(Spoilers for the ending of Futaba-kun Change.)

                                 From the Past
                                by Ken Arromdee

    As Kei Kusanagi left the classroom, he was surprised to feel something
being pressed into his hand.  It took him only a moment to realize that it
was a piece of paper, but a moment was plenty of time for whoever gave it to
him to get lost in the afterschool crowd.

    He ducked inside the restroom and opened up the paper.  The message was
simple:  "Meet me at my apartment at 6 PM today.  Morino."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    There really wasn't much it could be about.  There was the off chance it
was some trick and she was trying to set him up with Herikawa, but what was
much more likely was that it had to do with their illness.  Something in
their bodies made them go comatose at times of extreme stress...  no, not go
comatose.  More like hybernation.  Kei was 18 years old by the calendar even
though just about everyone else knew him to be 15, and Morino was even older.
But it was an odd sort of 18, without the memories, the experiences...  he just
woke up one day to find everyone and everything he knew had left him behind.

    He knocked on Morino's door.

    "Come on in" replied the girl's voice.  "I'm glad you could come."

    "What's this about?" he asked, as he entered and slipped off his shoes.

    "Kei..." said Morino.  "When I was 13, I knew some people... friends of
my sister.  They were just a couple of years ahead of me.  About as old as
we are now.  And today I found out...   Look at this, Kei."

    She handed him a newspaper.  The headline was something boring about the
Middle East, but under the first article was a picture showing two high
school students and a funny-looking girl, with a huge white object in the
background.  The caption described it as three students...  Shimeru Futaba,
Shima Misaki, and Shimeru Kurin.

    "It's them", she said.  "Futaba and Misaki, the same people.  Not by
'teitai', but they slept for eight years...  I want to see them.  To talk to
them about it.  I want to know what you think I should do."

    Kei began to read the article beside the picture.  It was strange, and got
stranger.  Three people had returned from outer space.  It had confirmed
rumors from years ago when Shimeru Island vanished and ships had reported a
UFO....  "It talks about space people" he said.

    "Do you believe it?  There's no way this could be fake.  Not with a mile
high ship landing right near Tokyo."

    "It's not fake, Morino" he replied.  "It must be as real...  as real as
that UFO from last semester.  But it's going to change things a lot.  I wonder
what's going to happen to me?"

    "To you?"

    "Yes...  Because nobody was supposed to find out about Sensei.  But if
everyone knows there are aliens, if they're not a secret any more...  I think
things are going to be very different."

    "Sensei?"

    "I don't know if I should tell you, Morino.  I wasn't supposed to.  But
with this, it might not matter any more.  I've got to ask her.  Morino, you
wanted some advice from me.  I wish I could ask you for some advice now.  But
I have to talk to Sensei..."

    "I don't understand."

    "There's something I haven't told people about, Morino, and it's not
'teitai'.  It's something else.  I have to hide it from everyone, even you,
just like we have to hide 'teitai'.  But just maybe, I won't have to hide it
any more.  Now let's turn on the TV.  Maybe there will be a special about
this--it's big enough news.  For everyone.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    On the next day, 24 hours after Kei had left the clasroom the previous day,
the end of class came again.  This time, Kei stood up by his seat and waited,
until everyone had gone and only Sensei was left.

    She was beautiful, as always.  She was also his wife, if "death do us
part" didn't get negated by memory wiping...  and the memory wiping had faded
on him anyway.  Maybe because of his love for her...  and maybe just by
coincidence.

    "We've got to talk, Sensei".