Chapter 3.


The wind was bitter and fierce as I sat with Nagato on a snowy terrain in an indeterminable location. Part of me wanted to say that I hadn't moved at all from my spot on the bed, but that wasn't possible. It simply couldn't be. The universe does not work that way. It is not possible for a person to exist in two places at the same time. Then again, five minutes ago I would have said aliens didn't exist, so perhaps the universe is much larger than my memory or common sense is aware of.

The girl's—interface's—explanation made no sense. Lots of stuff about Data Integration Whatzahoozits, auto-evolution, and many big words only a pretentious child with access to a very large dictionary could ever possibly utter so casually. Somehow, the gist of it though stuck in my mind. Yellow Ribbons—Haruhi Suzumiya—was not a normal girl. I, Kyon, was a normal boy. Somehow, she and I, despite being complete opposites, were connected. I was, as the girl-alien-interface explained it, a key, although I think it makes much more sense to say to me that I was a trigger. Something about my existence meant something to Suzumiya, and a simple word or action on my part had "the potential to propel Haruhi Suzumiya into creating, destroying, or manipulating the data to suit her preferences." In other words, one wrong word from me and Suzumiya could press the button. Everything goes boom.

And so … I sat.

I had just been told something about myself I knew should not be true about any person. Memory or no, I still had some sense of the universe and its general properties, and this went very clearly against them. So, I sat, feeling the cold snow melting through my thin pants, making my skin burn. My hair stood on end as Nagato's gaze bore deeper into me than even the sharpest ice could, chilling my soul.

"No."

The word came out pleading. I said it again, trying to express my need to do something, not just sit idly by like a loser. It was too short, and didn't say what I wanted to say: "No, that was not my life. No, I was nothing more than a student, maybe an athlete or a musician or a novelist, but no, not anything so insanely weird."

But all I said was "No."

Somehow though, it was enough for this alien-interface-girl, whose words fluttered out like the breaths of a mountain climber: carefully measured and used only when needed. She wasn't the slightest bit ruffled: "There is no 'no' in the situation. There is only reality. You are the key to Suzumiya. I am an alien."

The snowy terrain broke down, and we were back in my bedroom. Asahina and Koizumi jumped slightly at our sudden return.

Nagato nodded to them. "And they are of similar positions."

It took me a minute to remember what she was talking about. The abruptness of our departure had briefly driven our scintillating conversation from my mind.

Koizumi smiled. "You don't trust us, Nagato?"

For a second, it appeared she didn't know how to reply. She may have even blinked. Then: "I believe you know from your own orders the reason for my actions."

I must have imagined the coyness behind Nagato's words.

Koizumi flashed a brief, genuinely surprised smile. "Ah, very true." He turned to me. "It is as she says, Kyon. In fact … "

He pulled out a flashing cell phone and hit a few buttons.

"Now, if you all wouldn't mind coming with me, I have a few tricks of my own to show you."

I should have run then and there; not kept walking hopelessly on through the streets, a windbreaker pulled tight around me as Nagato, Asahina and I followed Koizumi. These people were psychotic, crazy, maybe even dangerous. I was somewhat willing to believe that they were all pulled out of some third-rate science-fiction novel, as much as I hate it to be true. It would be better than the alternative. All this junk about me was ridiculous. Laughable. Absolutely impossible. It had to be.

But. . .

Didn't I suspect it? I had called myself Excalibur. They called me a key, but wasn't that what Excalibur really was? A key?

No. This was different. I had thought about it, but I hadn't really expected confirmation! Reality was something far more definite than safe little thoughts that aren't supposed to do anything except stir fear. I had thought it, maybe even known it deep down, but that wasn't the same as wanting it.

I had wanted to remember. But if this was the cost …

Well, I didn't anymore.

As if they sensed that the slightest wrong word might send me off my rocker, no one had attempted to speak to me since we left my house. Asahina, however, shuffling beside me, glanced my way every few steps, her eyes reflecting a struggle to make a decision of some sort.

"So, what are you?" My voice seemed overly loud in the quiet night. I was keenly aware that Koizumi and Nagato would be listening acutely.

She started, surprised that I had spoken. I almost couldn't believe it myself. Was I accepting this? No. I couldn't be. I was just curious.

"W—what?"

"You know. Alien, witch, ghost, demon, djinn …" I could hardly believe I was spouting this nonsense as if it were real.

"Oh, no! Nothing like that!" She waved her hands in a way that, if I had to admit it, was rather cute, and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. Her cheeks were red. I marveled at that, wondering why. "I'm just a time traveler!"

Just? Although considering the alien-robot-magician-interface-girl in front of me, perhaps 'just' was the word to use. She was still human after all.

"I see," I answered, even though I really didn't. Although … "Did you know this was going to happen?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"Um … that's … "

"That's what?"

"Nothing!" she shot back quickly. "No, I didn't. Honest! I mean, I know I'm from the future, but—"

Did she think I was accusing her?

"Relax! It was just a question. It was stupid of me to ask."

"No, not at all!" she replied, beaming. My heart fluttered a little. That smile reminded me of something, but I couldn't think what. Not to say that it wasn't a nice sight, but it didn't feel like the original. Like a replica Monet painting, almost. You'd never be able to tell the difference unless you had seen the real one, behind the velvet rope and glass. I shook the feeling off and she continued, "You have the right to ask, Kyon. It's not fair of us to throw this all down on you again."

"Again?"

She nodded, seeming somewhat ashamed. "When we first met, at the start of high school. Or, well, it'd be better to say when you first met Miss Suzumiya."

There it was again. "About that. I'm not really sure I'm what you guys are looking for—"

"Oh, but you are, Kyon! You don't remember, but you are. You're absolutely essential to Miss Suzumiya, to the entire universe. If you weren't, we wouldn't—"

She stopped, flustered.

"Wouldn't what?"

"That's classified." But she didn't sound so certain.

"Can't you even give me a hint?"

She shook her head. "You're already having difficulty understanding."

"Maybe this will help!"

"I don't want to hurt you with …" Asahina mumbled, lowering her head, hiding her eyes under a thick curtain of hair.

"With what?"

"With certain undesirable truths," Koizumi interrupted, having stopped in front of us at some point during the conversation. I hadn't even realized our little scouting party had come to a stop, but here we were, in a small park a good ten minutes from my house. "Ones I believe, if I can speak for Nagato and Asahina, none of us are entirely proud of."

He stretched out a hand, and strangely, I did not hesitate to take it, as if I already knew what it meant.

The world turned gray and empty before my eyes. No Nagato, no Asahina, no noise, no wind—nothing. Buildings surrounded us, cars were parked on the street, all the typical signs of civilization, but there was no life. Just Koizumi and I, standing on the same pavement with the same little initials carved into it by teenagers who couldn't let the poor cement just dry in peace.

"Closed space," he said simply, slowly letting go of my hand. I was tempted to say I thought Nagato's trick was more impressive, but I chose to give him the benefit of the doubt and ignored the place itself.

"So … you're a slider?"

"No, I'm afraid you're wrong. This is not another dimension, as much as it seems like one. I've lately taken a liking to my colleague's theory, which defines this place as a pocket of Suzumiya's mind. So, I suppose you could say it's no place at all."

"And that makes you … ?"

"An esper. At least, that's what we call ourselves."

Koizumi's little speech was cut short by a sudden, horrible sound of twisting metal and breaking rock that came from behind us, knocking me off my feet. I tumbled onto the cement. Before I even had a chance to cry out a warning or shout "What the hell?" in order to keep up appearances, Koizumi was gone, rocketing off the ground in a display of full power. Nothing more than a streak of fire, he launched himself at the Celestial—

Wait. How did I know that?

—slicing off its limbs left and right. If the arm and leg-shaped appendages on this creature of energy, light, and brutality could really be called limbs. Near the head, a group of similar red lights were spinning around like gnats. They seemed so intangible, so unreal. Yet I could hear the crashes, the bashing and gnashing sounds of destruction that struck the ears as particularly loud after the silence that had greeted us upon our entrance. Eventually the hulking figure collapsed just as the laws of physics predicted it would, spewing smoke and debris from its collision with the ground before it completely disappeared. Koizumi continued to fly around with another esper, theoretically conversing about some matter, and then slowly came back down and back to human form.

"I understand you're having difficulty realizing what you mean to Suzumiya," he said, smiling gently.

Another Celestial rose up behind him, arm up and ready to swing. Any potential note of caution I might have shouted was mysteriously lost on its way to my throat as I lay sprawled, dumbstruck, on the ground.

"Feel free to take this as your proof."

Even through my terror, I was filled with a sudden and burning desire to smack Koizumi as hard as I could.

Another chapter down. My beta has the next two, and six is written up, so expect update goodness relatively soon.
Major props to my beta! She is amazing. And thanks for all the reviews, guys! I really appreciate it. If anyone's got any questions, feel free to PM and ask. I won't spoil, but I'll certainly explain.

Until we meet again.