QN - 5 Things that Never Happened in Allupato, Italy
Mine's a bit different gaiz. I love me some 5 Things fic.

1.
Haruhi hated boxes. There were all sizes and shapes. Cardboard and plastic. She kicked one idly, before looking back to where he was kneeling, sorting a box of what looked like comic books.

"It's really over, huh?" she asked wistfully. Kyon raised his head.

"I didn't choose this, Haruhi," he said with a sigh, placing another stack of comics into the box, "My dad got promoted. We have to go back."

"I know. I know that!" Her voice cracked, the strain evident. His head snapped back to her, wearing a look she couldn't quite understand.

"What?" Her voice cracked again. What, was she a boy going through puberty now? This was so annoying. Her face was also very itchy suddenly. That was the only reason why she kept wiping a hand across her eyes. The only reason.

"Haruhi..."

Something strange happened right after that. It took her a moment to comprehend it fully, because Kyon's arms were around her and he was hugging her and that wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be packing boxes or saying goodbye or leaving her behind. That wasn't how things were supposed to work.

"I'll go too," she managed finally, returning the hug shakily. "I'll go too."

Kyon was silent for a moment, before pulling her closer to him.

"...Alright."

A week later, all connections to Allupato were cut off.

2.
"It's the perfect costume!" she told him gruffly. How dare he doubt her perfect plan! She applied the makeup carefully, making liberal us of the compact mirror in her hand. She put a little powder for paleness and some circles under the eyes. Last she added the final touch: a pair of fake fangs. They were the good ones, of course. A little expensive, but anything less would have just detracted from the look.

"Don't forget what you're supposed to do," she said, nodding once as she looked in the compact mirror. Complete. "Do you have the number?"

Kyon nodded an affirmative.

"Good!" she said quickly, making sure he wouldn't get the chance to get in a word. She didn't want him trying to change her mind. He hadn't tried to do that yet, but she never trusted him to keep his mouth shut on these things.

"How do I look? Dead enough?" She spun around once, showing off the dark garb and flashing her fake fangs at him.

3.
She didn't say a word when they came for her. She sat on the bed, knees drawn up, eyes glaring out into the void. She saw nothing but her own mess and destruction.

It was her fault. Let them take her.

Her aunt was at her side now, cupping her face and whispering assurances as the officers eased innto the room, slowly, like she was some kind of wild animal.

Maybe she was.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin pale, and the contours of bones showed through her thin skin. She glared at them with those bloodshot eyes but didn't move as they wrapped the binding around her.

"Everything will be alright now," her aunt was saying again, "They're going to help you get better."

In a last act of defiance, Haruhi didn't even lift her feet as they dragged her from the room.

4.
"Ling!" the instant she saw him she took off at a run, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she blurted out, launching into a series of apologies. He let her ramble on, stroking a hand through her hair as he had done to calm her before he made the deal.

Presently she grew quiet again as Ling continued stroking her hair. She closed her eyes, almost in a wince. Taking a breath, she took a step away from him.

"I'm really, really sorry." The words came out focused, controlled. Warning bells went off in Ling's head at her tone, but by then it was too late.

He opened his mouth in a gasp, a hand moving to his chest to finger the piece of wood now lodged there. He looked at her with disbelief. Haruhi smiled at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, but the hunter... was right."

5.
The sun was rising. Haruhi squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand as she watched it appear, casting a glow of yellow and red over the horizon. She moved her legs off the table, the legs of the chair knocking against the floor as she righted it from its leaned back position. She stood up, stretching stiff limbs.

While her arms were raised high in mid stretch, she turned her gaze toward the computer. Her expression softened a bit when she saw Kyon's sleeping form, his face pressed against the keyboard. What an idiot. That would be imprinted on his face tomorrow. Of course, Haruhi intended to make full use of this and his neglect of his Brigade duties by sleeping.

"Kyon!" She shook him roughly, rousing him from his sleep. He looked up at her with blinking eyes, a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. Disgusting.

"Sleeping during Brigade activities. That's a penalty!" She crossed her arms and looked down at him.

"Oh, and what were you doing?" He snapped back at her, obviously irritated to be so rudely awakened from his slumber.

She reached past his shoulder, tapping her finger once against the esc key. In a flash, the windows on the screen minimized and disappeared. Kyon stared at her in disbelief, slamming a few keys on the keyboard as if it would do any good. The windows did not reappear.

"What was that for?" His tone grew from irritated to outright angry.

"It doesn't matter anymore! Just forget it!"

"You just deleted everything you told me to do! How am I supposed to forget it?"

"Because I told you to!" She stomped out of the clubroom then, snapping out a hand to grab her coat off the chair as she passed. Kyon sighed, pressing the power button and waiting for the whirring of the computer's fan to click off. He leaned back, hands behind his head for support as he watched the rising sun.

Haruhi burst out into the early morning air, its briskness making her wrap her arms around herself and shiver, before she remembered the coat. She pulled it on quickly, trying her best not to stare directly at the sun. She took one step, then another as she made her way home.

There really was nothing out there, was there?