Stepping back from me and brushing her hair away from her face, Emiri smiled meekly at the floor. I had no idea how to react to what she just did, so I just stood there and stared dumbly. Where did that come from? Was she just making up for what she almost made Haruhi and Asakura do, or did it actually mean something more than that?

Eventually, I managed to shake my head to clear it again. I grabbed my head, steadying after such a dizzying move, and tried to make eye contact with Emiri. Unfortunately, eye contact was impossible so long as she was staring at the floor tiles. I reached out and touched her shoulder, causing her to look up. Our eyes met, as much as they can when she's blind. That was my chance.

"You want to try explaining what just happened?"

She smiled, still acting a bit shy, and proceeded to explain why she kissed me. That would be great, except I meant about the shared memory thing. I'll let it slide though, cause I do want to know why she kissed me.

She took a deep breath before explaining her move. "When... when we were all in high school, there was one time that you had gone missing. I went to the SOS Brigade for help... I told them that I was... your girlfriend. Of course, it wasn't true, but after that I sort of started wondering what it would be like to have a boyfriend. After a while I... realized that I was actually interested in... you."

I'll be the first to tell you that her explanation doesn't make much sense, but I gather what she's trying to tell me. The strangest part is that she went to the SOS Brigade. Well, that and the fact that every time I try to remember why I was missing all I see are images of a giant cricket. It's troublesome, and always has been, but I've been trying to ignore it. I'll come back to this kiss business when I'm ready for it.

But still... "Again, I meant about the shared memory thing."

She blushed heavily. "Oh, that... right."

Yes, Emiri. You still haven't explained that. "You want to maybe explain what you just showed me? Why you stopped it when you did and the way you did?"

She took another deep breath, this one deeper than the last, and started by making sure I wouldn't freak out. "Remember what I said. This doesn't change how I feel. I hope it doesn't change how you feel either."

I nodded, assuring her that I was here to listen and not to judge. "Yes, I remember. Now, uh... start at the beginning, maybe?"

She took my hand and held it tightly in both of her own, as if she didn't want me to run off. Her eyes, blind as they may have been, stared right into mine. "Myself, Ryoko, Yuki, and three others came to this planet almost twenty years ago. That was us at the beginning of the memory, looking down at this planet from space. We came here to observe and collect information on a very important individual. Her name is Haruhi Suzumiya."

"The six of us were artificial lifeforms. Humanoid interfaces constructed out of data by the Data Integration Thought Entity. It was the overmind, coordinating our actions for years. We were always capable of our own free thought, but to actively go against our programming was against our mission protocols. One by one, the others started doing just that. The first two were deleted, and the third was almost deleted. She escaped before we could delete her, and after that we set in place a self-imposed rule against permanent deletion."

"Ryoko suffered a serious glitch, causing her to attempt to... kill Kyon. We disabled her and removed her from the school. Some time later, Yuki suffered a similar glitch. What she did was... more severe. Thankfully, we were able to keep the Data Integration Thought Entity from deleting her itself. I was really the only one who never actually suffered a glitch."

"When high school ended we received orders to come here, so the three of us came to Canada. Here, we just waited. We have been waiting for Haruhi Suzumiya to find us for over thirteen years. One day, we woke up and realized that the Data Integration Thought Entity was gone. We don't know if it left, or if it was destroyed, or if it simply ceased to exist. It was just gone. Before it left, or possibly in the process of leaving, it altered us so that we would become normal human beings. It also left us with this ability to share memories by touch."

She turned away from me, but continued talking. "As a result of our bodies suddenly being completely human, we did encounter a few problems. A few years ago, my eyesight started fading. It went completely early last Summer. Ryoko has been getting sicker more often, and we've begun worrying about her. Yuki seems to be fine for now, but..."

She trailed off into silence. I quickly glanced toward the other room. I don't want Haruhi or Ryoko walking in on this. "So, you're… you're all aliens?"

She nodded. I can't be sure, but it looked like she wasn't sure if it had been a good idea to tell me all that. "That is an appropriate term for what we are."

I should probably be freaking out right now, or at least not believing her, and I would likely be doing both if it hadn't been for the shared memory. Instead I found myself smiling down at her. "I think… a lot of things just started making a lot more sense." Then a thought struck me. "Wait… Haruhi made her brigade back then so she could find aliens and time travelers, right?"

Emiri blinked, unsure where I was going with this. She did add something, however. "And espers."

"Whatever. So the three of you were all right there the whole time?" She nodded again. "Why didn't you tell her?"

She gave me a confused look. "Tell Haruhi Suzumiya of our true origin?" It was me nodding this time. She shook her head in response. "Haruhi Suzumiya was the source of a massive data explosion. That was the entity's reason for being interested in Earth. She possessed the incredible ability to manipulate data, though she was never aware of it. If she became aware, the entity feared another data explosion."

Now she's staring at me with that confused look, meanwhile I'm the one who has no idea what's going on. I scratched my head. "Okay, back up." She took a step backwards, and my brain slapped me. I moved on. "What do you mean by 'data explosion'?"

"An explosion of raw data; information in unprecedented quantities. The amount of data in the first explosion gave the Data Integration Thought Entity hopes that it could harness Haruhi Suzumiya's powers in order to achieve it's own auto-evolution. However, an explosion of data directed in the wrong direction could potentially have caused the entity great harm, possibly to the point of obliteration. Revealing ourselves as extra-terrestrials was listed among many possible causes of a future catastrophic data explosion, or possibly a data implosion."

If I were to ask what the difference was between a data explosion and a data implosion, I would probably regret it. I get what it generally means, but I have no clue what difference one would make compared to the other. One question still stuck in my mind, even as I grabbed my head to stop it from spinning.

"Were any of the other brigade members aware that Nagato was an alien?"

Emiri didn't respond. Instead, she turned toward the door. For a second I found myself fearing that Haruhi had walked in on us, but when I looked I was met with Nagato herself. The apparent alien lifeform that was once a member of Haruhi's brigade dedicated to finding exactly what was hiding in its ranks.

She opened her mouth, and I almost started feeling hopeful that she would answer for Emiri. That feeling jumped away when she actually spoke. "Don't call me that."

Don't… call her… that? What? Don't call her a brigade member, or don't call her an alien? I was about to ask her to clarify when she went ahead and did so without my asking.

"When I married Matthew, I took his family name." She looked down at some point on the floor behind me. "Nagato is not me anymore, so don't use it. Please, just call me Yuki."

Well, I didn't expect that. So her husband's name was Matthew, huh? I wonder if Haruhi would be willing to pay me for that information. Either way, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable calling her Yuki all the time. "So… what's your name now, then?"

She had turned to go back into the other room, but she looked back to me. She was slightly taken aback, either because it wasn't my business or she didn't expect me to care that much. She gave me the answer regardless. "Um… Benson." Then she left.

Benson? I have decided I will just call her Yuki. It's easier to say.

Asakura walked in next. She smiled warmly at us. "I took the liberty of setting up places for you and Haruhi to stay as long as you're here." She focused on Emiri. "It's getting late, Emiri. I should drive you home."

Emiri looked to me. "Why don't you tag along? We can talk a little longer."

After careful consideration that took all of half a second, I agreed. "Sure."

Asakura led the way back into the garage. I took Emiri's hand to help her avoid hitting anything. Once we were all in the car again, with me and Emiri in the back, Asakura started up the engine and pulled us out of the garage. A moment later we were out on the road, headed in the supposed direction of Emiri's home.

Despite what Emiri had said, no one actually said anything until we arrived at an old apartment building. I got out and helped Emiri to the door. "You need me to take you to your apartment?"

She shook her head. "No, I know the way." She stepped through the door and disappeared from sight.

I turned back to the car, hoping I would see her again tomorrow, and saw Asakura rolling her window down. She waved at me. "Get in the front seat. I want to ask you a question or two."

Seeing no real problem with complying, I walked around the front of the car and sat in the passenger seat. "Alright, what do you want to ask about?"

Asakura just turned the key in the ignition, shutting the engine off. We sat in silence for a few moments before she actually said anything. She looked over at me suddenly, whipping her her behind her. "You do like her, don't you?"

I'm going to go ahead and assume she means Emiri. If that is the case, then the answer is... "Yes."

Asakura smiled, but her face quickly turned more serious. "I'm warning you to be careful with her. If you hurt her in any way, I'll have to stomp some very important parts of your person." I nodded, causing her smile to briefly return. "She can be a little confusing at times, but she has her reasons."

I leaned on the door, keeping some distance from Asakura, and laughed at the comment. "Yeah, she showed me."

Asakura froze. Her eyes moved to me very slowly. "What did she tell you?"

I shrugged. "Well, everything, I think. It's okay, you can trust me. I won't tell Haruhi anything."

"So she told you everything... well then I have something I need to show you."

At that point, I was sort of expecting her to start the car up and drive somewhere. I don't know why I expected that, and in retrospect it was dumb of me to think that way. Instead of the vibration of an active car engine, all I felt was the white hot pain of Ryoko Asakura's fingernails digging into my shoulder. I reached up to try and pry her off, but she had her hand clamped on me like a bear trap. Suddenly, everything went black.

This better not become a regular occurrence.

I opened my eyes to see Yuki Nagato, or maybe Benson, standing over me, looking down at me with some slight annoyance. She was standing in an apartment door and I was sitting across the hall outside the apartment. She opened her mouth and spoke.

"Have you been there all night?"

The memory flashed, and I was on the balcony with Asakura again, watching Yuki chase down their fourth member. This time was different, however. It felt like someone was watching us this time. My eyes moved up to the sky above us. For a split second I thought I saw Asakura's face above us, watching us.

It flashed again. I found myself coughing into a chrome sink. Red blood came out of my mouth and splashed the silver reflective surface. In the obscured reflection I noticed that my hair was blue. I think I'm Asakura this time...

Another flash, and I think I'm Emiri again. How am I getting her memories from Asakura? I watched as high school sped past, all the while feeling like Asakura was watching my every move. Then I realized exactly what was going on. Asakura was looking at the memories Emiri had shown me, and in return I was getting to see some of her own memories. It was a trade.

Flash, and again, I'm Ryoko Asakura, or I'm seeing her memories. I'm sitting in a doctor's office. The doctor is standing in front of me, telling me something I really didn't want to know. This time I was aware the Asakura was intentionally keeping me from hearing what the doctor was saying. It's okay, I don't think I want to know anyway.

Everything goes white again, and I'm standing on that steel girder again, staring at that man again. He's just sitting there, enjoying his break. I think I know now where this is, and who this is. Asakura's watching, and I think she knows too. This is Matthew Benson, Yuki's late husband. This is moments before he dies...

How is that one of Emiri's memories?

I opened my eyes again, relieved to find I was back in my own body. Jumping between the bodies of two different people is weird enough. The fact that they're both women just makes it feel stranger. Interestingly enough, there was no pain in my shoulder. I looked over to Asakura to see how she was doing.

She was covered in sweat and shaking heavily. A few unrepeatable words escaped her mouth, followed by something more intelligent. "Why... how did you stop me from seeing the end of that memory?"

She thinks that was my fault? "Emiri stopped before I could see it. That was the end."

Asakura shook her head, then pounded her forehead against the steering wheel. Once she settled down, she turned back to me. "She knows what happened... she doesn't want me to find out. Now I know she was there, I might be able to figure out why."

A thought hit me, and I had to voice my concern. "You think she knows who did it?"

Asakura nodded. "And I think she's protecting them. Makes me wonder who it could be. Who would Emiri care about enough to protect them even after they killed Matthew?" As she said this, she looked to me, and I don't think I like what she's implying.

I put my hands up. "Hey, I've never been outside of Japan before. Don't look at me like that."

She sighed and looked away. "I know..." A few seconds later she started the car up again. "Anyway, we should get back before Yuki decides she really doesn't want Haruhi there."

As we headed back toward the auto shop, I asked Asakura a few questions I hadn't had answered yet. "What is it with Yuki, by the way? Did she tell you why she wasn't happy to see Haruhi?"

Asakura eyed me with a grin. "So it's Yuki now?"

I shrugged. "She told me not to call her Nagato, and Benson is harder to say."

She rolled her eyes, then focused back on the road. "Well, to answer your question, she hasn't told me right out but I think she blames Haruhi for everything that's happened to us in the past decade. Losing our connection to the Data Integration Thought Entity, Emiri's blindness, Matthew's death... it's all stuff she believes Haruhi could have prevented."

As far as I know, Haruhi can only create data explosions and implosions, and I still don't know what either thing actually entails. "How could she have prevented any of that?"

"Haruhi Suzumiya has the very unique ability to alter the universe at a whim... or rather, had."

First off, that's absolutely terrifying. The fact that I survived high school can only mean that she never hated me as much as she pretended to. Second, what do you mean 'had'? "So, she doesn't have that anymore?"

"No, I don't think she does. If she did, do you think she'd have lost her friends in the first place? Furthermore, I would be willing to bet that the others have all become normal humans like us. The espers have lost their powers, and the time travelers have likely returned to their own time."

Now she's telling me espers and time travelers are real too. Well, I guess if Haruhi has powers like she said, or had them, then it's quite likely. Doesn't help that I don't actually know what an esper is.

Another thought hit me. It was a stupid idea, and to be honest I was half making fun of Asakura at this point. "Hey, maybe the time travelers got stuck here. Ever think of that."

She cocked her head to the side. "Hmm... I suppose you're right. In fact, that would make more sense. Haruhi never saw hard evidence of anything, but she did know Mikuru Asahina. If time travelers ceased to exist the same way aliens did, then Mikuru will still be alive somewhere. She'll still remember traveling through time and coming from the future, but she won't be able to do it anymore."

Hold up. "Mikuru Asahina... was a time traveler?"

Asakura glanced at me. "I thought Emiri told you everything."

"Everything I knew about the subject."

She smirked. "Huh, well then... of course Mikuru was the time traveler. Who did you think it was? Miss Tsuruya? Maybe Kyon's little sister?"

Kyon had a sister? I did not know that. I was about to ask if there were any espers in the SOS Brigade when we arrived back at the auto shop. The sky had already grown dark so the small glowing dot just outside the front door was very visible, as was the figure holding it.

Seeing Asakura approaching, Yuki dropped the glowing object and stomped on it. She walked into the garage beside the car as Asakura parked and pulled the key out of the ignition.

Opening my door and getting out at the same time as Asakura, I noted that it was just the three of us. I turned to the two former aliens. "Here's a thought. What if Haruhi still has her powers? It would explain how she managed to find the three of you all together."

Yuki frowned. "No, I don't think so. She wants her characters, and to get them together the hero of the story must go and find all of them. If she had her powers, she would have found me and only me. Emiri and Ryoko are side characters to her. She wouldn't even have considered them unless they somehow contributed to her finding me."

I really have no idea what Yuki is talking about right now, but I don't want to get into it. Instead, I just followed Asakura through the front room and into the kitchen. There, we found Haruhi sitting on the counter and eating a sandwich. She smiled and waved the sandwich at us as we walked by.

Yuki shook her head in dismay. "If you really want to improve my mood, then you should think about growing up."

Her frown proved to be contagious, and soon spread to Haruhi as well. She finished her sandwich and went off to find the place Asakura had set up for her to stay. Our blunette hostess kindly showed me to the room I'd be staying in.

Before she stepped out, I thought of something I wanted cleared up for me. "Hey, Asakura... do you know how big the base of that space elevator is?"

She laughed. "I think it's around two kilometers from the outer wall to the center. Something like that." With that, she left.

Now I could settle down in the bed prepared for me with the knowledge that that thing was much bigger than I had thought... and that Emiri was an alien.