Blood dripped onto the ground as Kyoya stood there with a dazed look. He looked down at his chest to see a head of brown hair laying into his chest. He removed one of his hands and looked at the blood that was smeared on his palm and dripping from his hand. That was when he realized the horrible reality that had faced him.

"Haruhi!" he dropped to the ground in a frenzy. "Get a hold of yourself! Haruhi!"

"Haruhi-sama!" Keith yelled in utter shock.

Haruhi had run towards Kyoya just in time to block the bullet that had been aimed right at his heart. Though she had originally intended to just keep him from getting shot, she had been shot instead; though she sort of calculated something along these lines. They didn't know where she had been shot in the chest but all they knew was that she was bleeding heavily and they had to stop it somehow. But, they were all in deep shock and found themselves trembling at the very sight of it.

"Someone call the ambulance!" Kyoya yelled.

"O-On it!" Keith said, fumbling around to get his phone as he immediately began dialing.

Honey and Mori tied the two kidnappers and began hurrying towards Haruhi's side, trying to stop the bleeding. Haruhi's eyes fluttered open and gazed up into the dark trembling orbs of the man that held her in his arms. She saw his face and smiled up at him, her eyes wincing a little.

"Kyoya-senpai, are you...fine?" she gasped.

"What do you think?!" he yelled at her, his voice cracking. "What do you think you were doing?"

"I don't...even...know myself," she chuckled, her face getting paler by the minute. "My body...just moved on...it's own accord."

"You idiot!" he cried, clutching her. "Why did you block it?"

"If it was me getting shot...you would've done the same...no?" she said through uneven breathing.

"Why do you do this?" he said, tears beginning to form at the corner of his eyes. "What have I ever done for you to the point where you would sacrifice yourself?"

Haruhi smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. "Everything," she breathed.

He widened his eyes in surprise and tears spilled from his eyes and onto her face. Haruhi reached up to touch his cheek with a loving smile plastered on her face. She wiped his tears away. The pain of the bullet was aching but that was pain became numb once she saw that he was safe and unharmed.

"Haruhi..." he sobbed. "What advantage will being shot give you?"

"Kyoya-senpai," she said, tears rolling down the side of her cheek. "Seeing you safe brings me more happiness than anything," she choked out. "I would've done this regardless of advantages and you should know that."

He shook his head and clutched her hand. "You can't do this to me. You can't, Fujioka Haruhi!"

"If there's anything...that I want you...to remember, it's that," Haruhi took in a breath of air before saying her final words. "I'm...your wife."

The light in her eyes started fading away and everything around her began fading into darkness. Kyoya widened his eyes in fear as he shook her, trying to get her to wake up and open her eyes again.

"Haruhi! Look at me!" he commanded. "Look at me!"

"Kyoya, stop it," Honey tried stopping her. "The ambulance is almost coming."

"Tamaki and Hikaru have already caught the other person," Mori said, a look of sorrow and anguish in his eyes. "Calm down."

But Kyoya refused to listen. "Fujioka Haruhi! If you don't open your eyes at this very second, I'm never going to treat you to an all-you-can-eat restaurant! I'll never buy you the toys that you want! I'm never going to take you to the places that you want to go!"

Keith looked away in torment, holding a hand to his face. "Kyoya-sama..."

Kyoya hugged the blood-stained Haruhi closely to him and sobbed in grief and heartache. "You said you'll always be by my side no matter what. You said that you wished to support me through everything. You said that you were willing," he looked at her and rubbed her cheek. "You can't leave me like this. You just can't! Haruhi...you're my wife"

The sound of sirens could be heard in the near distance and soon enough, ambulances, police cars, and firefighters arrived on the scene and by the order of Kyoya and the others, they were immediately rushed to the hospital. Haruhi's heart rate was dropping by the second and her skin felt cold to the touch. Kyoya clutched her hand close to him the whole entire time, unwilling to let go. Soon enough, they arrived at the hospital and the Ootori family was already there. Fuyumi, Yuuichi, and Akito gasped at the scene. Even though the two sons were both doctors, the two were scared not because of the blood but rather, the fact that Haruhi had been caught up in this whole mess.

"Haruhi-chan!" Fuyumi rushed to her side, running along the side of the bed.

"Transfer her to the E.R. immediately!" the doctor yelled.

"You're going to save her! No matter what it takes, you hear me?!" Kyoya pulled the doctor at his collar, his eyes boring into his.

"Kyoya, don't be rash!" Fuyumi pulled Kyoya back. "Doctor, please save her."

The doctor nodded and immediately left, preparing for the surgery. He knew how important this girl was and if he didn't save her, he would be the next one to lose his life.

"Let me go, Fuyumi-neesan!" he yelled, pushing back. "I need to go! I need to stay by her side!"

"No, you don't!" Yuuichi pulled him back.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kyoya!" Akito yelled at him.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Kyoya yelled, desperately trying to fight them back as tears streamed down his face. "I need to go to Haruhi. I need to. There's no way I'm leaving her side! Let me go this instant, Yuuichi-oniisama, Akito-oniisama"

Fuyumi slapped his face.

"Ootori Kyoya!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Kyoya widened his eyes in shock as he turned his attention towards his older sister. It was the first time that she had ever slapped him. Tears were gushing out of her eyes and her whole body was trembling, but her eyes had a dignified look in them.

"The only one suffering is not you!" she shouted. "Look around you and take a good look! The only one wanting to be by Haruhi's side is not you but everyone!"

Kyoya looked around him and saw the distressed and grim looks on everyone around him. Mori and Honey were biting their lower lips and sitting on the chairs with a guilty look. Keith stood to the side, crying silently, trying to hold his anger and sorrow in. Hikaru and Kaoru were holding onto each other for moral support and Tamaki had a look of dread on his face. Akito and Yuuichi were holding him back with looks of despair and gritted teeth. Kyoya, realizing all this, went limp and collapsed onto his knees before the emergency room door, tears streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall. Fuyumi relaxed her shoulders slightly and bent down to his level, holding him like a child.

No words were spoken and silence befell upon them. The only sound that could be heard was Kyoya's continuous agonizing sobbing of Haruhi's name. The light went on, signaling the start of surgery, and the only they could do now was wait patiently for the results.

Ootori Yoshio was watching the whole scene unfold from the hallway. He had seen Haruhi roll in on an ambulance bed in a pool of blood. Yoshio was furious; in fact, he was raging. A dark murderous aura was seeping out from him and the look in his eyes was worse than Kyoya's. It was like he was the devil himself. His eyes had become completely dull and dark, lacking any flicker of mercy that had been in them.

"Are those three the only one?" Yoshio motioned for his secretary.

"I suspect that there's more involved," he replied.

"Round up all those that were involved in this incident," Yoshio ordered. "Do not let a single one of them escape."

"What should we do with them?"

"Torture them. I want them to live in utter misery to the point where they beg that they weren't living but also to the point where they're unable to beg for death," he smirked. "This time, they've really angered me."

The secretary nodded his head with a fearful look on his face, immediately getting to work. He, who had been working by Yoshio's side for nearly a decade, couldn't even stand one second by his side with the way he was now. He didn't know if he should hate the kidnappers or pity them for they were about to experience hell in the realm of the living. All the people that had been involved - amounting to about twenty people - were captured and detained in an underground cellar where they were endlessly tortured. It was exactly as Yoshio had said. They were tortured to the point where they regretted even living itself yet they couldn't because they were always forced to continue living.

The doctor came out and undid his mask. Kyoya and the others immediately began rushing over to him with anxious and agitated expressions.

"How's Haruhi?!" Kyoya asked.

The doctor sighed and looked back at the emergency room. Fuyumi grabbed the doctor's shirt and glared at him, demanding for him to spit out the answer already. The usual ladylike Fuyumi was completely gone and was replaced by a woman who was currently driven by her emotions.

"Haruhi is safe, yes?" she demanded.

"Y-Yes," the doctor finally said and Fuyumi released him.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and a look of ease lit up in their faces. Keith and Tamaki collapsed onto their knees; Mori and Honey dropped back into the benches; Hikaru and Kaoru looked at one another and smiled in utter joy; Yuuichi, Akito, and Fuyumi closed their eyes in reassurance; Kyoya looked to the emergency room in comfort. However, their joy was short-lived as the doctor began to explain more.

"Though Fujioka-sama has managed to evade death which is already a miracle," the doctor began. "The bullet had pierced one of the major arteries and barely missed her heart itself. It really is a miracle that she had managed to survive through the surgery."

"What do you mean?" Kyoya questioned.

"She still hasn't woken up from the surgery and there's a high chance of her going into a coma," the doctor delivered his intended message. "Whether she wakes up or not entirely depends on her will to live now. This is all I can do as a surgeon and I apologize for my inconvenience to do more."

"It's fine," Fuyumi said, her eyes showing misery yet gratefulness. "Thank you."

The surgeon excused himself and walked away. Kyoya was left in utter shock and this time, he was left senseless. Haruhi was transferred to the V.I.P. room in Dubai and within a few days, she was to be transferred back to Japan in a medical helicopter. The Golden Week that was supposed to end with merriment and joy was gone and in place of that was a restless week in which they were all hanging onto that silver lining.

School had already begun yet there was no sign of Haruhi and Kyoya whatsoever. Word had already gotten out in regards to what had happened over Golden Week and Host Club activities were on hold for the while. Kyoya had refused to leave Haruhi's side ever since that day and now, he seemed to have aged at least ten years. He never left her side even once and had been taking care of her every day; he only slept three to four hours at max each day.

"Kyoya-sama, you should rest," Keith said. "I'll take care of Haruhi-sama for today."

"No need," Kyoya immediately rejected. "I can do it."

"But Kyoya-sama," Keith objected.

"I said there was no need!" Kyoya raised his voice before settling down. "Just leave right now, Keith. I'll call you when I need you again."

Keith looked at Kyoya with a troubled look and then at Haruhi who was laying there on the bed, motionless. The only sound resounding in the room were the beeps of the ECG monitors that were monitoring Haruhi's current condition. Keith left the room reluctantly, leaving the two alone.

"He's still unwilling?" Tamaki asked.

Keith shook his head. "At this rate, he's likely to fall ill."

"We should really get him to relax," Hikaru said. "It's understandable that he's the most affected by all of us but he shouldn't be putting his health on the line."

"Kyo-chan," Honey looked at his junior in sympathy.

The Host Club members had gathered outside of the hospital room and peered through the small window panel on the door. Kyoya was sitting there on a couch by her side with a soft smile on his face as he brushed her bangs to the side. Just seeing it made their heart ache terribly. He looked skinnier than ever before and they had lost count of how many times they tried convincing him to take a break.

Just as they were about to give up all hope, a deep and familiar voice came up from behind them. They turned around to see Ootori Yoshio standing behind them with Fuyumi, Yuuichi, and Akito close behind him. His secretary stood to the side.

"Yoshio-sama," Tamaki said.

"Is that son of mine still unwilling to leave her side?" Yoshio asked.

Honey nodded his head. "Yes."

Yoshio sighed and walked into the room. Kyoya continued to pay attention to Haruhi even though his father had come in.

"What is it that you want?" Kyoya asked.

"Kyoya, rest," Yoshio said.

"I'll rest when I feel like it," Kyoya said, rinsing a towel and wiping Haruhi's face with it.

Yoshio looked to the motionless Haruhi with a sad look. He had taken care of the kidnappers but it's already been a week and there was still no sign of her waking up even though the monitor recorded that she was stable. However, though Haruhi's health was his main priority, he also had another problem. It was Kyoya.

"Shall I call off this engagement?" Yoshio said.

Kyoya stopped what he was doing and widened his eyes before glaring at his father. "You dare."

"If you keep on going on like this, I will," Yoshio said. "With the way you're acting right now, you're only forcing me to do so. I know you care deeply for Haruhi and the same goes for everyone, including me."

Kyoya stared at him with sternness before returning back to what he had been doing. "I know you do," he muttered.

"Kyoya, don't push yourself," Yoshio said. "The next one that's to lie in a hospital bed isn't just Haruhi but you, too."

He remained silent.

Yoshio sighed and lowered his voice, a voice filled with woe. "Do you think this is what Haruhi wants you to do?"

Kyoya stopped what he was doing. At that moment, Yoshio knew that he had captured Kyoya's attention. Deciding that he wasn't going to budge no matter what, Yoshio pulled out his final chess piece: a letter that was written by Haruhi herself. Yoshio handed it to Kyoya who looked at it.

"It's a letter that Haruhi wrote herself," Yoshio said. "She must've realized that something like this was going to happen so she wrote this and handed it to me."

Kyoya grabbed the letter and looked at it. It was indeed Haruhi's writing and there was no mistake about it. He held the letter tightly in his hand and prepared to open it but before he could do so, Yoshio spoke up.

"These were her exact words at the time when she handed it to me," Yoshio said.

Haruhi handed the letter to him with a soft smile.

"Kyoya-senpai is a well-natured man and he's someone who's able to move people around him with just words alone. But, he's a man that gets attached to things that he favors and so, if there ever comes a time when something happens to me, I want you to give this to him," she smiled brightly.

"Why?" Yoshio questioned.

"Because he's the one and only man that I'll ever love," she replied.

At that time, her words were vague and clouded but now, Yoshio seemed to have an understanding of what she had said. It was because she loved him that she didn't want Kyoya to live a life of misery and sorrow if something happened to her. She knew that becoming a member of the Ootori Group had its risks and even though she knew that, she still decided to stay by his side. Fujioka Haruhi was really something beyond his expectations.

Kyoya ripped open the letter and fumbled to get it out and read it. His eyes scrunched up as tears spilled from his eyes and onto the white parchment letter. He clutched it and cried out loud.

Dear Kyoya-senpai,

If you're reading this letter now, I'm pretty sure that something has happened to me to land you in great despair. For this past year, you treated me with kindness, with warmth, and with affection, something that I would've never dreamed about when I was still but a normal high school girl. With these passing months, I've grown to be grateful to you. But somewhere along the way, those feelings stemmed into feelings of love and endearment. I've never given you anything in return and by now, I probably still haven't. That's why, if you're grieving over me, I think you should stop. I want you to graduate, I want you to find someone suitable to love and marry, and I want you to make a family that you care deeply about, even if I'm not the one by your side. It's selfish of me to request these things but I do hope you'll recognize them because...it's the only thing I can do as someone who loves you. Thank you, Kyoya-senpai, for everything.

From your beloved wife, Fujioka Haruhi.

A tear fell from Haruhi's eyes as Kyoya read it out loud. He sobbed in agony like that of a child and clutched onto Haruhi's hand. He looked at her with trembling eyes and shook his head. She did give him everything that he could ever ask for. She gave him everything that he thought he didn't have in life.

"Haruhi," he said. "There's no way I can fulfill those requests. The one and only wife of Ootori Kyoya will only be you and only you. No one else. In this life, you're the only one whom I'll ever love. You can't leave me. Haruhi...you can't."

Everyone looked at Kyoya and Haruhi with pain-staking faces.

"Kyoya," Yoshio spoke. "This is my proposal...no, this is my order. You are refrained from seeing Haruhi."

Kyoya looked at Yoshio in utter disbelief. His shock turned into rage as he got up from his chair and held his father by the collar, glaring at him.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Your father," Yoshio said. "From today on, you are refrained from even coming into contact with Haruhi. Only until you have made the Ootori conglomerate ranked at the top one percent, will I allow you to see her again."

"You-!" Kyoya said.

"Until then, I'll be overseeing Haruhi's health," Yoshio stared at him strictly.

He couldn't fight back. Haruhi's words resounded deep in his mind. If she had been here, she would've surely reprimanded him for being so pathetic over her. She didn't wish to see him suffer and if it was him that was in the bed, he wouldn't want her to suffer either. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists before looking back at his father.

"Fine," he said. "I'll show you. Within three years, just three years, I'll put the Ootori conglomerate at the top one percent in the world."

Yoshio smirked. "By yourself?"

"No, with everyone," Kyoya said. "If there was one thing I learned from Haruhi, it was to have faith in those around me."