Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! Glad you've made it this far and special thanks to my reviewers! (Y'all know who you are) ;)

Reacting immediately, Emiko wriggled in her captor's grasp, trying to push them back. No success. They had their arms locked around her and had a tight hand over her mouth so she couldn't make a sound. Not that she'd planned on screaming. She wasn't so weak as to resort to screaming like a victim. I'm not a victim.

Roughly, the captor turned her around.

It was Kyoya.

He released her as soon as he saw who it was, and an instant frown appeared on his face.

"You!" Emiko scolded herself. It should've been obvious.

"Quiet. Stupid idiot," Kyoya whispered harshly. Feels like déjà vu, he thought mildly. "What are you doing in my house again?" Emiko rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in defiance.

"Nothing…" A muffled crash resonated up from the basement. Kyoya put a hand to his face, groaned in understanding, and looked at Emiko. The look on his face was startling. She'd seen his angry and annoyed face… but this was different.

"That bastard… I'll kill him!" Kyoya's fists were curled and irritation showed plainly. "You!" He turned on Emiko. "You went along with that idiot? Now I'm seriously gonna kill him!" He strode forward, planning to give Tamaki a good look at the bottom of his foot.

"Ahahahaha!" Emiko bent over laughing. She tried to be quiet about it, but the laughing just kept coming. "Oh..nohohoho… I'm.. ahaha… sorry," she wiped tears from her eyes. Kyoya stopped, staring incredulously at her.

"What are you laughing at?" He felt his annoyance sputter and fade, watching her laugh was surprisingly interesting. He'd never seen her laugh like that.

"Ohoh, I'm truly sorry," she straightened up, stifling her laughs, "It's just… you must really like him huh?" Kyoya looked at her in shock.

"What do you mean?" This girl… she's so perceptive. I don't like it.

"Nevermind," she regained her seriousness and regarded Kyoya with a curious look. "Why don't we do something a little more interesting than just catching them?" She grinned at him, ready to put aside their hatred for each other to have a little fun with the other hosts. He looked at her, thought it over, and agreed. This was too good to pass up.

"I'm listening…"

In the basement:

"I told you not to open that door!" Haruhi whispered frantically. The twins shrugged.

"No one's coming," Hikaru began. "And it wasn't that loud," Kaoru added.

"You two fail the competition!" Tamaki charged, pointing a finger at them dramatically.

"Oh please. Boss, you're the one who screamed and jumped into Haruhi," Hikaru countered. Tamaki turned red and pouted.

"Hey, don't you think Emi-chan's taking a long time?" Honey popped in between Tamaki and the twins.

"Yeah," Mori nodded, keeping alert for any sort of sound or movement.

"Hm, yeah she has been gone a long time," Haruhi looked toward the door leading up to the first floor.

"Let's go look for her!" The twins' faces lit up in excitement. They'd been getting bored with the basement, having already mastered lock picking, they were looking for a new challenge.

"Okay, but be quiet! You too senpai!" Haruhi bit her lip in apprehension, but agreed that they should try to find Emiko. The sooner they find her, the sooner they could leave.

They all crept silently up the stairs to the first floor of the mansion. Peeking into the empty room, Haruhi led them out of the stairwell. They crouched behind a sofa. Haruhi paused, not really knowing what to do next.

"Should we split up?" She shrugged and looked at her fellow hosts.

"We'll go with Haruhi," the twins claimed quickly, shooting evil grins at Tamaki.

"Hey! No way! Not my little girl! You cretins leave her alone!" The twins stuck their tongues out at him.

"Enough you guys! I'm going this way and if any of you follow me… just don't make any noise!" She snuck out from behind the sofa and made her way to the kitchen. She heard Honey and Mori quietly slip in another direction and found Tamaki hanging on her sleeve. The twins, she saw, moved toward another staircase. This is ridiculous, she thought with a sigh, but it seems to make Emiko happy. And that's a good thing to see.

"Gahh! Did you hear that?"

"No senpai…" Haruhi replied flatly.

"Augh! Did you hear that?" He clung to her side, fearfully looking around.

"No, there's noth-" They froze.

Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a dark, cloaked figure blocked their path. The figure's head was covered, but a glint in the darkness revealed a long, machete-like knife. Black ooze dripped from the blade to the floor. Tamaki and Haruhi gulped.

"Intruders… intruders… intruders! You will pay!" A hissing voice echoed from the dark figure. It slide forward, taking phantom steps toward the two shaking hosts. They'd gone starch-white and frozen on the spot. The hissing sound increased and the figure stepped closer.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!"

"I'm getting bored," Kaoru sighed.

"Yeah, I'm tired of being so silent," Hikaru leaned against the wall.

"Let's end the game," Kaoru nodded and they stood up to find the others. They began to walk down the dark hallway. Suddenly, Hikaru tripped. But he didn't fall, rather he was flung up into the air. He dangled by his leg, held up by a rope, and swung his arms frantically.

"Hik-" Kaoru began to shout, but was just as suddenly strung up by a rope around his ankle. "Ahhh!" Both twins struggled, Hikaru trying not further hurt his arm, and Kaoru trying to refrain from screaming.

"Ah… gah… ah…oof!" Tamaki and Haruhi ran around a corner and smacked into the twins. They fell, looking dazed at the dangling twins.

"Hu-hurry and get us down!" Hikaru strained his neck to look at them.

"Gah! No time! We have to get out of here!" Tamaki panted in terror. Haruhi was panting, but not from fear, she just had to keep up with Tamaki's frantic dash.

"Quit fooling around and get us…" Kaoru trailed off as the figure rounded the corner. The black ooze continued to drip from the knife, and smoke seemed to spill from beneath the long, ragged cloak. It was something out of a nightmare. The figure floated toward them, hissing menacingly.

That's it! I'm going to die here! What a cruel world! Tamaki's teeth chattered and his knees shook.

Oh my god you've got to be kidding me! I'm going to die like this? Hikaru gulped and tried not to let his terror show.

Crap… this is not good… not good, not good! Kaoru reached a hand out to Hikaru, who tried to swing closer to him.

I wonder if there's a supermarket open this late. Haruhi ignored Tamaki's trembling, but let him hide behind her all the same.

A light flicked on.

"GAHHHHH!" All the hosts jumped in surprise.

"What're you guys doing?" Honey bounced up to them, cake in hand. He peered at Hikaru and Kaoru's petrified forms and Tamaki's newly grayed hair.

"Haha!" The cloaked figure removed the scraggly veil and dropped the knife. It was Emiko. "Oh, I am really sorry, but I just couldn't let such an opportunity go to waste!" She laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I…It was you?" Tamaki stuttered, jaw dropping. (Haruhi: duh senpai).

"Yeah," Emiko smiled and nodded, "But I didn't do it alone." She gestured at Honey, Mori and Kyoya, who'd just stepped out from behind the corner.

"B-b-but how? Why?" Tamaki looked at the others wide-eyed.

"We found Kyo-chan and Emi-chan upstairs!" Honey grinned stuffing the last piece of cake in his mouth. Mori nodded.

"Well I knew that buffoons such as yourselves would never learn anything valuable from this ridiculous intrusion, so we had to teach you a lesson," Kyoya smiled at Tamaki's now rising soul. Haruhi reached up and slammed it back into his body.

"And when Mori and Honey senpai found us talking about it, they offered to set up the ropes," Emiko smiled cheerily.

"Hah, hah, very funny… you've had your laugh now get us down," Hikaru pouted at having been tricked.

"I wasn't even scared," Kaoru lied, as Mori undid the rope around his ankle.

"You screamed," Haruhi pointed out bluntly.

"Did not!" The twins, now upright, sniffed indifferently.

"So…" Tamaki, coming back to life, looked between Emiko and Kyoya. "Does this mean you two have stopped fighting?" Emiko peeked at Kyoya from the corner of her vision. Kyoya crossed his arms.

"I was never fighting," Kyoya and Emiko began in unintended unison. "I was right…"

"And she…

"And he…"

"Was wrong."

Tamaki withered again. Dear god this is never going to end…

Thanks for reading! Review if you'd like (it keeps me writing)!

Character Corner:

Emiko:

5 ft. 5

Long and wavy burgundy hair

Dark brown eyes

110 lbs

Capricorn

Has a special interest in martial arts and cleaning (thanks to her maids)

Brought up as a perfect young lady, but doesn't mind throwing a punch when necessary

Hasn't had a boyfriend...

... yet... ;]