KOSUKE'S P.O.V.

The engine room's probably one of the noisiest places I've ever been in. The clanking, pounding, and churning of the machinery send vibrations running up my legs. It was also warm in there, and puffs of steam hissed from cracks in metal pipes. As Captain Ehime walked forward, I followed, ducking under pips and stepping over wires. Finally, Captain Ehime stops in front of a large metal machine. It's voered from head to foot in gauges, the needles trembling with shifting power.

Captain Ehime takes in every gauge with intense focus. "Hm...Ever'ting's good here...Here, too...OK, I see the problem. The steam levels are vary low. We need ta fix that, or everyting's on this ship's gonna die. Ter's a leak here, somewhar. Take a look around, if ye want. Be carful, though."

"Yes, sir."

As I step away, already looking for the leak, he asks, "By the way, sonny, what's yer name?"

"Kosuke Nakahara, sir."

"T'anks. I was jurst wonderin'."

I nod and walk away, being careful not to touch the piping-hot metal of a few certain machines with the little bare skin I was showing. I walk a slowly, cautiously, just in case a blast of steam catches me off-guard. I do see an occasional bloom of the hot white vapor, but nothing out of the ordinary. So far, at the least.

Then, a hissing sound comes to my ears, like air leaving a balloon. Craning my neck, I can see a particular pipe blasting out a large burst of steam non-stop, the hot vapor disappearing into the air once it cools.

"Captain Ehime? I believe I found the leak."

Captain Ehime appears next to me so suddenly I almost think he was right behind me. I jump a foot in the air, almost hitting my scalp on a hot pipe. Captain Ehime brushes past me as he takes out a wrench from the scarlet toolbox he brought with him, closing it with a loud creak.

"Good eye, ma boy. Now, stay back. Ye nevar know when these things will blow."

"Yes, sir," I respond, stepping back a few pipes.

Captain Ehime, who had pulled on a pair of thick black working clothes a few minutes prior, crouches next to the pipe. He twists the wrench around the nut, tightening it with tiny, occasional whines. The blast of steam begins to shrink down meekly, and the Captain grunts as the nut becomes harder to twist. Finally, he lets go with the smallest of sighs, setting the wrench back in the box. The tool clinks against the metals of the other objects inside the rusting box.

"Alright. Now, if ye'll just hand me that tape thar, we'll get this beaut up 'n running again."

I give a small nod and shuffle through the tool box, pushing hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches and...other tools I cannot name out of the way, careful not to cut my fingers on anything. Pulling out the thick roll of gunmetal tape, about as big as my hand, I hand it to him, wiping the forming beads of sweat from my brow. He takes the tape, stretches it out loudly, and wraps it around the nut of the pipe, sealing whatever small leaks may have been there. Patting it like an obidient canine, he smiles at me and standsm pushing his hands on his knees. "Thar we go. Good as new. Let's get goin', ma boy. This sail won' las' long."

"Yes, sir," I reply and begin to backtreck through the narrow passage I came from, Captain Ehime following my footsteps. As we approach the metal stairs leading to the exit door, I can hear the captain freeze in his footsteps. Then, I can hear his footsteps heading in the other direction.

I turn around. The captain has stopped in front of the gauge-covered machine once more, inspecting it intently, looking as if he were solving a Professor-Layton puzzle.

"Captain Ehime? Is something wrong?"

The captain doesn't answer me immediately. He continues to inspect the gauges with undying focus, eyes darting from one to another and back again. His work-worn hand comes to his face, rubbing his bearded chin. "Tha's amiss..."

I step over to the gauge-machine and follow his gaze. One gauge is very high, higher than it ever should be. The gauges are patterned green, yellow, and red, accordin' to energy levels. Currently, the needle in this particular gauge is at the very end of the red area, trembling as if it were trying to break free. "Captian Ehime, if I may ask, what does that mean?"

Captain Ehime gives me a curt nod as he commands, "Stay 'ere."

He walks away from me, approaching the opposite side of the engine room, the sounds of his shoes hitting the cement floor in soft slaps. I crane my neck to watch as he opens a small metal door embedded in the wall with a loud creak, and I suppose it to be some sort of a fuse box. Inside, switches, buttons, and wires cover every square inch. The captain's Persian-blue gaze scans all of them, taking in every detail of every one. Finally, he makes an "ah!" sound and calls, "'Ere's the problam! This li'le one's out 'a pla-"

An explosion of sparks.

A sizzle of electric energy.

And the captain falls to the floor with a thump.

"Captain Ehime?!" I run to him, stumbling over a pipe embedded in the floor. I fall on my knees next to him, using my hands to brace my fall. I check the pulse inside his neck, pressing my index and middle finger there. Still there, but very feverish and pounding. He's unconcious, as unmoving and limp as a corpse. O...kay, not the best thought there, Kosuke. "Captain Ehime?" I shake him a bit, his body rolling back and forth. "Captain Ehime, I'd appreciate it if you would please wa-"

I cut off into a choked silence as the lights begin to flicker, buzzing like tiny bees. Slowly, at first, barely, about every ten seconds. Then quicker, to five seconds. Darkness for five seconds and light a half-second.

And then, finally, complete, utter darkness.

As I sit there, next to the fallen body of the captain, in utter darkness apart for the occasional red blinks of emergency lights, I can hear the muffled screams of the customers of the Host Club above. The screams of the customers and Tamaki. The sounds of the engines pumping slows to a stop, as if they were tired and taking a break.

I stand up shakily, my heart beating a bit faster. I have a...slightly large case of nyctophobia, and all I want to do right now is get out of here, into light.

Making a sound between a sigh and a groan, I flip the captain onto his belly with a hard push. I then grab his right arm and drape it over my shoulder. Reaching behind me, I drape his left arm over my other shoulder. With a grunt, I stand up, his full body weight on me. I feel as if I'm carrying a sandbag full of stones. This is going to take awhile...

It takes me a considerably long time just to get to the outside hallway, and longer to get up the stairs. My body's already sore, especially my shoulders and legs. My heart-rate remains steady, though, and that's all I needed to worry about, medical-wise. The captain's face is between my shoulders, and as I move, his head bobs side-to-side, his nose prodding my spine.

As I turn the corner, realizing it'll take me an eternity just to get to the upper deck, two familiar voices suddenly cal, "Kosuke!"

I stop in my sore footsteps, turning to my right to see Kaoru and Hikaru running towards me, their footsteps in perfect unison, their concerned expressions like mirrors. "Hey, are you-"

The both of them deadpan as they see the captain on my back, mouths snapping shut and bodies frozen.

I clear my throat nervously, an already-formed droplet of sweat dripping down my cheek. "I can explain."

"So, in short, Captain Ehime was electrocuted by a fuse box, resulting in both his unconsciousness and the ship losing power," Kyoya summarizes, pushing his glasses up his nose in one fluid movement.

"Yes," I nod, twisting my fingers together. It's a nervous habit of mine, next to tugging on my hair. But, given my wig, I can't.

We're currently velvet-seated at a circular table in the corner of the expansive dining hall. The rest of the snowy-white tables are packed with all of the customers, who are all murmuring in...excitement(?) as they munch on the snacks provided. The gigantic violet curtains covering the windows are pulled back, basking the hall in the bright glow of the ocean. Whatever wasn't caught in the light is caught in black darkness.

"This isn't good," Kyoya sighs, tucking his black notebook underneath his arm. "If events like this keep happening, the club will have to shut down."

"I'm pretty sure everyone thinks this is supposed to happen," Haruhi says, her arms crossed. "All the customers think this is part of the cruise and we're all playing hero for them."

"We have to make them keep thinking that," Kyoya says. "So we need to get the ship's electricity back as soon as possible. The electricity went out about fifteen minutes ago...So we have about seven hours, forty-five minutes before the yacht sinks."

Tamaki leaps into action without hesitation. He jumps up from his chair and points a finger at me so quickly I don't even have time to blink. "Kosuke, how do we get the ship's electricity back?"

A bead of exasperated sweat rolls down my temple. Giving Tamaki a small, lackluster smile, I say, "I'm not sure. Captain Ehime didn't exactly give me instructions before he was electrocuted."

Call me insane, but I think I hear the twins chuckle beside me.

"Maybe we should call someone," Honey says, riding atop of Mori's shoulders, as per usual, holding Usa-chan to his chest. I still can't believe he's graduated from high school. "Isn't there someone we can call for help?"

"There should be a radio in the bridge," Haruhi says, holding her slim index finger underneath her chin. "We should be able to call someone from there, if it runs on emergency electricity."

"Some of us should stay behind with our guests," Tamaki puts in, violet eyes ablaze in determined perseverance. "So half of us should go and half of us should stay." Tamaki grabs Haruhi by her waist and pulls her in for a hug, rubbing his head against hers like a lovesick puppy. You can practically see the little bubbly hearts in the air. "I vote that me and Haruhi should go."

"I'll stay here," I say, raising a hand with my offer. "I believe that Misora and Chiyo are worried."

"We'll stay, too," the twins put in, saluting like soldiers going into the battlefield.

"So Kyoya can stay, too, and Mori and Honey can come with us," Tamaki beams happily, arms spread wide. No wonder he's labeled as princely. "It all works out."

"Let's get going now," Haruhi sighs, already walking away. I feel absolute pity for her. She's been here for a year more than I have. She's been through this torture so much longer. "Or else this isn't going to work out at all, if you know what I mean."

As a reluctant Haruhi, a bubbling Tamaki (who's proclaiming something about Operation: Save the Ootori Yacht,) a giggling Honey, and a silent Mori walk away from the table, heading for the bridge, the twins sigh to themselves. "Why does this always happen when we go to the beach?"

"So this is all part of the act, right?" Misora asks, her head tilting to the right, causing her silky auburn hair to fall like a curtain around her elbows. She has a steaming plate of Karei no Nitsuke in front of her, the simmered fish half-eaten and bathing in a mixture of soy sauce, miso paste, sugar, mirin and sake.

"No, ma'am this is real," I tell her, in a tone that's both sincere and pushed, so they can't tell if I'm lying or telling the truth, but while also being polite. I trace my finger along the cool brim of my glass, which is bubbling with strawberry Ramune. Along with Chiyo and Misora, six other girls are seated at my table, listening intently. Just like normal Host Club days, the customers are rotating between the twins, Kyoya, and I.

I feel guilty lying to them, even if I'm telling them the truth at the same time. I can't remember the last time I lied, as I find lying to be very rude. Which it is, with my opinion or not. There's also another reason why I don't lie: my fingers twitch when I do. That's why I'm tracing my glass now.

"Well, I hope the electricity gets fixed soon," Chiyo says, piercing her vegetable lasagna with a silver fork before sticking the slice of mushroom, bell pepper, onion, and cheese into her mouth. Chiyo, being in a family of veterinarians, is a strict vegetarian. "If the AC gets knocked out, it'll get hotter in here than a bakery oven."

"So how did the electricity go out?" a girl with short, layered, light golden brown hair asks, twirling one of her bangs around her index finger.

"I'm afraid I don't know, ma'am," I tell her, taking my hands from my glass and shoving them under the tablecloth so no one can see them twitching with tiny spasms. "It's a mystery."

The girls around the table oooooooh in suspenseful excitement. It's sort of humorous, the situational irony. This yacht could be sinking in a matter of hours and these girls are excited. (Of course, it's not like they know.)

"Hey, Kosuke," a girl with deep, wine-colored eyes says as she swirls a roasted shrimp in a small bowl of sage white sauce. "Nothing bad's going to happen, right?"

...Cripes.

My fingers begin to twitch so madly I entwine them in an effort to stop them. This only results in both of my hands trembling together. "Yes, ma'am. All is well."

"Good," the girl sighs as she bites off the head of the white-sauced shrimp. "I was worried the boat would sink, or something."

Cripescripescripescripes!

"Are you alright, Kosuke?" a girl with shoulder-length, softly curled aurburn hair asks, her malachite eyes filled with concern as she tilts her head to the side. "You seem kinda...fidgety."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm fine," I tell her, maybe a bit too quickly, putting on a smile so big I'm pretty sure I look kinda scary. "I haven't been on a boat this large before, and I suppose I'm a bit frightened."

A chorus of "Awwwww" chimes around the table, as the girls give me the exact same look you would give a little puppy. I can almost see Honey giving me a thumbs-up, even though he isn't here.

"It's going to be OK, Kosuke," Misora assures me, her green eyes still glowing with a soft tenderness as she pats my shoulder lightly. "Nothing bad's going to happen."

Before I can reply, a hand rests on my shoulder. Jumping like a pogo stick on a trampoline, I look up to see Kyoya looking down at me, his gray eyes blocked by the ocean's glare on his glasses as he kneels down to my level.

"They need you in the bridge," he whispers, so that the girls won't hear, "They want to talk to you over the radio."

There's part 2. I changed the episode title, since they won't be lost at sea after all.

(FAIL)

I'm making Kosuke's new catchphrase cripes, which basically means 'darn' or 'drat.'

I'll see you guys next time

~LunarisAmor