Disclaimer: No disrespect is intended with the posting of this story. Situations and characters are property of Nagaru Tanigawa, and are used here without permission. His stuff; we're just borrowing it for a wee bit. Additionally, some tinting (characters and settings) are borrowed from Higurashi, which is the property of Ryukishi07; the gaggle of cousins that appear are covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Note: Takes place after novel eight and ignores novels nine through eleven. Welcome to a divergent AU! This is not a proper crossover; just using some established characters due to laziness.
While I was enjoying having a room to myself, sharing it with Koizumi isn't actually that bad. He doesn't snore, or try and keep me up with rambling philosophical debates. In fact, given how tired he was after Haruhi's crazy march to a disaster zone, he not only falls asleep before me, when morning comes around, I manage to wake up before him.
My cousin-watching duties pretty much began the moment I stepped into the hall, but for a change of pace, I let them all engage in an exciting round of 'draw on the sleeping esper'. I have to admit, I'm impressed both by Makoto's steady hand and how quiet the cousins can really be when they set their minds to it!
I manage to usher the lot of them back into the hall before Koizumi stirs -- but their giggling is enough to tip Haruhi off. The door to the room she and the other girls were sharing slides open enough for her to look out suspiciously.
Fearing they've been caught, my cousins (and sister) swarm off, giggling and laughing even louder.
Haruhi crosses her arms over her chest and watches Shutaro trundle off around the corner toward the living room last before turning her attention to me. "What was that about?" she wonders suspiciously.
"Sorry," Koizumi says from behind me tiredly. "Did I miss something?"
I manage to avoid turning to look at him -- barely. Haruhi's reaction is enough to force me to momentarily bite my tongue. Her eyes widen and she bites back an exclamation, just staring in surprise.
"Good morning, Kyon-kun, Suzumiya-san," he adds, a bit more brightly.
"So-- Uh, you're likely to get sentenced to hard labor with me while you're here," I say quickly. "Which means my aunts will put you to work helping distract my cousins."
"By the look of things, you got Koizumi-kun a head start," Haruhi retorts, keeping a smirk in check as Yuki steps out from behind Haruhi, blinking at the pair of us.
I cough as Aunt Satoko calls down the hall, "Kyon-kun! If you and your friends are up, I've made some coffee!"
"Good morning," Asahina-san echoes, tiredly peeking from behind Haruhi before she cuts off with a squeal, then starts giggling.
"Um...." Koizumi hesitates a moment, and then sighs. "There's something on my face, isn't there?"
"It'll wash off!" I encourage him, turning to regard Makoto's artwork.
Dark circles around his eyes and whiskers on his cheeks make him look astonishingly like a raccoon. "I hope I made a good impression on your cousins, then," he says, with an amused shrug.
"Seems like they like you to me," Haruhi agrees. "Anyway, if we're going to be stuck babysitting, now would be the time to go after that coffee."
I nodded and beckoned the others to follow me. The cousins are happily crowded around the kotatsu in the living room, giggling again at Koizumi's face. He just shrugs and smiles about it -- in retrospect, it's a good thing he can handle it so well.
Aunt Satoko and Aunt Rena are finishing up in the kitchen -- Rena with breakfast, and Satoko with coffee. "Do you like it..." the blonde aunt starts before trailing off and staring at Koizumi's face. "Um," she starts, grinning and shaking her head. "Do you like it black?"
"Cream and sugar for me," Koizumi poses. "I should probably find a mirror at some point, too."
"Why-- Ah, tanuki," Aunt Rena judges, nodding. "We used to do that to Kei-chan all the time!"
"Uncle Keiichi got his face scribbled on?" I asked, a bit surprised as I showed the others to the kitchen's smaller Western-style table.
"Penalty games," Aunt Satoko and Aunt Rena said in simultaneous fond remembrance.
"Of course," Aunt Rena muses thoughtfully, "I suppose you're too old for such things."
"Oh, I'm not sure about that," Haruhi says, grinning mischievously. "If it could happen to Koizumi-kun, I think I know what Kyon's next penalty might be...."
In retrospect, I might end up paying for Koizumi's current state quite heavily! I'll have to be sure to get a picture to remember the situation later.
"Well -- the entire Brigade is here, thanks to Haruhi. I imagine that the new recruits will be facing the same assignment as me?" I ask, changing the subject as Aunt Satoko hands Koizumi his coffee, and then turns to preparing a cup for me.
"More help around the house would certainly be welcome," Aunt Rena agrees. "Doing laundry without power is quite a chore! So -- if your friends are willing to keep your cousins busy, then once you finish eating ... you can do the dishes!"
There are worse fates, I suppose.
"Oh, um, I can help!" Asahina-san anxiously offers. "Um, I'm sorry -- I was such a poor guest last night--"
"You were exhausted," Haruhi overrides her before she can continue. "You had a good reason!"
"Ah...." Asahina-san's face colors as she ducks her head.
Giggling, Aunt Rena serves plates before each of us. "Yes, you can't blame yourself, dear. Still, if you'd like to help Kyon-kun, I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem."
"Gives you a few minutes of respite before handling the cousins," Haruhi allows, narrowing her eyes doubtfully.
Breakfast isn't anything spectacular, but given how many of our supplies we've gone through, Aunt Rena really is doing a remarkable job keeping everyone fed. We're still getting rice, toast, and miso soup -- things could be much worse!
It's quiet for a bit as everyone eats, my aunts only collecting the dishes from my cousins before heading to the back yard, where the laundry is being handled. That really is a tedious job, though! I finish early and head to the sink to handle a much easier task -- the dishes.
Asahina-san joins me uncertainly a moment later, and I point out where the dishrags are so she can dry them off. Of course, she doesn't know where anything goes, but it's still help, and I wouldn't complain about Asahina-san in any case.
"Are your aunts really washing things by hand -- the old fashioned way?" Haruhi wonders.
"Nah, they have a hand-powered machine for use in power outages," I explain, shrugging. "Mostly it's just an excuse to take a break and leave the kids with us for a bit. If it were really bad, they could probably run the generator for a bit and actually use the washing machine."
"I see," Haruhi muses, looking thoughtful. "Well, in any case, we've got an assignment -- Kyon, do a good job with those dishes! Mikuru-chan, if he tries anything he shouldn't, just scream, and I'll be right there!"
Hey!
"Yuki, Tanuki-san, let's go meet Kyon's cousins more properly! We hardly got to know them last night, right?"
When I glance over, I have the strangest impression of Yuki being amused as she follows Haruhi and Koizumi into the living room. Judging by my sister's cheer on seeing Haruhi again, there's nothing to worry about on that front.
I shake my head and hand Asahina-san the first washed bowl. She studiously dries it and moves over to make room for me to set more down. "Are you doing alright, Asahina-san?" I wonder. "The hike here -- it must have been pretty tough on you!"
"I...it wasn't that bad," she defers quietly. "Everyone else ... was working so hard-- So I had to keep up! Um ... I can't even remember getting to this place, though. Just Suzumiya-san waking me up and helping me get to the bath before bed."
Hmm, she forgot me carrying her on my back? Part of me is disappointed, but I shrug it off -- really, she was just worn to the bone. "You worked very hard, too," I encourage her. "Trust Haruhi to lead such a dangerous mission, though."
"It's okay, though!" Asahina-san protests quickly, smiling as she wipes another dish and sets it aside on the counter. "Suzumiya-san was very thoughtful-- She kept an eye on me and let me stop to catch my breath!"
Hmm. That's Haruhi's reaction to finding the truth about Asahina-san out? She takes care to be more thoughtful of her -- maybe even protective?
Well, I know I've thought that Haruhi was always at her best when she looked out for others, but it is nice seeing her become even more proactive about things. "Asahina-san," I say, handing the next dish over and glancing to the living room-- I can hear Haruhi playing with the cousins, but no one seems to be eavesdropping. "You know that Haruhi's trying to ... well, this is Haruhi. You know that she's going to figure everything out?"
"I-- What do you mean?" Asahina-san asks, taking the bowl from me and wiping it dry. "You mean ... about Koizumi-kun and Nagato-san?"
That's nothing new, though. "And about herself," I say, waiting to make sure Asahina-san doesn't overreact and drop the next bowl before I can hand it over.
Surprisingly enough, while her eyes widen a bit, she doesn't look that troubled or surprised. "W...well...." She hesitates, focusing on drying the next dish before shaking her head and giving me a warm smile. "If the two people I trust most are deciding to be honest with one-another, then I'm certain everything will be okay!
"I've ... learned some surprising things recently," she continues, while I finish up the last of the dishes. "I didn't know that in ... dreams, I could avoid running into limitations around what I could and could not say! Well, there were things I couldn't tell you, and things you couldn't tell Suzumiya-san-- I'm glad I can be here when we can all be more honest!
"It should be ... I think ... positive for everyone, shouldn't it?" she concludes, smiling brightly.
Wait-- What did Asahina-san tell Haruhi? Or had the two of them just puzzled out what I wanted Asahina-san to discover -- but couldn't tell her myself? Then again -- was there a point to worrying about it? I suppose there wasn't!
"That reassures me, as well," I have to admit, grinning as I wipe my hands off and start putting dishes away.
"Hey!" Haruhi calls from the living room, peeking in at us. "Hurry up and join us!"
"Almost done," I reply. "We'll be finished in a minute or two, Haruhi."
Asahina-san nods brightly, smiling as she dries off the last plate.
Kyon's cousins are an absolute riot! Every last one of them is a giant ball of energy, to the point where even I'm having trouble keeping up with them! Fortunately -- both for the Brigade and for them -- we're able to take them outside today; Kyon explained that with all the rain they've had, his cousins have all been cooped up inside for nearly a solid week.
Watching the full group of them racing around on the lawn playing 'zombie tag' and hide-and-seek isn't too bad, though. For the most part they're content to keep the game among themselves, while we watch and make sure no one gets hurt. Once or twice they manage to draw Kyon and me into their antics, but most of the time we actually try to stay out of the games.
Rather, I should say that Kyon stays out of the game most of the time, and I'm actually following his lead. I've done babysitting before, and I tutor one of my neighbors that's about this age, but dealing with this many children all in the same place at once is something I honestly don't have a lot of experience with. Kyon handles it like a pro, but I guess that's no real surprise if this is the main thing he's been doing for the last week!
Still, the announcement of lunch by one of Kyon's aunts -- Mion, I think -- grants us all a reprieve for a while. I'm getting the cousins' names down fairly well at this point -- hearing them constantly as they're shouted across the lawn helps with that a lot -- but I'm still having trouble with the adults. The only time I've even seen his uncles and his father was when we were eating dinner last night; they apparently went down to work on the mudslide blocking the road around the same time we were all just getting up.
It's only as we're all coming into the dining room to eat that I hear one of the aunts pipe up from the kitchen. "Hmm, someone will need to take lunch up to Matsuri and Yurie," she calls, and it's not until she comes out into the dining room that I recognize her as the one aunt whose name I do know -- Rika, the one who we met at the school yesterday.
I glance around at the others, then realize that it'll be either me or Kyon that has to do it; the others don't know Matsuri or Yurie yet. Almost without thinking I jump to my feet and volunteer; it's only after Rika's loaded me up with a tray containing the two lunches that I realize it's given me a perfect escape from another round of pointed questions and thinly veiled teasing from the aunts -- and that I'm leaving Kyon to face it alone.
He can handle it, though -- they're his family!
I end up eating with the two grounded girls myself for just that reason. It looks like they've spent the morning working on making teruterubouzu, explaining how Kyon taught them the story behind the ghost-like dolls when the entire cadre of cousins was stuck inside making them last week. I get the feeling Matsuri's been spending more of her time watching the rest of the kids outside, though, since she seems considerably more subdued than she was just last night.
I spend the time chatting with Yurie a bit more, though. Thankfully, her questions aren't quite as incisive as her mother's are -- not that I could likely pick her mother out of a lineup, but all of the aunts were having a field day at dinner last night. Most of her questions are fairly innocent -- how I met Kyon, what the SOS Brigade is and what we all do in it, more or less just finding out a bit more about me. Her eyes light up at the mention of the movie, although she seems disappointed when I reveal that Kyon never really appeared in the movie directly, just as the narrator.
Before long, though, lunch is finished, and I collect the empty bowls and haul them back down to the kitchen, where Rika is starting on the dishes. I give her a smile as I set the tray down next to the sink, but a thought occurs to me as I turn to go.
Kyon had told me that his aunt Rika was actually the miko(shrine maiden?) for the shrine in the village; maybe I can get a bit more information about just how strange Kyon's rescue really was from her. Instead of turning to go meet the others out in the dining room, I offer to help her with the dishes.
"So thoughtful!" Rika says, giving me a smile. "I certainly won't say no to help!"
"It's fine," I reply, returning the smile. "I mean, we did kind of show up out of nowhere, so it's only fair to do our share of work to make up for the inconvenience!"
Her smile dims a bit at that, but she nods anyway, and I take up a towel to start drying as she finishes washing. Since we're away from Kyon for the foreseeable future, though, I decide to dive right into my investigation.
"Um... Fuurude-san," I start, stacking a rice bowl to the side of the sink. "Kyon told me that you run the shrine here in Hinamizawa, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right," Rika agrees, passing me another wet bowl. "Not that there's all that much to do most of the time, other than a few holidays."
"Well... I heard about Kyon rescuing Matsuri from the flooding there," I begin, looking at her sidelong. "Secondhand, I might add -- he didn't even think it was important enough to tell me himself, apparently!"
She smiles at that, shaking her head. "Well, it's not the first thing to explain when friends arrive unexpectedly, is it? I'd think he would be more surprised just to see someone he never expected to be here, doki doki~!"
I can feel myself start to blush at the implication she's making with the beating heart noises, but I forge ahead anyway. "W-well... I guess so," I admit grudgingly. "But still -- it sounds like he was a real hero, getting her out just before the building got washed away!"
"I'm very fortunate that Kyon-kun found Matsuri-chan when he did," Rika says, looking a bit distant as she stops washing for a moment. "Another few minutes, and..." She shakes her head, then gets back to the chore at hand. "Well! Regardless of what could have happened, it didn't, thanks to Kyon-kun!"
It's at that point I remember that Matsuri is Rika's daughter, and thinking on that... yeah, for her especially it's good that Kyon was a hero that day! "I was wondering one thing about the story Matsuri-chan told me, though," I continue, taking the next of the cleaned dishes from her. "What exactly is a saiguden? I've been to shrines in Nishinomiya a few times for New Year's and Obon, but I don't remember hearing about any building called a 'saiguden' there."
"Ahh," Rika says, nodding. "They're not all that common any longer, that's likely why. It's a ritual equipment temple -- it's essentially a storage building for various ceremonial and sacred items."
"Well, that's one less question for Kyon, then," I reply, flapping the dishtowel to air it out a little. A meal with more than a dozen people makes for a lot of dishes! "Was it very old?"
"Several centuries, actually," comes the reply, Rika shaking her head. "It's something of a blow for it to have collapsed like that, but it really should have had some repairs done soon in any case. It's a bit difficult, though, since entering the building is prohibited to anyone who isn't a member of the Fuurude family, or who has our permission. And even with permission, I don't think most of the villagers would be willing to enter if I asked them to!"
Now there's a statement with hooks in it! I'm tempted to dig further, but I imagine I can get the story behind that from Kyon later. And hearing that the building was that old certainly lends some credence to the girls' claims that the door didn't open on hinges! Definitely any building that was centuries old would have an old-fashioned sliding wooden door, not something with a knob and hinges.
"So Kyon had never been in there before?" I ask, moving a stack of clean bowls to a cupboard at Rika's direction.
"Oh no, definitely not," Rika replies. "In fact, he was technically in trouble for going in when he rescued Matsuri, since he didn't have my permission first! Not that I would have denied it to him, but it was very risky in any case!"
I almost want to laugh at that -- who would actually get upset with him other than Rika herself? But then I wonder; if aliens, time travelers, and espers are actually real, who's to say that gods and youkai might not be just as real? That puts me in a bit more thoughtful frame of mind, and I simply nod in reply as we finish up the last of the plates.
"Now, it's my turn for a question," Rika replies as she allows the sink to drain. "I really do wonder... Suzumiya-san, why are you here?"
I start a bit at the way she puts it, then give her a puzzled look. "Why am I... to make sure Kyon's okay, of course!"
"So he means that much to you, then?" she says, giving me a level look -- there's no teasing now, and I swallow at the serious gaze she's giving me.
"He... I... well, he's part of my Brigade, so of course I'd be worried about him! I'd do the same for any of them!" I splutter.
"Really?" Rika replies, turning away and wiping down the counter next to the sink. "Don't get me wrong, Suzumiya-san -- I think it's admirable that you'd be so concerned for Kyon after the troubles we've had here. But you knew he was safe; I know he called you just a couple of days ago when they finally got the phone lines working. Or at least I presume it was you -- since his family is here with him, I could only imagine that he was calling friends back in Nishinomiya that might be worried about him.
"Well, that's... we'd already made plans to come up here," I retort, turning away to hang the towel in the oven door so it can dry -- and so I don't have to face the older woman.
"So you'd been planning to travel more than a thousand kilometers, to one of the most remote areas in all of Japan, just to check up on a member of your club?" Rika pushes back, her tone light even though her words are anything but. "Not just that, but to do so while this is an official disaster area! You and your 'brigade' hiked over ground that even the JSDF thought it wasn't worth the risk to try crossing on foot to get here!
"That's a remarkable amount of effort to go through, especially considering that you're also risking a lot of trouble with your school and your parents as well," she concludes.
When she puts it that way, it does actually drive home just how much work went into getting up here to find Kyon. Even if I'd only set up the fundraiser by itself, that was already a crazy amount of organizing, and then on top of that the entire trip getting up here.... Granted, Yuki did all the work in lining up the travel arrangements, but then we actually went through with all of it -- like Rika just said, traveling into the middle of a disaster area while the relief efforts were still going on!
The trouble with parents and school aren't that big to me, though; after everything that happened in middle school, I've had the riot act read to me by my parents so many times I could rattle it off by heart -- at this point I think they've just plain given up. And with school... well, that's a bridge we'll cross when we get to it, I guess. But to be honest, I hadn't even considered either of those when I decided to come find Kyon; she's got a fair point, but honestly I just don't care about what trouble I might get in for this.
Since I don't say anything in reply, Rika picks up the conversation again. "I'm not going to presume to tell you your business, Suzumiya-san," she says quietly. "But I look out for my family -- and even if we're not related by blood, Kyon-kun is still part of my family. I won't say that you shouldn't have come here, but I do think you should really consider whether you honestly would have gone to such lengths for just anyone -- and think about what that means."
My continuing silence is punctuated by the shuffling of Rika's feet as she heads out of the kitchen, although she pauses for a moment -- presumably at the doorway into the rest of the house, although I'm still facing the stove so I can only guess.
"If you'd like, have Kyon-kun take you and your Brigade out for a walk this afternoon," she says, her voice shifting back to its normal lilting tone. "Rena-chan and I need to lead the children through their lessons for today in any case, and you did come a long way to see him -- so go out and enjoy the sunshine with him, poka poka~!"
It takes me a minute, but I do find my voice again finally. "I... will, thanks," I say, sounding subdued even to myself.
Haruhi surprises me a bit when she volunteers to take care of the 'prisoners'. I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised. Thanks to that, and the other Brigade members, lunch is actually reasonably subdued.
After we finish and Koizumi and I carry the dishes into the kitchen, I find Haruhi wiping her hands on a dishtowel while Aunt Rika finishes wiping up the last of the pots and pans. The Brigade chief's eyes widen and she freezes, before abruptly shaking her head.
"I can take care of these," Aunt Rika says, before Haruhi can remark herself, giving the girl a friendly smile. "Go on, now."
"What's this about?" I wonder, as Koizumi and I carefully set the dishes in the sink.
"Since we're all here and have time for it -- Brigade meeting," Haruhi declares, nodding firmly, but not actually meeting my eyes. "Kyon, since you know the surrounding area, you'll have to lead the way -- so show us someplace nearby where we can discuss things in peace!"
I can't help but heave a small sigh at that. "Of course," I mumble, shaking my head. There are plenty of places nearby, but with all the rain.... "I'm not sure what's worth seeing after the storm, unless you want to just walk through the woods. We could actually see the landslide, I suppose. You came in around it, didn't you?"
"That works!" Haruhi declares, when Koizumi nods confirmation.
So thanks to that, the Brigade rushes out beneath an onslaught of pouting cousins that have to stay behind as we get a chance to escape. Asahina-san looks uncertain about the journey, but even if she's nervous, she manages enough confidence to get her shoes on and follow us out to the lawn. From there, I gesture down the long path leading down to the village.
"Are you planning on searching the village for mysteries?" I ask, giving Haruhi a small smirk as Aunt Mion's house vanishes behind a screen of trees.
"We don't need to go that far," she replies, shaking her head as if to dispel some lingering thoughts.
Well, she'd figured out Asahina-san, so I steel myself. This might end up being a bit of a serious conversation after all. Koizumi looks wary, but holds his tongue. Nagato's expression is the same as always, and Asahina-san seems more concerned with her footing than looking up at anyone else. Then again, she had tripped a few times on her way here.
"Alright," I prompt. "So ... what mysteries have you discovered?"
Haruhi frowns and comes to a halt, putting her hands on her hips. Asahina-san squeaks and almost falls over at the sudden stop, but Haruhi's hand shoots out lightning-fast and grabs the older girl's elbow, steadying her. Nagato stops effortlessly, while Koizumi and I slow and turn to face the thoughtfully staring Brigade chief.
I suppose if she wants to talk somewhere without eavesdroppers, halfway down the road to the village is a good a place as any!
"First of all," Haruhi says, gesturing at Asahina-san with the hand that isn't holding her steady, "that Mikuru-chan is a time traveler!" she says with a small bit of pride.
The response to that is a bit anti-climactic; I already knew, thanks to our meeting in our dreams. Nagato doesn't react other than to blink. Koizumi is the only one to start in surprise, eyebrows rising as he stares at Haruhi. Even Asahina-san only blushes, looking around to ensure no one outside of the Brigade was nearby to overhear.
Well, that's Haruhi for you. She waited since yesterday to get to this, didn't she? She looks a little irritated at the general lack of reaction, but I nod and cross my arms over my chest.
"That's.... You discovered that, did you?" Koizumi asks, still off balanced.
"So you all knew," Haruhi grumbled, scowling. "And I'm guessing you also knew that Yuki is an alien?"
This time, Nagato gives her tiny signature nod of acknowledgement. Asahina-san looks a bit nervous, glancing between the smaller girl and Haruhi. Koizumi recovers his composure. "I ... had not guessed you were investigating such things, Suzumiya-san," he says uneasily, forcing a smile. "What else have you discovered, then?"
"So all of you knew all about one-another," Haruhi deduces, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, then, Koizumi, did your esper bosses say you couldn't tell yourself about me, either?"
The esper is almost bowled over, despite how obvious it was that his reveal was coming next. "That-- Is absolutely the case," he says solemnly, his expression drawn. Is he ... afraid?
Come on, Koizumi! Haruhi's not that bad!
Somehow, even though I don't say anything aloud, he seems to get my thoughts and settle himself. Or maybe he just recalls our conversation from yesterday. "My apologies for not being able to say anything earlier," he offers, offering Haruhi a formal bow.
"Well, I'm not happy about it," Haruhi snaps, glaring.
When Koizumi flinches back, Haruhi sighs and rubs at her temples, slowly shaking her head.
"I don't think I like any of your bosses -- they come across as jerks! But ... if Mikuru-chan's bosses give her rules that control what she can say, and Yuki's bosses seem to do the same ... your bosses are probably trying to do something similar."
The esper nods quickly, looking relieved. I think Haruhi is a bit off guard by Koizumi's mask falling away! Good for him that she doesn't push harder, though.
"Well, in any case, I would really like to know more about you three, and why you all have jerks for bosses," Haruhi continues, shaking her head. "We'll have time for that later -- the real question is how I 'just' managed to find the exact beings that I was looking for ... and the answer to that is pretty obvious!"
I uncross my arms and steel myself. I trust Haruhi -- I really do! But this is still tense stuff! How will she react? Did she figure it out last night? Or in her amazing way, is she unraveling it on the spot?
"So, what would attract aliens, espers, and time travelers?" she asks, looking at each of the three in turn, a smile coming to her lips. "And that has to do with me and Kyon, right?"
Koizumi nods hesitantly -- Asahina-san's nod is more eager, and even Nagato gives her small gesture of confirmation. For myself, well, she's half right, so I just shrug. That wasn't really addressed at me, anyway.
"So to start ... what is the deal with Kyon?" Haruhi asks, turning to look at me intently.
...what?
Deal with me?
"Uh, Haruhi--" I start.
She turns to Koizumi and raises her eyebrows. "Well?" she demands, before I can continue.
"I-- That is ... Kyon-kun is your friend," the esper says, looking nervous under her scrutiny, offering a hopeful and uncertain smile. "He's the one who told us we should trust you."
Haruhi looks both annoyed and surprised by that, struggling to figure out which one she should feel more. Still, instead of pressing, she turns her gaze to Nagato, raising her eyebrows.
I frown, not liking the way I was brushed aside ... but Haruhi is trying to puzzle this out, so I cross my arms over my chest again and wait patiently.
"A trustworthy companion who looks out for those he cares about," Nagato surmises, which ... actually is a bit embarrassing. Thanks, Nagato ... I didn't know you thought of me like that!
For whatever reason, that makes Haruhi's eyes light up a bit as she grins and nods. "Of course," she agrees, before turning her attention to the now wide-eyed time traveler. "And you, Mikuru-chan? What do you have to say about Kyon?"
"Um, here?" Asahina-san squeaks out nervously, offering an apologetic smile.
"Oh, right, those stupid limiters," Haruhi grumbles, frowning. "Well -- try anyway, Mikuru-chan."
"Um ... that is, an important figure ... from this time who can ... influence things greatly," the cute older girl manages -- she looks delighted with herself once she finishes saying it, as though she weren't certain she could finish it. "Ah! I didn't say 'classified information'!" she cheers.
"Well, based on that, and my own observations ... I've figured it out!" Haruhi declares, giving Asahina-san an encouraging hug, nearly unbalancing her before turning to stare at me. "I've figured out what you are, Kyon!"
I'm a normal person, Haruhi. "What's that?" I ask, uncrossing my arms and trying to sound indulgent instead of indifferent.
"You ... somehow have the power to shape reality!" she declares.
I ... can only stare at her from that. How on earth did she get that so backward?
"And you used your powers to gather the people who I wanted to meet, so we could be friends, because you think their bosses are jerks!" she adds cheerfully. "Isn't that right?"
"U...um.... Actually...."
Oh, boy.... Where do I even begin?
Kyon's reaction is not at all what I was expecting -- raising a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. On the one hand, it tells me that I don't have things right, at least as far as he knows. On the other, if he thinks I'm wrong, that means he obviously has some idea of what's right.
"Well... I will have to agree with at least part of that," he begins. "Given what I know of them all, I would have to say you're right -- most of our friends' bosses really are jerks. I've really only had to deal directly with Nagato's superiors -- and that only in a way -- but given what I've seen them make Asahina-san do, I can't really say I'm fond of her boss either."
That prompts an uncomfortable grimace from him as he falls silent, so I push ahead myself. "So, if that's the only thing you're agreeing with, you're telling me the rest of it's wrong? That you can't change reality?"
He nods at that. "So far as I know, I'm a completely normal human," he admits.
"Then explain why I've seen -- and heard of -- you doing things that are impossible!" I shoot back. "You're telling me I shouldn't believe the evidence of my own eyes?"
That catches him off guard. "Wait, what? You've seen-- when was this? What did I do?" he responds.
"That little rescue of your cousins was the first hint," I say, evading the direct question. "So, your story is that you found the storage building starting to collapse, yanked the door open, tossed a big statue off your cousin, and then dragged her out just as a storm surge hit and finished taking out the building, right?"
Kyon sighs at that, shaking his head. "That was adrenaline, Haruhi. I can't believe that you wouldn't know the kinds of things people can do when they're on an adrenaline rush."
"Is that your story or not?" I continue, ignoring the point -- as if I wouldn't have considered that!
"Fine, then, yes -- that's what happened."
"I did take adrenaline into account," I start off, giving Kyon a dirty look. "Getting a big stone statue off your cousin and running out through the mud before the storm surge came along, sure -- that's definitely all possible from an adrenaline rush. The bigger problem is the door."
Kyon blinks at that. "The door? What does that have to do with anything?"
"That's what Yurie-chan told me that sounded the most off," I answer -- now he knows I'm working from an eyewitness account! "From what she told me, she saw the door hanging open after you yanked it open." I hold up a hand to forestall the protest before Kyon can even start. "Number one, if the building was starting to collapse, the door probably would have been jammed shut. And yes, adrenaline again, but that's not the important part.
"I talked to your Aunt Rika, too, and she says the saiguden was a really old traditional-style building. With sliding doors. How could Yurie have seen a doorknob on a sliding door?"
"Well, we were all kind of panicked," Kyon hedges. "Maybe she only thought she saw the doorknob?"
"Except that matches up with your story, too," I fire back. "You said you yanked the door open! I don't know about you, but if I was trying to open a stuck sliding door in an emergency, I'd try breaking it down by kicking it in, not pulling it out. What the hell would you grab to pull it by, anyway?"
He falls silent at that, then sighs. "I can't even trust my own memories there thanks to the adrenaline. I do still remember pulling it open, but that doesn't mean I'm remembering things right."
I shake my head at that, then move on to my own observation. "Fine, then! I know what I saw, and there was definitely no adrenaline involved with that!"
Kyon just gives me an expectant look, so I press on. "First, would there be any reason why there are big holes in the ground around here?"
He snorts at that. "Some of my cousins -- the Houjou twins. They like making pit traps, don't ask me why."
I can't help but snicker at that myself, but I move on. "You sat directly on top of one when we went outside to talk yesterday," I explain. "I had no idea why it was there, but it was covered over with branches and grass -- I probably wouldn't even have noticed if you hadn't knocked some of the covering off when you got up."
He simply shrugs at that. "So they just used branches that were strong enough to hold my weight," he explains. "I'm surprised I didn't notice it, but I'll admit that seeing all of you show up here had me kind of shaken up, so I could understand missing that."
"And you think I wouldn't check on that?" I give him a skeptical look. "When I tried putting my foot on it, the branches broke so quickly I almost fell in myself!"
Kyon doesn't give a reply to that, looking more thoughtful than a few minutes ago. "That... still doesn't mean that I was the one responsible for that," he hedges.
"Then who was?" I shoot back.
"Who else was there?" he offers as an answer, not looking directly at me.
I have to stop to think about that for a moment before what he's implying sinks in. "The only other person there was me, of course," I retort. "Wait... you're saying that I somehow kept you from falling in?"
"Everyone else," Kyon says, looking around at the other Brigade members, "is here for a reason -- I'm just sort of along for the ride, more than anything. They're here because of you, Haruhi."
I give Kyon a skeptical look at that, but he's still not meeting my eyes, so instead I turn to the other three -- who have been mostly silent throughout the whole conversation so far. Mikuru blushes and looks down, and Koizumi's smile looks pretty sickly when my gaze sweeps over him. Yuki's the only one that doesn't seem to be perturbed at all, so I decide to get a straight answer.
"Is that right, Yuki?" I fix a stare on the alien -- man, it feels weird to think of Yuki that way!
"I was originally sent to observe you, Suzumiya Haruhi," Yuki says smoothly, looking straight back at me. "Over time, my goals have expanded to include him in the course of my observations as well."
Kyon's eyebrows raise at that, and he turns to look at Yuki himself, although she isn't quite done yet. "His role in the situation was unclear at the beginning, as there appeared to be no significant reason for his inclusion in the SOS Brigade. I was instructed at that point to inform him of my role in observing you, in the hopes that this would reveal some additional data relating to his presence."
"It was... similar for me," Mikuru chimes in. "I was... informed that Nagato-san had brought Kyon-kun into the loop, and I was told to do the same since we didn't, um, want one of the other groups to gain an ally that would give them an advantage over us." She drops her gaze at that, and I can definitely understand why she's not exactly proud of the admission.
I turn to Koizumi at that, raising an eyebrow -- if everyone's sharing their story, I might as well get them all. "In... my case, Kyon-kun came to me directly after he'd heard from both Nagato-san and Asahina-san," he admits. "It had been my plan to inform him when I would be able to provide more definite proof of my claims, but I was preempted."
Well, that at least explains why Kyon seems to already know about all of this. Yuki nods at the others' additions, then continues on. "Our initial assessment proved to be correct; he was a standard human being. However, despite his lack of extranormal traits, it is my analysis that without his presence the Brigade would have been destroyed by internal friction."
Kyon looks a little stunned by that, and I'll definitely admit to some curiosity about exactly what Yuki means by that, but... "That's interesting, but we're kind of getting away from the real point," I say sharply. "I get that Kyon's normal, but you still haven't said why you're observing me."
Kyon sighs at that, shaking his head. "I'm not even completely clear on that myself," he offers. "Everyone's offered up different explanations about exactly why they're staying around you in the Brigade, but as near as I can tell, you are the one that's able to warp reality."
I give him a dubious look at that. "I just accused you of the same thing, and you wouldn't believe me even after I provided proof! You expect me to swallow that just on your say-so?"
Kyon sighs at that. "Would it help if I told you I was... no, actually, that sounds pretty lame at this point even to me. All right, hmm... let me think for a minute."
I decide to be magnanimous for the moment, and so I just step back a pace, tapping my foot while I wait for him to put his argument together. I suppose it's fair; he didn't know it was going to come to this point, it sounds like, and while I've had plenty of time to put my own case together, he hasn't.
"Okay," he finally says, setting his shoulders. "There's... not a lot that I can point to that I think you'd remember, other than this. I'm assuming you remember what was going on when we made the movie last fall, right?"
Not one of my prouder moments, and not a memory I really want to get back into right now, but I nod grudgingly anyway.
From the look on his face it's not one of his favorite times either; he won't meet my eyes as he goes on. "Do you remember the cherry blossoms? How all of a sudden they just bloomed out of nowhere in the middle of fall?"
"I do," I admit, at least happy this isn't getting into what happened with Mikuru. "Wait... you're saying that I caused that, somehow?"
Kyon nods, looking to the others for some kind of confirmation -- although most of them are looking pretty uncomfortable themselves. Koizumi in particular looked like he was sweating bullets; his usual smile looked like it was looking for an escape route from the rest of his face.
Kyon's voice cuts into my observations as he goes on. "That... yes. There were a lot of things that happened during the movie shoot that were pretty unreasonable, but the only thing you'd probably remember would be the cherry trees, and maybe the birds. You'd said you wanted the trees to be blooming, and for the birds to be white, and the next day both of them were."
"That's--" I want to jump in and say it's just a stupid coincidence, but that's kind of what Kyon was just blowing me off with, so I should try to give this a little consideration if I want to get the same. "All right, I'll accept that there's not much other explanation for the trees," I admit. "Whether or not it was me specifically, there really isn't a reasonable explanation for why one particular set of cherry trees would bloom for one day six months out of season, so the idea that I might have caused it is about as reasonable as anything else that could explain it."
Kyon relaxes a bit at that, but I decide to turn this back around -- this is about him just as much as it's about me, after all. "Even if that's so, though, it doesn't explain what I saw with you sitting on that pit in the ground! Even if I can change reality, you were the one sitting on top of it!"
He just shrugs at that. "You did want to talk to me," he replies. "The only thing I can guess is... well, maybe you subconsciously kept me from falling in so we wouldn't get interrupted."
I just give him a flat look at that. "Kyon, assuming you didn't break something in the process, watching you fall into a muddy pit would have been absolutely hilarious," I say evenly. "I would have laughed myself crosseyed, then helped you get out so I could talk to you."
Kyon looks kind of dumbfounded at that, and Mikuru stifles a giggle. I'm half tempted to do the same myself, but I do want to keep things on track for the most part. "So. I can buy the fact that maybe I have some kind of ability like reality warping that brought everyone here to observe me, since they all agree they're not here to watch you. I could also buy the idea that they actually came to watch you for the same reason, but told you that they were watching me to keep you from getting suspicious, so that's not really hard evidence either way.
"The cherry trees do make it seem a little more likely that it was me rather than you, since you... weren't exactly my biggest fan during the movie shoot," I admit, feeling the color rise to my cheeks at the admission. Not that he'd be wrong for thinking that way, but... "So... if it was just your ability to do things all along, it wouldn't really fit for it to happen right then -- you weren't exactly in the mood to do me any favors.
"But it can't explain everything," I continue. "You sitting on the hole after we got here, the thing with the rescue -- even if you don't remember the whole thing clearly, Yurie sounded like she was far enough away not to panic completely, and she had a decent view of what was going on from the sound of it. If I can really do what you claim, then yeah, changing a sliding door into one with a doorknob wouldn't be hard at all -- but how would I have even known that I needed to? I didn't even know about the rescue until over a day later -- I figured you were just worn out from dealing with your cousins all day!"
Kyon sighs. "I can't explain it all either -- it's not like I know exactly how the whole thing works, all I can really do is guess. Maybe... you just wanted me not to get hurt, and things worked themselves out from there or something. It absolutely can't have been me, though -- I really am completely normal, I promise."
"But why would I have any reason to think that on the day when you rescued your cousins?" I shoot back. The point about me not wanting him to get hurt is valid, but I don't plan on handing Kyon any more reasons why he's off the hook. "I already thought you were safe! We'd already had a chance to talk after you didn't show up at school, and from the way you made it sound, you were stuck doing mostly safe but annoying chores! It's not like I was ever worried that your cousins were going to hit you in the head with a rock or something!"
I take a moment to glance at the other members of the Brigade to get their reactions. Koizumi's looking increasingly bewildered -- and worried -- while Mikuru is doing her best to look invisible, probably just from the fact that Kyon and I are fighting. Yuki is looking... odd. If I didn't know better I'd say she was trying to hide a smile, although her expression is the same as it always is -- but it's like there's a twinkle in her eyes that tells me there's more going on there than she's letting on.
Seeing that -- and with Kyon resorting to his usual 'Haruhi's being unreasonable, why me' facepalm technique, I decide to press the others. "Come on, doesn't anyone else have anything to say?"
Mikuru just whimpers a bit, shaking her head silently, and after a moment Koizumi collects himself enough to give an answer. "I... well, all I can say is that to the best of my organization's knowledge, Kyon-kun is what he claims -- a perfectly normal human." He gives Yuki a searching glance at that, but she doesn't respond to him at all.
And after a moment, when it seems like she's going to leave things where they are, I decide to press her specifically. "What about you, Yuki?"
She turns to face me directly as she answers. "As previously stated, I was sent to observe you, and upon investigation he was determined to be a normal human."
I let out a sharp sigh at that, and Kyon looks relieved. That lasts about ten seconds though, since it seems she's not quite done.
"That was our determination at that time. I no longer believe that this is the case."
As much as Nagato's words shake me, I manage to keep from screaming in terror -- Haruhi and Nagato are both there, after all, and I've always been confident that as long as we were together, we could get through any crisis. "What's changed?" I ask, unable to keep the note of worry from my voice. Then again, feeling it's entirely called for, before she can answer I add, "What's Haruhi done to me?"
Haruhi snorts at that, crossing her arms over her chest, but echoes, "Are you saying it was something I did, if ... he used to be 'normal'?"
Taniguchi's long-ago prediction that I would 'catch Suzumiya' didn't somehow come true, did it? Things were settling down and becoming so reasonable, too!
Nagato pauses, as she sometimes seems to when explaining things, but looks ... well, for Nagato she doesn't seem particularly troubled. It doesn't hurt that she's the first person I'd go to for help in this situation, though I'm nearly ready to beg. "No other source for the change can be identified," she says quietly.
"But what change?" I still have to ask, looking at the others for support. Asahina-san looks completely bewildered, still trying to hide ... well, I can't blame her for that. Koizumi looks worn to the point of cracking, and I don't think I can really blame him for that, either!
"The full extent is not yet understood," Nagato says in response. "Observable events so far conform to the type of creation of data previously associated excusively with Suzumiya Haruhi."
"Data creation?" Haruhi asks, furrowing her brow. "So -- you're confirming that Kyon is a reality warper!"
Even though it's minute, both of us recognize her nod.
Hey! Wait! "But also that I didn't used to be," I protest. "Haruhi was it originally! I'm not sure I'm happy about that, Haruhi!"
Nagato gives that same nod and.... And it starts to really sink in.
"What, you think it's easy for me to just somehow accept?" Haruhi retorts incredulously.
"Well -- you're amazing and can handle almost anything!" I protest feebly, not really thinking about what I'm saying. That somehow makes her stop and reconsider things. If it weren't for her reaction to that, I might have been too upset to notice that she had been shaking a bit herself.
"I-- I suppose, I have to lead by example," she grumbles, staring straight at me still. "So if I can handle this, you can too!"
Can I? Maybe I'm wrong, though! Turning to Nagato and thinking of last December, I ask, "Haruhi ... is still Haruhi, right?"
"There is no evidence to conclude that her own ability has been lost or otherwise diminished," Nagato confirms.
It is rare in my mind that one can 'win' a confrontation with Suzumiya Haruhi, so despite the circumstance, I have to take what I can get: "But I'm right, that everyone was here for her, because it was her power alone originally!"
And again, Nagato's familiar nod.
Haruhi's jaw works once, twice, and then she fixes me with a scowl. "This doesn't make me wrong," she points out. "It.... It just means we're both right."
"This is a lot to take in!" I protest feebly.
"Somehow, I can be sympathetic," Haruhi returns, rolling her eyes. I suppose I'm not really thinking that this must be difficult for her too. I tried to tell her once about everyone else, and her reaction to that should have warned me how difficult this was to accept. "I mean, if what you're saying is all true, what ... does that make me?"
"I could ask the same question," I note, giving her a level look.
"Oh, come on!" Haruhi explodes. "You've known who everyone was for almost a year at least! Haven't you had enough warning to prepare yourself for just how ... crazy this all is?"
...she's got a point. Shaking my head, I use one of her own argument tactics against her: "Nevermind that -- it's not that important."
"Not that important!" she shouts, stamping one foot on the ground and giving me an incredulous stare. "I just found out that you can warp reality! Meeting in dreams was amazing, but this takes the cake! And you want to say that finding out what you -- what we -- can do is not that important!?"
"Haruhi is Haruhi," I tell her with a shrug, fitting things into place on my own. "So you can warp reality ... and supposedly I can too."
Koizumi shakes his head slowly, still unsure what to make of the situation. Asahina-san is starting between us with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open a short distance. Nagato is regarding both of us with that same unshakably calm expression. Of course, I'm pretty sure I can understand why she's so calm now, which is the same reason I've decided not to worry about it that much.
Haruhi snorts. "That's your answer?" she asks scornfully. "What kind of bull--"
"Watch your mouth; if we weren't careful, children could be listening," I admonish her gently. She rolls her eyes, but before she can restart, I continue, "We're friends, Haruhi. Not just you and I, but all of us. So ... to try and put it into words.... When I first met you, I didn't look at you as a 'reality warper', but as a person. For a while, I wasn't sure how to think, once everyone else told me about what you could do, but then I realized I should treat you the same as before."
Her mouth snaps shut as she gives me an evaluating stare, considering what I'm starting to say.
"So from time to time I ... slipped a bit. But I've learned to not let what I've discovered influence me in a way it shouldn't -- yes, you can warp reality. Yes, Nagato can do amazing things, too. And Asahina-san is a time traveler. Koizumi's an esper.
"But that doesn't really matter, either! You didn't know what they could do -- you just picked them because they grabbed your interest. And even if there were rough patches," and here, Haruhi winces a bit, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably, "we're gotten through everything and become friends. That Christmas party, what we all did for Valentines's day," I look away when spots of color explode onto Haruhi's cheeks, even though she tries to scowl to cover it, "and that time we all had to work together for the book club's digest!
"So ... all that ... this really means is that we can be completely honest about things, right?" I insist.
I have to believe that to keep myself from panicking over things ... though it doesn't hurt that Koizumi and Asahina-san nod agreement with my analysis, and Nagato's expression hasn't become concerned in any way.
"I.... I suppose I can accept that," Haruhi grudgingly allows, coughing -- though her cheeks are still red. "I guess once in a while you can come up with a decent speech -- but there's no sense just ignoring what we can do!"
"Well, let's take things one day at a time," I counter. These long, school free days have given me ample time to reflect, after all. "There's no sense rushing, either."
"Considering you knew you were normal and got this new power, you're taking this really well," Haruhi muses, frowning.
"Well ... maybe I just like to think that once you knew your other friends were special, you decided to help me become more equal," I reason. That seems sensible enough, doesn't it?
She snorts and rolls her eyes at that, giving me a grin. Then she says something that reassures me that as much as things have changed, they really will be alright. "Equal? In your dreams!"
Halbarad's Notes: A big thanks to Brian for all his help, and especially his patience. My writing speed is glacial in comparison to his, but never did I get more than a gentle reminder (even when I probably should have gotten more.) All in all, though, it's been a blast to write this one, and a tip of the hat again for getting me motivated to actually write anything in the first place.
Brian's notes: This was the first serious-length collaborative effort I've really undertaken, and I personally think I really lucked out by getting a great co-author. Being able to split the writing made it much easier, and it was a great deal of fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did writing it; classy hats and cigars for all!