Chapter 3 up.
Hope you like it. I have less and less time than I want in life.
When you think of the future, you usually think of a place with flying cars and robots, right? Well, the future I saw wasn't that at all. But then again, I was only in one place in the future. At least I think it was the future. But here's how everything happened:
When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a rather familiar position where my head laid resting on someone's lap. "Oh, are you awake now?" Her voice rang in my head, and I quickly remembered exactly why I had passed out in the first place. I turned my head to look above me, but found myself blinded by auburn hair. It was quickly swept away, allowing me to see her face. It was Asahina-san(big) staring at me as she caressed my head. "I was hoping you would wake up soon. My legs are getting numb." A memory of me having this same conversation with her younger version made me chuckle fondly. Never taking my eyes off of her for fear that she might disappear, I sat up. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice took a while to come. "Don't worry, it'll wear off."
"Y-yes. But I suppose it's not the same for you?" She gave me a sad smile full of nostalgia that made my heart skip a beat. I was confident that no matter how old she would become, she would never fail to make me stare in awe.
"I suppose so. But it's been a while since I've seen you so...young. I'm used to the you that's-" She suddenly stopped as her face blossomed into a soft pink. She looked down to hide her face. "Oh no. I can't say anything like that. But then again..." I was a bit curious as to what she was talking about.
"Asahina-san?" She turned to me with her finger to her lips. I already predicted the next words.
"Classified Information. For now, anyways. I'm sure you will learn for yourself." Right. Future stuff. I suppose I should listen to her, lest I risk changing something drastically. Asahina-san stood up. "But enough of that. Please, follow me." I gave no protest and followed her to wherever we were going. "This is the first time we've ever let a non-Time Traveler enter our base of operations. You have to promise me that you won't reveal anything to others once everything has settled. That includes Nagato-san and Koizumi-kun. Will you promise me?" She held up her pinky, prompting me to wrap mine around hers.
"Of course. I have no intent to change the course of time." The look on Asahina-san's face was difficult to read once I said that. I chose not to look too much into it. "So? What am I here for?" Wherever we were, it looked like a long hallway devoid of any color. The place we were sitting on was a simple grey bench. I followed the older woman further into the hallway until we got to a place where light faded into shadow. I couldn't see anything past the darkness in front of me. Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation around my hand. I looked down to see Asahina-san's hand holding my own.
"Just close your eyes until I say so. Stick close." I nodded, and did so. There was no reason for me to doubt or suspect her of anything. Once she started walking, I did the same, making sure not to fall behind. The trip itself lasted only a minute. "You can open your eyes now." When I opened my eyes, I was met with what looked like one of those high tech bases in spy movies. Monitors littered the walls and even floated in midair, showing images to several places in the world, at different times. There were a multitude of people going from one screen to another in this large room.
But what really surprised me was when people phased in and out of existence like space had decided to devour them or spit them out. There was no doubt that these people were time travelers in the act of traveling. As I watched the phenomenon, my head began to hurt.
"You should probably look away," Asahina-san advised. "It's hard for non-Time Travelers to process the TPDD. Looking at someone traveling will make your head hurt. Actually traveling will cause you to faint."
"Right...I've had some experience in that. So, is this your base in the future or something?" I moved out of the way for someone who looked like they were in a hurry.
"Yes. But, it's a bit complicated to explain. Technically, yes, we ARE in the future, but..." She paused to consider what she was going to say. "Okay. Basically, this space dwells everywhere in every time. That is to say...consider the numbers 1 and 2." She held out her hands, one displaying one finger, the other with two. "Between these two numbers is an infinite amount of space." I nodded my head. I've learned about this stuff before; infinities between numbers. "Now imagine that same concept with milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, and such. There are infinite upon infinite amount time between these and that's where we exist. If you were to forcefully exit this area, then you would be scattered everywhere and 'everywhen.' Does that make any sense?" I thought about it.
"I can't say that I do, but there's really nothing I can say to disprove such a concept." Besides, I've learned to calm myself against blue giants bent on destroying the world and creating it anew. "Does me being here have anything to do with time being stuck at 5:34?" Asahina-san nodded grimly.
"You are very important for this. You see, you could say that I'm trapped." She looked at me and saw that I didn't understand her. Then again, I don't think I ever really understood. I usually just went along with everything. "If I were to return to the time I belong in it'd be quite possible that the universe would make it so I never existed. This is because it would no longer be the time that I had lived. The universe has a way with fixing any discrepancies within itself. Any one from far into the future would be in the same situation. That's why most of us are still in this area. Since this space exists in every moment in history, but at the same time dependent, we are theoretically safe. Not even such an anomaly could reach us while we're in here. Time travelers that are from not too far into the future and anyone from the span of the time Suzumiya-san re-created the world are able to come and leave. We've already lost some of our Travelers and we've already used a lot of what we call time energy to be able to get myself to that time to get you. Time energy depends on the natural flow of time, and with the world as it is, you could say we are working with reserves at the moment."
"Why not use your younger self then?"
"She is busy with something else. Tsuruya-san said she was not at school, right?" I nodded. My green haired senior mentioned that she was held up with something important. I guess this was it.
"And how could I possibly fix this?"
"It is quite simple, really. But you have to be the one to do it. Right now, the laws of time are being broken in the new future that has been made by this anomaly. We will send someone to transport you to that future, and you will have to convince Suzumiya-san in some way to bring things to the way they should be. We can send you days, months, years of relative time, and it'll still work. Her mind has to believe that time should move again." The fact that this large-scale problem spanning years into the future could be resolved with a conversation surprised me. But with Haruhi's stubbornness, I'm sure that I'll have some trouble.
"Is it really that simple?" I asked to be sure.
"As far as we know. But it's our only safe way of resolving this problem. Like we said, the laws of time are broken. There are more drastic ways we can fix this. Ways that I'd rather not explain. Will you help us?" Was there any other choice I had?
"Of course I will. I'll think of something to convince Haruhi to bring things back." Even as I confirmed my cooperation, Asahina-san's face contorted into that enigmatic smile that seemed to be a mix between relief and some sadness. I had no idea what would cause her to look so sad.
"Thank you. Come, I shall show you to your partner."
"A partner? You mean someone's coming with me?" She didn't answer me as she led me through the numerous panicking time travelers. I could sort of feel their pain. I'd be sad if I couldn't enjoy Asahina(small)'s tea in the clubroom.
"Of course you can't be left alone for too long, especially in something like this. We will assign one of the more earlier time travelers to you, so you can freely move as you want. I'd like you to limit your travels to either past, present, or 'future,' if possible. Numerous trips can mess things up a bit." I nodded to show my understanding. Not in the concept, but that I listened to her words. Make my travels limited or risk any more damage to time. Got it.
"Wait, the past is still accessible?"
"Yes...Well, anything from the beginning of the world by Suzumiya-san, to the day time froze." I nodded. Even now, I still had doubts when someone mentions the world's creation now 4 years ago. If such a theory was true, then I was prepared to propose that schools stopped teaching history. Asahina-san led me through the many time travelers until we reached another wall.
"I need you to close your eyes again," she requested. I did as I was told and felt the orange haired woman's hand in my own. Air seemed to replace where wall should've been. After another minute, Asahina-san strengthened her grip to signal that I could open my eyes. When I did, I was met with the surprising sight of Asahina-san. The younger one. I'm pretty sure that she was mimicking the surprise on my face. But her gaze was not to her future self, but to the area where our hands were intertwined. She had a rare look of displeasure on her face. Meanwhile, the elder was giggling. I decided then that I would never be able to understand the female mind.
"Asahina-san?" Both of them looked at me. "No, I mean the younger. What are you doing here? Tsuruya-san told me that you were busy."
"This was what I was busy with," she replied. "They suddenly called me here and gave me a mission. I'm more surprised that you are here. How did you get here?" I nudged my head towards her elder version. When she followed my gaze, Asahina gasped.
"Hello," Asahi-you know what, I'll just call the elder Asahina-san, and the younger Mikuru. "I can guess that you know who I am." Mikuru did nothing but nod. "I'll also assume that you know your mission." When it looked like Mikuru was going to ask her a question, Asahina-san stopped her. "It's best not to ask anything too serious. Even with the laws of time the way they are, the fact that we are in the same area in close proximity is a problem enough, don't you think?"
"Right..." Asahina-san giggled again. She gave her younger self a look over.
"It's not everyday that I get to see myself so young in person. Aren't I cute, Kyon-kun?" I froze from being put on the spot. Both Asahinas looked at me, one with playfulness, and the other with embarrassed curiosity. I scratched my head, and looked down bashfully.
"You've always been beautiful. Even now." The words spilled out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop myself. I could barely imagine the embarrassment of my face as I turned away from the two. No sane person would have the courage to look at them after saying something so cheesy.
"My, my." I heard Asahina-san giggle, making it worse for me. "Aren't you sweet?" She turned to her other. "Isn't he?" I couldn't see Mikuru, but I heard a high-pitched noise coming from her. She must've been embarrassed by my compliment...Wait a minute, Mikuru wasn't affected by Haruhi...was she? I looked back to the younger of the two to see her face completely red. She was clutching her skirt and shaking her head left to right. And she was smiling.
"Her too?" I asked. I looked to the elder. She simply winked, with a finger to her lips. I admit I was sort of happy, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel a bit...guilty. This was against her will, even if Yuki told me that her, Tsuruya-san, Haruhi, Mikuru, and who knows who else, actually had feelings for me. I'm no love expert, but I'm pretty sure that this sort of thing should come naturally, rather than forced by some outside power. I cleared my throat to get their attention. "A-anyways, we should probably get going."
"He's right," Asahina-san said with mirth in her voice. "Be sure to guide him, alright?" Mikuru looked to herself, and nodded. The elder tilted her head towards me as a signal for her past self to accompany him. Once Asahina-san let go of me, Mikuru immediately took her place looking rather pleased. I couldn't help but notice how soft her hand was compared to Asahina-san's slightly more stronger grip.
"Let's go, Kyon-kun. Please, close your eyes. I'll try to make things easier for you." I wasn't going to disobey her. After all, I wasn't the time traveler. After closing my eyes, I felt the familiar sense of sickness but it wasn't as bad as before. I could stay awake this time. "You can open your eyes now," was what Mikuru said but for some reason, I couldn't open them. "Kyon-kun?"
I was in the future. The days of tomorrow would be in my view if I were to open my eyes. Why was I so hesitant? Was it because I was scared? If I opened my eyes, what would I see? And if I, a normal human and not even a time traveler, were to see what it was on the outside, what impact would that make on me to know about days I have yet to live? As I thought these things, I felt something on my lips. My eyes instantly shot open to the surprising sight of Mikuru's face. "Ah!" The surprise hit me more than a baseball thrown by Yuki as I fell backwards on my butt. Mikuru held her eyes closed, looking ready to faint.
"S-sorry. You just looked troubled, so I wanted to do something to calm you down. I hope you didn't mind." I had trouble looking at her face after what had just happened.
"I don't mind. Thanks for thinking about me though...And I quite enjoyed it." Her face instantly lit up with the most adorable smile that I had ever seen ever.
"Of course!" Her happiness made my face hot. Who could resist a face like that? I took a deep breath to get my act together before looking at my surroundings.
Wait a minute...It was a small room. That bed at the corner was too familiar, along with that desk. Everything about this place pointed to my house, but that was impossible. It was at that moment that knock came to my door.
"Kyon-kun!" That was my sister's voice and it didn't sound a day older. I felt secretly relieved, knowing that my sister was still the same. "Did something happen? There was a big noise. I'm coming in." My first instinct was to try and hide Mikuru, but when I turned around, she was already gone. The door opened, and I slowly turned around. My sister stood at the doorway, not one bit different from the morning that I left my house. She tilted her head cutely. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...Come here a bit." I could see her confusion, but she obeyed me like a younger sibling would. I knelt to meet her height.
"What do you want?" I began to reach to examine her face for any irregularities. Not one thing was different about it. I tugged on her side tail. "Kyon-kun, you're weirding me out." I finished with a flick to her forehead. "OW!" She pouted at me. Thankfully, I wasn't the type of person to be charmed by the cuteness of his little sister. "I'm telling mom that you hit me!" She ran away, leaving me alone in my room.
"Sorry about that," came Mikuru's voice. She stood up from the other side of the bed. If my sister had walked even a tiny bit closer, she might have been able to see her. "It would be troublesome if she were to see me."
And I agree. The world would have suffered it's heat death–If that was still a threat in this situation–by the time I finished explaining everything. But wait. If we really went into the future, then why was did little sister still look the same? How far were we?
"Well by relative time, we would have gone 3 years further. But because of Suzumiya-san's powers, time is still 5:34 of the day time stood still. The reason I–as in my older self–picked to go this far, is because this is when the times start to fully converge. And while this is very dangerous, it is also the most vulnerable. The TPDD is advised to only be used in time planes that can be entered easily, otherwise...classified information.
"Classified, huh? You'd think that with the world as it is, you'd be able to tell me everything. But whatever. Just wait here. We can't have my family seeing you, so just hide in my room and wait for my signal." I walked out of my room, making sure to close the door behind me.
"Where you going?" My sister asked.
"I'm going outside."
"Are you going to see that Yuki Nagato person?" I stopped. That's right, Yuki! Because I time traveled, it meant that I left her all alone for three years. "She asked for you yesterday, but you were gone." I felt a great deal of guilt thinking about how she must've dealt with my absence. I traveled through time, so there should have been another me somewhere. Where was he? If I wasn't here, then that meant I would return to a different past. I wouldn't live unaware of the current danger in this timeline when I came back. IF I came back. To everyone who could notice, I would have disappeared off the face of the planet for three years.
"...I'll talk to her later. Tell me, sis...when was the last time you saw me?" My sister tilted her head.
"Huh? It must've been 3 ye-" she stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes were blank for a while. "...Yesterday. But I'm pretty sure that you were gone the whole day...And the day before that, too." I heard her sniffle. She had a look about her that resembled a lost child looking for her home. It hurt me to see her like that. "Th-that's weird. Why do I feel like it's been a long time since I saw you." Her knees buckled, causing her to fall. It was fortunate that I was there to catch her. When she looked at me, I could see the tears forming in her eyes. "W-why do I feel like I was so lonely for a long time? But now, I feel like I'm happy." I put up a comforting smile. I gave her a hug, to which she answered by wrapping her arms around me as far and tight as she could. "Kyon-kun."
"It's okay, sis," I assured to calm her down. I patter her head, an action I had stopped doing years ago. It felt appropriate to do it now. "Sorry that I've been out for a while." I wiped her eyes with my sleeve, not caring if my uniform got wet. "Listen. Go to sleep for now, alright?" She nodded. "When you wake up, I'll take you out to eat."
"Okay." I patted her back and tucked her into her bed. She refused to let go until she had fallen asleep.
I'll have to make sure that I don't mention my absence to anyone I know. But besides that, I have to carry out my mission. I walked out of my house, and sneaked to the side. Picking up a stone from the ground, I threw it at my window. Mikuru opened it and looked down. I called as quietly as I could.
"Asahina-san! Jump!" Her response was a look that called me crazy. "Don't worry, I'll catch you. Hurry, before someone sees you!" Hesitantly, and I mean VERY hesitantly, she crawled out the window and onto the roof. "Trust me and jump!" Mikuru took a deep breath.
"Here I go! Please don't look up my skirt." She jumped and for some reason, took a pose of a certain character who could travel through time. I did my best not to look at something I shouldn't have and caught the girl in my arms. There a surprisingly lack of reaction.
"...She fainted." I sighed and put her on my back. I was reminded of the first time I traveled through time. As I walked through town, I was surprised to see that my location was not at its natural place. The hill going to North High was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't help but think about how I was supposed to fix this problem. I didn't even know where to go. "Ah..." At the next turn, I saw someone walking my way. I instantly recognized her bob haircut. Once she noticed me, she let out a surprised gasp. "Hey, Yuki."
"Kyon-kun..." She ran towards me and instantly wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so glad to see you." Yuki buried her face in my chest. "I knew you'd come back one day to fix this. But the end is soon. You need to go to Haruhi quickly. She'll be in the clubroom at this time, but be careful. She's been distraught lately due to your absence."
I got it. I needed to hurry. "Can you hold her for me?" I handed Mikuru to Yuki, and was surprised at how easy it was for her. I forgot sometimes, that being a human interfaces held power beyond any human. "I suppose I'll see you later, Yuki. Just wait for me."
"I will. Be safe, Kyon-kun." I took off my suit and also handed it to her. I was going to break out into a run and it was going to get hot wearing it. "It's nearly over. You need to hurry." I took a deep breath. She pointed towards a direction. I assumed that it was where the school was.
"Don't need to tell me twice. I walked towards the school. It turned into a jog. Then a sprint, before turning into an all out run. It was odd, there wasn't many people around. In fact, there were no cars on the road, or people walking about where were they? I pushed these thoughts as I ran past red lights and empty spaces.
Running and running, my destination was the school. Where was Koizumi in all of this? Closed Space perhaps? "Oof!" I suddenly fell down on the concrete...No. not the concrete, I fell on a patch of grass. But this was the middle of the street. Why was there grass? Right before my eyes, the patch disappeared and the uncomfortable sensation of concrete on my knee returned. I dug around my mind for an explanation. "Of course. Time is converging in one point. What could possibly have been on the ground in the past but grass and dirt?" I looked around, and saw shimmering figures, like 3D shadows of people. Echoes of time. I could have sworn that I saw a sword in one of the shadow's hands. "I need to hurry."
I ran past the shadows, and continued to my destination. But as I ran, the ground under me collapsed. "AHH!" I was scared to my wits, when I landed on some sort of shadow like the figures from before. It defied gravity and flew into the sky like some sort of...flying car. I caught a glimpse of the true image shimmering in the light. The feeling of flying was more than mind racking. I held on to whatever I could as I glided in the air. It was cold. But the upside was that I was going towards the direction of the school. I didn't know how long this echo would last. As if I had jinxed it, the shadow of the car disappeared and I found myself sailing through the air. I was fortunate then that the school field was below me. I landed on my feet before falling to my side. I rolled on the ground with a loud thud as the wire fence caught me.
"I'm going to feel that in the morning," I groaned. I stood up and winced. My arm was bent at a strange angle. "The things I go through, Haruhi, you better be happy when you see me." I ran towards the school entrance. When I entered, I was surprised to see that it was not the school I knew. It was a bunch of branching hallways and nothing else. Typical that this wouldn't be too easy. Close to an explosion is always the messiest. I picked a random hallway, and followed the path. As I did, I began to hear voices.
"What type of girl do you like?" is what it said. That was Haruhi on the day that it happened.
"It's nice to have something different in your life." That was me. I continued walking, but faster. Dialogues of different times in our times together as the SOS Brigade played like a replay of a game's highlights. Even from day one.
"I'm Haruhi Suzumiya." Haruhi.
"I entered high school with no particular vision in mind and met her." Me.
"In more common terminology, I would be classified as an alien" Yuki.
"You know, this is the first time I've ever walked around like this. All alone with a boy." Mikuru.
"You're the new Adam and Eve. Go on, procreate, increase the population." I'll punch Koizumi for that later.
I finally reached the familiar club door. This was it. This was where Haruhi was, according to Yuki. I took a deep breath and opened the door. The sound must've scared her, because Haruhi twitched at the sound of me entering. Her back was towards me so that I couldn't see her face. "...Haruhi." My voice caused her body to shake.
"A-am I dreaming?" She asked, her voice quivering. She slowly turned around and looked at me. She looked confused and even scared. The very thought of the Haruhi Suzumiya displaying such fear made my stomach churn. "Kyon?"
"Hey, Haruhi. How are you?" I noticed that the make-up she had on that day was still on her. Streaks of black running down her face told me that she had been crying. Slowly, she started towards me.
"Where have you been?" Her walk turned into a run until she slammed me into a wall. Her fist pounded on my chest, but her usual strength betrayed her. I could barely feel it from the pain that I felt from the fall. Nonetheless, it made me wince. "Where have you been? Three years! You disappear on me for three whole years and all you can come up with is a casual greeting?"
"Calm down, Haruhi. Calm down!" I stopped one of her hands with my good arm. "You have to be calm, Haruhi." Saying that, I was surprised that I was pretty calm myself. "I need a favor." Haruhi clutched at my shirt with a teary face. I wiped them away with my thumb.
"A favor?"
"You can see what the world is coming to, can't you?" She looked around before staring me in the eyes.
"It all feels like a dream though. Those strange lights, your disappearance. I would normally be excited about these phenomena, but nothing about it is enjoyable." She clasped her hands in front of her chest as if praying. Imagine the sort of situation you'd have to be in for a god to pray. "I'm having a nightmare, aren't I? That's why the world is changing like this. That's the only possibility I can think of." I took that as my cue to do my job.
"Then change it," I said. I cupped her face, ignoring the pain from my broken arm. "Believe that you are dreaming then, because that would mean the world will come back when you wake up."
"But then why does it feel like three years have passed? Why haven't I seen the moon in so long? Why did you disappear? As far as I know, these feelings are real. You suddenly vanished but no one ever noticed!" I bit my lip in frustration.
"You have always been the one with the most imaginative brain. Why now, are you being so unbelieving? What more motivation do you need?"
"I don't know what you're talking about" I grit my teeth. From my peripherals, I could see more flickering from the windows. Something was happening outside, but I didn't want to know. Right now, I needed to make Haruhi believe.
"Listen to me Haruhi, I need you to trust me. As the first member of the SOS Brigade, I need you to listen to me. Do you understand?" She nodded. "I need you to believe that time will still go on; that tomorrow will come for the both of us when we wake up. Please, believe in that."
"I don't know what to think." What was the cause of her insecurity? I held her face close to mine. She was growing red by the second. "How can I trust you? How do I know you're truly here?" God, you are so stubborn. And I mean it literally. I thought for a bit before realizing what I had to do. There was a way to convince her that I was real. Embarrassing as it was, while she might not remember, her body might.
"Haruhi, I am about to do something. We've done it one other time. Remember it, and you'll know it's me." Before she could protest, I connected the space between us. Her lips were as soft as that day that seemed so long ago. I took a glimpse of the door and saw Mikuru and Yuki watching us. I closed my eyes to shield myself from their reactions. My thoughts needed to stay on convincing Haruhi to change the world. Come on, Haruhi! You can do it!
My prayers reached the goddess in front of me in the form of a blinding flash of light. The feeling of Haruhi disappeared from my lips and arms. Speaking of my arms, I could feel mine healing as if the light turned back the time.
...
I opened my eyes and found myself in bed.
"Kyon-kun!" came two voices. I shot up to a sitting position. Mikuru and Yuki sat in the middle of my room with playing with a deck of cards.
"You're awake," Mikuru greeted with relief in her voice. The two sat on two opposite sides of my bed. "You did it, Kyon-kun! You fixed time!"
"I had no doubts that you would succeed," Yuki congratulated. My head felt a bit dizzy, but it came to me soon. Time combining, kissing Haruhi, all that stuff. My arm no longer ached, so that nice. Another thought came to me. Slowly, I turned towards my clock. Relief hit me when I could actually read it. It was 6AM.
"Chronologically...when are we?" Mikuru smiled the smile that only she could have, complimenting my cleverness.
"Today is the day after the day of the event." Way to complicate a simple answer. It was tomorrow, and that's all that mattered.
"Kyon-kun!" The door suddenly opened to reveal my little sister coming to wake me up. Unfortunately, seeing your brother with two beauties leaning towards you in bed was enough to make a younger sibling know that it was not a good time. "I-I'll come back later." She fled away before I could explain things.
"I think I should go," Mikuru informed. "My people are calling me." She leaned in, and gave me a peck on the lips. All I could do was blink in response. Yuki put her hand over my eyes. When she took them off, Mikuru was gone.
"I should go as well," Yuki followed. "I'll see you at school." She walked outside my room without my consent.
"Oh no." I braced myself for what was going to happen.
"Who are you?" my mother exclaimed. A tired sigh escaped my lips.
"I'm just going to go with it," I said to no one in particular. I've done a lot, and I'm sure I'll need to do so much more.
First things first, explaining Yuki's presence to my family.
(Time Traveler base)(3rd person POV)
The adult Asahina stood in the base, feeling the flow of time continue. "You did it," she whispered. "Although...I suppose that I already knew you would." She held a nostalgic smile on her face before turning around. "And you will too, in your time." Her younger self stood in front of her with a bashful look on her face. "How did you like your first kisses?" She got the reaction she wanted as her younger self lit up with multiple shades of red. "Now, is there something you wanted to ask me?"
"...The laws of time are returning at the moment, but I think I still have time. Right now, can I ask you something? After this, I doubt we will be seeing each other."
"What is it?" Though she already knew.
"What is the future...between Kyon-kun and I, I mean. Is there a chance?"
"Well, that is..." The elder leaned to match her younger self's level. "That is classified information." Her response left the younger feeling let down. "You will see in time." With one final chuckle, the older of the two turned around, and waved goodbye. At that time, the younger must've been seeing things. But she could have sworn from her future self's hands, something shaped like a ring shined around her finger.
Chapter 3 complete. I have trouble speaking like Kyon. And everyone in general.
Anyways, Sneak Peak:
Next chapter: The Slider.