Hi guys!!!!!! I'm really really really really really really sorry about the delay. A lot has happened and the fanfiction is almost done *sobs* So read the second to last chapter and please send reviews. The last chapter won't take as long ^^

Chapter 23: The Rescue plan

Tamaki sat in his corner with a cup of ramen in his hand, slurping the noodles away. And he's slurping them really loudly, Haruhi commented in her mind as she placed the coffee tray on the table.

"Tamaki," Kyouya said, not removing his eyes from the laptop, "Can you please stop eating those noodles? You're spilling them onto the floor." Tamaki jumped up, clenching the chopsticks tightly in his right hand while still holding the ramen cup in the other, spilling it everywhere.

"CAN'T A FATHER BE WORRIED ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER?!" Tamaki screamed.

"Senpai, you just made a mess," Haruhi pointed out. Tamaki looked down and screamed, upset at the fact that his Ouran uniform was covered in ramen noodles.

"It's alright, Tono," Kaoru said, "We've got another uniform in the back." Yumi giggled.

"Tamaki-kun sure is a klutz."

"You have no idea," Haruhi added. With a sigh, she looked over at Hikaru, who was staring out through the window that faced a garden maze. His eyes appeared to have been staring into a memory rather than at the garden. Probably thinking of seeing Hikari, Haruhi thought, Hikaru must be worried sick. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the tray and walked over to him.

"Hey," she said, passing over the cup, "Here." Hikaru looked at the cup and took it.

"Thanks." He said in a monotone voice, bringing his eyes back out onto the garden. Haruhi turned away and looked at the rest of the club. Everyone was silent, doing their daily chores as if nothing had happen the night before. Honey-senpai and Hana-chan sat at their table, quietly eating their cakes, Yumi and Kaoru were looking through a fashion magazine, Mina and Mori-senpai were out, Kyouya continued typing, Tamaki was changing in the back, and Hikaru was staring. They're all thinking about tomorrow, Haruhi thought, They're wondering whether the plan will work or not.

"Haruhi," Kyouya said, making Haruhi jump from the sound of him calling her name. "Clean up the ramen spill." Haruhi pouted and went into the back room. Now where's that mop? As Haruhi searched, she heard someone call her name. When she looked up, she saw Tamaki, zipping up his new pair of pants. Suddenly, Haruhi felt her cheeks burning.

I've seen him without a shirt on before, Haruhi thought, trying to calm down her beating heart, This should be nothing. Damn it, calm down!

"What brings you back here?" Haruhi jumped, and stared at the ground.

"I-I just needed to find the mop to clean up the ramen spill."

"Ah, it's over in the corner," Tamaki pointed behind him. Haruhi briskly walked past him, grabbed the mop, and quickly walked out. With a slam on the door, Haruhi took deep breaths, trying to calm her beating heart.

"That was…unexpected," she mumbled.

"My my my," Yumi said, "Looks like our Haruhi is finally falling for Tamaki-kun." Haruhi felt a heat wave trace up her spine.

"Tono, will be thrilled to hear this," Kaoru continued, "He's been waiting for something like this since he fell for her." Haruhi felt her whole face turning red.

"E-Excuse me, but I've gotta clean up Senpai's stupid mess." She quickly walked past them and stopped. "Also…" she turned to face Yumi and Kaoru, "…what happens to me and Senpai is none of your business." As she walked away, she felt the ground shake under her feet.

"Oh ho ho ho ho!"

No! Haruhi screamed. Not now, I don't need this now! Haruhi turned and saw Renge rising from the center of the room on her spinning platform.

"Haruhi-kun and Tamaki-kun, two host members falling in love." She threw her hand in the air, sparkles surrounding her eyes, "It's something that many girls have been wondering. Why is Tamaki-kun so interested? Is it because he truly loves Haruhi? If that's the case, then I shall eat three bowls of rice today!"

"Renge-kun," Kaoru said, "I thought that you liked Haruhi."

"Of course I do!"

"Then why are you so set on having Tamaki-kun and Haruhi to get together?" Yumi asked.

"That's a completely different story," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't know that you were here, Renge-san?" Mina commented as she and Mori-senpai entered the room. Haruhi noticed Mori carrying two brown bags filled with mysterious items.

"Well, I've been busy using Hiroki's stories to incorporate them into my Moe magazines, so I had to disappear for a while in order to complete them." Renge said, not looking at Mina until she finished. Once she did, she turned around, lacing her fingers together and curling her lips.

"Oh my! You're Mori-senpai's girl aren't you?" Mina blushed as she nodded. Renge spun around and clenched her fits. "This is perfect! Honey-senpai's reaction to having someone taking his place in Mori-" she suddenly stopped short, looking all over the room.

"By the way, where's Hiroki-kun?" Nobody moved, knowing exactly what had happened to "Hiroki".

"There was a family emergency," Tamaki said, closing that back door behind him and breaking the tension building in the room, "But I assure you that he'll be back in time for the Christmas ball." Renge smiled happily, spinning in circles.

"That's good. I was hoping that maybe he'd cause a conflict between my Tamaki-kun and Haruhi-kun love triangle." Haruhi sighed and looked on over at Hikaru. He hadn't even moved.

"Renge-kun," Kyouya said, interrupting her fantasies, "Is there anything that you know about Hikari-san?" Renge stopped fantasizing and blinked.

"Hikari-san…like the freshman in class 1-A who hasn't been in school for a while."

"That's the one."

"Isn't there a rumor saying that she's dating Hikaru-kun?"

"Yes, that's the same one," Kyouya confirmed, "Did you know her?" Renge placed her index finger on her chin, thinking, lost in thought. Suddenly, she placed her hands on her cheeks, blushing a little.

"I never spoken to her, but she is an idol in the moe world," she said, "She always was cool and calm, especially when she was around the host club. I could have sworn that she would be dating Hiroki-kun rather than Hikaru-kun, especially since the two of them have a love for writing."

"What?!" Everyone looked at Hikaru, who had finally torn his eyes from the window, "What do you mean, her love for writing? How'd you know?" Renge shrugged.

"I was told by Kezuki Kamiko." Haruhi's grip on the mop tightened. "She said that she was writing in secret against her parent's wishes. I was so surprised when I found out." She placed her hands on her cheeks again. "But that's what makes us moe girls love and respect her, because of the way she composes herself at school and how she's pursuing her passion. Actually…" Renge jumped off her platform and walked up to Tamaki. She stood on her toes, trying to reach his eye level.

"…I heard Kezuki Kamiko also saying how Hikari-san was actually Hiroki-kun in disguise." Haruhi felt a chill go through her arms. She looked at Senpai, hoping that he'd come up with an explanation. As surprised as he was, he quickly composed himself and gently pushed Renge down onto her feet.

"Renge-kun," Tamaki said, "Hiroki is Hiroki and Hikari-san is Hikari-san. I'm positive that she's not Hiroki." Renge's eyes squinted at him.

"Then why don't I ever see him around school during school hours?" Haruhi watched impatiently, waiting for Tamaki to say something, but he remained silent, trying to find something to say. Finally, someone sighed loudly.

"It's alright, Tamaki-kun," Yumi said, "You don't have to hide Hiroki-kun any longer."

"What are you talking about, Yumi-chan?" Renge asked.

"Hiroki-kun doesn't go to this school." She stared at the floor. "He goes to mine." Renge gasped.

"An outsider in the Host Club?!" She asked, appalled by what had come out of Yumi's mouth. Yumi nodded.

"Hiroki had wanted to go to Ouran for high school, but didn't get in, but then…" She pointed to Tamaki. "…Hiroki-kun noticed the Host Club and asked Tamaki-kun if he can partake in it. That way, even though academically he's not at Ouran, he's at least in their after school programs." Everyone was silent and shocked by the act Yumi had put on, even Kaoru's jaw fell open to the ground. Haruhi looked on over at Tamaki who flicked his hair and posed.

"Of course," he said, "and because of this, we decided to keep this a secret, so as not to cause any alarm to our guests." Haruhi leaned the mop on a column and approached Renge.

"Renge-kun," she said, trying her best to act like a host, "Hiroki-kun is very dear to me, and I don't want him to be sent away because he isn't a student here. Please keep it our secret?" Renge didn't move. "And if you can, can you try to convince others that Hikari-san is not Hiroki-kun?" Renge let her hair fall in front of her eyes.

"Haruhi-kun…" she began, "…I've never seen you this passionate before about a person…" She threw her hair to the side, laced her fingers together, and changed the atmosphere around her.

"It's perfectly Moe!" Haruhi tried her best to smile. "Alright then!" she jumped back onto her platform, placed on hand on her hips and the other in the air. "I will spread the gossip immediately. Operation 'Keep-Hiroki-kun-A-Secret' will be set into motion." The ground began to shake again as her platform began to descend.

"I hope that Hikari-san returns to school soon," Renge commented, "I miss having her around school. She's our Moe idol!" Finally, Renge disappeared into the floor, leaving everyone silent once again.

"I had no idea that the Moe girls even noticed Hikari," Haruhi pointed out.

"I noticed as soon as she entered this school," Kyouya commented, "Moe girls love those who seem 'out-of-the-ordinary', such as Hikari." He opened his notebook next to him. "Because of her aloofness in class, yet her respect for those around her, not only the Moe girls, but everyone began to notice her own 'air', if you will."

"But, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi interjected, "You knew about Hikari before she even came to this school."

"Just because I knew her doesn't mean that others didn't secretly idolize her." He adjusted his glasses. "It's sort of like the Zuka club, people love and respect them because of their performances. It really doesn't matter who they really are." Haruhi shuttered at the thought of the Zuka Club.

"Couldn't have you picked a different analogy?" Yumi asked.

"The point is," Kyouya continued, "that Hikari was respected here more than she thought. She was admired by many of the students afar in this school."

"Wow," Mina said, amazed by Kyouya's analysis, "I wonder if Hikari-san knew." She looked up at Mori-senpai, who shrugged his shoulders, still holding the bags.

"Oh, Mori-senpai, I'm sorry, I forgot about those things!" Mori smiled and carried them to the table that Kyouya was working at.

"It's okay," he said, "Also…" he turned to face her, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ears. "…you don't have to call me 'Mori-senpai'." Haruhi noticed Mina's face turning red at a fast rate. "You can just call me by my first name." Mina stared at the floor.

"T-T-Takashi…kun…" she muttered. Mori smiled and nodded. Mina didn't dare look up at him and just continued to stare at the floor as Mori began to unpack the bags he brought in. Yumi rested her arm on Mina's shoulder, a huge grin on her face.

"Nicely done, Mina-chan!" she said.

"YAY!" Hana-chan shouted, "Now Mina is really close to Mori-kun's heart." Mina still didn't look up, but Haruhi saw a smile.

"Nana-chan," he said, "I'm really glad that Takashi has you to look after." A smile grew on his face. "You make the best sweets!" Haruhi noticed Mina looking up for the first time, the red in her face disappearing.

"How sweet," Tamaki said, standing next to Haruhi, "Hikari would have wanted to see this." Haruhi looked up at him, then at the club.

Yeah, she thought, Hikari would have wanted to see this. A sudden cough filled the room, grabbing everyone's attention. Kyouya had stopped typing and was resting his head on his hand.

"Can you guys please shut up?" he asked, "I've got our plan almost ready for tomorrow, but I can't finish it with the chaos that's going around in here." Yumi stuck out her tongue and placed her hands behind her head.

"Alright, Kyouya-kun, but just for the record, you're not the only one worried about Hikari-chan." Kyouya's eyes widen for a moment, but with a quick adjustment of his glasses, the dark eyes remained onto the screen, re-reading all that he had written. The club again fell silent and Haruhi headed towards the ramen spill. Her eyes couldn't help but wander on over to Hikaru, watching him staring back into the garden. However, the look in his eyes had changed. Instead of reliving a memory, they were burning with anger, almost as if ready to kill those that had ruined his relationship with Hikari.

Hikari, Haruhi thought, Hikaru really misses you. Please…please give him another chance…

[However, in Hikari's room]

Hikari had her arms folded across her chest, her back stiff against the headboard of her bed. Her comforter was wrapped around her tightly, keeping all of the heat close to her and not let out into her freezing room. Her face, however, was as cold as snow. Her eyes remained glued at the broken window, lost in thought about how to escape.

Technically, I could just get up and go, she thought, Take a hot bath before I go, warm up against the cold. But there's on thing standing in my way.

"What's the matter, Niwazaki-san?" Hikari bit her lips together, continuing to glare out the window, trying to ignore the chilling voice in the room. "Aw, come on. You can't be mad at me forever."

"I believe that I'm allowed to hate whomever I want whenever I want to," She finally said.

"Now now," he said, "I'm here to try and make your journey a better one."

"No you're not. I know why you're here. If you have any respect for me, at least stop pretending." Satoshi sighed and began to lean back in his chair.

"Well," he said, "I do respect you, but I don't take orders from someone unless I get paid a price."

"You take orders from Kira and Yuuji," Hikari pointed out, "And your never gonna get what they offered you." Satoshi began to chuckle.

"See, this is where you're wrong." Hikari saw from the corner of her eyes Satoshi rising from his chair. With caution, she turned her head and saw him walking towards her. "Your parents had offered me you, so you've been mine since we made the agreement that I'd help them. And since I can do whatever I want with you whenever I want to, you can't resist."

"Sorry, but I belong to no one," Hikari said. Satoshi laughed and shook his head, taking a seat on Hikari's bed right next to her.

"Wrong again. You're mine." Hikari saw his hand creep up towards the top of the comforter. "And it's cold in here…why don't I just crawl under these covers with you and share your heat?" Satoshi pulled off the comforter, allowing a new blanket of cold air sweep over Hikari's body. As he tried to crawl in, Hikari got out of bed and stood towards the broken window.

"Come on, Niwazaki-san," Satoshi said, "Just give up. You lost and I won." Hikari shook her head and began to walk slowly towards the other side of the room. Finally Satoshi stood up and ran in Hikari's way.

"They're not coming," he said in a threatening tone, "Especially Hitachiin Hikaru." Hikari looked at him with a smile.

"You're wrong."

"He doesn't believe you, Hikari-san, he will never-" A loud slapping sound erupted in the room. Hikari felt a hot sting through her hand as the cold wind wrapped around it.

"Shut up, you have no idea what you're talking about!" Satoshi didn't give her another moment to speak. He swept her off her feet, wrapping one arm around her legs, the other to support her back. His lips found hers and kept her quiet. Hikari tried to get out of his grasp, kicking and trying to scream, but because of Satoshi's poisonous kiss, Hikari's voice disappeared. She continued to fight against him, but his weight was all on her, tiring her out. Eventually, her energy was drained fully and her body couldn't move any longer. Hikari's feet were still in pain from the glass, also drawing away her energy. Once she gave up fighting, Satoshi removed his lips from hers and chuckled.

"Now that wasn't so bad," he said, "Now if I can get what I want…" his arm around her legs began to slide up towards her back, trying to get under her T-shirt. "…then this will not be a problem for you." Hikari tried to summon what was left of her energy to push him off by throwing her legs around. Luckily, it prevented Satoshi from going any farther, but he just wrapped his arm around her legs once more.

"You really are a feisty one, aren't you." Hikari was panting, trying to gather more energy, but nothing. "No matter, at least we're getting somewhere." He kissed her again and dropped her, allowing her head to hit the wall.

"I'm going to confirm our plans with Yuuji and Kira, but don't think about running away because you'll only just come back into my arms." Satoshi stood up and left her room, allowing a sense of relief to flow through Hikari.

"I hate that guy," she muttered, "Well, guess I'll just lock myself in the bathroom and pray that he doesn't come in when I bathe." Hikari rolled onto her stomach and stood up, her hand against the wall for support. Her feet no longer walked on blades, but they still felt a pulsing sore pain soaring through her feet. With a sigh, she headed towards the bathroom, but then stopped.

"I really don't want him to walk in on me," she thought aloud. She quickly ran towards her desk and grabbed her chair. "I'm just gonna put this in front of the door while I bathe so I have no interruptions." Hikari picked it up and carried it to the bathroom, closing the door with the sorest foot and allowing all of her weight to go on her other.

"OW OW OW!" She said, setting the chair down in front of the door, setting the headrest under the knob so if unlocked, no one could turn it. "Perfect. Now I can take a nice long, soothing hot…" Hikari looked over at the rose by the sink. "…bath…" The blue rose that was wrapped with candy wrapper and ribbon rested on the counter. As she turned on the hot water to fill the tub, she began to think about the first time Hikaru had snuck into her room. He climbed the tree to drop off her stuff, then kissed her necklace.

"Well, actually it was my neck, I discovered," Hikari corrected, switching memories to her first kiss with him. How beautiful the night was with the two of them dancing through the cherry blossom trees. She remembered how he just brought himself onto her, lowering his head, allowing himself to kiss her. What if she didn't want him to that, would he still do it? Would she push him away?

"He probably knew," she said, turning off the water and taking off her clothes, "He mentioned that he was able to tell what's wrong with me when something was on my mind." Hikari's mind then wondered to points when Hikaru would ask if she was alright, always joking around about creeping into her bed and fooling around, but she knew that he would never do that. I guess that's part of Hikaru's charm, Hikari thought. Suddenly, she remembered the time he promised he'd protect her. She placed her head under the hot water trying to wash that memory away. However it only brought on another, newer memory. She saw Hikaru holding her close after she fainted on the lawn. He's talking to her, kissing her necklace (or neck rather), and about to say something important, but then taken away from the stupid guards. Hikari brought her head out of the water, seeing the steam dance above the tub.

I wonder what he was gonna say.

[Now, at the Hitachiin estate]

"Hikaru," Kaoru called, "Hikaru, Kyouya-senapi just e-mailed me the plans for tomorrow. I printed out a copy for you in case you wanted one." Hikaru looked up from his Nintendo DS lite.

"Thanks, Kaoru," he said, closing his game and heading towards Kaoru. Once he got the sheet of paper, he looked over the plan.

PLAN: Operation "Save-my-Daughter

Phase 1:
Natasha: Drive the Niwazaki's to the airport; take careful notes on what they're talking about involving Hikari. Nothing else matters. Once you drop them off, stand by the car. I will be right behind you with everyone else in my car, ready for phase 2

Phase 2:
Mina and Hana: You two will stay near me and Natasha to keep and eye on the kidnap near the entrance and exit of the airport. Many guards might be stationed there…

Hikaru skimmed through the rest of the plans until he reached his name with Kaoru's and Yumi's:

Phase 5:
Hikaru, Kaoru, and Yumi: Once Hikari had reached her gate, it is necessary to have a distraction. Yumi will have to get in line in front of them, trying to find her boarding pass ticket. Hikari will know that Yumi is in front of her and will know to look around for the twins. Kaoru, please keep your brother on a leash, especially since he'll be tempted to kill Satoshi. Don't worry, Hikaru, you'll get your chance. Just not now! Once people start to complain, Kaoru comes and intends to pull Yumi out of line, but accidentally grabs Hikari instead, throwing her towards Hikaru. Once you've got her…run!

Hikaru read the rest of the plan, not feeling that Kyouya had given a lot of thought into it. Kaoru was able to read his thoughts and sighed.

"You know, Hikaru, it's a pretty good plan." Hikaru shook his head and sat back on the bed, re-reading his role.

"It sounds so retarded," Hikaru said, "And I feel that there're so many flaws in this."

"Hikaru, there's always going to be flaws in plans. Take a look at last year: We were chasing Tono on a horse drawn carriage and Haruhi was able to catch up with him and bring him back."

"That was luck," Hikaru said, throwing the paper on the floor and pacing about the room. Kaoru watched as Hikaru continued to walk from wall to wall, not saying anything.

"Okay, Hikaru," Kaoru said, grabbing Hikaru's shoulders to stop him from walking around, "Something else beside the plan is on your mind." Hikaru looked away from his brother and stared at the floor.

"Remember when you set me and Haruhi up on that date?" Kaoru thought for a moment before nodding. "Well…do you remember the advice that you gave?"

"Yeah, voice your feelings because the other person won't know unless you tell them."

"Well, I haven't done that yet to anyone, not even Haruhi." Hikaru rested his head on Kaoru's shoulder. "What if she doesn't even wanna come back to me?" Kaoru couldn't help but laugh, causing Hikaru to blush and get angry. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing, it's just that…" Kaoru stopped laughing and placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "…You're an idiot if you think that Hikari wouldn't wanna come back. Haruhi said so herself that Hikari wants out and she told you to run when you got caught. I think you're over-analyzing, like our Tono." Hikaru thought for a moment before smiling.

"I guess." He shook his head. "But once I get a chance to, I will kill that Satoshi kid and-"

"-And that's why I'm to hold you down, according to Kyouya's plan," Kaoru interrupted, "You've gotta remain calm through this. We've got watch people to watch out for her until she reaches our station. She'll be fine."

"I know once she's with me, she'll be fine," Hikaru pointed out, "but what about now at her house?" Kaoru opened his mouth to speak, but both his and Hikaru's cell phone ringtone came out instead. The two rummaged through their pockets and answered it.

"Hi Tono," Kaoru said first, "What's the-"

"MY WIFE! MY WIFE IS MISSING!" Tamaki screamed, causing Hikaru and Kaoru to pull the phone away from both of their ears."WE"VE GOTTA SEND ANOTHER SEARCH PARTY! WE'VE GOTTA-"

"Tono, calm down," Kaoru said, "She's probably just out shopping."

"She's not, though," Kyouya said over the phone, "I called Ranka-san and he said that Haruhi hasn't returned home from school."

"This isn't like Haru-chan," Honey added.

"Ah."

"Tono," Hikaru said through his teeth, trying to hide his annoyance, "did you try calling her cell?"

"I DID!" Tamaki answered, "but I got her voice mail right away, meaning that she's missing!" No one knew what to say that would calm Tamaki down. Hikaru did his best to try and keep his mouth shut, gripping onto a chair as if he was holding on for dear life. Kaoru moved the phone away from his mouth and said,

"Hikaru, calm down. You're gonna hurt yourself." Hikaru shook his head.

"You know," Kyouya said, breaking the silence over the conference call, "I remembered that I saw her heading in a different direction for her way home."

"Really?" Honey asked, amused by what he heard, "But Haru-chan wouldn't go another way home unless she was visiting one of us."

"KYOUYA!" Tamaki screamed, "Which direction did she go?"

"She went into the direction of where the twins are, Natasha's house, Hikari's-"

"That's it!" Kaoru shouted, "Haruhi went over to Hikari's house."

"Kaoru, are you sure?" Hikaru asked.

"I'm positive. She wouldn't come here or to Natasha's. Kyouya-senapi, did you give her a copy of the plan before she left?"

"Well, since she doesn't use nor own a computer, I had to give her a copy before she left."

"Kaoru," Hikaru began cautiously, "are you saying that-"

"Haruhi's going to tell Hikari the plan." Mori finished.

"WHAT? ARE YOU INDICATING THAT MY WIFE IS TRYING TO SAVE OUR DAUGHTER ON HER OWN?! IS SHE TRYING TO GET HERSELF KILLED?!" As Tamaki continued to vent, Hikaru took the phone away from his ear and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Hikari…" He paused, looking up at the ceiling of his room, "I wonder, though…" His eyes caught Kaoru's. "After all of this, will she listen to what I have to say to her?" Kaoru placed the phone on a table near him and places his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm sure Hikari would be more than happy to listen.

[So back to Hikari]

Satoshi continued to bang loudly on the door. 998, 999, 1000, Hikari counted, turning in the tub to add another tally to her list. She heard him panting on the other side, giving her a chance to quickly count each tally (one tally = 1,000 knocking on the door) and to do the proper math to get the real number

"834,658 knocks in total…times a thousand," She muttered to herself proudly, "It defiantly helped pass the time." Hikari sunk back into her tub, blowing bubbles through her nose. Still, it takes a lot more to open my door by force, she thought.

"You've been in there all day," Satoshi screamed beyond the door, "Get out here now!"

"No way," Hikari screamed back, "No one said that I wasn't allowed to take a bath."

"You're not suppose to be in there for over six hours!" Hikari stuck out her tongue. "Don't normal girls hate to be in water for too long?"

"Who said that I was normal?" Hikari heard Satoshi growling on the other side. "Besides," she added, "I enjoy this time alone. It makes my captivity more enjoyable than with your company around me." There was a pause. "So," Hikari continued, "I'm not leaving this room until I'm promised some privacy of my own in my own room."

"Fine," Satoshi said, "Under the condition that whatever I wanna do with you, I do. You can't fight back."

"Then it looks like I'll be in here forever then." Hikari heard Satoshi swearing on the other side, complaining and saying things that she couldn't hear.

"Alright," he said, "You can have your privacy."

Bingo!

"It's not like you're gonna need it anytime soon." Hikari, even though she was sitting in a hot bath tub, felt a chill go through her body.

"W-What are you taking about?" she asked, trying her best to sound as if she didn't care. She heard a small chuckle on the other side of her door.

"I see that now I've got your attention." Hikari slid back into her tub and waited for Satoshi to talk. "Well, since it's privacy you want, then I'll give it to you, but once we're out of this house, you will never be alone again." Hikari felt her heart freeze as she heard Satoshi leaving her room, slamming her door shut.

"Leaving this house?" she repeated, "What does he mean by that?" A sudden knocking caused Hikari to duck underwater and scream in shock. As she slowly lifted her head above the water's surface, she heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Hikari! Are you okay? Please don't do anything stupid!"

Haruhi? Hikari wanted to open the door and see if it really was Haruhi, but she learned through Hikaru that not everything is how they appear. Maybe Satoshi sent Kamiko to my room to try and lure me out so he can try to catch me again. The knocking continued and Haruhi's voice still echoed on the other side.

"God, Hikari, please open up." Hikari refused to speak. Eventually, the Haruhi beyond the door stopped knocking. There was a pause before Haruhi began to speak again. "Okay…I get it…but I just want you to know that Senpai and Kyouya-senapi is planning something to get you out of here. They printed me out a copy and I re-wrote it on a separate sheet of paper for you. I'll put it on your desk." Hikari heard the footsteps leave the door and soon walked back. Haruhi remained silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Finally, Hikari heard her say, "I'll see you tomorrow then." And her footsteps faded out onto her balcony and then gone. Quickly, Hikari jumped out of the bathtub, threw on her bathrobe, and quickly walked towards her desk. There was the sheet of paper that Haruhi had mentioned.

A plan? Hikari picked it up and carried it to the bathroom again, locking herself inside with the hot bathtub still steaming. She scanned over it, seeing that it was Haruhi's handwriting, meaning that maybe it was the real Haruhi who was in her room. Hikari shook her head.

"Is this the plan that Tamaki-senpai thought of to get me outta here?" Hikari brought the paper close to her eyes so that she could examine the handwriting, making sure it was Haruhi's. "It looks just like it, so maybe it's it. But then again…" Hikari brought the paper away and placed it on the sink. "…what if this is a trick from Satoshi's sister?" Hikari thought about it for a minute

Well, I guess the only thing I can do is see if this plan works tomorrow.

[So where the real Haruhi was…]

Haruhi looked through her bag , trying to find her keys to her apartment.

"I was really hoping that Hikari would come out of that bathroom," Haruhi said aloud, "But I guess with all that's been going on, she's not gonna trust anyone for a while…Oh, there they are." Haruhi pulled out her keys and sighed.

"I really wonder if Senpai's plan is really gonna work." She was about to place the key through the lock when the door burst open, allowing something to crash and fall on top her.

"There you are, Haruhi-chan!"

"Dad?" Haruhi asked, surprised by her father's attack, "I didn't think that you'd be home this early." Ranka released his daughter, happy to see her home.

"Well, I got a call from that annoying Tamaki and he said that you went off to see Hikari alone. I've heard dreadful stories about where Hikari is and that worried me."

"You don't have to worry about me, dad, I'll be fine." Ranka smiled and hugged Haruhi again.

"Just promise me that when you do this 'Save Hikari' mission, you come back in one piece, okay?" Haruhi smiled to herself and hugged her father back.

That's right, she thought, We're gonna save Hikari no matter what!

[So on the big day…]

There was a loud banging on the bathroom door that woke Hikari up. She was still in her bathrobe, sleeping on her bathroom mat that rested next to her bathtub. The knocking continued, louder and angrier than when it woke her.

"Niwazaki-san," said a dreadful voice through the door that belonged to Satoshi, "You're needed by your parents in their office chamber." Hikari slowly lifted herself and rubbed her eyes. Everything seemed groggy and fuzzy to her. The banging continued until she screamed, "Alright!" the knocking suddenly stopped. Instead, Hikari heard chuckling.

"Looks like you're finally giving into our ways."

"Shut up and leave me to find my clothes."

"Fine." Satoshi left the room and Hikari opened the door, welcoming the morning winter breeze.

"God, it's so cold," Hikari muttered as she wondered towards her closet to grab some clothes. As she was looking, she noticed a familiar jacket that had not belonged to her. Once she picked it up and could smell the rose and spice, she smiled.

"I think I'll wear this. Maybe this will give me luck about Haruhi's plan." Hikari slipped into her clothes and then put on the jacket. It was big on her, but it was warm and comfortable, which was something that she needed if she was going to face the Niwazaki's. Before she left, she saw her rose wrapped around with Haruhi's note and her red ribbon.

"My lucky charm," she said aloud, grabbing it and placing it in the inside poscket of the jacket. With confidence now burning inside of her, she exited her room and walked down the hallway. The office door was open, allowing Hikari to see Yuuji sitting at his desk, his fingers laced together and covering his mouth. As Hikari got closer, she began to see Kira on the right and Satoshi on the left, who offered her a chilling smile sent a chill down her spine. This can't be good, she thought to herself as she entered the office.

"Satoshi," Yuuji began, "The door please." Satoshi walked towards the door and closed them, locking out Hikari's exit.

[Meanwhile…]

Haruhi sat in Tamaki's bedroom along with the rest of the host club and ladies. Yumi sat down next to her, the plan folded tightly in her hands. Tamaki's room was huge and definitely fit for a Host king like him. Kaoru sat with Hikaru who remained lost in thought like usual. When Kaoru noticed Haruhi staring he smiled.

"He's been like this since this morning," Kaoru explained.

"I don't blame him," Yumi added, "We're all so worried. Every plan has faults in them and with the clock ticking for the plane to leave, there're bound to be mistakes."

"There won't be mistakes if everyone just follows the plan," Kyouya replied. Yumi bit her lips together, trying to contain her shouts of anger at Kyouya.

"Calm down, my children," Tamaki announced, "My daughter will be back in my arms in no time. I believe in this plan." Haruhi sighed. That's good. At least someone is positive.

"Where's Natasha-san?" Mina asked Kyouya, trying to change the subject.

"She said that she's going to confirm the flight information along with the status at the Niwazaki household. Once everything's in place, she's going to head on over."

"Hopefully that'll be soon," Hana-chan said, "She said she'd be here by lunch time and she isn't."

"That's true," Mina said in a worried tone, "You don't think that she got caught, right?"

"Not likely," Mori said. Mina looked up at him and sighed.

"Tasha-chan will be alright," Honey said with confidence, "She's a good detective spy!" However, time began to fly by and there was no word from Natasha. Haruhi's insides began to turn, wondering if something horrible had happened. Eventually, five o'clock tolled in Tamaki's room.

"Kyouya," Tamaki began, "You might want to call her. We're suppose to be getting ready to go." With a nod, Kyouya began to call Natasha. After a long pause of silence, Kyouya hung up.

"Something's not right," he said aloud, half to himself, "She always picks up her phone."

"And she's not driving anyone yet, right?" Yumi asked, but Kyouya didn't shake his head. Quickly, he called a different number; the wait for the receiver to pick up wasn't long.

"Ima-san," Kyouya began, "It's Kyouya."

"Ootori-san!" Ima said on the other end, "Oh I'm so glad you called. Everything completely changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Meaning the whole flight information. It's all wrong." Kyouya's jaw tightened as Ima continued. "Satoshi-kun changed the flights after you all left. He thought that since the Mr. and Mrs. had given you the flight information, you'd go after Hikari-san. Because of the power that the Niwazaki's have, they're able to plan any flight."

"Were they taking one of their private jets?"

"They were going to, but since the company couldn't make the proper changes, they're flying commercial."

"That changes a lot."

"But that's not all. They're heading over to the airport right now. They left not too long ago."

"What about Natasha?" Kyouya asked, "She didn't pick up her phone."

"She couldn't," Ima answered, "When she confirming everything, she was called upon to prepare the car with Satoshi in the room. He was telling her the fastest route to the airport, giving her no time to investigate any further."

"Thank you, Ima-san."

"Ootori-san." There was a pause. "Please bring her back." With that, Kyouya hung up the phone and just stared at it, not knowing what to say.

"What happened?" Yumi pestered, "Is she okay? Did they do anything to her?" Kyouya looked up from his phone.

"I'll explain in the car." He looked at Tamaki. "We need your largest and fastest car." Without question, Tamaki went to his phone and got a car to carry them to the airport.

"Kyouya-senpai," Hikaru said, speaking for the first time, "Is Hikari okay?" Kyouya shook his head. Once they were on their way, Kyouya began to explain what Ima had told him on the phone. Hikaru's fists tightened and Haruhi felt all hope slipping away from her and Hikari.

There's gotta be something!