Jingle Bells and Mistletoe
Chapter One- Snowball Challenges
It was December 15th, exactly ten days from Christmas and the ending day of exams. Kana Hiromi, a second year at Ouran Academy, and her first-year friend Tsuki Yukiburi, were some of the only girls outside, shaking the cold from their fuzzy boots and pausing in thier games to tighten the scarves around their necks or rebutton their jackets.
"Missed by a mile, Tsuki!" laughed Kana as she sidestepped a snowball thrown by the other girl.
"Did NOT Kana! You just moved!" Tsuki argued, rolling emerald eyes and tucking messy brown hair in her white-and-blue striped hat. The latter speaker ran forward in an attempt to tackle her friend into the drift, but on her third step she tripped and faceplanted. Kana saw the trouble seconds before the voice came.
"My my, are you alright, milady? There's no need for a princess to throw herself at our feet like that." the voice was instantly recognizable, so Kana wasn't surprised when she walked up to find the blonde-haired second year pulling an embarresed and confused Tsuki to her feet.
"W...What? No... I just tripped..."
"Hey, wait Boss." One of the Hitachiin twins poked his head over Tamaki's shoulder. The other mirrored him on the other shoulder.
"Why are a couple of girls-" Hikaru continued, letting Kaoru finish with:
"Hanging outside in the snow?"
"We were having a snowball fight." Kana said pointedly as Tsuki went silent, blushing as the twins crept around Tamaki like a pair of cats.
"That's not very lady-like, now is it, Hiromi?" the voice made Kana roll her eyes skywards, though she had known the black-haired second year would be with the other pretty boys. Kyouya Ootori pushed up his glasses smoothly and stepped forward, so he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the President of his club. Light danced across the lenses, blocking his dark eyes from view.
Kana felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she glared at him anyway. She'd known the vice-president of the Host Club since they were in preschool; her family, the Hiromi's, and the Ootori were close partners in their buisnesses. She knew him. Or at least, she thought she did. "I think you guys are jealous. You know you'd lose if you joined our snowball fight." she declared, keeping her eyes locked on his shining glasses.
"Is that so? Sweet Princess, the Host Club doesn't ever lose." Tamaki Suoh smiled, but there was a light glittering in his eye. He saw the underlying challenge, then.
"Well you would playing us. You're all a bunch of pretty boys." Tsuki grinned slyly, joining her best friend's side.
Kyouya sighed. "Tamaki. We'll have to play now, they're insulting the Host Club." he said, sounding extremly bored. The twins, once more behind the two older boys, looked like they were plotting to kill someone, grinning Cheshire Cat smiles and sharing dangerous glances.
"Well, if the snow princesses insist, what are the rules and the stakes?" Tamaki asked.
"Um..." Kana stalled, thinking. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise. About three feet to the students' left, a giant hole opened and out came a pillar, atop which stood a girl wearing a furry brown dress, tall black boots, and a red ball on her nose. She had a headband with antlers, and as the pillar rose to its full hieght and stopped, she twirled and smiled and laughed.
"Looks to meeeeeeeeeeee like you all need a judge!" The girl sang, spinning again.
"Renge." Everyone acknoledged, nodding in greeting. Renge laughed.
"So, to make this interesting, what if whichever team loses become the other team's servants allllllllll the way till Christmas!" Renge suggested enthusiastically. "Now... rules... OKEY-DOKEY! If you get hit with a snowball, you're out and have to go inside. Simple and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasy! Ready, on my whistle, GO!"
She pulled a whistle from a hidden pocket and blew, laughing like a maniac. Kana barely had time to hit the ground before a snowball soared past her ear. She sprinted off, ducking behind the frosted statue and scooping snow to make missles. She saw Tsuki sliding on the ice of the pond and ducking behind the fountain. The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, stood back to back, Kaoru making and passing his twin snowballs and Hikaru shooting them off towards the fountain. Tamaki was distracted, chasing Haruhi when the latter said she was going inside. Kana got him out with a snowball to his back.
"And it looks like the Host Club's phony leader is out!" Renge yelled.
Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai were leaning on a tree, watching.
Kana scanned the courtyard for the last member of their club, feeling a sense of panic when she didn't catch any sight of the dark hair or shiny glasses. She was about to give up on him and get Mori or Honey or one of the twins out, but then there was a crunch of snow behind her. She spun, the snowball already out of her hand and launching towards its target just as something shattered across her shoulder. The snowball had hit her... but hers had found its mark as well.
"Ooh, and Kyouya and Kana have both gotten out at the same time!" Renge announced. Kana saw Tsuki turn and glance her way in shock, nearly getting hit by one of Hikaru's snowballs in her distraction before she ducked out of sight.
"Don't loose Tsu-chan!" Kana suggested as she followed a calm-faced Kyouya towards the side doors of the Academy.
"She has no chance. The Host Club doesn't lose." Kyouya observed.
"I hate you." Kana decided, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him now. He smirked, sliding his glasses farther up his nose.
"Do you, Hiromi?" he asked smoothly. Kana stopped short, startled at his question. He continued to walk, and opened the door. "Are you going to stand there or come in?"
"S...Sorry." Kana murmured, following him inside.
A/N: ... This is a Christmas story. In... April... yeah... Okay... Got a problem? Haha, sorry guys. It's been rotting away in my little "anime fanfic" folder. Don't like, save to favorites and read in December. (: Reviews are loved.