Okay, I know it's been forever since I updated, but I have inspiration back so I should update more often. Enjoy ^^


Kaoru's emotions were so wild that he had to struggle to ignore them. He was scared, because of the chaos of the world, he was happy, because Hikaru still loved him, he was relieved, because Haruhi had survived, he was angry, because nothing was getting better, he was anxious, because nothing was getting worse, he was upset, because people died every day and there was nothing he could do; there were a thousand other emotions tearing him up inside like a hurricane.

Kaoru strapped the gas mask to his face and got ready to go hunt for Tamaki and the others. Hikaru was with him, but it was as if Hikaru was just like anyone else. Their world of "us" and "them" had been shattered beyond repair. Kaoru didn't even know who to blame anymore, so he blamed himself. He didn't have a reason, but who else could he blame? It was no longer fair to blame Haruhi, and it was never fair to blame Hikaru, so he settled for taking the blame.

Among all of the other emotions that were tormenting him, guilt was definitely the strongest and most toxic, poisoning him slowly and killing him from the inside.

Kaoru tucked a lighter in his pocket. It wasn't a required item, but for some reason, his intuition told him to take it. Hikaru glanced at him, but didn't ask questions. They, along with the other three, headed out into the chaos that was the real world.

Kaoru felt like the breath had been ripped from his lungs. Was the barren, burning landscape in front of him really his home? This cracked, broken world that looked like something out of a space movie; was this really where he had lived his entire life? Was it always like this? Was he blind to it? Had he always been? No, this was definitely new, because the memory of cherry blossoms and Hikaru's smile as cool water was splashed on him was not a dream.

The earth seemed to crumble beneath Kaoru's feet. In some cases, it actually did, falling away into a bottomless hole the size and shape of his boot. The boots were heavy, and Kaoru wasn't used to them, so before long he was out of breath, but he kept trudging along, because Hikaru didn't look back to see if he was still there. Kaoru knew that Hikaru was probably focused on the ground in front of him, but that didn't stop Kaoru from worrying.

Suddenly, there was a deafening roar, and the ground beneath them shook, falling away in some places. Fortunately, everyone in their party was standing on solid ground. Kaoru fell to his knees and gripped the ground, the sharp rocks digging into his palms, but he held on for dear life as the world fell apart around him once again. That didn't worry him, however. What worried him was that the roar hadn't come from the ground.

The shaking stopped, and Kaoru looked around. Hikaru was lying face down on the ground a few meters away. Kaoru held his breath, and let it out when Hikaru lifted his head. The other three got up slowly. They thought the danger had passed. Oh, how wrong they were.

The ground shook again, but only a little, and at a steady beat. It was like the footsteps of a giant, and it was getting louder. Fear flooded Kaoru, and he looked over his shoulder to see what was causing it. He nearly fell down again at what he saw.

"Shit!" One of the men with them, a burly man with a bushy mustache named Samson (the man, not the mustache) cursed and took a step back. The sound of heavy breathing through gas masks was deafening as the giant thing came closer. It was massive, at least three stories high, and was gnarled and twisted, stooping over since one of its grotesque arms was larger than the other. There were only twisted indentions where eyes were supposed to be, like the eyes had sunken in and the flesh had swollen around them, and there were two gaping, bloody holes where the nose should have been. The mouth was massive, with slimy purple lips and large protruding sharp teeth. There were only long claws where fingers should have been, and the creature was covered in blood, slime, and lord knows what else. The flesh was swollen and red, where it could be seen, but it was unmistakably human.

Kaoru stumbled back as the thing let out another roar, the force was enough to knock him over. Just then, he noticed something in the smaller of its arms. It was none other than Tamaki, though he was bloody, bruised, and quite possibly dead with his gas mask gone. Kaoru felt sick, and not just because of the stench the thing was giving off, like rotting flesh and infection.

"TAMAKI!" Hikaru cried out, rushing forward and jumping over the cracks. Kaoru grabbed his ankle before he could go any farther, making Hikaru fall. A boulder the size of a car flew over their heads, just where Hikaru had been standing moments before. Hikaru trembled as he realized what had just happened.

Samson wasn't so lucky. The bounder meant for Hikaru slammed into the ground right on his left leg. He let out a scream of agony, but no one rushed to his aid. They were busy trying to find cover from the creature's rampage.

Just then, there was a familiar battle cry, and a small figure flew through the sky at the creature. Kaoru crawled over Hikaru and covered his twin's head from the debris that covered them as the creature fell over from the force of the impact just a few meters away. Kaoru made sure their gas masks were still in place. Tamaki landed next to them when the creature got back up and tossed him aside in favour of its attacker. Kaoru crawled over to Tamaki, pressing an ear to his chest. "Is he alive?" Hikaru croaked. Kaoru nodded. "Yes." He took off his own gas mask, taking one last breath, and put it over Tamaki's face. Tamaki's breathing was faint and laboured, but it was there.

Hikaru didn't protest Kaoru removing his mask. He just stared in mute shock. Kaoru looked up and pointed to the figure darting around the creature. "Huni-senpai." He wasted a bit of precious breath. Hope flickered in Hikaru's eyes.

"Yes," a deep voice that was so achingly familiar sounded from just behind them. Kaoru turned back to see Mori-senpai standing over them with his own gas mask on. He also had several in his hand. He handed one to Kaoru, who put it on and took a deep breath, satisfying his aching lungs. Mori knelt over Tamaki, inspecting him. Then he looked up at the infuriated creature. Kaoru followed his gaze.

He noticed a familiar purple haze around the creature, and his mind lit up. He pulled the lighter out of his pocket and shouted "HUNI-SENPAI, GET AWAY FROM IT" at the top of his lungs. The blur darted away, and Kaoru raced towards the thing, calling for its attention. Hikaru let out a weak protest, but Kaoru didn't hear it as he lit the lighter. The creature turned on him. Kaoru's mind went blank and his face twisted into a wicked smirk. His silence was worse than any insult he could have shouted at the beast.

Kaoru raced into the purple cloud, and was soon engulfed in flame.


Hikaru couldn't believe his eyes. Why was Kaoru running towards the thing instead of away from it? He saw his twin take out a small red piece of plastic from his pocket, but it didn't register in his mind until a moment later. He tried to cry out, to tell him to stop, but only a weak whimper emerged from his lips. He could see the little flame. Then the flame wasn't so little. Hikaru watched helplessly as the creature, along with his brother, was consumed by the explosion.

The explosion blew him back, and he smacked his head on a rock. There was a dull thud beside him as Mori and Tamaki hit the soft ground beside him, but the ringing in his ears was too loud to hear anything. His vision was blurred by tears and a concussion as he weakly tried to lift his head. He could see a figure laying on the ground a few meters away, but he couldn't even lift a hand to help. His body was not his own at the moment. He saw someone kneeling over the charred figure, someone with a blonde head and tattered white clothes. An angel? Was there one coming for him too?

He didn't get to find out as the world went dark and the ringing was replaced by a thunderous silence.