Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. It all goes to Bisco Hatori and the various people who will sue me if I claim otherwise.

Chapter 3

It was dusk. Above Rasputin, the moon was beginning to show its face to the world, standing subtly against the darker side of the darkening red sky. He walked slowly and nonchalantly, trying to keep attention from himself. The crowd around him was beginning to dwindle as the bright, glowing sun prepared to set. He stopped in front of a store and pretended to inspect the merchandise in the window before entering.

Inside was a antique shop filled with polished clay pots and old furniture. The whole store smelled like dust, but the blonde man didn't pay any attention to that as he nodded to the store keeper, who bowed. He walked to the back of the store without invitation and knocked a strange rhythm on the door. It was immediately opened for him.

Inside he found a large number of armed men. He nodded to them, unsurprised, and they allowed him to pass. In the back of the room, a large, heavy built man was standing over a table, on which a map had been laid. Rasputin stopped and watched him for a few moments, as the man ignored him. He was muscular and had a military cut that matched his harsh presence. His black uniform only complemented the dark, frightening image that he presented. It was enough to intimidate any normal man, but Rasputin only stood calmly unaffected. Without turning around, the general said, "Lord Seifuku should be arriving any day now."

Rasputin nodded. "Than we will be ready when that time comes."

"Of course." The general walked to the opposite end of the table. "We have men and ships positioned here, here, here and here," he said pointing a long index finger at each area on the map. "And more are on the way with His Majesty."

"How many?"

The General took a seat at the head of the table and looked at Rasputin. "Combined we will have at least 3 million troops at our disposal. More than enough to launch a successful offensive against the Japanese and American armies."

Rasputin nodded in approval. "And the Americans are, of course, unaware?"

"Aren't they always?" the General chuckled darkly. "Uragirimono made quite sure of that. I have also positioned enough troops around their base to make sure that when they do realize what has happened, they will be unable to act."

"Good, good, good. They would not be pleased with their precious little toy being stolen from right under them."

The General nodded. "I believe that war will be declared against Tojiwara the minute their president receives the news. Just as our Lord planned, their alliance will be very strong. A war is just what the people of Tojiwara need to instill further loyalty to the Court."

"Especially against the Americans." Rasputin turned his back. "As soon as possible then?" he questioned.

"As soon as I receive the order."

"Excellent."

Haruhi blew her bangs out of her face with a small gust of air. It had been a while since she'd let the twins anywhere near it, so it had gotten a bit longer than usual. Normally that would really bother her, but with the freezing temperatures, it kept her head a little bit warmer. She wrapped her arms tighter around her, shivering in the early morning air. It was winter, and the weather certainly showed it. Small white specs of snow softly cascaded from the sky in a suicide mission towards the earth. It landed lightly all around her, adorning the sidewalk and the trees with its light purity. Her brown eyes took it all in, and she breathed deeply. She had left early that morning to stop by the supermarket to buy some milk before school started so that her father would have it before he woke up, and she was glad that she had. The morning was absolutely captivating. Gorgeous. She paused for a minute. She could see the supermarket in her peripheral vision, but just for a few minutes, she wanted to watch the beautiful snow fall in peace…

Kaoru groaned, snuggling closer to his brother. Despite their world class heating system, he was still frozen to the bone. Stupid Japanese winter…He groggily propped himself on one elbow and looked over his brother's shoulder to check the digital clock on their nightstand. 6:00 it read. He collapsed back onto his back. We still have time, he thought as his eyes started to slide close. They were almost shut before he snapped them open again. In the large window by their bed, there was something falling. He grabbed his twin's shoulder and started shaking. "Hikaru, wake up, wake up!"

His brother pushed the hand away. "Get me in five minutes," he grumbled.

"No! No, you've got to see this. Come on!" Kaoru frowned as his brother wrapped the pillow over his ears. A feline grin spread over his face as he crawled to his brother's side.

"Hey!" Hikaru yelled as he was shoved off of the bed. His head peaked over the side of the bed, and Kaoru laughed as he glared at his twin. "What's the big idea, you-" he faltered, catching sight of the window. "idiot," he finished softly.

Kaoru turned his attention back to the window, watching the snow fall. It fell like dancing figures, spinning and twirling in its descent. He felt his brother climb back onto the bed and sit next to him.

"Whoa."

"Yeah…whoa."

The two twins looked at each other grinning. "Tono is so going to get it today!" they cried before dissolving into fits of laughter, imagining the various snow-related pranks their senpai would be victim to.

Mori had just finished his early morning training when he saw it. He had been sitting in one of the many tables in the Haninozuka mansion, eating a large breakfast of eggs. He stared at it in solitude for a few minutes, admiring its simple beauty, for if there was one thing that Mori found beautiful, it was simplicity. He ate the eggs in silence until a high pitched, excited voice reached his ears.

"Takashi!" a small blonde came leaping down the stairs and into the room, exuberance shining through every pore. The young, childlike boy was practically bouncing up and down in a heavy brown overcoat and fluffy earmuffs. "Did you see? Did you see?" he asked, his face spilt in a huge, excited grin.

Mori gave a small smile. "Ah."

The Lolita bounded over to him. Hunny gripped his arm and looked out the great window with him. They watched the snow fall in silent reverence. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hunny whispered in awe.

Mori slowly nodded. "It is."

Kyouay closed his laptop with a click and slid it into his bag. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the clock, sighing. It was too late to go to sleep now, he supposed. He had spent all night working on a new business deal, going over all the risks, the positives and negatives, evaluating the money. He had barely noticed the passing of the time, which often proved to be his undoing. He finished packing all of his school work, which he had also been doing, and turned around to see the sight before him.

His entire glass wall, which also functioned as a window, showed nothing but white. His coal black eyes followed the snowflakes drifting from the sky as they landing on the ground, disappearing quietly into the sea of white. All very crisp and clean. He leaned against the wall and gazed out, slightly interested. He knew that it was going to cause problems today, mainly annoying wetness and automobile accidents, but he allowed himself to appreciate it for a few moments. It was rather lovely after all…

Tamaki violently tugged on his expensive winter coat as he ran down the stairs. Several of the maids stared after him as he sprinted past, but they quickly turned back to their work. They had lived too long with the young master to not be used to this kind of behavior by now.

Shima stepped to the side as he came barreling through, barely missing her. "Young Master!" she called exasperated.

Tamaki spun around, jogging backwards. "Shima, my dear, you have to see it! It's magnificent, it's awe inspiring, it's-it's indescribable!" he cried with a leap in the air before turning around and resuming his sprint to the door. He grabbed both handles and threw the door open to reveal the winter wonderland. "Yahoooo!" he cried, attempting to leap off of his doorstep. Unfortunately, it was covered in ice, and the graceful bound that he had imagined turned into an ungraceful plummet. Tamaki landed face first onto the snowy lawn, his shoulders shaking.

The staff inside gasped and some of the servants ran (much more carefully) to their master to check for injuries. "Master Tamaki!" They quickly rolled him over and were surprised at the lack of tears, for instead of crying, Tamaki was laughing his head off.

He started moving his arms and legs back and forth. "Oh, my, isn't this great? Look! I'm making snow angels!" His light chuckling echoed around the yard. He sat up and looked at the relieved servants with a brilliant smile. "Try it, come join me!" he said, holding out a hand.

The servants looked at each other, torn. After a few seconds one of them shrugged and lay down in the snow next to him. Tamaki beamed at him. "It's like this!" he said, lying back down and swinging his limbs back and forth as the rest of the servants dropped their cleaning supplies to join the child they loved so much in one last morning of play.

At 6:00, another person was just waking up. Rasputin slowly rose from his slumber and sat up straight. He stared out the small porthole by his bed. The snow fell like ash. "Today it begins," he murmured before dressing in his most impressive Tojiwaran military outfit. Above him, heavy thuds and the sounds of running feet reverberated across the ceiling, making his room shake a bit. The sound of a conquering army.

Haruhi looked up as the twins plopped down in the seats next to her. They shot her two identical grins before whipping their designer snow caps off their heads and shaking them above hers, sending wet snow into her hair.

"You guys!" she cried, covering her head.

"Come on, Haruhi," Kaoru laughed as he and his brother now circled around her, sending water drops from all angles.

"Don't you like snow?" Hikaru said, prodding her cheek with his forefinger.

Haruhi brushed his hand away. "I like it fine, thank you very much. Now sit down before we all get in-"

"Hitachiins, Fujioka!" The teacher scolded from his place in front of the blackboard. He glared at them, and the twins sent him a evil grin before sitting down, while Haruhi hit herself in the forehead with her palm. The teacher nodded at their calmer positions. "Better," he said in approval. He turned back to the blackboard and raised his hand. "Today we will be discussing the different characteristics of the Rococo style of art."

For the next hour or so, the teacher lectured, and Haruhi dutifully took notes. Next to her, Hikaru and Kaoru were ignoring the professor and were instead lobbing paper balls at each other over her head. She rolled her eyes and was about to scold them when she heard a click. She looked up. At the front of the classroom, above the blackboard, the large flat screen TV had turned on. The picture was very blurry, but it looked like there was an outline of a pale man on the screen.

"Hey, what's that?" Some of the students were whispering. Many of them by now had stopped pretending to pay attention to the lesson and were nudging their friends and pointing at the screen. She locked eyes with Hikaru and Kaoru, both of whom were just as confused as she was. Malfunctions didn't happen often at Ouran what with the state of the art technology and all.

The teacher, however, didn't seem to notice the screen turning on, but it was clear that he did hear a disturbance in his class room. He whirled around and glared at the students. "Now honestly, this is very rude," he chastised, and he opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment, the resolution cleared, and everybody could see who was on the screen. Haruhi gasped in recognition.

Rasputin was dressed much differently from the last time she had seen him. Gone were the threadbare clothes, which had been replaced with an imposing, orderly military suit. His hair was combed back into perfection, and his expression was one of triumph and exhilaration. "Today," he said, his voice a little distorted by the television, "is the beginning of a new era." The entire class fell silent. Haruhi felt each of the twins grab one of her hands. She squeezed them. "Starting today, the entirety of Japan is now underneath the divine rule of Lord Seifuku, emperor of the all powerful nation of Tojiwara."

Cries of outrage erupted around the room. "What, but that's ridiculous!"

"Who does he think he is?"

"No way, this has to be some kind of a joke."

Haruhi watched the screen transfixed, while Hikaru and Kaoru joined in the yelling.

"You have no choice," Rasputin continued. "Fight and you will be killed. Protest and you will be killed. Oppose and you will be killed. Tojiwara is superior, and it would be wise for the citizens of Japan to welcome and accept them. They are your masters, and you are the slaves. We want as little blood shed as possible. Prime Minister, I address you now. You have two hours to agree to be ruled. Until then, we will give you a little taste of what will happen should you not comply. Two hours," he threatened ominously before the TV shut off.

The entire room was deathly silent. Every student in the classroom held its breath, wondering if the TV would turn on and anything else would be said, as though it would turn on and it would all be a joke. Haruhi's fearful eyes met the twins.

And then the room shook as a huge BOOM exploded across the Ouran campus.

Tamaki leapt to his feet at the sound of the explosion. His heart was pounding a tattoo in his chest, and something had just EXPLODED, and everybody was screaming and running, and they were being taken over by whole other country, and he was scared.. He felt a hand seize him and yank him to the ground. He was too startled to fight, but once he was lying on his stomach on the cold marble tile, his mind cleared enough to see that it was his best friend that had pulled him down.

Kyouya was on his stomach too, grasping Tamaki's shoulder. "Tamaki," he said in a forced calm even though his eyes showed his true fear and urgency, "Tamaki, listen to me. We have to leave the building."

Tamaki frowned. "Leave the-"

"Yes!" Kyouya said impatiently. "Leave the building. We have to go now." Tamaki nodded slowly, still dazed. He saw his best friend bare his teeth, and for the first time, Kyouya looked scared, but it was like he was seeing it from another place, as though he was watching the scene from outside his body. Kyouya seized his shoulders and violently shook him. "Tamaki! Get a grip! I need you here with me now!"

Those words, more than the shaking, brought Tamaki out of his daze. He was still scared, and all around him, people were still panicking, but Kyouya needed him there. "All right," he yelled over the screams of the students.

Kyouya gave a stiff nod. "Follow me!"

With that, Kyouya leapt to his feet and ran at a half crouch with Tamaki at his heels. They wove around their frightened classmates and burst through the elegant doors into the hallway. There, hundreds of students were stampeding in various directions, all confused in their panic. Several of them were calling out for friends, looking for missing people, or nursing wounds from getting run over. Teachers didn't even try to calm the chaos; they were looking out for themselves.

Tamaki stayed close to his black haired friend, refusing to let them get separated. They ran through countless hallways and doorways, and Tamaki vaguely registered that they were in the second floor of the South Building. He pumped his arms and moved his legs as fast as he could, relying on all the running techniques that his personal trainer had taught him what seemed like a lifetime ago. The crowds were starting to clear up as they continued their wild flee. They rounded a corner, skidding with the speed. This hallway was empty with the exception of three very familiar looking first years…

"Haruhi! Hikaru! Kaoru!"

The three first years spun around in surprise. They had been staring out the window for the last few minutes. "Senpai, look," Haruhi said in a hollow voice, pointing out the window.

Tamaki looked out to see smoke and fire rising from a few buildings over. Tamaki gasped. "The Lower School," he said, his voice furious.

"That's not all," Haruhi heard Kyouya say, and she looked in the direction he was pointing. At the large wrought iron gates of Ouran High School, a large crowd of people was gathered. It looked like many of them were armed.

"The invasion!" the twins said in unison, pressing their faces against the window.

Suddenly, before their eyes, the gates gave way to the crowd, and the army poured in. They scattered across the campus, spreading like ink leaking from a pen, staining everything they came in contact with. There had to be at least two hundred men, all armed to the teeth and professionally trained to maim and kill. Several of them began to attack the buildings. Even from their position, they could hear the sound of popping sounds of gunshots. Red flowers suddenly blossomed on the snow.

"Oh, my God…" Kyouya breathed. His voice sounded shocked.

"Here they are!" a voice cried. The club spun around again at the high pitched sound of the boy before them. Hunny and Mori had just rounded the corner and were now running towards their friends. Haruhi felt her heart swell at the sight of them. She had been worried.

They didn't stop, and Hunny frantically beckoned them with his hand. "Come on, follow us!"

Without thinking, Haruhi and the rest of the club started running after the third years. To say that she was terrified was an understatement. It was as though her whole entire life was falling apart before her eyes, and her fear seemed to strangle and restrict her as she continued her sprint. She noticed with surprise that instead of going down, they were climbing stairs. Hunny and Mori guided them up two floors until they were at the top floor of the South building. Haruhi's heart skipped several beats as the sounds of anguished screams echoed up from the lower floors. The look on Mori's face confirmed her suspicions.

The group turned one last corner, and the North Hall lay before them. Now knowing where they were going, Haruhi and the others sped up. At the last few seconds, Kyouya took the lead and quickly removed his key from his pocket and shoved it into the key hole. The Ouran High School Host Club burst into Music Room Three.

Tamaki turned off the lights as the twins slammed the door behind them and leaned against it. They were holding hands, knuckles white. "What now?" Kaoru breathed, holding his knees and panting.

Mori disappeared into the costume closet and returned, holding a long staff from the last cosplay. He twisted it experimentally in his hands for a moment before suddenly swinging it like a baseball bat against the window. The glass shattered upon impact, scattering around the room and into the snow outside. Snow and wind suddenly flew into the room, and Haruhi realized that she had left her winter wear in the classroom due to the confusion.

Kyouya paled at the realization of Hunny and Mori's plan. "Through the window?" he cried, astounded.

Hunny ripped the curtains from the windows and began tying them together in expert knots. He experimentally pulled on each knot as he went. "We need to be unseen," he said simply, concentrating on his work. "Takashi and I will help you down."

"This is insane," Hikaru muttered, fear lacing his voice. He peered out the shattered window to look at the ground several feet below.

Tamaki looked scared for a second, but he took a deep breath and put on a determined expression. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," he said, firmly, but he too looked at the makeshift rope warily.

Mori took Hunny's completed rope and hurled it over the edge of the window, securing the end of it to a hook on the wall. "Mitsukini," he gruffly said.

"Hai." Hunny grabbed part of the rope to support it and nodded to his cousin with deadly serious expression.

Suddenly Haruhi found herself being lifted in the air, and she let out a surprised cry. Mori had picked her up and was now holding her with one arm. "This will be easier if I don't have to hold on to you," he said, and Haruhi nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Normally, such a thing would be awkward, but Haruhi was too scared to care. Her gaze found the ground several stories below.

"Be careful," Kyouya said softly. "And Haruhi." Haruhi looked at him. Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose. "Do try not to scream."

With that, Mori leapt onto the edge of the window, holding on to the rope with both hands and jumped off. Haruhi squeezed her eyes shut as her stomach leapt to her throat, and her grip on Mori tightened. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from screaming, and she heard Mori grunt as his legs hit the side of the building like a mountain climber. Seconds later, he bounced away from the wall and came back again, sliding down the rope each time. Please let it end, please let it end, please let it end, her mind chanted, and she refused to move until Mori tapped the back of her head with a finger. "We're here," he said, and she opened her eyes to see the ground a modest distance of six feet. He gently placed her on the ground. "Stay." She watched him begin to pull himself up the rope now, scaling the building.

Thousands of miles away, two women stared at the television in horror. Various scenes of violence were shown in rapid succession: people being beat, tanks rolling down the streets, faceless men marching with guns, fire, explosions. "Although the invasion began just thirty minutes ago, Japan is already being torn apart. The Americans have declared war, but due to the new blockade of Tojiwaran ships and the sheer number of Tojiwaran forces, it seems that the island country will not be able to receive reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Diet, and the Emperor are all being forced to make a hard decision: surrender control, or watch the country be ravaged," the newscaster said in a anxious voice.

The blonde woman had tears leaking out of her worried eyes. She was beside herself with fear, shaking and pulling at her hair. Her companion looked at the woman with sympathy. A sudden determination crossed her face, and the woman stood up. She looked down at the sobbing blonde. "Your son…he has a friend that lives not to far from here. She goes to school with him, but she came back home for a few weeks. If there is anybody that knows of his whereabouts, it is she."

The maid was silent. The girl sighed. "I can asked the driver to get the car ready. We can leave for her mansion in ten minutes."

The blonde maid looked up in disbelief before she smiled gratefully. She too stood up and grasped the girl's hand. "Thank you, Éclair."

Meanwhile, in said mansion, the cry of "DADDY!" rang through out the mansion, and every member of the household was startled awake.

Against all odds, Mori and Hunny got every member of the Host Club onto the ground without being seen. Soon after, Kyouya had gotten a call from his father, who told him that there was a train at the train station that was taking a limited number of passengers to secret American helicopters. His father was already on his way to another set of helicopters, but the Host Club had a chance to escape if they could get on that train. So they had taken off by foot through the delivery entrance of the school, and they ran through the city. Miraculously, they were able to flee through the city unnoticed. Soldiers and tanks marched through the cobbled roads, and stores everywhere were burning. The snow around them was pink with blood and corpses.

By the time they had reached the station, they were filthy, covered with ash, sweat, and dirt. They rushed inside, expecting it to be empty, but Haruhi gasped at the sight before her. The entire place was teeming with people. Word must have gotten out about the train because people were yelling and screaming, baggage in hand. They bumped and jostled against each other, fighting their way to the large, grey machine at the front. There was a manic look in their eyes that exuded chaos and fear. The fear was contagious, and Haruhi felt panic begin to pick at her insides.

Next to her, Kyouya glanced at his watch. Haruhi watched his face blanch. "Five minutes!" he yelled over the crowd. He'd accidentally let some of his fear enter his voice, and it was that that made threw Haruhi's adrenaline to its peak, and she ran.

The rest of the Host Club sprang into action. Hunny and Mori took the lead as the friends began to run forward. When they met the large body of people, the martial arts experts began to force their way through, pushing people out of their way and making room for the rest of the club. Hikaru and Kaoru followed them, their large black winter coats billowing behind them. Tamaki seized Haruhi's hand and began to pull her forward, while Kyouya took up the rear.

Haruhi ran faster than she ever had in her life, but with a stab of fear, she began to feel herself fall behind. "Come on, Haruhi," Tamaki panted, now pulling at her, urging her to go faster. She knew that was dragging him down, and she was so scared, and the rising panic in her body was pulling and tearing at her. She let out a small scream as she heard gunshots behind her. They've found us!

Kyouya picked up his pace and seized her hand. He and Tamaki started to run faster, so that she was being dragged by two hands. "Faster, Haruhi!" he bellowed, but she was so much smaller than them and so much less fit…She could barely keep up as it was. A group of people slammed into them, and Kaoru's elbow hit her face, leaving a mark, but otherwise not harming her.

A train whistle blew.

"NO!" Kaoru cried.

Haruhi felt tears running down her cheeks. They weren't going to make it even though they were now so close…She could see the train, and it started to move, it's wheels making chugging noises as the rotated. It moved teasingly slow…Suddenly Mori took a running leap, and he cleared the closing gate on the caboose and landed on the grey metal of the small protruding platform. The employee there looked at him in horror, and had the situation been different, it would have been comical. It wasn't different though, and lives were at stake.

Haruhi watched relieved as Hunny also leaped onto the platform, and together, he and Mori seized the twins by the back of their cloaks and hauled them onto the train. They landed in a crumpled heap and looked up from their positions on the ground, their eyes wide and their faces panicked. Mori reached out and grabbed Kyouya by the forearm, and Kyouya released Haruhi's hand before he was pulled onto the platform. Now it was only Tamaki and Haruhi, but the employee had stepped forward. Haruhi watched in horror as he attempted to close the gate to the caboose, and she tried to run faster.

"No!" she heard Kyouya yell. The furious boy grabbed the man's arm. "There's more left!"

"There's no room!"

Kyouya grabbed him by the shoulders and shook them. "Yes, there is! Look! There's plenty of room on this goddamn train!" he growled, but the moron shook him off and slammed the gate shut. "You IDIOT!" Kyouya bellowed, now beginning to feel the fear invade his mind and reason.

"Kyouya!"

Kyouya spun around at the sound of his best friend's voice. Tamaki and Haruhi were still running alongside the train. No, not them, a voice said in his head, and he desperately threw himself against the gate, which made a deep clanging sound at the impact. He reached his hand out to them as far as it could go. He could feel the metal painfully digging into his side, but he couldn't let his friends be left behind. He pushed himself further.

Thankfully, Tamaki was able grab hold of his hand. Yes! Kyouya thought as grasped the boy's arm with two hands and pulled. With his help, Tamaki was able to leap onto the very edge of the platform. However, the movement jolted Haruhi, forcing her to release his hand. Tamaki twisted his head around in surprise. Haruhi was now on her own. And she was falling behind.

"Senpai!" She yelled.

"No!" the blonde screamed as he realized what was happening. Kyouya's heart jumped when his friend tried to jump off the train, but he refused to let go, using all his strength to keep Tamaki on board. He noticed Mori grab hold of the blonde boy's waist. Hunny was trying to keep the train employee from interfering.

Tamaki reached out his free hand. "Take my hand!" he yelled, his hair billowing in his face. His blue eyes were beyond terrified, and Kyouya knew how he felt because while Tamaki was aboard and safe, Haruhi wasn't. Hoping to give Tamaki more length, he slid his hands down Tamaki's arm until they were gripping his wrist. He knew that he wasn't thinking straight, but it was detrimental that they get the girl onto the train. They had to get her on the train.

The twins threw themselves against the gate. "Come on, Haruhi!" they yelled, but Kyouya blocked them out, concentrating on the hands, trying to will them to catch hold of each other. Pure terror squeezed him at the first feeble attempt to join hands, but on the second try, Tamaki had hold of Haruhi's fingers. The King tried to pull her up with all his might, but the train was picking up speed, and Haruhi was drifting behind.

"HARUHI!"

"Don't let go!" Her small voice was barely audible over the sounds of the train and the yells of the crowd, but the Host Club could hear it clearly. Kyouya saw her hand start to slip…At that moment, the train hit a bump, and Haruhi's fingers slid from Tamaki's like slow motion.

"NO!" he yelled, as Tamaki bellowed "HARUHIII!" at the same time, and the whole club screamed as Haruhi tumbled to the ground, propelled by the momentum of the train. Her head hit the ground with a sickening crack that could be heard over their heart wrenching, anguished screams, and Kyouya couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it…

Mori finally yanked Tamaki into the carriage, and he fell in a crumpled, defeated pile, his shoulders shaking in agony. Kyouya fell to his knees, hugging his arms as though trying to hold in the pain. It leaked out however, and he felt a warm wetness running down his face in rivets.

"Stop the train," he heard Hikaru whisper in disbelief. He watched the red head seize the train employee by the lapels and lean in until he was inches from the man's face. "STOP THE TRAIN!" he bellowed now.

The man seemed shocked and unable to speak because he just opened and closed his mouth, shaking his head. Disgusted, Hikaru tossed the man aside and threw himself against the gates, and Kyouya saw his eyes scanning the distance, looking, he knew, for the girl. But the train was chugging away…Away from the station, away from Ouran, away from Japan, away from Haruhi.

Beside him, Mori collapsed on all fours and was staring at the ground, small tears plopping against the grey metal. Hunny had thrown his arms over his head, as though to protect himself from the enormity of what had just happened. Kaoru covered his mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that were violently surging through his body. Tamaki, however, made no such attempt. The King of the Host Club let the sobs take him, and they escaped as loud, heartbroken cries that echoed through the night as the princes left their kingdom and princess behind.