Hi everyone!
Hope you've all been doing well. Review responses are up first!
Chalice13: Thank you so much! I definitely plan to keep going-especially after seeing readers that apparently enjoy the story so much!
I know this is probably a super busy week for everyone with end of the semester testing and things like that, but if you have a chance, please review! I'm always interested in what my readers have to say-after all, I want to make sure you guys are happy with the direction things are going! And remember, guest/anonymous reviews are available. The host poll is still up-though I have heard some complaints from mobile site users that they can't find it. I checked it myself as well and apparently, the poll can't be accessed through the mobile version of the site. So, if you're on the mobile version and want to vote, send in a review! Even if it's just the name of your two favorite hosts, it's still a vote!
The next post should be Thursday or Friday. Again, I'm still trying to catch up and get ahead of the posting schedule, but that should be easier now that Camp Nano has officially ended.
So, on to the next chapter! In which Haruhi becomes an unwilling volunteer.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ouran High School Host Club series. This is a work of fanfiction and has been written for fun, not monetary gain.
Haruhi adjusted her grip on her blade. She could hardly breathe underneath the weight of the heavy suit of armor. But the banner of Ichio was flapping behind her and she had to protect it.
Her opponent, a faceless black knight, stood poised and waiting for her next attack. She swung her blade about wildly. The knight parried easily. Haruhi felt like the black knight was toying with her. Not truly using its full strength.
So, she charged the knight with a frenzy of frantic attacks. Each one was batted aside. But each time, the return blow grew stronger.
The last parry whipped the sword from her hands. A strike to her helmet sent her stumbling to the ground. The black knight's blade came for her neck.
Haruhi awoke with a start.
As she realized she was in her chambers instead of on the battlefield, she shook her head and took a deep breath. Her hands twisted into her down comforter as she thought of the black knight. The specter had haunted her dreams for weeks. And in each dream, it won the battle.
She slipped out of bed and the remaining wisps of the dream faded away. As she went about her morning routine, which consisted of opening the curtains to let in the sun and pulling her bed straight, she ran through a plan of her day. Mei had scheduled yet another dress fitting that afternoon and there was also the formal afternoon tea that Kirimi had begged for shortly after the fitting. Haruhi didn't understand why the formality was necessary—after all, it would just be for three. But, Mei had argued that it was a necessary part of training for a junior lady-in-waiting. Then, the evening and night would be tied up with another performance from the acting troupe. Haruhi had to admire their tenacity. The troupe had performed a new piece every three days. That kind of creative consistency was a rarity with other performers.
Haruhi paused at her desk. She unlocked one of the drawers and pulled out the wooden cat pendant Nekozawa had given her. The fitting wouldn't be until much later that afternoon. And she hadn't gotten much of a chance to go into the city since the arrival of the troupe. Today would be a perfect day to get out of the castle. She slipped the pendant on and went to change into her "commoner's" clothes.
Yet, as she went to leave her chambers, she nearly tripped on something in front of her door. When she realized what it was, her face brightened. She picked up the small pouch of coins and pocketed it with a smile. As she wasn't supposed to venture outside of the castle walls without a guardian, Haruhi rarely had access to common money. She had once had an allowance as a child, but that had gradually disappeared under Yuko's counsel. The advisor had reasoned that access to money was both unnecessary and "unbecoming" for a princess of a marriageable age.
However, at least one individual in the castle disagreed with Yuko's philosophy. In the last few months, an unknown benefactor had left Haruhi a small sum at her doorstep every couple of weeks. At first, she had assumed that it was Mei's doing. But at the lady-in-waiting's vehement protests, that theory had been dropped. She had also considered that Misuzu, Mei's father, might have been her benefactor. However, it seemed unlikely that the monarch's right hand advisor (much to Yuko's chagrin) and closest friend would risk his position in such a manner. So, Haruhi had concluded that her benefactor would eventually reveal their identity and she didn't need to pry into the matter further.
As usual, she went to her desk, wrote out a quick note of thanks and placed the card behind a statue in the hall as she left. She knew that the note would be gone when she returned that afternoon.
Haruhi crept through the castle and out to the kitchen yard. The exit was still there, just as Nekozawa had promised. Still cautious, she pulled a few crates in front of the hole before she left.
Once she was finally out in the free air of the city, Haruhi breathed a sigh of relief. She happily faded into the background amidst the noise and the scurrying of everyone around her. It felt good to walk about unnoticed—free from the constraints of being Ichio's princess. There was security in her commoner's clothes. There was security in blending in and looking like everyone else. As Princess Haruhi, she stood in a constant spotlight of simultaneous adoration and expectation. But no one would ever pick Haruki Fujimoto from a crowd.
She checked her cap and her pouch of money one last time before heading off to the chaotic market in search of the chestnut merchant.
After a while of meandering around between the lines of booths in the twisted alleys, Haruhi emerged in one of the public squares that were scattered across the city. She turned about, realizing she had obviously taken a wrong turn somewhere. One of these days, she'd get a proper map of the city.
A crowd had gathered across the square. Haruhi tried to see what was going on, but too many bodies blocked her view. She crossed the square and slipped into the crowd, intent to see what had captured so many people's attention.
In the center of the crowd, she craned her neck and stood on her toes. But at best, she only caught a glimpse of a painted sheet of fabric. So she edged forward until she could see.
An intricate backdrop painted to look like a library stood on a short wooden platform in front of the crowd. And on the wooden platform, two individuals stood in costume. Haruhi recognized them as the twins from the acting troupe.
"So that's what it is. They're performing. Is my father's patronage not enough?" she thought. She cast a glance about for a coin collection, but saw none. "They're doing this for free?"
On the stage, the twins were in the midst of another comical lover's fight. They stood poised to hurl books at each other. Suddenly, the actor playing Pedrolino scurried onto the stage. He pleaded with the lovers to cease their argument. He played on their affections for one another, reminding them of sweet-nothings they had exchanged. Gradually, the innamorati softened. The audience exclaimed happily as the couple embraced each other.
Yet the peace didn't last long. Pedrolino chirped that he felt less guilty now that the couple had made up. The twin playing the female innamorata glanced up sharply and asked what Pedrolino meant. Pedrolino guilelessly admitted to being the instigator of the argument. The innamorati looked from one another then to Pedrolino, fury rising as the audience laughed. With simultaneous cries, they went for Pedrolino, who shrieked and scampered off-stage. The audience clapped and cheered as the scene drew to a close.
A moment later, the blonde playing Arlecchino bounced out onto the stage to the cheers of the audience.
"For this next performance, I'm going to need a volunteer!" he called out. Hands shot up around Haruhi as eager children and adventurous adults jumped at the opportunity. Arlecchino surveyed the crowd. His gaze stopped on Haruhi.
"Ah! Sir!" He gestured with an open hand to her. She pointed at herself, eyes wide.
"Yes, you! With the cap! Please step up to the stage!"
Haruhi paled and shook her head vehemently.
But Arlecchino was nonplussed. "Oh my, seems we have a rather shy volunteer. Could we give him some encouragement?"
The audience cheered and clapped. The watchers near Haruhi began herding her towards the stage. Her stomach flopped. So much for not being picked out of a crowd.
Once up on the stage, Haruhi cast an anxious gaze out at the crowd, then at Arlecchino. Her heart pounded in her chest. What if Arlecchino recognized her as the princess? After all, he was the only one who had ever gotten close enough to see her face plainly.
Yet Arlecchino merely smiled at her. "Now, good sir, I'm going to need your cap."
Haruhi grabbed for her cap, feeling the pins keeping her hair in place. "Um, I—I can't give you my cap."
"Why not? It won't be but for a moment," Arlecchino replied.
"I—uh—my mother knitted it for me! She'll be upset if I lose it!"
"Oh, come, come. You'll get it back, I promise." Arlecchino reached for the cap. Haruhi flinched back and tripped.
The resulting back scramble sent her crashing into the backdrop. It ripped with a sickening zip and she plunged from the platform to the gasps of the crowd.
She landed with a whump on a layer of flat sandbags behind the platform. For a moment, she lay there, trying to catch her breath. A few faces soon floated over her.
"Oh no—we worked on that backdrop for three days," one of the twins said.
"But it's a good thing we put the sandbags behind the platform. That could have been a mess," the other twin said.
"Are you okay?" the actor playing Pedrolino asked.
Haruhi caught her breath and sat up. She reached for her cap and found it in place. "Ye…yeah. I think so." She looked about. Five of the troupe members, including the illusionist and the actor who played Il Capitano, were staring at her. A few second later, Arlecchino joined them.
"Well, I suppose that's handled. I told the crowd we would perform in a few hours after dealing with things." He looked to Haruhi. "I'm glad to see you're all right. But that was quite a spectacle you caused."
"Milord, he totally destroyed our backdrop! All of that work!" the first twin complained.
Arlecchino cast a glance at the ruined backdrop. "Oh no…I suppose it couldn't be patched."
"I doubt that seriously, Tamaki," the illusionist said. "And that canvas was quite an expense. Not to mention the work that went into it."
Arlecchino, whose real name was apparently Tamaki, folded his arms and studied Haruhi. "Well, what do we do then?"
"He doesn't look like he has any money," Pedrolino said.
"We could make him work for the troupe," the second twin suggested.
Haruhi blanched. "Whoa, whoa—wait! I have money!"
"Well, Kyoya, how much damage do you think was done?" Tamaki asked.
The illusionist pushed his glasses up with one finger. "By my estimates, about twenty ziens worth of damage."
Haruhi winced. She only had four silver ziens and a few lesser coins with her. "I…I don't have that much. I only have four ziens." At the disapproving looks, she added: "but I could get the rest to you! I would just need some time."
"Yeah, but how do we know you'll bring it to us?" one of the twins challenged.
"I…I could leave something with you," Haruhi suggested.
"Like what? That necklace you're wearing?" the other twin asked.
"No! Not that." Haruhi instinctively gripped the wooden cat pendant. She immediately began feeling around in her pockets. Her fingers brushed against something metal. She pulled the key to her desk out. "I could leave this."
"What is it?" Pedrolino asked.
"It's a desk key," Tamaki stated as he took the key from her. "Acceptable collateral I think."
"Now, when do you plan to pay back the rest?" Kyoya asked.
"I could get another four ziens to you in two weeks," Haruhi said.
"Meaning your debt would be paid off in about two months…I suppose we'll still be here by then," Kyoya said. He glanced at Tamaki, who nodded.
The troupe leader turned a gleaming smile on Haruhi. "I don't believe I ever caught your name," he said.
"Um, Haruki. Haruki Fujimoto," Haruhi offered.
"Well then, Haruki, I think it's a deal," Tamaki said, extending a hand towards her. Haruhi shook his hand, but couldn't shake off the feeling she had just gotten herself into a much bigger mess than she knew.
And the excerpt from the next chapter is...
"How do you do that?" Mei asked.
"Well my lady, it would spoil the fun if I told you how," Tamaki said. He offered a brilliant smile. "Walk with me?"
What is Tamaki up to? And what is Lady Mei's role in it? Check back Thursday or Friday and find out!