Part 8: "She honestly looks and sounds like she's dying."

After about fifteen minutes of chatting with Mikuru about movies, the car rolled to a stop.
"We're here," proclaimed Haruhi's cousin, pointing out the window, to a twenty story hotel. "Damn Haruhi," he said in awe. "How'd you book this place?" Haruhi looked down at her feet.
"My savings...all of them." Itsuki wrapped his arm around her neck.
"That's so sweet of you." Haruhi's cousin looked over his shoulder, and glared at Itsuki.
"Just because we're at the hotel," he growled. "Doesn't mean that I won't drag you behind the car for the rest of the trip." Itsuki pulled his arm away with haste.
When the six of them reached the lobby, lugging their suitcases, they were greeted my marble pillars, and floors, fountains that looked as though made of pure gold, and an enormous chandeleir with Italian crystal hanging from as many places as possible.

Kyon lounged on the couch, his arm around Mikuru. Itsuki was laying with is head in Haruhi's lap, and what Kyon wouldn't give to be in his shoes. Yuki sat quietly in a chair, reading a book titled Midnight Lovers: Badgers and Aliens Having Orgies. Haruhi's cousin was listening to his I-Pod Touch, and was singing an unknown song, loudly and off key.
That night, Kyon lay awake on the pullout couch, with Itsuki snoring beside him.
All of a suddon, Mikuru walked out into the living room, and sat at the foot of the bed.
"This will work," she said, touching Kyon's arm. "When I look into your eyes, I see pain, sorrow, passion, anger, and lust. But the thing I don't see, is hope. I only see, in general, doubt, you don't think that you can ever be with her, but heart this. I share a room with Haruhi, and she's having some sort of nightmare, because she's sweating, and crying, and she honestly looks and sounds like she's dying. She's screaming things like 'Save me, bring me salvation! Help! Help! I'm going to die! It hurts! I can't breathe! Dear god, I'm bleeding everywhere! All I can see is red! I'm loosing him! He's going to die! I'm going to die!'" Kyon stood up, his heart almost coming out of his chest.
"Show me. She does need me, Mikuru. And I have to be there for her."
They walked into the girl's bedroom, and saw Yuki hunched over Haruhi,who was screaming, and thrashing in her sleep. Kyon ran over, and pulled the blankets away. She was in her bra, and a pair of shorts. Her screams were paralyzing, but Kyon fought if is with every fiber of his being. He sat on the bed, and ran his hand over her hair. Her screaming became nothing but a low moan.
"Kyon, Kyon, Kyon, you came." He gathered her into his arms, and brushed the sweat from her forehead.
"Yes, I came," he whispered. "I'm here." He rocked her back and forth. He lowered himself down onto the bed, and rubbed her back.
"Heh," Haruhi chuckled in her sleep. "I thought you were going to leave me to die." Tears flooded Kyon's eyes.
"Oh Haruhi, I'd never leave you to die, you know that."
"Yeah," she cuddled closer to him, and rested her head on his chest. Then, she stopped moving, and fell into an even deeper sleep. Kyon placed his hand on her back, to feel her gentle heart beating, and closed his eyes.
Mikuru and Yuki pulled the blankets over them, and threw some other pillows onto the floor, for them to sleep on.

5: White Hot Rage

The car trip was long, and Kyon didn't feel like recalling it, but the reader should understand the white hot rage that he felt during the trip.
Mikuru got shotgun, and Kyon didn't know why. So he was stuck next to Itsuki and Nagato (Yuki).
Itsuki was also next to Haruhi, and had his arm around her shoulder the whole time. To Kyon's dislpeasure, Haruhi was completly oblivious to the fact the Itsuki was totally hitting on her.
At the first stop to get food, Itsuki was holding Haruhi's hand, and this really pissed Kyon off.
"Kyon," whispered Mikuru, as they exited the rest stop, and headed twords the car. "Grab my hand, it might make Haruhi jelous."
Holding Mikuru's hand, Kyon proceeded to the car, where Itsuki and Haruhi were chatting in the back seat.
"I've never noticed how beautiful your eyes are, Haruhi," Itsuki said cooley. Haruhi's face turned a shade of red, and she looked away.
"Oh," Itsuki smiled, running his hand over her hair. "I see, you don't like me very much, do you?" Haruhi looked him straight in the eye.
"Oh no Itsuki," Haruhi said franticly. "I do like you. A lot actually." Itsuki cupped her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers.
At the sight of the girl he loved having her face eaten by another man, angered Kyon so much, that his hands were clenched into fists.
"Kyon," Mikuru whimpered. "Please stop squeezing my hand so hard, it hurts." Kyon released her.
"I'm sorry Mikuru, I have to get her attention. Holding hands didn't help, so maybe this will."
"I understand, love knows no extremes."
Kyon dipped her down, and kissed her. For dramatic effect, he leaned against the car, and ran his hands up her back. He glanced over at Haruhi, and kissed Mikuru even harder, only out of frustration of seeing Itsuki all over her.
"Could the love lorn teenagers please stop hookin' up in front of my car?" Haruhi's cousin walked across the parking lot, with Yuki right behind him. "And you," he said, pointing to Itsuki. "You get your hands the hell off my cousin, or I'll drag you behind the car all the way to the hotel." He turned to Mikuru, "Miss Asahina, do you mind if Miss Nagato sits up front for the rest of the trip?" Mikuru pulled herself off of Kyon.
"Sure, no problem."
For the next hour, the car was completly silent. Kyon was not sitting next to Itsuki and Mikuru, who occasionaly gave him ideas on how to tear Itsuki and Haruhi apart.
When they pulled over again, Kyon and Haruhi were alone together in the car.
"So," Kyon said. "You're dating Itsuki, huh?"
"In a way."
"I thought you weren't interested in normal people." Though Kyon knew that Itsuki wasn't a normal a normal person, he was an ESPer.
"Yeah, I know. But he's a mysterious transfer student, which doesn't exactly make him ordinary. But you and Mikuru are together. How long has that being going on?"
"As of today, actually," Haruhi nodded.
"Just like Itsuki and I. Weird, huh?"
"Yeah, weird." Mikuru walked back to the car.
"Kyon, may I speak to you alone for a moment?" The two walked out to the curb.
"Kyon, remember when...you might want to sit down. Remember when you promised to marry me if I was ruined as a potential bride, or if you couldn't marry the one you truly loved?"
"Yeah," Kyon said.
"Well, in the near future, Haruhi Suzumiya becomes Haruhi Koizumi." Kyon felt as thought the whole world had come crashing down.