Is anyone else watching the Ouran live action drama? Nekozawa is in every episode and he's adorably fail-tastic. He's like an awesome Black Magic Team Rocket. I'm so happy. Have a stupid-long chapter, and love again to Leafygirl for her beta badassitude.
The emergency meeting of the Black Magic Club was held to order in the home of Reiko Kanazuki. This was not generally the first choice of locations for meetings, as Reiko did not have the luxury of the understanding or accepting parents that Nekozawa did. There was no "family curse" in her lineage to explain away her odd behavior, antisocial tendencies, and bizarre fascination with black magic. But what she did frequently have was an empty house, as her family's wealth came from her parents' many hours of working. With no siblings and infrequent appearances by her family, Reiko became quiet and withdrawn. Her parents did not seem to understand how her odd behaviors had happened, and blamed her acquaintances, not realizing she had become friends with them because she was already dark, and they had nothing to do with her downward spiral into ennui. In fact, her friends were probably the only thing that kept her from locking herself in her room some days. As it was, her parents may not have liked her friends on the rare occasions that they got to meet them, but they were at least grateful their daughter had any at all, and hoped this "occult" thing was a phase that passed with high school.
In a rare display, Reiko was in fact not alone when Nekozawa called. Her parents were out, but she had a guest in the form of Shinobu Kokoro, with whom she had been spell casting. Sometimes, the girls liked to get together outside of club and, even though their president strictly forbade it, they would practice a little love magic. Nekozawa didn't like that particular brand of magic because he said it was corrupting a pure force, but weren't they a black magic club? Didn't they specialize in evil spells? What could be more evil than taking such a beautiful emotion and turning into a tool for control? Really, Reiko decided, when she took over this club- and she would, next year when Nekozawa graduated- love magic was going to be right back on the table. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him.
This evening, however, love magic was not what brought her club mates to her parlor in such haste. They had come for curses.
" O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!" Taro quoted with a mischievous smile, looking equal parts delighted and quite dapper in his evening coat, after having been summoned to the meeting only moments after leaving his father's concerto. "I am pleased beyond words, Umehito, that you are finally taking some proactive steps towards your goals! And perhaps this makes me a little wicked, but I am equally ecstatic that, in a most dramatic turn of events, your first course of action is to take out the competition!
"Well," Tokumi agreed with a small, reserved grin, "I can't say the Hitachiin brothers have ever done me any wrong, but I am sick to death of hearing about them. I would gladly curse them from here until next Saturday. In fact, I think we should do the whole Host Club."
"No!" Reiko's eyes flashed momentarily with a cold fire before returning to their usually passive, doll-like state. "Not the whole club."
Nekozawa concurred. "Haniozuka is in no way offensive, and Morinozuka has done more good than harm." His club mates were forced to agree, remembering not so long ago when Mori had brought him back to their club room after passing out in the hallway- not to mention the curses they themselves would probably be subjected to by Reiko if they dared harm Hunny. "And Ohtori- well, I believe we have something of a truce. But the Hitachiin brothers will be targeting me soon. I know this is no business of yours, but I would appreciate the help in preparation."
"Ah, you knew we weren't gonna say 'no' or anything," Jun replied dismissively, wiping Cheeto dust on to the front of his black heavy metal band shirt. "Thats why you called. 'Sides, any excuse to do some cursing is a good enough excuse for us, even if it's for your boyfriend's honor or whatever."
Shinobu, the only one wearing pastels in an otherwise sea of black clothing, shifted uncomfortably, while looking increasingly nervous. "Um... Senpai... are we... are we gonna curse... um... Tamaki?" She squeaked. Nekozawa tapped his chin in thought on the subject. Tamaki had been bothersome at the party, but he hadn't been threatening. Maybe a little curse, just to scare him?
"I don't believe that will be necessary," he finally said, to Shinobu's relief. "At least, not the first move. I believe when he sees our war against the Hitachiins, he will back off. But let's keep an eye on him. Haruhi has a strange affect on him, and I don't know what he is willing or capable to do for her- ...uhi, for Haruhi." He bit his lip, hoping no one caught his mistake. Luckily it seemed to go unnoticed.
I really wish I could share this secret, he thought to himself. It would be nice not to trip over my language, and to clear up the obvious confusion they have about me.
"So what should we do first, Umehito?" Tokumi grinned. "Whats a good curse to start off a war?"
Nekozawa hummed in devilish glee, while Bereznoff rubbed his little cloth hands together in anticipation. Finally, unable to choose between several curses he had always wanted to try, he flipped randomly through the pages of his book, closed his eyes, and pointed.
"We shall let the forces of evil decide for us."
The atmosphere in the Hitachiins' car was chilly at best. Tamaki and Haruhi, whose vehicle had been dismissed hours ago, were riding back with the twins, who were in a decidedly foul mood after the situation at the party.
An uncharacteristically profound and stormy silence had overcome the group, even though they all wanted to talk. But anything said would result in an argument, and nobody wanted to argue, so they said nothing. Several times, Hikaru looked like he was about to speak, but a threatening "keep your fool mouth shut" look from his brother kept him in check.
Nobody said it, but one person kept coming up in the back of everyone's memories, and it wasn't Nekozawa. It was Arai.
Back in Karuizawa, when Haruhi had run across her old friend- and not just that, but an old friend who used to have a crush on her- the situation had exploded. Kaoru and especially Hikaru had proved they were entirely against Haruhi being friends with anyone they weren't friends with, and Haruhi had proved with a rather resounding slap that they had no say in who she spent her time with. The event had culminated in a very nasty argument, and even when it was resolved, Hikaru had still never apologized to Arai for his rudeness. Nobody wanted a repeat of this awful business- Hikaru's cheek stung just with the memory, as it had been pretty much the only time anyone had ever hit him. So nobody said anything, even though they were all clearly burning with unspoken opinions. Hikaru forced his eyes to the window, pointedly ignoring everyone in the car. Kaoru switched between concerned looks for his brother and for Haruhi. Tamaki kept gazing at Haruhi expectantly with his sad puppy eyes, like he was waiting for her to say something first so he could reply. And Haruhi just looked exhausted, glancing around between them or concentrating intently on her lap.
Finally, after what felt like the longest car ride in the history of ever, the driver pulled up outside of Haruhi's place. There was a slight shift in the mood, like everyone was trying to decide if, now that it was too late, they should have said something after all. Haruhi sighed.
"Do you want the dress back?" she asked, shattering their record-breaking length of silence.
"We don't want it back," Hikaru snapped, still not looking at her. "We made it for you. We made it for you. So just keep it."
Haruhi didn't miss the emphasis he'd added, noting with some scorn that he was apparently trying to make her feel guilty for not being as good of a friend as them. She wasn't in the mood for that game.
"Thank you. I will," she replied, and opened the door, easing out of the car as carefully as she could in the long dress.
"-Haruhi, wait!" Kaoru called before she slammed the door, having decided at the last possible minute that they couldn't leave things like this. Haruhi turned and peered in, and he tried his best to smile.
"...You look really pretty today!"
Haruhi blinked at him, trying to figure out if this was more emotional blackmail. But finally deciding that it was not, and correctly interpreting Kaoru's compliment as a sign of friendship, she gave him a small smile, and decided to return the gesture.
"Thank you. I feel pretty."
These words had never before been uttered by Haruhi, and would probably never be said again, but she wanted to at least try to meet them halfway. Even if she never asked for it, they did go to the trouble of making her the dress, and she should show some gratitude.
Hikaru turned just in time to watch her close the door and head up to her apartment. Once there, Ranka opened the door for her, squealing enthusiastically and demanding all the details as she ushered Haruhi inside.
Tamaki pouted. "I should have told Haruhi she looked pretty."
"You had all night to do that." Kaoru rolled his eyes at his senior. Tamaki just sank into his seat, depressed, as the car drove off.
"This sucks!" Hikaru cursed, speaking for the first time since they left the party. "What are we gonna do about this? That guy is such a weirdo, I don't want him hanging around her all the time!"
Though he didn't use his name, everyone knew he was referring to Nekozawa.
"Well, what can we do?" Tamaki replied with desperation. "The only plan we've got is Kyouya's. That will work for a while, but it's not gonna stop him from liking her! He's gonna corrupt her with his voodoo and witchcraft! What if he's casting spells on her? This is terrible!"
Hikaru disagreed that Nekozawa had any ability to cast spells, but was all for his president's emphatic agreement. "Exactly! He's gonna try to take her from us! We can't let it get to the 'Haruhi rejects his confession' stage. He can't confess at all!"
Just then, listening to Hikaru and Tamaki, a light bulb went on in Kaoru's head. He grinned. "You know what?" he began slowly, narrowing his eyes in thought. "We can't do anything. Kyouya is right about that. But that doesn't mean no one else can."
Hikaru could tell when his twin was plotting, and liked that he had a plan, but was impatient to see where it was going. "Who did you have in mind?"
"Somebody we trust. Somebody who likes Haruhi, but isn't a threat to our club. Somebody just as terrifying to the student body as Nekozawa."
Hikaru's eyes went alight with understanding. Tamaki looked back and forth between the two, not quite caught up and waiting for one of them to say the rest of the plan out loud.
"You're right," Hikaru grinned. "Bossanova would hate this."
Ritsu Kasanoda could not have anticipated the day he was about to have. Tamaki and the twins may have decided that the yakuza heir was the perfect pawn in this chess game they were playing against Nekozawa, but similarly, their rivals were looking to take out anything that could be used as a weapon against them. And while the Host Club had Haruhi on their side, they did manage to entirely forget that Kasanoda was in class 1-D... the same class as the vice president of the Black Magic Club.
Kasanoda's relationship with Haruhi, though no secret, was something Nekozawa's club hadn't even thought could be used against them until almost the last minute. But as classes began again after the Black Magic Club's brainstorm of taking action against the Host Club, Reiko idly half-listened to her teacher, thinking about curses and absently watching her classmate's distractingly red hair when an idea dawned. She of course could not have guessed that the Host Club had thought of the same thing just the night prior, in fact she thought herself quite clever for realizing the potential of outsourcing. Nonetheless, as Kasanoda's classmate, Reiko had the opportunity to be the first one to proposition her fellow frightening freshman, thereby giving her club the advantage.
The wide berth Kasanoda was routinely given every day became notably wider on a break between classes as everyone instinctively shuffled farther still when Reiko and Kasanoda were sharing the same space. Kasanoda was mildly surprised when she approached, but not as terribly dismayed as his classmates were. He didn't especially dislike the girl- in fact, he often felt she was the only one he could particularly relate too, being similarly ostracized- but he still couldn't help the fact that everyone in the Black Magic Club freaked him the hell out. He tried to look nonchalant as he turned to face her, but only managed a terrifying grimace.
"Good afternoon, Kasanoda-San," she greeted, though she didn't sound like she meant it.
"...Kanazuki-San," he huffed gruffly in reply, feeling a little awkward that she was talking to him.
"I just wanted to ensure that you bore me no ill will," she began in her usual bland tone. He raised an eyebrow in reply.
"...N... No..." he mumbled.
She continued, "And none to my club, either?"
The suspicious look that was trying to register on his face was coming out alarmingly aggressive, but it wasn't intentional. "Not really... why...?"
"It has come to my attention that our friends in the Host Club may soon try to turn you on their side against my club president," she finally explained.
"Are you serious?" he shouted, much louder than he meant to. He attempted to dial it back, aware of the looks his classmates were giving them. "I mean... why?"
"Our esteemed president has recently found himself enemies with the Hitachiin brothers," she went on in her cold, robotic tone. "They now have Suoh on their side. I just wanted to warn you, and ensure you bear no ill intent against us, before they try to make you a weapon in their war."
Kasanoda slammed his fist into the desk at this, nearly breaking it. His demeanor was definitely hateful now, and his classmates nearly threw themselves against the wall in fear as the Human Blizzard bore his ice wolf fangs.
"NOBODY USES ME!" he hollered, the force of his exclamation echoing off the walls. Reiko was curiously immune. "What would I even have to DO with this business?"
"Because it has to do with Fujioka-Kun," she calmly added. Kasanoda froze at this, his heart skipping a beat at the mention of her name. For a moment, he wondered if Reiko knew Haruhi's secret, but after observing her for a moment he decided that she probably did not. She, like half the rest of the school, just thought he had a gay crush on Fujioka. It was embarrassing, but at least nobody teased him for it. Nobody dared tease the next mafia boss.
Kasanoda's mouth drew into a long, thin line as he put together everything he'd been told in this conversation. "Okay..." He growled, agitated, "what exactly does Fujioka have to do with the Black Magic Club?"
"I'm afraid that's not my place to say." Reiko held up her palms. "I would recommend you ask Fujioka, though, before you ask Suoh. Their opinions will be quite different."
"You guys aren't... you guys aren't casting spells against Fujioka, are you?" he asked warily, knowing how silly it sounded coming out of his mouth but concerned all the same.
"We are not," she assured. "But we soon will be opening the gates of Hell upon the Hitachiin brothers. I just wanted to make sure you aren't against us when we do. I would hate to have to curse you as well, Kasanoda-San." She turned away and started back towards her desk. He stared at her retreating back and waterfall of jet black hair as she added darkly, "...Because I will."
Kasanoda shuddered.
The Host Club was an explosion of colour and noise as usual after class. There was always a little more action on the days the club decided to wear theme costumes.
Today's agenda had them in splendid courtly attire for an almost certainly historically inaccurate but handsome all the same medieval theme. Tamaki, naturally, had donned red, gold and white as the king of the club. He was terribly impressed with his gold crown, and resolved to wear it all the time, though the others hoped he would forget that promise. Kyouya, wearing dark robes of a clergyman and looking a little more corrupt than holy, appeared behind him. Mori was a knight in chainmail armor, with a rather fantastic cape, and Hunny his adorable squire. The twins were perfectly executing a pair of mischievous but charming princes, inspired almost directly from Disney classics to instill in their patrons that whimsical sense of 'someday my prince will come'. As for Haruhi, she was a little less impressed with her ensemble, as someone had decided that with all this royalty, it would be practical (or hilarious) to dress her as a peasant. So she was in the brown tunic of a working man, and though she wondered if this was some sort of punishment, she pulled it off all the same, reminding her guests of a plucky young hero who was just about to set off on some magical journey; a story which they seemed to be narrating as they sat with her.
"Maybe it's some great evil force that's about to take over the land, and he has to stop it!" One girl suggested as a group sat around Haruhi trying to decide why she was about to partake in an epic quest.
"Too broad!" Another girl waved it off. "Maybe there's a kidnapping and he goes to save them- or an old wizard comes to town and takes him as an apprentice!"
"Maybe he stows away with a caravan of Gypsies!"
"Ooh! He should meet a dragon!"
"Yes! And the dragon is actually a beautiful girl and she's under a spell, and he has to break it!"
"Where is my laptop? I want to write this down!"
They continued to delight in their circle of gossip as Haruhi contentedly listened, pouring the tea. As the last of the chamomile dripped into a cup, she frowned slightly, and excused herself to fill a new pot. Tamaki approached her as she rummaged through the tea canisters, posing dramatically.
"What do you think of this costume, Haruhi? It's suiting, isn't it? I can't believe we haven't done this before. I'm going to wear this crown all the time!"
"So you keep saying," she absently replied.
"Don't be sad, Haruhi!" He grinned. "I know you wanted to be royalty too, but we can't all be! I still think you look adorable!"
"I'm telling you, it's fine," she replied. "I don't care either way. Truth be told, your outfit looks hard to move in. At least mine breathes."
"That's getting into character, Haruhi! A peasant would certainly worry about those things!"
"Who's in character!"
"Oh, I have an idea! Next, let's do time travelers! No, wait- lab coats!"
"You watch too much TV!"
If she was forced to be honest, Haruhi was just glad things were back to normal. After the chilly farewell the previous night, she was afraid the atmosphere would be awkward, or her friends would be mad at her. But in class, the twins had greeted her the same as usual, and club had gone about as it usually does. She was glad that everyone seemed to decide to drop the whole argument. She hoped they would also decide her outside friendships didn't bother them, but knew it probably too much too soon for that.
She sighed as she picked up another tea canister and set it down. "We seem to be out of chamomile. That's the drink of choice at my table; I think I'd better go and get some more." She turned and headed for the door, as Tamaki nodded.
"Yes, a splendid idea, Haruhi! I'll entertain your guests while you-" he stopped suddenly. A vision flashed into his mind just then- Haruhi, alone in the empty halls, when Nekozawa appears, evidently having been stalking her from the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment- he snaps his fingers, and just like many weeks before in the club room after hours, two robed members of the Black Magic Club dash out and abduct Haruhi, and they all disappear into a cloud of smoke...
"Ah, Haruhi, wait!" Tamaki called, stumbling after her with a forced grin. "Actually, Daddy wants to go and get the tea this time, so why don't you stay in here and- and- and help Hunny cut the cake! Yes! Hunny Senpai!" he called out before Haruhi could protest, "Haruhi is going to help you cut the cake! Off you go, then!" He directed her quite forcefully with a hand on her back towards a waiting and brightly smiling Hunny. Haruhi seemed perplexed, but obliged all the same. Out of her line a vision, the twins shot Tamaki a quick thumbs up. He returned the gesture before exiting the room to retrieve the chamomile tea.
"Haru-Chan!" Hunny called out adorably. "We have yellow cake with chocolate frosting. It's really yummy! Come help us cut it!"
"Sure," Haruhi had no choice but to shrug and go along with it. She picked up a knife and began carefully cutting the cake into even slices while Hunny grinned and Mori watched quietly.
"We should offer some to Kao-Chan and Hika-Chan too! Since they seem to be upset today!" Hunny offered, taking a plate of cake with great enthusiasm. Haruhi quirked an eyebrow.
"They seem fine to me," she said as her senior shoveled a fork full of desert into his mouth.
"Hmm! That's what they are trying to show, but Takashi and I know them." Hunny tucked into another forkful and asked, still quite pleasantly, "Did you guys get in a fight?"
Haruhi was stunned. Once again, Hunny showed a strange insight she could not have predicted he was capable of. She had no idea Hikaru and Kaoru were still mad- she couldn't tell a thing, and she had classes with them. She was usually so observant too, she could pick out their bad moods. Looking over her shoulder, she could see them, in their princely attire, making fake eyes at each other and playing up their "Brotherly Love" act for their guests. They didn't look anything but normal- well, normal for them. Haruhi was baffled.
"W-well," she stammered, suddenly feeling on the spot. Hunny's big, caramel coloured eyes were looking at her expectantly, and she sighed again, composing her thoughts.
"Hunny Senpai," she began, "Would you be mad if I was friends with people outside of the club? You wouldn't, right?"
"You mean like Neko-Chan?" Hunny offered, finishing his first plate of cake. Haruhi halted again. How did he keep doing that? He always seemed to know what was going on. Her eyes drifted towards Mori, whose expression was not discernable. Maybe Mori had told Hunny about the time they helped Nekozawa back to his club, and Haruhi had stayed with him a moment? Mori did not seem like the gossiping type, but Hunny WAS his cousin, so it couldn't be said what they talked about in private. Then again, Kyouya knew, too, that Haruhi had been spending time with the Black Magic Club president. It was entirely possible that the people who found out last night at the party were the only people who hadn't known.
"Er..." Haruhi paused, "..actually, yes, exactly like Nekozawa-Senpai. I've been hanging out with him sometimes after club. And I don't think that's so unreasonable, but Tamaki and the twins were pretty unhappy about it." She sighed, reliving the previous night's events. It had been a whirlwind of emotion. Anger, resentment, humiliation, and... something on the balcony with Nekozawa that she couldn't quite put a name to.
"Hmmm..." Hunny began thoughtfully, swinging his short legs under the chair and brushing off the sleeves of his costume. "What do you think, Takashi?"
Mori sat quietly for a moment in his suit of armor, composing his thoughts. Haruhi always appreciated that he took the time to think about his words before he spoke, but she was suddenly feeling a little anxious about his reply.
"He isn't as bad as he likes people to think," Mori finally said.
"I agree." Hunny smiled, dishing out another slice of cake. "You know, sometimes Reiko-Chan likes to visit me, and sit with me at lunch. She tells me lots of things about him!"
Oh, of course, Haruhi thought. Kanazuki likes Hunny-Senpai. He's probably heard all about Nekozawa-Senpai and I from her. He may have even known from the start!
"So, since I have a friend in the Black Magic Club," Hunny finished with a wide grin, "I think you can, too!"
Haruhi smiled. She was relieved to have at least somebody on her side. "I'm glad. If only I could convince Tamaki and the twins of that, too."
"Why don't you try offering them some cake!" Hunny suggested brightly. Haruhi did not think that would work. But on the other hand, there were worse things to try. She laid out a tray with some plates of cake, and took them to the Hitachiin's table.
Tamaki was just returning with tea in hand when he heard somebody with very heavy footsteps walking quickly behind him. Knowing almost nobody who didn't walk with utmost grace and poise, he turned to find himself staring at the tall and foreboding outline of an advancing Ritsu Kasanoda. Tamaki's voice momentarily stuck in his throat. He knew he and the twins had wanted to talk to Kasanoda about the situation with Haruhi- and while it wasn't his plan, he did consider that by speaking with the younger man alone he might be able to compose something a little more tactful than Hikaru's "operation: just have his Yakuza thugs beat the crap out of Nekozawa"- he still couldn't help but be intimidated. Normally, Tamaki would brush this feeling aside, reminding himself that poor Kasanoda's face was just stuck like that and there was really nothing he could do about it, so be nice... But today, Kasanoda tromped towards him, shoulders forward and hands in his pockets as if he was concealing a weapon, and the look on his face gave Tamaki a thrill of terror along his spine. This wasn't Kasanoda's usual kind of scary face- the accidental one. This was a demonic look of unbridled rage- enough to freeze one to the bone. This wasn't just the Human Blizzard, this was the Human Arctic.
"Suoh-Senpai," Kasanoda growled in a voice so low and unearthly it should have the power to raise the dead, "we need to talk."
Tamaki swallowed his breath in an audible gulp and prayed that by "talk", the yakuza didn't mean "murder". Kasanoda meanwhile paused just long enough to take in Tamaki's courtly costume. A look briefly drifted across his features that seemed to want to ask what the Hell the Host King was wearing, but decided against it.
"B-Bossanova-Kun!" Tamaki stammered, forcing a smile, "We can talk about anything you like!"
"IT'S 'KASANODA'! DO Y'WANNA DIE?" he thundered in an explosion of fury. Tamaki screamed in fear, and for a moment he in fact did want to die. Kasanoda strode forward, looming over his upperclassman quite threateningly, his sharp eyes flashing.
"Senpai." His voice seemed to be emanating from Hell itself. "Why would Kanazuki-San come to me in class today and tell me not to interfere in the business between the Black Magic Club and Haruhi Fujioka?"
Tamaki gasped. So the Black Magic Club had beaten them to it! He had no idea how they had known the Host Club's next move, but highly suspected some kind of spying spell. How was he supposed to react to this? He found that his knees were shaking under his robe as Kasanoda gave him a look like he was trying to kill him with his eyes alone. Tamaki wished they had been able to speak with the yakuza first- maybe then he would have turned up at the door of the Black Magic Club instead, looking like a demon spat from Hell.
Finally, Tamaki took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. He brought to mind mental pictures of Haruhi, and told himself that he needed to protect her, and that if he could face down this ice wolf that was Kasanoda, maybe they would have his fangs on their side. He drew himself up, meeting the redhead eye to eye.
"The one you should be asking is not me, Bossanova-Kun!" he replied, immediately forgetting his kohai's threat from a moment before. "The Black Magic Club is casting spells and witchcraft on my lovely daughter! We're trying to protect her! The one you should really be asking is Nekozawa-Senpai!"
Kasanoda took a moment to think about that. He certainly did understand the notion of protecting someone important to him, though in the course of the day he had just learned two completely different answers to the question of whether the Black Magic Club was casting spells against Haruhi. He was becoming enraged. Why had they dragged him into this? He wasn't even in any of these stupid clubs.
Taking a step back with a severe look, Kasanoda reached into his back pocket. Oh God, Tamaki winced, he's got a weapon. He actually flinched and closed his eyes when there was a swing of movement as the other boy tore something out from behind his back and held it up to Tamaki's face. When there was no immediate result of this- no pain, no blood- Tamaki opened his eyes slowly. In Kasanoda's hand was a small plain white box.
"I was told to deliver this to you," he snarled, depositing it into Tamaki's curiously outstretched hand. "Don't get me involved in this crap again!"
He turned then and lurched back down the hall, turning a corner and vanishing from sight. Kasanoda hated being thrown into this weird game between the Host Club and the Black Magic Club, but more than that, he hated that somehow, Haruhi was a central figure in all of it. Obviously, the Host Club couldn't be trusted by themselves to take care of her. He was going to have to do it himself; the only way that he knew how. He was going to have a talk with this Nekozawa.
When he finally retreated, Tamaki breathed a sigh of relief. The last few days had been far too intense, and he wished it could all go back to like it was before, when Nekozawa and Haruhi didn't care one way or another about each other. He then turned his attention to the white box. Kasanoda had said he was told to give it to them, and Tamaki presumed he meant by Kanazuki, which meant whatever was in here was probably laden with curses. Slowly, cautiously, he opened the box and peered inside.
There was a small wooded Bereznoff voodoo doll resting within. On its back was carved not a name, but a rounded and lovely heart.
The box hit the floor with a clatter, and Tamaki's piercing shriek could be heard throughout the school.