Chapter 16: Prom Night
Fuijioka Haruhi was waiting for the Ouran Prom to start. Something was greatly bothering her.
The students around her in the foyer of the school hall were lining up. They had stopped gushing over her now, and were chatting among themselves with excited voices. Each had a partner in their arms. Each met the requirements to enter the great hall. She, however, was standing alone.
Haruhi glanced at her fine gold watch again. Seven minutes past six. She shivered as the evening wind brushed her bare shoulders. Her legs felt stiff from standing too long. The line in front of her began to shorten. Finally letting out a breath of annoyance, Haruhi flipped out her mobile.
"Where are you Kasanova-kun?" She asked flatly, nostrils flaring.
"Ah Fujioka-san," his voice was oddly distorted. In the background were wild noises. "I'm at the before party."
"The before party?" Haruhi frowned. "What-sort-of-before-party-continues-when-the –prom-is-about-to-start?"
"T-t-the prom is about to start?" Haruhi's expression of disapproval deepened as she heard some muffled swearing and yells of horror.
"The before party invite! Said it ended at 8pm. But I remember now! Prom starts at 5:30pm! What? I HOW COULD I HAVE-"
"I've been waiting for half an hour. I can't go in unless you, my partner, is here. Please get here soon. I don't care how." The phone clicked closed abruptly. Haruhi stared longingly at the entrance door. She glimpsed a warm ceiling of enchanted lights and smelt the faint but rich aroma of hundreds of dishes.
"Haruhi…you look…nice." She spun around to see Kaoru leaning against the wall. His eyes looked down the length of her simple light pink dress, which fell about her knees, then wondered to her face.
"Thanks," she muttered.
His smile deepened. "We were going to do the make up for you, but you were right about refusing. It's nice to be pleasantly surprised. The studio did a good job."
"Kyouya did a pretty good job in choosing that dress." Haruhi froze. A hand lightly touched her shoulder and she spun around to find Hikaru right next to her. He was not looking at her in the eyes, but rather it was fixed on the sparkling necklace (a design of three diamond birds) she was wearing. Both twins were dressed in identical jet black suits and crisp white shirts, making their perfectly spiked hair, which fell alluringly about their faces, even more vividly red. Neither wore a tie. Both shirts were artfully half unbuttoned.
"Pity." Kaoru nodded at the mobile phone clutched in her hands. "You can't go in."
"We couldn't help but over hear," Hikaru added, his voice soft with an apologetic note.
Both looked so calm and smooth, like they had been leaning against the wall all day, that Haruhi instantly felt suspicious.
"It'll take a while for Kasanova-kun to get here if he's still at some before party," Kaoru pushed himself lightly off the wall.
"Come with us. We'll pretend to be your partner so that you can get in the hall at least. You've got goosebumps on your arms. Inside it'll be warm." Hikaru pushed himself lightly off the wall and offered his hand towards Haruhi.
She shook her shiny brown "pixie" hair and narrowed her eyes. "If you escort me in, what will happen to your partners? They won't be able to get in."
"Does it matter?" They shrugged. "You're more important to us. We're considerate to you. Unlike Kasanova-kun."
Haruhi frowned at the taunt. "Do not tell me you had something to do with this."
"Why would we?" both looked genuinely astonished. Haruhi, however, knew better. She could read them like a book. Without saying anything else, she stalked past them, her perfume singeing their noses.
"Damn." Kaoru gazed after her.
"I knew it wouldn't work." Hikaru sighed. A gleam entered his eyes. "At least Kasanova-kun isn't going to get here until one hour later. The party we arranged for him is in the mountains."
"I can't believe how stupid he was," Kaoru chuckled. "Lucky for us."
"Mmm," Haruhi's perfume (of roses, jasmine, and all things feminine) was now faint and teasing. Hikaru watched her talk to the teacher politely at the entrance door. After a while, she walked into the hall, the pink silk swishing about her compact frame. The colour brought out the healthy glow of her skin and blush on her cheeks. It made her dark brown eyes look larger and dreamier than ever before. The straight cut shape accentuated her simple beauty perfectly and emphasized the nonexistent curves of her shoulders, waist, legs… "She looks…" Hikaru struggled with words. "…cute." It was fortunate that a large fancy flower was pinned to her chest.
Haruhi was in wonderland. Never before had she experienced such a delight! Rows upon rows of round and square and rectangle tables. Fancy, real silver cutlery gleaming on the tables, just waiting to be used! The kitchens behind the scenes were bustling with activities and maids were already carrying out dishes on golden plates. Haruhi couldn't wait for the ten course dinner!
"Haru-chan, Haru-chan! You look wonderful!" Hunny jumped about excitedly. He was clad in a simple light blue suit complete with a bright pink bow tie. Mori, dressed handsomely in a dark green shirt and black silk tie, nodded firmly. "Look!" Hunny pointed one enthusiastic finger at a steaming plate of deep fried crabs. "It's seafood themed!"
"REALLY?" Haruhi almost fainted at the line of dishes being brought in. There were giant lobsters, stacks of fresh prawns drizzled with mouth watering sauces, tender slices of barramundi, salmon, trout…every type of fish imaginable!
Not only the food was fabulous but gazing up at the ceiling was like looking up into sun filtered waters. Haruhi started to feel hazy at the myriad of dancing lights threaded through the ceiling.
"Haruhi."
Startled at that cool voice, Haruhi shook her head and blinked several times. Slowly the man before her came into view. Black. Dark blue. Those colours dominated his evening wear. "Kyouya-sempa," she hesitated. She hadn't seen him for the past week. Since the Host Club was closed (due to "conflicting interests" Tamaki had explained), she hadn't had the opportunity. She had looked of course, but the Shadow King, appropriately named, was always hard to find.
"I look forward to dancing with you later tonight," he bowed slightly and left to attend to his Prom partner: some daughter of a rich and influential family.
She frowned, her mind ticking away. "You're not really angry with me are you?"
For once, Tamaki was not squealing around and fantasying like an idiot. He was seriously quite taken by how Haruhi looked.
"Haruhi," he breathed and took her hand. She spun around, and her eyes looked at him cautiously. He smiled and stepped back. "You look great."
"Thank you," she replied, touching at her low neckline self consciously. "It looks like Kyouya arranged for a rather feminine outfit."
"It looks good," he laughed. Out of pure generosity, he ripped out the red rose pinned to his white collar and offered it to her dramatically.
"No thanks," Haruhi tried to smother her laugh at the crushed and defeated look on his face. "But you need that rose to hide the hole you've just made in your collar."
"GAH!"
"Is it Fujioka Haruhi?" A soft voice asked. Haruhi peered curiously at the dainty girl who had appeared next to Tamaki. Her hair was silky black in contrast to Tamaki's glossy blonde. She wore a white full length Victorian style dress, matching Tamaki's suit. Light pink roses were threaded through the dress.
"Ah," Tamaki coughed lightly. "Let me introduce my Prom Partner. It's Princess Sakura. She is not from Ouran, but I know her through family friends."
"Princess," Haruhi bowed respectfully. She couldn't believe she was meeting another real princess. But what could you expect from Tamaki's acquaintances? "I'm pleased to meet you. Welcome to the Ouran Prom."
She smiled prettily. "Thank you." Then she giggled. "It's hard to tell you're actually a boy from what you're wearing."
Haruhi raised her eyebrows. "You look great too, Princess." She decided to give a complement. To Tamaki's utter horror, the princess blushed.
Where was Renge, the self proclaimed manageress of the Host Club? Why wasn't she clamoring around the host club members? Why wasn't she herding the fangirls in their direction and managing an event that would make Haruhi's hair stand on end? Well, it wasn't as if she hadn't planned anything. She was distracted you see.
She had utterly, completely, fully, fallen head over heels, in love, with a tall dark handsome masked stranger.
"Oh…" Renge clutched at his dark sleeves. Her flushed face was a haze of admiration and madness. "Will you dance with me?" she whispered. He turned to look at her. Renge fainted immediately.
I've had the tall, dark, handsome, stranger
I've had the devil in disguise
I've been attracted to the danger
I was never satisfied
I know what I want and I want what I see in your eyes…
[Tall, dark, handsome Stranger, song performed by Heart.
Renge was living in her wildest dreams. She was waltzing across the floor, hanging off the arms of her dream man. A single spotlight followed them. They were alone, in a murmuring crowd, dancing away. She put tentative fingers to the edge of his fancy mask. The black screen covered his eyes. "Take the mask off for me. I want to see your eyes." Without registering the sudden terror fuelling through his body, nor the hoarse shout of "No Don't!" Renge pulled his mask off with a flourish. She was in dream land. She was standing in a spotlight, and here everyone would see her dream man's face at last.
A spotlight.
A very strong spotlight.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nekozawa, screaming his eyes off, fled like a deer caught in headlights.
"Nekozawa?" Renge stared after him with wide eyes. "Neko…" her face became full of love and dreams. Blinded by her refreshed fantasies, she didn't see him crumple to the floor outside.
–too-much-light- The Black magic club master grimaced and swore for revenge.
"WHAT THE HELL?" People screamed. A thousand live bats crashed through the great hall. They dropped magic potions everywhere.
From a beautiful hall of light chatter, laughter, even intimacy…it was immediately transformed into choas, screams and purple smoke.
One mysterious potion dropped straight on Haruhi's head.
"HARUHI!!!" Six men shouted.
Neko's magic potion:
To change a person's personality until it is the complete opposite
"Oh no!" Hunny exclaimed. The dripping label slid off to the floor with a thwack. Haruhi moaned.
A/N: I made up a lot of the fashion and food…forgive me. xP Thanks go to sportielle who suggested a RengexNeko pairing. Comments/suggestions/crit greatly appreciated. Merry xmas everyone!
lu.e3