Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ The Melancholy of Sora Kazano ❯ The SOS Brigade ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2 - The SOS Brigade

 

After the class has ended, Sora dragged me by my wrist to the building where all the clubrooms were. When we finally stopped, I stared at his eager face.

“Help me,” he said with a feral grin—something I hope never to see ever again, “help me make my club.”

This feels like extortion… “Why do I have to help you with your idea?”

“I'll go get a room and members while you go get the paperwork,” he said. Why do I get the feeling that he simply won't listen to others when he's got his mind set on something?

“What kind of club do you intend on making?”

“That doesn't matter. Making the club is priority! Understood? Get the paperwork ready before class ends and I'll go find a room for our purpose.” With that, the hyper teen ran down the stairs out of my sight. I sighed at my predicament and ruffled my own hair with irritation.

“How do I get myself into these situations!?” I exclaim dramatically to myself before making my way toward the student council office to obtain the chartering papers for this random club that Sora intended on making.

 

After classes were over, I found myself once again being dragged by Sora to another place. This time, presumably our new club room. He threw open the door leading into the room and I noted the rather empty room save for a large table, two bookcases full of books, and several fold-up chairs leaning against the wall.

“This is our new clubroom!” he exclaimed.

“Wait a minute. Where are we?” I asked suspiciously.

“This is the literary clubroom,” he replied. I took a look around and found an old projector set up in the corner. When I heard the answer, my head snapped to his grinning face.

“So this belongs to the literary club,” I reiterated.

“But, since all the seniors graduated, there is no member for the club. This person,” he laid a hand on the shoulder of a blond-haired girl who seemed rather engrossed in her book, “is Naminé Nakahara. She joined the literary club or it would've been cut from school.”

“Then the club isn't cut!' I said, becoming rather afraid of Sora's enthusiasm.

“Eh, close enough,” he said with a shrug.

“But what about her?” I asked.

“She said that it's fine.” I stared at him in shock. “I asked her during lunch and she told me to just go ahead.”

“Uh, Naminé. Is it really fine with you if she turns this room into an I-have-no-idea-what club room?”

“It's fine,” the girl turned towards us for her short reply before returning to her book.

“It might be a big bother,” I said.

“It's fine,” she replied once again.

“You might even get kicked out.”

“That's fine.” I gaped at the reading girl and couldn't believe what I was hearing.

“That's that,” said Sora. “From now on, meet in this room after class! You better show up or else!”

“Fine,” I reply with a sigh.

 

The next day, I went to the clubroom as promised and saw that Naminé was already there. Sora had run off just after class to who-knows-where and so I sat down on a chair next to the table and looked about with boredom.

“Um, what book are you reading?” I asked hesitantly. The silent girl raised her book to show me the title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

“Is it interesting?”

“It's unique,” she replied quietly.

“What part of it?”

“Every detail.” I was beginning to feel really creepy when it came to this rather quiet girl called Naminé Nakahara.

“You really like books huh?”

“Somewhat.”

“I see…” Where is Sora!? I want to leave!

Just as I was about to sit down, the door slammed open to reveal Sora in the doorway.

“Yo! Sorry for being late,” he greeted with a smile on his face. I have a feeling this day wasn't going to end well.

“It took me a while to catch her,” he grinned as he pulled a red-haired girl into view. I stared as Sora proceeded to push her into the room with a wicked grin on his face. Somehow the feeling that this day wasn't going to end well is proving to be true.

“What is this?” the girl asked hesitantly. She's probably scared out of her wits after being dragged to this random room by a random person. It's ten times as worse when that said person is Sora Kazano. “Where are we?” Both she and I jumped when we heard the door being locked. “Why are you locking the door!?”

“Be quiet,” the boy said in a rather cold tone. He turned and basically jumped onto the girl with an arm around her shoulders as he grinned. I gaped at his enthusiasm and prayed for the life of the unfortunate girl in front of me.

“Let me introduce our newest member of the club, Kairi Fischer!”

I stared… and stared. Is that all he was going to say?

“Where did you kidnap her from?” I asked, surmising that Kairi didn't actually come with Sora on her own accord.

“It wasn't kidnapping!” he retorted. “It was voluntary arrest!”

“Isn't that the same thing?” I replied.

“I caught her daydreaming in a second-year classroom. I've gone through the entire school during breaks, so I remembered seeing her a couple of times.”

That explains why she's not in class for break every single time. A thought suddenly struck me.

“Then she's an upperclassman,” I commented.

“What about it?”

“Never mind,” I sighed. “Then, Kairi, is it? Why her?”

“Why not her?” he replied before pointing at the girl's face. “She's cute! I believe turn-ons are essential.”

“Wait… what!?” I gaped at him. I do agree though, Kairi is really cute.

“Turn-ons! You know-” I decided to interrupt him before he goes into further details about the “turn-ons.”

“Yes, yes. I know what you're talking about.”

“Turn-ons are essential in any weird story. After all, in every story where something weird happens, there's always a cute, petite girl present.”

I could not believe my ears. Did this just happen or did you actually plan this entire thing out, Sora?

“Not just that,” he grinned before poking Kairi's chest. I grabbed his wrists before he could be reprimanded for sexual molestation.

“I get it,” I said exasperatedly. “So is that it? The fact that she's a really cute girl who can turn people on in strange stories is the only reason why you brought her here?”

“Yup,” he grinned. “She's going to be our mascot!” He turned to the frightened girl. “Kairi, are you in any club?”

“Um… I'm in the calligraphy club…”

“Quit that one. It'll interfere with this club's activities.” I gawked at the brown-haired boy for his gall. Who does he think he is? The king of the world?

The girl seemed to think about it for a moment before turning to see Naminé in the background reading. She seemed to recognize the other before turning around to face us.

“I see… I understand now. I will join this club and quit the calligraphy club,” she replied. I blinked… and blinked. Did I just hear what I heard? Is she joining us out of fear or out of volition? I think it's the latter based on her reaction on seeing Naminé. I wonder if Sora noticed it.

“But… I really don't know what the literary club does,” she frowned slightly.

“We're not the literary club,” stated Sora confidently.

“We're temporarily borrowing the room,” I added. “The club you're being forced into,” I glared at Sora, who seemed unfazed by my annoyance, “is an unnamed association yet to be made by Sora that will participate in unknown activities. The real literary club member is sitting over here.”

“That's fine! I've come up with a name for our club.” Our club? Since when was it our club?

“Let's hear it then.”

Attention, attention. The name of this strange club has just been announced!

“SOS Brigade!” he said while giving us a thumb up.

The Save-the-world-by-Overloading-it-with-fun: Sora Kazano's Brigade, in other words, SOS Brigade for short. What a great name…

Originally, it would've been Save-the-world-by-Overloading-it-with-fun: Sora Kazano's Association, but an association hadn't been formed yet. The lack of five required members is obvious right there. Not to mention, no one has any idea what this club was going to do—though I do suspect it would have nothing to do with the school's philosophy of “creativity and vivaciousness.” What kind of school uses that word anyways!?. When I brought up that point, his only reply was:

“That's why brigade is just fine.”

Sora's incomprehensible word has the last say on the matter… Oh great. Fine, whatever. Just… do whatever you want.

 

When I think back on the conversation that had transpired between me, Sora, and Kairi during the previous month, I can't help but feel that I have just been thrown into hell and been forced to journey through it in the accompaniment of Sora Kazano.

“Good morning,” came a voice from behind me as I trekked up the hill for the umpteenth time. Having gotten used to the climb, I was almost tempted to not stop. But, I turned to see Zexion jogging up the hill.

“Good morning,” I replied.

“Sorry, I need to go ahead. Forgot that I had class duties today,” he waved good-bye. I wonder what had prompted him to greet me in the first place. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that a normal person like him is in the class when there's Sora Kazano.

I opened the door into the classroom to see Sora sitting at his desk with a confident smile on his face. He appeared to have been waiting for me this entire time because when he saw me, he immediate left his seat and came over to me.

“Roxas, what do you think we still need?”

“For what?”

“We need to get a mysterious transfer student into our club.” Good luck with that one.

“Wait. Back up and give me the context? I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I think the SOS Brigade needs a mysterious transfer student to complete it.”

“Define `mysterious' first, please.”

“We're two months into the school year. Any student who transfers right now must be mysterious,” he reasoned aloud.

“Maybe his dad just got transferred at work,” I supplied.

“Nope, that would be weird.” He seemed irked by my response with the way he crossed his arms.

“What would you consider to be normal then?”

“I really want a mysterious transfer student to show up,” he said as he walked back to his seat.

As usual, he doesn't give a damn for what I say. God, if there is a god out there, why me!?

I followed suit and went to my own seat, sitting down to prepare for the class as the bell rang.

Throughout the morning, I wished that I sat somewhere else, knowing perfectly well that Sora's grinning happily behind me. I couldn't shake the creepy feeling I get with the hyper boy seated behind me with the eagerness of a child who has been promised candy if he's well behaved. In this case, I believe Sora is obviously waiting for class to be over so he can start working on SOS Brigade's very first club activity. All I can pray is that our first activity won't be too traumatizing for us all, especially for the fragile mind of Kairi Fischer. From what I've seen in the past month, she is so meek that I'm wouldn't be surprised if she were to come to class everyday all stressed from the lack of sleep.

As for Naminé Nakahara, her portrait could be found under Encyclopedia Britannica for a “mystery.” I've yet to figure out the personality and the life of the only literary club member. Every single day I've gone to the clubroom—which, I will admit with chagrin, is every day—she's already there reading. Doesn't she have class like the rest of us!?

Speaking of class… the bell just rang and it's lunch time.

During lunch, it appeared that a rumor went around saying that Sora and I were plotting something.

“What are you and Sora doing, anyhow?” asked Axel as we ate lunch in the classroom. “Don't tell me you're going out.”

My eyes widened with surprise and I nearly choked on the water that I had been drinking.

“Absolutely not!” I replied indignantly. “I should be the one who would like to know exactly what we're doing.”

“Just don't overdo it. We're not in middle school anymore,” he said. “They'll at least suspend you if the school grounds become unusable.”

“You think I don't know that?” I retorted. And as much as I'd like to just simply back out of this insane situation, I have to at least save Nakahara and Fischer from Sora's crazy schemes lest they get hurt.

 

That afternoon, Sora disappeared from the room before I even had my bag packed up. I sighed at my misfortunes as I watched the open doorway out of the classroom.

“Going to Kazano's club room huh?” asked Demyx as he leaned against my desk. I nodded silently.

“Well, see you tomorrow then,” he replied. “You're up for Light Cycles this weekend, right?”

“As long as the SOS Brigade doesn't do something, then yeah.”

“Sora's got you on a short leash,” commented Axel with a grin. I scowled at him.

“Maybe there are pretty girls in Kazano's club,” said Demyx. I thought about it for a moment. Although neither Naminé nor Kairi could be said to be really pretty, they are really cute.

“As a matter of fact, they are pretty girls,” I commented offhandedly, picking up my bookbag. “But, since Kazano's in the club, I doubt either one of you would join. I'll just protect them from Kazano myself.” I grinned.

“Yeah, you go ahead and do that,” retorted Axel with a grin. “Come on, Demyx. See you tomorrow, Roxas.”

“Later.” We went our separate ways and I began my daily trek toward the SOS Brigade clubroom.

When I opened the wooden door leading into the room, I had originally thought I got the wrong room. However, upon seeing Naminé in the corner, I knew that it was the SOS Brigade room. Yet, the amount of furnishings in the previously sparse room was rather shocking.

On the side of the blackboard stood two wide cabinets that doubled as counters for a water heater, a radio, several mugs, a coffee machine, a metal pot, a teapot, a portable stove, and a large case of instant ramen cups. Next to the cabinets was a mini-fridge. What was Sora thinking of making this room into? Our living quarters?

Sitting on top of a desk that he had obviously pilfered from some undisclosed location, Sora faced the open windows with a wide smile on his face. He turned toward me and for the first time I noticed a cloth armband pinned on his sleeve with the words “Brigade Chief” written across it with a Sharpie.

“I know what we're missing!” he exclaimed. Naminé remained unfazed by Sora's outbursts while Kairi let out a small “eep” upon the sudden shout. I merely looked over to him as I sat down on the remaining unoccupied chair in the room.

“What do we need?” I asked unenthusiastically. I really really want to go home!

“We need a computer. How can we get more members if we can't publicize the club?” Didn't you just say you wanted a mysterious student to join the club just this morning?

“And where are you going to scrounge up a computer?”

“Scrounge!? No, no. We're doing no such thing. I know that next door's the Computer Science Club. I'm sure they can be persuaded into giving us a computer.” If by persuaded, I'm pretty sure you mean blackmailed or of that sort.

“Come, Roxas and Kairi!” he stated confidently before grabbing the two of us by our wrists and dragging out of the room.

A short five paces later, we followed the impulsive Sora Kazano into the rather dark room of the Computer Science Club. Six boys sat in front of six personal computers that were scattered about the room. Based on the monitor, I'd say they were in the middle of a strategy game before we so rudely interrupted them. It also didn't help that Sora just slammed the door open rather than knock before he opened the door.

“What's going on here?” asked a black haired boy who looked rather pudgy. I was rather shocked by his appearance. His street-style fashion sense completely contradicts my perception of a computer science student: one who wore glasses, has freckles, and wore a polo shirt with brown or black slacks. Instead, the boy in front of me wore a white tee-shirt underneath a red jersey along with a pair of blue baggy pants. The entire ensemble was completed with a pair of blue tennis shoes and a black headband that created the unruly-hair look.

“We're here to get a computer complete with peripherals,” stated Sora with a grin. Kairi stood behind him nervously while I stood in the doorway praying that nothing bad would happen.

“What are you talking about? We don't just give out computers for free,” he replied with a frown on his face. Please, Sora, don't do what I think you will be doing.

“You guys have so many computers already, one isn't going to hurt!” Sora replied still with that creepy grin on his face. I have a feeling this isn't going to end well.

“Who are you guys anyways?” the leader of the Computer Science club asked with a scowl.

“I'm the SOS Brigade leader, Sora Kazano. And these are my underlings.” Huzzah, we are now pawns in Sora's scheme. “There. Now, stop complaining and give us a computer!”

“For what reason? There's no way we'd give you one for free!” A mischievous smile appeared on Sora's face. This isn't good, I should interfere before something bad happens.

“Sora,” I spoke for the first time. “Let me handle this. Kairi, can you take Sora outside?”

“Um…” the girl said hesitantly.

“Roxas, stay out of this,” he replied. “I can persuade you into giving us a computer,” he said slyly. Wrapping an arm across Kairi's shoulder, he steered the clueless girl towards the sitting student and grabbed a hold of the boy's free hand.

Why do I always have to be right!?

I watched in horror as the hand met a protrusion on Kairi's chest and the girl screamed “What!?” Sora continued to grin in his creepy grin as everyone in the room realized what had just happened.

The club leader quickly drew his hand back but Sora's grip was too strong. Before he knew it, he was on the ground on top of the hysterical girl while Sora was cackling softly taking pictures.

I crossed the room quickly and snatched the camera from the scheming boy's hands.

“Roxas!” he growled.

“This is going too far, Sora,” I said. I'm starting to sound like my own mother.

“Whatever, I've got evidence.” He turned to the club leader, who had managed to distance himself from SOS Brigade's hapless mascot. “If you don't want the rumors to spread, you better pay up and give us a computer.”

“You forced me to do it!” the boy cried frantically.

“The photos don't lie.”

The club leader looked about with an air of despair and sighed.

“Fine, take which ever one you want,” he said at last. I feel really sorry for the guy. Sora scrutinized each computer closely while I laid my eyes on a box that sat rather forlornly in the corner. The packaging hadn't been damaged, so I assumed that there was a computer within.

“What about that one?” I suggested, pointing at the box.

“That one was donated by the school to us,” a member of the club said. “It was meant to replace our oldest computer!”

“It's fine, Jeremy,” the club leader said with a sigh. “Go ahead and take that one. We have no need for it.”

Sora grinned happily and gladly took the box with him. Kairi followed him out of the room while I remained behind.

“Is it a usable computer?” I asked hesitantly. The club leader nodded solemnly.

“It's a brand new iMac,” he replied. I took a step back with surprise. “But, none of us here really use Macs, and I'd rather not spend my last year tinkering with something that I have no experience with.”

“But, aren't iMacs really expensive?”

“It's an older model, so not as expensive as some of the newer stuff out there.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Are… you going to give me the photos?” he asked hesitantly. I looked down in my hand to find the camera still there.

“Yeah sure,” I said, handing him the camera. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks. I would be dead if Olette find out what had happened.”

I laughed. “No problem. Anyways, thanks.”

“Any time. The name's Pence. Pence Doyle.”

“Roxas Uchiyama. Nice to meet you.”

A brand new friendship has been formed!

Once the new computer has been set up, I was charged with making a website for the SOS Brigade. Why am I the one who has to do everything? Oh well, it's a good use of my lunch breaks.

 

Whether it's coincidence or not, I'm more inclined to think that it was the latter now, Sora got his wish. During the last period before school ended, I noticed that Sora had already gone. For a smart student, he sure doesn't mind skipping classes. As I sat in my seat letting my mind wander as Mr. Gast droned on and on about the evolutionary process, I can't help but wonder why I keep going back to the SOS Brigade club room. I guess what they say is true, habits are hard to break.

So, as I made my way over to the club room after class, I wonder what Sora was doing during sixth period.

I entered the room to see Kairi and Naminé already in the room. Naminé was, as usual, reading a book, this time titled Rental Magica. Kairi sat in her seat looking rather forlorn.

“Sora didn't come with you?” she asked upon seeing me in the doorway. I shook my head.

“He was already gone by sixth period,” I replied. “Look, about yesterday…”

“It's alright,” she replied with a smile. “It was probably inevitable in this temporal plane,” she added softly.

“What?” I blinked with confusion.

The red-haired girl blushed and flustered as she spoke her next words. “Oh, it's nothing. Don't mind what I'm blabbering about.” I cocked my head to one side and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Eh, whatever. If she doesn't want me to know about her secrets, that's just fine with me.

“Oh, right,” she said suddenly. “Do you want to play Scrabble? I saw Sora drop it off during lunch.”

“Sure…” I said. Kairi then went over to the cabinet beneath the water heater and pulled out a mahogany cardboard box.

“Naminé, do you want to join us?” I asked the reading girl. She looked up at me and nodded silently.

Thus, as we waited for Sora to show up, the three of us enjoyed a quiet game of Scrabble. I noticed that occasionally both Kairi and Naminé would make up strange words like “autoevolution” and “timequake”. As I'm not a sophomore like Kairi or a bookworm like Naminé, I didn't think to correct them. But I did have my suspicions about the words.

As we came close to the end of the game, the door sudden slammed open to reveal and grinning Sora. The grin reminded me of when he had brought in Kairi just a month ago, and I knew something was going to happen.

“Hey! Sorry for the wait,” he exclaimed as he dragged a person into the room. “Our newest member is here! The useful transfer student who joined class 1-E today,” he gestured to the newcomer.

“Riku Hamilton, nice to meet you all.”

“This is the SOS Brigade with members 1, 2, and 3. You're the fourth member. I'm the leader, Sora Kazano. Everyone get along now!”

I stared at the silver-haired teen that was at least a head taller than Sora with a grin on his face that reminded me oddly of Sora. Suddenly, the words that Sora said about a “mysterious transfer student” came to mind when I continued to stare at the boy. He seemed to exude an aura of mystery about him. Oy, oy, Sora, this can't be a coincidence.

The newcomer looked about him with strange interest. “I have no problem with joining, but what does this club do exactly?” Somehow, I feel like he didn't get a chance to go to any other club before being dragged off by Sora to the clubroom.

Sora grinned. “The purpose of this club is to find aliens, time travelers, and psychics and have fun with them!”

“Ah…” I was speechless. I was reminded of Sora's introduction during homeroom on the very first day of class and the reality of being stuck with the world's most eccentric boy came crashing down on me.

“I see.” See what!? “Very well, I will join.” Were you actually listening to Sora's explanation?

“Yes! That makes five members and the SOS Brigade is a full-fledged club!” cheered Sora. I feel like I'm stuck in an outlandish high school drama dealing with a psychotic teen and three others that are probably just as psychotic as the original. Am I the only normal guy here?

The transfer student approached me with a friendly smile on his face and reached out for a handshake.

“Since I just transferred here, I'm sure I have a lot of learn from you all.”

“Roxas Uchiyama,” I replied, not sure what else to say to this “mysterious transfer student” that Sora just happened to find out of nowhere.

“The cute girl's Kairi and the reading girl's Naminé.” Riku looked at the other two and it appeared that a mutual understanding was reached between the three. Or was that just my imagination?

“It's time for our club to be publicized and make the world know!” Sora exclaimed. I noticed that Sora gets excited rather easily. I looked over to the now-reading girl and wondered if Naminé was actually fine with being a member of the SOS Brigade when we never actually asked her.

Shortly after the introduction of the new member to the club, Sora went home with a happy grin on his face. Both Riku and Kairi left at the same time, which left me and Naminé alone in the clubroom. I fiddled some more with the website and wondered what the hell Sora wanted me to put on the main page and so on.

The book that Naminé had been reading was thrust into my face and I leaned back to see Naminé standing next to me.

“Read it this afternoon,” she said softly. I blinked and wondered what she was talking about.

“Ah, sure,” I replied lamely, taking the book from her and putting it into my bookbag. Naminé then left the clubroom without another word.

“Later,” I waved pathetically and dropped my hand when Naminé didn't bother to take a look back. Breathing a sigh of defeat, I looked back at the white, blank page that served as our front page and scratched the back of my head with annoyance.

“Whatever, I'll not bother with the webpage until Sora tells me what the hell I'm supposed to put on it.” With that, I saved the measly work I did that afternoon and shut down the computer, leaving the clubroom behind.

 

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belong to Square Enix. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya belongs to Tanigawa Nagaru. Yada yada yada.

A/N: Someone had brought up a point about the title and how the content itself doesn't seem to follow the meaning of the title. My original answer was going to be that I'm paying tribute to the Japanese light novel by Tanigawa Nagaru. However, now that I think about it, the reason for the title will explain itself as we progress along. Hope you enjoy.