Kyon -- Big Damn Hero: Finding an Equilibrium

Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. No disrespect is intended by the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the characters or settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of paints. TVtropes (the website) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License, and so is every part of this fic that isn't the property of someone else. For example: Additional characters are borrowed from Higurashi, which is the creation of Ryukishi07, and Half Life 2, which is the property of Valve.

"Chapter Six: Falling Down"

"As much as clever little idioms about 'screwing up and relying on your friends to get through things' suck, they do kind of have a point. But there's no real reason to wrap it up and treat it better than it deserves. It's terrible, it sucks, and if you think you'll never have to deal with it, it'll be that much harder for you to handle when you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is: pride is its own punishment, ultimately."

"Methods of Victory" -- 'T.H.'

It was good to have so many dependable allies, in Tsuruya's mind. Admittedly, the Brigade was a bit closer than just 'allies', but when she needed help, they were there for her. And not just her, either.

For Haruhi, for Yuki, for Mikuru ... for any one of them that really needed it. Kyon looked disconcerted at Sasaki slumping against him, her eyes fluttering closed, but Mikuru didn't hesitate to examine the girl, assuring them all it was really just a simple fainting spell. Kyon himself was the antidote for that, just remaining a reassuring presence once the girl regained consciousness.

To Sasaki's credit, she didn't ask if it were a dream, or try to deny it; if anything, Tsuruya suspected that she had earnestly accepted what she'd been told, and that was the reason for her severe reaction. Well, it was justified!

"Now," she said briskly, once Sasaki had reluctantly climbed up from Kyon's lap, settling for sitting nearby and sipping at her most-likely cooled tea, "Kyon-kun and I have that businesses with some a Sumiyoshi-rengo to arrange an end to their kidnapping attempts later tonight. Are you still interested in attending that meetings?"

"Arranging both that and bringing Sasaki into the loop is cause for celebration," Haruhi added quickly, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding decisively.

"Oh, yes," Kyon remarked dryly, taking one last look at Sasaki to assure she seemed stable before turning his attention to her. "It's been days since we last had a party, hasn't it?"

"Exactly," Haruhi agreed. "You can't have a birthday every day, after all. Anyway -- Tsu-chan, what do you think about celebrating afterward?"

"Ah, that could be fun!" Mikuru supplied, brightening. "I like to cook for everyone!"

"Alright," Tsuruya agreed. "That seems to settle it! We can head over to my place before the meeting, and everyone who's not going with us can stay there to get ready!"

"Sounds good -- it's going to be me, Tsuruya-hime, Yuki-chan, and Sasaki for the meeting, right?" Kyon asked.

"Would either myself or Kyouko-chan be good candidates to join?" Koizumi interjected thoughtfully.

The female esper looked anxious and pale, smoothing her skirt down nervously, but said nothing.

"Ah, yeah," Kyon said thoughtfully. "You're right; they were going after her, too."

"Alright," Kyon agreed, rising to his feet, adjusting his coat slightly. "I'd say I'm a bit worried about making a more imposing show than we need to, but I somehow suspect that's pretty much a given."

"You handle the business end of things," Haruhi agreed, putting a hand on Kanae's shoulder and nodding decisively. "The rest of us will focus on your welcome back after a successful mission -- Kyouko, Sasaki, you two shouldn't have anything to worry about. Leave it to Kyon and Koizumi-kun!"

"I never thought I'd see the time you were more interested in playing a supporting role than a leading role," Kyon mused, rubbing his chin and giving Haruhi a speculative look.

The Brigade chief blushed and scowled at him sharply before she sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin. "A good leader leads! With quality subordinates, I can entrust you to handle things! And even if you can be lazy ... you've proven that you won't let the people you care about down when it really matters."

It was Kyon's turn to blush at that, and Tsuruya grinned, nodding decisively. "Okay!" she declared. "Let's get moving; it'll be a squeeze, but we can probably all fit in one limo!"

"Oh," Sasaki said belatedly, frowning. "Um ... will we be dressed adequately for the meeting?"

In Yuki's perception, the meeting was merely a formality to conclude the arrangement that she and Tsuruya had completed with the Sumiyoshi-rengo officer earlier. She did recognize that the others enjoyed putting on new clothing and showing it off, even if she hadn't greatly expanded on her own sense of 'style' from what Mikuru had helped her establish earlier. However, she could only define the sensation that she experienced when he looked at her in a new costume as 'pleasant', so raised no complaints when new outfits were offered to her without any of the difficulties of needing to choose it herself.

The current costume was another kimono; she and Tsuruya were wearing similar patterns and colors, though Tsuruya's had a more elaborate sash and lining, connoting her higher rank. Kyon wore a matching yukata, notably plainer than either Tsuruya's or her own, but Yuki found herself appreciating it anyway. Kyouko likewise seemed to appreciate Koizumi's slightly more formal yukata, though he lacked the pin that Kyon had transfered to the outer hem.

As Sasaki and Kyouko weren't officially part of Tsuruya's organization, the pair of them had more standard identical outfits of mini-skirt, blouse, and vest-- Perfectly matching the outfit that Mori wore, Yuki noted, as they entered the lobby of Tsuruya towers, and spotted her there, raising an eyebrow at the group.

Her gaze especially lingered on the girls who were dressed like junior versions of her, though Yuki determined that the costume choice was very deliberate on Tsuruya's part. It would presumably cast those young women as implied subordinates to Mori, who had started to develop a significant reputation among the organizations.

"Tsuruya-chan," she greeted, bowing politely. "And Kyon-kun. What brings you by, unannounced?"

"Would you believe that Tsuruya-hime thought it would be nice to visit Tsuruya-sama?" Kyon posed.

Smiling wryly, Mori shook her head. "I'll accept that, of course. But 'believe'?" she added when the boy winced.

Kasai stepped out of the elevator to join Mori, pausing as his gaze took in the younger members of the group, and his expression faded to a thoughtful frown.

"Well, I wouldn't have minded dressing to match, but that'd make it seem a bit too deliberate," he mused. "Now, it was supposed to be a secret, so did you know that the kumichou was in town, or is this actually a coincidence?"

Sasaki and Kyouko shifted anxiously at that, looking to Kyon and Koizumi nervously as Tsuruya and Kyon both startled at the revelation.

"Just as well," Mori sighed, reaching into her pocket and producing a small jewelry case. "I hope that the lack of formality can be forgiven for the moment, but this is for you, Koizumi-kun."

The esper accepted the box with mild surprise, understanding dawning in his eyes as he opened it and produced a pin that matched the ones that Kasai, Kyon, and Mori already wore. "There's one for you, too, Nagato-san," she added, producing a second pin.

"We'll do the ceremony in private tonight," Tsuruya assured them, nodding thoughtfully. "Hmm, did my fathers instruct you to find us and ensure that these were in place before the kumichou called on us?"

"Precisely," Mori agreed with a nod. "We were also supposed to ask you visit with him, but I'm guessing you had planned on that anyway. In that case, shall we go upstairs?"

Sasaki and Kyouko both showed signs of poorly concealed anxiety at the thought of meeting such a powerful figure. Yuki herself wasn't concerned; even if the technical structure of her rank made the kumichou her superior, she held Kyon, Tsuruya, and her other friends as more important.

"We should have a minutes or two," Tsuruya deferred, turning to the group quickly. "Ah, okay, Kyon is my saiko-komon, officially, and Yuki-chan is sort of a wakagashira -- technically of equal ranks ... though that's not official yet."

Yuki didn't think she needed a ceremony to establish her role at Kyon's side, but accepted that Tsuruya's organization wanted to see it anyway with a faint nod. After all, she'd fought with him, and he'd already called her that without hesitation on his own.

"Koizumi-kun, if you accepts the role, then you will be shingiin to Kyon-kun -- his personal and legal advisor," the heiress concluded.

"Really," Koizumi mused with a wry smile, unknowingly echoing Yuki's sentiments, "this is just formalizing the arrangement that Suzumiya-san already approved of, isn't it?"

Tsuruya laughed, nodding. "That's right!" she said, despite Kasai's raised eyebrows. "The code says family first, after all!"

"U...um, is there..." Sasaki managed hesitantly before trailing off with an embarrassed blush once attention turned to her.

"If you likes," Tsuruya said gently, "then perhaps somedays you can become a kaikei -- an accountant -- or another shingiin. But there's no real need; you already have a places in the SOS Brigade, don't you? And that should be much more important!"

"I wouldn't repeat that in front of Tsuruya-hime's father, or the kumichou, but I completely agree," Kyon agreed, scratching the back of his head nervously, before turning to help Koizumi properly place the pin on his outfit. "You don't normally combine the pin with a yukata, but we're being a bit unorthodox today anyway, so.... Here you go."

Yuki blinked, watching Kyon adjust the ornament before turning to regard her own outfit, then holding the jewelry box that Mori had given her out to him expectantly. He blinked in confusion before understanding lit in his eyes, and he gave her that warm, reassuring smile that caused her heart rate to fluctuate (though within safe parameters), and the capillaries in her own face to expand.

"Alright, Yuki-chan," he said kindly, opening the box and tucking it into one sleeve, out of sight before carefully placing the pin on her kimono, slightly below her collar bone, and above her heart. "There."

Yuki blinked, then explained, "You helped put this outfit on me. It seemed fair to allow him an opportunity. I could benefit from assistance removing this outfit later. If you wish, you can place the pin, and he can help with the latter portion."

Tsuruya laughed, while Kasai scanned to ensure no one outside of their group was in hearing range, and Mori shook her head in mute disbelief.

"Well, in the spirit of teamwork, why not have Kyon-kun and I both help you later?" Tsuruya teased, grinning.

"I believe at this point it would be prudent to suggest a division between the males and females when it comes time to change," Koizumi interjected smoothly, while Kyouko and Sasaki stared with wide eyes at the discussion. "Your thoughts, Kyon-kun?"

"Uh-- That seems smart; Haruhi, Kanae-chan, and Mikuru-chan will be annoyed if they have to wait for us too long."

Yuki suspected that wouldn't be an issue if they were also invited to help, and it would even go much faster. Still, it would be a shame to pull Mikuru away from the meal that she would undoubtedly have waiting by the time their business concluded.

"Um," Mori said with a cough. "Incidentally, Kyon-kun, do you have sufficient ... protective gear left, considering your situation?"

For some reason, that caused Kyon to flush beet red and sputter incoherently. Yuki idly wondered what it was, doubting it compared to the other defensive measures they'd put into place, but she wasn't about to begrudge another layer of protection, no matter how potentially flimsy it might be.

"Ah -- our guest has arrived!" Tsuruya remarked, glancing at the entrance to the tower, where a good number of the Tsuruya family's men had gathered, surrounding the Sumiyoshi-rengo representative.

The group sobered and prepared for the meeting as the man approached cautiously, though Kyon's face remained red for some reason.

A curious reaction ... Yuki decided she would have to ask Haruhi and Tsuruya to investigate it later.

Though she thought she was handy enough in the kitchen, Haruhi knew better than to try and compare herself against Mikuru. The older girl had gotten special training, and chosen to become expert at domestic tasks instead of combat skills or refining her powers. Haruhi didn't begrudge that choice, either; Mikuru wanted something that she could share with others that would make them happy and evidently had odd limits from her own superiors.

Kyon understood it better, but it didn't seem particularly fun. Then again, since the time traveler already had Kanae as her apprentice in the kitchen -- and Kanae certainly benefited from that sort of inclusion into activities that helped connect her to the rest of the group -- that left Haruhi with little to do, while the kitchen goddess worked her magic.

Tsuruya's own staff stood back, the matronly chef that typically worked there actually standing aside and just taking notes.

Despite that clear proof of Mikuru's relatively incontestable skill ... Haruhi had to admit she was starting to feel a little left out. Her own abilities might be more useful in a fight, but after going through one big fight, Haruhi had learned that she really didn't want to do that sort of thing, unless she had no other choice.

So her part was just gently reinforcing Mikuru's instructions to Kanae, as the adorable little slider did her best to be a capable kitchen assistant. Kanae's skill was an excellent fit for that, though, since her ability to recall and calculate spacial dimensions meant that chopped vegetables, sliced meats, and anything else that needed to be carefully portioned were always precisely the right size.

"Brilliant!" the chef declared, praising the young upstarts that had taken over her kitchen, and folding her notebook closed. "Thank you for allowing me to observe, Asahina-dono."

The time traveler blushed as Haruhi gathered up the trays -- since that was something she could do -- and started to ferry them to the kitchen, Kanae following with another behind her.

"A-ah, it's nothing," Mikuru demurred with a blush, shaking her head to refute the praise.

Haruhi bit back a snort; her modesty was cute, though. It took only three trips to carry everything out to the table, and by that time, the actual chef was shooing Mikuru from the kitchen to handle the dishes herself, insisting that Mikuru should enjoy eating with her friends.

Tsuruya peeked into the dining room, grinning at the laden table before waving and announcing, "Hiyas~! We're just going to change and wash up before eating!"

"Okay," Haruhi agreed, as Mikuru and Kanae stepped in from the kitchen entrance, both smiling at hearing that.

The heiress vanished with a wink, announcing, "Okay, ladies; we can use my room to change. Kyon-kun, Koizumi-kun, the changing room is just down the hall...."

Haruhi pursed her lips and studied the table. "Where shall we sit?" she wondered. She wanted to sit next to Kyon, but realistically, so would everyone else. That was going to be a pain.... Well, Mikuru probably deserved a chance at it, didn't she? At least she had the slider.... "Kanae-chan, would you like to sit next to me?"

"Okay, Suzumiya-sempai~!" Kanae agreed, blushing faintly as Mikuru giggled, gently turning the smaller girl around to un-knot the apron she'd forgotten she was wearing. "Ah-- Thank you, Mikuru-onee!"

"Oh, thank you, Kanae-imouto," Mikuru replied with a wink, folding the apron up and setting it on the stand nearest to the kitchen. "And, you too, Haruhi-chan!"

Haruhi nodded in satisfaction at that. Finally, she was at least 'Haruhi' to the older girl instead of 'Suzumiya-san'. So, that was for progress. She'd let it slide from Kanae due to the warm shiver she couldn't stop every time the smaller girl uttered that adorable little '-sempai' ... which made it really, really hard to fault Kyon for enjoying it so much!

But as she thought that, Kyon stepped back into the room, followed immediately by Koizumi. "My, that's quite impressive!" the esper remarked, eying the sumptuous spread that Mikuru had arranged. Kyon nodded, his face slightly red for some reason, his gaze slightly unfocused. Was he swaying?

"Isn't Mikuru-chan's cooking amazing?" Haruhi prompted, before the time traveler could try and refute the praise. When she blushed, Haruhi pre-emptively countered the next deflection, as well, adding, "Kanae-chan helped, of course -- thanks to the two of them, this should be a spectacular meal!"

Kyon nodded, scratching the back of his head and managing to resist drooling. "It looks fantastic!" he offered.

Koizumi nodded and chose a seat near the end of the table, just as the girls trouped in, Kyouko beelining to sit at his side. "Alright," Haruhi decided, grabbing Kyon's arm and leading him to the table, almost flinching at the scent of alcohol. Well ... she had had quite enough of that sort of thing -- she supposed it couldn't be helped if it were part of his other obligations ... though, she didn't have to like it. "You sit here," she instructed, despite her misgivings, "next to Tsu-chan and ... Mikuru-chan."

Sasaki nodded thoughtfully, and Haruhi could recognize the mild regret in her eyes. "Kanae-chan," Haruhi continued, taking the seat opposite Kyon and patting the cushion at her side, "can sit next to me!"

"I'll join you," Sasaki supplied, sitting on Haruhi's other side, leaving the space between her and Kyouko for Yuki.

It didn't take long for everyone to start digging in, and of course, the meal was just as good as Haruhi had anticipated. "Delicious," Kyon supplied with a smile.

Haruhi squinted at him. "Is drinking really common at official functions for, uh, ninkyo dantai events?" she asked warily.

Tsuruya chuckled apologetically, scratching the back of her head and explaining, "The kumichou really likes his Suntory whiskey, and insisted that Kyon-kun should have some to celebrate, as well."

"That stuff is bitter," Kyon remarked, shaking his head. "Ugh, I don't think I should go home like this. My mom would flip!"

Pursing her lips, Tsuruya tilted her head to one side. "In that case," she said thoughtfully, "I will calls your mother and say you're staying over. We should finish the formal inclusion of Koizumi-kun and Yuki-chan, as well."

Haruhi bit her tongue at that, raising her eyebrows. At least she'd get to see it, she supposed.

"How formal?" Sasaki fretted, frowning faintly. "We did just change back to our school uniforms...."

"Not that formal," Tsuruya chuckled. "We can do it at the table, and won't need any additional witnesses." She raised a hand and called to the kitchen for a bottle of ceremonial sake. Haruhi wasn't entirely surprised to see Shinobu appear a heartbeat later bearing a tray with the ceremonial dishes and sake bottle.

Haruhi was a bit surprised that the sake dishes had added fish scales and salt in them, but vaguely recalled hearing about that previously. Kyon also managed to look appropriately formal and imposing despite the unfading blush that alcohol had bestowed on him. He and Tsuruya both ended up drinking a full dish of sake for Yuki, and another for Koizumi -- who only had to finish one each as the formula were delivered.

It was nice that 'family' was the most important part of the oath, and Kyon's unsubtle wink reassured her without words that to Kyon, that meant the Brigade. On the other hand, even if the amount of sake were rather small, it was evidently potent, especially following whatever he'd had at the earlier meeting. It reduced his own input to semi-coherent mumbling as he generally just nodded, or gave dazed, happy smiles to the girls immediately at his sides.

Tsuruya seemed to hold out better, merely blushing faintly, but having the presence of mind to gently grab Kyon's shoulder and pull him to her side when he started to lean toward Mikuru. Well, the time traveler deserved Kyon's attention when he was sober, after all; she didn't seem to mind, but Haruhi suspected having him leaning against her while not at his best might make her a bit uncomfortable, especially in the company of everyone else.

Though, she wouldn't have minded letting Kyon rest against her.... Oh, well. That just made it Mikuru's turn the next night, along with Yuki, if Haruhi's memory served. Then again, the schedule wasn't hard-and-fast, and had flexibility....

Shinobu collected the dishes and sake bottle, softly explaining that Kyon's uncle was over and using his room that evening, and had called the house to notify him in advance.

Kyon cheerfully thanked the woman for the message, giving her a bright smile before his bleary vision seemed to focus on Mikuru -- or Tsuruya. Certainly, he seemed to have trouble focusing further away than that, though he at least had the presence of mind to praise Mikuru's cooking, which prompted the older girl to blush happily.

He was too out of it to properly relate the story, though, so left that to Sasaki and Koizumi. From their explanations, the meeting had gone well enough; the kumichou was actually a bit disappointed at the official cessation of hostilities, though. From his point of view, the Yamaguchi-gumi had won every altercation with the Sumiyoshi-rengo effortlessly, largely crushing their opposition and looking perfectly innocent in the process almost the entire time. Ultimately, it was pointing out that whoever had engineered the Sumiyoshi-rengo's defeat could just as easily turn against the Yamaguchi-gumi next that convinced him to accept the apology.

The kumichou himself had a formal meeting with some Sumiyoshi-rengo higher-ups to conclude all of the hostilities and start looking for whoever had been manipulating both factions behind the scenes, but if it was meddling aliens, Haruhi didn't expect them to end up finding anything. That suited her fine, though; even if she wasn't involved very heavily with the organized crime side of things, she could be involved in fighting aliens, so maybe she could do something. Though ... hopefully it wasn't as scary as fighting sliders!

Not long after that, Kyon yawned and fell asleep against Tsuruya, nuzzling into her shoulder contentedly before snoring softly. Koizumi helped haul the boy to a guest bedroom, while Tsuruya giggled over the scene, and Haruhi shook her head, turning her attention to Sasaki.

"Well, it seems that this should resolve most of that annoyance, and you should be much safer, now," she remarked, trying not to think about Kyon's behavior. He could have tried to hold out to give her a kiss before passing out on Tsuruya, at least! Or done something else....

"So it does," Sasaki agreed, nodding. "I do worry about what I can contribute to the group, though."

"Well, we have to get you to get a handle on your powers," Haruhi said frankly, shrugging, forcibly quashing the other thoughts and trying to focus on Sasaki. "And I'm not quite sure where to begin, there."

Sasaki frowned, but nodded slowly. "I'm not familiar with ... 'powers' much in general. Though at this point, I must accept that ... at least time travel not only exists, but I've ... well, done it!"

"So, I'm guessing that means we have to find out some sort of power you can observe without actively interfering with it," Haruhi mused. "Part of the problem is that we don't know the extent of your powers, and if you might actually completely stamp out something if we try and show it to you."

The other girl winced at that, as Kanae's eyes widened almost comically in alarm at the thought. Mikuru looked anxious as well, though Yuki and Kyouko seemed unconcerned. "That ... does seem problematic," she agreed. "Though, I accept Asahina-san's power, already, so wouldn't that be fine?"

"Ah, um, I can ... only do things with permissions from my superiors," Mikuru explained apologetically, shaking her head. "I-- I mean, if Kyon-kun says it's okay, then...."

"I think we should try and handle this on our own," Haruhi countered. "Though, if it's subconscious on your part, we need to figure out if there is a way to consciously control it. If you can suppress the powers of others, it would be really handy to shut down the sliders if they attacked ... or that time traveling jerk."

"Who-- You mean ... Fujiwara-san?" Sasaki asked, frowning. "I ... know he's not always the most agreeable person, but I think he genuinely means well."

Kyouko shivered at that, hugging her arms to herself as Koizumi returned from helping Kyon get to a bed.

"Well, he's another mystery we should solve," Haruhi allowed. "But, one thing at a time. Starting tomorrow, let's try and figure out what we can do to help you out!"

"I would be happier being an asset than a liability!" Sasaki agreed with a nervous smile. "Ah, goodness.... It's been days since I've been home, but from my mother's perspective, I left for my first day of school just this morning. I'll certainly have to say that I've had an interesting first day!"

"Ah, come to think of it ... we can get Kyon out of trouble with his mother, but we'd probably better get you home soon," Haruhi mused, frowning.

"That's a very good idea," Sasaki said with mild regret. "As much as I do enjoy spending time with you and the others, Haruhi."

"I sent Kasai to finally finish his date with Mori-san, so another driver will take you home!" Tsuruya said brightly, nodding -- was some of that sake finally kicking in for her?

Haruhi tried very hard not to think about the two of them alone with the influence of alcohol and no other distractions. On the other hand, even if she looked like she wouldn't have minded, Haruhi doubted it would be safe to leave Mikuru behind in such a situation, either.

"Alright, let's get you home, then," Haruhi declared. "Mikuru-chan, Kanae-chan, Yuki-chan -- are you ready? Oh, Koizumi-kun and Kyouko, too."

Yuki gave the tiniest shake of her head -- staying behind? Well, she could be trusted, at least, and it might be a good idea, in case Kyon woke up with a hangover. Even if she wasn't thrilled about the drinking, it had been at the insistence of the head of the Yamaguchi-gumi -- it wasn't the sort of thing Kyon would voluntarily run out and choose to do.

The others all nodded, and bade farewell to the bubbly Tsuruya before making their way to the car.

Even if she was going to be late getting home, Sasaki insisted that the others could be dropped off first; she wanted a few minutes to speak with Haruhi. Once dinner had started, Sasaki had thought it would be nice to sit next to Kyon at the table. Of course, considering their ... arrangement ... that would be selfish; she couldn't monopolize him, and she had gotten rather a lot of his attention lately. She could see the same frustration in Haruhi's eyes, though.

After Mikuru was dropped off -- the last one before Haruhi and Sasaki -- she turned to the Brigade chief and asked, "Is it ... always difficult being patient and waiting a proper turn?"

Haruhi winced. "It can be," she admitted. "Ugh -- I'm ... being honest, not really good at sharing at all." She heaved a sigh, grimacing. "It's really hard ... but for me, I can enjoy time with Tsu-chan and Kanae-chan, as well. While I like Mikuru-chan a lot, too, I don't think she's quite open to that, yet. Yuki-chan, though ... well, I should pay more attention to her, too, come to think of it."

Sasaki realized her mouth had fallen open in surprise at that. She hadn't considered that angle. It ... did make a degree of sense, though. It would logically be a bit too much to try and weight everything on Kyon. Her cheeks flushed as she closed her mouth, nodding slowly.

"I ... um, have only ever really had interest in ... one other girl myself," Sasaki confessed, surprised at how hard the admission was to make. "I admired her throughout elementary school from afar, but never...." She trailed off there with a shake of her head. Anything else would make it too obvious, and she wasn't ready to race down that path.

The whole idea of learning to use her 'power' was overwhelming enough, wasn't it? If something like ... that could happen, it would be best to strengthen the friendship it was based on first, wouldn't it?

Haruhi blushed a bit. "Er, that kind of slipped out," she mumbled. "Um, but it's true ... so it's hard not to be jealous, but it's not honest or fair to say something like things between Kyon and I have to be the most important, and I'm not good at being patient. So ... that works for me, and some of the others. I don't know if it ever would work for Mikuru-chan, but we're still good friends, right?"

"And I'm glad to be one of those friends as well," she replied, nodding. "And that being said ... I'm sorry that I can't be a stand-in for Kanae-chan, or even Tsuruya-san, but if you are feeling, um, lonely, and would like someone to commiserate with ... well, I've always thought that in some senses we would be allies and help one-another through being patient and not getting what we want."

"Not getting what we want at a specific moment," Haruhi countered, smiling weakly. "Um ... once you get your powers under control, there's this nice little thing where we take turns sleeping with Kyon--"

"Ah, too fast!" Sasaki gasped, eyes widening. "Er-- I mean, if you are, then I, um, clearly should, shouldn't I? Er, but that's--"

"I-in an innocent way!" Haruhi sputtered, her face reddening as a chuckle escaped, before pressing both hands against her face. "If this were an anime, we'd be having this discussion in a hot-spring, just to make the fanservice rating go to one hundred percent. I mean, you know ... just cuddling. We need, uh, a stronger foundation before we take things too far, I think, and ... having someone else there keeps things under control. We ... well, at least ... I want to make something that really, really lasts ... you know?"

"Oh!" Sasaki exclaimed, feeling her face overheat so much she needed to fan herself. "T...that makes much more sense," she added softly. Taking a deep breath, thinking of the time she'd enjoyed sitting in Kyon's lap.... Cuddling was certainly pleasant, and while it would be a bit awkward sharing Kyon with one other person (at least) for that.... "I might enjoy spending time with you and Kyon like that," she admitted shyly.

"Whew, one thing at a time," Haruhi chuckled, shaking her head. "It, uh, has to wait until we can be sure you won't interfere with the teleportation."

That, Sasaki thought, was excellent motivation to get a handle on that. She resolved herself to try her best, after all. Before anything else could be said, the limousine stopped before her house, and Sasaki sighed faintly. After a moment of hesitation, she surprised Haruhi by leaning close enough to give the other girl a warm hug.

Haruhi squeezed her back tightly, without hesitation, and Sasaki had to admit that it was very different from hugging Kyon ... but it was by no means unpleasant. Still, she needed time to still the turmoil her mind had fallen into and calm down a bit. She released Haruhi as the driver opened the door, discreetly looking away and allowing her to climb out with her school bag.

"Thank you, and I'll see you again tomorrow ... Haruhi-chan," she assured the other girl.

"I'll see you tomorrow, too, Sasaki-chan!" Haruhi returned brightly. "Take care!"

Sasaki waved back until the driver closed the door, then steeled herself, opening the gate and approaching the front door. Her mother had evidently been waiting, opening the entrance before Sasaki reached it and eying the receding vehicle with a raised eyebrow. "You're home late," she chided.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Sasaki said, ducking her head. "As I said when I called, our study group decided to have a welcoming dinner for accepting our newest members."

Her mother nodded doubtfully. "I'm glad you're keeping up on your studies, then. Hmm, was Kyon there? He always seemed a nice boy -- not the kind who would overstep. Your host wasn't another boy, was it?"

Sasaki resisted the urge to roll her eyes, shaking her head. "No, Tsuruya Haruka was our host," she answered. Was that the reason her mother had approved of Kyon? The fact that he seldom seemed to take the initiative? Come to think of it ... as far as her mother had known of him, he'd been practically subservient.

Of course, that made sense now. Kyon had wanted to make a good impression on Sasaki and her mother, because even if he hadn't put it into words, he'd ... well ... had a crush on her. Given her father's disappearing act, and her mother's bitter response to that abandonment, she supposed she understood the outlook, even if she didn't appreciate it.

On the other hand, while her mother wanted her to find some pliant, spineless boy she could twist around her fingers -- even if just to keep him tied down, to avoid the situation Sasaki's mother had ended up with -- Kyon really wasn't that type. It did take a bit to get him motivated, but clearly he'd fight anything for the people he cared about. She'd just seen him talk to a room full of organized criminals just to protect her ... and he'd planned on doing that before she'd been invited to join his romantic situation!

And thinking of that, she wondered if some small part of her were eager to get ... entangled in that just to spite her mother? She dismissed that thought; while she didn't mind working against some of her mother's expectations, she didn't believe that was the case.

"Kyon is doing well, incidentally," she said, realizing she'd fallen into a contemplative silence, and her mother was regarding her speculatively. "I'm glad for the opportunity to study with him and his other friends, as well!"

"Just be sure to keep a sharp eye out," her mother warned. "Especially if a girl who can afford a car like that has her attention turned to him!"

Sasaki refused to wince at the unintentional insult that she didn't have a way to compete against a wealthy heiress. For Haruhi's planned solution, she didn't have to compete. Her mother meant well, after all, she just ... never really got over the mess with Sasaki's father. Then again, she had been young, and had been abandoned to become a single mother -- not an easy fate by any measure. Realistically, the fact that she'd succeeded, even managing to buy a home for the two of them was astounding.

She should probably be happy that her mother was fixated on the idea of Sasaki ending up with someone who was subservient to -- or perhaps even dependent on -- her, instead of trying to teach her to only be self-reliant. She'd been working on becoming self-reliant anyway, but her mother had viewed the trials of single parenthood and overcome them ... and didn't wish them upon her daughter. That much, she could understand, and even if it was far too soon to plan for it, Sasaki did some day want children of her own.

Her mother would probably have a heart attack or break down into tears if she knew the truth, and it was a confrontation Sasaki didn't want to have -- ever, if possible. But she wasn't going to lie ... exactly. She did want to reassure the woman, so she said, "Our other friends don't seem to be interested in interfering with Kyon and I resuming our old closeness. In fact, I feel I'm becoming closer to them as well; they are all good, trustworthy people."

Sasaki's mother's eyebrows rose. "Is that so?" she mused. "Well ... alright, then. I'm glad for you. I wasn't sure about switching schools, but this does give you a better chance of ensuring he gets into the same college as you."

Heaving a soft sigh, Sasaki smiled and shook her head. "Of course," she agreed. Though, her mother's reasons for that were based on far less trust than Sasaki herself had.... "Ah, it's been a very tiring day, and we finished our assignments; I think I'll head to bed a bit early."

Morning came around without any hangover, which Kyon realized belatedly he should be grateful for. As much as he wasn't a fan of drinking.... Well, hopefully he wouldn't have to have too many more meetings with the kumichou; if he did, he'd have to ask for something watered down, or figure out some other way to avoid alcohol. Maybe he could just ask Yuki for her help and cheat...?

Though, he realized, blinking, the way she was curled up at one side, and Tsuruya on the other, she probably already had.

He really was becoming too complacent about things, wasn't he? He tried to recall a policy against abusing various powers for personal benefit ... but then ultimately forced himself to admit that Haruhi actually probably had the right idea when she'd given herself telekinesis for fun. It had actually also been very useful, and probably saved his sister's life, too, and that just made the entire thing harder to begrudge.

So Yuki preventing him from having a headache (and perhaps if he were lucky, too many brain cells in general from being killed) wasn't that bad, all considered.

Having her and Tsuruya on either side of him wasn't that bad, either. Probably his mother would be at least a little upset over him staying over with Tsuruya on a school night, but that wouldn't be too bad; she'd approved of the engagement (actually, she's encouraged it), and while she wasn't happy about the ninkyo dantai aspect of things, hadn't actually made any moves toward calling things off. The bigger issue would be his sister feeling neglected. Well ... he could set some time aside to play with her.

On the other hand, getting to wake up between two very cute girls without the fear of his mother, younger sister, aunts, or any cousins walking in on him raised some very interesting possibilities....

"Er, morning," he said weakly, as Tsuruya yawned and shifted her shoulders, eyes drifting open. Yuki's eyes fluttered open without any other movement on her part.

"Breakfast will be prepared shortly, if you wish to bathe first," she said softly, before sliding the door back closed.

"Good mornings!" the heiress chirped brightly, before sitting up and clicking her tongue. "You'll have to use the showers, Kyon-kun. I already promised Haru-nyan no more baths with you without inviting her along."

Part of Kyon was tempted to suggest doing exactly that, but he nodded and sat up, prompting Yuki to finally let go.

"Tempting, but let's not take too long," Tsuruya replied with a giggle, climbing out of the bed and leading Yuki to her feet.

Kyon nodded, unable to keep from thinking that he was forgetting something important. In his defense, there were a lot of remarkable distractions that justified his lack of focus ... though sharing a bath or a shower wouldn't help with that. Following Shinobu's direction, he treated himself to a torturous extra-cold shower to try and push himself to remember ... whatever it was.

He reached the smaller dining room where he'd had breakfast with Tsuruya once before -- the last time he'd stayed over. He got there before Tsuruya and Yuki, but not before Kuyou, who was staring contemplatively at a cup of tea Shinobu had evidently already served her. Ryouko's tiny form had been left in the bedroom, but evidently the dark-haired girl had found her or otherwise brought her along -- she sat cross-legged on the table on the other side of the teacup, turning to regard him as he entered.

"Good morning, Kuyou, Ryouko," he greeted the pair, taking the seat opposite them. He snapped his fingers, recalling suddenly as the other pair of girls entered, hair still glistening. "Ah, I just remembered!"

Tsuruya looked at him inquisitively as she took the seat to his right, and Yuki sat opposite her. "I meant to ask how it was that the sliders found us in Hinamizawa," he explained, frowning. "We're also supposed to be able to get more information every time they do show up, right?"

Ryouko nodded quickly, but Yuki actually answered, "The enemy is capable of tracking the presence of Michikyuu Kanae specifically from across the quantum divide."

He nodded thoughtfully. "So ... I remember Kanae-chan mentioning when she was first starting to teleport around, that she could lock onto people more easily than anything else," he began, glancing up as Shinobu bustled in with a tray and served everyone, not reacting to the topic at hand. "Um, thanks, Shinobu-san," he added, briefly.

"Don't mind me," she demurred with bright smile and a shake of her head, withdrawing unobtrusively.

Tsuruya took a bite of her omelet, raising an eyebrow to prompt him to continue.

"So I know that she can pick coordinates, now, and teleport places she's never been ... right?" he asked, looking to Yuki for confirmation.

After finishing her current mouthful, Yuki blinked and explained, "We have since devised a system of engrams and spatial coordinates that can be interpreted to correlate to any existing point within conventional space, with a spacial buffer to describe non-conventional spacial coordinates, such as 'closed space.'"

"Shadow-song harmony," Kuyou offered somewhat cryptically, dangling a piece of sausage over Ryouko's head with her chopsticks, prompting the doll-sized interface to leap up and catch it in her teeth. Like a cartoon character -- which Kyon supposed she sort of was at the moment -- she rapid-fire gnawed her way up the sausage until reaching the chopsticks, then just hanging there until Kuyou released the morsel.

"The point being, now that we understand that, couldn't we just block that signal?" Kyon asked.

"Bad idea," Kuyou answered unhesitatingly, setting her chopsticks down and turning to regard Kyon flatly. "Harmony is necessary to maintain stable configurations."

Around a mouthful of her breakfast (did she even need to eat?) Ryouko explained, "The signal reflects a pattern of information that describes what someone or something is. Altering it would mean either changing her, or sending her away -- though simulations suggest that if we were careful about it, we could banish her and then the Combine wouldn't be able to find us anymore!"

"Uh, that's not really an option," Kyon answered with a frown. "Okay, so the signal has to be there to protect Kanae. We can't change it without hurting her, either. But ... could we maybe -- without hurting her -- make it look like it came from somewhere else? Maybe ... inside the sun or something?"

Yuki hesitated, considering. "Range is a factor," she finally determined. "To avoid unwanted effects, the range would need to be reduced to approximately the orbit of the moon."

Kyon frowned, sampling more of the breakfast before nodding decisively. "Alright," he said. "In that case, then can we aim it at me? I don't like the idea of Kanae-chan not having any of us around when that happens, and it seems to me that they're keeping enough spare transfer energy to drop in unexpectedly."

"The change will require the assistance of--" Yuki began, before Kuyou straightened up.

After a considering pause, Yuki nodded. Kyon felt a brief moment of vertigo, as if gravity had briefly fallen away and then resumed subtly, but that seemed to be the end of it. "Alright," he said, nodding. "Um ... I think we can keep this quiet from Kanae-chan, since she worries about that kind of thing so much; I'll mention it to Haruhi when we get to class."

Somehow, he still felt like he was forgetting something ... but he'd countered the worst part of a Slider invasion before breakfast, hadn't he? Well, during breakfast, but it was very close to the same thing! Surely Haruhi would approve of that, wouldn't she?

While he was glad that Kyon had finally resolved the issue with Sasaki's would-be kidnappers, Koizumi wasn't ultimately able to worry about it that much. Given the protectors she had, even if she unconsciously countered the special abilities of the Brigade, he doubted that Kyon or Haruhi would really let her be harmed. More importantly, the girl had somehow held up with the stress of the repeated kidnapping attempts remarkably well.

Kyouko had clearly had a much rougher time of it, so Koizumi was glad for Sasaki's sake, but even more-so for the other esper's. Then again, her entire family was taken hostage at one point, something Sasaki had managed to avoid.

Well, he could admit that he was biased, but someone had to look out for Kyouko, and he didn't mind filling that role in the least. As surprising that it was that Kyouko had openly introduced herself as his girlfriend, he couldn't complain about that, either. He'd never had time for dating, despite being aware of attracting at least ... some attention on those lines before.

He'd gotten a text message from her the last night -- her first night back home from the hospital, finally -- asking him if he'd like to have lunch with her. He certainly didn't mind, even if it meant skipping the Brigade's lunch meetings. Those were inconsistent, in any case, mostly happening as a result of the brief period when Kyon had been grounded from attending.

Glancing into the classroom that the chief and her vice-commander shared with his girlfriend, Koizumi gave the pair a smile and a wave before turning to Kyouko, who happily popped to her feet on seeing him. A few of the other girls shot her an envious stare as she hurriedly dashed to his side, even as Haruhi gave a small smile and wave of her own.

"I suppose there's no lunch meeting today?" Kyouko asked, glancing over her shoulder at the pair before falling into step at his side, her bento boxes swinging in one hand.

"I think Suzumiya-san mentioned texting her," Kyouko agreed, frowning. The pair of them had enough space around them to speak candidly without anyone hearing, as he led the way to the outdoor seats. In theory, he could invite her into his own classroom during the lunch break, or vice versa, but Koizumi didn't mind meeting in 'neutral' territory. "That's still so strange to me...."

"The arrangement that Suzumiya-san seems to be striving toward?" Koizumi asked, once the pair of them found an unoccupied table and she'd taken a seat. He lowered himself to sit at the seat to her side, bowing his head gratefully as she blushed and presented him with one of the wrapped bento boxes. "Thank you, Kyouko-chan; it looks delightful."

"I...it's nothing compared to what Asahina-san can do," Kyouko demurred, though she blushed at the praise, ducking her head. "Um ... but, yes. That. That ... Sasaki is happy with it is almost as confusing as the thing itself."

"But she is happy with it?" Koizumi mused, admiring the lunch that his girlfriend had made for him. It did look like she'd put a bit of effort into it. The 'heart' motif drawn on the rice might have been cliche, and the sausage cut into little smiling octopi were the tiniest bit lopsided ... but he reasoned that Mikuru was basically cheating when she cooked. From Kyouko, this was more earnest, and to him, the genuine effort she put into it made all the difference.

Besides, when he actually tasted it, the seasonings were just fine. "Delicious," he proclaimed, after uttering the ceremonial words to begin the meal. She blushed happily again, as she was unwrapping her own bento.

"I'm glad," she said with a faintly nervous giggle. "And.... Somehow, Sasaki really is happy. I can't pretend to understand it; I'm, um, too selfish to imagine ... doing something like that myself. But I know she's sincere about it, as strange as it is." She blinked as she realized what she said, and hastily corrected herself, "Er, I mean -- if you-- If you insist, then, uh, I'd be willing to try, but--"

"I'm not," he assured her with a soft chuckle, barely resisting the urge to blush himself. Who else would he pursue, anyway? The main problem of the girls in the school -- almost all of them, excepting those who were already interested in Kyon, anyway -- was that they were a bit shallow. Kyouko, on the other hand, knew exactly what it was like to be an esper; her sympathy weren't feigned or just a best guess. She actually understood.

So, he knew what Sasaki's happiness felt like for her, too. Certainly, he was interested in Haruhi at one point, but she was out of his league, realistically. He wouldn't be able to actually challenge or contest her, and his own connection blinded him to those needs, from her. Well, it would have.

"To be honest, I doubt Kyon himself would have the initiative to pursue more than one person. At one point, I wondered if he were torn between Suzumiya-san and Asahina, and tried to push him more toward Suzumiya-san. It was really Suzumiya-san herself who was behind the entire thing.... It's also difficult for her, but I suspect if she didn't find some way to make it more challenging, she'd become bored of it. I should say that it's very fortunate for her that she's found others who are willing to share in that same challenge."

Kyouko shook her head. "I can't imagine the kinds of difficulties they'll run into later," she said wryly. "I suppose the 'marriage' issue is settled by Kyon-kun being engaged to Tsuruya-san, but...." She trailed off with another shake of her head.

He shrugged absentmindedly, picking another morsel of his lunch from the bento she had prepared. "Well, aside from them, what about your happiness, Kyouko-chan?" he prompted.

She smiled and bowed her head again. "I'm ... luckier than Sasaki-san," she said quietly. "I don't have to share, and I happened to find a really handsome guy who truly understands me. The fact that she's at least happy enough for me to feel her happiness as well makes it a lot easier. Um ... I do think that she'll be even happier once she figures out how to break our connection, since she's not pleased about me sharing her feelings, even a little bit. But other than being ... a little afraid of losing that, I'm very happy."

She shook her head and regarded him earnestly. "What.... What about you, Koizumi-kun?"

"I have confidence that between Kyon-kun and Suzumiya-san, all obstacles will be overcome -- even if I can't be certain how," he answered. "So, for myself, I'm quite happy that things seem to be headed toward a situation where ... well, everyone seems to be happy. I've had a delightful meal, made that much better by the exceptionally fair company I enjoyed it with, and all of our friends are here, and healthy. What is not to like?"

She blushed beet red at his praise, and Koizumi suspected even without an active connection between them, that she'd have jumped on him, if they weren't at school. Though, that did give him an idea. Having a nice dinner with the Brigade to celebrate the Sumiyoshi-rengo ceasing hostilities was well and good, but....

After meeting Sasaki in the hallway on the way to the clubroom, Haruhi intentionally dawdled, wanting to enjoy the time with Kyon while Mikuru -- or Kanae -- changed into costume. Haruhi was fairly sure that it would be Kanae, even if the costume were a bit lacking in imagination, from her viewpoint. Still, Kanae had really, really wanted it, and Haruhi had to admit that the idea was adorable....

"Can we expect excitement on the order of the last few days during this meeting as well?" Sasaki asked, holding her bag before her and regarding Haruhi curiously.

"What's with that attitude?" she chastised him. "We don't want things to be dangerous, but excitement is what we're all about!"

"Yeah, well...." They came to a stop before the closed clubroom doors, and Kyon shifted his feet before brightening. "Oh, that reminds me--" Dropping his voice to a whisper, he explained, "We figured out that the enemy sliders are targeting Kanae-chan specifically, so I had Kuyou and Yuki-chan redirect and point them at me, so we don't need to worry about them going after her when we're not around."

Haruhi blinked at that, raising her eyebrows. They hadn't needed her help for that? Well ... she didn't like the sliders when they attacked, and it did make sense. Certainly, Kanae being attacked when no one else was around would have been a huge problem -- though she could easily have run to Kyon or Yuki for help.

"That ... sounds like it's good," she said cautiously. "I suppose she doesn't need to hear about it, since she always gets anxious about things like that." Turning to Sasaki, she quickly explained, "Uh, since she's originally from another world, every so often Kanae-chan gets very anxious and thinks about running away. At least, it's happened once; we're trying to make sure she's assured that we want her to stay, and we can handle the sliders that are chasing her."

"I should consider myself fortunate to not have met them yet, then," Sasaki said, eyes widening.

"You ... might be able to prevent them from showing up, with your power, though," Haruhi added, thoughtfully. "Well, once you get a handle on that."

Sasaki brightened. "I really must learn how to do that, somehow," she agreed, sounding a tiny bit doubtful. "As strange as it sounds ... certainly, I'm not pleased about being a liability!"

That resonated with Haruhi deeply, and she nodded her agreement before the door opened, revealing that both Kanae and Mikuru had changed into costume.

Mikuru was dressed in the maid outfit, one of Kyon's favorites, and Kanae's costume was a somewhat simplified version of it. She made up for that with a headband sporting a pair of adorable cat ears, and a matching tabby-patterned tail stuck out from beneath her skirt.

Well, it was a bit more conservative than the 'oni' outfit that Tsuruya had only gotten to wear once. Of course, Kanae had really wanted 'cat-girl maid' more than 'cat-girl'. Haruhi wasn't sure Kyon could handle that, though.

...not for the first time, she contemplated asking Mikuru to make her a maid costume of her own -- a different style, of course, but....

She shook her head, leading the trio into the clubroom, gently grasping Kyon's convenient tie to tug him in. "Come on, then," she prompted, as Koizumi and Kyouko finally rounded the corner.

The espers must have planned to meet up somewhere before club, she realized belatedly, given that Kyouko shared the classroom with them.

Tsuruya was already there, along with Yuki. Ryouko's form hopped out of Kyon's pocket and onto the table, though Sasaki wouldn't be able to see her, yet. She thought about that, closing the door and taking a seat. Koizumi was already opposite Kyon, and Kanae had stolen a seat at one side of Kyon; Yuki had managed to get the other.

Haruhi settled for sitting next to Kanae and Kyouko, at the end of the table. "Okay, so ... first order of business, we need to figure out how to show Sasaki something more direct than time travel, and ensure she won't just cancel it," Haruhi determined, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tsuruya shrugged apologetically, offering, "I can't do anything nearly as special as the others, so I'm useless for this one! I'll make tea for today, instead."

"Ah, you don't have to--" Mikuru started anxiously, before the heiress shushed her with a bright wink.

"You do enough for us already, Mikuru-chan!" she said brightly. "And you taught me how to make tea when it's not for the ceremony, anyway, so let me replay that favor."

"Ah ... w...well, okay," Mikuru hesitantly agreed. "Though ... I'm afraid I don't have anything useful to demonstrate, since we already did time travel...."

"Ah, I've read about that," Sasaki said. "Um ... how does it work, if you've got it? Special glasses?"

"The augmented reality constructs employed by our group are a function of standing light wave-forms that resonate within a wavelength specifically targeted against a genetic match to members of our group," Yuki explained quietly.

Sasaki cocked her head to one side, her smile dimming. "How does light target a genetic match specifically?" she asked.

"By exploiting the presence of cones and rods that occur only in specific genetic targets, and emitting a wavelength that matches only them."

Haruhi frowned, nodding and crossing her arms over her chest. She'd never really thought about it, but that made sense.

"So ... a camera, which would capture everything within a specific range, could catch that light and render it in a wavelength visible to anyone?"

Yuki gave her terse, abbreviated nod. "Normally. In this instance, the image is displayed directly against the surface of the eye, and is configured to avoid reflection and monitoring by outside sources."

"So ... all of the benefits of, theoretically, a neural implant, without any of the fuss?" Sasaki mused, frowning. "Only ... what actually emits the light?"

"The data structures themselves," Yuki explained. "They exist as higher-order concepts -- information only -- which cause visible structures to form in the eyes of only those so attuned."

"I don't really get the entire thing, but basically there are levels of reality we aren't equipped to observe," Kyon explained. "So a data entity exists on a higher level and can't physically interact with us normally -- except for the light thing."

"Well, it sounds fantastic," Sasaki allowed pausing to smile and duck her head in thanks as Tsuruya began serving out the tea. "So ... what do you use it for?"

"Ryouko exists only in that form, right now," Haruhi offered, looking at the chibi figure, who nodded agreement for her position on the table. "Otherwise, Kyon uses it for targeting information and stuff, I think."

"It's useful for seeing through smoke screens, debris, and walls, when needed," Kyon agreed. "Like a real-life heads-up display."

Sasaki giggled, sipping her beverage. "So, that must make life quite a bit like a video game when you use it!"

"A little less fun, but kind of," he allowed, nodding. "Ryouko also makes strategy maps when I need to plan things. It's ... way more useful than I ever thought it'd be."

"So ... I think we should try bringing Sasaki in and letting her see that," Haruhi prompted. "Otherwise, I'd show off my telekinesis; I'm pretty sure that if it gets suppressed, Yuki-chan can fix it later."

"Okay," Sasaki agreed hesitantly. "Um ... I'll just close my eyes to prepare myself, then. Does it work when your eyes are closed?"

Between one blink and the next, Kuyou's smaller form appeared on the table, dressed in a black leotard with a yellow bow. Haruhi belatedly recognized the color and felt a tiny surge of pride; unless she missed her guess, that was the ribbon that she'd originally stuck in Kuyou's hair to tell her apart from her copy. As cute as that was, Kuyou hadn't stopped there, though, and was also sporting her own cat-tail and ears -- along with cat's paw mittens and booties. Where had she gotten those?

Judging by Mikuru's gasp of surprise, it wasn't her! Kanae cooed enviously, and Kyon paused, hand halfway to the cup of tea Tsuruya was holding out to him.

Sasaki cautiously cracked one eye open -- before the other flew wide open along with it. "G-goodness!" she exclaimed. "Is that--" Before she could complete the question, Kuyou raised both arms expectantly, peering up at Sasaki and causing her tail to lash gently to one side, peeking out from her fan of hair as her feline ears twitched.

Hands faintly trembling, Sasaki reached out, gently grasping the black-haired figure about the waist and lifting her. "How ... does she have weight?" she managed, unable to look away.

"Technically, she does not," Yuki offered. "Within select spaces, such as this room, the configuration allows for minute transmissions of direct force. In her case it is a specific manipulation gravity itself; in Asakura Ryouko's, it is a minute emulation of Suzumiya Haruhi's own telekinesis ability. This allows basic manipulation of small objects, and the simulation of physical presence. This is also what allows both of them to simulate speech or other sound effects by transmitting the effects directly to the surface of the eardrum."

"Yes!" Sasaki agreed, hugging Kuyou's small form to her tightly. "I can't say I completely understand this, but clearly I accept it -- and I never would have expected Kuyou-chan to be so adorable!"

Kyon slowly raised one hand to cover his face and bit back a small sigh. Haruhi resisted the urge to follow suit. Of all the people she expected to put cuteness ahead of logic, Sasaki would be near the very bottom of the list.

"Er," Sasaki managed, making no move to release Kuyou. "I think, on some level, I'm still processing this. But certainly ... this is an unusual thing I can accept without reservation! How ... does this lead to me controlling my powers, though?"

"There are nightly training sessions in simulated spaces; these allow a reasonable gain of proficiency in various skills. Suzumiya Haruhi has used them to master control of her own abilities, as has Michikyuu Kanae."

"And that's where you learned martial arts!" Sasaki realized, her gaze finally tearing from Kuyou long enough to regard Kyon -- before her attention seemed to almost forcibly be dragged to Ryouko. "Ah! Cute!"

"And anything else useful that Haruhi didn't force through even my thick skull herself," Kyon agreed with a shrug.

That helped mollify Haruhi slightly, and she nodded. Still ... Sasaki had been in the Brigade for a week and was already invited along to training sessions? It had taken weeks for Haruhi's own presence to be non-disruptive there!

"Anyway!" Haruhi declared. "While we're on that subject, Kyon, you still have that scarf, right?"

"Of course," he agreed, pulling it from his coat pocket. Which, Haruhi belatedly realized, was probably his greatcoat. Then again, she could hardly fault him for wearing it everywhere. Haruhi shook her head and stared at the brightly colored -- and probably needlessly long -- strip of cloth.

"Okay -- while we're on the subject, Yuki-chan, I'd like to make this more useful for Kyon," Haruhi declared. "Um ... indestructible, and something that would never get in the way. It can't be a choking hazard, or anything like that!"

"Er, it's supposed to always keep him warm, but I guess the coat already does that," Haruhi added with a frown. Hmm.... Well, what if he wanted to loan it out to someone else? "But add that function, too. I guess for now that'll be good enough."

Kyon shrugged, and Yuki gave her terse nod of understanding, before belatedly waving one hand. Haruhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the smaller girl's lack of showmanship -- at least she added some green and blue sparkles after the fact.

"Incidentally," Koizumi remarked, while Sasaki was letting things sink in, "I was hoping to take Kyouko-chan on a date tonight."

The twin-tailed esper blushed and giggled at that, managing a dazed, happy smile.

"If our services won't be required...?" he prompted, looking between Kyon and Haruhi with a cautiously optimistic smile.

"Sounds fine to me," Kyon allowed, glancing at Haruhi. "I mean ... you're dating, right?"

Haruhi bit back a wince. Too bad she couldn't get time with Kyon that easily. Or ... could she? "Yeah, you two be sure and have fun," he agreed. "And if something does come up, don't hesitate to call Kyon in for backup! In the meantime, going on a date sounds fun!"

Kyon nodded absently at that, and Kanae practically bounced out of her seat in excitement. "O-okay!" she cheered, clapping her gloved cats' paws together.

Resisting the urge to wince, Haruhi nodded. She did like Kanae, even if she'd hoped for some time with Kyon.... Well, that night was her turn with him -- and Mikuru, but that'd be okay. Well, she had enough saved up, didn't she? Shaking her head, she decided to tease Kyon a little and added, "There's a maid cafe I've wanted to check out for a while; if you've really got your heart set on getting that costume, you can take some notes while we're there!"

"Ah, that seems fun!" Mikuru said with a giggle. "Oh, I know -- um ... Haruhi-chan, do you think it would be alright if, um, 'Shutaro-kun' were to bring me along?"

Haruhi considered that, while Sasaki looked up curiously. It would be a way to spend some time with Kyon.... And while she was at it.... "Sure," she decided, nodding. "And Kyon can cover the bill!"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and started to shake his head before his phone chirped a warning and he checked it with a frown. "Uh," he said with a frown. "Evidently it would be my pleasure."

Probably a message from the future, if she had to guess. Something else she wasn't able to help with. She tried to console herself with publicly going on a date with the slider; she at least could do her part to make the younger girl too comfortable and happy to want to leave, right?

"Ah," Kyon said with a frown. "Uh, first of all, would you believe I had a magical coat that let me disguise myself at will?" he hazarded.

"Er, no, not really," she answered with a soft chuckle and shake of her head. "I'd believe it had a scientific and rational basis, and you just called it 'magic', based on what Nagato-san's explained to me so far."

"Hey, it's true!" he protested. "It's also been a real magical girl's outfit ... and I probably should not have said that aloud if I wanted to remain respectable."

"The only girl's costume I've seen Sempai wear is a Trope-tan costume!" Kanae interjected helpfully.

Sasaki stared, eyes widening, as Kyon hung his head with a sigh. "R...really?" she asked, trying to bite back a laugh.

Haruhi couldn't help but snort at that. "Well, it is true, though," Haruhi added. "Alright, we'll meet up at the train station at ... let's say six thirty this evening?"

"Ah, you four have fun!" Tsuruya encouraged with a soft sigh. "Hmm, would you like to visit with me, Sasaki-chan? You and Yuki-chan are both invited, of course, since everyone else will be busy, but we can start working on putting pictures into albums!"

"I really should spend a bit more time with my mother," Sasaki returned apologetically. "Perhaps a rain check?"

Haruhi nodded absently. Certainly, it seemed that they had managed to resolve more problems than not ... but she still couldn't quite quash the wish that Kyon would pay a little more attention to her specifically. Hopefully there'd be an opportunity during their 'double-date'; all it took was not running into any of their classmates.

Kyon: Big Damn Hero

Alliances and Enemies Arc I

Chapter Sixty Three: Finding an Equilibrium