idfk let's have some warnings for violence, dead kids, mindfuck, massacre and bloodshed

[tenminutes]

A. VIDEO (Online)- Responses may come from Yuri, Naoi, or both
[ Just popping up on your friendly neighborhood computer as its own damn post, there's a rather conspicuous video. It looks like it was uploaded by Yuri though.. of course, she has no idea about it. Either way, dare you press play? Yuri will, of course, notice that she seems to have made a post she can't access the contents of, but can reply to. Same for Naoi. ]

B. ACTION; Class Time.
[ If you actually decided to attend class today, the teacher has a very special treat! They're going to show off a video about the biology of amphibians or possibly something about history...? Well, maybe it wasn't really important. Either way, there's one of those rickety, old-looking box TVs with a VHS player on a cart at the front of the classroom. The TV flickers on and the sound starts. There's some logo for an educational company that pops up, then a really corny theme song.. A guy starts talking about the cellular structure of..

Of..

That's not what the video's supposed to be. It looks like it's switched to a video of a classroom, but all the students are standing outside of it. It sounds like there's a scuffle going on, then when the camera pans into the classroom, Yuri's straddling some poor girl, her hands around the girl's throat. She doesn't look.. entirely sane. Like she's completely snapped. ]

How about I give you a taste of the pain of death?

[ A boy with blue hair comes in, pushing his way through the students, starting to tell her to stop, but a teacher barges in and interrupts. ]

Hey, what are you doing?! [ He grabs Yuri's wrist and arm, pulling her off of the silver-haired girl and Yuri starts struggling and yelling immediately. ]

Don't interrupt! I have a few things I need to talk about with the student council president!

"All I see you doing is bullying a fellow student."

She's not human! She's an angel with special powers! If I don't do this, I can't talk to her on even ground!

"What you're saying makes no sense. Come to the guidance office and give me an explanation."

What!? Let go!

[ But the teacher backhands her across the cheek as she tries to struggle more, telling her to behave herself. Yuri looks pissed at him and starts screaming, tears forming in her eyes as she struggles to get free, giving no heed to the full class of NPCs watching at the doorway. It doesn't even seem like she's seeing anything other than this fight. ]

Why the hell should I behave?! You morons! What right do you have to offer guidance to humans?! Can you inhuman bastards even understand human emotions!? You morons-- [ A sharp inhale as tears fall down her face. ] You morons are the ones behaving unreasonably! Let me go! Let me go! Disappear, beat it, get out of my face, everyone get away from me! [ She's flailing and eventually the man just grabs her hair and pulls to try to get her to stop. ]

"You brat, respect your elders!"

[ EXCEPT THEN HE GETS PUNCHED IN THE FACE! But not by Yuri! By the blue haired boy, Hinata, who's now pulling Yuri away from the teacher and holding her. Yuri looks at him, then tries to pull away but he doesn't let go. ] Let me go, you stalker!

I won't.

Why not!?

[ He holds her by the shoulders and looks into her eyes. ]

I understand what you're trying to say. I understand your feelings.

[ Yurippe gives him a desperate, incredulous look. She's sick of people trying to tell her they understand; they don't. They don't, they don't. She closes her eyes, then headbutts him in the face.]

Don't say that so easily!

[ He keeps reassuring her, telling her that he already decided not to let her be alone and that he was going to be by her side, so she can calm down. She hits him, then he pulls her into an embrace. ]

You don't have to worry anymore. Relax, Yurippe.

[ Yurippe looks like she can't take this anymore and starts screaming and calling him a bastard, punching him in the face. Again, and again, and again, and she doesn't stop even when she can't see him because she's crying so hard. After a while he just smiles at her and wraps his arms around her back. She's still crying and she starts screaming again, though she isn't hitting him anymore. ]

Why are you still smiling..? Do you think you're cool or something? You suck, you suck! There's no one in this world that sucks more than you!

It's okay, right Yurippe? It's okay. [ Says the guy whose face is so battered in he can't open his right eye. He reaches up to wipe some tears off her face. ] I'm sorry for letting you be alone. Next time don't go off to fight by yourself. [ She reaches up and wipes her own tears off, then raises her hand to hit him again, but the girl with white hair she'd been choking earlier grabs her wrist and stops her. ]

I think it's about time you forgave him. [ Yuri looks back at her, then the video cuts out and returns to the guy talking about sciencey things. ]

[ Nearly as soon as the video returns to normal, one might see Yuri walking in the hall outside of the classroom. Of course, not attending to be certain, but she looks like she's busy doing something. She's seen a few memories of her own after all, she wants to figure out what's going on. ]

Comments

action;

[extraordinarily]

They showed it during class. And you were trying to choke someone.

action;

[tenminutes]

During class.

[ She repeated it, a little distastefully, then calmed herself down to a cool demeanor. ]

That was a long time ago. Back when there being two members of the SSS was a little questionable, with a third possibility. After that scene you saw, there were three. I can't help it if Hinata's an idiot.

action;

[extraordinarily]

Yes, during class. None of the NPCs noticed, though.

[ Just to note that down. ]

But it looked like you were more of the idiot there, honestly.

action;

[tenminutes]

Haruhi, if you don't know what's going on with something like that you should probably shut up. If it was important to anyone but Hinata and I, I would've mentioned it. Me being an idiot or not.

action;

[extraordinarily]

Well, too bad. I'm curious, and besides... they wouldn't have shown it on TV if there wasn't a reason, right? But I won't pry.

action;

[tenminutes]

The only reason I can think of that it would've shown that is if it wanted to make me look weak, so I'm considering it a declaration of war. The question now is who has access to our memories?

[ Besides the obvious, but she's really trying not to just start screaming it's god's fault since she got a lot of her memories back. ]

action;

[extraordinarily]

Unless you count the people who were in the memories, then it's only natural that the person who's in charge of this place would be able to access them and show them off!

action;

[tenminutes]

They're both gone. Kanade I don't expect would come find me, but Hinata would if he were still here. He's the kind of idiot who wouldn't intentionally leave me alone as long as he knew I was still here. So I can definitely rule out it being them being involved.

action;

[extraordinarily]

Is it possible that an NPC in there gained more intelligence to surpass ordinary humans?

action;

[tenminutes]

It's possible. That or it's the other way around but..

[ She looks at Haruhi. ] I've got most of my memories back but they cut off what was probably the first time this world started acting weird, before most of the people here now were here. I'm going to check something out.

action;

[extraordinarily]

Starting acting weird? How exactly?

[ Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say. Unfortunately, Shamisen didn't die with them, so the point is moot, but still. Haruhi wants to know. The more information she knows about the world, the better. Especially since she might need it in order to figure out what's wrong with Kyon. He's getting most of his memories back too slowly, and it pisses her off. ]

And if you're going to check something out, then I'm coming with you.

[ Which she says in the serious voice that practically means, "You can't stop me." ]

action;

[tenminutes]

You remember those shadows? They're NPCs. The NPCs that are around us all the time can turn into those things and attack for reasons I don't know. Either I just don't have the memories to figure it out yet or when I went down there to figure it out, that's how I lost my memories in the first place and the entire SSS except for Otonashi, Naoi, and I got wiped out. Those are the possibilities I'm considering right now, so I'd prefer it if you didn't come with me.

action;

[extraordinarily]

Are you crazy? If the NPCs are turning into NPCs and either you lost your memories or got wiped out, then I'm definitely coming to you, no questions asked. I got turned into one of them, and do you know how crazy I was then? I hated it!

[ Haruhi hugs her shoulders and shudders, looking disgusted with herself as she sticks out her tongue before placing her hands on her hips, serious. ]

I don't care if I get offed again, but I'm not going to let you go on your own. That's the most stupid decision I've ever heard! If the shadows were NPCs that can turn people - real people - into inhuman, soulless beings, then I want to find out just as much, no, even more, than you do! It may be selfish of me, but you can't stop me. And if you shoot me, or knife me, that's fine. I still want to know the truth.

There's no way I'm going to be turned into them again!

[ Haruhi then clenches her fists before speaking up again. ]

And if you don't remember, why don't you ask someone who does? There's a possibility that Otonashi-kun or that idiot, Naoi might know, right? Don't make brash decisions on your own. If you do, I'll off you personally.

Re: action;

[tenminutes]

Naoi's the one who got my memories back for me in the first place--

[ Yuri looks at Haruhi, a little annoyed. More than a little annoyed. ]

And he wouldn't know, I went down there myself without telling anyone exactly where I was going last time. I just remember going to the entrance, then nothing. I don't want any of you to end up like that, that's why I don't want anyone going with me, idiot.

[ She looks off to the side. ]

If you're not going to stop, go get ready. I'll get ready too. Then meet me in the computer lab and do not tell anyone else about this or invite anyone else in. If I get there before you I'm going to go in ahead. Got it?

[ Mostly because continuity since she brought it up in kyon's thread too but he stayed behind so it's ok Haruhi should just come in right after he leaves, Yuri will still be near there since she doesn't want to actually abandon Haruhi, but it's important Kyon doesn't get his ass involved in this.. especially since she's sure that Haruhi would proceed alone even if she wasn't with her. ]

action;

[extraordinarily]

And do you honestly think I'm going to just stand there while I know you're going to do something like that?

[ Haruhi will roll her eyes before folding her arms over her chest, looking quite unimpressed as she deeply sighs, tossing her hair aside. ]

I won't tell anyone, though. [ There's a pause after that before continuing. ] Especially not Kyon.

I'll be there, though.

[ She'll turn on her heel, her back facing Yuri before she says one final thing. ]

Believe me. If I don't get to the bottom of this, then I'll regret everything. Not just as a person, but as a brigade chief who managed to fail at her job in the end. That's why I'm here, after all.

action;

[tenminutes]

[ That last bit is something Yuri can understand. After all, she's someone who failed her family and from the looks of things, might've failed her friends. ]

I'll see you.

[ Yuri's going to go get some damn weapons then. Meet her down the hole? It's very obvious where she went, since the floor panel is lifted up. She's waiting for Haruhi at the bottom. ]

action;

[extraordinarily]

[ Haruhi, on the other hand is going go get dressed as well as get something to protect herself with. It won't take her that long to put on the SSS uniform with some gloves as well before heading off to the location: the computer lab.

She looks pretty confident, though there's a seriousness in her eyes as she notices the floor panel, understanding what it means, jumping down, landing on her feet to meet up with Yuri.

Though she won't say anything just yet. After all, they're supposed to be doing this secretly, where nobody can notice them. ]

action;

[tenminutes]

[ Yuri's not worried about that. Once she's down, it's unlikely that anyone else is going to hear them. It's not like it's a quick 3-4 foot drop after all. ]

I would've waited at the top but I had to talk Kyon out of coming.

action;

[extraordinarily]

What? Kyon was going to come?

[ Though admittedly, she isn't all that surprised. That idiot always cared about other people. But he was useless in situations like this. Haruhi bites down on her lower lip, uncertain for a moment or two before speaking up once again, her voice a little more serious than before; her voice slightly shaky. ]

Well... at least he didn't come. He can't protect himself in situations like this.

action;

[tenminutes]

He was a little insistent about me not going alone, but he listens to reasons why he can't more than me directly saying 'no,' really.

[ She might've just told him he'd be pretty useless a whole bunch instead of specifically saying no. What. Ever. Works. ]

I didn't even want you coming because of that. Can you even aim a gun properly?

action;

[extraordinarily]

Of course I can! I was able to use two model guns for my movie, so a real gun shouldn't be a problem at all.

[ She'll toss her hair aside as she looks at Yuri before sighing. ]

I'm not an idiot, after all. I wouldn't have come if I was really planning on offing myself. And besides, I need another question answered anyway.

action;

[tenminutes]

Guns and model guns are really different, you know.

[ She's not sure if Haruhi knows how to deal with the recoil or proper aiming or not to get her fingers between the firing pin and the barrel... ]

Which question is that?

action;

[extraordinarily]

So what?

[ She shrugs nonchalantly, almost as if this weren't a big deal at all. ]

I've already looked at the library about gun handling and stuff like that back home. Besides, I'm a fast learner.

[ And there's a pause before she finally says the question she has in mind. ]

You see, I've been wondering... is it possible for people to disappear without being satisfied? I mean, somebody disappeared and reappeared; I know that for a fact. But I want to know what happened to Koizumi-kun. If he disappeared because of satisfaction, then-- that's good for him. I'm happy. But if this world, no, the person who controls this world did something to forcibly take him out of this world, then maybe it would make sense why you still don't remember everything, Yuri.

action;

[tenminutes]

[ Yuri doesn't say anything for a moment in response to that second part, but there's... She knows that she can't say it's impossible. ]

At the last school festival, I saw a couple of people who used to be in the SSS. Some who I've watched disappear myself. I didn't remember at the time, but... [ Yuri's expression stays the same. A very well trained poker face, but her tone seems to get a little more serious. ] They were satisfied when I last saw them. One of them was satisfied when certain members of the SSS went behind my back and thought I wouldn't know even if I didn't and wouldn't stop them, but I've never seen anyone reappear before.

[ Yuri stops walking for a second, getting a weird feeling as she said that. It had hurt a lot after that point and that was when she first really realized how much she loved everyone, how much she wanted to protect them even if that meant letting them go but.. ]

That was right before the shadows came for the first time, after they did that.

action;

[extraordinarily]

[ Haruhi listens, nodding after a while to show that she understands. But when Yuri stops, Haruhi too stops, knowing that the situation is indeed more serious than she could ever imagine. And it's not one that she ever wanted to be in. All she wanted was to have fun, that's all.

But this mess... she had to be one of the ones to deal with it. Otherwise she'd never forgive herself. ]

Then something must have happened between the first time the shadows appeared and the second time, right? Since they wouldn't show up twice like that for no reason, especially considering that it sounds like the time frame between the first appearance and the second was a pretty long time.

It's like a warning from the final boss or something!