Tamaki jolted awake at the sound of a loud clang, different from the thunder that they were used to hearing. His eyes felt like they were sealed shut. He rubbed them, attempting to open them. When he did, he immediately wished he hadn't. Harsh light poured in from the open hatch, and vague shouts reached his ears. He shifted a bit, disturbing Haruhi. His vision was blurred, but the shape that was moving towards him was unmistakeable.

"Kyoya?"

The raven-headed man knelt in front of him. Tamaki could barely hear, but Kyoya's voice pierced through the clouds that seemed to fill his head. "Drink, Tamaki." Something cold and metallic was held to his lips. Tamaki drank, slowly at first, then snatching the bottle from Kyoya and gulping it down as fast as he could. He gasped once he was finished, as if he were waking up from a long sleep. As the sweet water settled in, he began to feel more aware and not quite as horrible as he had.

Tamaki watched as Kyoya did the same for Haruhi, then shook Hikaru awake. He knew it was Hikaru because he was still wearing the school uniform, while Kaoru was shirtless. Something seemed wrong in the back of Tamaki's mind, but it took a moment for him to realize what it was.

Where was Kaoru, anyway?

Tamaki looked around, peering over Haruhi's head. He saw a group of men surrounding something. They were talking softly, but rapidly, as if they were firing off commands and attempting to keep whatever they were surrounding calm. Then Tamaki caught a glimpse of familiar orange hair. He began to worry about the younger twin. "What's wrong with him?" He was surprised at how weak his own voice sounded.

Kyoya didn't answer at first. He seemed to be weighing his words, and avoiding Tamaki's gaze. Tamaki leaned toward him. "Kyoya?" Hikaru was the one who spoke, his voice trembling. "What's wrong with Kaoru?"

"Kaoru is dying." Kyoya let out a soft sigh, looking down at his knees. "He's cold, dehydrated, and was stressed before the event. I'm assuming he didn't eat the day the apocalypse started, so he was already weaker than you three were. Also, there appears to be something wrong with one of his lungs and his heart. We're doing the best we can, but..."

Not even a billion foghorns could have filled the silence that fell over them at that moment, but somehow, Hikaru's soft whisper did. "Kaoru..." Suddenly he was shouting his brother's name over and over, scrambling towards the group. Several men held him back, trying to calm him, but once Hikaru was set on something, nothing could stop him.

"Kaoru!" It nearly broke Tamaki's heart to hear Hikaru shout so desperately. He turned his head away as Hikaru broke through, leaning over his twin. He couldn't bear to watch, but he could hear Hikaru's angry sobs. Kyoya's voice rang out again, quietly, so Hikaru couldn't hear.

"He's gotten worse."

Kyoya stood, pulling Haruhi to her feet. Tamaki looked up at them. Kyoya said to him "we're going to get you out of here and to a safe place. We can go from there, alright?" Tamaki nodded. Haruhi leaned on Kyoya and limped out of the bunker. Tamaki was next. Even when he was out, into the wretched dusty air that made him cough until his sides ached, he could still hear Hikaru's cries. Most of them were incoherent, but Tamaki could clearly make out the one thing Hikaru repeated so many times.

"Please don't leave me!"