Once Upon a Cursed Night
Chapter One
Premonitions
How Kyoya managed to throw together such extravagant parties seemingly at the last moment was beyond anyone's comprehension. When the Hitachiin brothers, clad in their matching costumes, entered Music Room #3, they were blown away by the transformation. The expansive room was now an indoor big top, complete with a large stage for dancing located in the center and concrete risers bearing several food tables. It was all perfect, down to the last detail: acrobatic ropes hanging from the support beams above, a bright spotlight aimed toward the stage, a circus theme playing in the background, and the signature red and white stripes adorning the walls. Of course, all of this was forgotten when the troublemaking twins spotted the lion's cage.
Exchanging identical looks of mischief, they crept through the empty room in pursuit of their target. Normal pranks were fun, but pranks involving a ferocious feline were priceless. Like always, the boys had the same plot in mind. The lion would be released, immediately chasing after Tamaki due to the meat scented cologne they would insist he wore. With the King looking like a fool, Hikaru and Kaoru would come to Haruhi's rescue. Surely she was afraid of lions.
Pausing in front of the lion's cage, the Hitachiins searched for the lock. If they could pick it now, it'd be easy to open the cage undetected during the party. A snicker came from Kaoru as he thought about how unheroic their king would look running and blubbering like a baby. Hikaru smirked, imaging Haruhi trembling in his arms as he reached for the large padlock. A gleam shone in Hikaru's peripheral vision before a strong hand grasped his wrist and pulled his hand away from the lock.
"Just what do you two think you're doing?" Kyoya's cold voice cut through the soft circus music. The twins looked up with wide eyes; the figure they saw appearing scarier than the beast in the cage next to them. The Host Club's vice-president was dressed in the outfit of a lion tamer, complete with a whip. His dark eyes weren't visible through the glare the of spotlight reflected off his glasses, giving him a look of pure malice.
Hikaru shook off the sudden rush of fear easily. "What do you mean, oh great Shadow King?" he asked teasingly, yanking his wrist free of the elder's grasp.
"We were just admiring your pet here," Kaoru followed, gesturing to the cage at the same time as his brother.
Kyoya glared in response to their mocking Cheshire smiles and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Try not to cause too much havoc tonight. Last Halloween was a disaster."
The twins each gave a sarcastic salute and "Yes, sir!" before walking off to inspect the rest of the room. Another year had gone by, and yet nothing had changed. Besides Tamaki and Haruhi becoming an official couple, but they still acted the same in the Music Room, as not to alarm the guests. The pumpkin had managed to remain a beautiful carriage, but Kyoya couldn't shake the feeling that had latched onto him the second he entered the newly transformed Host Club. There was a tension hanging in the air, something brooding and dark, but as the rest of the hosts emerged from the changing rooms and the guests started arriving, all premonitions were pushed aside.
Move along, Kyoya reminded himself, a smile forming on his lips. The show must go on.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The tinkling laugh of one of Honey's regulars joined the rest of the noise under the big top. Like most of the girls in attendance, she was cosplaying. It was a Halloween costume party, after all. Honey wasn't quite sure who it was the beautiful girl was cosplaying, but just one mention of how flattering the dress looked on her was enough to have her blushing.
"That clown costume just looks too cute on you!" the guest complimented Honey in return, causing the small boy to giggle.
"You think so?" he asked, smiling down at his rainbow polka-dotted outfit, then pinching Mori's red clown nose from where he was perched on his shoulders. The short honk caused the girls surrounding the cousins to squeal in delight.
Without warning, the ground began to shake with the force of a powerful motor as a platform rose from the center of the stage. Perched on the pedestal was none other than Renge, wearing a lacy pink Lolita style dress. Her hair was in large ringlets, tied off into pigtails by baby blue bows that matched the ones adorning her dress. She held her microphone to her lips and cleared her throat, as if all eyes weren't already on her.
"I think we can all see I'm the winner of the 'Cutest Costume', so the rest of you can just kiss that trophy goodbye!" Renge announced in her fast-paced voice, striking poses and blowing kisses to the audience.
A group of admirers surrounded the platform as Haruhi approached Honey and Mori. "I still don't understand how she does that," she admitted in frustration.
Honey nodded, then his eyes widened as he took in Haruhi's attire. "You look great, Haru-chan!"
"Yeah," Mori agreed.
Haruhi blushed, thanking the boys. Her costume wasn't as nice as the others'. She wore fitted black pants and a simple red tank top, her curvless body not giving away her true gender. The clothes did compliment her well though, and they would provide great mobility for the acrobatic performance she was to do later. She felt a pang of anxiety thinking about it. When she was younger, Haruhi had been great at gymnastics, but acrobatics was quite a leap from that. She sighed, hoping the breif practice she was able to get earlier would be enough.
A sudden gentle burst of air on the back of her neck nearly gave Haruhi a heart attack. She yelped, turning around to find Tamaki standing behind her with an alluring grin on his face. He tilted his top hat and bowed at the waist. The ringleader outfit suitted him alright.
"How are you, my dear?" he asked flirtatiously, receiving nothing but a hard look from his girlfriend.
"Don't you have guests you should be attending to?" Haruhi deadpanned, glancing around to make sure none of the others noticed their interactions.
Tamaki's adoring gaze didn't falter, despite the crude remark. "None of them are as lovely as you," he purred, leaning in closer.
"Senpai," Haruhi whined, turning her head.
Tamaki's eyes lit up as he grasped Haruhi's hands in his dramatically. "Oh, please call me Daddy!"
"Senpai," Haruhi complained with more force, noticing the guests eyeing them.
Completely oblivious to the attention they were drawing, Tamaki leaned even closer to Haruhi, repeating his last request over and over again. Unfortunately, the twins had noticed the scene Tamaki was creating as well. Their eyes gleamed, made all the more intimidating by the dark makeup lining them. Their magician costumes matched perfectly, albeit the difference in the accenting colors: blue for Hikaru and orange for Kaoru. The overall effect of their outfits was quite creepy.
"Tono's a pervert!" they accused in unison, laughing maniacally as Tamaki chased after them furiously, calling them shady.
Haruhi relaxed as the guests retuned to their previous activities. "Nothing's really changed, has it?" a voice called from behind her.
Upon turning around, Haruhi found Kyoya leaning against a striped wall, the ever-present mysterious black notebook clutched in his hands. She shook her head, returning her gaze to Renge, Honey and Mori, and the twins and Tamaki in turn. "I like it this way though," she said, smiling faintly.
Kyoya nodded, but the air around him still seemed tense. Maybe he was just being pessimistic, but he had a strong, unexplainable feeling the end was coming that night.