The upcoming fight was approaching fast. The crowd was growing restless, the drunken/high teens were growing less patient by the minute. This means I was running out of time. This, in turn, made me even more nervous. I was surrounded by people who were not in their right minds and I had two weird guys chasing me. Tomo was here and the last thing he wanted was to see me. Which, I returned the same feelings. This wasn't the place to be asking for forgiveness.

I was tugging on my hair, beginning to lose hope on ever finding Takaski. After I had been yanked away from him, Takaski was nowhere to be found. I even returned to his previous spot but he was gone. Why am I trying so hard to find him? My thoughts from the pits of my mind arouse. You're putting yourself in danger for a guy who probably doesn't even care for you? Even if you find him, will he leave by your side? What has he ever done for you?

Then I realized.

He's done a lot.

I lowered my head, staring at my old and dirty slip-on shoes. What person would I be if I abandoned him- I knew. I would be like every other poor excuse that went to Ouran High. I would be like every kid that was around me. I didn't want to be like them. I refused to be like everyone else. Strengthing my resolve, I clinched my first. Looking around with determination, I knew I had to get him out of here. I needed to save him like he had done to me so many times.

Pushing past people, I found myself in front of the circle that was forming. The fight was going to start any minute. Seeing this familiar sight made my body flinch. I didn't want to have to run out in the middle like last time. Even though I didn't feel pain, I didn't want to get punched again. Gazing around, I saw him, my statue-like-man. He was talking with Hikaru and the sight made me bite my tongue.

I need to keep calm.

I was putting the pieces together in my head, like a simple puzzle but I was missing a piece. How was I going to get over there without Hikaru seeing me? I couldn't run across because of the circular clearing. The man in the middle who was shouting nonsense would surely call me out. Going through was out of the question. What about going around? There were too many students huddled together. It would take forever to push through and Takashi would surely be gone by the time I got there. What can I do?

Then I saw my missing puzzle piece.

Tomo.

He wasn't too far from here and he was talking with some random guy. He had one hand in his varsity jacket and the other was holding a half-smoked cigarette. When did Tomo start smoking? The entire time I've been with him, I've never seen him smoking. I tried to let it not bother me. Tomo was always good at standing out and it wasn't because he had striking white hair. If he could cause a distraction, or at least, get Hikaru's attention. I can get us out of here. The question, would he help me? He was in no mood to see me. He wanted nothing to do with me. I knew from his earlier stare.

I was out of options. Time was running out and if I don't act soon, I'm going to see another bloody brawl. This time, I doubt I can break it up. Something about this wasn't right. Suddenly, I remembered the knife. The knife that was stabbed into my back the night I broke Tomo and Takashi's fight. What if that was the reason? The reason this uneasy feeling refused to fade. What if that person was here and waiting? Waiting, to finish what they didn't last time.

My eyes wondered, now looking for anyone suspicious. Nothing stuck out. Everyone looked the same; Drunk and drugged up. There's no telling what the person would even look like. I didn't get to see last time. Hell, I didn't even feel the knife go into my back thanks to my condition. Even though I was paranoid, I had to let the thought of some knife-wielding maniac leave my mind. I needed to focus on one step at a time.

First, I needed Tomo's attention.

How am I going to achieve that? He was a couple feet away and busy talking. He was finishing his cigarette and the closer he got to the filter, the more he looked annoyed. Whoever he was talking to, he wasn't interested. I needed to act fast. What could I do to get him to look my way? Scanning the area around me, I saw what could possibly work. It was a crazy idea and if it was up to me, I wouldn't do it on normal terms. But, I was desperate. I approached one of the torches that helped form the circle. Looking into the flame, I knew this was nuts.

Everyone was to busy shouting for the fight to start that they were not paying any attention to me. Grabbing the long stick that helps keep the torch up, I shook it out of the ground. Here we go! I tossed it into a group of people before I talked myself out of it. Luckily, everyone got out of the way and nobody was hurt. There was shouting and curse words loud enough to cause everyone around to look over. This was enough for Tomo to look this way and I jumped at the chance.

I cuffed my hands around my lips, hoping it would help my voice travel across the crowd. "Tomo!"

My voice was heard.

His hard but curious eyes landed on me. This time they weren't as cold. See him not so angry made me smile, but only a little bit. He must have read how desperate I was because he blew his buddy off and stomped his cigarette out. Maybe, this was the start of him forgiving me. If he was truly mad, if he was reverting back to his old self, he would have ignored me entirely. Right when I felt some sort of hope.

It was crushed.

It was blown away by the announcer's voice, "The fight is beginning!" Everyone erupted into cheers. Ignoring the stunt I just pulled. No one bothered to pick up the torch, letting it burn on the ground. I too was not paying attention.

Walking to the center was Hikaru. He wore a proud smug smile as he took his time. Once, he was standing next to the teen, he cleared his throat, "I want to apologize for last time. Someone here wasn't to keen on our little fights we pull here." I knew he was talking about me. "But it won't happen again. In fact, the problem will be taken care of. So we are free to enjoy the fight!" He shouted the last words.

I'm too late.

My attention went to the side Takashi was on. He was taking off his winter coat, stretching his arms. He was popping his knuckles and getting loose for the fight. His expression was blank as usual. You could see he wasn't threatened and had confidence. He went to the center calmly, standing there, ready to throw some fist. My eyes then went to Tomo, who was no longer walking my way. He threw his coat to the side; He was only wearing a white tank top underneath. He ruffled his hair, trying to clear whatever was on his mind. Once he was in the center, he sent a glare my way. He was sending a message.

He was telling me not to intervene.

I was frozen in place. Not knowing what to do at this point, I could only watch as the two fighters got in position. Takashi shuffled his feet, making sure he was ready. Tomo twirled his neck, ready to get this over with. The announcer raised his hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Out of everyone here, I was the only one who looked frightened. The atmosphere was tense. The crowd was waiting for the signal. I covered my ears, not wanting to hear any more. I didn't want to see the fight. I wanted to crawl into a corner and pretend none of this was happening. However, I couldn't abandon them.

What was I suppose to do?

"Get ready!"

My eyes closed shut.

"Here we go!"

My body was shaking.

"Fight!"

Despite my hands covering my ears. I heard the loud smack of fist against bone. I refused to watch. I didn't want to see them getting hurt. The sounds didn't cease as the crowd continued to cheer. I was afraid. I was afraid that if I opened eyes the scene in front of me would be forever scarred into my mind. I heard a grunt echo out from Tomo. That's all it took for me to snap. I opened my eyes and saw blood coming from both the boys. Tomo was breathing heavily and Takashi was wiping the blood away from his mouth.

They both were not backing down. The tense aurora around us was suffocating. I tried to step forward but my arms were held behind my back. I tried to struggle free but I couldn't. Looking over my shoulder, I saw it was the two boys who were after me. How did they find me so soon? I can't get to Tomo and Takashi like this!

I was helpless, and there was nothing I could do about it. I could only watch as they continued to throw fists at one another. Takashi gave a left hook right at Tomo. This sent him to the ground and he coughed violently. He didn't give up though. He got right back up and kicked Takashi, he thankfully dodged it. Tomo didn't stop though and use the opportunity to punch Takashi's cheek. The sound shook me to my core.

I cried out.

I was begging for them to stop. However, my voice was lost in the crowd. No matter how loud I tried, no matter how much I screamed, no matter how much I begged for this to stop. No one listened to my pleas. I could only stand there, limp in my captor's arms. This was pure torture and I would give anything for it to stop.

I wish I could take back those words.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was something you couldn't ignore, it was the smell a fire. It burned my nostrils and I looked around desperately trying to find the cause. I saw it. It was from the torch that I had thrown. The flames had spread, catching some of the tables around the area on fire. Teenagers began screaming as the flames continue to grow. My captors held firm though.

The crowd began to disperse. Some of the students and teenagers were fleeing from the area. Some of them didn't see the fire and continued to watch the fight. I tried to scream for Tomo and Takashi to stop.

"Please, you need to stop this!" I screamed.

Finally, the two boys who were holding me back notice the flames. They both let me go, not caring about their objective. "Dude, we have to get out of here!"

"I'm out of here!"

They both fled from the fighting ring. I was finally free and I used the opportunity to try and squeeze past the panicking crowd. Teenagers were running left and right and eventually, everyone else saw the cause. The fire was spreading quickly, destroying everything in its path. I couldn't feel the heat from the flames. For once, I was thankful I couldn't feel anything. I lost sight of Tomo and Takashi. Where did they go?

Someone shoved past me roughly, making me fall to my knees. I could see past the legs of everyone around me. There's Tomo! He was trying to tend to his ankle. Did he twist it!? He wore a worried but also stern expression. He was trying his best to keep his composure. If he let the situation get to him, he wouldn't be able to think.

"Tomo!" I tried again to call for him.

He couldn't hear me over everyone screams. I heard an explosion. Looking over to where the sound came from, one of the vehicles that were parked in the area exploded. Parts flew everywhere, some ended up hitting people. I couldn't control my body as I was shaking violently. I tried to get back to my feet but every time I ended up falling. My legs were like jelly. Even though I couldn't feel the heat and I knew I couldn't get hurt from the flames.

I was still scared.

I felt big hands wrapped around my shoulders. I shot my gaze up, seeing Takashi looking down at me. He hooked his hands under my arms, helping me up from the ground. He was sweaty, bleeding and bruised but yet he still had energy. We both were a mess.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

Even with everything going on around us, his attention was on me. His eyes looked over me carefully, trying to find anything abnormal. When he saw that I was all right, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Then his eyes harden, "We have to get out of here."

He grabbed my hand firmly, trying to drag me away. I had to yank myself free, "Not without Tomo!" My eyes scanning the area, trying to find him. I could see his white hair through the flames. He tried to get up even though his ankle was twisted. Each time, he ended up falling back down.

"It's too dangerous!" Again, he reached for my hand.

I stepped back, shaking my head. "If I leave him, I'll never forgive myself. I have to save him! I'm sorry!"

With that said I ran into the flames. I had to push people out of my way just so I could get close enough to see him. He was surrounded by fire and he was sweating profusely. His strong demeanor was gone and all I could see was that he was scared. The flames licked at his clothes. The end of his pants caught flame and he had to pat it out; ignoring that his hands were burned.

Before I could get to him, there was another explosion. I didn't care to see where it came from and when I took a step forward a part of the car landed in front of me. I was shocked back and landed on the ground. I couldn't move my legs as my body refuse to listen to me. Come on, I have to get it together! This isn't the time to be scared! If I don't save him, he could die!

Scraping myself off the dirt, I knew what I had to do. To get to Tomo I had to go through the flames. I was worried that even though I couldn't get hurt, would I be able to recover from this? I couldn't give it more thought as the fire got closer to Tomo. I got rid of all reason and rushed in. I couldn't feel the heat from the fire but my clothes caught flame. I tried to shake it away but to no avail. Deciding that there was nothing I could do, I ignored everything else.

I didn't care as my clothes were falling off from the fire. I could see my skin melt off my body and it became harder to move. I pushed forward, the only thing that mattered to me was saving him. Once I finally pushed past the flames, I fell to my knees in front of him. He could only stare at me with pure horror. He couldn't stop coughing and his eyes were glazed over. He was losing it.

"Come on!" I yelled. At first, he was hesitant. I couldn't tell if it from the sight of me or he wasn't ready for my help. "We don't have time for this!"

I had to take my top off so the heat wouldn't hurt him. Despite his reluctance, I put his arm around my shoulder, ignoring my burnt flesh. I made him get off the ground with strength I didn't know I had. I looked around, trying to find an opening that we could slip through. The fire around us was like a cage. We seemed to be surrounded and I felt like this was hell on earth. However, I manage to find an opening and we went towards it quickly. He was heavier than I thought but that was the furthest thing from my mind. There was barely anybody left and the only company was the fire. I could hear the sirens from fire trucks as we got close to the entrance. I could see Takashi rushing towards us.

He took Tomo away from me, easily being able to carry his weight. "Hara, you're hurt!" He then was speechless at the sight of me. He didn't know what to say. I finally looked at my hands and legs.

Black.

I was nothing but burnt skin and muscle.

I was beyond hurt. Even though I couldn't feel it, my body was weighed down. Whatever flesh I still had on me was burnt and whatever clothing I had was gone. I look like a monster. I certainly felt like one. I didn't care, I saved Tomo. That's all I wanted. I didn't care what I looked like.

Then I realized something.

No one in my condition would be able to still function. If the firefighters saw me, it would be a huge problem. I needed to get away. I needed to get away fast.

"Takashi, listen to me. I can't stay here. Not with the way I am. Please, take care of Tomo."

He tried to grab me with his free hand but I avoided him, "You can't leave, you're seriously hurt!"

Tomo was unconscious. The fire was too much and the smoke had knocked him out. I knew he would be safe with Takashi. There was nothing I could do anymore. I did what I had to do and now I needed to flee. The last thing I needed was to be questioned by authorities on why I was still alive. I was a walking corpse and I looked like one right now. The only way out was to go back into the flames. We were surrounded by firetrucks and police cars.

"I'll be fine, trust me." Those were my final words as I rushed back into the flames.