Hikaru struggled against the tight hold on his lips and Tamaki did the same beside him. But neither made a sound like they could sense that they would be in greater danger if they yelled out. "Stop," the voice hissed in their ears as the hand loosened on their faces.

Instantly faltering in his struggles, Hikaru spun around to face his attacker with a glare ready on his features and his muscles tensed. But he froze, staring at the newcomer curiously. It was only a kid, with shaggy black hair and torn clothes smeared with dirt. He looked about their age. Hikaru tilted his head in confusion and exchanged a look with Tamaki.

But the kid reached out a hand to them with worry written on his face. His eyes darted from side to side as he braced himself against the side of the apartment complex, ready to run. "Come on, we have to go, before they find us," he said pleadingly, desperation in his eyes.

He gave them one last fleeting look of sadness before withdrawing his hand and running off. Hikaru didn't waste any time. He cast one last glance at the mysterious yellow figures in the street before sprinting off into the alley to follow the kid. They ran fast and stayed off the streets, and by the time, they slowed to a stop in front of a chain-linked fence, Hikaru was wheezing for air.

Tamaki leaned heavily on Hikaru, trying to catch his breath. "Oh god," Tamaki panted. "I really need to work out."

Hikaru didn't reply; he just narrowed his eyes at the boy pacing in front of the fence. "Who are you?" Hikaru demanded.

The kid stopped pacing, peering at Hikaru through his heavy black bangs. "Haruka," he said simply, turning back to the fence. He reached forward and intertwined his fingers into the links, bracing.

"That doesn't help me one bit," Hikaru said flatly.

Haruka dropped his hands and turned back with a glare. "Look, I'm just a kid who saved your ass from extermination."

Tamaki paled. "Wait, so those guys in yellow…" he trailed off.

"How do you know all of this?" Hikaru asked, placing a steadying hand on Tamaki's shoulder.

Haruka sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Just trust me on this, will ya?"

"How do you know?" Hikaru repeated darkly.

Haruka looked away, frowning. "Fine. My father is in committee that organized the sanctuaries, okay?" He turned his face back at Hikaru, his eyes watering. "And… he abandoned me. He left me out here to die, just because I was different. The doctors told me I was immune… but my father didn't believe that. He thought that the disease was just waiting under my skin. So he threw me away."

Hikaru's eyes widened. "You're immune?" He glanced at Tamaki. "I thought Kaoru was the only one."

Haruka perked up. "You know someone else that's immune… that's still alive?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, my twin brother. We're looking for him right now… what did you mean, 'still alive'?"

"Well usually they snatch up the immunes from the hospitals and take them into rigorous testing. Many have died… It's the one thing my father protected me from." Haruka turned and pushed himself halfway the fence.

Hikaru shrugged, "Well, they didn't take him. We're heading north. That's where he was heading."

Freezing halfway over the fence, Haruka looked down at Hikaru. "He headed north?" The boy's voice went up an octave with the look of horror on his face.

Hikaru was at a loss for words, but Tamaki nodded. "That's what we were told," Tamaki said.

"That's suicide," Haruka sputtered. "That's where all of the testing facilities are set up. He has no chance."

The color drained out of Hikaru's face. "We have to find him," he whispered. His gaze snapped to Tamaki. "We need to go, now!"

Quickly, the two jumped up onto the chain-linked fence, swinging over after Haruka, and they took off running. "Are you coming with us?" Hikaru questioned as Haruka pulled in front of them, leading the way.

"Someone's got to show you the way," Haruka panted between breaths.

The sun lowered in the sky, casting Ouran into silent darkness. The streets were empty and the wind was the only thing that stirred the world. It was strange, running through these unfamiliar streets with only the sound of their breathing and footsteps to accompany them. And soon, it was hard to see. They slowed to a walk. "We still have a long ways to go," Haruka huffed, staring into the darkness.

"What's that?" Tamaki asked, pointing to a faint light far down the street they stopped on.

"Probably a solar-powered light post. There are a lot of those around the subways and stuff," Haruka explained quietly.

Hikaru turned and looked around at the darkened housing. "Should we find a place to stop for the night? I really don't want to stop, but we need to rest." Tamaki nodded his agreement, his eyes heavy.

"Well, we could-" Haruka began, glancing over his shoulder from a sudden but faint noise.

The three froze, barely breathing, straining their ears for the noise. But this time, they heard a voice. "Tamaki," the voice called out. The boys turned to find a figure jogging down the alleyway towards them.

Instantly, Tamaki bolted from their group and folded the figure into his arms, laughing hysterically. Hikaru blinked before he realized who it was. Haruhi. The girl was sobbing into Tamaki's brood shoulder. "I can't believe you're out here," she sniffed.

Tamaki grasped her tighter. "You're safe now, you're safe."

"Where's Kaoru?" Hikaru's question broke through their reunion like a knife. The two plunged into silence with Tamaki staring at Haruhi while she stared sorrowfully at Hikaru.

"Kaoru…" she began. "We were jumped on the subway tracks by a group of men. Kaoru saved me. He told me to run. Kaoru was gone when I came back to look for them."

Hikaru rubbed at his eyes, fighting back the heated tears. "Tell me exactly what happened." And she did. It wasn't a pretty story. Hikaru could feel his stomach churning painfully with each word.

"He's probably in the testing facility," Haruka spoke up after a short silence. The group didn't reply. They all knew, deep down, that it was probably true.

Hey everyone! Enjoy the chapter?