I couldn't sleep again that night. We'll at least my sister wasn't using up half the bed again, like some sort of parasite. How was a person so small able to use up 80% of a twin-size bed?

It was still blazingly hot. If the weather kept up like this, will Japan be a desert within the next decade? I remembered our trip last year to that mansion. Haruhi had made it rain that time. Scratch that, she made a typhoon hit that poor island. Was that having some sort of effect on the ecosystem?

Haruhi...

"Aaaagh," I spouted, grabbing my hair.

Why in the world can't I stop thinking about her?

Sure, I felt like an idiot. Plus, my cheek still ached. I reached up to touch it. Ouch! I could clearly say that was my first time getting slapped. I remembered when I sprained my ankle as a child. How I longed to feel that again. Anything but that constant stinging in my cheek.

That morning, my sister didn't have to use her super wake-up move.

How she dutifully follows mom's every command.

I felt like a zombie. I wouldn't be surprised if suddenly I felt the nagging urge for human brains. I heard pounding coming towards my room. Undoubtedly the racing of my sister. She entered my room and paused when she saw me awake. I slowly turned my head to her, feeling a creak in my neck when doing so, as if I were a dummy being controlled by a ventriloquist. She shrieked and quickly bolted out the room.

"Mom, Kyon-kun's sick," I heard her cry as she ran down the hall. Did I really look that bad? After convincing my mom I was alright, I finally left for school.

The walk to school was uneventful. When I made it to the hill, I paused. This was Taniguchi's cue. He never came.

God, is this your punishment to me? Must I endure that hill alone? Life could be so cruel.

I had to take a breather when I reached the top of the hill.

I have to still take P.E. today? They should extend a bit of sympathy for those who have to struggle with this commute every morning.

I entered the class just on time. The one day that I didn't have to wake up and I don't arrive early. My eyes instantly diverted to her seat. A girl was sitting there, looking out the window. The first thing I noticed was that her yellow ribbon was missing, and isn't her hair a little too long?

I felt my chest squeeze. What was happening now? It definitely wasn't Asakura. I sighed in relief knowing that at least. Still, she didn't look like Haruhi.

I don't think her hair would have grown that much in one day. Still, it wasn't as long as the first time I met her.

Now that I think of it, it seems this school has no qualms about length of hair. I took my usual seat, not taking my eyes off the mystery girl. She turned to me and smiled.

"You're late," the girl chirped. She was definitely not Haruhi. She looked similar, with the same color of hair and a similar build. Her eyes were not as dark however, and her complexion was noticeably lighter. How did that beautiful girl know me? No, the question should be, why was she sitting in Haruhi's seat? At least it wasn't Ryouko Asakura this time around. Having her try to kill me twice was enough. I shuttered at the thought.

"Who are you?" I asked. The girl looked stunned. She couldn't have looked any more surprised as I did, though. If she was stunned, I was as surprised as if I had just found out I was born a girl.

"You going crazy, Kyon?" she asked back. Maybe I was.

What kind of doctor do they use for this? Neurologist? Maybe Haruhi hit me harder than I thought, and I'm suffering for some sort of traumatic brain injury. Also, why was she talking to me so familiarly. I had never met her in my life. But most of all, why did this strange girl know that stupid nickname?

"It's Miwa. I've been sitting behind you since the beginning of the trimester."

No you haven't. That was Haruhi's seat yesterday.

"That's Haruhi's seat," I corrected her. For some reason, I knew she was going to think I was crazy. I wished I was. Maybe then there would be an explanation for all the weird stuff that's happened to me. Was there a white van waiting for me outside?

"Who's Haruhi?" she asked, perplexed. There probably wasn't a person within 100 kilometers who didn't know who Haruhi was.

"Haruhi Suzumiya," I explained. Miwa still looked at me as if I just announced I spoke to God. She quickly stood up and raised her hand.

"Sensei, I think Kyon's sick." I tried to retort, but couldn't find any words to say. The teacher looked over to me.

"Do you need to see the nurse?" I could only nod. I stood and walked out of the room, but I had no intention of seeing the nurse. There was only one place I had to go. Nagato-san's class was just down the hall. I had to confirm that everything was okay. I needed to get Haruhi back from wherever she was hiding, and kick that strange girl out from her seat. Still, there was a nagging part of my brain that told me she wouldn't be there.

I swung the door open, forgetting to knock. The teacher, in the middle of a lecture, halted and turned to me. My eyes scanned every seat of the class. She wasn't there. Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.

"Excuse me?" the teacher asked sternly. I briskly gave a light bow and stumbled off. I ran down the hall, stumbling along the way. Even though I already knew the answer, I had to make sure. Was this happening all over again?

His room was 2-9. I read all the plates on the wall. 2-1, 2-2, 2-3...2-8, then nothing but the wall. I ran down the hall again to confirm. As I thought, room 2-9 was missing. That meant Koizumi wasn't here. I felt my knees weaken. Koizumi was not here, Nagato-san wasn't in her class, and I did not know where to find Asahina-san. Right then, the bell rang, signaling lunch. That's right, there was still one more place to look for Nagato-san.

It was a long walk to the club. Well, at least it felt that way. When I reached the door, I looked at the plate above. It read "Literature Club." I had hoped that it read "SOS Brigade." I guess I'm just optimistic to a fault.

Optimistic, huh? I really have changed over the course of the year.

I swung the door open, not bothering to knock. It was recess now, so she had to be there. That's what I kept telling myself. Like I said, optimistic to a fault. The door opened. My eyes searched the left side of the room, then the right. Nobody was there. The room was empty.

I stepped inside and looked around. The room was barren albeit a table and chairs. The computers, Asahina-san's cosplay costumes, all of our board games--were gone.

I recalled back several months earlier when Haruhi suddenly vanished. When she left, Nagato-san was still there, though she was not the Yuki I remembered. Also, the computer, or in that case, an incredibly inferior computer, still existed in the room. This time however, there was no sign of brigade life before today.

I tried entering the computer study's room too, but it was locked. Now there have been many times when I've been confused, especially over the course of the past year, but this topped them all. All that I knew was I had to find Koizumi, Nagato-san and Asahina-san. Most of all though, I had to find Haruhi.

The last time this happened, I just had to gather the five of us into the club room. Did I have to do that again? I made it sound so easy. I didn't know about Nagato-san and Asahina-san, but I knew where to find Haruhi and Koizumi. My face fell into my hand. I can't believe I have to go through this again.

Since I was at the school anyway, I figured that I should at least find Nagato-san and Asahina-san. I ran to the main office, almost stumbling to all fours on the way. I finally made it and burst the door open. The lady behind the counter jumped upon my arrival.

I couldn't blame her. There I stood, gasping for breath as if I had just won a marathon, my eyes open wide. I probably looked like a dog with rabies.

"C-can I help you?" the lady asked timidly, taking a cautious step back.

I'm a high school student, not a rabid animal.

"Two students," I choked. The lady looked confused. I took a deep breath and calmed down.

"I need to know if two students attend this school." The lady looked even more stunned. Gratefully she didn't ask why. If I even tried to explain the situation, I don't even want to think of what would happen to me.

"Please?" I pleaded. The lady seemed to understand.

"I need to know if a third-year student and a second-year student attend the school." The lady began typing on her computer.

"The third year is Mikuru Asahina. The second-year is Yuki Nagato." The lady typed for a moment then paused.

"No such students attend the school." I felt a block of lead drop into my stomach. I felt myself grabbing the counter for support.

Was this your doing, Haruhi? No, last time it was Nagato-san's fault. But still, would either of you just faze two people out of existence? Wait, out of existence? Does that mean Haruhi never wished for them to be here? Then does that mean that Haruhi, too, may not exist? I felt a chill run down my spine, but quickly shook it off. That was impossible.

The last time this happened, Asahina-san and Nagata-san still attended this school, though they were 100% normal school students. Why then were they not here now? Surely, Haruhi had to be here. That's what I kept telling myself.

If she weren't here then she must be in that other school. What was it again? Kouyouen, I believe. I pushed myself up off the counter and rushed out from the room. Not only was Haruhi there, but Koizumi had to be there as well. I mean, he was there last time.

As I ran, I spotted a familiar face walking towards me. I came to a stop and walked up to him. It was Taniguchi, with an extremely perplexed look on his face.

"Yo, Kyon," he said as he approached me. "What's up with you, man? First, you bolt out from class and now you're running like you just robbed a bank." I took a moment to catch my breath and stood straight.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Things just came up. Can we talk later?" He looked confused, but gave a slight nod. I was about to continue running when I realized I had something to ask him. I turned back to him.

"Taniguchi," I started, "do you remember Haruhi Suzumiya?" His face seemed to darken for a moment, but he shook his head. At least it was worth a try, I thought, though my hopes fell by at least ten points. Taniguchi was about to say something else, but I quickly mumbled an apology and ran off. Sorry, Taniguchi.

I raced down the hall and out of the building. Kouyouen was down at the bottom of the hill, by the first station. I didn't believe I was doing this for a second time in only six months. As I ran, I tried to collect my thoughts.

Haruhi Suzumiya wasn't attending North High. Neither is Nagato-san and Asahina-san. Koizumi was not enrolled in the school either, but that was expected. This world was already vastly different from the world I entered six months ago. Still, it must have the one thing that connects all these worlds. That would be the events of four years ago. As long as that happened, then there still existed a link.

Yuki Nagato was an alien, or rather, created by aliens and was sent to earth to monitor Haruhi. Mikuru Asahina was a time traveler from the future. These two people were created by Haruhi. I remember Koizumi saying something about Nagato-san and Asahina-san being what they were because Haruhi wished for aliens and time travelers to exist. If Haruhi never wished it, then they would not exist. But then why did they exist in the alternate reality six months ago?

I pondered the question for a moment, whilst feeling my thighs and ankles begin to ache. Something about Nagato-san "resetting" the world to fix errors within herself. The whole situation was never fully clear to me.

For the two of them to not exist at all was what worried me the most, though. I hadn't given up on the idea that they could possibly be in different high schools altogether, but I wanted to save that as a last resort. Plus, it was extremely unlikely. I shuttered at the thought of searching all the high schools in this prefecture alone, let alone past that.

Finally, I made it to Kouyouen, deeply out of breath. I sluggishly walked to the front gate and waited. I thought about just walking in, but somebody from North High entering the school might lead to some unneeded controversy.

Haruhi, will you really be here this time? Good thing nobody was around, because I probably looked like a lost dog.

The wait seemed like forever, but finally the end of the day bell rang. Any moment, the students were going to come walking out from the school. Knowing Haruhi, she would be right there with them.

I doubt she would be in any clubs. To Haruhi, all clubs are boring and useless. Plus, she had never met me, so she probably never formed a club of her own. I pondered this as I waited for the students to come out.

Just then, a barrage of students walked out from the doors. They were scattered in groups, each probably gossiping or talking about after-school plans.

It seems a lot of people belong to the go home club these days. Actually, up to a year ago, I was one of them. Things have definitely changed over the past year.

Haruhi would be by herself. That's what I thought as I scanned the waves of deep-blue pouring out of the school and towards the game, where I was standing. Soon, the waves trickled down. I walked past the gate to have an easier time at examining each student. I really didn't have to, though—I would recognize her face anywhere.

Soon, all but a few students remained, and I was beginning to lose home. I was now frantic, trying to observe each student. Then, I saw one girl, walking on her own. Her hair was long, probably down to her lower back. Her eyes were piercing as they looked ahead, as if they the person did not care about whatever could be in her way. I sighed in relief. Still, she did look slightly different, but at this distance I could not tell why.

The girl turned to her left, walking towards a tree standing in the yard. I quickly jogged towards her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Haruhi," I said, sounding like a child who found his mother at the amusement park after they were separated. The girl turned her neck to face me, her light eyes looking at me sharply. This girl was not Haruhi.

"Get away from me," the girl spit, not giving me time to apologize. She brushed my hand away and continued to the tree, where a young man was sitting in wait. Haruhi never came. I felt all hope leave my body, and felt I was going to crash. Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I froze and turned slowly, like a ghost from one of those horror movies. When my eyes met that person's, I froze. That person was standing behind me.

"Are you lost?" that person asked. I took that moment to regain my composure and turn around completely. That person smiled contentedly. I felt as if a huge weight was torn from my body at an instant. If I were any less of a man, I would have burst into tears at that moment, for standing ahead of me was none other than Itsuki Koizumi.

"Koizumi," I said aloud, relieved. He looked at me with a perplexed look on his face.

"Do I know you?"

Well, yeah…I mean no…well, kind of. I decided to simply shake my head. This made him look even more perplexed.

"Then how do you know me?"

This could go on forever. I decided to just cut to the chase.

"Do you know where Haruhi is?" Koizumi cocked his head slightly. "Haruhi Suzumiya?" He shook his head.

Negative. Isn't that something Yuki Nagato would say in such a situation?

"Listen," I explained, "you don't know who I am. I know you, though and it's really important." Koizumi looked interested, though it was hard to tell through his smile. Could this guy just cut the façade? Even in this alternate reality, he was pissing me off.

I looked around. There were still a few students scattered about, though most were talking amongst their small groups of friends. I decided to discuss everything over a cup of tea.

"Do you have time?" I asked. Koizumi's smile widened slightly, but I could tell in his eyes that he was now extremely curious.

"Sure," he replied. Good thing he was the type of guy who agreed to almost everything.

The walk to the café was silent. At first, Koizumi was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with me and I found myself taking longer strides so that he was just behind me. I took the time to collect my thoughts about what I would say to him. Would I just tell him the whole truth of why I was here and about both he and Haruhi Suzumiya from my time?

When we arrived, we took a seat by the window. I ordered a cup of normal tea, not bothering to notice what he ordered. The streets outside were quiet, which strangely added to the already gloomy atmosphere.

"So what did you have to tell me?" Koizumi broke the silence. I turned to see his usually smiling face deadly serious.

Well where do I start? Let's see: there is this girl named Haruhi Suzumiya, and she is pretty much synonymous to a god, and you are part of an organization that monitors her and makes sure she does not get depressed, angry, jealous or bored. Oh, and you are also an Esper and you use your powers to fight giant monsters knows as Shinjin. Not to mention, we are also acquainted with a time-traveler and an artificial human created by aliens. It was a situation so amazing and ridiculous that only Haruhi could think of it.

In the end, I explained everything as calmly as I could. I explained his powers as an Esper, and how he had suddenly learned of his powers four years ago. I also explained the previous time I was thrown into an alternate timeline. He was quiet the entire time, and just soaking up everything I had to say. I had to give the guy credit. If I were him, I would be on my way to get a restraining order.

"And that's it," I concluded. He nodded quietly for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Suzumiya-san…" he began. I leaned forward. Did he actually remember something? His unusually normal face slowly curved back to a smile, "I would love to meet her. She sounds like an interesting person." I suddenly had the urge to jump the table and strangle him with his tie. After all that I had just told him, was that all he had to say?

Koizumi's face grew serious again.

"I'll believe you." I was stunned. Some guy he didn't know just told him that he was an Esper whose job was to watch over and amuse a girl he also didn't know, and he believed me.

"Have you ever heard of the Anthropic Principle?" he asked. He had explained this to me before.

"Yeah. Basically, the universe is only because humans observe it that way." Koizumi nodded.

"But that isn't all," he continued. I had to hear more? "One part of that belief suggests that there is only one universe. That means only one set of parameters. But if the universe is what we made it to be, then we can make our own predictions about said parameters. Our predictions of the parameters could alter them if necessary." Honestly, I wasn't exactly getting the point.

"What are you getting at?" Koizumi quietly took a sip of his tea and placed it down on the table. Until that moment, I had no idea my tea had even arrived. What he was saying then was that there was a single universe, but it had a set of rules?

"What if those 'parameters' could be removed?" I asked. Koizumi shook his head.

"Without the parameters in place, humans would not be able to live normally. As a species, we always strive for more. Still, however…we have a fear of the unknown." I was definitely confused. Koizumi attempted to explain in another way, "Humanity 'knows' that monsters don't exist. Now, if we all 'knew' that in fact, they did without a doubt, exist, then those parameters could change to make it possible."

I shook my head, "That's impossible. Monsters do not exist. They only exist in fairytales" Koizumi grinned the slightest bit.

"That is the idea. Humans will never grasp the idea that, maybe, the monsters from stories are real because we live in a world where logic governs all." He leaned forward slightly, "But what if humans begin viewing 'monsters' within reason? Ever wonder why there have suddenly been so many recent sightings of animals that should not exist, or thought to be extinct? One person claims to see Big Foot and then, suddenly, an outbreak of different sightings occurs…"

I hated to admit it, but he was beginning to make sense. But then, what about the fact that Nagato-san was an alien, Asahina-san was a time traveler and you were an Esper?

"Many people believe that aliens and such could exist," Koizumi continued. Was this guy able to read my mind? "Maybe that would explain why people claim to see the occasional UFO."

"Then what about Haruhi?" His face seemed to become even more serious than before.

"If Suzumiya-san were really a God as you proclaim, then it would not be out of the question if she, herself, could alter those parameters. If you think about it, the belief was already there—it just needed one last push to become fully-realized. Thus, aliens, time travelers and Espers exist 100%." He took another sip from his tea. I decided to follow and take a sip of my own. I grimaced when I tasted it. Though it was definitely more elegant than what I had at school, I greatly missed the softness and gentle flavor of Asahina-san's home-brewed tea.

"Then where are the aliens and such now?" I asked, finding a flaw in his words. As if catching me, he smiled again, or was it a jeer? I felt my fist clench from beneath the table.

"The theory continues," he said, all signs of humor once again leaving his face. "Another part of the theory claims that there may not be one, but an infinite number of universes, each with their own set of parameters and laws, and we live in the one that most supports our existence…" He paused for a moment, "…and maybe the universe you originally belonged to is in fact this one." I almost choked on my tea.

That was impossible. Up until this morning, everything was normal. In this universe I'm in now, Haruhi is nowhere to be found. At the very least, she had to be here. I mean, she was a normal person up until four years ago, right? I was extremely confused.

"It all started four years ago, am I right?" Koizumi asked. I would know, because I was there. That was one thing that I left out when explaining the situation to him. I didn't want things to sound more far-fetched than they already did.

"What if four years ago, Suzumiya-san did something that ultimately resulted in her creating her own alternate reality, and you were dragged into it?" Four years ago was when Haruhi drew the signs on the school.

"Then if I went into Haruhi's made-up universe, what happened to me here?" Koizumi shrugged, smiling again.

"You probably live life as a normal high school student, just as I am." According to him then, there were two of me living at the same time? I didn't even try to wrap my head around that one.

"But…" Koizumi continued, his face now deadly serious, "…if something happened four years ago that stops the event from happening, it would cause a paradox." A paradox? I had no idea what he meant. As if to answer my confused look, he continued, "Would that something alter Suzumiya-san's universe, the universe we're in now, or both of them? Once again, this is all a theory. Maybe, this is all some virtual-reality game and we are just characters on a screen." I coughed at the ridiculous statement. "It's a joke," Koizumi said, with the slightest laugh.

"But furthermore," he continued, once again serious, "what if the said event caused Suzumiya-san's universe to disappear entirely? Maybe last night as you slept, her universe simply crumbled away around you. Or even a third possibility could be that the something caused a new timeline to form entirely." As I tried to swallow what I was hearing, I realized an important detail he left out.

"If what you said were true and her 'universe' simply 'crumbled' away, then why am I the only one who remembers anything? You were there, too." Koizumi smiled again. Suddenly, the room felt quiet, and with it, I felt a lingering sense of fear in the back of my mind, which I had never felt before.

"By what you told me, I simply realized my 'powers' four years ago. Also, they were in fact a creation of Suzumiya-san. It would be natural that if her universe disappeared, so would everything she had created, including me and the other two. You, however, were just a normal student and not at all a creation of hers."

"Then why do other regular humans, like my classmates, have no recollection of anything?" Koizumi thought for a moment and shrugged, smiling.

"I cannot answer that one." Of course, I still had one more important question.

"Still, where is Haruhi?" Koizumi knitted his brow. "Even if there are two or three alternate worlds, they all share the same past. Wouldn't Haruhi have to exist then?" Koizumi nodded, followed with a sigh of relief from me.

"Without a doubt, Haruhi exists," Koizumi confirmed. He took a look down at his watch and then stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I must be leaving now." I nodded in agreement. We had been sitting in the café for quite a while, as it was already beginning to turn dark. He bowed and turned to walk away, when I stood up.

"Koizumi-san," I called after him. He turned around, a smile once again planted on his face. "Why did you believe me?"

"Four years ago, I felt something," he said. Felt something? Something as in what? "I don't know how to describe it, but it was a weird feeling, as if energy suddenly surged throughout my body." I was silent.

"It matches what you said about the event that happened four years ago." I nodded, suddenly feeling hope begin to swell within my body again. Maybe there was a chance after all.

"By the way…" Koizumi continued, "…what is your name?"

I forced a smile, "John Smith." Koizumi's smile widened ever-so-slightly. With that, he turned and walked away. I watched as he left the café. At least he raised my hope of finding Haruhi. Still, everything he said lingered fresh in my head. Alternate realities? Multiple universes? It was all too much to soak up all at once.

At that moment, the waitress came by and handed me the bill. I grimaced. I had to pay for him, too?

Immediately after paying, I left the café to begin the trek home. I needed time to ponder everything Koizumi had told me. Also, I couldn't function too much longer on no sleep.

When I made it near my house, I noticed the figure of a person standing in front of my house. Due to the light of the setting sun, it was only a silhouette, but I could definitely make out that it was a male.

Was it Koizumi? I didn't think that he would be able to find his way to my house. Then again, that guy was always very resourceful. As I approached, it became clear that it wasn't Koizumi, but Taniguchi, standing there in wait. I quickened my pace.

"Yo, Taniguchi," I called to him. He turned to me and waved as I approached him. When I was in front of him, I noticed he had a rather glum expression on his face, which was rather unlikely for him.

"What's up? Have you been waiting here for a while?" Taniguchi looked me in the eyes, and said the last thing I ever expected to say.

"Haruhi Suzumiya…" he began, "…did you know her?" I was flabbergasted. Hadn't he just said earlier that he never heard her name before?

I nodded, "Yeah, kind of." Yeah, I definitely knew her. Probably more than anyone else. Taniguchi simply nodded.

"Sorry for lying, man. I did know her. She attended East High with me. She was a kind of crazy girl."

Yeah, I know the whole story. You had already explained it to me twice.

"Like this one time she-"

"I've heard about it." Taniguchi nodded.

"I need to know one thing," I demanded, stepping closer. "Where is Haruhi Suzumiya now?" Taniguchi stepped back slightly and lowered his head the slightest bit, though keeping full eye-contact with me.

"She died…almost four years ago…"