AN: Yeah, another one on the same day, but I thought that last one was too short, so I'll be nice and put another one up. You're welcome! By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm enjoying a virtual ice cream cone as I write this, as it's hot and someone was kind enough to send one. You know who you are. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Sadly, still all I own is Castor...

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Kyoya was the first to wake from unconsciousness - he only knew that because nobody had made a peep in the few minutes it took him to reorient his throbbing head and adjust to the dark around him. He reached inside his jacket, digging around blindly to find a small pen light Tamaki had give him as a joke present. To "lighten his mood," or some such nonsense. Clicking it on, Kyoya found some interesting things in the newfound light. He was, as he predicted, lying on Tamaki, straddling his back. Hikaru lay not farther away on his side, a trail of still dripping blood tracing down his face from his head, and Haruhi was mere feet away, looking quite peaceful as she lay on her stomach, almost as though she were napping.

Moving the small beam about, Kyoya noticed something else - where they had landed was some sort of cellar, with stone walls, shelves of different things such as huge barrels full of what could only be alcohol and seventeenth century oil lamps, a dirt packed floor under them and a slab of concrete under that. Wherever they were, it was obviously very old. Besides the footprints one would expect to see, strange scuff marks were visible, trailing off down a partially hidden doorway that was letting in a dreadfully chilly draft, small drops of crimson marking it as a relatively new addition to the ancient room. As much as Kyoya wanted to explore, follow after the markings, perhaps, he knew he couldn't do it and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

After all, he couldn't walk anyway, and what sort of friend would he be to leave his comrades behind? Besides, it seemed he was in the best condition of them all right then, having unintentionally used Tamaki as a cushion to break his fall. Kyoya stuck the tiny flashlight into his mouth, clamping it firmly in his teeth, and carefully rolled off the blonde's back. He didn't miss the nearly imperceptible breath of relief he released, and Kyoya gave his shoulder a few gentle shakes. Tamaki stirred as though waking, so Kyoya let him be and moved to Haruhi. She woke almost instantly, squinting against the bright light.

"Kyoya-sempai? What happened?" Haruhi sat up, groaning. "Ow …and why does everything hurt?" Kyoya smiled, offering his hand.

"We fell into the trap door, remember? Here, you might want to get off the floor - it's rather dirty." Haruhi gratefully accepted the gesture, looking around with interest as Kyoya returned to Tamaki, who was just sitting up.

"Kyoya, my back is killing me," Tamaki whined plaintively. "I was laying on my chest - why does it hurt so much?" Kyoya turned away from him once he was fully reoriented to work on reviving Hikaru, hiding his grin.

"It was just a rough trip down is all." Tamaki, happily appeased, instantly bounded to Haruhi's side, checking his poor, precious daughter for injuries, refusing to back off even after she had insisted she was fine. Kyoya chuckled at their antics - it was certainly a relief to hear them resume their regular air. It helped, in his own mind, to build hope …hope that they would get out of this house of horrors and be able to return to their normal lives. A comforting thought, that was. However …

"I think we have a problem," Kyoya announced, interrupting their age old battle over Tamaki not being Haruhi's real father and the consequential bickering that followed. Intense sky blue and creamy coffee brown flew his way as the disagreement died a slow, pitiful death.

"What kind of problem?" Tamaki inquired, his unusual seriousness back in effect. Kyoya, hating to bring the bad news, slid about a foot to his right, just enough to give them a clear view of a still unconscious Hikaru and the blood running down his face that had yet to show signs of slowing.

"I can't seem to wake him up, and he's losing blood much too quickly. Currently, none of us can carry him, as moving him would be dangerous - we're at a standstill until he wakes."

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Kaoru trudged onward, too tired to even muster a sigh of defeat. He'd been walking down the dank halls for hours, an antique lantern in one hand and the other hanging limp by his side, his dragging left foot finally stopping its incessant dripping. Every now and then, the halls would branch in different directions, but this place was like a maze - one wrong turn and he knew he'd never see the sun again. Trusting his better judgment, Kaoru continued going straight, driving himself on with two constant thoughts; find Hikaru, and find water. He kept chanting them in his head like mantras, pushing himself to keep going. It was hard. He was just so tired …

Clink …

Kaoru froze, swinging the lantern back and forth.

"Hello?" He called timidly, inching back a step or two. What was that move Honey had taught him as self defense?

Clink …clink …step …clip …clip …clip …

Kaoru backed up more, ignoring that dizzying nausea that had been stalking him since he woke.

"Hello?" He called louder, wondering if maybe whoever was there simply had not heard him. The noises paused. Then, a sickeningly sweet voice answered him, echoing faintly down the hall.

"Oh, so you did end up down here! Good, I was beginning to think I'd lost you. Maybe I should go to work on you first and worry about Suoh later, eh?" Kaoru blanched. He was fairly certain that the chipper man speaking was the one who had trapped them all in this twisted house, and he definitely wasn't interested in being friendly with his intentions. Dark, creeping shadows were looming around every corner, coming closer and closer and he was trapped and why, why was he by himself - deep breath, but those shadows were so close - and where was Hikaru -

"Kao-chan? What are you doing here?" The young, comforting tone broke through his rising panic like a hot knife through butter, and any fears he had disappeared like smoke when a familiar blonde head lower than his chin and a silent hulking giant towering over them both appeared in the weak light of his lantern. Kaoru slumped forward in relief, sighing hard enough that the flame nearly went out.

"Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai, am I glad to see you," he breathed. The two teens looked a bit worse for wear, dirty and scruffy and Honey missing his bunny and Mori holding his right arm close - it looked kind of funny at the angle it was at. Despite their situation, Honey's crocodile tears didn't seem to have made an appearance, although Kaoru shouldn't have been surprised - the short senior only pulled them out like some kind of secret weapon when he wanted to be cuddled like a stuffed toy.

"Kao-chan! We were worried you guys wouldn't be down here with us!" He launched his small body forward for a hug, and seemed confused when he pulled away. "But where's Hika-chan and the others?" Kaoru shrugged, just as lost.

"I don't know."

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AN: Sorry, but that's all for now! This story is far from over, and might even have a sequel, but we shall see on that one. Hooray, we found out what happened to Kaoru! Although, I am evil, yes, because he still hasn't been reunited with Hikaru. Ah, well, stuff happens. I hope you enjoyed the early installments, and again, keep an eye on my others for more chapters soon! That is all for now. \( ' - ' )/