# Kyon: Big Damn Hero

## The Resolution Arc VI

### Chapter Sixty Two: Faint Acknowledgment

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.

Notes: Count the tropes! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!

* * *

"Fragment: Clan Annals (unverified)"

"Entry for 7.19.2011 (the second time):

...though when I think about how funny this entry in the log will look, I
realize it's got to be a lot less fun for her. On the other hand, with a
safety net of good friends, and of course, him, that blow should be softened a
bit, right?

-- Tsu-Oyabun # 108"  

"[Undecipherable]" -- Recovered From Primary T.E.S.A. Archive

* * *

Nonoko was having a hard time understanding why Kyon didn't take double-
vacation-weekends more often. Getting to go visit all her favorite aunties and
cousins for Kyon's birthday was so much fun that she only had to feel a little
bad about not giving him a present! Well, technically, her mother had helped
her give him something before the school year started, since that was when
they pretended his birthday was.

She never really understood that part.

Whatever the reasons, everyone had a great time, and then she still got a full
weekend to tell Miyoko about things! The festival was an awful lot of
excitement; she was a _bit_ jealous of Matsuri's outfit, but she wouldn't ask
Mikuru for her own copy. Matsuri got to be a shrine maiden, but Nonoko was
already a part time magical girl.

Still, after the excitement, once they all traveled back to Tsuruya's place --
except for Sasaki, who her brother explained would be coming later, they went
back home.

Nonoko wasn't that hungry, but Kyon always seemed to have an appetite, those
days, so when their mother called them down to dinner, she went with him.

Their mother looked at her strangely when she explained that she wasn't hungry
due to time-travel. Kyon just shrugged and said that time travel made him
hungry. That seemed to settle things, so she only had to eat her vegetables.

After that, as tired as she was, she went straight to bed. She woke up bright
and early, wondering if she'd beat Kyon awake; it had been a while since she'd
managed that! When she got out into the hall, she was surprised to see Haruhi
coming up the stairs, looking mischievous and excited.

"Haru-nee!" she cheered, smiling. "What brings you by?"

"After what Kyon's supposed to be learning today?" Haruhi asked incredulously
from the top of the stairway, just ahead of Nonoko's father. "I wouldn't miss
it for the world!"

Yuuto looked surprised at that. "Eh-- How do you know about that?" he
wondered, frowning. "I mean ... I didn't even tell Kyon myself, yet!"

Haruhi blinked, her face paling as she froze. "Er, uh-- Well, you see ... you
mentioned it to my father, didn't you?" she asked, smiling nervously. "I
remembered from when he mentioned one of his subordinates and his own boss
going to the hospital when Imouto was kidnapped! It was, uh, pretty big news!"

Yuuto frowned and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Your father?" he asked
doubtfully before his eyes widened slightly. "Ah-- I didn't realize that your
father was my superior at work! I thought it must be a different Suzumiya!"

"Aha, heh, ah, yeah," Haruhi said anxiously. "That's it! And, anyway, you told
Kyon that if he brought his grades up, you'd teach him!"

"Well, I said 'top ten'," Yuuto clarified. "And it's too early for that.
But.... Well, tomorrow's a special day, so why not?"

"Right!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"Is mom out?" Nonoko wondered.

"She's at the market; I suspect she'll be back very soon," Yuuto agreed,
smiling at his daughter. "On that note, Nono-chan, we're going to need you to
distract your mother for a bit. Can you do that?"

"Sure!" Nonoko agreed without hesitation. "I'll ask her for help with my hair,
and then tell her about how we time traveled to celebrate nii-san's birthday
with the aunties!"

Yuuto blinked at that, then shook his head, rapping his knuckles on Kyon's
door before opening it a crack. "Kyon-kun, are you awake?" He doubted Akane
would protest Kyon learning to drive, but she would undoubtedly protest Kyon
learning to drive _efficiently_.

"Yeah," he answered, pulling the door open the rest of the way, already fully
dressed. So much for surprising him! "Bit hard to miss all the discussion
going on here. What's the surprise, anyway?"

"Well, Haruhi-chan here already figured it out, even though I don't
particularly remember explaining it to her father ... heh, small world, isn't
it?" The bespectacled man shook his head slowly.

"Yeah, something like that," Kyon agreed, looking off to one side. He shifted
his shoulders, and Nonoko grinned as Ryouko peeked down at her and waved
happily. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised at Haruhi running down here so
quickly."

"Well, I've got some errands," Yuuto continued. "Your mother wants something
fetched from out of town to make a cake for tomorrow."

"I wouldn't miss _this_ for anything," Haruhi said resolutely, grinning.

The door downstairs opened, Nonoko's mother calling out, "I'm back!"

"Yay!" Nonoko cheered, already beelining down the stairs, prepared to distract
her mother to help out. "Mom! Did I tell you about my time travel adventure
yet?"

Akane sighed, smiling softly and shaking her head as Nonoko skidded to a halt
at the bottom of the stairs, bouncing on her toes. "No.... Not yet, Nono-chan.
But first, let's put the groceries away, alright?"

"Oh, Akane-chan, dear," Yuuto called, climbing down the stairs. "I'm taking
Kyon and his study partner with me for that errand you asked me to take care
of."

"So early?" Akane replied, mildly surprised. "Oh, fine. Nono-chan's managed to
muss her hair horribly, since yesterday morning. Why don't we take care of
that before we make breakfast, alright, Nono-chan?"

"Sure!" Nonoko agreed. This was going to be easy!

* * *

Yuuto really was having a tough time figuring out where he'd slipped the
details of planning to teach Kyon to drive. Had he really told Suzumiya at
work? He _must_ have ... or else Haruhi was as sharp as Kyon's aunt Rena.

Well, that didn't particularly matter. He knew that Kyon getting into the top
ten so late in the year was dreadfully unlikely, and that Kyon hardly got to
celebrate his birthday because the circumstances behind it were ... awkward,
to say the least. But Kyon was his son, and he deserved _something_ for it.

A day early, to keep Akane from knowing _exactly_ what was going on, but some
early driver's training wouldn't hurt in the least. "Alright!" Yuuto called,
but not too loudly, as the door was closed, and the three of them headed
toward the car. "This should be fairly simple, so, Kyon ... you'll be
driving!"

He pitched the keys underhand to his son, which Kyon managed to catch, looking
the slightest bit surprised. "Er, are-- Are you sure?" he asked. "I mean ... I
don't even have a permit!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Yuuto insisted. "We won't go on any major highways,
there's a licensed driver giving you instruction, and ... Tsuruya-sama said he
would pay for any fines if there was trouble, anyway." Well, he didn't want to
make Kyon _careless_, but he was very sensitive to his ... employer/fiancee
and her father professionally. He didn't expect that Kyon would intentionally
cause any trouble.

Kyon and Haruhi both looked suitably impressed at the reminder. Yuuto did
wonder what the girl knew of Kyon's part-time job, but decided it would be
more sensible not to ask. She _had_ helped Kyon study a lot, though. "Say,
Haruhi-chan," Yuuto prompted, opening a door so she could climb into the back
seat of the car. "You're friends with Tsuruya Haruka-san, is that right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Haruhi agreed, hopping into the back seat and buckling herself in
without hesitation. "We're _super_ close! Best friends -- we share
_everything_!"

Yuuto nodded at that thoughtfully as he and Kyon also got into the vehicle,
buckling in. For reasons he couldn't quite figure out, Yuuto was reminded of
Kyon's uncle and aunts.... No, no -- that was a stupid suspicion. Akane's
brother couldn't _really_ be like that, and there was no way Kyon would take
after him, even if it _were_ true ... right?

"A...anyway," he said with a cough, looking at Kyon. "First, check the
mirrors, seat position, and make sure you're comfortable with everything."

"Right!" Kyon agreed, rolling down the windows and nervously making the
adjustments. Their heights weren't far off, though, so the changes were fairly
minor. Once that was done, Yuuto talked him through starting the engine,
setting the gear, and cautiously backing out of the driveway.

Starting with pulling out of the driveway backward was quite possibly one of
the trickiest ways to go about it, but Yuuto had confidence in his son, and if
he learned the harder parts of maneuvering first, he'd be that much better at
the easier parts! At least ... that was the theory.

Haruhi was nearly bouncing in her seat in excitement as Kyon anxiously let the
car slowly roll back out of the driveway, checking the mirrors constantly.
Yuuto felt pride in his chest; that was his son, there, handling the car with
the care it deserved.

It took longer for Kyon to get onto the street than Yuuto expected it would if
he were a bit more confident about things, but being _too_ confident would
usually be a bad thing, at this point. Better to be more careful than not!

"Alright!" Yuuto encouraged. "Well done. Now, put the car in first, and we're
going to pull forward to the intersection. You'll need to stop there, and then
we'll make a right turn."

"Okay," Kyon agreed, tongue sticking out in concentration. He was a natural,
though; he scarcely glanced at the tachometer, instead going by ear. He
stopped at the intersection, signaled properly, and then smoothly accelerated
the car -- though still with the nervous caution of a new driver.

"At this next intersection, go straight," Yuuto instructed. "Don't go too
fast; this is still a residential neighborhood, after all."

"Right," Kyon agreed again, nodding, his eyes fixed firmly on the road. They
were halfway down the street when Kyon's phone began producing some unfamiliar
musical theme. Yuuto couldn't help but think that it sounded militaristic and
forbidding, with unfamiliar English lyrics. Before he could admonish his son
not to get distracted, the boy pulled it from his pocket and flipped it to the
girl behind him without hesitation.

"Kyon's phone!" Haruhi chirped excitedly, answering it for him. "What's up,
Kasai-san?"

"Try not to get distracted," Yuuto warned sternly. "This is your first time
driving, and Haruhi-chan can take a message for you."

"Right," Kyon agreed, rolling to a stop at the next intersection.

"Sasaki's being _kidnapped_?" Haruhi exclaimed. "Oh-- Right-- Where are they
now?"

"What?" Yuuto yelped. Who was Sasaki? But ... a _kidnapping_? "This sounds
serious!"

Kyon's grip on the steering wheel tightened as his eyebrows drew together in
fierce concentration.

"Okay! Four blocks ahead and then turn right!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"W-wait!" Yuuto protested, though he knew better than to grab the wheel and
fight for control.

"I got it," Kyon replied tersely, working the clutch and shifting seamlessly.
The gears didn't grind in the slightest! Yuuto had put quite a bit of work
into the engine, but Kyon didn't underestimate it, and avoided over-
accelerating, sending the car screaming forward. Come to think of it ... he
hadn't even explained _how_ to shift gears to his son, had he? Kyon didn't
notice this seeming lack, and slowed just enough to verify the next
intersection was clear, weaving around a delivery van stopped in their lane
and narrowly missing an oncoming car.

Yuuto swallowed nervously, as Haruhi focused on the phone, giving updated
directions, and Kyon continued accelerating. By the time they reached the
country roads on the outskirts of town, Yuuto was beginning to appreciate his
son's skill. "Straight ahead!" Haruhi declared. "Kasai-san's car is just
behind us!"

"Got it," Kyon affirmed. "Too bad we don't have a helicopter."

Yuuto reflexively clicked the timer he habitually kept on a cord inside his
shirt as they passed the turn-off to the access road, still sealed with a
gate. The country roads were winding, mountain paths -- the long way to the
next town over. There was almost never traffic, but it took a very skilled
driver to make better time.

That made it Yuuto's preferred route, of course.

The engine purred, Kyon's shifting flawlessly, going to the optimal gear to
maintain -- if not increase -- speed on the up-slopes, down-slopes, and
straightaways. He managed to maintain traction the entire way. If it weren't
his first time driving, Yuuto would approve without hesitation!

"We can't let them finish this route ahead of us," Kyon warned. "We might lose
track of them in the next town, if that happens."

"Yeah, no more updates from here!" Haruhi exclaimed, though she seemed more
excited than alarmed. "You're not going to let Sasaki-chan stay in trouble,
though, are you?"

"Of course not!" Kyon scoffed.

The midpoint between towns was a large downslope to a low bridge, followed by
a great upslope. The grade was remarkably steep, and it would be an ideal
point to power accelerate through, except that the curve after the bridge
wasn't inclined enough to maintain a good speed without sliding off the
mountain path, unless the driver was _particularly_ skilled. "O...okay, Son,"
Yuuto said uneasily, as Kyon continued speeding down the hill. "You-- You need
to ease off; this car might not be heavy enough for you to get the traction
you'll need to stay in control on that corner!"

"We'll be okay," Kyon grumbled, glaring forward, to where a minivan was _just_
cresting the top of the next steep slope. "Haruhi -- are you ready?"

"As long as she doesn't have a line of sight on us," Haruhi replied
unhesitatingly. "That means that if it works out, this will all be up to you!"

"Alright -- brace for this next part; it's about to get heavy!"

Yuuto didn't have time to ask what it was about, just to wish he'd actually
sprung for the five-point restraining harnesses he'd frequently considered.
The car rode low on its suspension as it reached the bottom of the downslope,
the feeling of extra weight settling onto Yuuto and Haruhi, pressing both of
them into their seats. Kyon seemed to show no sign of it, though for some
reason it persisted, and the car didn't spring back up in the slightest.

If anything, the sensation of extra weight _increased_, along with the speed
that Yuuto was certain was just a bit _too_ fast. Except ... when they hit the
turn, the car's tires somehow found enough traction to merely slide all the
way to the shoulder, somehow making the curve and straightening out up the
next hill in a flawless drift. The sensation of inexplicable heaviness
abruptly vanished, leaving Yuuto feeling almost weightless before the car
launched straight up the slope.

That ... shouldn't have been possible! Yuuto could have done it, but it
wouldn't have been that straightforward; it'd take a controlled hand-brake
slide, something Kyon hadn't bothered with. He didn't really have time to
think about it, though. Their acceleration up the hill was so fierce that the
car should have flown into the air when the road ran out, but instead somehow
stuck perfectly to it.

Kyon cursed as the van came into sight and the strange sensation of floating
abruptly cut off. The next stretch was a curve around the interior of a trio
of mountainsides, giving them a perfect view of the van at the midway point.
At Kyon's speed, they would catch up to it on the next straight segment around
that curve -- the van's driver seemed to realize that, too, judging by the
frantic-looking wobble as the (far less skilled, in Yuuto's mind) driver tried
to slam on the accelerator, nearly losing control.

There was a window of only a few seconds where the van was out of sight,
before they rounded the corner. This time Kyon shifted all the way to the top
gear, shooting down the slight slope and ahead of the van. They passed it in a
flash, revealing a number of thuggish looking men staring at Kyon anxiously,
and a girl that Yuuto didn't recognize, squirming to escape her captors.

So ... it really was a kidnapping? Well, he'd known that Kyon was facing some
less than savory types, but this....

"Hang on!" Kyon exclaimed, shifting down before reaching for the hand-brake.
Yuuto and Haruhi barely had enough time to brace themselves before the car
screeched to a halt, turning to one side and coming to a rest as a perfectly
placed roadblock on a narrow point of the road. The driver of the van had more
than enough time to safely stop, but slammed on the brakes -- nearly losing
control _again_ -- and sliding to a stop a dozen meters from Yuuto's car.

Kyon was already in motion, though. When had he put on that coat, anyway? He'd
been driving, so Yuuto wasn't certain. It scarcely felt like the car had come
to a stop before Kyon leaped over the hood of the car, striding toward the van
even as it ground to a halt. The driver of the larger vehicle frantically
tried to put it in reverse, but before he could even get that far, Kyon was
beside the larger passenger door. He unhesitatingly produced a long, curved
piece of metal from inside his coat, the interior curve punctuated at regular
intervals with sharp points; it fit over the tire perfectly, so that as soon
as the wheel rolled back far enough, the van's own weight pierced the thick
rubber treads. Well, that was one way to burst a tire without injuring
yourself, Yuuto dazedly thought.

Another piece of metal -- a handle for a baton, it looked like -- allowed Kyon
to smash out the driver's window without harming himself, though Yuuto
suspected the thick coat might also have helped Kyon avoid being cut. The
driver quickly stopped trying to get away. Yuuto hadn't even noticed when he
got out of the car, but Haruhi tugged at his wrist before he could approach
and get involved himself.

Well ... that was a blow to his male pride, but he had to admit that Kyon
_certainly_ seemed to have things in hand. Anyway, the familiar figure of
Kasai was visible behind the wheel of the next car to scream around the
corner, slowing more sedately before it blocked the van in.

"Uh-- C...c...can I help you?" the van's driver stuttered anxiously, hands
tightly gripping the wheel.

"Keys," Kyon said flatly.

"Right!" the driver yelped, pulling the keys from the ignition -- and then
throwing them straight at Kyon's face. Yuuto managed a cry of outrage, in
tandem with his boss's daughter -- but Kyon effortlessly batted the incoming
keys away, not looking back as they flew past the edge of the road, and
vanished into the foliage on the steep hillside.

"Your car is now illegally parked," Kyon said flatly, unlocking the door and
opening it-- He ducked underneath the driver's half-hearted swing and punched
him in the side once before undoing the seatbelt and pulling the groaning man
out. "Find those keys before the police get here."

The other men inside seemed undecided about trying to fight, but by that
point, Kasai, Mori, and three other men in dark suits had already reached the
van. Despite having equal numbers and a hostage, they quickly gave up.

Kyon ignored them, largely, his attention going to the kidnapped girl. Well
... Yuuto was nothing more than astounded that she seemed more _annoyed_ than
_scared_ about the entire ordeal.

"I...it seems that I've caused a problem yet again!" she apologized with false
cheer.

"You haven't caused a problem at all, Sasaki," he said earnestly, scratching
the back of his head with one hand. "I mean ... I thought these guys would do
something stupid like this again, but I didn't think it'd be _this_ early."

Haruhi, deciding that the danger was over, dashed to Kyon and Sasaki's side,
hugging the other girl tightly. "You're okay, Sasaki? Those guys didn't do
anything they shouldn't have?" she prompted.

"Other than manhandling me into a car at knife-point, no," Sasaki agreed.
"It's ... becoming far too common, though."

"Knife-point?" Kyon asked, turning to the uncomfortable looking men who were
sitting on the ground beside the vehicle, carefully avoiding eye-contact. The
driver alone was groaning as he scrambled on hands and knees beside the road.
"This _really_ better be the last time. I'm getting tired of this, and I think
Sasaki's not a big fan of it, either. I can't even admire your persistence at
this point!"

"You ever could?" Haruhi asked doubtfully, her arms around her friend still.

"...no," Kyon admitted, frowning. "Well.... Alright, Kasai-san, let's see how
we're going to handle these guys.... I think we should send them to the
police, again."

"Naturally," Kasai agreed, looming ominously over the men. "You won't be
giving us any trouble for this, will you?"

"Are you _kidding_?" one of the men protested scornfully. "We just got taken
down by _both_ of the Kowa Keigo, _and_ the legendary 'demoness'! How many of
our brothers can say _that_?"

"Far too many for my tastes," Kyon said sourly, making the sitting man wince
and hunch in on himself. Mori's smile at being called a 'demoness' was
_especially_ chilling.

Yuuto felt his eyebrow twitch and decided it was a good time for a cigarette.
Kasai and the other men quickly worked out a plan -- it seemed they'd done
this sort of thing before -- as Haruhi escorted Sasaki to the car to reassure
her. It only took a minute or two to work out the details, and then one of the
other men with Kasai was making a phone call while Kyon and the huge man
returned to Yuuto's side.

Eying his son critically, Yuuto stooped to stub out his cigarette. "Kyon," he
said sternly, frowning at the boy. "I have to admit, I'm disappointed in you."

Haruhi allowed an indignant growl to escape, and if Sasaki weren't still
loosely hanging onto her for support, Yuuto suspected the girl would have
marched over to yell at him. Kasai's face was an unreadable mask, and Kyon
looked stung, but resigned at the admonishment.

Yuuto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's my own fault -- and your
mother's -- that you decided to get training on driving behind my back ... but
damn it all! Despite whatever trick you used to make the corner past the
bridge--" He hesitated and yanked his timer from beneath his shirt. "Look at
this time!" he demanded. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

All three of the younger folk shifted their expressions to confusion. Kasai's
eyebrows rose from behind his dark shades.

"I ... what?" Kyon managed.

"Eh-- You did _fairly_ well," Yuuto conceded, shaking his head. "But from now
on, you're getting a lesson from me _every week_, and you will keep practicing
this course until you can shave at least _ten_ seconds off this time!" He
shook the timer for emphasis. "And that's _without_ using that trick that it
sounds like you can't rely on all the time -- and furthermore _none_ of this
gets back to your mother-- Do you understand me, Son?"

"S...sorry," Kyon managed, bowing his head.

One of the kidnappers, watching the exchange, flatly mumbled, "If they're all
that scary, I hope none of us ever meet a Kowa-Keigo's mother."

"I wish I were half as intimidating as her!" Mori exclaimed cheerfully, her
smile still menacing, prompting the man to swallow anxiously.

"Anyway," Yuuto added more softly, pocketing the timer, "maybe saying I was
disappointed was too harsh. I wish I could have taught you from the beginning,
myself ... but I _am_ proud that you've shown real potential as a skilled
driver. Now -- you girls can get in the back, and I'll show Kyon how to take
corners better while we make up for lost time!"

"A...alright," Kyon managed, sounding half stunned still.

Haruhi's eyes widened in shock and alarm. "B...better cornering than _that_!?"
she squeaked in alarm.

"Family techniques!" Yuuto said proudly. "As passed to me by my older brother,
when he was first delivering tofu on back mountain roads!"

"That ... sounds like an interesting story," Sasaki managed, a bit dazedly.

Yuuto nodded knowingly as the girls climbed into the car, still shaky from the
earlier excitement. "Y...your family sounds pretty cool," Haruhi said
cautiously.

"Well, actually, my parents passed away when I was very young, and my
grandfather wasn't able to take proper care of me, so I was informally adopted
by a close family friend at a young age," Yuuto admitted.

Haruhi shot Kyon a sharp look for some reason, while the boy pointedly
pretended not to notice.

Yuuto shook his head at the memories, continuing, "Along with my other older
brother, who took to computers like I took to cars -- but that's a story for
another time. Now, Kyon, I want you to focus on how the handbrake is used to
drift. Proper drifting is not actually the most powerful technique, but it's a
good foundation for later techniques, and awareness of it also lends better
control in general, so...."

* * *

Haruhi thought her knees would be shaking far too much to walk properly once
Yuuto finished Kyon's rather grueling 'instruction' on 'proper driving.' The
man was an absolute _demon_ behind the wheel!

Sasaki seemed somehow less shaken, which Haruhi chalked up to her own
harrowing experiences being relegated to damsel-in-distress. Hmm, Sasaki would
probably love a chance to learn some martial arts once they got her to stop
suppressing supernatural events, wouldn't she? Sure, she had her own super
power, but even Kanae had learned how to get away from people better, and
something 'normal' would probably suit her better ... her power wasn't
particularly suited toward preventing relatively mundane threats, anyway.

Haruhi shook her head to clear it, trying to resist the urge to glare at Kyon,
who'd taken the entire lesson in stride, listening to his father's lectures on
driving the entire way.

"Ah, that reminds me," Yuuto mused, frowning as he glanced at the girls. "Will
you two be visiting today?"

"I need to get Sasaki-chan home, actually," Haruhi apologized, shaking her
head before touching a fingertip to her lower lip. Although.... She almost
snapped her fingers, realizing they'd forgotten one major detail after all.
"Ah, Kyon-kun should come over to Tsu-chan's place tomorrow evening to study."

"Alright," Yuuto agreed amicably, giving his son a stern look.

Kyon sighed and shook his head. "Even more studying," he groused gently.
"Alright -- Haruhi, Sasaki, you two take care. If anything comes up, don't
hesitate to call me."

"Absolutely!" Sasaki agreed. "Though, I feel I should give you something in
return, after all you've done for me!"

"Oh, believe me, you'll get a chance, Sasaki-chan," Haruhi chimed in with a
smirk. "Probably as soon as two days from now! For the moment, however, we
should let Kyon have some time with his family."

"Certainly," Sasaki agreed, the pair of them waving before they walked down
the street, Sasaki following the other girl's lead.

Smacking one fist into her opposing palm, Haruhi asked, "Sasaki-chan, have you
already gotten your Kitago uniform?"

"No, not yet," Sasaki admitted. "I should get sized and order one soon, if I'm
transferring, shouldn't I? I was considering putting it off until after summer
vacation, though, since they usually allow some leeway."

"No need!" Haruhi exclaimed. "Kyon's already seen to it ... sort of. Well, him
and Tsuruya, since they handle that side of things," she said with a vague
gesture. Sasaki still didn't know all the details, but she'd already mentioned
to Haruhi in the future that she and Kyon were responsible for helping the
demure girl get her outfit. "Alright -- let's grab Mikuru-chan to get you
properly sized, and I'm certain we can have that uniform ready for you before
class on Monday!"

"So soon?" Sasaki asked, smiling gently. "That sounds like quite a bit of
trouble, but I have a hard time saying 'no'!"

"Nothing but the best for Kyon's girl ... cohorts," Haruhi insisted, catching
herself, though it prompted Sasaki to giggle at the term. "So, I'll just call
Tsu-chan to set things in motion...."

* * *

After the festival, Sasaki was escorted again by Fujiwara, and found herself
in Tsuruya's home. She'd only been there a few times, most recently to be
measured for her uniform by Mikuru -- who was evidently quite an accomplished
seamstress. It was different at night, and by the time Sasaki took off the
blindfold....

It really did raise a lot of questions, though.

Perhaps Mion's house and Tsuruya's house were the same building, and it was
all clever props? The _time_ seemed to be the same, though when Sasaki looked
around, the only person nearby was the head maid. She seemed strangely
subdued, gazing off to one side with a frown.

"Fujiwara already vanished?" Sasaki asked, with a frown of her own.

"Somehow ... yes," the maid agreed, shaking her head before turning a smile to
Sasaki. "Haruka-chan and the others are waiting for you inside."

Sasaki nodded firmly, following the maid across the yard and up into the house
... though, she'd just left a similar yard anyway. The door cracked open, and
she had only time to slip off her outdoor shoes before Haruhi came flying
through, capturing her in a hug before Sasaki could do more than start to form
a greeting.

"Got her!" Haruhi sang over her shoulder, Tsuruya and Mikuru following her
more sedately to the covered porch surrounding the house.

"Good, good!" Tsuruya chuckled. "Kyon-kun just got back from dropping your
uniforms off, 'Saki-nyan."

Mikuru just waved quietly from behind the other girls as Haruhi reluctantly
let Sasaki breathe.

"More uniforms?" Sasaki asked in surprise. "But, you already gave me two! I
shouldn't need _that_ many!"

"Time travel," Haruhi said, grinning. "So you think today is ... Wednesday,
right? And tomorrow should be Thursday?"

"Ah ... that's right," Sasaki agreed, nodding. "But you want me to think it's
time travel?"

"Well, it _is_, and it was _Kyon's_ job to convince you, but when you see
tomorrow is Monday, it should all be sorted out." She nodded decisively, and
Mikuru offered her own uncertain nod of encouragement.

Tsuruya alone looked less than convinced, staring up thoughtfully as one
fingertip tapped the corner of her mouth. "Say," she said abruptly, turning
her attention to Sasaki. "'Saki-nyan, if you were very unsettled and scared,
because you found out time travel was real, what would make you calm and
comfortable afterward?"

She didn't _quite_ meet Tsuruya's eyes as she explained, "Um, being around my
friends, of course! It ... well, it would be a disconcerting thing to happen,
but with my friends, I think I'd be okay?" Of course, that would mean that
such fantastic things would be _possible_....

Haruhi looked at Tsuruya questioningly. "What's this about?" she prompted.

"Just making sure there's a supply of Kyon-kun on hand in the clubroom if it
gets stressful tomorrows," Tsuruya replied with a grin. Turning back to
Sasaki, she asked, "You don't mind, do you?"

"What's this about me?" Kyon asked, stepping in from around the corner,
already dressed in a comfortable looking yukata fit to match Haruhi, Tsuruya,
and Mikuru. "Don't I get a say?"

"Yes, but like I keep saying, you _already_ decided," Haruhi replied without
pause. Mikuru perked up happily to see the boy in question, and Tsuruya looked
satisfied, as well. "So if Sasaki-chan needs you, you'd be there?"

"I feel like I should say something snarky here, but I wouldn't joke about
that, seeing as how they keep trying to kidnap her," he mused, frowning as he
came to a stop a step from Mikuru, one hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"So, of course I would. How can that be a real question?"

"Something for tomorrow ... and us helping you take care of an assignment you
let slip. Busy saving the world from slider-bots, evidently," Haruhi chided.

"U...um, if no one is hungry, what should we do tonight?" Mikuru asked
thoughtfully, scanning across the other girls.

"Are we caught up on homework?" Sasaki asked hesitantly. Of course, if time
travel were _real_, they might not have the actual assignments yet, so that
would make sense.

"Yeah, took care of that earlier, before you showed up. Since you don't have
any assignments yet, we should play a game," Haruhi decided. "Cards -- maybe
poker! Winner gets Kyon's lap, and then we can watch some anime until it's
time for him to go home!"

"G...goodness!" Sasaki couldn't help but gasp, her blush mirroring Mikuru's.
"I...is that alright, Kyon?"

"So, what happens if _I_ win?" Kyon wondered.

"Four way tie?" Tsuruya suggested, grinning.

Sasaki bit back a giggle. If today was Kyon's birthday, she could certainly
think of worse ways to spend it. Hopefully, she wouldn't get into too much
trouble with the school for missing days ... really, the hard part would be
explaining it to her mother!

She put that thought aside to worry about it later. For whatever reason, even
when she turned her phone on, she didn't see any messages waiting for her. So
for the moment, Haruhi, Tsuruya, and Mikuru wanted her to spend some time with
them ... and Kyon. She was certainly not going to complain!

* * *

While she knew her boyfriend was a bit of a pervert, and had a penchant for
overacting -- it was kind of endearing, in a sometimes embarrassingly dramatic
way -- Yanagimoto was actually a bit surprised when he wasn't first to hear
about the new transfer student. She had entirely anticipated him to be just as
informed (if not more) than the other boys, once it came to light that the new
student was supposed to be a girl.

Instead, he merely raised an eyebrow and listened to the other students
chatter about it. Someone made the obligatory remark about hoping that the new
girl was cute, but even that didn't draw him into discussion.

Since homeroom hadn't started yet, she finally gave in and asked, "You're not
curious about the new student?"

"A little bit," he admitted, shrugging. "But I've got you, so it's not quite
as big a deal to me."

Sakanaka mused, "I heard there were two transfer students, actually."

"That's surprising," Kunikida chimed in thoughtfully. "Two students at the
same time?"

"Do we even have two free seats?" Taniguchi wondered, looking around the
classroom.

"Just one," Kunikida confirmed.

"But two students at the same time is a surprising coincidence.... Hmm,
Suzumiya-san, what do you think?" she prompted the girl who was staring out
the window and toying with the tip of her ponytail. Sakanaka blinked, seeming
to realize something, and quickly adding, "Oh, um, by the way, the new
hairstyle suits you!"

Come to think of it ... her hair had certainly gotten much longer since the
start of the school year. Yanagimoto quickly filed that thought under 'strange
things that happened around her friend' and decided not to ask. Aside from
Sakanaka, no one _else_ had noticed, after all.

"Oh, thanks," Haruhi replied cheerfully, puffing up slightly at the praise.

"I like it, too," Kyon agreed, twisting around in his seat to nod solemnly --
which amplified Haruhi's glow of satisfaction immensely.

"Yeah, but it's her girlfriend's opinion that matters most," Taniguchi
countered. Yanagimoto bit her tongue; Taniguchi couldn't know about Haruhi and
Kyon _also_ having a relationship, but that was the level of tact she'd
generally come to expect from him. He did catch her warning glare, and quickly
changed the subject back: "Uh, do you two know something about the new
transfers?"

"Why would I be expected to know that?" Kyon asked in an almost mumble, not
meeting anyone's eyes.

"Well, if our school is a shounen manga, you're the protagonist, probably,"
Taniguchi reasoned. "Some rival? Enemy? New fiancee? Or maybe a friend you
rescued, who is joining the team as a new ally!"

Haruhi and Kyon stared at Taniguchi, and Yanagimoto tried very hard not to
show her suspicion that he'd stumbled directly into the truth of the matter.
"That's stupid!" she protested, despite a lack of reasons to make such an
argument.

"Well, that would only explain one of the two new students, in any case,"
Kunikida reasoned.

"Right," Haruhi agreed. "Though, what if it were the case that the school that
recently turned from an all-boy's school to a co-ed school had some issues
from rowdy boys who weren't used to dealing with girls?"

"Ah!" Sakanaka exclaimed. "Oh, my, that could be potentially awful!"

"Yeah, but it would explain why two students might show up simultaneously,"
Haruhi reasoned. "Probably, other schools would also be getting transfers, if
the situation were bad. Hmm, if that were the case -- hey, class rep Goto,
stop pretending to sleep through this!" Haruhi knocked sharply on the desk
where the boy in question had his head resting on his crossed arms. "Wouldn't
it be a good idea to make sure the entire class was especially welcoming and
thoughtful to someone who came out of a bad situation like that?"

Goto sighed, his attempt at dodging the conversation by feigning sleep
thwarted, and sat up. "We should be thoughtful and welcoming to _any_ new
student," he remarked. "Though, I suppose we _could_ try and be on our best
behavior."

"Though if it was about boys being jerks to girls, we could share the story of
what Kyon did to Yamane Jun," Taniguchi offered. "I mean, wouldn't _that_
comfort anyone who was worried about being teased, or something like that?"

"And just bring up that certain _incident_ that got handled?" Yanagimoto
asked, rolling her eyes. "That's brilliant," she added sarcastically.

"What can I say? I'm a helper!"

"I'm pretty sure you're just the comic relief."

Taniguchi countered, "Yeah, but someone's got to do it, and I get a
_fantastic_ girlfriend out of the deal."

"Flattery like _that_ will spare you comedic tsundere violence," Yanagimoto
allowed, fighting down a blush.

"I'm really getting the feeling that we've got an entire comedy troupe here,
lately," Kyon contributed, while Taniguchi preened at his girlfriend's
comment.

"You and me both," Goto agreed, shaking his head.

Yanagimoto just caught the thumbs-up that Kyon gave Haruhi. Probably something
she shouldn't pay _too_ much attention to ... but that in mind, she'd try and
be friendly to the new arrival, on Haruhi's subtle advice. Judging by
Sakanaka's slightly raised eyebrow when their eyes met, she thought so too.

When Okabe entered the classroom a moment later, trailed by a meek, nervous
girl that she didn't recognize, the homeroom teacher eyed his students
speculatively before standing at the board and writing the characters for her
name there, for everyone to read.

"Class, joining us today and for the rest of the year is a new student. This
is Tachibana Kyouko. Tachibana?" he prompted.

"Um!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm-- I'm Tachibana Kyouko, it's nice to meet you,"
she said, mildly anxious. "Um, my hobbies are reading mystery novels, and
studying philosophy. My favorite color is green, and I like period dramas. I'm
hoping that things will be calmer here with my boyfriend--"

This elicited some excited gasps, and Yanagimoto bit back a growl when
Taniguchi shot Kyon a speculative look. For his part, Kyon seemed unsurprised,
but also entirely unconcerned.

Okabe made a mildly surprised sound at that himself, and Kyouko quickly
concluded, "Erm-- Please take good care of me!" before bowing deeply.

Goto, as the class representative, gave a half-shrug before leading the class
in calling, "Welcome!"

* * *

Kanae was more than willing to follow along when Haruhi appeared at the
doorway to her class and waved before holding up a pair of bentos. "Ah!" she
couldn't help but cheer as her classmates shook their heads, having gotten
used to the dating situation.

Haruhi beamed a grin at her and led her to the clubroom. "No Sempai?" she
remarked in surprise, seeing Yuki and her Mikuru-nee there, but not the boy in
question.

"He's keeping an eye out for Kyouko," Haruhi explained, spreading her hands in
a shrug. "Well, until Koizumi picks her up -- so he should be along shortly."

"Koizumi-kun?" she wondered, taking a seat at the table with Haruhi as Tsuruya
trooped in.

"Mm, he and Kyouko are dating; she told the class that one of the reasons she
transfered here was to be with her boyfriend," Haruhi explained. "This also
makes her joining the club a little more subtle, according to Kyon."

"Um, subtle? Why does it need to be?" Mikuru wondered, tilting her head to one
side curiously.

"That's what I said...." Haruhi crossed her arms over her chest and shook her
head, sighing. "I guess two students transferring in simultaneously and
joining the same club _is_ a bit odd ... but doesn't that happen all the time
in anime?"

"That's true!" Tsuruya said brightly. "Anyway, if Kyouko joins our club
because of her boyfriend, what about 'Saki-nyan?"

"She and Kyouko are friends!" Haruhi said, uncrossing her arms and turning her
attention to the bento before her. "So Sasaki will follow Kyouko."

"That means she's basically left behind and can't join us for lunch, then,
doesn't it?"

Haruhi winced. "Um. We should have thought of that last night.... Okay! Yuki-
chan, text Kyon and Sasaki, won't you? Sasaki can coincidentally see her
middle-school friend and follow him to join us for lunch."

Yuki nodded slightly, accepting a teacup as Mikuru served them out, and not
looking up from the book she held in her other hand. "Done," she said quietly.

Kanae giggled, and Haruhi made a pout at her face before brightening. "Aha,"
she chuckled, grinning widely. "Say 'ah', my cute little Kanae-chan!"

"Eh?" the slider squeaked. "W-wha-- Um ... a~ah?"

Kanae felt her cheeks burn as Haruhi delicately placed a morsel from her bento
gently on her tongue. She was almost too embarrassed to taste it, or properly
chew!

Mikuru giggled, cheering, "That's so cute! Ah, camera, camera--" She cut off
abruptly with a quiet gasp.

Yuki lowered the cell phone she had swapped for her cup of tea, eyes still on
her book.

Swallowing, Kanae asked, "How did you do that?"

Finally looking up from the title Kanae couldn't read, Yuki's lips twitched in
a tiny smile, but she said nothing. "That goes into the collection, right?"
Haruhi asked. "Speaking of which ... some day, we absolutely have to start
putting all those pictures into scrapbooks."

"Yes," Tsuruya agreed, chuckling. "Before Mikuru-chan and I leave for college,
too!"

"We should figure out which college we're going to," Haruhi realized
belatedly, biting into a piece of onigiri. She chewed thoughtfully, and after
swallowing added, "Is Toudai or Kyoudai too cliche? Normally, I might think
that getting into a top school like that would be hard, but I'm sure _we_ can
do it, can't we?"

Kanae spotted her chance, and perked up; Haruhi had gotten a few grains from
the onigiri on her face. "Aha, Suzumiya-sempai, you've got some rice on your
cheek!" she said brightly, leaning forward and carefully plucking them up. She
winked at Haruhi before licking them from her fingertips carefully.

Haruhi stared at that, eyes wide and cheeks pink. "T...that...." She
immediately scowled and turned to Yuki, who was only just then lowering the
phone. "...well done, Kanae-chan," she admitted, blushing more deeply.
"Though, I think we should keep that from Kyon--"

And just as she said that, Kanae's sempai opened the door, one eyebrow rising.
"Keep what from me?" he asked doubtfully.

"It was just Kanae-chan being adorable," Haruhi explained, countering the
slider's last move by hugging the girl tightly -- and hiding her face behind
Kanae's. Even if she wished her sempai, or maybe Mikuru would join in, she
wasn't about to complain.

"I am keeping the pictures," Yuki added quietly, when the silence dragged on.
"They will be uploaded to your private library."

"Er, okay," her sempai said, frowning. After a blink, he asked, "I have a
private library?"

Yuki's attention turned back to her book, and Kanae's sempai scratched his
head in consternation. "Oh, what is it of?" Mikuru asked curiously.

Tsuruya bit back a smirk and pointedly looked out the window. Hey ... what was
that about? She obviously knew!

The boy shook his head quickly. "I'll worry about that later," he grumbled,
turning to one side, gesturing someone else into the room. Sasaki stepped in
on tottering, unsteady feet, though she brightened slightly to see Haruhi and
the others.

"Ah, Sasaki-chan?" Haruhi greeted. "What's wrong?"

"T...today feels ... very strange," Sasaki said uneasily, as Kanae's sempai
ushered the older girl to the table and took his own seat.

Haruhi heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Well, you're here, now, and you'll
come back again when it's time for club," she assured the other girl, climbing
to her feet. "Hey, Kyon ... where are Koizumi and Kyouko?"

"Having lunch down in the courtyard!" Tsuruya answered, before he could. "I
thought 'Saki-nyan might be a bit more comfortable just now, and Koizumi can
also let everyone see that he and Kyouko really _are_ dating."

"I guess that makes sense..." the boy mused with a shrug, unwrapping his
bento.

"Yeah, it does," Haruhi said dryly. Moving behind Kanae's sempai's seat,
Haruhi grabbed the back of it, and just before he could dig into his meal, she
dragged him back a half-step. He froze, frowning at the chopsticks that he
held frozen in mid-air.

Turning her attention to Sasaki, Haruhi gently asked, "So ... you're starting
to see that time travel is real?"

The other girl started trembling. "I.... I might be going insane, too," she
countered shakily.

Haruhi sighed, shooting Kanae's sempai a look of annoyance. "You're not going
crazy!" Tsuruya assured her. "Though ... that was a first time time traveling
for me, too -- Kyon-kun's done it several times!"

"I-- I even don't do it often!" Mikuru added anxiously, wringing her hands.
"But don't get stressed! It's all okay, right?"

Yuki said nothing, merely raising her cell phone, camera pointed at Kanae's
sempai.

"What's going on?" the slider wondered.

"It's going to be okay!" Haruhi declared. "So, take a deep breath, have a
seat, and relax!" She gently guided Sasaki a stumbling half-step forward, spun
the other girl and then pushed her to stumble backward -- where she ended up
landing almost perfectly in the only boy's lap, his free arm reflexively
curling around her back to steady her.

"Eep!" Sasaki squeaked, eyes widening as she blushed fiercely. "Ah, um...."

Setting his chopsticks down, the boy frowned. "I'm sorry," he said with a mild
sigh. "Um, I've ... kind of gotten so used to this kind of thing I hardly even
think about it anymore. Though, that's a rather sad statement as to the state
of my life, isn't it?"

"I-- Um, being able to ... handle something like this strikes me as quite
admirable!" Sasaki dazedly agreed.

"Feeling better, then?" Haruhi asked, hands on her hips as she smiled gently.

"I'm starting to," Sasaki admitted, managing a weak smile of her own. "I ...
think I might have a lot of questions, though!"

"Well, originally, I gave this job to Kyon," Haruhi explained, retaking her
own seat, then glancing at Kanae. "Ah, jealous?"

"A little," the slider admitted, blushing.

Haruhi shrugged and plucked Kanae from her seat, setting her in _Haruhi's_
lap, almost the exact same way. "How about that?" she asked.

Blushing even more deeply, Kanae admitted, "...this is nice, too."

"Right," Haruhi continued, nodding. "Anyway, it was probably too much, or
maybe Kyon's just better at action hero stuff. We'll all work together to
explain it to you tonight! Right, Kyon?"

"We have a meetings with the Sumiyoshi-rengo, actually," Tsuruya remarked.
"Um, about getting them to stop kidnapping Sasaki. Remember?"

"Oh, that's right. And I really can't afford to miss that one, either," he
apologized.

"I-- Should I go?" Sasaki asked, her face a bit red ... for all that she
seemed to be enjoying her seat, she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"Aw, that sucks," Haruhi groused. "Alright-- Alright. We'll meet up at Tsu-
chan's place after your meeting. I guess that's Tsu-chan, Kyon, Yuki-chan, and
Sasaki to handle the meeting?"

"Sure," the boy agreed. "Sounds good to me."

"We can explain a little more about time travel and other things at the club
meeting, then you have work." Haruhi paused to make a face, giving Kanae a
gentle, reassuring squeeze. "After that, we'll all meet up for dinner at Tsu-
chan's place--"

"I'll cook!" Mikuru volunteered quickly.

"Can I help?" Kanae managed to add.

"I think it's time to find a new costume for you, first," Haruhi decided. "So
we can work on that, instead."

"Ah-- Okay, Suzumiya-sempai!"

Mikuru beamed a smile at the slider, undoubtedly already thinking about making
the new costume ... she did really seem to like sewing! Shaking her head and
turning to Sasaki, the time traveler asked, "Ah, since it's for you, Sasaki-
chan, what would you like?"

"A...anything would be fine, really," Sasaki demurred.

The boy who was holding her snorted. "Her favorite is ochazuke," he
contributed.

"Oh?" Mikuru wondered, touching a fingertip to her lower lip, her smile
turning thoughtful.

Sasaki's blush deepened faintly. "That's true," she admitted. "Um, there's
also the ... irony that being offered that dish is also traditionally a polite
way of being asked to leave, so I've really been able to enjoy it fairly
rarely. I'm afraid I'm not much in the kitchen...."

"I never heard of that!" Kanae exclaimed. Though, no one had ever offered it
to her, either.

"I did!" Tsuruya chuckled. "That's more toward Kyoto than here, though. Anyway
-- we should finish our lunches before class resumes, before we get too
distracted! We have the next meeting to work out these details!"

"And a meeting after that, and one after that," Kanae's sempai sighed. "I wish
I could still afford to be lazy!"

"Well, _I_ like seeing you live up to your actual potential," Haruhi retorted,
gently setting Kanae back in her seat, so they could finish their lunches.

"I ... do too," Sasaki admitted with a giggle, as she climbed to her feet.
"Even ... if it's ... something I thought impossible, like time travel, I knew
Kyon was able to handle quite a bit!"

The boy in question couldn't keep his face from reddening faintly at the
praise. "I never doubted Sempai," Kanae asserted proudly, which made him
chuckle nervously and scratch the back of his head.

"He is pretty awesome, even if he's not perfect," Haruhi allowed. "But we
don't have much longer for lunch, so let's finish eating!"

* * *

By the time classes finished, Sasaki felt completely overwhelmed. Rather, she
admitted to herself, she _would_ have, but ... even if it was one more mad
thing in an increasingly mad world, spending time ... _with_ Kyon had
certainly helped her calm down. She'd have to thank Tsuruya for her foresight
on that count. That reassurance was exceptionally welcome, and even though
Sasaki knew she couldn't monopolize Kyon's attention, she was thinking she
could do with a _bit_ more.

Public displays of affection weren't something she was especially comfortable
with, but she was willing to make an exception -- aside from which, the other
members of their odd arrangement weren't 'public', really.

Still.... The teachers and other students all being adamant about the date
really did slowly start hammering things home. She could try and tell herself
that the 'weekend' was an illusion or a hallucination, but that didn't really
seem fair to Haruhi or Kyon, who deserved her trust.

It was verging on _terrifying_ to admit that something like time travel not
only existed, but was a power that _Kyon_ of all people could use.... And she
wasn't really happy to find herself arguing -- even if only to herself -- that
Kyon's access to time travel would explain his unexpected skill at martial
arts. Skill which had spared her substantial difficulties.

Well, it was possible that such supernatural powers were the only reason she
ended up getting involved, but....

She wondered if it was selfish of her to be willing to accept that, if it let
her be _with_ Kyon.

Being a damsel in distress wasn't fun, but the undeniable message of how much
Kyon cared, to keep _doing_ it....

So, time travel was real.

She managed to smile at her classmates, who seemed already resigned to her
entanglement in Haruhi's club, and smiled and waved as Kyouko met with her and
Koizumi to escort her to the next meeting. She wished it were _Kyon_, but she
wasn't sure that would be good -- she might not be able to keep herself from
grabbing onto him and shaking for a while as she let the enormity of the
situation settle in.

Kyouko seemed agitated as well, and took her hand, reassuring, "It's all going
to be alright!"

"I know," Sasaki replied, a bit unsteadily, though she forced a smile. "It's
just ... all so unexpected! Um ... how ... was finding out about it for you?"

Kyouko blushed at that, and looked to one side. "W...well," she started
hesitantly. "Um, in my case it was very different, really. You got to
experience it and see someone else's ... ability, so...." She trailed off with
a shrug, glancing around at the other students.

Sasaki understood that well enough. So it was being kept a secret ... and she
was one of the few who were allowed 'inside,' so to speak.

"This is all very exciting!" she exclaimed, prompting Kyouko to give her hand
a reassuring squeeze.

It didn't take long to reach the clubroom, though she found Kyon standing
outside, raising a hand to Koizumi in greeting. "Not ... going in yet?" Kyouko
asked curiously.

"Er, Mikuru or Kanae are changing," he explained, before frowning. "Not sure
which one, actually."

"Changing?" Sasaki wondered. "Are we going to need our gym uniforms?" She'd
brought hers, but didn't have physical education that particular day.

"No, it's--"

"Come in!" Haruhi called from inside.

"Ah, well, maybe it's better to show than explain," Kyon sighed, offering a
somewhat lopsided smile, as Haruhi wrenched the door open proudly, her eyes
tracking to Kyon, and then Sasaki before she nodded happily and gestured
inside the room.

Sasaki blinked, mildly taken aback to see Kanae in a rather adorable
stewardess uniform, and Mikuru in a charming maid costume. "Oh, my!" she
couldn't help but exclaim. Really, that was insignificant compared to
something as amazing as _time travel_, but she was surprised that a club could
get away with such things. Well ... why not?

She allowed herself to be ushered in with the others, and they all managed to
fit around the table, though just barely.

"Membership has swelled, hasn't it, Haruhi?" Kyon prompted.

"We've done much better than I expected," she agreed. "Now, let's see ... so,
you understand about the paranormal now, Sasaki-chan?"

"Er, yes," Sasaki allowed, unable to keep from leaning toward Kyon. He caught
it and shifted his chair a bit closer, giving her a reassuring smile and a
half-hearted shrug, as though to say, 'What can you do?' before he put one arm
about her shoulder.

That prompted Kyouko to blink and cock her head slightly to one side,
frowning.

"It's still ... rather astounding," she admitted. "Um, what are the mechanics
of time travel, anyway?"

"No idea," Kyon answered absently. "I mean, I know what to do, and I seem to
have avoided causing a paradox so far, but how it works is a total mystery to
me -- it's Mikuru who does the time traveling."

The maid blushed at that, even as she set teacups out before Sasaki and Kyon.
"Um ... since it hasn't yet been discovered in this time, I can't explain it,
because it's classified," she said apologetically.

"That does make sense," Sasaki allowed, nodding slowly.

"Kyon's supposed to be really good at handling the logistics of time travel,
though," Haruhi supplied. "Last weekend was a first for both of us."

"Most of us!" Tsuruya corrected. "I thinks only Kyon-kun and Mikuru-chan got
to do it before!"

"Yuki-chan, too," Kyon offered. "I'm sure Mikuru remembers that, though."

"Ah, eh," the ... time traveler? Sasaki supposed she had to admit that much.
The time traveler blushed and looked uncomfortable, grimacing. "That wasn't a
fun trip at all," she mumbled, shivering faintly. "I don't like seeing Kyon-
kun get injured...."

"Injured?" Sasaki asked worriedly, turning to look at him ... which was
probably silly, since he seemed fine at the moment.

"_That_ story might be better at some different time," he said with a grimace,
shaking his head. "I actually meant about Tanabata, but we can explain that
later. Right now, I think we need to make sure you're okay with understanding
all of this."

"It's still a lot to take in," Sasaki agreed.

"Well, you know that time travel exists. So, you understand that there are
other, equally amazing things, right?" Haruhi prompted.

Sasaki hesitated, then said, "So, Fujiwara is really another time traveler?
And Kyouko-chan is really an esper?"

"I-- That's right," Kyouko agreed, nodding uncertainly. "Um ... where to
begin...."

"Easy!" Tsuruya exclaimed with a chuckle. Pointing at Koizumi, she said,
"Esper," before moving her finger to Kanae. "Slider." Mikuru was indicated
next. "Time traveler." Haruhi was the next target. "Part-time-magical girl."

Haruhi pouted and blushed at that, muttering, "It's a bit more complicated
than _that_...."

Tsuruya giggled, but quickly bit it back, pointing to Yuki next. "Um, Yuki-
chan was created by some aliens -- they seem to be jerks to Kyon-kun and Yuki-
chan, but she's really neat! She's not here right now, but Kuyou-chan is a
sort of alien being as well, and so is Ryouko-chan -- I'm no one special,
though!"

"Just the heir to the local crime syndicate," Kyon agreed with a drawl.

"So ... that would make me very fortunate, to be the one regular person
allowed into such a group!" Sasaki exclaimed.

Kyouko bit her lip at that and looked to one side.

"I thought I was the regular person," Kyon said with a frown. "Though ... I
guess I'm a _part-time_ time traveler -- even my little sister got to be a
magical girl for a while. Well ... sort of. I guess Sasaki can't see Ryouko
yet?"

"Toggle has not yet been adjusted," Yuki said quietly.

"Er, well, I can't think of anyone else your age who fights yaku-- Ah, that is
... the members of a boryokudan the way you do," Sasaki countered. "But, if
you're a regular person who's been helped by others, I'm more normal than you
are, aren't I?"

"You don't know the half of it," Haruhi mumbled. "You're so normal it could be
a superpower ... and sort of even _is_. I never really heard Kyouko's story,
though, so I think we have time for that before the meeting tonight, don't
we?"

"Er, okay," Kyouko agreed hesitantly, glancing between Koizumi and Haruhi,
biting her lip anxiously. "Um ... it was about four years ago, that I suddenly
woke up and knew that I had a power," she explained hesitantly. "There, uh,
was a lot of confusion at the time. I got my powers and knew how they worked,
but didn't know why I was chosen."

"This is, incidentally, also the story of how I got my powers," Koizumi
supplied, smiling.

"Taking notes from Kyon's book and letting someone else do the heavy lifting,
huh?" Haruhi chided with a smirk.

Shrugging, Koizumi's smile widened to a grin as he teased, "I've learned from
the master!"

"Is laziness a super power?" Kyon wondered.

"If it is, Sempai, you aren't very good at it," Kanae giggled, freshening his
tea. "You're too busy doing rescues to be really lazy!"

"Well, it's something to aspire to."

"Hey, let the espers finish their story," Haruhi chided.

"Um, well ... at that time, all of us espers tried to reach out and find
others who were the same as us," Kyouko continued, fidgeting, until Koizumi
took one of her hands. "We, uh, used the internet and were vague about it, but
eventually figured it out. So, we all came together to talk about the girl who
_gave_ us that power.

"Um, but once we started meeting it and talking about it, the issue became
confusing," Kyouko explained, blushing faintly. "About ... half of us thought
our powers were granted by one person. And the other half felt that, well,
someone _else_ gave us that power. So we ... broke apart and disagreed on how
to handle things.

"It didn't help that we had gotten our powers from different people, and some
of us ... thought that it would be like some sort of manga where we needed to
fight because we were from different factions. That ... ended up causing
rather a lot of trouble, later."

"So someone is a catalyst to allow espers to have their powers?" Sasaki asked,
intrigued.

Kyouko nodded tightly.

"What are your esper powers?" Sasaki prompted, smiling. "As remarkable as this
is ... can I see them?"

"Er, that's ... more difficult," she said with a frown.

"There are two specific powers that most espers have," Koizumi explained. "One
of them is a mental connection to the one who provided their powers
originally, and the other is the ability to enter and manipulate a specific
space that the ... source person generates."

"I see! Who are the people who make these spaces, then?" Sasaki wondered,
tapping her lower lip thoughtfully.

"For myself, it's Suzumiya-san," Koizumi explained. "Though ... my
circumstances have actually changed, and I don't have a specific link to her
any more."

Sasaki looked at Kyouko expectantly, who blushed strongly and stared at the
table. "For me, um ... the connection ... is to you, Sasaki," she mumbled. "I
... tried to tell you this once before...."

Sasaki blinked slowly at that, trying to absorb the concept. "Somehow, _I_
bestowed esper powers on people?" she asked, mildly incredulous.

"I know, right?" Haruhi grumbled. "How weird is _that_!"

"And ... another space ... a mental connection...." Sasaki trailed off,
paling. "W...what am I thinking now?" she pressed.

"I-- I don't get specific thoughts," she explained, shaking her head. "Just
emotions, and only strong ones. So I know, um ... your feelings about...." She
glanced at Kyon and quickly cleared her throat.

"Ah, didn't Koizumi-san explain that to you?" Kanae wondered.

"When the topic came up, so did certain other ... very distracting factors,"
the male esper replied evasively, studying the ceiling.

Sasaki felt her face begin to heat up. She wanted to protest that it was all
nonsensical, but somehow, the idea of Kyouko experiencing a fraction of her
emotions when she.... And Kyon.... And....

"...oh, my," she managed. "This...." She wasn't certain how to handle that.

Kyon shifted in his seat, moving his arm, and before Sasaki could fully panic
he took Tsuruya's prompt (which was fairly impressive in its own right, since
it was merely a pointed stare), and lifted Sasaki from her seat to rest in his
lap again. She felt herself relaxing, even if it _was_ a tiny bit embarrassing
... not enough to want to go back, at any rate.

"Um ... Kyon-kun ... I think you should say the next part to her," Mikuru
suggested anxiously.

Sasaki felt her head spin. There was _more_?

"The reason for this," Kyon said slowly, "at least, as I understand it ... is
that you have a special power."

Sasaki had to admit, "Kyouko ... mentioned this once," a bit shakily.

"But so far, you've only ever really used your power to cancel the effects of
other paranormal powers," Kyon finished.

Sasaki blinked at that, looking up, even while she let herself ... well, being
honest, cuddle with Kyon. He was looking to one side and blushing faintly. She
wanted to protest this most of all, but....

"That ... completely explains why I would be so valuable to be kidnapped and
used against you," she allowed faintly.

"So ... you're okay?" Haruhi interjected worriedly. "You understand all this
now?"

"I think so," Sasaki managed, feeling a bit distant. "But it strikes me that
it would be a very good time to faint right now, if it's not too much
trouble."

She was certain that someone else said something, then, but she was safe in
Kyon's arms -- she wouldn't fall and hit her head, or anything like that. And
even if she was holding together, and comfortable, and surrounded by
friends.... The vague certainty that things were going to be okay, somehow,
even if she was overwhelmed, was her last thought before everything became
comfortable, welcoming blackness.

* * *