Hikaru paced around the room, waiting for the doors to be unlocked for the morning; he needed to see the others. He wanted to make a plan to find his younger brother and he knew it wouldn't be possible without the rest of the Host Club members. And most of all, he wanted to tell them about his call to Kaoru last night.
Glancing at the clock, he determined it to be 6:58. Just two more minutes… he paced faster. "Stop pacing, Hikaru," mom's soft voice called from where she was still lying on the bed. Dad was in the shower.
"I can't," Hikaru said simply, continuing to pace.
She groaned, putting an arm over her eyes. The room was dark, but the light always came on at 7 AM; Hikaru could tell that she was bracing herself for the sudden light.
"Aren't you worried?" Hikaru asked suddenly. Mom peaked through her fingers at him. "Aren't you worried about Kaoru?"
"Of course I am," she said softly. She sat up with a frown on her face. "But all I can do right now is to keep myself from going crazy with worry."
Hikaru nodded and looked away. She was right, he supposed, but he still did not plan on sitting around while Kaoru was in danger.
"Hikaru," she said softly, "you better not be planning something. I don't think I could take it if both of my sons were missing…" She trailed off and her eyes sparkled with tears.
Hikaru couldn't reply because… he was planning something. He didn't know exactly what yet, but he was still planning. Thankfully, that was the moment the light flipped on, blinding the room; the door beeped softly, proclaiming that it was finally unlocked. "Bye mom," he said quickly, kissing her on the cheek. "I'm going to go hang out with Tamaki and Kyoya." The door slid open automatically for him as he approached and he burst into the common rooms just as the first few early-risers made their way out of their rooms. He weaved his way through the hallway until he stopped outside Kyoya's room; leaning against the wall, he waited. The Host Club had been meeting by Kyoya's room every day for the full week they've been down here. But still, they were no closer to finding a way out of this place.
"Kaoru," Tamaki called as he walked up to him. He attempted a small smile but it sat falsely on the blonde's face. Tamaki's smiles were less frequent these days without Haruhi.
"Tamaki," Hikaru replied with a nod. "Are Honey and Mori coming?"
"Yeah, I think they'll be on time today. Mori promised that they would try to get up early."
Hikaru smiled when the door to his right suddenly zipped open. Out trudged a very tired Kyoya; his eyes were lidded beneath his slightly messy black hair. He glanced around at their small group before scowling. "Mori and Honey better be here pretty quick," he growled.
They stood there quietly, allowing Kyoya some to wake up until finally, Honey and Mori appeared ten minutes late. "Sorry," Honey smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I woke up late again."
Kyoya disregarded it as he spoke up, "My parents seemed to have slept in late today, so we cannot use my room for this meeting. Does anyone know of a private place to go? I have yet to obtain the blue prints of this facility…"
The group looked around at each other uncertainly. The fact that Kyoya didn't know much about the Sanctuary made everyone feel uneasy; the security here was tight. It had everyone on edge.
"My parents are still in their room," Kaoru said, breaking the silence. The others nodded their agreement.
Tamaki leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. "I don't think I can handle a whole month of this. Not knowing what is happening to Haruhi and Kaoru… it's killing me."
Hikaru crouched down to the floor, followed by the others. "Well, actually, I had one bar of service last night," Hikaru said, smiling.
Tamaki looked up with wide eyes. "And?"
"And Kaoru couldn't hear me, but I could hear him. He said he and Haruhi were okay."
Tamaki smiled genuinely, letting out a heavy breath as he pulled his knees to his chest. "He found Haruhi," he said airily. He leaned his head back against the concrete.
"Did he say anything else?" Kyoya questioned. Did you notice anything else in the background?"
Hikaru shook his head but then paused. "Wait… his voice was echoing a tiny bit. But that's about it. I think it was just because of the poor cell connection."
Kyoya nodded but said no more as he frowned to himself.
Suddenly the overhead speakers crackled and the daily morning tune echoed through the halls of the Sanctuary. The group straightened, listening for today's news.
"Hello happy Sanctuary patrons," the happy-go-lucky woman laughed through the speakers. "Rise and Shine. Today will be another fabulous day. The temperature is 72 degrees, as per usual and today's breakfast will be served up buffet style. Won't that be a treat?"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "She's too happy."
Honey giggled as the woman continued, "Today's activities are as follows: Tikes' day care is available all day long. Children's library and gym time will open at 7:15, the teen game room opens at 10:30, and adult social groups will be available at 11:30." Hikaru repeatedly hit the back of his head against the concrete wall, willing the woman to hurry up.
"Finally, we will be having a mandatory Sanctuary meeting in TEN minutes. Children under the age of twelve are not required to attend. Please drop them off at their respective locations prior to the meeting. And that concludes today's announcements. Please, have a joyous day here in the Sanctuary," the woman finished.
Tamaki stood. "A Sanctuary meeting? They never had one of those before!" Tamaki exclaimed, looking around at them, bewildered.
Hikaru held out his hands to calm him, saying, "Hold on Tamaki, it's probably nothing. They are probably going to assign us a new rotation on chores or something." But Hikaru didn't quite believe his own words.
Kyoya frowned. "Actually, Hikaru, I agree with Tamaki on this one. A meeting is a bit strange. They have been doing everything in an exact routine since we got here. Why would they schedule a meeting? It is a bit out of character for them." Kyoya stood, placing an arm on Tamaki's shoulder, calming him silently.
"Well, we'll only find out if we go to the meeting," Honey pointing out.
The Host Club made their way to the Commons; it was incredibly crowded. It felt like the first day all over again. An uneasy feeling washed over Hikaru as they settled into the crowd near the middle. He glanced around until he caught his mother's eyes. She smiled, waving at him; Hikaru returned the wave to assure her that he was alright.
"Hello," a woman's voice echoed over the crowd. The Commons grew quiet as everyone turned their attention to the woman on the small stage. Screens on either side made her clearer to see. She had black hair with dark-rimmed glasses. She smiled widely; Hikaru recognized her to be the woman who did the morning announcements. "We have important news for our guests today, and here to present it is our Sanctuary leader, Mr. Lee."
She walked off stage and an older man approached the podium. "Now this news may come as a shock to some. Some may be happy and others will be angry. Either way, I ask for all of you to remain calm. This is a decision of the government, not of my own."
Hikaru looked at the others worriedly. Their wide eyes reflected his own troubled eyes; something was wrong here.
Mr. Lee continued, "We have been notified by the government that we may not have to stay in the Sanctuaries much longer." Cheers went up to fill the room but Hikaru waited in silence, listening for the catch. Mr. Lee barreled forward, "The Red Plague may be under control faster than we originally thought. International personal have created a new system to purge the Red Plague. Starting exactly a week from today… the extermination will begin."
Mr. Lee paused as the room filled with shocked silence. Soft whispering filled the room. Hikaru felt the blood drain from his cheeks.
"The government will start by releasing powders into infested areas to subdue those who are affected… And soon after that, they will rid of all those on the outside." He smiled slowly, "This means we will be plague-free in two weeks!" Suddenly the crowd was cheering all around the Host Club.
Hikaru glanced at his friends. They were all frozen in shock. Hikaru curled his hands into fists as the crowd continued to cheer until finally he heard the broken wailing of a single woman. The Commons hushed as the woman screamed, "What about my daughter! She's still out there and she doesn't have the Red Plague! What will happen to her?"
Mr. Lee looked down on her with a sympathizing frown. "I'm sorry for loss… but your daughter will be considered a hero, sacrificed to save millions." He quickly turned and addressed the crowd. "It is what is. I have no control over it. Everyone enjoy the rest of your day." And with that, he quickly left the stage, leaving the crowd in turmoil.
Hikaru stared numbly at the empty stage as he listened to the mix of jubilant and livid voices of the crowd. "What about Kaoru?" he whispered.
Uh oh, things are getting more intense!
Also, thanks goes to Chibiforte13 for brainstorming ideas with me for this chapter. :D