I sighed as audibly as I thought I could get away with and pushed up my glasses. She hadn't even thought about her preference for her costume. Of course not, because she most likely had no preference. Whatever pleased everyone else. "Well," I started, "Would you like to be male or female that night?"

Silence. "You mean I have a choice?"

"Of course. It's a masquerade." I shrug and cross my leg over the other. "So no one will know who's who."

"But then why do I even have to go? If it doesn't matter if I act the part of a host, then there's no reason-"

"It's required you join unless your parent writes you out, which I rather doubt he would. Not only that, but the Host Club benefits from this kind of thing, girls trying to guess who is who. Of course, some people will be obvious, but that doesn't mean you have to be." I write a note in my black book to put someone who won't say if Haruhi signs in as a boy or a girl at the check in station. "I rather doubt people will guess who you are, so it holds no real risk to me if you choose one or the other."

"No risk, huh..." She said, looking out the window. "Well, what do you think? Do you have an opinion on which sex I should go as?"

I should be flattered, considering my recent emotions concerning her, but I'm more annoyed than anything. Why is she asking me? "Both have their advantages." I refuse to say more, including why. On one hand, seeing her as a girl could be a treat. But I get that now. I look her over, she's in a dress and leggings and she has earrings on. Simple, cute, hardly richly but what else would I have expected? But, then again, seeing her look both rich and feminine... Hmm, that would be intriguing.

However.

The Hitachiin brothers and Tamaki would be absolutely annoying and probably drooling on her if she dressed as a girl. That would serve to be obnoxious indeed.

She laughed to herself, breaking me out of my thoughts, I look to her with a curious expression. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking, that most girls will probably know whos who because they take advice from each other and went shopping together. And you'll be the only one to know me off sight alone."

I feel as if I was suddenly thrown into a slot I didn't want to be in. That placement, of course, is the gay best friend. I scoff and look away discreetly, as not to show that it bothered me. But she figured it out anyways.

"No, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to you and it's not like either of us are doing it for the same reasons they would. We're talking about not allowing me to embarass myself, not how to look the best at the ball. I trust you'll make me suitable, nothing more or less."

Somewhere in my head I hear a compliment about how she won't be able to help looking the best but I bat it away with some healthy rational thinking.

We arrive and the driver drops us off and Haruhi thanks him modestly. It's refreshing, the little things she does. Her balance between rational thinking and kind heartedness, which is something both me and Tamaki never will achieve.

So neither of us deserve her.

That thought sickens me as I lead her levelheadedly into the store. Funny how a commoner probably deserves better than what either rich, intelligent, and handsome young men can give her.

A girl comes to me and I indicate Haruhi with one hand, who looks a bit unsure of herself. "This girl needs a costume suited for a masquerade." I say strictly and follow as the girl tells Haruhi how beautiful skin she has, but that she'll need a wig, and oh this and yes that.

She sits us both down at a desk and sits across from us. "Any ideas as to what?"

"No idea." Something seems to be left unsaid, and I can bet I know what. She wants to say she will be dressing male, but she can't bring herself to say it to this stranger. And for some reason, I roll with what's unsaid and leave it that way. I guess I want to see her in a dress after all.

"No princesses, witches, fairies, so on and so forth. On the other hand, nothing weird." I say with a straight face and explain to Haruhi. "You might not want to stand out, but I'm not going to pay for a cliche." She only nods and takes Haruhi to the back room. I check my schedule, which I intentionally kept closed for today, but I check tomorrows. I then pull out my laptop from my bag and check my stocks, write an essay, and

About forty minutes later, the saleswoman, Janice I believe her name was, comes out and looks excited, and was that, mischievous?

"Sorry to keep you so long, I took apart a couple premades to form the perfect one for her body." Haruhi came out behind here.

Other than that unsure look on her face, she was beautiful. She held her mask in her hand, a gold and feathery creation. Off the shoulder short ruffled sleeves, a corset top that didn't deform her but merely clinged to her. A flowy skirt but not like the skirts most girls would be wearing, that would make them look like a puffball. Light, feathery wings didn't come from her shoulder-blades but from her mid-back. Everything was white, light teal, and gold. Her hair had been extended with slight curls.

I caught my breath forcefully and looked at her as softly as I could muster without looking sappy, and said plainly. "I think it suits you?"

She looked better immediately, smiling. "I guess it's not bad. At least it's not really frilly and it doesn't seem to be hard to put on or move in."

My eyes wandered to the saleslady as Haruhi let herself back into the dressing room, muttering something about learning to take it off herself. "You're funny." I say in a tone that speaks of just how unamused I am.

"I thought it would make things interesting." She replies, snarky bitch. "That will be four hundred fifty thousand yen, please."

"A red with soft blond highlights wig." I say. I look over to her. "It's essential that she be unrecognizable amongst our peers, that's what a masquerade is about."

She smiles and nods. "Make that five thousand." And shuffles to the back room.

I only chose red and blonde because it would compliment the dress. I rather like her brown hair, but I rather the Host Club not find out who she is. Now, for the next part. I pay the lady and turn to Haruhi with my arms out. She looks at me quizzically.

"I'll take the stuff." I rethink that as she hesitantly hands me the stuff. I decide against saying anything about her height making the dress bag drag against the floor. Especially since she didn't put up a fight.

I notice something in the instant she excuses herself from the attendant and I follow her to the door. When has she ever been angry at me? Exasperated? It can't be that I don't get under her skin, I'm the least compassionate, the least friendly, and the most blunt. The closest she's ever gotten to be angry at me is when she finds out how I am profit from her, and even that's merely more of an "oh, you ass" kind of vibe, or my side of her upset feelings are shared with the entire group.

Interesting.

We load into the car after the driver takes the clothes and puts them in the back. "Haruhi, how about some lunch?" She looks at me as if to say she doesn't want to owe me any more. "It's on me." She looks at me suspiciously, what does she want from me? "Sushi, perhaps? Driver, could you take us to Mojiji's?"

She mutters a reluctant thank you and I smile slightly out the window. Ootoro with Ootori, such a silly idea.

Next thing I know, we're seated.

"So, what's the real reason you want to buy me lunch, sempai?"

Never misses a beat, does she? "Haruhi, I think messing with Tamaki would be benefit me." I explain vaguely.

She looks at me questioningly, "What do you mean, Kyoya-sempai? Did he do something obnoxious again?"

I shrug as if to say, it's just the way things are. "It is all free, the costume that is, if you can keep your identity from everyone, including the Host Club, for the whole night. Excluding me, obviously."

"Why?"

"You don't think it would drive Souh nuts?"

"It would." She mused. "But I want to know what he did."

I think it over quickly, practically calculating her response to a number of different choices. "It's my belief he's called me 'Mama' far too many times. So I think it would be fun to take his daughter away from him."

Huh. Seems that, now that I think about it, that might have more than one meaning. She doesn't catch on, of course, she never does with that sort of thing. She just laughs slightly, I wonder if she's agreeing with me or making fun of me. Is it mine or Tamaki's antics that make her smile?

"And lunch is free too?"

"Lunch as well."

She reaches her hand over the table and I cock a thin eyebrow. Who gives a sitting down handshake? I take it anyways.

"We have a deal, Kyoya."

Sempai?