Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Ten: The Dreamer Wakes ~The Final Dream~

Friday morning. Kain wasn't in class…but there was an even more significant absence.

"Yuki-chan isn't here?" Luana remarked in surprise. "That's not normal, is it?"

"How…strange," Nodoka murmured. "Yuki-san…you never notice her, but…she's never missed class before…."

"Yuki knew the most about Kain-sensei!" Kanade hollered, jumping to her feet. "That means…something must be happening…or she's doing something!"

Without any spoken agreement, the class was emptied in several seconds. Luana stared after them, then smiled, shook her head, and followed at a much more leisurely pace.

8-8-8

('After Eva, I got to go adventuring with Lina, just like she always wanted, I bet, even if she was as much a stranger to me as all the rest of the girls. Gourry, Zelgadis, Xellos…and more I didn't know pitched in.

('…Oh, but Kanade and her sister Haruna knew me when I ended up in that world, although Erika, her brother, and the Tôgis all still didn't know me. Kaya was the same…semi-evil matriarch, trying to manipulate her children…and, yes, the Sendô family were still vampires. Something about me still made Kaya want to make me Erika's Servant. Speaking of, Rei wasn't here—I guess she couldn't be, because she had already been in the Eva world (although there were a couple repeats, I guess)—and there was some other girl who was Kaya's Servant. Anyway, by the time I was done, I learned some things that I hope will be of use in the real world whenever I make it back…things that might help me end this conflict between Kaya and her children….

('Ah, back to Kanade real fast. She and Haruna were almost sidenotes, but apparently in this scenario I had lived in whatever area this one took place in back years ago when I was child, and had been friends with the tiny tot Kanade and Haruna. Interestingly, Haruna was supposed to be my age, and Erika's age, too, and Kanade is one year our senior. Well, whatever. In any case, I just found it interesting that any of the girls finally remembered me…it was just a kind of warm feeling. Something silly, I know.

('In any case, I really hope these dreams do have some basis in 'reality' so I can solve the Sendô problem with this information. I thought about that more at my next stop, which was Yokohama. In this scenario, Kiami and Akari (and Hikaru) all stayed in Yokohama instead of going to Mahora, and I was at their school. And somehow, along with some other guys in my class—a Hayate Fuji, nice, quiet, dutiful kid, and a Delryn-look-alike, Thomas Searrs, who had a suspiciously familiar younger sister—I got roped into going to Akari's dôjô to learn martial arts. Akari told me back when I started learning from her that she'd take me to her masters if she could, and this time she got the opportunity. Specifically, her Krav Maga teacher was training Thomas, and the Jeet Kune Do master was training Hayate, and I got to be trained by Ogata-sensei in the art of jûjutsu. And when I say that I was trained, I mean it. I learned a lot about fighting over the past year, but without magic, in skill and all else, this guy was still my superior. If he's as strong as he is in real life, those masters are very, very impressive indeed.

('Let's see…then I was in the 1960s with Kaoru, taking on alien invaders with semi-magical 'Gate' powers. And, most recently, I had to share my body with a strange Phantom Thief after magical artwork as I attended school with the Harada twins. I really have seen most of the class by now.

('What world awaits me next, I wonder…?')

Kain woke up in a rather normal room again, and swiftly used a conjured script to get the bearing on his surroundings. Once again, he was of high school age—these dreams couldn't seem to make up their minds about how old he should be—and he was about to start his first day of high school.

It all seemed quite normal at first, even more so than the world where he had re-encountered Kazumi and her friends and the weird 'Guze' lifeforms. He had a friend from his old middle school and the almost stereotypical 'dork who thinks he's cool and a lady's man' who latched onto him immediately.

And a most unique neighbor sitting behind him.

After he introduced himself (enjoying making up weird stories about his 'American in Japan' status), the girl behind him rose upon the name of 'Haruhi Suzumiya' being called.

"I am Suzumiya Haruhi," the girl declared. "I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, espers or sliders, seek me out. That is all."

The words froze Kain. Of course, she sounded crazy, but that description was hauntingly familiar to the boy…he remembered another girl who spoke of being all four of those….

He glanced back at her. She was beautiful, he remarked immediately—he had been surrounded by appropriate female beauty for some time now, but he was the sort of boy who would and could always appreciate it. Her hair was long with a yellow ribbon at her forehead, and her expression was as cold and disdainful as her words…yet there was something almost frighteningly real about her….

A week passed without incident, so Kain was able to take the time to study this strange creature. She was beautiful, brilliant, outrageously gifted, and utterly unfriendly. Many girls tried warming up to her, but she rejected them out of hand. She paid no attention to boys, and would start changing into her gym clothes without care as soon as it was time for PE before the girls hurried the boys out—they were the same to her as germs, it seemed. She was outstanding in sports and joined many clubs, only to quit them immediately. She actually did accept dates from boys, however, but dumped them as soon as she ascertained that they had no 'special qualifications'.

Kain's 'new friend', Taniguchi, noted his interest and warned him off of her. He had gone to middle school with her and knew her quite well—at least, knew about all her eccentricities, including that propensity for harsh speed-dating and other strange behaviors. Taniguchi himself had once asked her out, he learned from other sources, and he held the record for fastest rejection, as she had dumped him before they had even gone out on their date. Kain couldn't get details on how, exactly, that had happened.

She had other strange points, too. She changed her hairstyle each day—on Monday, she had no ties in her hair, but she had a ponytail on Tuesday, pigtails on Wednesday, and added another tie each day until Friday. Monday she again showed up without any ties in her hair.

So strange was this creature that it completely distracted Kain from the single girl he had encountered thus far that he recognized—Ryoko Asakura was in this class.

Well, not that he was clueless and didn't realize it—in fact, Taniguchi was hung up on the girl, contrasting her perfection to Haruhi's eccentricities—but at the moment she was harmless. There was a strange feeling from Haruhi, something indefinable, but nothing that he could sense from Ryoko…she didn't feel like the Ryoko from his reality, a being of magic. Was she different, or was the dream disguising her somehow…?

As strange as she was, he rather hoped Haruhi was the key to this dream, and not Ryoko. He also hoped that, if Ryoko were here, it was Yuki's turn to make her presence known. The only members of his class he hadn't encountered, after all, were Yuki and Caria, and Yuki had previously been connected to Ryoko.

He watched and waited warily, and the first month went by without incident. Kain once again had a father and mother he never saw, but he did once again have a little sister…she was about seven years old, and was always with the parents if they were ever present, so that side of his life was carefully closed off. The school was obviously the focus of this scenario, and so far there was no magic or anything like that involved. There was just the strange girl.

The week after Golden Week, Tuesday morning before class started, he leaned back in his chair, turned to face the desk behind him, and asked the girl, "Tell me…do your varied hairstyles have something to do with your search for aliens?"

She glanced at him. There was something akin to surprise on her face—it was a different look than she had ever given anyone before. "Oh? When did you notice?"

"The second week, actually—twice is all you need to verify a pattern, and it's never failed. The same color ties each weekday, too."

"You're perceptive. It's just a way of communing with the cosmos, I guess you could say…each day has a specific number, and if you think about it, a different color is associated with each day of the week too, you know?"

"Hmm. There is actually some sense in that. So, why are you so hung up on aliens and the like and despise 'normal' humans?"

"Why, because they're far more interesting!" Haruhi exclaimed, showing far greater emotion than she had ever before demonstrated. "Normal life is as boring as hell, and I can't stand it! I can't be relegated to that kind of life! But I can't find any!" She put her chin in her hands and looked away sullenly. "I've looked all around this school…I thought it would be an interesting school, that it would have something about it that was worth my attention, but all the students are worthless, and all the clubs are lame. Even the mystery and occult clubs aren't any good, not into anything concrete or exciting. It's all such a drag." She glanced back at Kain and her eyes narrowed. "Hey…have I seen you before…? Outside of school, I mean? Have we met before coming here…? I swear you look familiar."

Kain smirked. "That's what you're going with? I'm rather used to recognizing girls who don't know me, but to have it happen in reverse like this…no, I'm sure I've never met you before we came to this high school, Suzumiya-san." He shrugged. "Let me express some sympathy over your bored condition. I kind of understand the feeling; normal life is boring. But I'm surprised you're just sitting around like that. If you think it's boring, can't you do something to change that yourself?"

Haruhi stared hard at him. Before she found a reply, or before he finally added onto his semi-rant, the teacher finally entered, and the class was forced to surrender its attention. But Haruhi stared at Kain's back all throughout the rest of the day….

8-8-8

As Kain entered the school grounds the next day, he was assaulted from behind. Specifically, someone grabbed his collar and hauled at him, stopping him dead. He glanced back at his assailant. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered as he sized up Haruhi Suzumiya. She had cut her hair, and now just wore her Monday ribbon in it.

"Your name's Kain, right!? I thought about what you said yesterday. It was brilliant! I can't believe I never thought of it! Come with me."

She turned and began to drag Kain off to another part of the campus, towards the old outer building which now housed the various clubs. Kain could have resisted, and easily, but in truth, he had been growing rather impatient waiting for something in this universe's status quo to change for some time now, and since it seemed he had sparked a new event, he had to go along with it.

"I'm going to form my own club!" Haruhi enthused. "That way, I can find the adventures I'm looking for!"

"That actually makes sense in a Suzumiya Haruhi kind of way," Kain remarked. "I assume you're dragging me along because you're going to force me to join your new club?"

"Of course! You weren't thinking of refusing, were you!?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare. But where are we going?"

"First we have to find a clubroom!" They had entered the building, and Haruhi picked out a door, whether by method or madness Kain couldn't tell. She threw the door open violently and, releasing Kain, stepped inside. "Well, this looks like a good one! This is now the clubroom for the club that I am making! I trust there are no problems with this?"

Classes should have been starting soon, but there was an occupant in the room. Kain was actually not surprised—in fact, was rather relieved—to see that it was Yuki Nagato…wearing her glasses, as she had for most of the year before the return from the magic world. She was sitting in the back of this room, which had nothing but two tables, a desk, some chairs, and bookcases lining both side walls. She looked up at the invaders with her doll-like expressionless face. She nodded and looked back down at her book.

"You're just going to take over this girl's room?" Kain asked the crazed megalomaniac carefully.

"I've already researched this yesterday," Haruhi explained. "That's why I didn't start this then. This club is semi-official, the Literary Research Club, but it has no other members but this girl—they all graduated. Officially, a club needs five members to be recognized and receive any room or funding, so this is easy pickings! So, we have a room and three members!"

"Three…her, too, huh?" Kain muttered with a resigned smile. "So what kind of club is this, anyway?"

"Now, there's still so much to do! We've got the room, so I'll go get everything else we need!" And she ran off.

Kain stared after her. "That girl would fit in my class too well," he remarked. Then he turned back to Yuki and studied her carefully. She was reading her book in a measured, robotic manner. Well, none of them had been too much different from how he remembered them, but what would that mean for Yuki…?

"Sorry about this…it seems you've been drawn into something troublesome," he said finally.

"It's all right," Yuki replied in her neutral voice. "It is as Suzumiya-san said. I am the only member of this club, so it isn't official."

"Is that so…? Ah, where are my manners? I'm Kain Lockeheart."

"Nagato Yuki. Freshman."

An easy reply, and nothing else, as Kain could have expected. Even if he felt comforted once again being in the presence of someone he recognized, there was definitely an awkward feeling present with Yuki…it was nigh-impossible to have a conversation with a girl like her, after all.

"Maybe I should read a book, too," Kain remarked aloud. "Well, we should all be in class, but I know that if Haruhi finds that I've left, she'll assume I'm a traitor and try to punish me or something. Besides, I don't need it, probably no more than you do." He wandered over to a bookshelf. "So, what to read…?"

"Here." He turned in surprise to Yuki, who closed her book and stood, then handed it over to him. "Read this."

Kain took it carefully. "Oh? Weren't you reading it?"

"Yes, but you need it more now."

"…Ah? Is it good?"

"Unique. Try to finish up through page 268 by tonight."

And Yuki wandered to the door, opened it, and left.

Kain stared after her, gears in his mind churning. "Huh…page 268? Why?" He opened it to that page…and saw a bookmark therein, with a message, a time in the evening and bus stop location to meet. He smiled. "Interesting…so who are you, Yuki Nagato…?"

"I'm back!" Haruhi burst inside. Then she looked around in surprise. "Huh? Where'd the girl go? Did you do something perverted and drive her off?"

"Perish the thought," Kain muttered. "I'm sure she went back to class, which is where we should be going, too…."

"Hmm…I guess you're right. It would be hard on our club if our first members were made out to be delinquents. In any case, I've got it started!" She had an armband and a marker, along with other paraphernalia Kain didn't pay attention to, and wandered over to the desk, where she set the armband down and began to write on its surface: 'Buchô' or club president. "So begins the SOS Brigade!"

"…The what?"

"The Save the world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya brigade!" Haruhi declared triumphantly.

(In fact, the name is complicated Japanese words translated to English acronyms and makes almost no sense however it's translated, but that name is stupid enough to properly represent just how insane the girl and her idea is. Narrator aside ended).

Kain sighed, but he followed it with his usual resigned smile. "Well, whatever. Let's worry about all that after class, shall we? I'm sure the great Suzumiya Haruhi can wait that long…."

8-8-8

That evening, Kain went to the directed bus stop. Yuki Nagato was at the bench there, waiting for him.

"Nagato-san," he greeted her. "So, you wanted to meet me?"

Yuki rose and turned away. "I must discuss something with you. Something that cannot be discussed at school." She pointed. "My apartment."

He looked at it—a rich high-rise apartment complex, in the wealthy portion of town. "Fine. Lead on."

She led him to the apartment, and took him up to her room. Inside, it was entirely barren from all appearances. In the front room, there was nothing but a single low Japanese table.

"Somehow, about what I'd expect," Kain muttered.

She instructed him to sit and wait, and returned with a cup and a tea kettle, and poured out tea, then pushed it forward towards him. He took the cup with thanks and took a sip. "Well, then," he said, finally, then smiled. "It's good to see you again, Yuki. Can we talk normally now?"

Yuki nodded, still as neutral and unemotional as always. "I didn't feel anything from Ryoko Asakura," he remarked. "But you…it's the same I felt when I was absorbing that magic. The same essence I sensed inside Cosmo Entelecheia. I don't know how, I don't know why you're here, but I know that you are 'my' Yuki Nagato. My 'father' at NERV was just some kind of dream error or something, but…you're my Yuki from Mahora. Am I right?"

Yuki nodded. "Yes. I was able to use the data for this conceptual entity to enter this space so that I could meet with you."

"Use it…so, if you hadn't come to see me, I would still be dealing with 'a' Yuki Nagato, right?"

"Yes. These worlds that you have entered are not, strictly speaking, dreams. They are semi-real copies of realities that exist in the planes between the universes. The world of your birth is an exceedingly rare reality, a 'nexus-world' where many concepts and significant souls gather. The hypothesis of 'alternate realities' is true, to an extent, as is the plurality of universes. All of these 'dreams' are copies of other worlds."

"I think I get it. That's why I keep seeing people I know…whatever has done this to me has been getting information from my mind, and finding alternate worlds where these people exist, and having me 'dream' these worlds. But why?"

"The entity responsible is a demonic parasite that feeds on dreams. It drains the willpower of those it entraps, until they die. However, your will and your magical power are great enough that it cannot penetrate your essence, even with all these dreams. It is trying different avenues, different methods to entice you to lower your guard and give in to your desires so that it might penetrate to your core."

Kain considered this. "But…really, I've been doing just about whatever I wanted, even if it messes up the dream. That's not giving in to my 'desires'?"

"Simply acting as you will is not enough. It is the surrendering of your will to the concept that you may act without remorse, because it is a dream, surrendering the convictions of your soul. It is because of that need that the members of our class, the girls close to your heart, have formed the primary basis for the foundation of these worlds."

Kain stared at her. He rolled Yuki's cryptic statement over in his mind. "Wait…convictions…those…you mean…? Oh." He sipped at his tea thoughtfully. "Hmm…I guess I get it. Very weird, roundabout way to say it. That's all it would take, really? …But I guess I kind of get it anyway. Don't want to think about that anymore. Let's move on. Is there a way out?"

"I am exploring possibilities," Yuki replied. "But at present my help is limited. I have already strayed close to the edge of the allowed deviance from my programming."

"Really? Explain, if you can."

"To explain, I must now assume the mantle of this 'Nagato Yuki'. In this reality, I am, in the language of Suzumiya Haruhi, an alien. I am a humanoid interface created by the Data Integration Thought Entity to observe a particular human individual: Suzumiya Haruhi.

"The Data Integration Thought Entity is a collection of bodiless intelligences that sprang from the seas of information at the creation of this universe. However, they are locked in a period of stagnation and non-evolution. Eventually, however, three years ago, according to the reckoning of this world, they detected an enormous explosion of data, data that could herald a possibility of evolution, even for them. The origin of this data explosion was this planet; it came from the girl, Suzumiya Haruhi. The Data Integration Thought Entity understood that this girl represents both a possibility and a threat, and so they dispatched humanoid interfaces to this planet to observe her and collect data."

Kain nodded. "Okay. That's you, or the Nagato Yuki in this world. Asakura Ryoko, too, I imagine? I'll have to watch out for her. So under that 'mantle', you have taken the place of this 'conceptual entity', you called it…so you actually do have to follow the orders of this D.I.T.E., we'll call it for short, so if you stray too far from what you're supposed to be or do, they can probably erase you, right?" Yuki nodded. "That's fine. So Haruhi really has something special about her…she's the key to this 'dream' even if you're the one I know. That's good to know. Tell me, if you can, one more thing…is there a way out of this?"

"There will be a chance," Yuki agreed. "Suzumiya Haruhi possesses power to alter data at a universal level—in normal human terms, you could deem her a god. Other observers will further explain this to you in a more understandable fashion. But as she alters reality in this world, she will at some point inadvertently make this world border the place where the demonic entity controls us. You must wait and watch for that point…and you must have a power that can sever the walls between reality and dreams."

Kain was silent for several moments, thinking. "Thank you. That should be enough. Thank you very much for your help." He bowed, then stopped. "I think we're forgetting one thing, though. I am, at least. You say Haruhi has this power…to alter reality…and she's obsessed with exciting life. Why doesn't she just summon aliens and the rest if she has godlike power?"

"Suzumiya Haruhi is unaware of her power," Yuki replied. "If she exercises it, it is subconsciously. The…D.I.T.E. is split in its opinions towards her. Some wish to make her aware of her power, but the majority believe it is dangerous and simply wish to observe her and collect data."

"Huh. That makes things interesting." Kain finished his tea and rose to his feet. "That gives me lots to think about…lots and lots to think about. Thanks a lot, Yuki. I'll try not to bother you or your, uh, cover more than necessary…I should just treat you as an alien right now, and not a magical entity?" He smiled, and Yuki nodded. Kain then saw himself out.

He walked into the street, but glanced back at the apartment. He remembered his father at NERV…saying how, if he were the real Kalan Lockeheart, he would cut through the walls of the dream in an instant. Yes, that dream sword was just the power he needed….

"But if Dad could help me, he already would have," Kain muttered. "There's no way for me to call him. I need another power like that…a power that cuts the boundaries between realities…maybe…." He shook his head and started away. "Well, I'm close now…I can feel it. Close to the end of the dream….

8-8-8

The next day Haruhi kidnapped a new member for the club: second-year student Mikuru Asahina, who had a cute face but a very impressive bust, one even larger than Haruhi's, a fact the girl noted with a combination of frustration and admiration while groping the girl. Kain did his best to put a stop to that, but afterwards Haruhi insisted the girl was necessary because of her 'moe' (pronounced moh-ay) characteristics. Mikuru was part of the Calligraphy Club, which Haruhi told her to drop, and the shocked Mikuru, after noticing Yuki in the room, ceased any protestations she might have had and meekly agreed to comply. Haruhi then decided that the first order of business was to dress Mikuru up like a maid—right in front of Kain, who was forced to evict himself from the room.

Haruhi's next tyrannical act of evil was to take Mikuru next door to the computer club, where, long story short, she used Mikuru to threaten the boys there with a sexual harassment charge in order to abscond with their best computer. ('If this wasn't a dream, I'd definitely object quite a bit more strongly to this,') Kain thought. ('In fact, if I wasn't close to the end of the dream I might actually try a little to put this girl in her place, but…this world, according to what Yuki said and with other thoughts I've got, might be the closest to the wall of reality, at least from my point of view. Getting in the way of the world's ignorant god could end it prematurely, and I'm not sure I would be any better off in a new dream. So….

('In other words, I'm being pretty selfish. Good thing this is just a dream.')

The next week, as Haruhi did more crazy stunts and made plans for the club, a new exchange student entered the school, and Haruhi immediately abducted this new young man and dragged him to the club. Itsuki Koizumi, after carefully observing the room and its occupants with a deceivingly stupid smile on his face, simply said, "I understand. I am happy to join your club, Suzumiya-san."

('If I didn't already have a grasp of this situation, I'd find that oddly suspicious,') Kain thought.

The next Saturday, Haruhi decided it was time to engage in the SOS Brigade's first club activity: they would split into two groups and scour the city for 'mysterious, cool things, people, places, or events'. As obscure as any other description she gave, it was obvious she hoped some mystery or supernatural event would occur. She used the drawing of lots to determine the teams, and was obviously steamed when Kain and Mikuru were paired together and she was stuck with Koizumi and Yuki.

('Well, any other red-blooded teenage male who wasn't obviously stuck in a weird evil dream would think of this as a wonderfully-provided mandatory date,') Kain thought.

"And remember, it's not a date!" Haruhi seethed as they parted. "You better take this seriously, or there will be penalties! We meet up here again for lunch at one o'clock!"

After the other group had departed, Mikuru turned to her escort and said, "Kain…can I talk to you about something…privately? This…is serious…."

She led him to a rather deserted park and sat at a bench facing the road, and Kain joined her. He waited patiently for her to find her voice. And, after some hesitation but now with none of her usual shy and fearful nature, she began to explain her background: "I am not a normal human from this time-plane. In fact, I am a time traveler from the future.

"I cannot say specifically which time-plane I come from, because that is classified information. I can only say that we possess the technology to travel freely between time-planes. You see…."

She went into a detailed and sophisticated description of the attributes of time compared to common perception of the matter, which Kain was easily able to follow, due to his own adventures with time travel earlier. In fact, he probably understood a bit more about it than Mikuru did, due to the ways he had been exposed to the phenomenon and how Milleko had described its nature.

She finally concluded her description, and elucidated: "But, three years ago…that is, three years relative to this time-plane…we became unable to travel further back in time. That is, three years from the past of this time, there is a kind of temporal wall that is preventing us from traveling any further back. This kind of event had never happened before, and was naturally a cause of great concern. We researched it as best we could, and finally came to a conclusion that this had happened because of one person: Suzumiya Haruhi. She is the cause of this time-block, and seems not to be aware of it herself, but somehow, she is the cause. Therefore, I have been dispatched as an agent to observe her and find out the truth of the matter." She finally stopped her narrative and looked carefully at Kain's neutral face. Her look became almost one of panic and she began, "I'm sorry, you might not believe…."

"Oh, there's no need to worry," Kain said. "Actually, I understand and believe you fully. I'm just curious as to why you felt the need to tell this all to me."

Mikuru seemed genuinely surprised. "Why, because you're the one Suzumiya-san has chosen! You have somehow become an important person to her, even though you're normal. There…is significance in that…."

('I'm not nearly as normal as you think, of course. I'm just supposed to be, according to this scenario.') "I see. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. It certainly goes along with what I already know. In fact, your confession here helped more than you could possibly know." He smiled at her.

This took Mikuru aback, and she began to sputter and search for a response, but Kain rose from the bench. "In any case, we should…I'm not sure, there's nothing really 'productive' we can do that would satisfy Haruhi's insane expectations, but we can start trying to come up with reasonable excuses for coming back empty-handed. Not to worry—I won't use what you told me as information for Haruhi. Your secret is quite safe with me."

8-8-8

Naturally, Haruhi was in a bad mood when they reunited for lunch—partially because Kain and Mikuru didn't find anything extraordinary and, although she was loathe to admit it, because she had likewise ended up empty-handed. After lunch, she was again displeased when Kain was again paired alone with Yuki, and this time Kain took Yuki to a library to let her read to her heart's desire for the afternoon. Yuki knew nothing about the institution, and Kain had to help her get a library card and rent out the books she had latched onto, but at least it was peaceful. It also allowed him to come up with an excuse that he had gone to the library to try to research the town's history, to try to find any mysterious buildings or events with inexplicable happenings—naturally, such a search had, alas, proved fruitless.

His excuse did somewhat placate Haruhi, and after some grumbling and a continued foul mood, she recovered quickly and noted that great feats were not accomplished in a single day…that this was just a start.

The next week, as they gathered after school for their makeshift club, Haruhi took Mikuru and Yuki off to do some strange girl-event that had gotten into her head and which Kain specifically tried not to think about, leaving him alone with Itsuki. After the girls had departed, he turned to the young man and said, "Well, I suppose it's your turn to speak to me about your circumstances?"

Itsuki turned his fake-idiot's smile on Kain, appearing quizzical, but it dropped suddenly and became a more calculating grin. "Indeed. Now would be an excellent time. Won't you take a walk with me, Kain-kun?"

He took him to an outdoor café and they sat down for tea, or in Koizumi's case, coffee. "Now, about my… 'circumstances', as you so aptly put it. I, as you might have guessed, am not an ordinary human. I am, in fact, an esper. Alas, not an exciting one; I have powers that can only be released at certain times and in certain conditions. Truthfully, I didn't even want to tell you this, not so early; but since Nagato and Asahina have already made contact with you, I suppose it's necessary that I initiate contact as well.

"Regardless, I was not born an esper. I acquired my powers at a certain time…three years ago."

('Three years. It might not actually mean anything to me in the long run, but I can't help but be curious about this mysterious event of three years ago when all of this 'started'….')

"There are a number of espers like me, a whole Agency, and that, for all intents and purposes, is our name. We all awoke to our powers, understanding them fully, and we also knew and understood instinctively who was the cause of this awakening: Suzumiya Haruhi-san. Since then, we formed together, built up this Agency, and have taken to watching her.

"You see, Suzumiya Haruhi-san is the root behind all of this. She lured aliens and time-travelers here, and even created espers. She has fundamentally altered the way this world works. There's only one way to describe such a being: 'God'."

"Ah. I see. Rather than just saying, 'She has godlike powers to alter reality', you mean, she is essentially the 'God' of this world, right?"

"Yes. That is correct. She is unaware of her power, but she can even destroy this reality and recreate a new one if she deems fit. All of this is according to her whim. Therefore, our Agency is devoting its resources to attempting to keep the keep the Goddess placated. Are you familiar with the Anthropomorphic Principle?"

"Oh, I love that one: the world only exists because beings with reason, humanity, are able to observe it. If humanity did not exist, the world would not exist. Scientists may say snarky things about religionists placing too much value in humanity, but that theory…I apologize. I assume you subscribe to it?"

Itsuki still smiled. "Well, yes…after a fashion. Does this world exist because humanity perceives it…or because one person perceives it? Our theory is that the universe is not billions of years old, but only three years old. This world is nothing but Suzumiya Haruhi-san's dream. And that is why she is able to alter it so easily, adjust it all to her whims, and might not even be aware. For a person who is dreaming, all such is child's play."

Kain sipped his tea. This line of thought struck an entirely different chord in Kain that Itsuki probably intended, but he shoved it aside for now. "Well…I've been thinking about this, but you're choosing a really stupid way to go about it, really. Haruhi desires 'excitement' in her life, mostly in the form of things that can't exist in a 'normal' world." ('In some ways, I'm a horrible person for this role, because my entire life has been part of an 'exciting' hidden world far removed from this 'normality' she so loathes.') "Her subconscious godhood has caused events that brought aliens and time travelers and espers to her doorstep, right where she wants them, and yet they are all keeping themselves hidden from her. That, in my mind, seems pretty self-damning; if she doesn't find what she likes, might she not 'rewrite' this whole world anyway, and then all your secretive supernatural presences will go to waste? If she is just dreaming this, and you're a part of her dream, then wouldn't you want to encourage her to keep dreaming about you?"

"Well, I can't say that point of view hasn't been discussed among us," Itsuki replied. "But you see, the higher-ups mostly believe that it would be dangerous to make Suzumiya-san aware of her powers, or even aware of our presence. The proverb says, 'Let sleeping dragons lie', and that's the best wisdom in this case. If we did reveal ourselves to Suzumiya-san, that might only excite her more, and cause her to create or bring in a greater number and variety of supernatural forces. So we're doing our best to maintain the status quo. We are also working on her mood in other ways I can't describe at the moment, but rest assured, we're handling it as we deem best. Even in the small ways—I certainly didn't wish to suddenly transfer to this school at this time of the year, but Suzumiya-san strongly desired a 'mysterious transfer student', and so here I am."

"So matter of fact," Kain muttered. "Well, I assume that you are telling me this because you believe that I am a normal human that has attracted Haruhi's attention, and you wish to use me as a lynchpin to manipulate her because I have influence over her. Is that correct?"

Koizumi smiled. "Yes…but that was an interesting comment. Your words and tone suggest that you are not as normal as I would believe…."

"You are sharp. Maybe I'll tell you about it someday. But not today. I'm still trying to find my own way out." Kain rose. "I think you for your time, Koizumi. We should return to the clubroom now, though, because I'm sure her highness will be irate if she returns and finds we didn't wait for her."

8-8-8

Over the next few weeks, although he didn't need it, Kain was given convincing evidence of the claims of the other three SOS Brigade members. First, Ryoko Asakura called Kain out to an empty classroom, alone, and, to no surprise of Kain's, revealed herself as another humanoid interface of the D.I.T.E. and declared that she and her faction wanted to force a reaction from Haruhi…by killing Kain, whom Haruhi was close to. Kain fended the alien-girl off easily even before Yuki showed up to defend him and erased her colleague.

Next, Mikuru Asahina met with Kain…but a Mikuru from the further future, several years older. She left Kain a couple of warnings—to remember the fairy tale 'Snow White' if he found himself in great danger, and to not get too close to the 'younger' Mikuru.

And, finally, and most interesting to Kain, Itsuki decided the time was right to demonstrate his powers to Kain. Haruhi had been growing irritable that their attempts to find mysterious events were proving fruitless, and even Kain's attempts to placate her were growing less and less successful. Finally, Itsuki met Kain on his way 'home' from school, hailed a taxi, and bade Kain go with him. They went downtown and left the car, then started walking towards some high-rise buildings…and Kain felt the prickling before they entered it. Something was off about the world around him. Itsuki noticed his hesitation, but took his hand and insisted he close his eyes. Then, in the middle of crossing the street, they entered the prickling sensation he felt and he opened his eyes to see the world changed. A dark cloud of mysterious power obscured the sky and highlighted the world in odd colors, rather similar to the 'fuzetsu' barriers he had experienced in the world of the Guze. The frozen world had no people in it…just, as Itsuki showed Kain, a monstrous shimmering energy-like aiju, destroying the empty city.

"This is a 'Closed Space' between worlds." Itsuki glanced at Kain. "You don't seem very surprised."

"No…sorry, but sometimes I'm horrible for these roles I keep getting thrust into. The 'supernatural' isn't nearly as abnormal for me as all you dream people think it should be." He pointed at the giant. "But I should know. What is that?"

"We call it a Titan. It is a manifestation of Suzumiya Haruhi-san's frustrations. You see, this Closed Space is a 5 km radius dome that is essentially a mental 'copy' of the city, or a part of it, created by Suzumiya-san. Sensing its presence and entering it is one of my powers, as is sensing her moods—and this Closed Space, and the Titans, are created when those frustrations reach the boiling point. In ways, it's somewhat remarkably therapeutic, don't you think? Subconsciously creating a fake world where she can vent her anger by destroying things that make no difference?"

"Remarkably reasonable, considering the absurdity that she is essentially an ignorant god, creating beings she wants to meet and yet can't meet," Kain returned. "But you just let the things go like that?"

"Well, no. It is true that, although the damage in this world does not correspond to the real world, if we let it go, the Closed Space will expand." Red lights began to appear around the Titan, flashing around it and apparently fighting it. "I'll join my comrades in a moment…but there is one more concern, which is why I've brought you here. You are undoubtedly a normal human being, but you were chosen by Suzumiya-san and brought into the SOS Brigade because she wished it. You put it into her head to create this club, and as a result, the three organizations she inadvertently created that are watching her were thrown together into a kind of controlled chaos. This entire world is on the brink of chaos, because Suzumiya-san is beginning to think of the world as boring…and that thought is frightening. If she wishes, she could very well, as you suggested, destroy this world and recreate it into something more suiting of her whims. Such is the terror of an incomplete god in infancy. You must do your part to try and keep her from becoming bored…for your sake, too. But now, I should go join my fellows. This is why we have our powers, after all." And Itsuki turned into a red light himself and flew out towards the Titan. The attacks were having an effect, and it began to fall to pieces.

After the work was done, Itsuki returned to Kain and released him from the Closed Space, then took him home. Kain had plenty to think about that evening, but likely not what Itsuki suspected.

('The one in the 'dream' is me, although Yuki suggested all these worlds have 'real' equivalents somewhere out in the planes of reality…these are all different 'Reality Spheres', copies of those worlds just like that Closed Space was a copy of a piece of this world. All these things…in some ways, I've been caught up in them. There is always a story, a threat, a significance in the world. It's amusing…even in dreams, I can't escape into a normal life that chafes Haruhi. Yes, they are all interesting…but I need to get back to my world, to my reality. There's still so much to do there.

('But that Closed Space…I could feel the walls were thinner there. Maybe…if I were there again…I could find a way to breach it…and break out, once and for all….')

8-8-8

He didn't have to wait long. Haruhi's mood continued to worsen, and she even described something that happened three years ago to Kain, likely the mysterious source of 'the beginning': she had been taken to a baseball game by her father, and with forty thousand people in the stands she was overwhelmed. She was even more overwhelmed to find the number was only that small, and since the world had almost 200,000 times that number of inhabitants; it was just the smallest drop in the bucket of humanity. And she was just one tiny person in that mess. That was the event that seemed to be her trigger, to make her long for something that would prove that she was special, not just another one of those numbers. How ironic, how tragic, that she was ignorant of the fact that she possessed qualities that made her, in this world, far more important than any of them.

But then Saturday morning Kain awoke to an insistent voice calling his name.

He awoke and sat up. He was in his school uniform, lying on the ground in the middle of the school's courtyard. Haruhi was kneeling over him. A quick glance around showed that they were at the school…but in a Closed Space. "Interesting," he murmured. He turned to Haruhi. "But why are you here?"

"What? What are you talking about!?"

"I'm just wondering if I'm in your dream, or you're in my dream," he joked.

"As if! If one of us is a dream, it's definitely you! Now stop talking nonsense and help me figure this out. There's got to be a way out of this weird place…."

There wasn't. The walls of the 'Closed Space' prevented them from leaving the school grounds. The doors to the school were unlocked, and after their initial attempts to flee failed, Haruhi dragged Kain to her refuge, the SOS Brigade clubroom.

Kain set out tea for Haruhi to help calm her down. "It's a mystery, but at least we're together," he told her. "I know I'm not much comfort, but it's always better to have someone in circumstances like this than to be alone; wouldn't you agree?"

Haruhi was silent a moment. "Yes… a mystery," she murmured. Then she suddenly bolted upright and headed for the door. "I'm going to take one last look around!"

Kain watched her go. Then he turned to the computer, which was making noise. It had refused to turn on earlier, but he found its screen active with a kind of DOS screen. Then text typed itself out:

'Y.N.: Kain-sensei?'

Kain stared at it, then typed out himself:

'Here, Yuki. You've connected with this Closed Space?'

'Y.N.: Yes. Only those who are 'Special' to Suzumiya are aware of what is happening. The event feared by Koizumi and his Agency has come to pass. They are panicking. There are still means to prevent the rewriting of the world—normally, my action would be to tell you to remember the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty. But that doesn't matter now.

'Y.N.: You are as close as you will ever be to escaping from that dream. The demon has trapped itself in a situation where you are outside of the dream's normal reach and abnormally close to it. You can escape, but you must find a means of breaking even that thin wall. There is a way, but I am prevented from telling you. Only alerting you of the fact.'

'Thank you, Yuki. I think I understand…I know what to do. I will see you all again very soon.'

'Y.N.: Best of luck, Kain-sensei.' And the screen went dead.

Kain stared at it a moment longer, then Haruhi burst back into the room, excited and chattering. "Something amazing is happening, Kain! Come see!" And she hurried out; Kain followed after her.

The clamoring girls burst into Kain's room. Sure enough, there was Yuki, standing over Kain's bed, staring down at him. "Yuki-chan! What's happening!? What's going on with Kain-sensei!? Are you doing something to help him!?"

Yuki turned back to them with her blank expression. "It is almost time," she murmured.

8-8-8

They rushed outside. A Titan was tearing apart the school. Haruhi, rather than scared, was delighted. Here was something exciting happening, right in front of her!

Kain considered this. ('This is how the scene is supposed to play out…Haruhi has grown too frustrated, and is going to recreate the world with her 'chosen', me, sliding into the role…a new Adam and Eve, as it were. The hero would have to choose to let it happen, or desperately come up with a way of placating the ignorant Haruhi and convincing her to not give up on this world. 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty'…yeah, fairy tales have a tried-and-true way to finish the story….

('But that's not my place here. It's time for me to get out of this trap. I wonder…when she first introduced herself, those months ago…did she know about this? Did she call herself that, just to make me think of her at this moment, to understand what I needed to do? Somehow…I know the answer is….')

"Haruhi." Haruhi, surprised, turned to Kain. He took her arms, just under her shoulders, not unkindly. "Sorry about this. Normally, you'd have some sort of great future to look forward to, full of excitement and mystery like you crave, but I don't belong to it. I don't belong here. This isn't my story. So I have to go. It's actually been kind of fun…just try to be better behaved, okay? Not that you'll know me or remember any of this at all…."

"Huh? Kain? What the hell are you talking about…?"

Kain released her and turned away. He stared up at the empty sky out of instinct…even as the giant took note of the pair and started moving toward them, bringing a hand down to crush them….

"Sanada Sakura…no, Sakura Johnson, traveler of time and space! If you can hear my voice at this time, in this place, please…come to my aid!"

He released an instinctive burst of energy, an unrefined spell of nothing, a kind of magical flare for positioning. He didn't know if it was necessary or not…he wasn't sure his words reached anything…but there was a response.

A blade of nothingness came sweeping down, slashing right next to Haruhi and blowing away the Titan in dramatic fashion.

Kain smiled and turned around to look at her. "Long time no see, Sakura."

"Kain-sensei." Sakura, dressed in her haori and shihakushô, turned to him and smiled back. "It took you long enough. I was waiting for you to call for me."

"Sorry…I was a little afraid. I'd look pretty dumb if I called and you didn't answer."

"You're concerned about looking dumb inside a dream? How cute."

"H-hey!" Haruhi insisted. "W-what the hell is this? W-who the hell are you!? Explain what this is about!"

Sakura turned back to her with a chuckle. "Sorry, Haruhi-chan. Our paths no longer intersect here. It's time for this dream to be over…take care in your reality." She twitched the sword in her hand, and Haruhi, the school, the Closed Space, everything, faded away to nothing, leaving Kain and Sakura alone in a sea of total void and blackness.

Kain looked around at it for a moment. "So…what now?"

"Now, we have to put a stop to the demon behind this. Not a big deal." Sakura turned away. "But if we don't get rid of it, it could come back again. I must say, you did well, Kain -sensei."

"Really? All I did was sit through a bunch of stupid stories where I didn't belong."

Sakura shook her head. "No. Things could have been worse than that, as Yuki said. I guess it's fine since we're here. But remember, I can use Yume no Musôka to look at alternate futures, realities, and planes. Do you know how often you failed these trials?" She smiled mischievously at him.

Kain was silent a moment. "I would suppose, under the circumstances, that even once would be too much. Even once would be a terrible tragedy in a lot of ways."

Sakura giggled. "Good answer." She raised her sword. "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

She brought her sword down, and the black void rent, leaving them in a plane rather similar to a Closed Space, an empty city with alien architecture. Not far from them, in a gazebo in the midst of a plaza, was an alien creature, a demon Kain instinctively knew to be the creator of the dreams. It hissed at them in fear and anger. "Curse you…" it seethed.

Then Kain was there, grabbing it around its, for want of a better word, throat. "No, not happening," he denied. "No speeches, no posturing and reciting of dialogue. I've had enough with all that nonsense. You die, and this is over…end of story. Finally."

He powered his doom bolt in the hand that gripped the creature and released, vaporizing it instantly. After all he had been through, it felt very satisfying to Kain to end it in such a simple, swift fashion.

He cast away the dust remnants of his antagonist and turned back to Sakura. She giggled again. "Well…I was expecting to help fight a bit, but that was brutally abrupt, Kain-sensei."

"Do you know how many years I've been stuck in this dream?" Kain protested. He shook his head. "My dream years weren't nearly so enjoyable as yours, Sakura. I'm desperate to get out of it."

"Yes, I suppose so…but you did enjoy it some, didn't you?"

Kain considered it. "Yes…there were certainly some moments that were enjoyable. I saw some interesting things…experienced a few new joys and sorrows…learned things that may help me. I've gained a new perspective on many matters. I suppose, in its own way, it was…helpful. I thank you for your assistance."

Sakura nodded, smiling widely, and held up a hand, three fingers upraised. She retracted her ring finger then, leaving two up. "Three wishes," she said. "That's what genies grant, right? This was your first wish, Kain-sensei. I'll be back to grant two more before this is through."

"Genies, you say?" Kain teased. "So now you're a genie, too? Alien, time traveler, esper, slider, Soul Reaper, and now a genie…my word, don't you have an identity crisis!"

"Oh, hush!" Sakura said in mock anger. She waved her sword again and a portal opened up next to her. She gestured to it. "Go on, Kain-sensei…they're all waiting for you."

Kain bowed to her, and then steeled himself and stepped into the glowing white doorframe of reality, into the white darkness of the world beyond.

8-8-8

He sat up. He glanced around. It was his room…and, filling it, dominating it, the tear-streaked faces of his girls, all of them (some of them less tear-streaked than others, of course). He smiled at them. "Hey. I'm back. Why the long faces?"

"Kain-sensei!" They attempted to throw themselves on him as one body, causing an amusing complicated swarm of contorted arms, legs and bodies. "How long do you think you've been sleeping!?" cursed Kanade.

"A lot longer than you think I've been sleeping, I'm sure," Kain replied. "But it's all right. I'm back now. It's all over. The dream…is ended."

8-8-8

Kain managed to teach the class on his final day there, Friday, before once again leaving with Mai to complete his tour of the Mana Holy Sites around the world. He returned by December, and once again took up his class.

"I have one more trip to make, on December 23rd," he informed them immediately. "I have to go to Sendai to reestablish the Gate. Then I should be good until the end of the school year…we'll have done all we can for the worlds."

"Ah, but you're leaving during Christmas break?" protested Kaoru. "And here we were looking to spend some time with you! That's not fair!"

"I thought you'd go home to your families during Christmas break," Kain pointed out. "That would be right and proper. But not to worry—I'll be home by the evening of December 24th, so if we want to have a class party in celebration of Christmas, we can. Someone said to me that I still have to make sure I do what I can to enjoy my normal, happy, carefree teenager life with you all while I can, and I intend to. I'm sorry I've been away for so long…but I do want to spend what time I can with you all. All right?"

The class cheered, and he let a quick smirk go Chisame's way, causing the girl to look away pointedly. Yes, the dream had been good for that, at least…in a way, he had been, just a little, losing sight of what he was desperately trying to protect with all his plans to save the seven worlds and safely integrate them. Of course, in its own way even that was therapy, distracting him from the sorrows he knew still lay ahead. But he was in a world made for him, where even the little things he did had significant importance, and he needed to be more mindful of them.

But little did he know, as Christmas Day approached, that he was about to learn just how significant he really was to this world….

F I N

Author's Note: The End, Finally

Of the dreams, not the MSK story. Three Acts to go.

Really, in some ways, even I don't like the dreams…I really wanted to get into them a whole lot more. I have all these funny scenes, reactions, and dialogues in my head, Kain's resigned snarky commentary about it all and character interactions I otherwise couldn't do. But the thing is, there's still way too much here, and it's not really important.

As I noted before, the original inspiration for this came from the manga The World God Only Knows and the dream-worlds Keima was subjected to. I just had this inspiration to subject Kain to the anime worlds all his friends have been stolen from, and it was a neat idea…but it just turned out to be too much. I still regret buzzing through it all so very fast, and it's kinda sad…those who don't know the particular anime these ideas come from will be lost and probably frustrated, and I apologize, but at least those in the know will get the jokes. And sometimes the author who is arrogant has to have his own in-jokes nobody else will get. If that's the case, oh well…all I can say is that I'm sorry.

I decided The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was a good place to have the final dream take shape, because it relates to Kain's own situation in some weird ways, plus Yuki is the only potential person who could take her own place in Kain's dream, as she described here. It was a good place to briefly bring Sakura back, and hint that she's not gone away for good yet—she's going to feature prominently in Act 18, for instance, so look forward to that. I wanted to have more here, too…the original plan was that Kain would actually describe his entire situation to Itsuki, leading them to have serious deep philosophical discussions about reality and dreams and who was in what. It would have been a lot of fun, but this was already too long. I keep bemoaning that fact. Usually, I overestimate just how much time I'm going to take writing about certain things, but sometimes, as with the Red Wings arc, and once again here, I underestimate just how much I have planned and have to cut things. We'll see which direction Act 18 falls…as we move in to conclude the Nagi Homura story….

Well, here we go. Act 17 in the books! Three left to conclude the (main) MSK story!