "Hey, so, about those guys you were supposed to meet."

[the_clown_king]

"Renji-san?" Tamaki started walking again. "He's...er... he's very much a commoner." That was really all Tamaki could think to properly sum up the man. He was loud, boorish, rude and uncouth. "But he's helped me. And he can do magic! We're meeting him at Ed-kun's room. But I don't think Ed's coming with us - he's an alchemist."

Tamaki figured that is Kyon could accept what this place was and how he'd gotten there without question, he didn't need to offer much further explanation.

"Ed made me my sword!"

[bored_narrator]

Kyon followed a quarter step behind him as he talked. Commoner, huh? Well, he guessed that was typical of Tamaki since the guy had introduced himself as 'Lord'. Ignoring that remark, he seemed like an alright guy, if a little spastic.

When Tamaki mentioned magic, it made him think of a certain data manipulating Alien back home. A sudden fear snatched him as he realised that he was alone here with out her power to back him up. He tried not to let it show on his face any and continued walking with him.

He focused his consintration on the sword instead. Huh, that wasn't a bad skill. Maybe he could get one too.

"So, I guess you don't know anyone names Koizumi Itsuki, do you?"