Author's Note:
This story is more-or-less a recap chapter of my current largest fanfiction to date, "The Gamma Dimension." Don't panic if you haven't ran through that story before as this first chapter will make attempts to summarize a lot of the key things that happened in my earlier fic. But like my summary suggested, this story and "The Gamma Dimension," includes characters from the Light Novels that have never appeared on the anime. The first chapter of "The Gamma Dimension," attempts to summarize that. Well then... enough of my ranting; let's get this started!
People have a tendency to gripe about their limitations in comparison to just about anything that they can think of. We can't breathe underwater like a fish can – we can never hope to outrun an ostrich – we can't even make like a cat and laze all of our days away without giving it a second thought. For many people, it's easy to envy what others are capable of while not taking into account one's own strengths. I, for one can say this: No one in the world is a better procrastinator than me. Who else can say that they put off their homework assignment for more than five-hundred consecutive years worth of time? Okay, so that is nothing to brag about by any means, and there are times where I wish that I can leave that bad habit behind. In today's case, I am combating that by paying a long overdue visit to a close friend of mine.
Almost two weeks have passed since the climactic clash in Haruhi's Closed Space occurred and I have not seen the one of who was affected the most since then. The time gap between then and now were quite peaceful, which doubles as a solid indicator that she is okay. Regardless, I still need to see her. I decided on that several times before, but a troublesome anxiety lied in ambush to cast Flare on my intentions each time. The reasoning? That's simple. With a wave of my hand, I forcibly cast away her life of normalcy. Even now I don't think I could take it if I notice that her quirky, collected expression is marginally different from what is imprinted in my memories. This really is all my fault after all.
Before I knew it, my thoughts finally carried me to Sasaki's doorstep. The soft carpet I stood on welcomed me in English, but pesky waves of doubt made me wonder if the greeting applies to me.
"Sasaki will always be happy to see you."
Nagato reassured me on that some time ago. Why am I still doubting myself? This is completely out of character! With that being said, I've decided to wrap my hand on this door and shatter the barrier between us once and for all!
"Ow-ow-ow!" cried the door. "I am not a door!"
A certain childish esper, Kyoko Tachibana, stood in front of me with puffed cheeks. I apologized to her while lightly brushing the spot on her forehead where I accidentally attacked her. Her pigtails swayed as she exhaled a cute, yet condescending 'Hmph!' in response.
"Sasaki might hate you if you see her right now or ever," said Kyoko. "You might find out that Sasaki is slowly going crazy because of that decision you made. You may even find out that the path you chose will make everyone miserable in the end!"
What is this...
"Those are all of your fears and doubts, right, Kyon?" Tachibana continued, seeming oddly cheerful. "If I didn't miss anything, leave all those negative thoughts right here and come inside!"
Negative thoughts were they? That sounds about right. It is scary how much fear can affect your every move. By realizing one's fear, it can turn into strength. Doing just the opposite can turn into weakness and demise stems from being consumed by them. Just now, Tachibana helped me realize that I was becoming a victim to fear with the scare she just gave me. As for the familiar being that she lead me to, any trace of negativity that I had left evaporated somewhere in her aura.
"Kyon, in all honesty, I was expecting our next encounter to occur much earlier than today. Because of this fact, I found myself contemplating whether or not our next meeting would occur under unique circumstances. For example, I remain strongly confident that if I were ever to waltz on the brink of despair mentally or physically, I would witness you being near me moments before a true crisis with a helping hand. It is a mystery as to how, when, and why my perception of you has reached this level, but I have only come to terms with this realization recently."
Leave it to Sasaki to say surprising things casually without faltering one syllable. Kyoko beamed at us for whatever reason. Behind her, a subtle flutter of a clean white bed-sheet draped over someone... or something caught my eye.
"...You're looking at the ghost alien aren't you?" Kyoko asked while turning to its direction. "That thing always follows Kuyoh around. It doesn't do much of anything or have a name that we know of... so you might as well ignore it."
Right after Tachibana's suggestion, the object in question decided to bow in my direction. With that, the creature proved that it possessed at least one common human habit. Speaking of which, if this thing likes to follow Suoh, then where is she?
"Kuyoh Suoh decided to depart since this morning and will return as she sees fit," Sasaki replied. "As for Sir Fujiwara, if I have a decent understanding of the situation, we may have seen the last of him as of two weeks ago. Even though the time traveler factions have readmitted themselves to the Gamma Dimension, Fujiwara has confessed to there being no further reason for him to remain in this time. I decided to interrogate what his motives exactly were, even though I was not terribly interested; the results wound up much better than expected. He spoke of an older sister in a tone that suggested that he cared for her very much. His reasoning for being in this time was directly related to this sibling and had apparently resolved itself once I became the host of the powers that existed within Haruhi Suzumiya."
I didn't particularly care what happened to that guy since just hearing mention of his name was uncommonly irritating. Even though the thought of not having to deal with Fujiwara again should relieve me to an extent, I wound up becoming more suspicious as to why his duties here were already complete. Simply put, I naturally feel as if any objectives he could possibly have are anything but noble. However, thinking about complicated matters is not how I wanted to spend my time here with Sasaki. Once I made that much clear, Sasaki and Tachibana broadened their smiles. From the corner of my eye, it looked as though the figure hidden under the bed-sheet gave a slight nod.
"It has been far too long, Kyon," Sasaki continued while inviting me to the vacant spot in the loveseat next to her. "What is even more surprising is the fact that you decided to come here on your own."
"What do you mean? Even back in middle school, the number of times I visited you by myself were a lot more than when I came with Kunikida."
Sasaki hummed with the slightest hint of irritation before continuing. "I trust that you realize what fact triggered that previous statement from my lips, Kyon. You currently have... a girlfriend, do you not?"
"Y-Yeah. I wasn't sure if I had the chance to tell you yet."
"You didn't have to!" Tachibana intervened. "Once Sasaki caught you and Yuki practically making out in her hallway, everything became clear!"
What! Sasaki caught us? But then again, like Tachibana said, the area Nagato and I chose was not even remotely secluded. Since when did I get so inconsiderate? Sasaki and I somehow managed to sigh simultaneously.
"Yare yare," we sighed in sync.
"Awkwardness aside," Sasaki continued. "I must admit that even in my wildest state of imagination, I never thought of you as the type that would engage in a relationship before one of your first major educational crossroads. Do not mistake this as an attempt to judge your actions. I just found myself very surprised. What is even more astounding is that the divergence between Yuki Nagato's personality and your own hints that you represent the dominant half of the relationship."
Whether or not that's the truth is more debatable than one would think.
"How did you two hook up anyways?" Kyoko asked. "No offense, Kyon, but out of all of the girls you normally hang out with, I just can't picture this pairing at all!"
"I get that a lot. Anyways, it's a long story and I don't think Sasaki would care too much about the details."
I looked towards the friend who I took into consideration; her grin deepened and she fixated her gaze on the lamp beside me. I recognize this behavioral pattern as a rare expression that has not changed since Junior High. Sasaki always gave me the impression that she never held back on anything that she remotely wanted to say to me. With that being said, this expression on Sasaki would develop when she was uncertain as to whether or not she was willing to deal with how people would react to her words.
"If the details involved anyone else, your educated guess would be in the right. But since I have known you for so long, my curiosity towards your recent development has become inevitable. Of course, you are by no means obligated to comply just because I want to know."
I give up. My resolve was to dedicate this day to my good friend who I owe more than any average person could imagine. I never thought I would become a storyteller as a result of being here, but if this is what Sasaki really wants... Yare yare.
But where would I begin? It would even be a hassle telling everyone when Nagato and I first met, since the story is different from both of our perspectives.
"How about this?" Tachibana suggested. "You can start by explaining how you got Yuki to talk to you normally. If she's anything like Kuyoh then getting her to say anything at all has to be a workout!"
In Nagato's case, there was a reason for that…
"I am a humanoid interface created by the Integrated Data Thought Entity," Nagato reminded me. "Because I am not completely human, there are capabilities native to a human that I cannot access by default."
"Such as what?"
"Sensory nerve receptors," Nagato replied with the slightest sense of hesitation.
"...Are you saying you do not have the ability to feel, Nagato?"
"Yes."
"Can't your entity activate your sensory nerves for you?"
"... I have previously requested sensory nerve receptor activation from the Integrated Data Thought Entity," Nagato said. "The request was denied on each occasion."
"If only there was another way..."
"An alternative method exists..."
Once Nagato decided to tell me that there was a true reason why she had to be so reserved, naturally I wanted to do everything in my power to make Nagato happy; it was the one thing she really wanted after all. Once I realized this, I resolved to do whatever it took. Even...
"...Let's try to find Kuyoh together then!"
"That is rather fascinating. The solution of such a complicated problem was within Kuyoh Suoh's power?" Sasaki murmured while rubbing her chin.
"Why have you come this far to see me, Kyon?" Kuyoh said. "I was sure you hated me."
"Yuki Nagato is seeking to become closer to humanity," I said. "Can you give to her what you have given her before?"
Kuyoh steps back, and my petite savior steps forward. For a moment, her eyes were very wide as if she were in shock. They immediately narrowed like she sunk into depression.
"The Integrated Data Thought Entity has decided that it will approve of the activation of my sensory nerve receptors under one condition."
"What is it, Nagato?" I asked eagerly. It may have been a trick of the negative light, but Nagato almost seemed disappointed.
"The location of this gamma universe would have to be shifted to a sector under heavier jurisdiction of the Macro Spatial Quantum Cosmic Existence."
"I see," I say while nodding my head in approval. "Well that's that then. There's no point in turning back now that we have come this far."
Nagato and Kuyoh were hand-in-hand. They lifted each other off the ground by approximately one foot. Then something unexpected happened. Pearly white appendages (which would have been black in the original spectrum) sprouted from behind Kuyoh and enveloped Nagato as if they were hugging her. Kuyoh Suoh... has wings...?
"The physical feature that you stated about Kuyoh Suoh would be news to me," said Sasaki. "Putting that interesting declaration aside, it would seem as though you have made your fair share of important decisions outside of extracting the reality-warping abilities from Haruhi Suzumiya. From what I have gathered so far, the existence of the Gamma Dimension was largely influenced by your simultaneous collaboration with both of the interfaces that brought this dimension to animation. If that truly is the case, then I am slightly happier. As for the reasoning, let's put it this way. As long as a human individual is conscious, it is a fundamental desire to assume the most control over their own consciousness. Of no doubt would it be unsettling to reach a final conclusion that your individual conscious is completely under the jurisdiction of outside, superior forces."
"Whether or not aliens were responsible doesn't change the fact that the responsibility was forced on you," I clarified. "We owe you big-time, and somehow, I will make it up to you."
Sasaki's amber eyes widened in surprise. Let it be known that catching her off-guard usually only happens in one's imagination.
"Your words move me, Kyon. However, it would be best if you do not feel guilty. In the end, it was I who decided to go through with the proposal. I should also add that my final decision was not just for your sake, but for a very old friend of mine as well."
Sasaki's words relieved me just the same. All of a sudden, I wanted to slap myself for not talking to Sasaki earlier. I was such an idiot to believe that something like this would change the relationship between us! If anything, if I were to judge the details of her grin, it almost looks as if we somehow became closer than ever before.
"Hey, you guys, quit changing the subject!" whined Tachibana. "What happened after Yuki was able to feel? Did you guys just magically hook up after that?"
"Of course not. Once Nagato was able to express herself freely everyone, including herself, needed the time to adjust to her changes – slowly but surely."
Everyone wound up doing just that. In Asahina's case, however, things were slightly different...
"There is a lot of classified information going on right now. I haven't been given all the details yet, but from the sound of things, my mission in this time plane might be ending some time really soon."
In almost no time after Yuki started to change, the first major consequence of the Gamma Dimension had begun... and Mikuru had to go back to her own time indefinitely.
"Speaking of Mikuru," Kyoko sang. "Weren't you on a date with her when we met at the bowling alley? Ah, I just remembered that! I'm so going to tell Yuki the next time I see her!"
"Yuki was the one who set it up to begin with."
"EEEEEHHHHH?"
It's the truth, of course. Since everything was happening so fast, most of us wound up believing that our time together would come to an abrupt end. And so the goddess from the future resolved to spend her last day with just the two of us. As for how that date turned out in the end...
(Fluffy marshmallows?
No wait... Asahina's lips?
They both feel the same..)
I, for one, couldn't complain.
"What's with that disgusting look on your face?" Kyoko teased with the face of a mischievous little boy. "Just how far did that date of yours go anyways?"
"Someone's being a little nosy."
Tachibana shamelessly prodded on about the same subject as Sasaki giggled uncontrollably. In the middle of all this commotion, the third guest decided to silently show up with small bags in her hands and an uneaten, round chocolate éclair hanging from her mouth. She bowed lightly enough so both a greeting was confirmed and the doughnut would not budge.
"Welcome back, Kuyoh!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Kyon was in the middle of telling us how he got together with Yuki! Wanna join us?"
Kuyoh took residence on the steel chair that sat at the nearest corner where the creature completely draped in a large bed-sheet stood the entire time. I wonder how Kuyoh would go about explaining its existence...
Mikuru embraced me with all of her glowing radiance and said, "Thank you, Kyon... for everything... now I officially have no regrets in this time plane. Tonight I can depart satisfied."
"What? Tonight?" I shouted. Mikuru's expression was filled with sadness.
"Oh, no, Kyon... I never mentioned it to you, did I? Today... is the last day I am permitted to be here... I know all of this seems sudden and you're worried, but please trust me when I say that everything will be okay in the end."
Mikuru smiled at me with an expression that looks half stressed.
"Kyon, I..."
And then a gruff voice that suddenly shook us both said, "You guys chatter too much!"
The source of the voice emerged from the shadows like a gangster who was fond of dramatic entrances.
"Fujiwara..."
"Hey, Asahina, you don't know your next 'mission' in advance, do you? I think I should do you a favor and fill you in ahead of time... "
Fujiwara was stopped mid-sentence by the door between us opening. Nagato calmly emerged from it and shifted her eyesight to Asahina.
"It is highly advised that you leave."
"Tch... whatever happened to your duty to observe, Yuki Nagato?"
"No friend of mine will be subject to cruelty,"
Fujiwara stared at Yuki with disbelief for a moment. Suddenly that damned sneer came back follow by laughter. Even his laugh was sinister!
"So this is the Gamma Dimension, Yuki Nagato," said Fujiwara. "How does it feel to be the mastermind of this calamity?"
Fujiwara clutched his chest and collapsed to one knee. As much as I revered Nagato for putting that jerk in his place, I impulsively put a hand on Nagato's shoulder saying 'That's enough.' Fujiwara began to gasp for air.
"Come back and visit us whenever you have free time, Mikuru. We will all appreciate it."
Her response was in her eyes. They apologized to me for having to leave like this, then when she nodded, she made a silent promise that we will see each other again... some time... some place. She turned around and started to take off.
Sasaki thought for a moment before speaking. "... I recall Sir Fujiwara mentioning the supposed ill-fate that all time-travelers in the Gamma Dimension were to receive. He kept a casual tone the entire time, but it was very obvious that he was very upset about the matter. Having enough time to study his thought processes, I could deduce that Fujiwara intended to make Mikuru Asahina aware that she will also go through a rather harsh experience. Some people are the type that feel better when they are accompanied by other people that are going through similar or greater stresses. This is one of the more selfish outlooks to attain, albeit very common."
That whole paragraph could have been summed up by simply saying 'Fujiwara is a cowardly jackass,' but I guess I have Nagato whenever I need things to be more concise.
"I wonder how the SOS Brigade held together without Mikuru?" Tachibana asked. That's good question coming from her. All-in-all, it was a miracle and most of that miracle was in the form of another schoolmate...
"Mikuru told me about her emergency," said our jade-haired senior. "She sounded mega-stressed, so when she asked me to fill in for her for one week, I didn't have the heart to turn her down."
"So Asahina really asked this of you, huh?"
"Yep!" replied Tsuruya with boundless enthusiasm. "While I may not be as sexy as Mikuru, I'm mega-sure my tea will be just as good. Master Mikuru has taught me well!"
She let out an earthy laugh as if she were a rival to someone.
Tsuruya volunteered to stand-in for Mikuru until the latter would return. Of course no living soul could replace Asahina, but she did a stellar job at filling the void, complete with the maid outfit. Together, we made progress on the sequel to Haruhi's pointless film series. Not to mention it was her that miraculously pulled through for me on that hectic night where Haruhi's Shinjin were unruly. Needless to say, I can't imagine how bad things would have gotten if she were not around.
Sasaki grew increasingly interested. "I see. So Lady Tsuruya has assisted you in that way? I assumed she had developed significantly since the last time we... associated."
"That's right. When Tsuruya and I warped to your place that night, you recognized her instantly. How long have you two known each other?"
"I have become acquainted with Tsuruya some time before I met you, but I associated with you for a much longer period of time in comparison," Sasaki answered the demonstrating an unfamiliar mannerism; two fists came to a rest on her cheeks massaging them about. Is that some form of Calisthenics?
"Nope," she answered after a restrained chuckle. "It's just that when I'm talking to you, I don't know why I always have a smile on my face. It's not good for facial muscles to stay rigid for so long... also, there are several highly amusing memories regarding that girl, making things more difficult."
"Oh, really? Like what?"
Sasaki shrunk her shoulders and sighed, "Unfortunately, that topic will not be up for discussion as I do not have the tenacity required to clarify... Perhaps Tsuruya would be more willing to reply, and if not, well... she would at least display an entertaining reaction, as colorful as she is."
"I'd say that your reaction is colorful enough."
"You must be mistaken," Sasaki retorted with her rare, devilish grin. "I am just as cryptic and collected as ever!"
In truth, Sasaki was mostly right. In the past, whenever Sasaki was remotely nervous, the most that would would happen is the slightest twitch from one side of her mouth or slow, yet unnecessary movements from her supporting leg. This time, however, her cheeks decided to flush, thus blowing her cover. I have the option of pointing that out to her, but I think I already got as much out of this moment as I'm going to get.
"GAH... stop flirting and get to the cool part with the giant monsters and the evil bad guys!" whined Kyoko. "Ha... just kidding!"
There was no evil bad guy, and if I skipped straight to the finale then you wouldn't get the answer you wanted in the first place. Wait... besides the Shinjin Nexus, there was one other recent event that stood out. That one started from a request in the club room on Wednesday...
"W-What? I said I was kidding!"
"Ah. You're Emiri Kimidori!" Haruhi recalled.
Emiri hesitated before beginning. "North High is currently suffering from recent graffiti attacks. I was personally hoping that I could count on you guys to study the graffiti and see if anyone here can give us any leads as to who may be responsible. I hope this isn't too much trouble."
"Not at all," replied Koizumi. "It is a pleasure doing business with you again."
We divided into two groups to observe the two major graffiti sites. Nagato, Emiri and I were the ones to observe the inner walls of the football stadium.
Yuki and I approached the writing that was still incomprehensible even when close up. However, my memories recalled seeing something like this before. I gave a slip of paper with symbols like these to Nagato... from Nagato.
"Nagato, isn't this..."
Everything changed on me the instant before I completed the question. The stadium and school completely vanished! The grass now extended infinitely. Endless species of flowers were scattered everywhere. While the sight was pretty, I couldn't help but sigh and turn to Nagato.
"You could have given me time to mentally prepare myself, Nagato..."
"This transition was not my doing," replied a Nagato with a slightly worried look.
If Nagato didn't do this, then the only person that possibly could have is...
I turned around behind me and literally yelled out loud. The figure that replaced Emiri Kimidori was well over 10 times my height. It was a giant manila colored egg resting perfectly upright on an indent in the ground.
"A giant egg... Nagato, what is this?"
"The situation is dire. Therefore I have no other choice... Commencing backup unit restoration."
If Nagato has to call for backup over an egg, then whatever is inside must be a serious threat. As I started to wonder what a backup unit that belongs to Nagato would look like, a painful rush of nostalgia shook me by the soul. No way. Please say it isn't so!
"We meet again, Kyon. Did you miss me?" asked my cheerful, long-lost classmate. Her innocent chuckle that followed reminded me that Ryoko Asakura was capable of telling jokes.
"I guess it is time to fulfill my duty," said Asakura while setting set her sights on the giant egg. "If this egg were to hatch naturally, then not even Master Nagato could prevent you from being killed right here."
In a flash, she approached the egg and leaped above it. With a graceful twirl, she substituted one of her arms for a blade composed of pure energy and let gravity carry her downward. Ryoko then extended her literal sword arm and proceeded to perfectly split the egg in half vertically. As her 'Final Cutter' reached the ground, the impact of her landing created a crater on the grassy plain.
"So the contents of this egg really is an Ancient Feral!"
"What is an Ancient Feral?" I asked.
As soon as I asked, the egg halves began to topple towards the ground, revealing its inhabitant.
Nagato answered me the instant I figured it out. "I believe an Ancient Feral is commonly referred to as a dinosaur."
It let out a deafening roar far more intimidating than any CG rendition of a dinosaur has ever pulled off.
"That's ENOOOUGH..." Kyoko pleaded while flapping her arms as if she wanted to hover. "Now you're just making stuff up and adding random characters like some kind of messed up fan fiction!"
"You did appear to be thoroughly enjoying yourself. Perhaps Kyon has somehow detected your secret passion for action stories commonly seen on the Super Sentai programs you like and decided to entertain you for a bit."
That's right... no one in the room has ever met Kimidori or Asakura as far as I know.
"H-Hey! Don't just call me out like that!" Tachibana wailed as it were not obvious. "...Okay, so maybe I liked it just a little, but now I don't remember what the point of all of this was..."
"Ha," Sasaki chuckled. "In retrospect, there may have been no true meaning to begin with. However, once you view the big picture, much was gained from just this. At least from my perspective, this day could not have turned out any better."
"Hmm.."
The poised alien finally gave a signal to her presence by emitting a smug grin to Sasaki. I recognize that face as something I would wear when friends of mine differentiate themselves from the rest of humanity. Come to think of it, what does Kuyoh think of Sasaki anyways? Why does any of that even matter to me? The answer to that is as solid as the hand that I decided to place on top of Sasaki's head. She tilted her gaze at me in confusion.
Her eyes shortly narrowed in response. Maybe I discovered a weak point? "This is a rather... odd gesture coming from you, Kyon."
"Sasaki..."
"Yes...?"
Just like how I'm lightly massaging your scalp right now, I'm willing to bet that I can only scratch the surface as to how you truly feel about all of this. I can't always be there for you as much as I would like to be. I hope you have nearly as much of an affinity for the people here as we do for each other. It would be best if you do not shut yourself off to everyone else...
"Hang in there, alright?"
After a moment of hesitation, she nodded with a humble grin. "I will. Although... I'm going to decide to be blunt and declare that we simply have to see each other more often. As much as I enjoy the frequent company of Kyoko Tachibana and Kuyoh Suoh, I have recently come to discover that a bond between two humans is something that can easily be taken for granted. Do you understand what I am saying, Kyon?"
Much more than you think. "It's a promise."
Once everyone decided to separate, the evening sky began. The three girls (and one draped figure) all decided to see me to the door. A little hospitality has proven to go a long way as I definitely wanted to visit everyone again someday.
I always wondered why the trip back home from a destination sometimes feels like it is shorter than the way there. The answer might be simply because the way back is filled with memories of the time that was most recently spent. For example, I just realized that I managed to get away from Tachibana without going into detail as to how Nagato and I became a couple. To be honest, I doubt that I could explain it even if I particularly wanted to. Sure there was a large number of unique events that lead to the event but when you get right down to it, most of them were so natural that trying to make a story out of it would be more trouble than it's worth.
"Sorry about that, Tachibana," I thought out loud.
A startling streetlight shone from behind me in response. What was even more startling was what resulted from looking behind me. As for the identity of who my stalker was, it was never established as anything except for the Ghost Alien. I've seen this trend time and time again. This is a confrontation and whatever this is has a story of sorts to tell.
"Is there anything you need to tell me?" A mission? A prophecy? A threat?
A feminine, yet tomboyish voice replied, "Is there anything you need to tell me?"
What's this? "You're the one that followed me.."
"You are the one that called me," it retorted. Did I...?
"How could I have called you if I don't even know who or what you are?"
It answered in the exact same informative tone, "I am what you see and what I see."
"...What kind of answer is that?"
"The only answer there is."
A timely wind howled in response to that baffling reply. The hem of the sheeted figure flapped to my right. At that moment, I made two discoveries. For one, the hem of the drape that fluttered about was unhindered by anything at its center – as if such an area never existed. If that isn't strange enough, there is this. Even though the streetlight shines directly down on my company, I have the figure beat in the number of shadows beneath us by three-to-nothing. This is the very definition of the word ghost.
Standing in front of me is the creature whom everyone ignored on our first encounter, but here it is speaking to me.
"I am what you see and what I see."
On my end, all I see is something that can be misconstrued as nothing. Knowing that, one must wonder...
"What do you see?"
The two dark holes assumed to be the figure's eyes turned ninety degrees counter-clockwise in response.
"...Sasaki will be okay," was its verbal response. "As long as you are here, Sasaki will be okay."
Never before has such a simple sentence left such a resounding impact in my mind. Even though Sasaki and I left each other on a positive note earlier, I was still worried about Sasaki deep down. Was I really that obvious as to how I felt? I don't think so. Perhaps there is more to this figure than what I originally thought...
"I see. Thank you."
It was all I could say, but it will have to do. I was compelled to believe this stranger nearly as much as I do for Nagato. On the same topic, another thought simultaneously crossed my mind that instantly replaced my worries for Sasaki: Despite the sequence of events that everyone went through over this past spring, I cannot help but feel that our real mysteries and adventures are only beginning.
More Author's Notes:
I don't know how much I confused everyone by now, but I just thought I'd let everyone know that with each new chapter of "Haruhi GD," I will add one Journal Entry on my Author Profile Page that will explain additional obscure things that I did not cover otherwise. For example, you just witnessed the first appearance of an OC. My first entry will explain what made me decide to take this route! Well that's it for now. See you next time!