~Author's Note~

Hello, everyone! Katie again. Sorry this updateis late, I was finishing the Ouran manga.(so happy btw) Also, I had to do a book project this week and I chose a Pride and Predjudice spoof book. I had to make a comic book and cast Kyoya as Darcy and Tamaki as Wickham. Kyoya was oddly attractive as Darcy while I never realized how much of a jerk Tamaki can look out of context with the Ouran plot. Sorry, I digress. The story!

Chapter 17

The group came upon what looked like to be a theater. It had elaborate gold lettering, but the inside of the theater looked to be empty.

"Why is it empty?" Tamaki asked, confused.

"Two reasons, Tamaki." Steph said. "One, this is a show and this entrance area is a pre-show. Everyone may be inside watching it. Also, take a look down Main Street."

The group looked down the street and saw clumps of people starting to line up down Main Street. Only a few groups, but enough for one to notice.

"They are waiting for a parade. No doubt that others are making their way down here and are going to line up as well in a few minutes. So, people are not in here." Steph concluded.

They entered the building and saw, oddly enough, an old park bench. Katie smiled at it and dreamily wandered off, looking at this or that, and laughing at random times.

"What…?" Kyoya asked, very confused. Steph laughed, startling the shadow king.

"We always seem to lose her in here. My theory is that she is crazy, but some of our friends think that she just has so many facts about Walt and stories about the man that she cannot tell them all aloud. So she tells them to herself and relives that joy of first finding them out."

"Who told you that theory?" Kaoru asked.

"Our boss." Steph laughed. "She likes Katie's stories almost as much as Katie does."

So the task of explaining things fell to Steph. She talked about the park bench that Walt first dreamed of Disneyland, the scale model of the park, and the beautifully detailed artwork that lined the walls.

They met up with Katie, who was sitting on a bench facing screen. The few people in the pre-show area were making their way to a room in the back and were facing a few doors. The group hesitated on where to go before Steph sat down in a bench behind her sister. The group followed her, curious.

Kyoya sat in front next to Katie as the twins sat next to Steph. The rest of the group found spaces on other benches surrounding the screen. Kyoya thought that Katie was okay to talk to now. Maybe, he thought, she would shed some light on a couple of stories. "So, why aren't we going into the Lincoln center?"

The eldest sister with the red hair turned to him and smiled. "This segment is something most people just glance at. This is how Disneyland crossed from dream to reality."

Kyoya nodded as the segment started. It was hosted by Steve Martin and Donald Duck. The bit was funny, whimsical, and very informative. Everyone enjoyed it and found it very informative.

"That was beauteous! Walt Disney is such a King, even more than I, Tamaki Suoh!" The Host Club King proclaimed.

"If you think he is a King now, Tamaki, wait until you see Mr. Lincoln." Katie said with such sincerity. They walked to the back room, where pictures of Lincoln were all around.

"Does Japan even teach about the American Civil War?" Steph asked, curiously.

Kyoya heard and was the one who answered. "We are taught only a bit of it when we are young. Of course we know the name Abraham Lincoln, but I do not think the students remember him."

The hosts nodded and listened as Katie said "Okay, lemme 'splain… No, takes to long, let me sum up. Lincoln was our nation's president during our bloodiest war ever, the Civil War. Lincoln was from Kentucky and was a just lawyer before running for president. He won and was famous for many things. His physical appearance is famous, as he was very tall, with a beard and a tall hat. He is famous for the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared slaves free men in the North, and for being a strong anti-slavery president. Even his death by assassination is widely known and his assassin, John Wilks Booth, is infamous. But his most famous speech is the Gettysburg Address."

"Oh we know that!" Honey said, looking excited. Mori started quoting.

"Four score and seven years ago…" He started.

"That was mostly what we are taught…" Kaoru started.

"… When we study the American Civil War." Hikaru finished. Everyone nodded. It was a very well known speech.

After the little history lesson, people looked around at the displays of Lincoln. Soon, doors opened and everyone shuffled into the auditorium. They sat down, Honey leading them followed by Mori, Katie, Kyoya, Tamaki, Haruhi, Steph, Kaoru and then Hikaru, and the presentation began.

The foreigners were astonished at how moving the presentation was. The music was beautiful, the effects shockingly brilliant.

In the middle of the presentation, Kyoya felt Katie stiffen beside him. She produced a few tissues from her backpack and held them in her hand. A song started playing with a photograph of a family in view.

"Two brothers on their way…Two brothers on their way…"

The twins looked at each other as the sad music played. Mori and Honey looked at each other as well. Even though they were not brothers, they felt like they were often. They watched as the two brothers in the picture faded away and had their own portraits. A picture of the Confederate Flag and American Flag intertwined appeared.

"Two brothers on their way… One wore blue and one wore grey…"

Haruhi's hand flew to her mouth and in understanding. Mori and Honey's and Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes widened, knowing that the brothers were on opposite sides of a bloody and unforgiving civil war. One fought for the Union, in blue, the other fought for the Confederacy, in grey. Each pair looked at their relative and imagined the other wearing blue or grey, on the other end of a bayonet the first was holding. That horrible choice to make.

"One wore blue and one wore grey. As they marched along the way, the fife and drum began to play. Oh, what a beautiful morning."

Tears sprang in the eyes of Tamaki, Kyoya, and Haruhi. How cruel fate was that the brothers be at odds on a day where they should be united. Kyoya gasped. He had a thought that suggested the song was deeper than two people on opposing sides of a war. It was a country split in two, forcing itself to fight against its brother and destroying its own kin to survive. Katie locked eyes with him and nodded, guessing at Kyoya's thoughts. He was right. Steph was watching the twins gaze at the screen, begging the song to show a happier ending than it would suggest. No such luck as the next verse appeared.

"One was gentle, one was kind… One was gentle, one was kind…"

Mori looked at his best friend and cousin. Honey was gentle, Mori was kind. Mori was gentle, Honey was kind. It wasn't hard to imagine the young men who went to fight against each other when they so closely resembled themselves. Honey sniffed, looking up at Mori. They clasped hands, promising that they would never fight in such a way, never destroy the other. They had learned that when Honey had his toothache and would keep that lesson forever.

Hikaru looked at his brother, wondering which category fit him, Hikaru, the best. Kaoru was gentle and kind, but Hikaru was becoming more kind of late, thanks to the host club. He joined hands with his twin, hoping to become more gentle and kind in time.

"One came home one stayed behind, a cannonball don't pay no mind."

Mori felt his eyes water. Honey was silently crying next to him as a picture of a man driving a wagon coming home and the other lying in a field, bloody and dead. Katie noticed and handed Mori two tissues. Mori nodded his thanks and turned to his cousin to wipe his eyes. The twins sat back in their seats in shock. They looked at each other and saw tears in the eyes of their brother. Cruel, cruel fate.

"A cannonball don't pay no mind if you're gentle or if you're kind. It don't think of the folks behind. Oh what a beautiful morning."

Why did it have to happen? Why did two brothers have to destroy to live? It was on the mind of all who watched. The song repeated, almost cruelly.

"Oh what a beautiful morning…"

It was pure Disney magic that was able to bring out such emotion in the people that came to that show. The few other people in the theater were wiping their eyes just like the nine hosts. Their respect for Abe Lincoln grew, he pulled the nation out of the sin of slavery and out of a bloody civil war.

The show continued. The Gettysburg Address was recited, which was powerful. The artwork was wonderful and incredibly moving. Kyoya pondered how ten sentences of a speech could arouse such patriotism in people's hearts. It was interesting to say the least to know that those words would live long past even the speaker's expectations.

. The room went dark once more and the audio animatronic figure of Abraham Lincoln once the curtains drew back and the lights came back on. The figure was sitting, then stood, much like a person and less like a bunch of metal. Then the words of the great man came from back in time. Haruhi looked at this man, once a lawyer, and was reminded of her goal, her very worthy goal. She wanted to have the same kindness, ideals, and passion as her mother and Mr. Lincoln did. She, like everyone else, was in awe of Walt's dream come true and how dreams can become reality.

Kyoya was astonished by the technology. The twins were surprised on how much they were moved. Tamaki found the atmosphere beautifully sad and still empowering. Honey was engrossed in the AA's realness. Mori was moved by the speech. Haruhi loved the patriotic feel and the emotional content. The sisters looked at each other and smiled. This what America was meant to be.

The speech ended. The theater grew dim as stars appeared behind the president and a soft, rousing song began to grow and swelled into something wonderful. Lincoln sat down, and behind him the pink flush of dawn began to appear. The song was "Glory Glory, Hallelujah," powerful and strong. The dawn faded away to show the Lincoln Monument in the same pose the former President was at that moment, embellished in the stars.

As the curtain closed and the music came to a climax, Steph and Katie jumped up, applauding. The rest of the hosts followed, clapping and cheering loudly, wiping their tear streaked eyes. They shuffled out of the theater and to another shop area. Along the way, they saw great people who accomplished many things on a timeline. The people there included movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Comedians like Abbot and Costello, artists like Herb Ryman, powerful role models like Oprah Winfrey, and Entertainment geniuses like Jim Henson and, of course, Walt Disney.

"So, what did you think?" Katie asked her emotional group.

"That was…" Honey started.

"Beautiful." Mori finished after a pause. Everyone nodded fervently.

"Walt must have really understood the phycology of the human mind to successfully evict so many emotions from one show." Kyoya stated, slightly stunned by the performance. Haruhi saw a coin presser and went over to add a coin to her collection as she wiped tears from her eyes, remembering why she wanted to be a lawyer.

"He really did." Katie smiled at them. "Tamaki, you haven't said a word since we came out of the theater. What did you think of the show."

Tamaki looked stunned and said nothing. His eyes were filled with tears. "What a man… WHAT A DREAM!" And off he went. Ignoring the stares of other patrons and Haruhi's blush over at the coin machine, Tamaki proceeded to proclaim his enjoyment of the show and Walt Disney's dreams, as well as Mr. Lincoln's accomplishments. The sisters were red from holding in laughter and the rest of the host club just ignored the little outburst, per their usual.

"Alright, I think we are ready for a wider ride than this." Steph said once Tamaki had to pause for breath. She had a devilish smile on her face, one that made the twins proud. Katie called Haruhi over to re-join the group.

"What ride is that, Steph?" Honey asked, once more on Mori's shoulders.

"You'll see. It's the wildest ride in the Wilderness!" She answered with a smirk. And so, they walked back towards Frontierland.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. The song is one of my favorites and I cry every time I watch this glorious presentation. I was tearing up just watching it on youtube! You should totally look it up if you haven't seen the show. Anyways, please R&R, I love you all and see you Friday!

THATS ALL! 3