A/N – Awwww…last chapter! There will be a longer author's note on the epilogue since I am posting them at the same time. The song in this chapter is Bruised by Jack's Mannequin.

Don't forget to review!

IIIII

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane

"We'll always be together. We'll always be together!" Kurt was bopping his head along with the club members in the tail of the pick-up who were singing the last song from Grease. It was a wonderful performance. Though I couldn't see the audience because I was behind a curtain directing the orchestra, I could tell that they were interested in the play. Even Kyoya, Mori, and Haruhi, through they were not singing along, were grinning as all of them bounced in the back. This was the best farewell gift that I could receive.

My plans were still set. As soon as the Host club left for the night I would slip a Tylenol PM in Kurt's tea that he always drank before bed. Once I knew he was asleep I would move my duffel bag full of clothes out from where it was stuffed under the bed, and call the cab company to come pick me up.

The more and more I interacted with the boys, Haruhi, or Kurt, the more paranoid I became. This was no way for me to live, and it wasn't fair to them. Despite the fact that my father was a wretch lower than fleas, he was right, and I couldn't afford to stay and figure out just how like him I was.

"Congratulations on a wonderful performance, Kate." Kurt yelled over the merriment going on in the backseat, grabbing my hand and lifting it to his lips, sending a sideways glance my way. I closed my eyes and took a heavy breath inward, trying to slow the pounding of my heart. This wasn't going to be easy, but once I was on the plane in the early hours of the morning, I would force all of this out of my mind. To just forget all about it.

"I'm starving. What's for dinner?" I heard Hikaru say behind me as Kurt parked the car in front of the house. I remembered that he was the one who had gotten into the truck bed first, and the bluntness with which he proclaimed his hunger was quite a giveaway as well.

"Taquitos. It is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a meat and cheese filling wrapped in a shell made of corn called a tortilla. In Mexico they are sometimes referred to as flautas, which means 'flute' in Spanish." Kyoya skillfully, and gracefully I might add, jumped out of the truck while writing something in his black notebook. Did this kid know absolutely everything there was to know? I rolled my eyes before looking down at the pavement and smiling. Though Kyoya was incredibly evil, he was a wonderful young man. And no, the irony and contradiction does not escape me.

I unlocked the door and right before opening it two bodies flew by me, entering the house and running into the kitchen. One of them opened the refrigerator door while the other one lobbed his arm around his twin, the two of them reaching down into the fridge and producing a tray filled with uncooked taquitos, setting them on the stove and turning it on.

"You two are going to burn my house down if you think you can put all of them in the oven at once!" I ran towards the two twins, pulling out a sheet of foil and unshackling the food, "Shit that's cold!" Devil fox twins! They had put an ice cube down my shirt.

"Kate, language." They shoved ice down my back and I'm the one who needed to keep myself in check? Typical. So incredibly typical. I shook the cube from its place underneath my shirt, turning around to walk back into the living room when I felt myself fly forward. Damn those twins. Damn that stupid ice cube!

"Amendier, be more careful." Mori's gruff voice spoke down to me as I felt my body being lifted up midair so that I was on my feet once again.

"Thanks. I'll take that into consideration." I turned around and bent down to pick up what was left of the deadly ice cube, watching Hikaru put the tray that I had gotten ready into the oven, a grin etching on my face as the two of them bent over to watch the food cook. As quietly as I could, I took two ice cubes out of the freezer and walked behind the twins, letting the ice drop into the back of their pants.

"Kate-sempai!" The two of them screamed, running in tandem out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom. I am supreme. I placed my elbow on the counter, leaning my chin on a closed fist.

"Haruhi, wasn't tonight just spectacular! Could you hear me play the piano? Wasn't I great?" Tamaki was practically jumping up and down in front of Haruhi, his eyes sparkling. He did do a surprising job at tonight's performance and in all of the rehearsals when he took charge of the orchestra while I worked with the actors and singers.

"Tamaki-sempai, everyone did a good job." Haruhi meant it as a complement, but as Tamaki rushed into the corner of the room, curling up in the fetal position on a recliner; he probably took it to mean 'you did nothing extraordinary.' "Uh, what I mean was…uh."

"No need to explain it to him Haruhi, Tamaki knows that everyone played an equal part in tonight's production. He just wants to be recognized for his own inane efforts." Kyoya said harshly, earning an even larger pout from Tamaki, and a roll of the eyes from Haruhi.

"Tamaki-sempai, just because I said everyone did a good job doesn't mean that I couldn't hear the piano."

"Really Haruhi? Are you impressed with your daddy?" And there goes the rebound. I chuckled as the oven behind me beeped. As I turned around I was suddenly chest to chest with Kurt. We, it was more chest to diaphragm, but who pays attention to those things.

"Uh, I'll get it." He smiled, turning around and lifting the food out of the oven and placing it on the counter. I blushed. This was definitely going to be harder than I wanted it to be, "Come on boys! Food time!" Kurt yelled, reaching up into the cabinet and pulling down some paper plates. All of a sudden I felt two arms attach themselves to my shoulders, both of the Hitachiin's leaning on me with their full body weight. I mentally shrugged since I couldn't lift my shoulders.

"Ahhh! It's hot!" Honey yelled, curling his little lips, his eyes watering.

"Mitsukuni, let it cool off first." Yes, this was going to be harder than I thought it would be. I looked from face to face. Kyoya's deadpan curiosity as he twirled the taquito between his fingers. He probably thought that eating finger food was above him, like I had overheard him tell Haruhi at the Expo. The twins had moved over so that they were right in front of the food. Each of them had a taquito in their hands, blowing on the steaming food. Honey was warily looking down at the food warily, while Mori was looking down at Honey, ready to jump in if needed.

"Hmn. These are really good." Haruhi said with a little bit of a lift in her voice, her eyes growing wider. I watched as Tamaki sneakily shifted one of his onto her plate, taking a bite of the one he had in his hand.

"I bet we could serve these at the Host club, especially if we did a Latin theme. Imagine everyone dressed up in sombreros! Haruhi, you would look so cute in a salsa dress!" Tamaki cried into the air, blushing when he mentioned Haruhi. She would look cute in a salsa dress, but it was obvious his fantasy went beyond just cosplay.

"If you served them at the Host club you could always called Tamakitos. The girls would probably really love that." Kurt laughed at his own joke, everyone else following suit. It was a chorus of laughs: Haruhi's soft tinkling bells, Kurt's rushing river, Tamaki's crushing waves, all of them were there. This was how it was supposed to be.

IIIII

"Kate, is there something wrong?" Kurt asked as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck. Of course there was, or there would be. It was right for me. He would think that it was wrong, but in time he would forget all about me and move on with his life. That was my hope for him.

"No. I am just really tired. You're probably pretty tired yourself." I turned towards him, but I couldn't look him in the eyes. All of a sudden his body began to droop on top of me. Those sleeping pills were starting to kick in. I can't believe that I am a horrible enough person that I would drug him, but you do what you have to do I guess.

"Wow, I just got lightheaded all of a sud…" And he was gone. Shit, I didn't really think about this ahead of time. Maybe I should have only used two. Oh well, at least he was completely comatose. I forced his body onto the bed. I could feel his soft breath on the nape of my neck, and I tried to ignore the heat that was coming to my cheeks.

Once I had gotten him secured on the bed I sat down and pulled his hair out of the pony tail, brushing my fingers through it.

"You don't know how much I love you, Kutano Hisugawa. You deserve so much better." I brushed my lips against his, forcing back the tears that were already stinging my eyes. Quickly I got off of the bed and pulled out my duffle back, going to the closet to check if there was anything in there that I had missed. When I opened the door, a silky green dress greeted me. With a shaky hand I reached forward to touch the beautiful gown, a flood of memories rushing back to me.

"It's nice to finally meet you Kathrin Amendier, or can I call you Kate?"

"I know who the hell I am, but who the hell are you!"

"I'm not particularly the most mannered person. My name is Kutano Hisugawa, and in the eventuality that I get to call you Kate, you can call me Kurt."

Those smoky eyes that I had met that fateful night when the twins had changed my entire wardrobe out for this beautiful satin dress. Who would have thought that he would have come to mean so much to me? The fact that he meant so much to me was why I had to leave. The fact that all of them had wormed their way into my heart was why I had to leave. I had to make sure that I protected them at all costs, even if it was from myself. So, I quickly shut the closet door, putting the dress out of my sight, out of my mind, and grabbed my duffle bag.

It was just about 2:30am, just about time to get in the taxi and head off to the airport. Standing before the door I reached out my hand to touch the wood. I remembered being dragged to this house against my will; I also remembered that stupid Alice and Wonderland cosplay. So many memories I would be leaving behind. Sighing I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

"Where are you going?" The twins suddenly appeared before me, linking their arms and stopping me from walking away. What the hell were they doing here? I quickly pulled my arms behind my back, trying to conceal the fact that I was holding a duffle bag ticket. My mind had been made up, and they were not going to change my plans because they had some type of prank up their sleeves. Sorry boys, not this time.

"Excuse me." I walked forward, pushing through their arms.

"Kate," It was Kaoru. To my surprise, I knew it was him now, after so long guessing and paying particular attention to their hair and their voice. Ironic that it was only now that I knew him, "You promised." He grabbed my arm and I turned my neck back to look at him. His yellow eyes were pleading, but amidst that plea there was anger. Good, now you know how I feel, Kaoru.

"Promises are meant to be broken." I wrenched my hand from his grasp. Hikaru was looking from me to his brother, a look of confusion on his face. Kaoru just stared downward, his hair falling down to hide his eyes. I fought the urge to go back, to make a joke out of this situation, but it wasn't going to happen. My mind was made up. Besides, they, all of them, had so much life to live. They didn't need a cynic who was probably going to become a complete sociopath in the future.

"This isn't fair, Kate-sempai! You were like our sister!" So Hikaru had finally figured it out. Good for him. Sorry twins, but I was getting out of this carriage. I slammed the door on the both of them still standing on the porch. They could go in and tell Kurt (if he even woke up) but it wouldn't change anything, so I stopped looking at them and concentrated on the pavement in front of the car.

The taxi wove its way through traffic the same way I wove through the airport security. It all seemed as if it had taken only a few seconds. I felt like the walking dead as I walked through the airport. A part of me kept saying that I was making a mistake. I knew which part too, it was my heart. My heart was here. My heart was laying in bed next to a drugged up physics teacher. But, as I said before, the heart wasn't to be trusted. I was doing the right thing because it was the logical thing.

"Flight number 2631, nonstop from Tokyo to San Diego, is now boarding at gate 37." An extremely high and squeaky voice said first in Japanese, then again in English. I stood up and walked through the gate and into the plane, finding my window seat and stuffing my duffel in the overhead compartment. I watched as people began to file in. This morning's flight wasn't full, and I had made sure that I booked a seat where other people were not going to sit.

It was horrible, waiting like this. I just wanted them to get this plane started and drive on off. Sighing, I got up and pulled my iPod out of my bag and stuck the earbuds in my ears. Oh consummate friend. My music, you have been with me since day one, always giving me something to think about.

I've got my things, I'm good to go

You met me at the terminal

Just one more plane ride and it's done

Hmn. How fucking appropriate. It never failed that when you put the iPod on shuffle you were either going to get a song that was super random or one that fit whatever was happening perfectly. It was true though, after this plane ride it would be done, all over with.

We stood like statues at the gate

Vacation's come and gone too late

There's so much sun where I'm from

I had to give it away, had to give you away

I looked out the window. It looked like it was raining outside. Wouldn't that just be horribly cliché? I looked around, noticing a guy with a power washer. Well, at least he was washing something over my window; it might as well be raining.

And we spent four days on an

Island at your family's old hotel

Sometimes perfection can be

It can be perfect hell, perfect...hell

I remembered that day we were at the beach, suddenly it all came back to me. I remembered getting horribly pissed off at all of them for digging around in my past where they didn't belong. They had all made my life a living hell at times, but it was a type of perfect hell. It was just like the hell in Tamaki's head. So beyond a normal humans capacity to be upbeat and idealistic, but it was sweet and endearing.

Hours pass, and she still counts the minutes

That I am not there, I swear I didn't mean

For it to feel like this

Like every inch of me is bruised, bruised

And don't fly fast. Oh, pilot can you help me?

Can you make this last? This plane is all I got

So keep it steady, now

Cause every inch you see is bruised

I wiped away a small tear from my cheek. How dare that happen now? I knew that this was the right thing to do; I knew it! Stupid emotions, stupid weakness!

I lace my Chucks, I walk the aisle

I take my pills, the babies cry

All I hear is what's playing through

The in-flight radio

The stewardess looked at me as she walked back, her eyes lingering on mine. I quickly turned my head back to the window, hiding the fact that I just could not stop the tears. What was wrong? This was the right thing to do. It made the most logical sense. If I was going to end up like my father it was best to do it alone, away from everyone I ever cared about. I was so emotionally and mentally scarred. There was no way that I wasn't going to turn out like him. Was I so much like him? No, I wasn't. I was running away. He never had the courage to run away.

Now every word of every song

I ever heard that made me wanna stay

Is what's playing through the in-flight radio,

and I, and I am, finally waking up

But was running away courageous? I wasn't like him. I loved so strongly. Even though I never showed my emotions it didn't mean that I never expressed them. I was subtle in the way I expressed my own feelings, but I was also very blunt when it came to surprise or joy. Around these people I let down my guard more than I had with anyone else. Didn't that count as something?

Hours pass, and she still counts the minutes

That I am not there, I swear I didn't mean

For it to feel like this

Like every inch of me is bruised, bruised

And yeah, I was a cynic, but I wasn't a pessimist. I could laugh. I could cry. I could find joy in teaching the International Phonetic Alphabet and creating a game about phrases. I could make fun of people who were idiots, hold my own when it came to tricky twins, and engage in a battle of wits with a teenager who should work for the CIA. I could make awesome ass taquitos!

Don't fly fast. Oh, pilot can you help me?

Can you make this last? This plane is all I got

I was smart. What was I doing here? What the hell was I thinking, letting him get to me? Yeah, I was everything he said, but I was so much more than that. I was a kick ass, take no prisoners, Linguist! I was Kathrin Amendier, and I was a complete idiot!

So keep it steady, now

Cause every inch you see is…

Honey, Mori, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, Tamaki….I'm a bigger idiot than all of you put together!

Kurt, oh God, I am so stupid. I quickly took the earphones out of my ears and stood up, earning the glares of everyone around me. I didn't care. They could shove it.

"Ma'am, please sit down." The stewardess who had caught me tearing up was now in front of me, smiling and kindly pointing towards my seat.

"No. I need to get off of this plane. Now!" I tried to push past her but she just stood there, blocking my way. For a tiny Japanese lady, she was surprisingly strong. Did she not understand that I had just had an mental breakthrough as monumental as the Theory of Relativity. Well, maybe not, but it was pretty damn big.

For one last pause to look back at everything. Yes, this was a quick turn around, and even I was surprised a bit, but most of my mind was made up. I was an inexorable ass. How the hell could I even have thought I was doing the right thing? I was so sure this morning, so fucking sure. Hey, that's life though. Decisions are made on the razors edge.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but we are already moving. We cannot stop the plane while we are taxing on the runway unless it is a life or death emergency. Please, kindly move back to your seat." That's it? I finally see the light and I am stuck. I guess that's what I get for being a complete imbecile. If I flew home I could always just call Kurt when I arrived in San Diego, tell him that I was a complete asshole, ask him to forgive me for drugging his tea, and then find the next flight out back to Japan. Frustrated with myself and with the stupid stewardess who was just doing her job, I sat down and crossed my arms, looking out the window, pouting. I guess two fifteen hours right would teach me my lesson. I am such a fucking moron! Even greater idiocy was mine than was Tamaki's.

"This is your captain speaking. It seems as if we are going to have to stop the plane. A suspect in a criminal case is stowing away on this plane. Do not panic. Some members of a private police force will be on shortly to apprehend the suspected criminal." How lucky am I? While the cops were on the plane, all I had to do was run out the hatch and back to the airport, hail a taxi, and hope I make it home before Kurt comes out of his coma. I bided my time and waited while everyone around me panicked. Sure, a criminal on the plane was a big deal, but I needed to get off and get as far away from my incredibly asinine mistake as possible.

" Where is Miss Kathrin Amendier?" I jarred away from the window when I heard my name. Uh oh, "The suspect has been apprehended. I repeat, the suspect has been apprehended." I heard a huge man in a black armor body suit say as he grabbed my arm. Another large man dressed the same way grabbed my other arm.

No fucking way! Karma is a bitch, isn't it?

"What the hell? I didn't do anything! Let me go. Get your hands off the goods, mister!" I screamed a flailed, trying to get away. Everyone in the plane was staring at me, including the stewardess who I had previously been pleading with to let me off the plane. Ah, no wonder she looked frightened, she probably put two and two together incorrectly and thought that I was a criminal and wanted to get off of the plane to run from the cops. Damnit.

At least I was off of the plane now. The two men dragged me across the runway and into the terminal. I was getting strange looks from everyone. Ha, this was far different than how it was when I came to Japan. Then I was freaking out because I was lost, now I was freaking out because I was apparently a suspected felon. How the hell do I manage to get myself in these situations?

"Sir," We finally stopped moving. Shit, I felt like my legs were going to fall off. It was a good thing they set me on the ground, "We've apprehended Kathrin Amendier at your request."

"Very good, gentleman. Miss Amendier, I would think that you of all people would know that it is illegal to travel without a passport; however, it is even worse to travel with a passport that has been placed on a hold list." Wait…I knew that voice.

"All travel for you has been suspended for the next six months." Two voices harmonized together. A smile crept to my face. So they had figured it out.

"This is pretty serious, isn't it Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"Now Miss Amendier, you can run but you can't hide, and now you can't leave Japan for another half of a year." I finally looked up, seeing Kyoya's glasses glinting in the light as his pen scratched on his black notebook. Honey was atop Mori's shoulders, Usa-chan hanging from his arms by a pink ear. Hikaru was leaning on Kaoru, both of them with devilish grins.

How long did it take for them to plan all of this after seeing me walk away from the house? Knowing Kyoya, not long at all.

"Ha. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I opened my mouth and made the only sound that I could make.

I stayed in my sitting position on the ground and laughed for probably a good three of four minutes. Kyoya, Honey, Mori, Hikaru, and Kaoru's faces looked down at me in utter curiosity and perplexity. At that moment it all hit me harder than it had on the plane, and when I say it hit me I mean that a load of bricks came off of my shoulders. I was under some delusion that I needed to leave, that I needed to run away from the few things that ever made me truly happy. It took me this fucking long to realize this? Good grief Charlie Brown! Living so many years as a cynic just made me misinterpret my own feelings and run away from them like I had run away from everything. I knew who I was, and the moment I wanted to eradicate them from my life would be the time when I signed myself up for psychotherapy, not drown them in a pool. My father was right, but I was the manager of my destiny; I had free will; and I wouldn't become him. Now that I was being forced to stay (how did Kyoya manage all of this by the way?), I finally realized that this was where I belonged. So much for intelligence.

"Thank you. Thank you for making me realize how much of an idiot I really am," I leaned backwards on my hand and propped myself up, pulling each one of them into a hug separately. Boys, boys, boys, "I am serious, you just saved me from becoming the world's biggest asshole."

"Language, Kathrin." Kurt? I turned quickly to see Kutano Hisugawa walking towards me, flanked by Haruhi and Tamaki. So that was how it was? A complete Host club intervention with the King bringing the most important piece of the puzzle. Despite how cheesy and cliché it was to the onlookers, I ran to him, flinging my arms around his neck and bursting into tears.

"I'm sorry Kurt. I can't believe that I am so stupid." Stupid, moron, asshole, jerkface, those words didn't even begin to describe how completely idiotic I felt at the moment. I don't even think that I could express to myself how idiotic I felt or all of the thoughts that came rushing into my mind. If I tried to it would be as long as a novel.

"Kate, I love you because you are so stupid." He kissed my forehead and then leaned his lips into my ear, "Besides, if you want to talk about utter idiocy, look around you." I pulled myself back and looked into his eyes. I saw Tamaki and Haurhi behind him and the rest of the Host club in the reflection of his eyes. It was true, we were surrounded by dummies.

"Touché, Hisugawa. Touché." I pulled him into a tight hug and whispered "I love you so incredibly much," before grabbing his hand and walking past where the androgynous one and the King were standing, "By the way, I'm sorry for drugging you."

"You can pay me back when we get home." He grinned at me, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head. I chuckled, beginning to laugh again. Ha, I finally figured out what my laugh sounded like. It was like popping bubbles. Go figure.

"Well then, let's go home!" I clutched Kurt around the waist, waving goodbye at the Host club. But it really wasn't goodbye now, was it. Oh no, it was just a new hello.