~The Tenth Undeniable Truth of Haruhi Suzumiya~

Or

~Never Let This Go~

AN:

Well, folks… it's coming to an end. :D

Second to the last chapter… I feel like this story was a great warmup. As in, I am planning to start writing another Haruhi Suzumiya fic soon, entitled 'The Expedition of Haruhi Suzumiya'. Well… the title is in the works.

Well, I going to be super busy writing soon, updating 3 stories at a time. (Smile for Me [Bleach IchiRuki], K-ON! Revise! [K-ON!, Multiple Pairings. No yuri.], and hopefully The Expedition of Haruhi Suzumiya [Haruhi Suzumiya Series, Mainly Kyon/Haruhi, one sided Nagato/Kyon and Asahina/Kyon.])

By the way, after reading 'Meet the Suzumiyas' , the most popular Haruhi fanfic of all time, I've studied and improved my writing. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story and check out my new one… and let's see if we can beat the number of reviews for 'Meet the Suzumiyas!'

[Never Let this Go is a song by Paramore too. XD]

The rest of summer flashed by like a corny, Disney-spawned dream. No, I didn't learn to believe in myself or anything like that, but the simple fact that I had Haruhi got me up in the mornings and to bed and night made my summer like a bad, predictable romance movie. After the whole open space dilemma a couple weeks ago, things were going completely smooth. Haruhi even forgot the whole thing after a day, courtesy of Nagato, as I inferred.

There were days where Haruhi was busy, and there were days when I was busy. Haruhi's mom was dragging her places all of a sudden, and I was completely thrown off by my Dad's sudden decision to make me help out at the family shop once a week. I hated the days when I would stand at my Dad's auto shop register, waiting in the torturing summer heat for the day to end. Those days felt like years and years.

But the next day, I would see Haruhi, and I would feel happy again.

It occurred to me that for once, Haruhi was being very lenient with the other brigade members, actually allowing them to enjoy their break. There was little to no mention of the SOS-dan in our conversations, which really surprised me. I often thought of Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina-san, wondering if they were watching or recording my dates and afternoons with Haruhi.

In fact, as the summer progressed, I noticed Haruhi was dropping the 'tsun' in 'tsundere', and she was really cute when she was happy. I liked how Haruhi wasn't yelling at me for once, and how she smiled with me. Suzumiya Haruhi was becoming an average, beautiful and happy girl. Who was also my girlfriend.

…or so I thought.

Soon, I found myself standing in front of my closet, staring at my North High uniform in utter disbelief. It was a day until school started, and my mom had so graciously prepared my uniform in a way that it looked new, crisp and fresh. I, however, was not particularly amused with the thought of having to go back to school. I wanted to keep talking to Haruhi all day forever.

I sighed and walked over to my school bag, abandoned in the corner of my room for weeks. It was dusty and smelly with neglect. I rolled my eyes and looked inside. Pencils, check… pen, check… wait… what is this notebook?

I pulled it out of my bag and my eyes widened.

OH CRAP.

I had completely forgotten about the summer homework!

I pulled out my cell phone, ready to call Haruhi.

My phone vibrated in my hand. Gah. She had beaten me to it.

"Have you done your summer homework, Kyon?" Haruhi asked as soon as I flipped my phone open.

"I was just going to talk about that to you!"I said. "I haven't got it done!"

"Well…" Haruhi said, thinking for a moment. "I'll be over in a while. Just hang on tight."

About half an hour later, I was sitting with Haruhi in my room, tapping my pencil absentmindedly on the notebook paper, staring at nothing in particular. The loudest sound in the room was my alarm clock ticking, and I had absolutely no clue what to write down. What were 10 things I learned about Haruhi over the summer?

"Well… do you have anything?" Haruhi asked, coming in close to me as we sat on the floor.

Haruhi was looking very cute that day. She wore a white hoodie with a bright orange tank top beneath it, along with her pair of short denim shorts and Domo flip-flops. The look of the shorts and flip-flops was absolutely nostalgic; reminiscent of the day Haruhi and I were on the beach. My mind almost blanked for a second at the thought of the feeling of her lips.

Haruhi tapped my shoulder, confused, and I snapped back to reality, trying my best not to blush intensely.

"Well, I obviously have had a bunch of meaningful memories and experiments concerning you, but I have no idea what to put down on paper that a teacher would appreciate reading and find appropriate." I said in my defense.

Yikes! Did I just say that out loud?

Haruhi blushed super hard, and her she frowned and pouted the way her Ultra Director half did. I found myself smiling at the cuteness of it all.

"Baka!" Haruhi yelped, not looking directly at me. "Why would you even consider writing our… our… romantic escapades down for a freaking school essay?"

Romantic escapades, huh…

"What was something new you noticed about me this summer?" Haruhi asked, trying to get us back on track.

"Well… you're not as tsundere anymore." I said pointblank.

Haruhi gave me a death glare that made my life flash before my eyes. To reassure myself, I recalled our numerous romantic escapades (Damn, it's growing on me!) so that I would remember Haruhi loved me too much to kill me, in my own humble opinion. I mean, our romantic escapades are so memorable! Like the time we experimented French-kissing like in the movies and I almost choked on Haruhi's...- Ah, good times…

"Stop thinking about dirty stuff and pay attention, Kyon!" Haruhi snapped.

Damn, she knows me so well. I looked at her honestly. What did I learn about her over the summer, huh…

"I found out you are a C-Cup going D-Cup." That was a fact I had discovered during one of my failed romantic excursions, which almost resulted in my getting thrown out of Haruhi's window.

Several seconds later, I had a throbbing red handprint on my face. I sighed and shook my head.

"I take back the tsundere thing." I murmured.

Haruhi fumed at me. "Jeez, Kyon…" She mumbled, blushing cutely. "Are you ready to be serious now?"

I sighed.

"The first undeniable fact about you is that when you aren't happy, nobody is."

Haruhi looked at me in surprise. "Seriously?" She asked, blushing.

I nodded and jotted that idea down in my notebook… what else…

"Well, it really occurred to me this summer that you are a girl, if you get what I'm saying. I mean, with how you can be sensitive and all…"

Haruhi said nothing girlishly twirled her hair with her finger.

"Also… you are really popular with the guys, but you didn't and don't really care about it."

"You're flattering me, Kyon!" Haruhi mumbled nervously.

I reinstated the changing tsundere thing.

After a few seconds, I noticed Haruhi was clutching her own summer journal to her chest. I wondered what was inside for a moment. Was it possible she poured out all her romantic woes involving me into that very book? Was it possible she wrote down her every secret concerning her feelings towards me on those cheap notebook pages?

"Haruhi, what did you write about me?" I asked, curious.

Haruhi looked up at me and gave me a shy smile. "A few things…"

She handed me the notebook and I flipped to the front page. In front of me was a numerical list of 1-10. They were the facts about me.

I took a nervous breath and read Haruhi's super-neat hiragana.

1. Kyon can be a total jerk sometimes, but…

2.…in reality, he has a golden heart. He's like a guy with a golden heart covered by a layer of cold steel.

3. Kyon cares about me. He let me stay over at his house a while.

4. Kyon is pretty corny. He watched a meteor shower with me the other night. It was corny, but… effective.

does strange things on the computer sometimes. I blame puberty.

always thinks about others before himself.

is really thoughtful.

8.I'm sure Kyon loves me, and I love him.

makes my days happy.

is the only guy I could ever love.

I blinked after I read the list. AWWW!

I grabbed Haruhi and held her close. We lay there, on the floor, as I stroked her hair affectionately and cuddled with her. I knew she liked me back, but I had no idea she returned my feeling s this much. Reading that list was the real beginning of it all. Geez, if this was me from the past, I'd be denying everything.

No way I'd do that now. I'm super boyfriend Kyon.

"It's pretty corny, isn't it?" Haruhi asked skeptically.

"It's great," I said. "I personally love it."

Haruhi blushed and pulled me closer to her. I happily obliged.

After several seconds of thought, I found myself with a completed list of truths of Haruhi Suzumiya, 9 of which you have read.

I sat at my desk at school, feeling really depressed.

I stared out the window, feeling uber depressed. I felt like I was wasting my life at high school and that I should just drop out and play when my bones could still handle it. I sighed as I stared at the bright post-summer sky, which was still lined with clouds. As I stared on, I noticed the clouds changing color.

It was pretty rapid. Each second that passed by a new cloud color arose.

Along each of those seconds, I each a loud footstep down the hall.

Tap, tap, tap.

With each footstep, I found myself smiling wider and wider.

The classroom door slid open and the entire class impulsively turned its head to see Haruhi Suzumiya strut in.

I was amazed. Haruhi had oh-so-graciously put her hair up in a ponytail for me that morning as a back to school present. I smiled as she approached her desk, conveniently seated behind me. I could see that Haruhi was as confident as ever as she stepped closer towards her desk.

For some reason, everybody in the classroom was staring at us. Whispers filled the room. I blinked and looked around. What was going on?

Haruhi tapped my shoulder and I turned to face her.

Her golden eyes made my heart skip a beat. Those freaking beautiful golden eyes, a million times brighter than any star or the sun. Those eyes could brighten up the world in a split second.

"Good morning, Haruhi." I said, beaming.

That's when Haruhi leaned in and kissed me square upon the lips, in front of the whole class; her hands behind her back. It felt great, but I felt like my head was about to explode into a billion and one different chunks. The familiar taste of watermelon filled my mouth, sweeter than ever. I eventually gave up and pulled her in, my arms wrapped around her waist. When she pulled away about a good 10 seconds later, the entire class was silent.

Haruhi looked me square in the eye again. "Good morning, Kyon."

In case you didn't know, it's a BIG NO-NO to kiss in public in Japan. I was proud of myself, partially. I could feel my masculinity points get a huge bump up.

"So, I guess this means something finally happened between you two this summer," The giant idiot Taniguchi said, staring at us from across the room. He had stated the obviously obvious.

"Finally?" I asked, confused.

Kunikida looked at me and smiled at the sight of Haruhi taking her seat behind me, energized.

"Kyon, everybody's been waiting for you to make out, you know." He said a matter-of-factly, and then laughed. "I guess nobody expected it that literally."

Suddenly, a chorus of fangirl squeals filled the classroom.

"That was so cute!" Some girl yelped.

"Finally, it happens!" Another squealed. "Ahh, I forgot my camera!"

"What a delayed reaction," Haruhi said from behind me.

Although she sounded pissed, I could tell she was smiling.

When homeroom, the last period of the day, ended, I was expecting to actually walk with Haruhi to the clubroom. I imagined gaining a superior level-up in my status in the Brigade. I was going to rub it in Koizumi's face and see if Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky himself would frown when I got a million points from the Ultra Director herself.

"I have day-duty," Haruhi said to me, her face looking like she thought I knew that already.

I facepalmed and sighed, and Haruhi simply laughed at me. I grudgingly started walking to the clubroom, disappointed that my asking to be promoted in the brigade was delayed. Eventually, I shrugged the disappointment off like a real man and began to walk with pride with the clubroom.

That's when I felt someone tap my shoulder.

When I turned around, I saw that it was Koizumi. He still had his signature smile plastered onto his face, and he seemed extra delighted for some reason.

"I observed that the clouds have been turning numerous colors lately," Koizumi said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I've noticed it too."

"I can only assume…" He said quickly. "…I can only assume something finally happened between you and our precious brigade leader over the summer."

"Well… y-you can say that," I said, blushing.

Dammit! I had never thought about what the SOS-dan would think about my new relationship with Haruhi! I never realized that it would come out soon, and it wouldn't be just Haruhi's and my business, but it would soon become the business of Koizumi, Nagato, and Asahina-san alike.

I blinked. Did Asahina-san ever know that this was going to happen?

"Did you know that this year, the summer heat was perfectly warm and the breeze was perfectly constant on certain days?" Koizumi said, looking out the window absentmindedly. "Some days, especially Wednesdays, were excruciatingly hot. And then it would turn normal again the next day."

Wednesdays were the days Dad forced me to work his shop. I smiled a little.

"I had no idea," I said honestly.

Koizumi walked over and patted my shoulder. "I hope you realize that the world is literally resting on your shoulders alone. You have the choices to make that can make or break time and space and life in general."

"I know, I've already encountered technical difficulties…" I mumbled.

And with that, Koizumi and I walked off to the SOS-dan clubroom, changing the topic to small talk. Koizumi started with a humble 'How's the Weather?'.

When Koizumi and I got to the clubroom, I felt an extremely cooling aura fill me. I felt so chill all of a sudden, remembering days I spent in there fondly. It was actually really relaxing sometimes, with Koizumi and I just playing board games, Nagato reading a novel in another language, Asahina-san preoccupying herself, and Haruhi simply messing around on the computer.

I wondered then why I ever complained about the SOS-dan in the first place.

"Kyon-kun!"

My eyes refocused and I saw the cheery Asahina-san run up to me. I felt a smile run across my face. Asahina's… assets had developed over the summer, in a very noticeable way. I felt my eyebrows raise and my mouth curve upwards.

Wait… wait! What am I thinking? I have Haruhi now!

"It's been a long time!" I said, smiling at her fondly.

Asahina-san smiled and nodded. And then she pushed me out into the hallway to speak.

I wasn't the least bit surprised at this point.

"Over the summer… there was a superbly unexpected time flux." She said, nervously.

My eyebrows cocked. "Um… I thought that Haruhi would be happy when we dated. Is she not satisfied or something?"

"No, no, it wasn't anything negative at all!" Asahina-san countered quickly.

"Eh?"

"It seems the evening Suzumiya-san and you officially became a couple, she wished that she could experience the entire year previous to your dating again, just so she could laugh at how stupid she looked when she failed with attempting to confess to you." Asahina paused. "And, as expected, Suzumiya-san fell asleep and unknowingly used a classified technology to travel back in time and do just that. In a mere 5 hours of sleep she dreamt she was reliving a whole year, which she did."

I blinked and sighed. "I'm still subliminally underestimating her powers, aren't I?" I mumbled to myself.

"Anyway, Kyon-kun, you've made her truly happy." Asahina-san said reassuringly. "Just… watch out. You now have the world's fate resting on your shoulders."

I looked at her in disbelief. She had quoted Koizumi unknowingly.

"Ah, it's going to be tough…" I said to her earnestly. "…but I'll try my best to keep Haruhi content."

Asahina-san smiled and walked back into the room with me.

"I'm getting some juice," Koizumi announced as we entered. "Does anyone want to tag along?"

"I will!" Asahina-san said.

Although I knew that the two didn't really agree with or trust each other fully, I watched them walk out together with an indescribable friendly fervor. I could tell they were simply giving me my chance to speak with Nagato alone, simply because she wouldn't do something rash like dragging me out to the hallway.

At last I was with the last brigade member I knew I had to converse with: Nagato Yuki. It occurred to me then the last conversation I had with her was before I fought Masashi Takaou, my parallel universe self. She had supplied me with weapons critical to my survival and winning, and she had planned the whole attack herself.

I had a lot to owe to Nagato.

I immediately walked over to Nagato and stood in front of her. She looked up from the book she was reading, slowly and surely. Our eyes locked.

"…thank you, Nagato."

I bowed low, to show her great respect. Nagato's facial expression didn't change as usual, but I could feel her appreciation. I bowed for a while, as I realized that I probably wouldn't have had the chance to date Haruhi without her assistance.

"The actions and procedures I took were all critical for the future studying of Suzumiya Haruhi," Nagato said simply. "The Entity views her as the one subject that would be the most significant of all, as her potential for unlocking the key to auto-evolution has slowly arisen this summer, due to you." She paused and looked up at me sincerely. "I personally also felt the need for you two to admit emotions that could shape the world for the better."

I nodded. "I really wouldn't have made it this far if you hadn't assisted me. Again, thank you."

Nagato nodded slowly and spoke again. "You have the world on your shoulders now."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Ugh.

First, you made God smile. And then, you have the world on your shoulders now. Kyon, what the hell have you gotten yourself into, dating a girl that could create or destroy a world in a couple of hours? What have you done, falling for the girl you once so found annoying and pissy and then finding her the most beautiful thing alive?

That's when Koizumi and Asahina-san came back with 1,2,3,4…

…5 juice boxes in their hands.

Behind them was none other than the watermelon-scented, ponytailed, irreplaceable Suzumiya Haruhi.

…what have you gotten yourself into, Kyon?

After several seconds of thought, I answered myself.

I smiled and walked over to Haruhi.

"Hey," I whispered, leaning into hello kiss her. Just to piss Koizumi off and show off a little.

I closed my eyes and awaited impact, I leaned forward and my heart beat faster. I could almost no longer feel Haruhi's warm body beneath me. Man, she was like, limbo-ing. Did she want me to kiss her on the table, in front of all these people? Man, Haruhi, you are so amazing.

That's when my lips made contact.

…with the table.

I opened my eyes as I heard Asahina-san giggle and Koizumi snicker at me.

I stood up and stared at them, my patented Kyon's Having a WTF? Moment face shining. I could see Asahina-san blushing and giggling at me. Koizumi had a smug smirk plastered onto his face. And I could've sworn that I actually saw Nagato's pseudo-apathetic face bare a small smile. The only person not smiling in that picture was…

…Haruhi herself.

"What the hell was that, idiot?"

I blinked. "Wha-?" I asked, totally confused.

Haruhi frowned and me and turned to face the window. She looked as if she was ready to give an epic and touching motivational speech, with her hair flying back in the wind. I could almost hear the piano and violin duet play in the background. I stared, simply not knowing what to say. Haruhi cleared her throat and began the speech.

"Kyon, although our relations are considerably closer nowadays," She said, her voice cracking at the words 'relations' and 'closer'. "When we are attending SOS-dan club activities, our previous roles in the club will remain the same, our senpai-kohai relationship still existing."

Haruhi coughed, not facing me. I could tell she was probably blushing all kinds of reds, because the clouds surrounding the sky by the window she was standing in front of were getting all colorful again. I sighed and facepalmed.

"Basically you're still the Ultra Director, and I'm just the dog?" I asked bluntly.

Haruhi whipped around, smiling the smile that made me melt all the time. "Exact-a-mundo, hombre!" She flashed me the peace sign as I stood there, shocked still.

"Two points!" She gave me generously.

STAB.

NOTHING HAS REALLY CHANGED HERE, HAS THERE?

I sighed and dragged myself back to my chair, ready to go sulk in a corner.

"I don't understand what's going on, my lovely Ultra Director." Koizumi said, just wanting to further depress me. "What is your new relationship with Kyon here?"

That caught Haruhi. A-HA! So she hadn't explained it out loud yet!

I winced as she bumped her thigh into a table corner, thrown completely off guard. She was extremely flustered, and she gave a small squeal that was undoubtedly deredere. I grinned to myself and rolled my eyes as Haruhi stood up straight and attempted to recollect her thoughts.

"Ahem…" She coughed, turning pink. "Well, um… Kyon and I are… uh…"

The words would not come out of Haruhi's mouth. I found my smile grow increasingly larger every second. I wanted to hear her admit it.

"Kyon and I… had to work on a summer project together," Haruhi concluded. I felt a stab.

"And that led to-?" Asahina-san herself prodded, seemingly wanting to hear Haruhi say it too.

I wasn't surprised. It was almost revenge for all the cosplaying Haruhi forced her into.

"And… that led to…" Haruhi paused and sighed. She gave up. "Kyon and I are dating, alright? But we are just superior and subordinate in the SOS-dan, nothing more or less."

I felt myself float into nirvana. That face Haruhi made when she admitted we were dating was so freaking CUTE!

…what the hell is going on with me? I'm becoming a shojo-anime boyfriend… TT-TT

"…whoa, Yuki-chan is smiling!" Haruhi exclaimed.

I snapped back into reality and everyone in the room turned to face her, but Nagato looked natural. As in, she had no expression in her face whatsoever.

Haruhi was officially the first person to catch her smiling.

I groaned and shook my head. If Nagato showed more emotion, every guy in the school would be after her. Geez, that stupid Entity of hers gets ridiculous. I would do anything to repay her assistance, and getting rid of that freaking Entity seems like the way to go.

"Well, anyway…" Haruhi said, sounded extra-exuberant. "Today is the SOS-dan's Back-To-School DDR Game Day!"

DDR? My mind processed. DDR…

HAH!

I found myself standing outside the RaiGoGo arcade again, staring at the shop on the exact spot as that fateful day. I had been there exactly on the last day of school, when I accidentally took Haruhi to on a date here. I sighed and grimaced at the fact I should've already been going out with her then.

I didn't have enough balls back then.

When the SOS-dan entered the arcade, it almost fell silent. It seemed that most of the players were regulars, and a lot of them remember the beautiful girl who danced like crazy and the guy who called her his sister.

Whispers surrounded us as we walked to the vacant DDR machine in the center of the room, the tension rising like plumes of smoke.

"Did you and Suzumiya-san do something here, Kyon-kun?" Asahina-san asked me curiously. "Everybody's staring at you particularly."

I nodded honestly. "I guess you could say that."

Haruhi was the first person to step up on the machine again. She smiled and handed me her bag crudely, once again treating me like her freaking busboy. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the nostalgic feelings of being by that machine.

The sound of Haruhi's coin clunking into the machine seemed to slow down time. In no time flat, the DDR machine was surrounded by excited spectators and interested skeptical critics as Haruhi selected Max 300 in Heavy mode once again.

Three, two, one…

Haruhi's footwork was incredible. It surpassed that of world famous boxer Manny Pacquiao, in my opinion. The way she moved made it seem like friction was nothing, her thin school shoes' soles moving cooperatively on the arrows as if dancing to the song was absolutely easy… which it was everything but.

People started cheering and hooting again, and it lightened the mood.

At the end of the song, Haruhi jumped up and yelled…

"FOR THE SOS-DAN!"

I smiled to myself, and next to me Koizumi was clapping in appreciation and Asahina-san was giggling.

Soon, the other members tried the game. Koizumi got too into the game in my opinion, shaking his hips and flowing arrow to arrow too eagerly, like a freaking ballet dancer. The other guys in the arcade were very critical of him. But Koizumi didn't mind at all. With only an average score, he walked away smiling.

Next was Asahina-san. Haruhi forced her up on stage, with the secret motive of 'Advertising the SOS-dan'. The way Asahina-san danced was clumsy but so freaking MOE! People everywhere were taking pictures of the flustered girl clumsily stomp and miss the arrows, as she squealed and squeaked and moaned. She failed in the middle of the song, but Asahina-san seemed to be happy just to get off.

Next was Nagato. After watching DDR for probably the first time in her life, she learnt it like a pro. It was the same with when she learnt the guitar by reading a freaking pamphlet!

Nagato moved on the dance pad with almost robotic-like movements, as she flew on each arrow without breaking a sweat or smiling. She perfected the song she was playing, and everyone in the arcade wasn't quite sure what to think of Nagato. Haruhi, however, was so happy.

"Yuki-chan is so cool! She gets 10,000 points just for doing that." Haruhi said, giving a thumb of approval.

And then there was one.

I smiled and stared at the machine, clicking my tongue.

She's my sister, retard.

The words burned in my brain. I felt determined.

"Well," Haruhi said expectantly. She stood next to me, her arms crossed. She was smiling very wide.

"It's your turn, Kyon."

I looked at her ponytail and gave in.

I gently took her hand and led her up to the pad next to me.

"I want to make up for my crappy attitude from last time," I said. "Let's dance, Haruhi."

Haruhi didn't say anything. She didn't look at me directly, but I could tell she was smiling widely as I selected God Knows as the song we would dance to. As the upbeat music started, I could already feel my heartbeat pace increase.

And then my feet broke into song, singing for the pure love of Haruhi.

I started moving like crazy, my feet hitting the arrows squarely and perfectly. I could hear myself laughing as the adrenaline pumped through me, the excitement in my body waiting to explode through the movement of my feet. Haruhi was laughing next to me too.

Everybody was laughing. Everything was going well.

And then I remembered again.

She's my sister, retard.

After a quick turnaround move, I saw him.

The guy who had totally ruined that day, standing in the corner of the crowd. His nose was broken from the left side, and he had a vengeful smile on his lips.

Near the end of the song, exactly what I thought would happen happened.

"Your sister has a nice ass there!" The guy in the back said.

I grinned knowingly and finished the song.

Haruhi was mad next to me, pissed at the guy.

I led her by hand, through the crowd, as they parted like the Red Sea. I felt an intense need to be super-boyfriend Kyon for a second. I gingerly made my way up to the guy and smiled as he looked at me in confusion.

"Damn right she has a nice ass," I said honestly. "And… she's my girlfriend."

I slammed my fist into the right side of his nose, feeling the bone snap underneath my knuckle.

"Holy crap, Kyon!" Haruhi gasped.

I smiled at her confidently and ran out of the arcade with her, hand in hand.

We didn't stop running for a long time. We simply ran, our feet taking us in a direction we didn't know about, or even cared about. We didn't know where we were running, we didn't know when we were going to stop, and we didn't care.

We ran through streets and back alleys, through a patch of forest and through busy roads. When we got tired, we stopped for a moment to take a breath, and then burst into running again. Soon, I was behind Haruhi. She was dragging me, as the way it always had been. For the first time, I wanted to go where Haruhi was going; I wanted to do what she had planned.

When we did stop… when we stopped, we stood upon a hill Far East of town, near the road that eventually took you inland towards the country. We hiked up that hill, side by side, and for a long time, not a word was spoken. The path was overlooked by sakura trees both sides, and although the road was worn and the paving was crude, that walk with Haruhi is the one thing I could never forget about our relationship.

Finally, I spoke.

"Whenever I'm with you," I said quietly, bringing Haruhi's hand up to my chest. "My heart beats like this."

I laid her open palm over my heart, which was beating with adrenaline and admiration.

"That feeling is the best feeling in the world." I whispered. "No one but you can give it to me."

Haruhi looked up and me, flashing her bright smile at me. Her eyes twinkled with happiness, and then they clouded. Soon, she subsequently burst into a fit of tears. I was confused at first, but when I saw the amount of blush that covered her face, and when I heard her start to maniacally burst into tears while doing the mentioned, I realized.

I realized, for the first time, Haruhi was feeling like she'd found the strangeness of this world in a nutshell. She'd found out why a sensible guy like me was in love with a crazy, beautiful girl like her. Haruhi had solved the greatest mystery of them all.

Soon, we were at the top of the hill, and I was laughing crazily and crying like a baby too. Haruhi had pressed herself against my chest and I had pulled her in, and we looked absolutely crazy, just laughing and crying and loving. I could feel my nose drip, and I could feeling Haruhi's warm tears seep into my shirt, but none of that mattered.

I had Haruhi.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of an old door open.

…screech…

I looked up from the hysteria and saw what Haruhi and I were standing in front of.

It was an old-looking one-story condo. It was built mostly of wood and the paint was chipping, and the metal gate protecting the house looked more like a hazard with the way it was bent. Despite the house's old looks, the garden in front of it was trimmed perfectly and well maintained, and there was a large field stretching behind it.

I looked at the man at the door. He had a smile plastered across his face, paired with a pair of content looking golden eyes that looked like they were going to burst into tears too. We stood with a cane, an obvious gimp sticking out of his hip. The man's hair was a coppery brown, and had not a strand of grey. It was grown to his shoulders, with a little ponytail protruding at the end of it. He had a large smile and just a little stubble on his chin. He was handsome… It was ridiculous to the point of being funny. He looked like a young man who had aged much too quickly.

And then my eyes trailed off to the name plate over the mailbox, which hung crooked on the gate's door:

Suzumiya Akio.

Haruhi was no longer in my arms. She was running to the man at the door…

…no, she was running to her father.

Her father dropped his cane and in seconds, swept his daughter up in his arms and swung her around. I stared, my jaw dropped. What kind of man with a gimp had that much upper body strength?

"Daddy…" Haruhi hollered, laughing and crying all over again.

"Haru-chan…" Her dad hollered in return, as they cried with each other. "You're finally here… after all those years…" He paused. And then he looked up.

For the first time, his eyes locked with mine solely. Shivers ran up and down my spine.

"You're the guy?" He asked questioningly. Haruhi picked up the cane and handed it to her Father, a worried look on her face.

"Uh…" I was confused.

"Whatever!" He said, wiping his nose and straightening himself, supported by the cane. "Come in for some tea."

Soon, I was sitting in Haruhi's father's house, getting warm under the kotatsu in the living room in the middle of fall. I was completely overwhelmed by the tininess of the house, yet it was pristinely clean and beautiful on the inside. As I expected, a number of baseball-oriented items were on the walls and in cabinets.

Her father did unconsciously make Haruhi who she was through baseball.

"So," Her father said, sitting down at the table between Haruhi and me.

It was kind of sad. He squished right between us, separating us like nobody's business.

Rejected, I thought worriedly.

He laid the tea out on the table and smiled.

"What's your name, young man?" He asked.

"I'm-"

"He's Kyon." Haruhi cut in anxiously.

"Whadda girly nickname!" Her father said, laughing loudly. I blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm Akio." He said, extending his hand out for me to shake. "It's written with kanji for bright and manly."

I blinked.

"Call me Akio-sama."

"Dad!" Haruhi murmured. "I was worried you'd be the same, even after all these years."

"No," I stammered. "It's fine… Akio-sama."

There was a strange silence.

"Well, then." Akio said. "I'll guess I get straight to the point."

He sat up straighter.

"When I was in high school, I was Mr. Popular." He began.

"Um, are you going to brag to me or something?" I asked, somewhat irritated.

"No!" Akio said. "Listen. I'm being serious."

I listened hesitantly.

"As I was saying, I was Mr. Popular. I was the school baseball star, and every day I walked into the school and opened my shoe locker there was a flood of love confessions that streamed to the floor. But I had no interest in things like romantic relations… that is, until I met Haruhi's mother, Rin." He paused. I could almost feel the nostalgic aura flowing around him.

"It was spring. I was a new senior. I was doing great in classes, and all the teachers were sure I was going to make it as either a doctor or a baseball player. I was the pride of Hajiyoshi High. I was going to pick up my career choice papers when I met Rin." He sighed. "I met her… after she fell down a flight of steps. I was just turning a corner. Her arm was scratched and her cheek was spilt a little, and she was unconscious. I freaked out and ran to the office, grabbed a first aid kit off of the infirmary walls without so much as a word, and hurried back. I fixed up her arm and treated her cheek." He laughed.

"It was only then I saw how beautiful she was."

I blinked. Haruhi's mother… Rin, always looked so cold and angry.

"She may look different now, but… back then, she was quiet."

He dug through a pocket and slid me a picture. I blinked.

Haruhi was the splitting image of her mother, minus the black hair and eyes. Instead of a yellow hairband, her mother wore a blue one, and she looked much more reserved.

"I eventually was caught by the teachers after I stole the first aid kit, but they forgave me when they saw the situation. I suddenly felt a strange pull. After all, they were going to make me leave this girl, the first girl I found truly beautiful. So I hastily volunteered to carry her to the infirmary, to which they shrugged and obliged. I can't forget the feeling of her warm figure pressed against my chest as I carried her to the infirmary bed." He laughed. "It was funny; she was wide awake the moment I pressed her against the bed. She was really flustered and embarrassed, and I was just totally swept away at that moment. Soon, we talked more, and hung out more… and eventually, just when the summer of that year started, I started dating her.

When I met her parents, they explained to me that she was accident-prone and soft-spoken, yet independent and firm when needed. I loved her with all I had, and eventually, I married her the winter after graduation. I was going to school to become a doctor, but worked as a paramedic… because I loved the feeling of rushing to someone and patching them up." He laughed. "It was really nostalgic. And…" He paused and turned a little pink. "When we were both 20, we decided to have a baby."

I blushed. Ahem.

"…anyway, soon, we found out Rin was pregnant, and those were the happiest days of my life." He smiled sadly. "Days of painting the baby room and days of cooking crappy dinner when Rin was bedridden. Days filled with anticipation and anxiety. That was, of course, until the doctor told me the news."

He sighed. "Even you, Haruhi, don't know this."

We both leaned in closer to him, wanting to hear the rest of the intriguing story.

"The doctor told me that Rin would probably go through postpartum depression. He said that it wasn't going to be permanent, and that I shouldn't worry myself over it. So I didn't." He laughed bitterly. "When I told Rin's parents about it a week before the expected delivery date, they told me that Rin had pre-existing minor anxiety as a child and early teen. I was informed that going through PPD often lead to pre-existing mental illnesses, such as anxiety, to the forefront." His eyes trailed off dully. "I brushed it off. It was highly unlikely anything of the sort would happen."

"It was the day of delivery. Like every-other Dad-to-be, I was worried to the point of absurdity. I was freaking out when I drove Rin to the hospital, and I was biting my nails when she moaned in pain due to her contractions. I was absolutely scared out of my skin." Akio was running a hand through his hair. "After several hours of pacing the waiting room, doing random things like going to the bathroom and pulling dozens of pieces of toilet paper out, drawing mustaches on people in old magazines, and doing a total of 946 ½ jumping jacks, the nurse came out and told me 'It's a Girl!'!"

His eyes became really bright.

"I will never, ever, ever, ever, EVER, forget that moment when I first held that baby girl in my arms. Sure, she was crying as loud as a police siren and she was covered with the blood, sweat and tears of my unconscious wife, but that was the moment I truly realized... 'Damn, I'm a freaking dad.'" He smiled at Haruhi longingly. "When I first laid my eyes on that baby's golden, shining eyes... I told myself that this little girl would be what I lived for, alongside my wife. Her eyes reminded me of sunshine and warmth, like a warm spring after a cold winter." Akio's eyes dulled. "Rin was unconscious for 2 days. Although she hadn't decided with me, I knew fondly that she'd be happy if I named our little girl Haruhi... 'spring day'."

Haruhi was holding back tears. I wanted to hold her close, but Akio was like a hulking road block. He was tall and muscled, so I watched pathetically as Haruhi persistently fought the tears.

"When Rin woke up... I joyfully told her I named our little girl Haruhi. But Rin was different. She looked absolutely frightened. In fact, she was absolutely frightened. When she got out of the hospital, little things like closing the van door and making sure her seat belt was fastened right scared her. I figured it was just the PPD kicking in, so I patiently catered to her every whim for about a month. After that, I started to get worried. Rin was getting constantly worried about trivial things, so worried to the point of getting a panic attack once." His hands balled into fists. "I rushed her to the ER, and there, the doctors told me it was obvious her anxiety had developed fully. She was undeniably mentally ill."

"For 7 years..." Akio said shakily. "For 7 years, I watched the woman I always loved crumble away into stone. She was totally opposite of the girl I met and loved years ago. Rin snapped at me and we argued unceasingly over stupid things, while my little Haruhi watched."

"Soon, I became sad. I didn't want Rin to be anxious. I am a humorous man, and sometimes I do rash and often potentially dangerous things. Rin was always freaking out and me, and sometimes it was rightfully so, other times it was absurd. I didn't want Rin to worry because of me..." His voice trailed off. "So the summer Haruhi turned 7, I left."

"I didn't want Haruhi to think it was her mother's fault, so I spewed some utter crap, claiming I didn't love Rin anymore. But that was untrue. I still love her." His eyes clouded with tears. "A lot of goddamn awful things happened after that. I left Rin the house, of course, so I had to find a place to live that didn't cost much and would last." He smiled sadly. "I found this piece-of-trash house and figured it would do. For a few months, I found myself obsessively occupying myself with work, neglecting my own personal needs just to get my mind off of things. But after about a year, I snapped." Akio was just crying then. "I stopped going to work. After all my work they gave me a long leave, so I took advantage of it by spending my time playing baseball everyday. I preoccupied myself day and night, trying to push the thoughts of my beautiful wife and daughter away." He stood up.

"One day I was playing in the community baseball team, and I was at bat. I was adjusting my hat and looking up in to the sky... and the I happened to see the sun. And then I remembered Haruhi, my little spring sun. I didn't pay attention..."

Akio pointed to his gimp. "I was hit with a 110 km/ph ball right here. I would've hit it normally, but I took it directly. Now I can't play baseball." He sighed and sat down. "But that's okay. Anyway, a few days after I got out of the hospital, I went and saw Haruhi when Rin wasn't home, because I couldn't handle not seeing her any longer." He grinned. "Haruhi didn't even cry when she saw me. She just smiled like a warm sun. Her mother was on a business trip, so that evening I took her to a baseball game, just to spend time with the daughter I thought I had lost."

That baseball game... I blinked in realization.

Oh my GAWD!

"Anyway, I eventually had Haruhi sneak over and see me a lot. However, in her second year of junior high, I realized that she was growing up. I had taken her to the baseball game when she was in Grade 5, but she was Grade 8 already. I found out that she had had over 15 official boyfriends, and I was on the verge of having a midlife crisis." He laughed. "But after all, Haruhi is my daughter. It really wasn't a surprise she was such a heartbreaker."

"But... one day, Rin found out Haruhi and I had been secretly meeting each other. Being her over-anxious self, she forbade Haruhi to see me, allowing only one last time."

Akio smiled and looked at Haruhi.

"Care to put on a skit for Kyon showing our last meeting?" He asked.

"I'd be delighted to," Haruhi said.

I watched intently as they positioned themselves at the table, across from each other.

"Haruhi, I don't like the fact that you date so many boys," Akio said, sounding like he was just bringing up something, anything to talk about to cherish his 'last' moments with his daughter.

"It's not like I love them or anything," Haruhi said, sounding irritated and obnoxious, like the first day I met her. "Dad, I'm starting to think love is trivial."

Both of them just started crying, just absorbing each other in. They just wanted to be able to talk, to be near each other.

"Haruhi... promise me you won't date another boy until you find the one you would never ever leave, hear me?" Akio said. "And he has to be the boy you know would never, ever leave you."

"I promise, Pops." Haruhi said, her voice dripping with happiness and sadness, as she sadly regarded her father like her best friend.

"Promise you'll sneak back here to visit when you find him," Akio said, holding out a pinky. "That way I won't ever have to worry about you again."

"I promise." Haruhi replied, as they pinky swore.

I teared up at the corny scene and ran and tackled Haruhi, holding her close and rolling around the floor despite the fact I was in the same room as her father. Yeah, it was awkward, if you were wondering, but I'm super-boyfriend Kyon!

The Tenth Undeniable Truth of Haruhi Suzumiya:

She's Suzumiya Haruhi, a warm and sunny spring day.

She's the one girl I love and will never forget.

AND THAT IS UNDENIABLY THE TRUTH!

AN:

But... wait! There's more! O.O

Stay turned for this story's epic conclusion!

Thank you for all of your guys's support! Your skill level is OVER 9000! XD