Complete // Closed

[smirkinggoddess]

Title: 'Cause the boy I love has gone so far away
Characters: Haruhi Suzumiy and Kyon
Location: Night Room
Rating: PG...?
Summary: Kyon has shown up at Malaise House. Haruhi doesn't know what to think.
Day/Time: Day 94 / Evening

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[cynicaldevotee]

Rings of amber watched her sit there in a sudden yet typical display of stubborn Haruhi attitude, his head dipping down as he runs his fingers through his mop of hair. His hand's motion stalls however as she begins to speak again, his palm lingering on his forehead momentarily before falling to his side, his hair settling back into place.

Her complaints bring a faint smile to his lips, his expression lightening at them. He had been right; it was the same Haruhi underneath after all, still concerning herself with the unusualness of others, even when the both of them were in an institute. The words she had used earlier had been harsh and yet… his head shook lightly, freeing himself of that thought train as well. Those thoughts could come later, now was the time to say something to her, his lips parting to speak…

Thoughts he was to respond with were robbed from him, stolen in a most unfair manner as she looked up at him. Her frame sitting on the floor before him, the faint lights of the room illuminating her in a soft manner, not quite obscuring the blue tint of the moonlight being cast from outside. Yet infinitely worse was the words she spoke, saying something so direct was a sure way to cause his heart to stop.

A light blush of red crept over the upper region of his cheeks, lips still parted in a little gape as he his mind reeled: W-what is she saying?! Obviously she meant she missed the Brigade… b-but saying it like that! Idiot! What was only a few seconds felt more like hours before his heart resumed once more. His feet start moving at roughly the same time bringing him closer to her, each one is glaring in contrast with the silence. With no fanfare other than a small sigh escaping him he settles down next to her in a similar manner, keeping a half foot of distance from shoulder to shoulder and facing the same direction.

The smile crept back over his lips and he places his palms on the ground behind him, leaning back a touch; his head tilting upward. His words come out softly in a matter of fact manner, “Hmph… of course you did. I … we missed you too. I mean… Koizumi is acting leader in your absence.”

[smirkinggoddess]

"Of course he is," Haruhi responded promptly, her attitude shining through the doom and gloom of the one moments ago. "He is Deputy Chief, after all. I guess he'll do a good job while I'm gone."

Haruhi stared pointedly at the door across from her, thinking over what had just happened. She wasn't ashamed of her actions...Haruhi Suzumiya was rarely ever ashamed of anything she said or did. Her harsh words toward Kyon had needed to be said...she still wasn't sure if he had wanted her to stay or leave their old school. After all, she had dragged him (literally) into the SOS Brigade, insulted him daily, and made him do a number of things he definitely did not want to do.

That was her nature, and she certainly wasn't sorry for doing the things she had done. But, if he had really wanted her to be taken away from school...she could understand why. Maybe. A little.

"...I started another Brigade here," she said finally, turning to look at him. "So that I'd have something fairly interesting to do. I actually got someone famous in it; you know the idol, Misa Amane? She said that she'd join! Isn't that exciting?"

She said exciting with some enthusiasm, but not her usual amount. She was excited to have a famous model in her Brigade, but now wasn't the right moment to be bouncing off of the walls. There was still a tense air hanging about the Night Room, for reasons only somewhat unknown to the brunette teenager.

[cynicaldevotee]

“Hmph,” was his answer. Kyon’s eyes trace the unfamiliar ceiling above them, his right hand’s index finger tapping quietly on the floor behind them as he continued. “… He took it more seriously than I’d like. Although now he’s got one less person under his care.”

Looking up at the ceiling his previous wandering thoughts were buzzing around, too many to focus on any of them for more than a second. Koizumi’s troubles with the blue giants, Yuki’s explanations, Haruhi’s lash out, and whether or not she was responsible indirectly for all this… it was all too much to deal with, who had tasked him with such responsibilities? It was too daunting to think of Haruhi as anything other than Haruhi; which was trouble enough. Ha… such thoughts, they’d be sure to think I’m crazy if they heard things like that. His wiry lips shape into a more typical smile at that thought, her voice causing him to turn his face toward her some, similar hued eyes watching hers.

“I’ve heard of her in passing… you’re sure it’s the Misa Amane, and not someone claiming to be her? We are in,” Kyon’s gaze flicking away towards the room and back again as one hand lifts to gesture in a circle, “...after all.”

Shrugging lightly he places his hands back down to the ground to keep his self propped up, his voice nonchalant as he delivers the next line, “… you’ve at least got Kyon in this brigade until you can return, right?”

[smirkinggoddess]

"Of course it's her. And I know what she's in here for, too," the brunette scoffed. She could not give such precious knowledge to a lowly Chore Boy, however, so she did not elaborate on the statement.

At Kyon's question, the girl looked looked ahead of them at one of the less-than-appealing-looking chairs, moving her mouth back and forth. "I guess you're right," she said, shrugging her shoulders, as if having him around was no consolation at all.

He knew better than to trust her words to represent her feelings, though.

"Don't think that because you're here, you get to slack off on Brigade duties, you got that?" Haruhi said, suddenly using her normal tone. She leaned forward, staring at the other teenager with a soul-piercing stare, as they sat in the middle of the Night Room floor.

"Having one of the original members is better than none, I guess," she resolved, prodding his forehead with her index finger.

[cynicaldevotee]

What could he say against an argument like That? Rolling his eyes upward at the proclamation that was now to be treated like it had been written on stone tablets he let his head sink down, chin almost touching his chest, and sighs. There was just no winning around this golden eyed demon. How quickly he had forgotten and quicker to be reminded.

The wry smile stays cemented on Kyon’s lips after the sigh though; his head tilting to the side as if he lacks the energy to pick his head back up, watching her as she carries on without care of his silence. I haven’t missed this… have I? Who would miss some-Grck! His eyes widen as she leans in, Kyon’s head straightening up and the hairs on the back of his head raising as well. Wait… what had she been saying a moment ago? Was he supposed to respond here... that gaze was troubling, even more so when she was leaning in so close. Hasn't she heard of personal space?!

Lacking a response to the unheard question, Kyon is rescued by her continuance, scowling lightly when she prods his forehead and makes such a remark. So that's how it's going to be? “Haa… better than none, hm? If I’m not wanted that much I don’t see a reason to be a chore boy anymore. In fact I’m not even sure if I should be hanging around such a trouble causer with an attitude like that…”

[smirkinggoddess]

"You can't quit the Brigade now, Kyon," the brown-haired girl said, a mischivieous grin spreading across her face as she pulled back. "Once you join, you're a member for life! You signed a legal and binding contract, and now you're stuck with the SOS Brigade forever!"

So what if there was no real contract? She could pretend, couldn't she? Haruhi got to her feet again, crossing her arms.

"We'll have to recruit new members to continue the Brigade here, of course," she said conversationally. "Maybe, if Koizumi, Yuki, and Mikuru are sent here...then we'll have the real SOS Brigade again! Wouldn't that be great, Kyon?"

At this last thought, Haruhi's eyes sparkled as they hadn't since she had arrived in Malaise. It filled her with thoughts of club meetings, baseball games, trips to mysterious islands, computer battles, Mikuru's costumes, and days spent in the sunshine. Haruhi knew that those thoughts were in her past now, but maybe...if she tried really hard...

...Maybe those happy memories could be made here, too.

[cynicaldevotee]

His smile slowly faltered into another of his typical looks, a frown. “W-what? I signed no such thing. You’re imagining things again…” he continued uselessly as she talked over him and onward, eliciting another sigh from his lips, eyelids closing to obscure golden pools; the ability to keep them open succumbing to the night as it wore on.

The sound of her standing causes Kyon to crack one open to glance up at her, the frown deepening as her latest thoughts are revealed. “That’s not something to even joke around about Haruhi. I haven’t been here for a full day yet and I wouldn’t want anyone else to be here, nor do I wish either of us to stay here any longer then necessary.”

Straightening Kyon pulls his arms from behind him to cross them in front of himself, “That isn’t to say we can’t have fun here but,” he sighs, struggling for words before he rubs his palm against his forehead, “… wouldn’t you rather run your Brigade from outside these walls?”

[smirkinggoddess]

An expression of anger flashed across Haruhi's face, and the expression didn't entirely fade as she swallowed. "...Of course I'd rather be back home, Kyon," she said, in the same cold, forced voice as before. "Why do you think...that I'd ever want to be stuck in a place like this?"

Had he really lost his mind? Why was he saying things like that to her, when he knew full well that she hated to be trapped anywhere? Especially when that 'anywhere' was in a mental institution, where people thought she was crazy, even though the things she talked about had to exist...

"...You can't just leave a place like this. It isn't a vacation, Kyon," the brunette said, not meeting his gaze, and instead staring determinedly at the doorway again. "They're not just going to let us out of here."

[cynicaldevotee]

Maybe was the first thing that wanted to jump to his lips. His teeth bit down on his lower lip to keep it from slipping out, Kyon’s head lowering to stare at the ground between his knees. “… of course not Haruhi, be serious. You’re asking unfair questions.”

Hands placed on his knees he pushed down lightly as he stood up behind her, both eyes open now to watch the back of the brunette’s head. Koizumi was probably having a rough night tonight, but perhaps he could justify it as karma. Leaving her like this wouldn’t do any of them very much good however; his head glancing to the left and right as if to look for those who might over hear them.

His voice comes out softer than before, a whisper in the dimly lit room, “Something like this should be easy for a super-sleuth like you to figure out… they can’t keep us here for ever, we just have to get… better, right?”

[smirkinggoddess]

Haruhi didn't turn around to face Kyon as he posed a very interesting idea. Of course...if they were ever to be released from Malaise House, they would have to show signs of being better. However, as she thought about this thrilling concept, a realization fell like a boulder into the pit of her stomach, shocking her for an instant. What he was suggesting...at least to her...

Give up...everything?

Haruhi rounded on Kyon, her expression accusatory. "How dare you suggest something like that to me!" she yelled, curling her hands into fists. "If we pretended like we didn't believe in any of this stuff, they'd send us home...but what about then? Are you suggesting that I forget about the Brigade, about everything I enjoy doing, just so I can keep myself out of a mental institution?!"

[cynicaldevotee]

It was impossible to judge how she had taken to the idea from behind; his gaze would have to be content with lingering on the brunette’s familiar backside, noting how similar she looked to the last time he had seen her. How her hair came down to obscure the back of her neck, just reaching past her shoulders. She’s also wearing the school uniform still…

Kyon’s reverie is interrupted as she whirls at him with unprecedented fury, unconsciously taking a half step back away from her while she yells. The lingering specter of sleep is swept away in the aftermath of the shouting within the previously serene Night room, his mouth left hanging open in surprise and dismay as she finishes.

“N-no,” Kyon starts quietly, glancing away from her inflamed eyes as he attempts to answer, “… of course not, maybe just enough to get out of here, to get away from this place, Haruhi. You- we can’t stay here, I refuse to, but... I’m not leaving without you.”

[smirkinggoddess]

Haruhi was again surprised by Kyon's response to her angry words, and pulled her gaze away, looking somewhat ashamed of herself. But, was he just saying that to pacify her, or...

She knew him better than that. He wouldn't-...he wasn't...

"...But, if we acted differently to get out of here...when we got back home, they'd just send us somewhere else. Seperately," she said, finally looking up at him again, her expression subdued. Why had they even been put in the same mental institution in the first place? How stupid was that? Of course, she was thankful for it...she had been hoping for it, really, but the odds of them doing something like that...

"I...I guess that could work, somehow," she resolved.

[cynicaldevotee]

Her silence allowed Kyon a quick reprise, his stance relaxing a touch while he brought his eyes back to watch Haruhi’s. No matter how one looks at her she couldn’t appear as anything other than a beautiful high school girl. Wait, no… an eccentric beautiful high school girl. Who doesn’t cause a little trouble growing up? What about those weird fans who bought pillows of girls who didn’t even exist? No, this thread of thought will lead nowhere.

His lips press together as she spells out it. This was a temporary solution at best, if it would even work, they couldn’t be the first ones to try and bluff their way out, the first signs of her searching for aliens and she’d be right back here. Could her parents really of sent her away over those incidents? Or is this some sort of subconscious thought that was manifesting itself? Yuki or Koizumi would have their own long winded guesses. Whatever it was, he didn’t like it.

Clearing his throat he does his best act of looking nonchalant for her; even if it is a little see through, “Well… we don’t have to figure it out tonight; if this plan isn’t good enough we’ll just have to come up with a better one, that’s all. It’s..” he pauses, the slightest troubled look passing across his features, disappearing just as quickly as it arrived, “…not as if the world will end tonight.”

[smirkinggoddess]

Another small smile tugged at the corners of Haruhi's mouth, and she allowed it to appear, somewhat grudgingly. "You're right. I'm sure everything's going to be fine!" she said, injecting more of her usual enthusiasm in the sentence, just to prove that she could get over negative emotions quickly.

Kyon had been right, actually; the Shinjin wouldn't be destroying the world that day. Maybe some time in the future, but certainly not this particular day.

"So...why did they send you here, anyway, Kyon?" the brunette asked in a hushed tone, looking concerned for whatever reason. "I mean, you're..."

Normal? Sane? Haruhi frowned, trying to organize her thoughts.

[cynicaldevotee]

Kyon hung his head hung as Haruhi’s emotions visibly bounced once more; he could feel his strength being sapped with each fluctuation, even if this one was for the better. His own wry smile is offered, “Uhn, it will get better, I mean, at least there’s at least one person we each know.”

Pausing to listen he grumbles afterward, “Sleep walking, and you interrupted me last time before I could finish, but also A.D.D. It’s-” his eyes trail to the side to avoid hers this time, having almost forgot there was no way he could explain the conversation his mother had overheard “… complicated. It’s just our parents over reacting, really.”

Catching sight of the clock in the room as he distracts himself from looking at her he scowls, it was getting closer to this ‘Final Lights Out’ time they had told him about earlier.

[smirkinggoddess]

"Oh, right," Haruhi said, blinking, since she had indeed started that question before. Shrugging lightly, the brunette listened for the rest of the answer, and this time, she wasn't infuriated by it.

"You're right. They're just being ridiculous," she said firmly, looking frustrated with the inane reactions of the adults back home. Honestly...did speaking your mind and having a hobby make you a lunatic nowadays?

The amber gaze of the female teenager also wandered to the clock, and an unhappy frown made itself known on her expression. "...I guess we don't have a lot of time left, huh?" she said, eyes following the ticking second hand of the clock.