a new part. were getting somewhat towards the end of the actual anime itself, so you'll see more original parts as we go along during the finale of this. i have a few things in mind but y'know were getting closer to the lovey dovey things and relationship shit so y'know yeah just a heads up of sorts

YALL IM NEGATIVE FOR COVID WOO

— A. :)

bold is the twins talking in unison

italics is your own thoughts

italics and underline are other people's thoughts and special dialogue

================================================================================

(3rd Person)

At the stroke of midnight, the carriage would change back into a pumpkin.

But, this particular spell wasn't cast by a fairy godmother.

It was just like any other school day at Ouran. Students had come in and sat down, talking quietly among themselves. Kaoru tapped his lips with his pencil, bored of the day already. (___) and Haruhi worked on whatever was in front of them, scribbling away at some notes that would be due later that day. Hikaru glanced to Kaoru, wondering what was up with him, but thought nothing of it.

"Alright, next item on the agenda." Called the Class President, Soga Kazukiyo,  from the chalkboard. "I move to discuss what the class plans will be for next week."

(___)'s and Haruhi's heads both lifted from what they were doing and they cocked their heads to the side, raising a brow.

"Next week?" They questioned at the same time.

"Yeah, Halloween." Hikaru answered.

"Oh, Haruhi, (___), you've only been a student at Ouran Academy since high school, right?" Asked the Vice President, Kurakano Momoka. "So you don't know. After we've finished taking our fall exams, we're allowed a few days off, until the end of October. And we get to throw costume parties on campus to celebrate!"

"And also, to promote camaraderie, each class is allowed to use an entire day for a special class event of their choosing."

"Event?" (___) questioned again.

"Right, they're pretty fun!" Kaoru piped up.

"Yeah, we socialize or watch some old movies. Stuff like that." Hikaru leaned back in his chair.

"BORING! BORING! BORIING!"

The loud voice of Renge filled their ears. (___) completely forgot that she was in their class. She always popped up from out of nowhere. She hopped up onto (___)'s desks, of all places which made the boy groan and swipe his notes up before she could step on them.

"Halloween: The day that sounds the death knell of summer and ushers in the icy breath of winter! Halloween: Once a day when ghouls walked the earth and disguised as ghouls, we tried to ward them all off! Halloween: A day for wearing costumes and playing pranks on trick-or-treaters with reckless abandon!" Renge fanned.

The twins stood from their chairs and watched as she went on with her speech.

"Some people don't wait for Halloween to dress up." Hikaru stated dryly.

"Some people cosplay year round." Kaoru followed.

"I know that's right. So, what's with the uniform?" Haruhi asked her.

"Just between us, this is the uniform in 'Uki-doki Memorial 2' which isn't scheduled for release until next spring. What do you think?" She motioned to the outfit she wore. "I know important people on the inside, if you catch my drift."

"You definitely bribed people." (___) murmured.

"For sure." Haruhi muttered.

"U-Uh, Miss Hoshakuji, we're having homeroom now. Could you get down off the desk please?" Kazukiyo asked Renge.

"Yes, that would be appreciated. Why'd you have to stand on mine?" (___) deadpanned.

She grinned and hopped off. A microphone somehow appeared in her hand and she went on talking to the entire class.

"Tea parties and cosplay? The Host Club does that practically nonstop! What our Halloween requires is something special!"

"Um, we're supposed to decide this as a class." Kazukiyo butted in once more.

Renge made her way to the front of the classroom and turned to her fellow classmates.

"So I propose holding a Halloween Test-of-Courage Tournament! The bravest student wins!" Renge announced.

(___) watched as Kazukiyo became slightly pale in the face and his eyes shrink.

"A test-of-courage—" Hikaru began, placing a finger on his chin.

"Tournament, you say?" Kaoru finished as he leaned on Hikaru.

"Here's what we'll do: we'll ask the superintendent to give us access to the school after hours when it's dark. Then, we'll all dress up in our freakiest costumes and have the time of our lives caring the absolute crap out of each other!" Renge explained.

The twins had small fits of giggles that turned to loud laughs.

"Yeah! We're in!"

"I really like the part about—" Hikaru smiled impishly.

"It being dark." Kaoru smirked darkly.

The two twins smirked. (___) could feel their eyes on him and he refused to look back at them, feeling a cold sweat go down his cheek.

The gods really sent me to deal with eternal provocation and devils, huh? These two are gonna kill me.

The other students got to talking about it, some expressing excitement more than others and already talking about some ideas they're having.

"W-Well now why don't we think this through everyone. We can't all go individually. W-We should be in teams of at least three or four." Kazukiyo offered up in a shaky voice.

"Yeah! Teams would be scarier!" Kurakano commented.

"And anybody who leaves—" Hikaru started.

"Gets featured on the front page of the school newspaper as the captain of all cowards!" Kaoru suggested.

"SECONDED!" Everyone agreed.

Kazukiyo started to stammer and shake, his throat going drying. He quickly regained his composure and fixed the glasses on his face.

"Um, alright then, are there any objections to the majority vote? Are there any at all?" He questioned the class.

He looked straight to (___) and Haruhi, trying to see if they would put their hands up. The two just stared at him without doing anything.

"Is anyone opposed to the idea? Come on, anyone?" At his failed attempts of getting anything out of the two cousins, his expression deepened and hollowed. "Oh very well, then the motion passes unanimously. The class 1-A event for this year will be a  special Halloween Test-of-Courage Tournament."

The class cheered and started talking once more, going from scare tactics to what they should wear. Some people were already talking to their friends and forming teams.

"Man, this is going to be a long day." Haruhi huffed. "Can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Well, it's the most fun on Halloween that we've had since the time I watched you fall flat on your face going up someone's porch." (___) laughed.

Haruhi punched his shoulder and pouted.

"You don't need to bring that tripe up!"

"Yeah well, I just did. And you were dressed as a little pumpkin too and you---you just went 'SPLAT!' against the concrete and your forehead was all red. Such a funny memory." (___) cackled.

An irk mark appeared on Haruhi's forehead and she glanced at (___).

"Last time I checked, when you were six you wanted to be a mushroom for Halloween. Dad still has pictures."

(___) froze in his fits of laughter. He cocked his head.

"Was I a cute mushroom?" (___) smiled at Haruhi innocently.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and grit her teeth.

"Can't believe you're not embarrassed."

"Well, as far as I remember I wasn't the one to face plant. And besides, I was a cute lil' baby! Being dressed as a mushroom must have meant a lot to me then."

Music Room 3
The Host Club is Open for Business!

Inside the club, the room was dimly lit by sets of jack-o-lanterns and candles on every table. Coffins and fake cobwebs were strewn about the room, along with some large fake spiders and bones. The Host's in particular were all dressed as vampires, having the fake fangs coming out just above their lips. Each one wore about the same thing, a dark red vest with a matching black and red cloak, long black dress pants, and a variety of different colored bows to keep their cloaks closed.

"Trick or treat, girls. Give me candy, or else your blood!" Tamaki greeted his guests.

He set down a cup of tea for one of them, coming up right in front of her.

"Halloween might be a week away officially, but here at the Host Club, we start celebrating haunting season a little early."

"Oh Tamaki~, you make such a handsome vampire!" One of his guests complimented.

"Those fangs look real~." Said another.

Tamaki leaned down and cupped one girl's cheek, moving his head down right next to her ear.

"May I nibble your lovely neck for a treat?"

"O-Oh no you mustn't. You'll have to play a trick on me instead." The girl answered, leaning into his hand.

"And indeed I shall."

"OH! Me next! Me next! Me next! Me next! Me next!" Shouted the other girl.

"Hello!"

The twins plus Haruhi and (___) walked into the clubroom, late and still in uniform. At the sudden voices of the twins, Tamaki lifted his head from what he was doing.

"Why are you guys late? Hurry up and change!" Tamaki chided.

"Sorry Boss! But from now until Halloween—"

"Count us out!"

"Okay?"

"What?!" Tamaki questioned exasperatedly.

"Count you out?" Honey repeated.

"We're on the preparation committee for a special event. Class 1-A is sponsoring it."

"Duty calls then." Kyouya excused them.

"Good luck without us here for a week!" The twins waved goodbye and started to drag Haruhi and (___) back out the room with them.

"You have fun!" Honey called after them.

"HOLD ON! Why is (___) and Haruhi going?" Tamaki inquired meekly.

The twins turned their heads, sly smiles on each of their faces.

"Well Boss, they are in our class you know." Hikaru answered.

"Oh, the special event is an after dark Test-of Courage Tournament." Kaoru told him.

Tamaki pulled away from his guests and gasped loudly at Kaoru's words. He faltered for a second.

"After...dark?"

Tamaki's mind reeled over what could happen during the event. His mind went through several different scenarios in the span of a few seconds. He gulped and sweated at the ideas he came up with. He instantly thought of (___) becoming scared and leaning into Hikaru and Kaoru for comfort and support. The idea frightened him. Of course, this being Tamaki, the man completely forgot that (___) wasn't very frightful when it came to the supernatural and other related items.

"(___)....Haruhi. You're not going to take part in this are you? FOR DECENCY'S SAKE, TELL ME YOU WON'T!" Tamaki cried.

"Calm down, Senpai." Haruhi replied.

"Yeah, it's just a bit of harmless fun. It's a good way to spend Halloween." (___) followed.

"Harmless. He thinks it's—HARMLESS?" Tamaki bellowed. 

Tamaki stomped his foot and threw a small fit before latching his hands on both Haruhi's and (___)'s shoulders.

"You won't go! You can't! Daddy doesn't like it!" Tamaki bawled, staring at the two.

This is the magic spell.

We may just be members of a host club.

But the boss calls Haruhi his daughter, (___) his son, and imagines us to be members of his family.

"Okay, time to go now." Hikaru stated as he swatted Tamaki's hands away from (___) and Haruhi.

The two went back to dragging (___) and Haruhi out of the clubroom.

"Boss, adieu!"

"Wait! I could be a valuable asset to the planning committee! Let me come too!" Tamaki shouted after them as they disappeared.

Laughter sounded from behind Tamaki and filled his ears. The noise made Tamaki jump and turn to face where it was coming from. One of the prop coffins opened to reveal Nekozawa.

"N-Nekozawa-senpai, when did you—?" Tamaki stammered.

"Well now, isn't this interesting. What was that? You think it sounds like fun, Belzenef? You may just be on to something there! If it's fear they want, the Black Magic Club will be happy to oblige! After all, what's Halloween without a healthy dose of pure unadulterated terror?" Nekozawa laughed.

The coffin shut slowly on him, leaving Tamaki to shiver and whimper on his own.

———

"So what kind of budget-limit should we put on costumes? Once everyone starts shopping they'll go all out." Kurakano asked the rest of the planning committee.

"Why don't we follow the commoner's rule of keeping it under 300 yen?" Hikaru suggested.

"That should make things interesting." Kaoru offered.

"It would be a good idea to have a doctor handy, just in case anyone faints, or has a heart attack, or jumps out a window." Renge added.

They all seem pretty excited about this. It does sound like fun, but sure enough this isn't how I thought I would be spending Halloween. I would at least be at home doing my own thing, taking advantage of sales of my favorite games online. Oh well, I suppose~.

(___) looked up from where he had been spacing out to see Kazukiyo waving him over. He was standing just on the other side of the classroom door.

"Okay, so under 300 hundred yen, needs a doctor...hey, are we going to have food?" Kaoru repeated out loud.

(___) placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder, just to notify her that he'd be going off somewhere, and got up from where he sat. He walked across the classroom and out the front door of it, finding Kazukiyo crouched down by one of the large windows. He joined him once he noticed where he was and leaned down. The two talked for a little before (___) nodded his head.

"You have Nyctophobia? So you're afraid of the dark?" (___) questioned him.

"Yes, and you can add to that horror-movie-phobia, scary-ghost-story-phobia, being-startled-by-a-loud-noise-in-the-other-room-phobia, and accidentally-seeing-trailers-for-horror-movies-phobia. And what's with those things? Why do they keep showing them without warning us about it first? It just doesn't make sense to me! What ever happened to civil rights for the fraidy-cats out here? Cowards are people too! And what about the other classes with their tea parties? It's just so unfair!" Kazukiyo ranted.

"Rep, calm down." (___) scolded.

Kazukiyo slid back away from (___) and sat flush against the potted plant behind him.

"Oh my, I'm sorry."

"Now hang on, if you were opposed to this idea from the start then why didn't you just bringing it up in the meeting?" (___) asked.

"I tried to! But I don't want to look like I'm throwing my weight around up there. So I was counting on yours and Haruhi's help to save me!"

"Fuck! Calm down!" (___) scolded.

Kazukiyo slinked back to his spot once again and shoved his head into his knees.

"I'm sorry."

"How exactly we're we supposed to save you?"

"I was desperately giving you signs to oppose the motion while it was up for vote, but you just didn't seem interested." Kazukiyo cried. If just one person objects, then it goes up for discussion."

"Oh, well, sorry. I had no idea..."

"Please, (___), you have to let me be on your team! If I'm with you, then maybe your piece of mind will help me. And I can remain more calm!"

"Calm down!"

"And one more thing, you can't tell the Hitachiin brothers!"

"Ehhh? Is someone a fraidy cat~?"

The twins appeared instantaneously at their sides and eyed Kazukiyo. It was silent for some time, Kazukiyo starting to sweat bullets before he jumped up and tried escaping. The door behind them opened and out came Kurakano.

"Oh, there you are! We're about to choose groups!" Kurakano walked up to them. "So, do you have any idea who you'd like to have on your team?"

The twins surged upwards from their crouching and hooked their arms around (___)'s and Kazukiyo's necks.

"Yeah, the four of us will be one!"

"What about Haruhi? Does she already have a group?" (___) pondered aloud.

"I'm sure one group of five won't harm anything!" Kaoru spoke.

"Yeah, let's just have her join up with us. That shouldn't be a bother, right Kurakano?" Hikaru followed.

"Sure! You guys plus Haruhi are Team B, alright?" Kurakano wrote their names down on the pad that she had in hand.

"Sounds like fun, right Class Rep?" The twins giggled wildly.

Kazukiyo jumped and whined at their words, putting his head in his hands. (___) rolled his eyes while the twins kept laughing evilly.

"Guess it's all over now..."

Halloween Day

The halls of Ouran were dark, only the light from tons upon tons of jack-o-lanterns lit the halls. The courtyard could also be seen, lit by dozens of hanging lights with uncarved and carved pumpkins littered about it. The Tournament was currently being held, and it was Team B's turn to attack. Kazukiyo was the least excited to be there. HIs face was gloomy and his eyes wouldn't stop watering and prickling with tears. 

"Hey Kaoru, tell us about the Evil Clock Tower Witch." Hikaru giggled.

"One Halloween, many years ago, a girl dressed in a witch costume, fell to her death from the tower. And now---" Kaoru began.

"Whoever sees her ghost on Halloween Night will be cursed forever!"

"N-NO! Please stop it you guys!" Kazukiyo cried out.

(___) grumbled and leaned back against the wall. Haruhi whipped her head and furrowed her brows.

"Would you knock it off? The point is to scare someone not on your team. Why don't you save that dumb shtick for somebody else?" Haruhi scolded them.

"But no one's come yet. We're tired of waiting around. And (___) can't keep his eyes open for the life of him!"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I'm a lot more tired than I expected myself to be. I could really go for a nap right now." (___) yawned.

Haruhi turned back to face a very frightened Kazukiyo. He held his head with both of his hands and looked to the ground.

"Look Class Rep, cool huh?" Haruhi pulled out the most tattered book that (___) had ever seen. "I borrowed this book from the library. 'Surefire methods for Coping with Anxiety'."

Haruhi sat down next to him and opened the book up.

"Now, let's have a look. 'The three cardinal rules for anxiety are as follows. First: Pretend everything's okay. Second: whistle a cheerful tune. Thirdly, repeat to yourself 'I'm brave'.'"

Kazukiyo freaked out once more. Tears falling down his face once again.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NONE OF THOSE THINGS ACTUALLY WORK! CALL ME CAPTAIN OF ALL COWARDS! YOU CAN SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS, JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He sobbed loudly.

(___) rubbed his temples and pulled Kazukiyo down to the ground and spun him around to face him.

"Okay, you acting like this isn't going to make you feel any better. Close your eyes for me."

"B-BUT—"

"Please, just do it."

Kazukiyo sat himself properly on the ground and closed his eyes for (___).

"Take a few deep breathes before opening your eyes again."

Kazukiyo did as he was told and took several deep breathes. Once done, he opened his eyes once more.

"Now, look around. What can you see?"

"Wh-What? W-Why?"

"Just answer me." (___) told him softly.

Kazukiyo looked around the dim hallway.

"W-Well, there's you, Haruhi, the Hitachiins. There's some pumpkins around. There's the windows..."

"Okay, good. What can you feel?"

"Wh-What?"

"What can you feel?"

Kazukiyo hesitated for a moment.

"T-The floor...and the wall. And if I reach out, I can touch you."

"What can you hear?"

"Uh...I hear you."

"Can you smell anything?"

Kazukiyo stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed.

"Candles burning, inside the pumpkins."

"Take a deep breath again."

Kazukiyo did as he was told. He exhaled slowly, seemingly calmer than before.

"There, now there's no need to be screaming. You just grounded yourself!" (___) pat him on the shoulder. "You should be proud. It takes people some time to do that."

Haruhi slowly clapped in awe at what she saw.

"Wow, who knew you'd be able to do something like that, (___)." Kaoru commented.

"Talk about surprising." Hikaru added.

"Hm, well, before volleyball matches with Dillan, he would usually panic sometimes when he saw how many people had come to watch. I just learned how to do this to help him. Never thought I would use it again though. It sure calmed you down, Kazukiyo-san." (___) answered.

"Y-Yeah, it did. I feel...better then before!"

"That's good!" (___) smiled.

"Well, Kurakano won't certainly think you're a big chicken now!" Kaoru teased.

Haruhi's head moved between Kaoru and Kazukiyo. Kazukiyo had a giddy smile on his face as he wondered about the girl. Unbeknownst to him, his face was slowly becoming pink.

"Woah, hang on a minute. What's going on with you and Kurakano?" Haruhi butt in.

Kazukiyo jumped and waved his hands frantically.

"No! It's not like that! We're just friends! I've known her since we were little! This has nothing to do with it!" He flustered.

"Fine, fine. We understand."

"Funny how you said you didn't want to throw your weight around." Hikaru said.

"When the real reason you agreed to any of this is because you didn't want to look like a fraidy cat." Kaoru followed.

Kazukiyo shook his head.

"That's not it, that's not the reason why I couldn't oppose it. I---It's just---Well, she had her heart set on this tournament. I didn't want to let her down so I couldn't say no." Kazukiyo admitted.

"Y-You mean—?"

"Oh shit! He's totally pure!" Hikaru fell back.

"He's got a heart of gold Hikaru!"

"Our powers are nothing against his wholesomeness!"

"Wait, so does that mean we have to help him now?" Hikaru thought aloud.

Just then, a large shadow came down through the window, catching both (___)'s and Haruhi's eye. They froze. (___) took his glasses off his face and cleaned them before settling them back in place, thinking he was just seeing things.

"Did you see that? That creepy shadow just now, outside the window." Haruhi pointed the large window pane and stared at it, as if the shadow would come back.

Kazukiyo's calmness faded in an instant, becoming filled with fear once again.

"A-Aw come on! Not you too Fujioka! Knock it off would ya!" Kazukiyo whined.

The sound of something clacking against the floor filled all of their ears. They searched for the sound and went just to the side of the staircase. Down came a skull, bumping and falling down the steps until it finally landed on the ground in front of their small group. The five of them screamed as it slid towards them. (___) and Haruhi held onto each other for a few seconds before pulling away. (__) clutched a small part of Haruhi's uniform, staring right at the skull.

"No way! It's a sneak attack from Team A hacks!" Kaoru gulped.

"Hey! It's not your turn guys! Follow the rules!" Hikaru shouted, kicking the skull back up the staircase.

It bounced around and against the railing, disappearing somewhere on the upper floor.

"Yeah, you show 'em!" Kaoru cheered.

"My skull."

A figure stepped out from behind the railing on the upper floor. A pale leg could be seen, then the lower half which was draped in a sheet, followed by the torso, then the head that was covered in long black hair.

"My skull."

The large clock tower sounded in the back round, making Kazukiyo flinch. (___)'s grip on Haruhi's uniform almost tore the fabric.

"Could it be...the Clock Tower Witch?" Kazukiyo whimpered.

The figure stood right at the top of the stairs now, facing them. It's head hung low before slowly looking up at them.

"Why did you kick—MY SKULL??" It screamed at them, obviously angry.

The five of them froze and felt a shiver run up their spines. Screams emitted from each one of them and they tore off in different directions. Kaoru, Haruhi, and Kazukiyo tore off in the direction of the hall that they were sitting in, running for their lives. Hikaru and (___) went off in the opposite direction, running blindly.

As (___) tore off, his foot caught onto a rope along the ground, making him fall forwards and almost hit the ground. A trap sprung, capturing both him and Hikaru in a net. They were suspended a little bit off the ground now, but were stuck inside with no real way to get out. (___)'s glasses had slipped off of his face and fallen just out of the net before he could grab them. He was sort of blind at the moment, everything slightly blurry. Hikaru gasped and leaned farther back into the net. (___) hovered just on top of him, his head nearly against his chest.

With the other three, Kazukiyo broke into one of the now empty classrooms, finding a different figure standing there. It turned slowly, groaning and walking towards him.

"I'm Frankenstein..." It groaned.

Kazukiyo jolted up with a start and ran even farther down the hall. He broke in to another classroom and started inside. Another figure greeted him. This time, it was smaller and had a large pumpkin on it's head. 

"I'M THE WOLFMAN!" It shouted.

Although the person was clearly dressed as the wrong thing, it still spooked Kazukiyo, sending him even farther off down the hall. Haruhi and Kaoru could barely even keep up with him.

"Class Rep!" Haruhi called from behind.

"We can't keep up!" Kaoru yelled.

Suddenly, from above. Haruhi was knocked off into one of the classrooms while Kaoru and Kazukiyo were knocked into a separate one. Tons of sandbags fell from the ceiling and in front of the doors.

Nekozawa laughed evilly to himself, smiling devilishly.

"My fright strategy was perfection itself." He complimented himself. "Hm?? Kyouya, you're not joining in on the fun?"

Said boy was leaning against the wall, reading a book of his with a flashlight.

"I am not."

Kaoru banged on the door as a last ditch effort to get him and Kazukiyo out of the room. To no avail, nothing happened and he sighed. He slid down against the door, falling to the ground.

"Damn it. They've locked us in." He cursed.

———

"Ow...this was supposed to be a to a tournament, not a hunt!" Hikaru grunted.

Instantly, Hikaru started to freak out, flailing around in the net.

"KAORU! Where is he!? I've got to find Kaoru!"

"Hey! Cut that shit out! You're just gonna make this worse!" (___) chided. "Thank god I have my keys with me."

(___) reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He felt around the hoop and tried his best to look for the specific thing he need.

"Stop thrashing, I can get us out of here. I just need to find this small ass pocket knife I got."

He felt it and was able to pick the knife part out without leaving a cut on his finger.

"Wow, does the supermarket give those things out to you commoners too?"

"Tch, shut up! You've got such a smart mouth."

"What do you mean, I've got a smart mouth? Kaoru has one too y'know." Hikaru huffed.

"Yeah well, since I seem to spend more time with you, I can say that yours only gets worse when you're alone."

"Oh yeah?"

(___) rolled his eyes and started to lean upwards.

"I don't understand why you have to fret so much. You at least have me here by your side. I don't think Kaoru is entirely alone either. He should be with Kazukiyo and Haruhi. So, you shouldn't worry much. I'll be sure to get us out. Now hold on a sec."

(___) reached out over Hikaru and started to work with the rope just above his head. His eyes darted all around, landing on (___)'s chest that was right in front of him. He gulped as he felt his cheeks flush.

"W-What are you doing?" Hikaru stuttered.

"I've gotta cut the ropes somehow, Hikaru. I know it's probably awkward for you, but just give me a second."

"No! It's alright...take your time." Hikaru responded quickly, still staring at what was in front of his face.

"I can't allow this...!" Tamaki quietly whined from behind the corner.

"Patience, Tamaki. The payoff is yet to come." Nekozawa held him back from going straight for them. 

He was able to pull Tamaki away from the scene and usher him back down the hall for the next phase of his plan.

(___) kept cutting away at the ropes, breaking through a few. Some time later, he was able to cut a large enough hole for the both of them to climb out of.

"Here, you slide out first Hikaru. It'll be easier for me once you get out."

Hikaru was snapped out of his thoughts and mentally groaned at the view being taken away from him. As (___) leaned away from him now, he was able to crawl out just fine. (___) followed closely behind him, stumbling out of the net. He almost fell straight to the ground but caught himself just in time.

"Ah, my glasses. Where'd they fall too?" He looked around on the ground and saw the familiar frames just underneath the now empty net.

"Oh, here. I got it."

Hikaru leaned down and swiped the glasses out from underneath the net and took them into his hands. He wiped the lens off on the side of his jacket and moved to place them back onto (___)'s face. As he slipped them back onto (___)'s face, the boy sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness. I can finally see you again! You were quite blurry before." (___) commented.

Hikaru's hands remained frozen in place on the sides of the glasses as he stared at (___).

"Hikaru? Is something wrong?" (___) cocked his head to the side.

Just as he was about to move Hikaru's hands away from his glasses, they slid down to his cheeks and cupped them. It was so fast, faster than (___) could have reacted to. Hikaru had just leaned in and down right to his face. The distance was closed. All (___) could see was Hikaru's face, his eyes now closed. Both of their breathing hitched as it happened. (___) was in utter shock, completely solid and unmoving from where he stood.

His...his lips—oh fuck! His lips are on mine! What—WHAT'S GOING ON?!

They stayed like that for some time, Hikaru not even breaking away for air. He just stayed like that, close to (___). His hands didn't move from his face, his lips twisted slightly, but never left. It felt...good. Hikaru's lips felt soft against his own as much as (___) would never admit.

Seconds later, Hikaru finally pulled back, taking in breath after breath. (___) did the same. His eyes found Hikaru's which were half lidded. He seemed drunk off of what he just did. His hands gently caressed his cheeks.

"H-H-H-Hikaru...?" (___) croaked.

The sound of his name on his lips snapped him out of his haze instantly. His face erupted in pure horror at what he just did. He flushed horribly, his cheeks and ears becoming bright red.

"W-Wah—Kaoru! N-Need to fi-find—KAORU!" Hikaru stammered.

He was gone. Hikaru took off running, tearing his hands and eyes from (___)'s face and surging off down the hall, back to where they had come from. (__) touched his lips before his hands went up and pulled and ruffled his own hair. His eyes widened as he realized yet again what had just happened.

Holy...fuck....

————

"It's hopeless, there's no one outside. Looks like the A Team got a little overzealous, huh?" Kaoru sighed.

"Which one are you?" Kazukiyo looked over to the twin he was stuck with.

"I'm Kaoru. Are you scared?"

"Well, not anymore, no. My nerves kind of shut down."

"Man, our plans are completely shot. Such a shame. We even had it all figured out, down to the last detail. We had worked out a plan to frighten Kurakano half to death and then let you come charging to her rescue."

"Wow, you'd do that for me? That's really thoughtful of you. But I don't stand a chance. There's someone else she likes." Kazukiyo exhaled. "While it's true, (___) doesn't seem to feel the same quite yet, I'm positive that it's only a matter of time."

"Y-Yeah, that's not going to happen, I can promise you that."

"Why not?"

"It just...won't."

"Still, this may sound weird but I don't want to risk changing anything right now 'cause things are perfect. Just being on the committee with her is such an honor. If this is as good as it's going to get, I'm still grateful." Kazukiyo said as he twiddled his thumbs.

Kaoru leaned back against the door, putting his hands behind his head.

"...So in other words, you've cast a spell on the carriage. And maybe you're right, Class Rep. Keeping things the way they are wouldn't be so bad. I'm sure that's what the boss had in mind when he put a spell on his own carriage. We're like a family to him. He doesn't want that to change." Kaoru zoned out.

"Huh?" Kazukiyo looked over to Kaoru.

"Back when we were children, neither the boss nor Hikaru and I had many friends to speak of. Now he just wants to enjoy what he has for as long as he can. I can't blame him." Kaoru went on.

"Uh, sorry, but you've lost me."

"But still, one of these days, it'll all turn back into that same ol' grubby pumpkin again." Kaoru concluded.

The sound of a crash against the door brought Kaoru out of his thoughts and made both him and Kazukiyo look to the door.

"Kaoru?! Are you in there?!" Hikaru called from outside.

The doors burst open to reveal his worried brother.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru charged towards him.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru smiled.

The two embraced and sighed in relief at being together once more.

"Uh, so what happened to Fujioka?" Kazukiyo questioned.

Hikaru pointed back at the door.

"I dug her out of the room just next door thinking that Kaoru was inside of it."

"And what of (___)?" Kaoru inquired.

He watched as his brother's face morphed through several different emotions as he pulled away from him. Kaoru noted the slight pink hue on his cheeks and his eyes widened ever so slightly. Haruhi, who was standing just by the door, turned once she heard the sound of footsteps coming their way. The three boys slowly moved to outside the room, watching as (___) just caught up to all of them. He huffed out a few breaths, gasping for some air.

"Fuckin' hell...what's wrong with you? I got us out and you just go....tearing off by yourself?" (___) looked up to Hikaru.

(___) didn't want to mention hat happened, not in front of other people. He was sure that Hikaru was feeling the same way about it, though Hikaru was struggling to keep a blush from covering his face and (___) was trying his best to act and sound normal. Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck and muttered apologies to (___) about leaving him behind.

     The five of them ran off into the meeting area where everyone was already crowded in. Renge turned to them and pointed.

"There they are!" Tears were welled up in her eyes.

"We've been so worried about you!" Kurakano called to them.

As the five approached, they slowed down.

"Why'd you leave your post in the middle of the tournament? We called off the whole thing to go looking for you!" Said one of the class board members.

"Wasn't that you guys trying to scare us?" Kaoru asked him.

"Hah? We didn't do anything."

Screams filled their ears and everyone turned to look at Renge and Kurakano who were become motionless due to fright.

"What is it?" Haruhi asked the two.

"Outside! By the window---" Kurakano stammered.

"There's a dark figure!" Renge shouted.

Everyone else in class 1-A looked up to the window and noticed it too. A large and dark looming shadow cast itself right above them. Everyone shouted and screamed in terror. It got so bad that majority of everyone fell to the ground and fainted.

————

"Welp, they sure got us." Haruhi sighed.

"Nekozawa is such an asshole." Hikaru grit.

"How did we not know it was Belzenef?" Kaoru asked.

"Heat of the moment probably? I'm sure all of us were pretty scared and that was just the final straw." (___) pondered aloud.

The four of them stared at the stapled newspaper on the board and pouted. Their whole class had been deemed the fraidy cats. Nekozawa really did scare them half to death.

"I heard. You're really a fraidy-cat, aren't you Kazukiyo? But you still agreed to the tournament just to be nice?"

"U-Um yeah, sure. That's it." Kazukiyo answered.

"I think that's so unbelievably sweet of you!"

The four turned their attention to Kazukiyo and Kurakano. Kaoru smiled.

"Would you look at that. I guess the spell on the carriage can't last forever after all." Kaoru mumbled to himself.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru looked to his brother, raising a brow.

Kaoru returned his brother's gaze and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, since you ran towards me in that situation, I suppose everything's alright for now." Kaoru thought aloud. "Though I wonder what happened while you were gone..."

"Hmm?" Hikaru cocked his head, clearly confused by what his brother was saying.

Kaoru waved him off though and started to push him and (___) along ahead of him.

"Nothing, nothing. Just my own private joke. Let's get out of here. C'mon, Haruhi." Kaoru ushered them along.

As they took their first few steps away from the bulletin board, Kaoru released his hold on both Hikaru and (___), watching them walk on their own right beside each other. Kaoru and Haruhi stood by each other's sides, just staring at the two in front of them.

"Still. One day Hikaru will realize he wants to take the next step on his own." Kaoru spoke.

"I think...he already has." Haruhi spoke up.

Kaoru jumped at her voice but composed himself.

"I said that out loud, huh?"

"That you did."

"...You think he's already done something, huh?"

"Well, I don't know if you saw it Kaoru, but when I saw him come looking for us, he had the faintest tinge of reddness on his cheeks." Haruhi pointed out.

Kaoru nodded.

"Yeah...he did. Whatever happened, if it did or didn't...I don't know what I'll do..."

Haruhi nodded along with his words as the two watched Hikaru and (___) continue walking.

"I don't know what I'll do either."