~The Third Undeniable Truth of Haruhi Suzumiya~

AN:

Oh! Fluff was so present in the last chapter I was drowning in cotton balls! *Spits out a cotton ball to prove a point.*

Anyways, here is the chapter that kicks the whole story off: The chapter in which we meet… Haruhi's… well, I don't want to spoil it. Read it yourself!

-ChromeHeartSoldier, Otaku 4ever

When I woke up that Thursday morning, a strange, achy feeling hit my gut.

Haruhi had left for home a few days ago when her parents returned, and I was alone in the house with Dad often due to Mom's business trip and my sister's 4 week camping expedition. I had nothing in particular to do, and the highlight of my day would always be the nightly phone call that Haruhi and I had somewhat committed to over the past few days. It's nothing romantic or anything, of course not. I still have Asahina-san swimming in my teenage brain all day, but I haven't heard from her in ages.

This is what my phone calls with Haruhi usually go:

*Kyon's Phone Rings*

K-Hello?

H-Kyon, what is the fat content of a tuna sandwich?

K-How the hell am I supposed to know?

H-Exactly. Understanding life is like me asking you the fat content of a tuna sandwich: strange, sudden, and impossible to figure out with some sort of guide.

K-…you sound like a philosopher. I like that analogy, though.

H-Um, so… how's life?

K-My cat died.

H-You have a cat?

K-No. I'm just making conversation.

H-Oh. Um…

K-…Uh… the fat content of an average tuna sandwich is 12.3 Grams…that's quite a chunk of the percent of fat you are supposed to have in a day.

H-How did you find that out?

K-I'm on the Internet, Haruhi. It is the master of all knowledge, good and evil.

H-Most especially evil. Ha!

K-Don't be a pervert.

H-What exactly are you doing on the computer in general, Kyon? You are never online.

*Kyon closes the picture of Asashina-san he was Photoshopping quickly in guilt.*

K-Nothing.

H-Um, okay. Gotta go.

K-Okay… er… bye.

H-Bye.

K-…hang up.

H-No you hang up.

K-What is this? 90210/Fruits Basket?

H-Just hang up. Jeez, Kyon.

K-…no.

H-I'll hang up if you kiss my-

*Kyon hangs up in defeat*

Okay, I'll admit it.

I miss having to wake up to a confetti popper or a creepy perverted smile. I miss having to share the leather couch and have consideration by only peeling off my shirt when absolutely necessary. I miss having to drive around on my bike like a chauffeur, picking up and dropping off stuff. I miss having to carry dozens of shopping bags at a time. I miss having delicious, one of a kind meals from my Dad.

I miss being around Haruhi, period.

That's when my phone went off.

I picked it up sleepily and flicked it open.

"Yesh?" I moaned. "Who is it?"

"Kyon?"

I blinked. "Haruhi? Is that you?"

"Um, yeah. I…" Haruhi paused. "I was wondering if you could meet me at that tea shop we always go to in 40 minutes. I need to talk to you."

Huh? She wasn't demanding… she was asking.

I nervously ran a hand through my mop of sweaty hair and shook it off.

"Um, sure!" I coughed anxiously.

"Sorry about this," Haruhi apologized. "It was so sudden."

I was shocked then.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry I'm bothering you," Haruhi said calmly, like a real, considerate person.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes," I said sharply.

When I met Haruhi at the usual intersection, I noticed something quite peculiar. Haruhi wasn't wearing her exuberant yellow hair band, but rather a dull, drab gray one. She was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and a pair of gray flats.

She looked… emo! GOD FORBID!

"Oh, there you are," She mumbled softly, dragging her feet behind her as she walked towards me. "You're early."

Early? Since when have I been early?

"Are you okay?" I asked, quite concerned.

Haruhi's eyes… her amber, sparkling eyes… looked dull. Her exuberant smile was flattened into a depressing frown, and her jumpy personality seemed to be squished like a bug.

"Um, I need to talk to you, like I said." Haruhi replied. "Thanks for doing this, Kyon."

I felt something like electricity rush through my veins.

"Let's get going, then." I said, looking into her eyes one last time to check I hadn't dreamt it up.

As I stepped forward, I felt Haruhi's hand scoot forward and grab my arm gently.

"Haruhi…?" I asked, surprised.

"Could you hold my hand on the way there?" Haruhi asked, her dull eyes showing no spark whatsoever.

I stared for a second, and willingly wrapped my hand around hers, our fingers entwining.

"Of course."

Haruhi was very… OC. She wasn't herself.

Haruhi. She's usually warm and bouncy, and her skin is warm and soft to the touch.

I felt like I was holding the hand of a zombie.

All the way to the tea shop, Haruhi's overwhelming, over-exuberant, honestly beautiful personality was not present. Every time I shifted my grip in my hand, I felt her used-to-be warm fingertips brush against my palm, and the contact I once believed set off fireworks in every lover's stomach seemed to be missing. Haruhi's loud and unique color choices where just not there.

The usual, all-around beautiful Haruhi wasn't with me.

She was a shell.

I ignored the stares of everybody. They all commented what a cute couple Haruhi and I looked like, but my mind was empty. I couldn't think.

I just didn't… feel the same.

Haruhi hadn't touched her large taro bubble tea. I had had four cups of coffee, and my every nerve in my body seemed to be screaming, "DO SOMETHING, HARUHI!"

The silence between us was deathly. The slightest noise of a packet of sugar falling to the table, or the rustling of my shorts when I moved seemed like a great event, the noise louder than anything. Haruhi's breath was fogging up the glass as she wordlessly stared out of the glass pane, at the world around us. Although the sunlight was beautiful and the world around us seemed to be buzzing in pure joy, my own feelings seemed like they were as low as any level they could get.

"Haruhi?" I whispered, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

She was sitting across from me in the booth, and for some reason, when I touched her, Haruhi stopped breathing. The ever-growing cloud of steam that once grew on the window was starting to condense.

The earth was still.

Wordlessly, Haruhi stood up from where she was sitting. I couldn't see her face. Her hair and the shadows covered her eyes.

She walked hastily to the booth I was sitting on, and quickly climbed in next to me, her warm body suddenly returning.

Then she grabbed my waist with one hand. I was dragged over, closer to her, half of my back rested on the booth, the over facing her. Haruhi's other arm reached up and hugged around my neck, her breaths during the process raggedy and short.

Then Haruhi dug her face into my shirt and cried.

People all over the café gasped. I didn't care.

I held her back. I felt Haruhi's warm, trembling body enveloping mine, and her presence was all I could feel.

"Kyon…" Haruhi whispered. "I'm… I'm sorry… this is so awkward…"

She tried to pull away, but I held her closer. I held her like I would never let go.

"I don't care what others think. Talk to me, Haruhi."

As if on cue, Haruhi looked up at me.

Her eyes were glassy, and stray tears ran down her cheeks.

"He's back," Haruhi whispered. "Masashi Takaou."

We were sitting in the park, and Haruhi was holding her ice cold bubble tea like a stress ball.

We were sitting on a park bench, and it was really hot. I reckon it was around 99 degrees Fahrenheit, but I didn't care. I had my arm wrapped around Haruhi's shoulder, and she sat so close to me, she was practically sitting on my lap.

"Masashi… Takaou?" I asked, my voice soft and calm.

"Yes," Haruhi replied. "Taka-chan, as I used to call him." She paused. "He's one of my numerous ex-boyfriends."

I shrugged. "So he's another douche who thought he had a chance. So what?"

Haruhi looked at me, her amber eyes glowing under the sun. "He… he was the first to last more than 24 hours with me."

"What?"

Haruhi took a deep breath, and continued. "I… I loved him."

The world seemed to hold its breath. I felt Haruhi's hand tighten around her bubble tea, which I believed was on the brink of exploding.

"Takaou… he was…" Haruhi paused, choking on some words she didn't want to say. "He was sort of like…"

I wanted the words to come out. I waited.

"…you, Kyon."

"He had beautiful, rust colored hair like you," She began, her eyes staring off into the distance. "His golden eyes contrasted his hair perfectly. And…" Haruhi took a deep breath. "He was painfully normal. But he was so, so, nice."

That explained the sudden attraction she felt towards me. I don't mean romantic attraction, I mean the magnetism we both felt- that lead me to become the club's second official member, and Haruhi's… well, Haruhi's best friend.

"….Haruhi…"

Haruhi continued. "What hurts the most is after I fell head-over-heels for him, the first time I ever fell in true love, he broke up with me."

I felt the words land like stabs on my chest. "Who would have the audacity to break up with you?"

"Takaou felt I was too weird."

The weight on my chest seemed to become heavier by the second.

"And-?"

"…so…" She whispered, her eyes staring into the sky. "He broke up with me. A few days later, his family moved. I haven't seen him since."

I felt myself clench my free hand as a tight fist.

"He didn't… Haruhi."

Haruhi shook her head and exhaled.

"Oh, yes he did."

Haruhi seemed so heartbroken and devastated that I walked her home.

I didn't even think about it. I simply held out my shoulder, and I walked her home, Haruhi's head resting on my shoulder and her arm linked around mine. I ignored the world around me.

Haruhi's small, broken breaths and her small tears dripping down her flushed cheeks was all I could think of.

When I got Haruhi to her doorstep, the sky above us was overcast, and I could tell that it was going to rain soon. I was surprised that Haruhi hadn't made a black hole come out of nowhere and suck all of humanity into oblivion. She was trembling, small, like a scared child.

"…bye, Haruhi."

Haruhi turned around and looked at me, her eyes evidently clear then. Her mouth was trying to curl into a smirk, but the best she could do was a sad smile.

"Thanks for listening, Kyon."

I smiled and shook my head. "Promise me you won't go emo or anything, okay?" I requested. "I realized that my life's crazy schedule is all your fault, and it's been that way for so long I wouldn't want it any other way."

Haruhi smirked then. "You can't live without me," She laughed.

I smiled right back. "Maybe I can't."

That's when I felt it.

That scratchy feeling in my chest, the constant throbbing in my throat. I felt the sweat build up on my palms, and I felt myself lick my lips nervously.

I guess what happened next was due to the fact that I cannot control my hormones.

I walked in as close as possible to Haruhi. Her smile was growing, and as hard as she tried to hide it, she wanted to come closer too. So in we went, closer and closer.

I could feel her warm breath against my neck, and I could smell her wonderful raspberry lip gloss again.

It was all on cue. The lights, the weather.

I leaned in, cupping Haruhi's chin with one hand and resting the other on her shoulder.

But I definitely chose the wrong time to kiss Haruhi on her front doorstep.

"Haruhi?"

I pulled away in shock. Haruhi did too.

"…no way."

Haruhi's mouth gaped open, and her cheeks blushed red. Her eyes widened, and she slowly brought her hand to her mouth.

It was a tall guy, about our age, with rust colored hair. He had shining golden eyes, and a bouquet of roses in his arms.

"Haruhi, I'm sorry."

The Third Undeniable Truth of Haruhi Suzumiya:

She knows she's popular with the guys, but chooses not to entertain it.

Unless she really wants to. ;D

AN:

Ha! We meet Haruhi's ex in this chapter!
I'm sorry I left you guys at a cliff hanger, but that's just me. ;p

Thank you for everyone who reviewed!