# In Your Dreams -- Chapter Ten

## Sleep of the Just

### A Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu fanfiction

co-authored by Halbarad and Brian Randall

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.

* * *

Adrenaline is a strange thing. It can lend superhuman strength and ability,
but also blur the comprehension of time.

After hearing the rush of water bearing down on us, and seeing the frame of
the old ritual shed shift, my thoughts were that more than anything I had to
bear the pair of wailing cousins I had grabbed to safety. It was probably
hopeless, but thanks to that surge of chemicals reinforcing the most primitive
parts of my brain, instead of worrying about _that_ ... I just focused on
doing my best.

So when I come to my senses properly, I realize I have collapsed onto my back,
still holding the shaking, sobbing girls against me -- only a few meters from
the new water level. My limbs feel like jelly, and my lungs burn. My fingers
and toes feel numb, and I want to shake--

I'm cold, wet, ache, and am generally miserable-- But we are all _alive_, and
that makes me want to weep with relief. Of course, I realize, this is probably
the after-effects of the adrenaline wearing off. I may have hurt myself,
pushing beyond mortal limits ... but right at this moment, I don't care.

Still, I can't afford to lay here and stare blankly up into the rain.
Especially since another storm-surge could raise the water level _again_.

"Alright," I groan, letting go of the pair of cousins -- Yurie and Matsuri,
looking shaken but okay. "Let's get back home so we can get dry and warm up."

"Alright," Yurie agrees shakily.

"Y...yes, Kyon-nii-sama," Matsuri says in a subdued tone, bowing her head,
tears still streaking down her cheeks.

We climb to our feet, and I'm surprised at how easily I can move, though I
have a stitch in my side -- which is far less surprising. After extending a
hand to each of my cousins, we slowly march -- first straight uphill a short
distance for safety, and then to the road. As worn as I am from that run....

And to think, just a short while before Matsuri running away I was complaining
about the _lack_ of exercise!

I'm not sure, but I think with the slow pace from the rain and slipping in the
mud, it's nearly an hour before we get back to Aunt Mion's place. When we come
in sight of the door, I can feel myself wanting to sag in relief -- all I can
think of is crawling into the furo to soak in the warm water!

Aunt Rika trots out the door to meet us as a measured pace, her expression
tried and stern, but mildly relieved-- At her side, Aunt Rena tears past her
and toward Yurie like a bullet-train, looking more frazzled than I've ever
seen the woman before. Yurie is swept up in a tornado of hugs and kisses,
intermingled with thunderous chastisements from her mother.

Matsuri's mother is sedate in comparison, stopping before us and giving
Matsuri a tired gaze that's difficult for me to read. The girl drops my hand
and lowers her gaze to her feet. "I'm ... sorry," she mumbles.

"I imagine so," Aunt Rika murmurs. "Enough of this-- Yurie-chan, Matsuri-chan,
both of you into the bath."

"We _must_ get you cleaned up," Aunt Rena agrees, scowling at her daughter.
"Running off like that! I _know_ Kyon-kun wouldn't have suggested it-- But my
little know-it-all child would insist she could help, wouldn't she?"

"Ah, heh," Yurie chuckles from where she's held tightly to her mother. "Um ...
sorry! But if Matsu-chan is safe, I wonder, I wonder--"

"Grounded," Aunt Rena says flatly, not making any move to release her
daughter. "That aside -- bath. _Now_. Matsu-chan, you too, so come along!"

I heave a sigh as the older woman leads the girls away. Aunt Rika steps
closer, covering me with the umbrella she thought to bring. She must have been
waiting by the door with Aunt Rena, to see us arriving so clearly.

"You can use the shower, Kyon-kun," she says warmly, leading me toward the
house. When I look up at her face, her expression is distant. She does seem
remarkably calm, all things considered. She shakes her head, dismissing some
distracting thought and rewarding me with a radiant smile -- the sort of
expression that dazzles even compared to Asahina-san's. "Won't that be nice?
Shuu, shuu~!"

Eh-- What was I thinking of? For being old enough to be my mother, Aunt Rika
can be strangely adorable and childish, even beyond her habit of making sound
effects in conversation. While I'm not that sort of person, if Matsuri could
be a little more gentle and grow up to be like her mother, she's got the
promise to become a real heart-breaker!

"Kyon-kun did very well today," she adds as we step into the doorway, where my
_own_ mother is waiting, holding a towel. A pile of other towels on the floor
let me know that the cousins have probably already been bundled into the bath.

"You'll have to tell us all about it once you wash up and change -- we'll have
warm soup for you, too," my mother agrees. "I'm just as happy as everyone
else, but get into that shower before you catch cold!"

Somehow, I don't feel left out compared to Matsuri and Yurie ... I suppose
it's only natural for mothers to worry about their children? All I can think
is that my mother was confident enough to worry less -- but even she was
concerned. Well, I'm glad that there wasn't more to worry about, then.

Anyway, a warm shower sounds ideal!

* * *

After a soothing run under the shower, my muscles feel a little more relaxed,
though some aching remains in my legs and back. That's forgivable for someone
who moved a statue and carried two children to safety, isn't it?

But the punishment being delivered to my spine isn't over, because as soon as
I finish dressing from the shower and step out, I'm greeted with a hearty slap
on my back from Uncle Keiichi. He and the other uncles surround me in a rowdy,
cheering crowd, and then haul me bodily into the study.

Seeing a lack of children, I can't really complain -- a chance to relax with
the older crowd is entirely welcome!

I see Aunt Satoko rolling her eyes and shaking her head with a tolerant smile
before I'm bustled into the room, and Aunt Mion's cheerfully barked order of,
"Let him have his soup, first!" is the last I hear from her.

So, the uncles and I take seats in Uncle Keiichi's comfortable study, which
has a couch, a table, and his desk. Since the power's been off for a while
he's actually put his computer away somewhere, giving me the awkward honor of
the seat behind a desk. "Eat up, my boy!" he says happily.

"Er, thanks," I manage. There is a steaming bowl of soup there, but what about
everyone else?

"We already ate," my father contributes. "So it sounds like while we were
working on the school building, you had a real adventure, didn't you?"

Without electrical power for the village, have I become the sole source of
entertainment? As if to answer that question, Aunt Rika opens the door, giving
my uncles a look of tolerant suffering.

"Boys," she sighs, shaking her head. "Kyon-kun, before anything else -- Matsu-
chan and Yurie-chan said you went into the saiguden!" She looks stern and puts
her hands on her hips, leaning toward me slightly in admonishment. "Is that
true?"

"Er, yeah," I admit, wincing. That's supposed to be bad -- to invoke the wrath
of the village god. Oyashiro is supposed to be very vengeful. While I'm being
honest, I admit, "Um, Oyashiro-sama's statue fell and pinned her, so ... I
might have ... treated that roughly too."

"Well, entry into the saiguden is forbidden except for the Fuurude family and
those with their permission," she declares, shaking her head and marching to
my side. "So, I give Kyon-kun permission! He's a well behaved kitten~!"

Then she reaches a hand out and pats my head like I really _was_ a cat. For
whatever reason, this makes Uncle Keiichi's face redden a bit.

"Though, for saving my daughter from danger, Oyashiro would forgive you, too~!
So don't worry about that! I'm sure the real Oyashiro doesn't like that statue
anyway," she says with remarkable conviction. "Otherwise, Matsu-chan says the
flood swept the entire saiguden away, anyway, so why be upset about it?"

Really? I suppose she must have been able to see it while I was running. The
entire thing swept away? It seemed like it was about to, so I can't be that
surprised!

Giving me one last pat, she says, "Kyon-kun is a good boy! Now, don't have too
much fun with these old men -- they will undoubtedly try and corrupt you ...
but you've earned some time away from the children, so enjoy -- nih-paah~!"
Done with her informal blessing of my trespass, she hums some song I'm not
familiar with -- something surprisingly energetic.

For a woman with children, and a shrine maiden on top of that, I can't help
but think that sometimes she acts more like my sister's age than her own.

After the door is shut and I help myself to the warm soup -- really, perfect
after the day I've had -- Yurie's father shifts in his seat and prompts, "Now,
we've heard Matsu-chan and Yurie-chan tell their version of things -- but what
really happened?"

"Their versions?" I wonder. After another mouthful of soup, I ask, "What did
they say happened?"

"Matsu-chan says that you lifted the statue and tossed it aside like a super-
hero," Uncle Keiichi chuckles.

Laughing and shaking his head slightly, my father adds, "And Yurie-chan says
you outran an oncoming flood by moving so fast you skipped across the top of
the water, like an anime character!"

If this were one of the dreams with Haruhi, sure, but in the real world, I
strongly doubt it! The dreams I've shared with her so far lacked that
compelling sense of fear and urgency -- the real world is a lot scarier!

"Well, adrenaline is pretty amazing," I allow, shaking my own head. "But being
honest, the statue didn't weigh very much. It was probably hollow -- and
anyway, if the saiguden were already sinking and had a dirt floor, I bet I
just shifted the balance of it to sink faster while levering it off Matsu-chan
-- and the water wasn't very deep before the main surge."

Uncle Keiichi's eyebrows rise. "Dirt floor?" he wonders. "Eh-- Well, only the
Fuurude family is allowed inside...."

"I would have expected a wooden floor, too," my father muses. "But no matter--
Did you see anything forbidden in there?"

"Ah ... probably?" I hesitate. Does Aunt Rika's blessing extend that far? "I
didn't really have a lot of time to pay attention; I was mostly worried about
Matsuri." Finishing off the soup, I push the bowl to once side and lean back a
bit. That was pretty good!

"That sounds fair," Yurie's father reasons. "Hmm, I'm guessing my daughter
cleverly bullied her way into you taking her along, eh? Why not tell us from
the beginning!"

"And while we're here without power, I think it's time we give Kyon-kun a
reward suitable for his rescue of two of our little girls," Keiichi adds.

"Fair enough!" Yurie's father agrees. "If Kyon-kun hadn't gone out and rescued
Matsu-chan, Yurie-chan would undoubtedly have gotten hurt trying to do it
herself! She's a good, well-meaning girl, but when it comes to her friends,
sometimes her sense just goes out the window!"

"Hmm," Uncle Keiichi muses with a frown, opening up a cabinet, and then
glancing at my father.

My father starts, slightly shaking his head, then thinks better of it. "Why
not?" he says with a lopsided smile, shrugging. "If anything can earn it, it's
this!"

What? What's going on, then?

"Alright!" Uncle Keiichi declares, pulling out a large bottle of sake. "First
drink goes to our oldest nephew!"

Well ... it would be rude to decline, if even my father said it was okay, but
I can't help worry-- Then again, maybe it'll be different from drinking red
wine at the island. I can hope, anyway! Before I have time to really worry
about it, I'm handed a small handmade cup filled with sake, and Uncle Keiichi
is pouring for all the other uncles as well.

"So!" my father prompts after a sip, and an appreciative nod at Uncle Keiichi.
"Tell us how it happened?"

Oh, boy.... I take a sip of the acrid drink myself -- sweeter than it smells,
surprisingly, and start to recount my experience....

* * *

After a dreamless sleep, thanks to the sake I drank with my uncles, probably,
I wake up a bit too early. There's unwelcome sunlight coming in through a
crack in the blinds, and I can hear one of my aunts shushing a cousin and
sternly ordering, "Let Kyon-kun sleep in -- he worked very hard yesterday!"

After that I roll over, my head hurting a little, and drift back off.

For a brief while, I find myself in a dream ... I really must be getting
better at this! I can tell right off the bat that I'm dreaming!

On the other hand, just as I think to look for Haruhi, I realize ... I'm
sleeping in. Sleeping off a mild hangover, I guess.... I'm distantly aware of
my headache, but in the dream it's not a big deal.

Haruhi would be awake and at school by now, wouldn't she? I don't know how
long this lucid dream will last, so I can't really think of what to do,
either.

My dream copy of Hinamizawa isn't holding together very well -- it seems like
it's fading a bit. Rather than focusing to fix it, I check out the places that
Haruhi and I both put creative energy into.

The Grecian temple is still looking solid ... I think it feels like she must
have touched up on it recently. When I check, she's added some urns with our
'deeds' added to the sides.

Well, our last adventure, I guess -- there's Himeji castle, with me standing
next to Haru-hime. Hmm, she should be giving me a kiss on the cheek, shouldn't
she? Just in case I miss her, and not wanting to try the plushie trick again
(it really didn't work out for me, anyway), I change the image a bit. When I'm
done, the Haru-hime on the urn is giving the chase kiss on the cheek that she
promised. That should do it!

After that, well ... there's not much else to do, and I get the sense that
trying to craft another 'block puzzle' would be a silly way to waste time at
this point, so I let myself drift into dreamless sleep once more. It's a bit
disorienting, but after last night, sleeping in a little _was_ pretty nice!
Unfortunately, as much as I might try, it cannot last forever, so eventually I
come completely awake.

Judging by the light coming in from the windows and the chatter of my cousins,
it's late morning. Everything I was hoping for ... mild hangover aside.

When I step out into the hallway, I see Aunt Rika walking toward my room,
pausing an raising an eyebrow before she smirks. "You sounded like you rested
well, guu, guu," she remarks, prompting me to wince at her cheerful imitation
of snoring.

I snore? Ouch.... "Pretty well," I agree, my voice a bit rough.

Her eyes widen and she says, "Oh," thoughtfully, before grinning. "Drink some
water and take a bath," she instructs, suddenly businesslike. "Come on, now,
Kyon!"

I follow her instructions and the mild discomfort starts to fade after I drink
some water. Once I take a bath, I go to the kitchen and eat breakfast at the
small table there alone, while my cousins are occupied in the front room.

Aunt Rena is busy washing up the dishes, and I manage to finish in time to
hand over the rest of my dishes before she's done-- As I do that, Aunt Rika
comes back in, humming thoughtfully. Her expression is a bit more serious than
earlier.

"Feeling better?" she asks.

"Shame on the boys, letting you drink," Aunt Rena chides gently, wiping down
the last dish and putting it into the rack. "But I'm happy that you brought
Yurie-chan and Matsu-chan back safely, too," she adds, giving me a wink. "I
suppose boys _will_ be boys...."

I scratch the back of my neck, feeling a bit embarrassed about the attention.
"A...ah, thanks," I managed.

Aunt Rika nods decisively. "Okay," she says, crossing her arms over her chest
and looking back toward the living room. "In that case, there are two people
who want to say something very important to you!"

"Eh?" I wonder-- But of course, those two little girls....

Instead of her usual untempered energy, or pouting, Matsuri's head was bowed,
her aura significantly more subdued than usual. Yurie looks a little
embarrassed, but it doesn't keep her from smiling hugely anyway. "Kyon-nii!"
she calls brightly. "Thank you very much for saving me yesterday!"

She bows very low as her mother stands at my side, raising her eyebrows and
planting fists on her hips. "You're still grounded," Aunt Rena warns. "Don't
be shy about it -- I think we all know that you sneaked out and followed Kyon-
kun to help Matsu-chan out!"

Aunt Rika smiles mysteriously at that, her eyes seeming to follow some distant
point behind us.

"Ah, caught," Yurie giggles, ducking her head again.

"But," Aunt Rena sighs, deflating a little, "you did help, so I'm glad for
Matsu-chan's sake that you did it."

"Hmm, but there's something else, isn't there?" Aunt Rika muses, gently
prodding her daughter -- even though the smaller girl's head is bowed so much
she's staring straight down at her feet.

"I.... I'm sorry I caused so much trouble," Matsuri mumbled.

"Was that a mouse I heard creeping about, going chu, chu?" Rika ponders,
tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. "A proud daughter of Fuurude wouldn't be
mistaken for that, I'm sure!"

"I-- I--" Matsuri stutters and then stands up straight, her eyes shining with
tears. "I'm really sorry, Kyon-nii!" she wails, beads of moisture rolling down
her face. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble! I-- I was being selfish,
and stupid, and thanks to me, even Yurie-chan almost got hurt! And ... and I
was cruel and thoughtless...." She trailed off and couldn't meet my eyes and
longer. "So.... So I'm sorry ... and I won't interfere with Kyon-nii and his
girlfriend anymore...."

She has the wrong idea, but as embarrassing as her misunderstanding was, I get
the idea I shouldn't correct her. Aunt Rena looks up from studying her own
daughter to raise her eyebrows at Matsuri, and the little girl's own mother is
beaming happily. I wonder who could have coached her in this speech, as I look
between daughter and mother, one looking like a tiny, contrite clone of the
other.

Or, as Yurie and Aunt Rena might say, I wonder, I wonder.

"Ah, well, you're still my precious cousin, Matsuri," I find myself saying,
which prompts her to jolt, standing upright and staring up at me hopefully.
Hey! I'd better not give her the wrong idea, here! "That's to say ... you're
like another sister, for me, so I couldn't very well ignore you when you were
in trouble. Just like your mother, I was worried when you were gone! So -- as
long as you can promise that you won't worry us like that again, I'll be
happy, okay?"

"I-- I promise, Kyon-nii-san!" she swears, nodding resolutely. "I'll.... I'll
be good." She sniffles, managing a smile even as another tear runs down her
cheek.

"Good girl," Rika says, crouching low and dabbing the tears from her
daughter's face with a handkerchief before sweeping her into a hug and rising,
lifting her off the ground with minimal effort. "Now, Yurie-chan, Matsu-chan,
you're both still grounded, but since you're behaving, as long as you're
quiet, you two can stay in the same room and chat quietly, okay?"

"Okay!" Yurie chirps, echoed shortly by Matsuri, her voice muffled by her
mother's handkerchief.

After they left, I let a small sigh of relief escape. Matsuri behaving.... Now
that was something else! And I couldn't help but notice that she had mellowed
to merely calling me, 'Kyon-nii-san.' Now, if she can somehow teach my sister
to call me 'Nii-san' again....

Well, that's probably too much to hope for, isn't it?

"You must miss her terribly," Aunt Rena muses sympathetically, breaking into
my ruminations.

Well, it's not _that_ bad, but I actually _haven't_ gotten a chance to dream
about Haruhi lately, have I?

"Poor Kyon-kun," Aunt Rena says, patting me on the shoulder as Aunt Rika
returns. "I'm sure your girlfriend misses you, too!"

"She's not--" I start, before biting it back. "Er, I'm just ... thinking about
all the school and club activities I'm missing...."

"Of course you are," my aunts agree in perfect harmony, smirking as they
exchange a glance.

...I think I'm just going to let that slide for now. Hopefully tonight I can
meet up with Haruhi! Won't _she_ love to hear about that adventure!

As I think that, Aunt Rena pads out of the kitchen. Aunt Rika shakes her head.
"Ah, Kyon-kun," the woman says, beaming me another smile. "The rains have
stopped, but you've been working very hard lately! So, for today, relax and go
for a walk wherever you like, as long as it's safe, and not too close to the
river!"

"Eh? What about the 'school work'?" I wonder.

"You've earned a day of rest, at least," she insists resolutely, giving me a
wink. "You shouldn't have to play with the children and keep them busy
_always_, ni-pah~!"

Well ... actually, a break like that would be nice, and it's not like I met
with Haruhi to get my assignments. So, why not?

"Alright," I agree. "I guess it would be nice to hike for a bit and get some
fresh air while the rain's stopped."

* * *

I'd still rather be at home in Nishinomiya, with the others.... But things
aren't so bad. Having some time to wander and get out, while the children are
all under the tight watch of their parents.... Actually, after Matsuri and
Yurie getting grounded, they're under even tighter watch, aren't they?

It's not really fun for the aunts anymore, either. I can see why the uncles
throw themselves into whatever busywork there is to deal with! My phone is out
of battery -- and left behind in any case. I can't take pictures, but I watch
a group of JSDF helicopters deliver crates of supplies and drop a small number
of people on rappelling lines in the school yard.

My vantage is from halfway down the road to Aunt Mion's house-- That'd have to
be a doctor, among the other specialists being dropped off. Either the ground
is too muddy, or some other reason keeps them from actually landing just yet,
but from what I can tell, one helicopter remains hovering for a while,
probably until the figure I'm guessing is a doctor -- or at least a medic --
determines no one needs to be brought to a hospital.

It's interesting, for certain. While it should probably be exciting, really it
mostly just reminds me that for all the 'danger' and 'adventure,' things are
actually pretty safe. Ah, I shouldn't think such things, considering what
almost happened yesterday!

Still, with nothing better to do, I wander the village, mostly alone and un-
bothered until the afternoon. Then, thinking of how the aunts must be tired of
handling the children, I do my best to help keep them distracted until it's
time for bed.

Finally -- after all those nights of missing it -- I fall asleep and find
myself in the clubroom.

My reality check lets me know that I'm dreaming, in the same comforting place
I always appear. It's empty, except for me, and there's only my chair and a
steaming cup of Asahina-san's tea waiting for me. Of course, I could hardly
expect Haruhi to be here, could I?

Right-- Ignoring the temptation of the tea, I rise and march to the door,
thinking of the undersea palace. Sure enough, the door swings open, giving me
a perfect view of Haruhi, grinning hugely with her hands on her hips.

"It's about time you showed up!" she barks without hesitation as I step
through and let the door close behind me.

"Well, excuse my tardiness," I answer dryly. She doesn't know what I've been
through! "Some things came up." She's wearing her usual 'legendary dreamer'
costume instead of the outfit she wore last time.

"Hey, you're missing out on things!" she warned me.

"Like homework, and...." I trail off there, remembering.

She raises her eyebrows. "'And'?" she prompts.

I close my eyes and concentrate. When I open them, she jumps a little, looking
down at the elaborate costume I saw her in last in the dream -- the robes for
a princess.

"Oh, yeah," she says belatedly, looking mildly on edge. "Well--"

Maybe it's just because I'm feeling a little emboldened from the praise I got
for rescuing Matsuri from the floodwater, and maybe it's just because I can't
deny that I wanted that reward I missed last time. In any case, I step closer
to her, and she suddenly looks nervous, face reddening. "Wh-what--" she
starts.

Well, here, with no one else around, Haruhi can be kind of cute, can't she?
When she lets her guard down, and is still energetic and cheerful, but not so
forceful.... "Where were we last time?" I muse, unable to keep myself from
smirking faintly. "I believe that you were going to offer a kiss to the
samurai that defended your keep from the 'dread-cousin' army?" I punctuate
that reminder with a gesture at the urn depicting the kiss I still hadn't
gotten.

"Aaah," Haruhi groans, eyes going to one side, her blush deepening even
further. "That's...."

Glancing to the same side, I see that Haruhi has another Asahina-san here,
watching us with wide eyes, looking about ready both to hide and burst into
giggles. For whatever reason, she's wearing her school uniform instead of the
flowing white toga Haruhi had her in last time.

"Ah, what's wrong, Haruhi?" I tease, turning my attention back to Haruhi. "Oh,
wait, I should say 'Haru-hime', shouldn't I? Or are you saying I lost the
reward you promised me for whatever reason?"

"I-- In front of-- _Damn_ it, Kyon!" she groans, one hand covering her eyes.

"Well?" I prompt, backing up a step and waiting for her explanation.

"Erg.... That's _really_ Mikuru-chan," she grumbles.

I snort, and am about to retort when I freeze. Well ... if _Haruhi_ and I can
meet in dreams ... what's to stop someone _else_ from showing up in dreams,
too?

I turn slowly back to look at Asahina-san, feeling my face heat up like I
imagine Haruhi must feel right now. "A...Asahina-san?" I croak out at the
upperclassman peeking at both of us from behind one of the elaborate columns.

"That's-- That's _so cute_!" Asahina-san unexpectedly declares, her face red
as she giggles, still mostly hiding behind the column.

Haruhi fixes me with the best death-glare she can muster while blushing
intently enough to spark off fires. "Damn it, Kyon," she grumbles, half-
heartedly.

I'm torn between berating myself for what Asahina-san must think of me now,
and the fact that _Asahina-san_ is in the dream with us! "W...what are you
doing here, Asahina-san?" I ask, hoping desperately to change the subject.

"Ah," she starts, her blush fading. She steps out from behind the column,
giggling a few last times, then looks to Haruhi.

"Honestly," Haruhi sighs, one hand going to her forehead as she takes a step
backward. "Anyway ... while you were gone I was investigating on my own -- in
case you forgot! Since you didn't manage to show up last night for whatever
reason, I decided to try exploring around here a bit -- in the dream."

"Oh, that makes sense," I said, nodding. Still! Reaching Asahina-san? I didn't
expect that!

"You need to keep practicing," she chides me. "Seriously, not managing to get
in that often? Weren't you doing much better?"

"Something came up," I return defensively, frowning.

"Well, you can tell me later," she says, crossing her arms over her chest, but
not changing her costume -- other than to make the 'legendary dreamer' armband
reappear. "Anyway, without anything else to do, since I wasn't getting
anywhere in the _real_ world, I tried to meet Mikuru-chan _here_!"

...why would I have expected otherwise from Haruhi? I feel a bit off balance,
still, but that does perfectly make sense, doesn't it? Only, now ... this
means that even in our sleep we'll never be free of Brigade meetings and
quests!

Well, no. It's easy to make such a remark, but Haruhi is very close to finding
things here, isn't she? I can't imagine she'd just want to do the same things
we can do in the waking world anyway.

"That's amazing!" I say, even though I'm a little worried for Asahina-san.

"You think _that's_ amazing?" Haruhi returns, looking more her confident self.
"So -- thanks to meeting here, where her superiors can't shut her down, I've
learned that Mikuru-chan is a time traveler, too!"

That shakes me so much the scenery around me wobbles before I steady myself. I
think my real body might be slightly hyperventilating! She looks alarmed, and
Asahina-san's smile fades, too, but I recover quickly enough.

I shouldn't be surprised at Haruhi making such swift progress, and it's not
like I didn't encourage her about this in the first place, is it? "That's ...
right," I agree. "Though ... I'm surprised she could tell you!"

"So you knew about that, and expected me to get it from her anyway?" Haruhi
asks, giving me a mild scowl. "Setting up an impossible task...."

"It's more that I was confident you'd kick reason to the curb if I could just
point you in the right direction," I allowed, scratching the back of my head
and looking away -- incidentally, right at the urn with her kissing me on the
cheek. I quickly adjust my gaze to the mosaic on the floor.

"Well, I suppose that's true," she says, sounding a bit doubtful.

"But, Asahina-san, you ... can say more than just 'classified information'
here?" I ask, turning to look at the other girl where she stands.

She starts, seemingly in a reverie of her own, but nods quickly, beaming a
smile. "That's right! Here, anyway, and thanks to Suzumiya-san!"

"That's amazing," I reply, a bit overwhelmed. I knew she had been frustrated
by that before, but if it no longer applied....

"That does really make me wonder -- if it were so impossible for me to guess,
why didn't you just tell me?" Haruhi asks, looking at me intently.

Well, to that....

* * *

"I, er, did try to tell you once," Kyon says, scratching the back of his neck
and avoiding my gaze.

"You _told_ me that Mikuru was a time traveler?" I shoot back dubiously... but
even as he opens his mouth to answer, I remember.

It's almost like I can see the scene again -- Kyon was the only one to show up
for the city search, and for _once_ he wasn't late, either. Claiming that the
other Brigade members were an alien, a time traveler, and an esper... it did
give me the idea for the movie castings, but if he really _meant_ it...

I snap out of my reverie to catch Kyon nodding, and notice that I really _was_
seeing it again; it's misty, like a movie being projected on a cloud, but it's
that exact moment as I remember it, playing out in front of everyone. I just
turn an incredulous look to Kyon, who nods again.

"I guess you _do_ remember it, then," he says with a shrug. Mikuru is just
looking on with some interest; I guess it'd be new to her, since it was just
me and Kyon there, but...

"Then you..." I gesture towards Mikuru. "All those months ago, you already
_knew_?!"

He shifts uncomfortably at that. "I... yeah, I did. And I _did_ try to tell
you, but since you didn't believe me, what else could I do? I didn't have any
proof that I could give you at that point, and by the time I _could_ prove
it..." He looks away and sighs. "Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but by that
point it seemed like it was better to leave things the way they were unless I
didn't have any other options."

I narrow my eyes at that. "So you _could_ have proved it to me later and you
didn't?"

He runs his hand through his hair, still avoiding my gaze. "Yeah, there's--"

"How?" I snap at him, crossing my arms. I'm still not sure how to feel about
this; he's got a valid point that if I didn't believe him anyway, there's not
much he could have done to convince me of something that crazy-sounding. But
if he actually _could_ have convinced me.... But how would he even do that?

He takes a deep breath, looking around for a minute. As he looks over at
Mikuru, his face settles, and he starts to speak. "How much has Asahina-san
told you about her time traveling?"

"She was telling me a little about it before we met you, actually," I reply,
scowling a bit. "She said there have been a couple of times where she had to
take you into the past -- one of which she wouldn't tell me about at all!" I
shoot Mikuru an irritated look at that, the older girl cringing slightly under
the heat of my gaze.

"That's right," Kyon agrees. "The first time was early last summer, on
Tanabata."

A tingle runs up my spine at that, but I keep glaring at Kyon even as my
thoughts start churning.

He grimaces a bit as he catches my look, but continues on. "Anyway, she took
me to that exact same day, three years earlier. Shortly after we arrived, her
'superior' knocked her out somehow -- I don't know exactly how -- and told me
I needed to take her with me and head to East Middle School. I ended up
carrying her on my back to get there."

I can _feel_ the blood draining from my face at the realization of what he's
saying sinks in; he seems to catch the change, too, and nods to me. "I think
you know where I'm going with this," he confirms.

There's only one place it could be going, but... _no one_ except for me and
that mysterious boy could have possibly known about it, so I want to make
_sure_. "Yeah--" I swallow, my voice a little hoarse. "I'm pretty sure I know
where you're going... but I want to hear _you_ say it," I challenge.

He blows out a breath, nodding. "You... do know the rest of the story. I left
Asahina-san with you, while you had me get out and draw that pattern on the
fields. Right as we were finishing up, we talked about aliens, espers, and
time travelers, and I... told you that my name was John Smith."

Hearing it confirmed... I work to keep my expression neutral as I reply -- I'm
both really excited and really ticked off, and I'm not sure how I want to go
from here. I can at least add confirmation of my own, though. "Well, I can
definitely say that would have convinced me," I affirm, giving Kyon a flat
stare. "And so you've had something that would have convinced me for almost a
_year_ and haven't said anything."

He sighs in response. "That happened almost a year ago, yeah -- but I had no
idea you'd believe me about it until almost Christmas. And that's when I
realized I shouldn't say anything until I needed to, but that's a long story,
maybe something for another time. I don't know that we'll have enough time to
get through the whole thing tonight."

I furrow my brow at that. "Why'd it take you that long to realize it?"

"That's... a really long story," he replies. "And I do want to tell you, but
somehow... eh, I guess I'd rather do it when we're awake, and it's not going
to get cut off by one of us waking up. If I get started now, I really doubt
I'd be able to finish it tonight."

If the story really is that long, he's probably right -- we've been
interrupted enough times by him getting pulled out of the dream, and I'd be
pretty ticked off if I had to wait a whole day to get the story finished.
"Fine, I'll accept that for now -- but you're going to have to tell me
something else instead, then!" I shoot back. "Mikuru-chan said she'd time
traveled three times since she came back to the past, and she told me about
two of them -- but that I'd have to ask you about one. So what's going on with
that?"

He looks to Mikuru at that, pausing for a moment to think. "Which time...
wait, would that be the time I asked you to take me back? Around New Year's?"

She opens her mouth to reply, then just nods unhappily instead.

He nods, then pauses like he's considering what to say next. Rather than put
up with that, though, I break into his train of thought. "If it's going to
take you that long to figure out how to tell me, then _show_ me!" I bark.

"...what?" Kyon just gives me a lost look.

"The same thing I did by accident, just a few minutes ago," I retort, shaking
my head. "When I remembered you telling me about the rest of the Brigade! You
can do the same thing to show me what happened that time!"

He glances over at Mikuru again at that, considering, then nods. And just like
that, we're surrounded by fog, then shapes and voices and details start to
emerge. We're in front of the school gate, and it's dark out, although it's
hard to tell whether it's because it's really late or really early.

Kyon is there, not once but twice; so is Yuki, although one version of her is
wearing glasses and the other isn't. Mikuru's also there, standing with a
worried look near the Kyon and the Yuki-without-glasses, but the other pair
has nothing more than a shadowy figure with them. I can tell it's a woman, and
it feels vaguely familiar, but it's particularly weird because I can easily
make out details about the second Kyon and Yuki, who are just as far away.

I shoot Kyon a scowl, but he just shakes his head as all of the figures start
to move. Nothing much seems to happen at first, aside from Yuki-without-
glasses explaining that the other group can't see or hear them, then--

Mikuru -- the real one, not the one from the memory -- lets out a whimper as a
figure with long blue hair runs up to Kyon and the mystery woman. Just as I
manage to put a name to the face -- that has to be our old class rep, Asakura
Ryouko, the one who disappeared all of a sudden -- I let out a gasp of my own
as she drives a knife into the second Kyon's back. At that, the Mikuru-in-the-
memory cries out and tries to rush over to the Kyon that got stabbed, but runs
into some kind of invisible wall; after a few seconds, it seems to disappear
and she's able to finish running over to hold onto Kyon, who's looking pretty
bad at this point.

I'll admit, I'm pretty pissed off about that for a minute; that should be _me_
out there taking care of Kyon! But then I remember that this is only a memory,
and I didn't even have any idea this had happened until just now, so there's
not much point in getting angry over something that happened who knows how
long ago. In the brief moment of distraction, though, I lose track of everyone
but the Kyon and Mikuru from the memory, until a flare of light catches the
corner of my eye. Looking up, I see Asakura dissolving into light -- how the
hell did that happen? -- and then the shadowy woman makes a move, putting a
hand on Mikuru's neck and somehow making her pass out.

Most of the conversation's been pretty muted throughout all of this; I don't
know whether it's because Kyon doesn't remember that many details or because
it doesn't make much of a difference to what he's trying to show, but at this
point I can make out the shadowy figure speaking to the Kyon that's _not_
currently bleeding all over the pavement.

"I put her to sleep," she says, and I'd _swear_ it was Mikuru talking -- the
voice is almost identical, but not quite. Mikuru herself -- the one here in
the dream -- furrows her brow as she hears the woman's voice. "I can't let her
know I'm here," she continues, stroking memory-Mikuru's hair. "I had to do
this. Don't tell her about me."

At that, the scene freezes, then dissolves back into mist before we all
reappear back in the palace of Atlantis. "There was more to that trip," Kyon
says, sounding tired, "but most of it was the two Nagato-sans talking to each
other, and the rest of it was details about getting from when and where we
were back to where I was supposed to be -- all of this is connected with that
'coma' I was in just before Christmas."

"But you weren't stabbed then!" I reply, shaking my head. "You fell down the
stairs, and that's how you wound up in the hospital!"

"What I remember of that whole time was completely different," Kyon disagrees,
avoiding my gaze for now. "But that's the long story that we don't have time
for right now. I'll just say that Nagato was at the center of that whole
thing, and Asahina-san was mostly helping me pick up the pieces afterwards and
get things back to normal."

Mikuru herself looks somewhat troubled at something, but it doesn't appear to
be the same as the reaction she showed in the memory when Kyon was stabbed.
Seeing that, though, I can understand why she didn't really want to tell me
about it! But it does remind me about the shadowy woman, though -- she seemed
to be helping Kyon out as well, and she did _something_ to Mikuru, too. "Who
was that other woman, though? The one whose face I couldn't see?"

"I'm... not supposed to say," he says, shooting an apologetic look at Mikuru.
"I might be able to tell _you_ later, Haruhi, but I'm not supposed to tell
Asahina-san any details. All I should probably say is that she told me she's
Asahina-san's superior as a time traveler."

"But... my supervisor isn't a woman," Mikuru says, looking troubled.

"She sure looked like one to me!" I shoot back. "And sounded like one, too --
hell, if I had my eyes closed I would have sworn it was another Mikuru-chan,
it sounded almost exactly like her!"

* * *

Not for the first time, I felt uncertainty that I should be allowed to make
important decisions, or try to handle major issues. On the other hand, I _had_
decided that Haruhi deserved to know the truth. Keeping a secret from her
didn't feel right at all-- And I was never exactly thrilled about keeping that
secret from Asahina-san, either.

I cough, a painfully fake thing, prompting Haruhi to give me an unimpressed,
flat stare. Even Asahina-san rouses herself from her contemplation to give me
a wan smile.

"Um," I say, thinking I should change the topic. I would think that with this
much information, Asahina-san will figure it out. Certainly, _Haruhi_ will,
and I can't see her leaving things alone the way they are. Maybe it's a bit
selfish, and I'm somewhat using Haruhi to break the truth to Asahina-san?

I can't really be thrilled about that, but honesty is what we were searching
for, so I guess I'll have to hope that's for the best.

"Well?" Haruhi prompts impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest and
tapping a foot.

"There's more, still," I sighed. "I mean, a lot more, but I don't know how
much time we have."

"Where were you last night, anyway?" Haruhi asks instead, uncrossing her arms
and leaning forward to peer at me.

I scratch my head. "I, uh, stayed up late chatting with my uncles about--"

At this point, I'd expect to be woken up by one of my cousins, but instead
Haruhi looks sharply to one side. "Oh, shoot!" she exclaims, before fuzzing
out and ... vanishing.

"...um," I manage.

"Ah, she woke up," Asahina-san remarks belatedly.

Well ... how about that? Just like I'd imagined, here I am alone in the
dreamspace with Asahina-san. Somehow, not quite how I'd envisioned it.
Ultimately, I can't really help but think that like this is maybe a bit better
than what I would have originally aimed for?

Unless she starts asking difficult questions, at least!

She looks quietly thoughtful, but instead of asking me anything, she smiles
and shakes her head. "Thank you, Kyon-kun," she says, ducking her head a short
distance. "Um, was there something you wanted me to pass on to her?"

"I ... I think I've given her enough to worry about, really," I say,
shrugging, offering a weak smile of my own. "Just that I'll try and meet her
tomorrow, I guess? Ah, and you as well, Asahina-san."

She shrugs slightly, looking more confident than I'm used to seeing her --
more like the Asahina-san that orders her around. It's a bit sad in some ways
to see that lovely, adorable person fade, but I can't help but be happier for
her a little bit, too. "I think you've said exactly enough," she remarks
cheerfully. "So, thank you, Kyon-kun! I hope I can see you tomorrow, as well."

That sounded like goodbye. As much as I wouldn't mind hanging out and spending
time with Asahina-san, she probably has a lot to think about as well.

"Oh," I realize belatedly, frowning. "I forgot to ask her about my
assignments."

Giggling, Asahina-san suggests, "Maybe you can call her tomorrow?"

Well, if the phone lines were up, that would be a real possibility. Hmm, could
that be a slip up on Asahina-san's part? She already knows they'll be up?
Well, with that, I can confidently answer, "I'll do that, then. Thanks again,
Asahina-san."

"Rest well, Kyon-kun," she says with a small wave, as I feel myself drifting
back toward wakefulness. How strange -- she seems to be much better at
managing this than either Haruhi or myself!

* * *

Once I'm awake, I muse that Asahina-san has probably had training with that
sort of thing. I wonder if it's a big deal in the future? It very well could
be!

But for the present, I have other concerns. After waking up and leaving the
guest room I've been staying in for far too long, Aunt Mion remarks, "You're
up early today, Kyon-kun! And on your own, too!"

Ouch! That sounds like a comment my mother might make! But ... I do feel
pretty well rested -- that's true. "It must be this mountain air," I defer.

She nods thoughtfully. "Glad you enjoyed your walk yesterday," she says,
nodding again, looking satisfied with herself. "The uncles just finished
taking their baths, so I'll let you go before your cousins!"

"Alright," I agree, nodding. "Thanks, Aunt Mion."

Of course, thinking about things ... my aunts -- and probably some cousins --
had to wash the laundry by hand, due to the loss of power. I should be
grateful I still have clean clothes! I grab them, trying to avoid thinking how
much work that must have been, and head to the washroom.

I see Uncle Keiichi on the way in, wearing some sturdy work clothes and
tugging his shirt into place. He nods and says, "Good morning, Kyon-kun! How
are you doing today?"

"Fine, thanks," I answer, nodding. "You?"

"Good," he answered with a grin. "It's lucky we still have water and gas, so
we can keep clean!"

"I'll say," I answer, nodding. "Um, the phone line was taken down, right? How
long until you think they have it repaired?"

"Well, I'm not sure," he says, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting
his head to one side, eyes closed as he thinks. "I mean, the cables are down,
and I imagine that the power is a higher priority. If we happened to have
enough of the right cable, in theory we could just patch it in...." He trails
off with a smile, shaking his head. "Well, I'm not actually an expert, but
we've got a few at the school. I think we'd need power somewhere, too, but at
the rate things are going, I'd expect we're going to need to wait until we get
power back. Probably a week -- at least not until after they get the road
clear."

"Oh," I answer, frowning. Asahina-san had suggested I'd call ... I supposed
that meant that they'd find the cable they needed after all, wouldn't it?

Uncrossing his arms and giving me a sympathetic look that didn't hide his
amused grin, he gently teases, "Miss your girlfriend and want to call her?"

I'm about to correct him when I glance to one side and see a wide-eyed Matsuri
and Yurie peeking at me around the doorframe. I _really_ don't want to give
Matsuri an excuse to latch onto me and so just shrug awkwardly.

"Hold in there, Kyon-kun," he says with a chuckle, slapping me on the
shoulder. "I'm sure it'll work out!"

"R...right," I agree, quickly hurrying into the washroom. No reason to make my
cousins wait longer than they have to, after all. Certainly, I don't want them
getting impatient and barging in!

* * *

After a quick wash, I am recruited once again into cousin-keeping duties. As
Matsuri and Yurie are grounded, Aunt Rena gives me the solemn duty of bringing
them their meals. They had already had their own chance to wash, together ...
but separate from the other cousins. It was pretty severe, and I had an
inkling that Matsuri, at least, had already learned her lesson.

I was almost _positive_ that Yurie had. But I was just as sure that Yurie was
impervious to _part_ of the lesson-- She'd stand by her friends and do what
she could for them no matter what. And I had to think that the pair of them
sharing a room for the term of their punishment was the aunts' subtle
acknowledgement and aproval of that.

I suppose that raising children must be a difficult task!

Balancing the tray with their lunches on it, I rap a knuckle on the door.
Yurie slides it open very promptly. "Is that the warden, I wonder, I wonder?"
she asks impishly, looking up at me.

Warden?

"We want time off for good behavior!" Matsuri insists, standing beside Yurie
with her hands on her hips, scowling.

Another of their games -- prisoners together, huh?

"Maybe, and maybe not," I say neutrally, stepping in and setting the tray on
the floor. What would their parents say? Looking around, I see they had a
small pile of books and toys scattered across the room and most of Matsuri's.
Given how many people were already staying in the house, the pair were sharing
the bed, but it is big enough for them to do that comfortably.

Setting the tray on the small section of clear space at the desk, where I
suspect their breakfast tray had been set earlier, I remark, "Since I'm just a
lowly guard, I think that if the room were straightened up and tidy before the
actual warden came along...." I trail off there as both girls look a little
abashed, glancing at the toys and books strewn across the floor, and the
unmade bed.

I give them a wink and added, "I'll be back in about thirty minutes to take
care of your dishes."

"Okay, Kyon-nii-san!" they chorus, smiling.

Stepping out in the hall, I catch Aunt Rika lurking out of the children's
sight, smiling in amusement. Within, I can distantly hear the children moving
to the desk and chattering about cleaning up.

Looking very thoughtful about things, Aunt Rika muses, "It seems that they
brought the phone lines up!"

Hey! Just like I had thought!

"How did it happen?" I ask curiously. "Uncle Keiichi thought it might be
difficult?"

"It is," she agrees, nodding. "Hmm, your Uncle Keiichi said that some of the
people staying at the school turned up a cable, and they were able to patch it
through! It's a temporary solution, but they can get the phone up for a few
hours a day!"

"That's great!" I say. Belatedly, I realize, "Oh, but we probably need to let
the phones be used for emergencies first."

"We have the radio for that," she counters. "The phone is working at the
school, too -- Kei-kun called to let us know it was working, after all. But
all of _my_ family is right here, ni-pah~!"

"Eh?"

"Kyon-kun can make a phone call," she said simply, smiling. "Everyone at the
school is calling friends and family to let them know they're safe! Kyon-kun
can do that, too! To call a friend, or ... someone else very important? Ri~in,
ri~in, and then doki-doki, doki-doki!"

So, a convenient and unexpectedly working phone system, huh? And I have a
chance to use it while Matsuri is completely distracted, too? Well, I smile at
my aunt's impression of the phone ringing, and ignore the reference to a
pounding heart and what _that_ implies. In no time at all, I'm down the hall
and reaching for the handset.

Teasing from my aunts and uncles aside, I really _do_ have to check in with
Haruhi, don't I? Meeting in dreams is great, too, but it would be nice to
speak in the waking world!

The normal cordless phone was stuck in a drawer, and an older corded phone
temporarily replaced it -- one that could work while the power was out. But
sure enough, when I lift it from the cradle, I could hear the sound of the
dial-tone!

* * *

School's been more of a pain than usual this entire week, and not _just_
because Kyon hasn't been here. I can't simply tune it out entirely; if I'm
going to keep giving Kyon his assignments at night, I have to know what they
are, after all. That said, though, I can't really focus on it either --
there's just too many other things going on!

The fundraiser is tomorrow, and there's no telling how that's going to go;
there's still a ton to do just to get that organized, which is probably going
to take up a big chunk of lunch and all of the breaks for the rest of today. I
don't even know if we'll make enough money to get the whole Brigade up to
Hinamizawa, much less what we'll do with any leftover money, since I _do_ want
to make sure it gets put to good use helping with the disaster. Should I just
donate the extra to the Red Cross, or should we actually try to take supplies
in with us when we go? And what kind of supplies should we take if we do? If
we've got to go cross-country to get to the village itself, anything we take
with us is going to make the trip that much harder, after all.

And if that wasn't enough, there's also the Brigade itself. Now that I know
Kyon actually _wasn't_ kidding around last year, I need to figure out what to
do about the fact that I've got an esper, a time traveler, and an alien in my
very own club -- and I hadn't realized a thing until I got a hint! I still
don't know much about Yuki or Koizumi -- I'm hoping that I can at least watch
for clues in the Brigade meeting this afternoon -- but in Mikuru's case I've
got to deal with the fact that she's not just a time traveler, but one that's
been trapped into coming to the past and hiding what she is from me! I know
there has to be _something_ we can do about that, but without a clear plan (so
far, anyway) it's just one more worry on the pile.

I turn and rest my chin on my hand as I stare out the window, the teacher's
voice fading to a drone in the background. There's one other thing that's
bothering me about the rest of the Brigade, too. Okay, sure - I'm ready to
accept that they're really espers and aliens and what have you, but the
question then is _why_ -- why did they join the Brigade but not tell me? They
obviously told Kyon, or he found out about it, but they had to have been
hiding things from me -- I think I'd have noticed if there was anything that
unusual going on!

So why hide it from me, and why tell Kyon? Is there something special about me
that I _shouldn't_ know, or is it that there's something special about him
that he _should_?

Just as I'm trying to come to grips with that thought, I'm interrupted by the
chiming of my cell phone -- what the hell? Who in the world is going to be
calling me in the middle of class?

"Suzumiya!" the teacher barks, shooting a glare at me that I ignore for now.
It has to be some kind of emergency; no one I know would bother actually
calling me in the middle of the school day.

Except that when I finally get my phone out and look at the number, it's not a
name or number I immediately recognize -- although from the fact that there's
a name at all it's a number I should know. By the time I work it out, the
teacher is halfway to my desk.

"It's Kyon!" I exclaim, holding up a hand. "They must have gotten the phone
lines working in Hinamizawa!"

The teacher stops at that, still scowling. "Take it in the hall, then," he
allows grudgingly. "And keep it brief."

Not that I'd have cared about getting permission anyway, but that's all the
excuse I need, bolting from my chair and snapping the phone open before I even
make it to the door.

"Kyon, is that you?" I'm trying to keep my voice down, but it's hard -- if
this is really him, I want to shout at him! I know the phone lines have been
down, so it's not entirely his fault he couldn't call, but still.

"What, not even a hello?" From that sarcastic drawl, it pretty much _has_ to
be Kyon!

"Who else is going to be dumb enough to call me in the middle of a school
day?" I snap back, although I can't help but grin. Even with the time we've
spent dreaming together at night, it's good to hear his voice for real.

"It--" He sighs at that, audible even over the poor phone connection. They
must not have everything completely back to normal yet; there's a ton of
static on the line. "I didn't even think about that. The power's been out for
so long up here that none of the clocks have the correct time anymore. I just
found out from my aunt that they'd gotten the lines patched up, although
apparently they can only allow calls for a few hours a day.

"Anyway, Aunt Rika said I should go ahead and make any calls I wanted to,
since it's not like we really have family to contact -- the family's all
_here_, after all."

"Well, it's good you called," I retort. "You're looking at some serious
penalties from missing so many Brigade activities! You may have gotten a pass
for Golden Week, but that's as far as it went! You'll have plenty of
explaining to do the next time I see you!" Of course, the penalties are just a
joke, but I can't really bring myself to come out and _say_ how relieved I
really am.

"I'll be prepared," he responds dryly... and that, as much as anything, tells
me he saw through it anyway. Which I suppose I can deal with, at least from
him.

"Anyway, I'd better run," I say, glancing back into the classroom. "You really
_did_ call in the middle of class, after all. Will I be able to call you back
later?"

"From what I understand, you can try but there's no guarantee you'll get
through. They can only keep the lines up for a few hours a day for some
reason," comes the response.

"All right, then before I go-- do you have any idea when you're actually going
to get back?"

Another sigh comes over the line. "No. The last I heard from my parents was
that we'd leave when it the roads were clear and it was 'safe', but there's no
real telling how long that'll be. I'll let you know if I hear anything more
definite than that."

"I'll hold you to that, then!" I retort. "So... take care of yourself until
then, Kyon. I mean it!"

"I will," he answers back. "And... thanks, Haruhi."

I can feel a blush coloring my cheeks at that, so I say my goodbyes quickly
and hang up. It takes me a minute to regain my composure before I head back
into the classroom.

One thing's for sure, though -- if things are still that uncertain about when
Kyon's coming home, we've absolutely got to go up there to get him!

* * *