A/N: All of you clamoring for Nekozawa/Kagome crack me up! You are too funny! We shall have to just wait and see what the story brings, ne? ;)
"The Halloween Party is only three more days away!" Tamaki proclaimed.
There was a loud exclamation of glee from the customers, excited chattering and gossiping breaking out as the customers discussed their costumes. Kyoya watched on from next to a pillar, taking notes on some of the customer's conversations.
"What are you going to be?"
Kyoya looked down to see Kagome looking up at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"Shouldn't you be with your customers?" he asked.
"They shooed me away." She shrugged, giving him an easy smile. "They don't want me to know what they're being until the party. They all want to surprise me. I think they're plotting together, making sure their outfits don't match."
Kyoya and Kagome both turned to glance at nearly two dozen boys all crouched down in a giant huddle, whispering on the couches. Kagome laughed.
"I've never seen boys so obsessed with costumes," she said. She paused. "Well, except for the Host Club, I guess."
She grinned up at Kyoya, who smirked.
"They all want to impress you," he told her. "Prepare yourself for grand displays of wealth and prestige. It wouldn't do for you to get too dazed or impressed."
Kagome smirked.
"Kyoya-senpai, I assure you, nothing they come up with will top the grand displays of wealth and power I've already seen." She looked amused. "Besides, you're dodging the question. What are you being for the party?"
"Can't you guess?" Kyoya challenged. Kagome laughed and considered.
"Well, Tamaki is being the sexy vampire, and the twins are going as sexy werewolves," she said, ticking people off on her hands. "Honey wants to be a skeleton, and I think Mori is being a scarecrow, and I know Haruhi is going for a tragic ghost look." She looked back up at Kyoya, biting her lip. "Tamaki said we all had to be traditional Halloween costumes, and there aren't many left, so... Frankenstein?"
Kyoya laughed.
"Not quite," he said. "Devil."
"You're going as a devil?" Kagome grinned. "Will you paint your face red?"
"Tamaki was trying to get me to do just that." Kyoya rolled his eyes. "No, I have a full costume being made. It'll have red, look very evil, and I'll have horns and a pitchfork. I'm hoping that should effectively get the 'devil' point across, decidedly sans face paint."
Kagome laughed, and Kyoya smirked, pleased he'd made her laugh.
"Good," she said impishly. "I look forward to seeing it."
"And you?" Kyoya asked, his curiosity aroused. "What will you be?"
"I have no idea." Her eyes sparkled at him. "I lost a bet with the twins. They're making me my entire costume, and I have to wear it, regardless of what it is."
Kyoya chuckled. "You lost a bet with the twins?" he repeated. "You know they'll make something ostentatious for you to wear. I'm surprised you agreed to such a bet in the first place."
"I lost the bet on purpose." Kagome smiled, her eyes devilish. "The twins, for all their faults, are excellent designers, and whatever they make for me to wear, it'll be more chic than anything I could put together myself. And now I don't have to worry about my costume anymore." She grinned. "Plus, now the twins think they pulled one over on me, so they're not going to try to pull any more Halloween tricks on me, at least. They've moved on to bothering Haruhi instead."
His eyes widened in surprise, and Kyoya started laughing, unable to help himself, causing several customers to look up at him in alarm – Kyoya laughing so hard was an unusual sight to see. Kagome grinned and giggled right along with him.
"Kagome Higurashi," he said when he was done laughing, wiping small tears from the corners of his eyes. "If I had known you were so devious when you joined the Host Club, I'd have kicked Tamaki out from being president and put you in charge immediately."
Kagome laughed.
"Oh, Kyoya-senpai," she said, her eyes dancing. "Everyone knows that you hold all the power, not Tamaki. Besides, you're much more devious than I could ever be."
"Are you sure?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "I doubt I would ever make a bet like that with the twins."
"We're devious in different ways," Kagome teased. "You're devious business-ily, while I'm devious socially. We complement each other."
She caught his eyes then, her own eyes sparkling and beautiful, and Kyoya felt his throat close on him.
"What luck," he said, his voice husky, "that we're on the same team, then."
Kyoya watched as Kagome's eyes dilated, and her breath seemed to catch in her chest.
"Just imagine if we were always on the same team," she murmured. "We could do anything together."
There was a loud yell, and the moment was broken, Kagome pulling away to go for a costume fitting with the twins, and Kyoya stood there for a long moment, his thoughts swimming.
She was right, he knew. She was right, and he wanted that. He wanted to be on the same team as her, for as long as he could.
With Kagome at his side, Kyoya thought he just might be able to conquer the world.
Read it? Please review! It means the world to me - it really does - and it only takes a moment for you.