A/N: Sorry, I know it's a bit crappy. I am badly angsty at the moment and I just had to get this off my chest. Other stories will be continued after the angsty storm has passed. If any of you know a quick way to get rid of this damned angst, lemme know, 'kay? It's eating at me.

†x

Something was weird. It wasn't déjà vu. It wasn't some huge, glowing giant that kept destroying things. It wasn't some sudden off-season sakura trees. It wasn't a talking cat. Heck, it wasn't even Haruhi. Because the weird thing was, Haruhi wasn't at school. It was as if she never existed.

"Kunikida?" the teacher took the attendance.

"Here."

"Mikura?"

"Here."

"Taniguchi?"

"Even if I didn't want to be,"

"Kyon?"

"Here."

I sighed. Even the teacher was calling me that now. But that wasn't the problem. The teacher continued calling names, and announced that we were all present. I looked behind me to absolutely make sure before I'd say something I'd be sure to regret. There was no chair, no desk, and no annoying Haruhi.

So what would it be? Ask the teacher, and have to live through the constant teasing it could probably bring if it turned out that I'm the only one that didn't know that Haruhi had maybe transferred? But no, that would be impossible. Miss Brigade Leader would not transfer without telling her precious Brigade first. Which leaves the other possibility, sadly, unknown to me, but not to them. They would know.

†x

When the bell rang for lunch, relieving me from what had to be the hardest math test that seemed to have been made by a sadistic math teacher on crack, I made a beeline for the clubroom.

"Oi, Kyon, you on a diet or something?" Taniguchi called after me.

I ignored him.

Isn't it weird, when you get so used to something, even if you don't like it? Some part of me, maybe the part that still has common sense, still rejected this routine, but the other part, the one that had gotten used to manual labor, constant abnormal or paranormal activity, general weirdness, or simply Haruhi, carried me to the clubroom, and fought what little resistance my common sense had put up. I was half-expecting to see Haruhi in the room, probably sitting on the desk, staring at the window, lamenting on how no one was coming to the SOS Brigade, or maybe, however small the possibility was, that this was some elaborate plan that involved blackmailing the teachers and students just to give me a prank. Whichever it was, I knocked on the door, not wanting to see something I shouldn't.

"Come in." came Nagato's voice.

"Kyo~n-kun!" Asahina-san greeted me with teary eyes.

"Wh-what is it, Asahina-san?"

"I believe I can explain." Koizumi said, after a sip of tea. But the usual smile of obvious plasticity wasn't there. He meant business.

"What is it, Koizumi?" I demanded, and sat down. I looked around, to see if there was some camera of some sort, or any bugging devices.

"Unfortunately, this is not a prank, nor an action of our respective factions." Koizumi said.

"Then what is it? There's something really wrong here, as far as I can tell. Wait, where's the computer Haruhi got from the Research Society? Where are the costumes for Asahina-san's cosplays? Where's the whiteboard? Where's all the junk she put here? Where is she, anyway?" I saw how empty the room was. If what Koizumi said was true about their groups not being involved, then what exactly is going on?

"Suzumiya-san has disappeared from our sight." Nagato said unblinkingly.

"I can tell. So?"

"Allow me to elaborate. She has severed connection. No one, except the four of us, currently has memories of the previous her that existed as Suzumiya Haruhi, a first year in North High. She still exists, in a location I believe Nagato-san knows of. The fact that we still exist proves this. However, the fact that you still remember is a mild surprise. Perhaps it is because of you meeting her three years ago, and her not knowing it was you." Koizumi gestured to the place near the window where the bamboo plant should've been.

"And why isn't she here?"

"She is conducting an experiment. Why? I believe it might be because of you. As usual."

"..And that experiment is..? Explain that before you put the blame on me."

"A girl's feelings are something I am not used to explaining about. I thought you might have realized by now. Asahina-san, could you please tell him?"

"U-um! I-it's classified information!" she said.

"I thought as much. The problem now is this: should Suzumiya-san's experiment prove her right, our very existence might be erased completely." Koizumi sighed.

"And why would that happen? A Haruhi who doesn't even know we exist can't possibly erase our existence!"

"She is subconsciously aware, not entirely. Would you like to know what we have concluded her experiment to be?"

"All ears."

"Based on what we have found out of the current Suzumiya-san, and the situation we are in now, the SOS Brigade does not exist, for it did not exist until you suggested it to Suzumiya-san, however, an alien, time traveler and esper are located close to Suzumiya-san. It is likely that someone like you will suggest it to the current Suzumiya-san, the formation of such a club. Do you understand?"

"Basically, it's another version of us?"

"Correct. Now if Suzumiya-san finds the current situtation much more satisfactory than the previous one, what would happen to us?"

"No way. Not possible. She wouldn't."

"That is why she is only semi-aware of our existence, so that if her experiment fails, her consciousness will snap back. She probably thought: 'what if I never transferred to North High?'."

"Then what about the Tanabata three years ago?"

"It probably didn't convince her that much. Now then, something all three factions are willing to help each other on: recovering Suzumiya-san. The three of us though, me, Nagato-san and Asahina-san, think that this operation needs only one person. You, obviously."

"And what do you think I could do?"

"What only you could do, of course."

What only I could do? Would that be to bring Haruhi back? Which would be how? Sure enough, I seemingly ended the endless summer she put us through, I got us back from the other world, and apparently, I'm the only one who can object Haruhi's insane ideas. So how is that suppose to help us get her back?

"What are you thinking, Koizumi?"

"We have agreed upon sending you to where Suzumiya-san is currently located, whereupon, I'm afraid, you'll be on your own."

"It won't kill you to tell me what you're thinking, you know."

"Ah, but you already know what to do. You've been wanting it for a while now, right? If you didn't, if you didn't even care about Suzumiya-san, then why would you bother? Why would you bother even coming here in the first place?"

"Who knows."

"Tell us if you're ready."

What do I want? There's something I've been wanting to say, but what? And about that thing that I've been wanting to do, what is it?

If you think that very fast flashbacks of someone you're apparently close to happens when you think of something unthinkable happens only in TV dramas, think again. It was as if someone actually took the time to compile all the memories I have of Haruhi, put it into a DVD with a play speed of a trillion kilobytes per second, and play it in my head.

The god-like creature, or whatever Koizumi called it drew closer. I pulled Haruhi into a kiss, and suddenly.. Ooof, I fell off my bed.

The weird flashbacks stopped there.

"It appears you have reached a realization of some sort." Koizumi smiled.

"So that's what I'll have to do? Kiss Haruhi?"

"Excuse me? I believe I did not hear you." Koizumi said, only this time his voice sounded rough and deeper, like..

"I'll kiss Haruhi!" I stood up abruptly, feeling slightly dazed. I was back in the classroom, face to face with Okabe-sensei. Someone wolfwhistled.

"It seems that you're awake now." Okabe-sensei said. The class laughed.

I looked behind me. And yes, this time, there was a desk, a chair, and a very embarrassed-looking Haruhi. I sighed. Would I be relieved that wouldn't have to actually do it, or be as embarrassed as Haruhi was? Either way, when the bell rang, I didn't stick around to find out. For some reason, though I knew I would regret it later, I made for the clubroom, dashing ahead of Haruhi.

†x

I knocked on the door.

"Come in." this time, came Asahina-san's voice.

I sighed, and sat down. Asahina-san gave me some tea, which, for some reason, failed to calm me down like it usually did.

"Hm? Where's Suzumiya-san?" Koizumi asked, moving a chess piece. It didn't take long for Nagato to make her move, and Koizumi made another.

"Long story." I sipped some more tea.

"I'd like to hear it."

"Nah, it's uh- You'll get to hear it when she gets here, anyway."

At that moment, the door burst open, revealing a seemingly upset Haruhi. She barged in without a word, and sat down.

"No, I think I'd rather not." Koizumi said, and moved out of a possible checkmate.

†

"That's it for today. Last person out, lock the door." Haruhi picked her bag up, and barged out.

"I really think you should say something, though. I wouldn't want to deal with closed spaces today, seeing as it's a Friday." Koizumi said.

I chased after Haruhi. I had to make sure, no matter how stupid it would make me look.

"Oi! Haruhi, wait up!" I said.

She slowed down, turned around, and stopped.

"What?"

"You're.. real, right?"

"Huh? Are you stupid?"

I pinched her cheeks, and got to carry her bag in return.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Juust checking."

"What was.. that ... that nonsense you said in class about, anyway?" Haruhi said, avoiding my gaze.

"Uh. Errr, it was a line in a manga my sister had me read.."

"Oh..."

I had a feeling that fib would have a very bad aftereffect sometime in the near future. Wait.. It's just the two of us.. And that dream had to mean something. Something aside from the fact that I don't get sleep at night..

"Haruhi."

"What?"

I pulled her into a kiss. Whoa, intense déjà vu right there. But for some reason, I didn't care. She didn't respond, but that was fine with me. I pulled back.

"Haruhi, I think I.."

"You think what?" Haruhi said, only her voice was a bit more high-pitched, like.. Oh, crap..

"I.. I.."

"Hurry up, Kyon-kun! It's time to wake up!"

Huh..? Kyon-kun? I got up, and found that I was lying on the floor, hugging my pillow. The alarm clock wouldn't stop ringing, and my sister was jumping on my bed.

Another dream..?

"Oi, pull my hair real hard, would you?"

"Sure?"

"Just do it."

My sister pulled my hair. Reaally hard.

"Oww!"

Yep, I'm awake.

x