I live - longer chapters coming, I lost focus somewhere in the middle of the fic and it is all coming back to me at full force.


CHAPTER FOURTEEN: WAR


Costumes. It was bound to happen eventually, Moriko has heard the 'horror' stories of all the cosplaying that the host club has done in the past. Despite Haruhi's mild irritation and annoyance at all the dressing up, Moriko was left feeling pout that she didn't get to dress up in cosplay yet. But it seems that her luck is turning around for the better (and for the worse in Kato's case), as they strut into Music Room Three together.

Kato can smell it - she could smell it before they even opened the door, but once that doorway is open, she is hit with the aroma of teas and familiar spices. It fits nicely into a memory that is best dubbed as close to home, but not quite there. The memories of running through sand that turns into hillside, back when she didn't know where she was going or when she would stop. When she opens her eyes, even the decor reminds her of it; a place away from home, the place where she would sit on the rooftops and observe the villages below her with distaste, but ultimately still sneaking down to steal food that isn't raw and bloody. Greece.

Moriko's eyes lit up at the plants that are elegantly decorating the room, the vines climbing up white pillars and the fresh sideritis that she can't wait to grind for tea. Olive trees that are dancing in the sunlight. Succulents decorating the tables. It makes her green heart explode seeing so much fresh and new flora decorating the room, making it look more like an outdoor patio than a cluttered, indoor room lacking fresh air and green accents.

Reve, however, simply sighs, seeing beyond the decor and smelling more than the tea, she takes in the costumes of the hosts knowing that she will, undoubtedly, have to join them. It seems like all she has to do is merely think about it for the clothes to be shoved into each of their arms - with the twins going as far as using a long claw toy to put the fabric on top of Kato's head, not quite trusting to get close enough to her to shove it into her hands themselves.

"Hurry up and get ready," Hikaru huffs, "You're five minutes late and we need to be ready before the customers get here."

"You'd be surprised how long it takes to put on a fully tailored costume, not to mention hair and makeup," Kaoru adds, flipping his hair flamboyantly.

Moriko doesn't like the implications that they have everyone's measurements, but does remember the twins being more handsy than normal the past week. Kato is more focused on looking over the fabric, trying to figure out how she is expected to put it on while Reve raises an eyebrow toward Kyoya, who doesn't deny the twins' request.

With belated acceptance, Reve ushers her sisters toward the dressing room with mild annoyance. Kyoya watches her carefully and glances between her and Kato with a look that doesn't go unmissed, but Reve keeps her expression even and unreadable, despite the way that her stomach flutters.

Despite their closeness as a makeshift unit and the conditions that they have survived, nudity isn't exactly something that they share together. They all respect each other's boundaries, all change in their own rooms; when they were in less than better circumstances, they closed their eyes or hid behind trees or bathed in separate ponds. It's a touchy subject, a drawn line in the sand that they don't cross.

Kato is the one who comes closest to dancing on that line, not having much modesty, but she doesn't exactly strut around naked often. In her mind, she sees herself in her large, feline form, not as a human body. Nudity is something that is uncomfortable because it is unfamiliar, not something that is really hers. When she was in captivity, they never even knew that she could transform into a human; it became something that she protected like a dangerous secret. When she transforms, they don't watch, but they always hear the cracking of bones and skin.

Reve sometimes doesn't even have a physical body to change clothes on. In captivity, she stayed in her nonphysical, misty form as much as she could. She became a human to communicate on orders, or when the government had foreign officials over because her other form made them too uncomfortable. She learned how to hide her emotions and shame when doctors shoved ill-fitting clothes into her hands.

Moriko has the strongest line of all them; she doesn't blur that line in any transformation, her body is the only one that she has and it is broken because of what they did to her. They all have scars - physical and mental - and hold some resistantment to their bodies after being poked and prodded and experimented on. But Moriko lost an entire part of her when they cut her wings, grounding a forest angel. Even now, Reve can see the hesitation in Moriko's eyes.

The changing room in the back of the host club isn't something that they've had the pleasure of using; but after some threatening from Kato and pressure from Reve, the twins at least leave them alone to get dressed by themselves with the promise that they can do their hair and makeup after. Kato grumbles under her breath about the idea, making Reve doubt that she will uphold the deal; even if she did uphold it, she imagines that the twins would have a hell of a time making a comb go through Kato's wild locks.

They're still left with only two dressing rooms and are pressed for time; simply taking turns would take too long if the constant nagging by the twins is anything to go by.

"You go," Reve places a hand on Moriko's shoulder, "I'll go with Kato."

Kato doesn't argue, she simply nods in agreement before cooly walking into the room. Moriko gives a soft thanks before she heads off into the separate, small room to get changed. Reve takes a deep breath and her heart beats wildly in her chest, but she enters the dressing room with half-closed eyes, almost too scared to look at Kato.

The dressing stall is almost too small, but they make it work with their backs turned to each other. In the back of her mind, Reve wonders how such a large and expensive school can't afford bigger stalls, but then she remembers the makeshift walls and curtains knowing that the twins cut the dressing room in half to make more room for the makeup vanities and hair supplies. The silence is almost deafening, only broken by the sounds of rustling clothes and shuffling. Reve feels warm, it starts in her chest and then moves toward the rest of her body as her breath grows hot. She struggles more than she should getting the greek inspired costume on; she uses inspired heavily, knowing the outfit is far from authentic, but it is well made with intricate fabric of gold that drapes over her form.

"Reve," Kato's breath is hot on her neck, making her body tense. She can feel the warmth of Kato's body beaming behind her, gently pressed against her back. Kato's hand presses against her waist and she leans into the touch, only for it not last long as Kato gently picks her up as if she weighs nothing and carries her out of the dressing room by her waist, "We need to move, it's too small in here."

Kato's voice whines and the twins watch in bewilderment as they see Kato carrying Reve in, her hand on the taller girl's waist and lifting her over her head like she is a feather.


The twins spent the most of their time on Kato; her whining and hissing is cut short when they pacify her with a plate of sushi, making a note that they were prepared for war. It takes more time than the twins would have liked, but they were determined to get everyone perfectly complete with their props.

Moriko has to admit - the twins did good. Her hair is intricately braided with flowers while her costume is simple with a long pale pink dress tied at the waist with a golden belt engraved with flower details and long, flowing sleeves. Despite the way most of her skin is covered, she is left feeling oddly elegant, classy and sexy. The twins give her as many flower accessories as they could and it was easy to guess that the theme today is Greek gods, leaving her as Persephone, the goddess of spring. She twirls around expermentily in the dress, her eyes gleaming with thrill.

Kato looks every part of the god of war, Ares, and after her costume choice is explained to her, she leans into the costume naturally with a cocky, sharp grin and fiery eyes. Her hair, while soft and free of tangles, is volumizing with a war helmet to complete it. Her outfit isn't soft, with golden armor corset, armored skirt that despite fitting her is a smidge too short with the twins not counting on Kato's muscled thighs and waist line, tall plated boots and arm cuffs. She has too much fun spinning and thrusting the large spear given to her, to the point where the twins happily give her more space to do so.

Reve's gown is fitted with golden fabric that clings to her, the corset top half is engraved with a feather-like pattern and the twins braid her hair with golden feathers. The shield she's given is awkward and it takes some time for Moriko to realize the twins are trying to mimic Athena - a goddess of wisdom and strategy.

"Is the shield necessary," Reve comments with a monotonic expression.

"It was either the shield or a live owl, but Kyoya-senpai didn't like the idea of a live owl flying around and 'terrorizing the guests,'" the twins stick out their tongue in displeasure.

"-What about you two," Moriko presses, her eyes glancing at the twins' rather toned down outfits and the matching masks that are currently resting on the top of their head.

"We're Janus," the twins mimic and pull their masks down to emphasize their point, "We open the doorways for others."

She supposes it's suiting enough - lesser known, the god of choices and passages, is said to have two faces. She can't think of a better suiting god of choice for the two, but their conversation is cut short when the doors of the club open for business.


The customers flood in - even more so when word gets around that the club is dressed up today. Kyoya isn't shy about how thrilled he is about the costumes driving sales, making more than one comment about making a small fortune on pre-orders for pictures.

If she weren't so focused on her own customers and Haruhi's presence as they share a table for the day due to most of the space being taken up by plants and pillars, Moriko may have wondered just how Kyoya planned on selling pictures of them in costume if she hasn't seen one camera flash.

Instead, Moriko just grins as she makes the tea for their shared table. Moriko can't even begin to explain how absolutely tickled she is that Haruhi is Artemis; the goddess of young maidens is well suited, ironic, and absolutely hilarious. She grins from ear to ear, with rosy cheeks that are hidden by all the blush the twins had pat into her face at how cute Haruhi looks in her costume.

She briefly wonders if she should worry about someone finding out Haruhi's gender, but considering that they made Kato the God of War, she supposes it won't be that big of an issue. From what Haruhi has said genderbending was a fairly common occurrence in the club anyway - it drives up sales, according to Kyoya. Either way, the crossbow on Haruhi's back is fake and much larger than Haruhi's frame, making it funny to imagine her as a goddess of the hunt. The gown is almost dangerously short to still be seen as masculine, but the layers of it help make it look fuller and more modest.

Haruhi glances at the twins rendition of the goddess of spring - Morikos gown is more modest than most of their costumes, covering most of her skin with slightly sheer sleeves. Now that she thinks about it, she can't really remember Moriko ever showing her arms or much of her skin at all. When she looks closely at the sleeves, she can see the shadows of tattooed skin - of winding vines and flowers.

I guess that makes sense, Haruhi reasons, if it's not a part of the cosplay - tattoos are only barely allowed in the prestigious and traditional school. Technically small little ones are more acceptable, but anything too attraction-getting or noticeable is likely to get you more than your fair share of dirty looks and bad rumors.

Still a part of Haruhi wonders just how far the apparent tattoo sleeve goes and what it looks like when it's not clouded by fabric and shadows. She can't help but think that the flowery sleeve suits Moriko, just like the flowery goddess she cosplays.

"I think Persephone suits you, Moriko-chan," Haruhi states simply, adjusting the bow on their back, "At least you don't have to haul around a weapon all day."

Haruhi's frustration toward the weapon's adjustment grows as they struggle to strap on the bow adjusted the correct way, their movements making the bow constantly hitting their head.

"Let me help you," Moriko's voice is soft as she takes a step forward. Her hands graze against Haruhi's chest as she adjusts the strap across her chest. The layers of her fabric are thick, but Haruhi can still feel Moriko's knuckles press against her chest and the longer Moriko stays there, the more Haruhi can feel the flush on their face grow.

Moriko leans forward without warning and any space between them closes. Haruhi's breath stops in their throat as they feel Moriko press into them as her hands reach behind Haruhi and adjust the bow itself. Haruhi releases a held breath when Moriko parts from her with a smile.

"There, all fixed!"

Moriko's eyes sparkle, being that close Haruhi could see the swirls of intricate green in Moriko's eyes; it is like looking into a vast forest of green. That moment when you're in the woods, looking over the treeline and know that something - someone - is watching you back. Haruhi is vaguely aware of the squeals and fangirling that forms around them, but their hand goes to their chest as if they can still feel Moriko's knuckles against them, the sound of their heartbeat ringing in their ears.


The limited space makes everyone share tables and while Moriko is thrilled to be sharing with Haruhi, Reve is less than thrilled that she has to share a space with not only Kyoya, but Tamaki as well. She opts to sit most of the session out, leaning back in her chair with an air of calmness as she focuses on the taste of her tea, hoping it will block out Tamaki's rambling to his guests.

Kyoya appreciates the distance and silence presence, even if her aura pushes at him in an unnerving way. He puts on his usual face of neutrality, acting as if he's not bothered as he barely even spares her a few glances.

In the back of his mind, their deal still lingers - an exchange for a secret, she has to be his guest for their end of the year ball. The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks of a better exchange, of something more equal and bitter, but he's a man of his word and refuses to give her the satisfaction of going back on it.

At the time, the ball was the only thing that worried him; the idea of his father visiting and seeing what type of club he's actually in charge of him still boils in his veins and makes his skin itch. But it's a partnered event - while it's something the host club sponsors and hosts, it's become quite the event for couples and for many students to show off their fiancé or fiancée to their peers and parents. A way to flaunt your connections and wealth.

His father has always been more forthcoming to his siblings when they showed up to family dinners with new, fancy business partners or a well-named spouse. Something Kyoya has never been able to quite match - his connections to his club members have brought him some recognition but not enough, especially when his father is still in the dark of the nature of the club.

And none of the girls at school are smart enough to keep up with him - most being mean or cruel hearted girls that think with their jealousy, heart eyed fan girls, or sadly are already taken and are off the rooster.

But to have someone like Reve - someone whose mind admittedly keeps up with his, comes from a family of prestige and wealth, is well known and an admirable business partner - at his side for his father to see would bring him hopefully up to par with his siblings.

It didn't necessarily hurt that Reve is, by social standards, beautiful. He sees the way that her male customers lure over her and the jealousy in some of the girls eyes. He's also not blind or completely daft like Tamaki may be. It's not a compliment, he tells himself, or even an admission of attraction, it's just what it is.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Reve drawls out - there's an undertone in her voice that makes it clear that she knows that she isn't wrong, "But you're supposed to be Hera, aren't you? Goddess of marriage and fertility?"

Granted, it would be better if Reve isn't such a pain in the ass.

Her question is directed toward him,, but the nosebleeds of mentioning fertility doesn't go unnoticed. She doesn't have to press hard to see what the fangirls are imagining and she swallows thickly when it doesn't bother her as much as it should.

Kyoya pushes up the rim of his glasses. Unlike Tamaki, who is completely selling his role as Zeus and has a loud costume to match complete with a 'lightning bolt,' Kyoya is less obvious with a long toga and simple golden bands on his arms.

"Tamaki insisted, considering I am the mommy of the club after all. I suppose in some ways, when it comes to our roles in the club, I am his wife."

She almost laughs at the way that the fangirls faint and fan themselves at his statement. Instead, she smirks and she can tell from the look in his eyes, the way that his glasses gleam, that it infuriates him.


Hunny's head feels heavy from the large headdress that the twins put on him to mimic the sun. The large accessory only makes him feel smaller and childlike. He loves that the twins picked Apollo for him, naturally beaming with light at all of his customers. Takashi stands beside him in a silent somber with darker robes and a large ax, mimicking the twins' interpreted Hephaestus.

"Wow Takashi," Hunny grind, "Kato-Chan is really leaning into her role, isn't she?"

Hunny didn't think that Kato would take so well to the idea of cosplay - he couldn't really picture the muscled, tough girl willingly putting on any sort of costume or dress or makeup. But as she shares their table with them, she doesn't once seem to break character - getting more into her role as the God of War than even Tamaki.

Her dangerous demeanor during the act would worry him more, but her aura isn't even close to being as deadly feeling as it was than the day they met. She doesn't feel like she's going to willing hurt or kill anyone, but it doesn't stop him from keeping a closer eye on her as she spins the spear given to her like a seasoned warrior.

Takashi glances toward Kato, as if Hunny didn't already know that he's been keeping an eye on her the whole time. Her grin is ferocious, and reveals sharp canines that make her look deadly combined with the gleam in her fiery eyes. She looks vicious, dangerous, but he looks too closely at her eyes.

It brings more attention to the twisted skin around her eye, with it being more on display than ever with her hair being framed wildly around her face and behind her ears. The more his eyes trace down her form, the more scars he sees. Some are faint white lines that peak from her armor plate along her collarbone or trace the space between the bottom of her armor and the skirt. He can't count the darker scars that line along the curve of the muscle of her arm. When his eyes start to drift lower, along tanned muscled thighs and calves that are in full display, he has to look away.

"Hephaestus, maker of weapons," Kato proudly declares, her voice booming like thunder. It seems all he does is blink before she's facing him, her face inches from him with twinkling eyes. He notices the lines of golden eyeliner that highlight the shape of her eyes, the bronze highlight on her sharp cheekbones and the dark blush that's been delicately brushed against her cheeks and nose.

He feels his face getting warm as she happily declares, "Fight me."

"I don't know if Tama-Chan would approve," Hunny piques, but Kato just waves the notion off.

"Come on, it's just a little fight. My mighty spear against his little ax."

His ax is anything but little. Truth be told if he wasn't as trained as he was, he might've struggled carrying it around. The host club has always strived for accuracy and while the school doesn't technically permit weapons, the twins have managed to weave around it through a mix of crying about the "loss of historical accuracy" and arguing that it's an accessory to a costume - considering the revenue the club brings to even the school itself, there was little counter argument.

Takashi also has the warranted understanding that any spar with Kato - whose grip has never faltered around her spear and has yet to even drop it during her elegant spins - would not be just a little fight either. Fighting her, even in a spar, he knows will require skill and a lot of reflexes on his part, but he'd be lying if the idea of finding out just how strong she is isn't exciting.

Before Hunny can object, Takashi speaks up as he dislodged his ax from the strap on his back.

"I accept."


Moriko should have known better. Reve should have known better. They all should have known better than giving Kato the role of any type of god - especially the god of war. As the saying goes, "cats bask under worship." They should have put the idea of being a god into her head, or acted along with the clubs theme, because Kato, at her core, is a cat that bathed in praise like the sun.

And, just like the Greek god themselves Moriko imagines, it gives them a big head. Confidence. Arrogance. All added to an already arrogant, more than slightly human-hating cat.

Moriko hears the familiar draw of a metal weapon and while she first flinches, her mind flashing with metal scalpels and forced fights between creatures, she then turns to see the source. A mix of dread and tired exhaustion filling her.

Kato stands in the middle of what has to be the only open area left in the club - the center of the room that is surrounded by the circle of pillars. Her eyes are sharp, narrow and the smile on her face is as gleeful as it is deadly. The spear is pointed as she crouches down like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey.

Takashi is across from her, looking more calm but just as focused as he holds the ax in a defensive position against his chest, ready for her attack.

Moriko glances toward Reve, who's watching the fight with an almost smug expression - as if she wants to see how it will go down when they both know that Takashi is going to be on the losing end. Reves expression causes Moriko's brow to furrow, suspicions building in her chest as too many odd and off actions begin to add up.

Despite being a trained fighter and a strong one at that, Kato isn't human. She is stronger and when she's really putting her all into it, she can be a very clever and sometimes dirty fighter too.

But through a clashing of weapons that no one is brave enough or stupid enough to try to stop, Takashi holds his own against Kato. He manages to block her more direct and aggressive attacks while she spins her spear to deter his own offensive moves. Each of her blows scoots the edges of his feet back, so he plants his heels down as much as he can.

"You're holding back," Kato's voice hisses through the tension as she spins her spear forward, "Don't insult me and fight."

If it were anyone else, he would have been holding back; he wouldn't be swinging with all of his strength with the edge of a sharp ax. But he found out two seconds into the fight that Kato can take it and with her edging him on to give it all, he obliged. He should have paid more attention to her words - she didn't ask for a spar. She asked for a fight.

Hunny looks the most worried out of everyone; despite Tamaki's shriek and the twins clutching each other with rapt attention on the fight. He knows his cousin well; he knows when the blows exchanged change. The shift from a spar to a real fight is organic with blurred lines that he knows - he sees the exact moment when it shifts, when Takashi pulls back his arm with his ax and the power behind its swing becomes real.

Hunny does the only thing he can do that doesn't involve interfering - Takashi hasn't shown him any signals, no silent order to help and come in for backup or shown the distress of losing a battle. In fact, he knows that Takashi is enjoying this - not holding back like everything is glass, getting the chance to really spar and fight with someone. Something that he's only unleashed on their own spars together. The reason Takashi, among a silent type, is also known - through whispered rumors and blushing schoolgirls - as the wild type.

Moriko tears her eyes away from the fight when she feels a gentle tug on her sleeve. She glances to see Hunny looking up at her with pleading eyes that don't hide anything from her - she sees the tension in his shoulders, the lock of his jaw.

"Is Kato-chan holding back, Moriko-chan," Hunny asks. His voice is cute even if Moriko knows otherwise.

She glances back to the fight - the sweat on Kato's brow, the pulled lunges, the almost-show-boating way that she struts around the center of the room with taunts and spins of her spear. There's no hate in her eyes, no fear and her hair is still styled the ways the twins that have done it up, it hasn't shackled up like the mane of a wild animal. Her muscles aren't tense. She rolls her shoulders and her steps are calculated, but looser in form. She's having fun - not the type of fun that a cat has with its mouse, but the type of bickering bites and hisses of littermates. It's a game, Moriko realizes. Kato is using this as an excuse to test his strength.

Moriko's eyes meet Reve's. I figured, Reve's voice rings out, almost with a shred of disappointment, she may have cut loose and shown a bit more strength than what a normal human should have, but I'm thinking she's only doing that to keep up with him. Some sort of dominance thing, probably.

Kato glances toward them, only briefly, with a cheeky sharp grin as she dodges another hit from Takashi. Moriko turns to Hunny, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension that had built in her back.

"Kato just wants to see how strong he is," Moriko voices and she can hear Kato hissing at her through the link, as if it's a supposed secret that wasn't supposed to be told.

But it does help put Hunny at ease as he nods in understanding, even if Haruhi just looks baffled.

"They're going to hurt someone," Haruhi argues lightly.

"Kato's not aiming to kill him," Moriko shrugged and sits back down at the table, "He's definitely not going to kill her. They might get a few scrapes, but considering Kyoya's family is in the medical business, I'm sure there's a first aid around here somewhere that will take care of it. May as well sit back and enjoy the show."

Haruhi takes a deep breath through their nose, releasing it slowly through their mouth in a soft exhale as they take Moriko's offer to sit down. Their head rests gently on Moriko's shoulder as they take a moment to process what's happening; Haruhi supposes that it's not that weird compared to the rest of the club. They've seen Hunny take down a full armed group of men before.

"Just… wake me up when they're done."


Club time comes and goes - all too fast and yet not fast enough as the spar between them draws to a close and Kyoya is the one left to usher out screaming fangirls, not to mention the few that fainted from either the fight itself or from the nosebleeds. If he plays his cards right, he can get the footage from the security cameras and turn this whole thing into some greek movie. Considering the girls' reaction to just seeing the cocky, muscular Kato taunting someone like Takashi - and their response to Takashi's rippling muscles - it would make a pretty decent profit. More than enough to justify, and pay for, the damages to the surrounding decorative pillars.

Kato is barely panting, merely soft exhales from her lips and a bit of sweat on her brow as she leans against the spear, grinning wildly from ear to ear. Takashi looks more worn out and tired, but the hint of a smile is on the corner of his lips as he kneels down to catch his breath. When he glances back up, Kato is standing over him with an outstretched hand.

She pulls him like he weighs nothing and the ease of it, especially after a fight, makes him realize that she had been holding back - just a little. He glances at her eyes and the cocky smirk lets him know that she realizes just what he knows now. How strong she is - something that he isn't entirely against.