Chapter 6
Today for the Host Club it was Circus Day. Hikaru and Kaoru had set up a large red and white striped tent with blue and yellow streamers cascading down the sides. Inside, the classic sofas were abandoned for antique benches. The snacks were also altered to fit the theme. Mori walked around with a popcorn cart, accompanied by Honey, passing out pink cotton candy, every so often trying to sneak a bite. The other hosts ran games. Hikaru and Kaoru ran the pop-the-balloon-with-the-dart game, which many may think that it would be hard to interject taboo romance. You would be wrong. Very, very wrong. Kyoya ran a petting zoo booth that boasted three rabbits, a potbelly pig, and a miniature horse, each with a red ribbon tied around its neck. Tamaki played a mime. He sported a white shirt with black slacks and black suspenders. He took the role seriously. He over exaggerated his actions, using his body to talk. The girls seemed to like this side of Tamaki. He tenderly caressed a girl's cheek. She nearly exploded with joy.
When Haruhi walked in, Hikaru and Kaoru bolted towards her. They grabbed her arms, backing her out of the tent. "Come with us." The twins said in unison. Haruhi stopped fighting it; she knew where this was going. They set her down in the coat closet at the back of the music room. "Put this on. " They handed her a red sequined suit jacket and slacks. Haruhi looked confused. Hikaru closed the door with one last remark: "You'll figure it out soon."
When she returned to the tent, all of the girls were seated in one half of the circle. A spotlight shone on Kyoya. "Ladies of Ouran Academy, the Host Club is pleased to announce, the Ouran Boys' Variety Show!" A smattering of applause filled the room. Kyoya exited stage left. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai quickly replaced him. They had shed their vendor uniforms for deep purple robes, Honey's with an Bun Bun emblem on his left breast. "Ladies and Girls, Takashi and I are going to demonstrate our special magic powers!" There was an audible "Awww." Honey jumped on top of a just-placed table covered in a black velvet cloth. He gracefully sat cross legged. Mori-senpai said the magic words. "Abra cadabra." It was a rare occurrence that he spoke, so when he uttered the words, the audience was entranced. Honey strained, stretching his torso, trying to levitate. His face started to turn red. Mori touched his shoulder. "I think you've done enough." Pouting a little, he walked off of the stage platform.
Kyoya returned to the stage. "For our next act, Hikaru and Kaoru." The twins walked on to the stage. Both dressed in glittery green tuxedos. Haruhi was beginning to see a theme. Kaoru stepped forward. "For our act, we need a volunteer." With those words, every hand in the audience shot up like a rocket. "You, you there with the butterfly clip in your hair. Will you come up?" Her face lit up with an ear to ear smile. She took Kaoru's hand. "What is your name, young maiden?" He swung her up onto the stage, dipping her before setting her down. "Hanako. Hanako Animake." She said in a tizzy. "What a beautiful name." "Thank you." "No problem." He purred into her ear. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." A warm sigh washed over the tent. Hikaru cleared his throat, slightly annoyed with Kaoru for not sticking to the script and trying to make people favor him. "Okay Kaoru. It is time for our act. Today we will be hypnotizing our beautiful Hanako." The noirette shook with anticipation. Suddenly, all of the lights turned off, and for some reason, that really freaked Haruhi out. A spotlight-which was nowhere to be found- shone on Hanako and the twins. Hikaru was holding a pocket watch about three inches from her face while Kaoru whispered in her ear. "Hanako, dear. Just look at my beautiful Hikaru while I say the magic words." The girl's face was stuck in a permanent awe-stricken look. The whole act was long and anticlimactic, ending in a slightly dazed girl clad in yellow and pink heading back to the audience blushing.
When free period was over, the Host Club started to clean up. Actually clean up. Maybe Haruhi got those rich brats. While getting her club members some instant coffee, she caught a glance of Tamaki in the corner of her eye. He was walking towards her. The tray was getting heavy, so she placed it onto a table still covered in popcorn. When she looked up the blonde was about five feet away from her. Haruhi's face lit up. "Hey Tamaki-senp-" She began just before Tamaki took her arm and pulled her out of the club room, closing the doors behind them. Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her mouth to his, tangling his fingers in her neatly cropped hair. Haruhi froze, realising what was happening. She pulled back looking into the boy's eyes. She didn't know how to feel.
Startled.
Dazed.
Confused.
She felt all of those things. Not knowing what to do, she did the first thing that she thought of. Once again, she ran off, trailing down the empty hall. She wasn't going to show for lunch, or for social studies either, or for science. She was going to call her father and tell him to pick her up, saying that she felt sick. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to handle her feelings. She needed to think about what just happened. First though, she needed to study for her mathematics assessment, then for her Greek quiz. After that she needed to do laundry and cook dinner, pack her lunch for tomorrow, and get ready for bed. Haruhi was looking for excuses to not think about what just happened, but no matter what she was doing, her mind always drifted off. She found herself thinking about what would have happened if she had kissed back, if she had let Tamaki kiss her, wrapped in his soft embrace.