A/N: This is a request from Shortie87. Enjoy!
PS… For those interested, I have finally published my book Another Chance and it is available in a softback or e-book on Amazon (although, I have been told you should be able to order the book from major book sellers in 6-8 weeks). Another Chance by Maria Vickers. Thank you everyone!
#56… Lance during a joust – imagine it, you are riding a horse and this is your trusty lance.
Once upon a time…Actually, this isn't a fairy tale, even though upon occasion it is believed that Tamaki lives in one (okay dear reader, it is more than just occasionally). It was his penchant for living in a dream world that brought about this next set of events. During Haruhi's second year at Ouran, Tamaki decided that during the Ouran Fair, the Host Club would sponsor a Renaissance Fair…complete with jousting.
Some believed (dear reader, they crossed their fingers, got Nekozawa to cast a spell, picked all of the four leaf clovers they could find in Japan, and hung horse shoes everywhere) Kyoya would stop this "unique" idea, but the Shadow King surprised everyone and quickly agreed. Haruhi even commented, "It was your idea, wasn't it Kyoya-senpai?" His only reply was to remind her that Tamaki was the president of the club and therefore was the one who made all of the decisions. She didn't buy it for a second.
It turns out, Kyoya knew that compared to the previous year, this idea would cost less (or so he believed). The horses could be borrowed from the equestrian club, the costumes could be rented by any student that wanted to dress up, and the club would only have to worry about their own costumes, especially since they were the only ones who would be participating in the joust (for insurance reasons others would not be invited to do so). The only problem came in when Tamaki decided to obtain the suits of armor from England, because he demanded they be authentic. Kyoya wanted to kill him.
Against her will, Haruhi was dubbed the princess of the Fair. She wanted to cringe, especially when she found out her costume was super frilly and she had to wear a corset. Now wearing one of those wouldn't have been too much of a problem, but the devil maids of the Hitachiin twins laced it as tight as they could and she couldn't breathe. According to them, "It enhances your natural curves…and you need help in that area." Muttering under her breath, she retorted, "Takashi never complains." She wondered if they would be saying that after she passed out and died of suffocation.
All hosts current and former were participating, and Haruhi, against the wishes of Tamaki, gave her favor to Mori by tying her handkerchief on the end of his lance…or in this case a shinai. Apparently when Tamaki ordered the suits of armor, he forgot the lances. Kyoya immediately realized the problem, but he wanted to watch his best friend squirm a little, and he wanted to see how long it took the blond to realize his mistake. It was not until the morning of the joust did Tamaki make the connection that he had royally screwed up. Luckily Satoshi was there to save them by supplying everyone with shinais. They were shorter than a lance, but they would work in a pinch.
Tying her hanky on the end of Mori's shinai, Haruhi smiled at him, "Be careful and good luck, Takashi!"
"Daughter! You were supposed to give that to me!" Tamaki whined loudly.
"Who says?"
"I'm your daddy and I should have received your favor. That's the way the rules are written!"
"No, they aren't. I give my favor to the knight of my choosing, and I choose Takashi. He is my fiancé!"
Mori sidled up to the side of Tamaki's horse and whispered softly, "Remember about the fairy tale."
Sullenly, Tamaki understood exactly what Mori was talking about, "Yes, Haruhi ends up with Prince Blue and you are the prince." He turned his horse around and started to head towards the holding area when his head popped up and he spun around in his saddle, "How about, whoever wins, gets a kiss from the princess…on the cheek of course."
"Of course," Haruhi stated, her voice filled with sarcasm. "You think you're going to win?" She couldn't help but spit that out at seeing his hopeful expression. Knowing she would probably be kissing Mori, she shrugged and said, "Ok, whoever wins, I'll give a small kiss on the cheek."
Either bolstered by the prospect of such a reward or he had practiced jousting before, Tamaki had made it to the final round. It was to be him against Mori. Each sat on their horses at opposite ends of the battle ground and when the trumpet sounded, they spurred their horses into action. The first pass, Mori tried to hit Tamaki, but he leaned backwards in his saddle and the lance went over him, missing him by a mile. Another pass, Tamaki tried to hit Mori, but almost fell off his horse in the process. Both riders remained seated in their saddles. The third pass, galloping towards each other, Mori hit Tamaki, but as Tamaki started to fall, he swung out and knocked Mori to the ground, while somehow remaining in his saddle and righting himself. Pulling out a wooden sword, he asked, "Do you yield?"
Mori didn't want to yield, but according to the rules, he had lost and he wasn't a bad sport, "I yield." Besides, it was only one kiss on the cheek. Haruhi would be at his side for the rest of his life, and he would get more than just a peck on the cheek every day for the years and decades to come. He would concede one kiss to Tamaki.
Haruhi could tell what Mori was thinking even though he had not said it aloud, and smiled at her fiancé. He was a good man.
Pulling on the reins and cantering his horse towards where Haruhi stood, Tamaki tried to calm his racing heart. He may not have won the princess in real life, but he could live in his fairy tale world for a little longer, especially with this kiss. As it was, he had to force himself to canter instead of gallop.
"How the hell did the boss win?" Hikaru demanded as he threw his gloves down on the ground. He had been knocked out the first round by Tamaki.
"Who knows?" Kaoru shook his head. It was a mystery to him as well, also having been kicked out in the first round by Hunny.
Adjusting his glasses, Kyoya smirked, "Sometimes you only need a little encouragement." He had been able to knock Satoshi out in the first round and had moved onto the second, but lost to Mori.
"Are we sure he didn't use glue?" Chika grumbled.
"Glue?" Satoshi questioned.
"Yeah. Maybe he glued himself to the seat."
Kyoya stated, "That is impossible. There is no glue that would actually keep someone in their saddle. That only happens in the comics and cartoons. This is real life."
The group watched on as Tamaki reached Haruhi and prepared for his kiss. As soon as she placed her lips onto his cheek, the blond literally melted into a gooey liquid and fell to the ground.
"Well, I guess if it was glue, he absorbed it," Chika snickered.
"What a baka!" The twins snickered together.
"That's our princely type for you," Kyoya muttered and made his way to the microphone.
The Ouran Fair ended successfully, and although there were extra expenses thanks to the special order from England, somehow (dear reader, we all know Kyoya is the only reason that club operates in the black) the Ouran High School Host Club stayed within their budget parameters and wound up making a little profit on the side…which put the Shadow King in a very good mood indeed.