Hey guys. It's Sophia... So sorry doesn't exactly make up for my lack of writing in the past months... Heh... Heh. Hopefully this chapter will. Just as promised, fan suggested twist 3 Yay for drama! Enjoy
Just added a couple of the line thingies to make it a little clearer.
Due to much improvisation on the part of both twins, the so called Tragedy of the Twin Tailors transformed, most unexpectedly, into a great comedy, where the supposedly dead Morsus (played by Hikaru) came back to life as a zombie and spent the remaining ten minutes of the play reciting a love poem to his brother Malum (Kaoru).
Indeed, even the instructors found that they could not contain their laughter through certain lines, and it was of overwhelming consent that the abridged version had been an acceptable performance, despite its obvious deviation from formal drama.
Nearly five thousand students poured from the wide mouth of the theatre into the ballroom, where glittering blue lights cast spell-like beauty over a wide, marble dance-floor. Additionally, for the decoration committee was comprised entirely of BBN members, Ouran colors were displayed in the drapes and table-cloths, and a large banner hosting Ouran's crest sat proudly on the back wall, which was curved to accommodate an enormous dining area, adjacent to the ballroom.
This party would serve three purposes: first, it would mark the end of the semester; next, it would (and this was unanimously agreed upon) welcome the host club; and most importantly, it would present mid-year awards to two members of each division, whom the teachers and instructors had selected for dedication, inspiration, and excellence.
Buzz of possible candidates for each of these prestigious awards circulated throughout every conversation as if it were a living, breathing embodiment, traveling from table to table with sparkling eyes and shining hair.
Haruhi, having lost the other members of the host club in the crowd, pressed herself neatly into a corner where she waited patiently for the rush to subside. Her brown eyes darted from guest to guest, all clad in elegant formal wear of every color and style. Above her, hundreds of tiny blue lights cast their unobtrusive glow onto each face, painting them with artful shadows and lending each pair of eyes sparkle. A melodic waltz seemed to resonate from the walls themselves, and this was most likely the case; nothing would come as a surprise in this strange world.
With feline grace and silence, Mister Cat appeared at Haruhi's side. "Seating will begin shortly," he purred, "but as you look a bit bewildered, I'll escort you to your seat now if you'd like." Haruhi's nerves slowly receded.
"Yes please," she smiled sheepishly. The dance instructor politely offered his arm, and she took it, grateful that he had appeared.
"And here we are," the cat smiled, pulling out a sky blue, satin-cloaked chair of the foremost table. Haruhi sat carefully, ensuring that the layers of her dress fell in a favorable manner as she did so.
"Thank you," she sighed most sincerely. Mister cat took her carefully manicured hand in his, inclined his head, and kissed it lightly.
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Haruhi," he hummed contentedly. Honey, Mori, Tamaki, and Kyoya appeared in her peripheral vision. "It seems that the rest of your party is making their way in, so I'll take my leave now. Enjoy yourself." The cat chuckled. "And relax your shoulders or they'll be quite stiff tomorrow." Haruhi noted their tension and released them, as well as a number of other muscles in her face, immediately feeling calmer and less anxious. She smiled.
Draped with icy, white satin, the round table seemed to glow under the chandeliers. Hand-painted, gold-leafed table wear adorned the space in front of each seat, and a gold place-card sat dutifully in the middle of each plate.
Haruhi admired the smooth, flowing, hand-drawn lines that illustrated, rather than read, her own full name. A slight statured, so that it would not disrupt conversation, royal purple flower arrangement adorned the center of the table.
"My poor, lovely daughter!" Tamaki's melodramatic tone met her ears, startling her out of the daze. "Daddy is so sorry he lost you in the crowd, isn't he Mommy!" Haruhi's eyes found Kyoya, whose face twisted with slight discomfort at the nickname.
"Tamaki, with all due respect, we are at a dinner party. Must you really call me that?" The flamboyant blonde looked utterly dejected as he sunk into his place at the table.
Several moments later, however, Tamaki, to his great satisfaction, discovered he was seated next to Haruhi; his head lifted and delight animated his bright, lilac eyes. The twins' arrival was marked by casual applause from newly dazzled fans. They sat down simultaneously, amber eyes gleaming with mischief, and completed the table party. Haruhi looked around. Each member of the club was alluringly dressed according to a central theme of metallic colors. Honey and Mori both wore silver ties while Hikaru and Kaoru sported copper. Both Kyoya and Tamaki wore gold. Honey and Mori and Hikaru and Kaoru had been seated in their respective pairs, whereas Tamaki and Kyoya sat on either side of Haruhi.
"Awe look," Hikaru chimed.
"The happy family is seated together," Kaoru finished. "Daddy, daughter, and Mommy."
"What a perfect arrangement," they noted together, smirking all the while.
Kyoya's cold eyes narrowed considerably as he flashed the twins a glare that unsettled even Mori, who quietly wrapped a hand around Honey's to comfort the whimpering boy. For the first time in the years she'd spent with the host club, the two red-headed twins instantly shut their mouths and erased their ever-present smirks.
"What's wrong with you?" Hikaru hissed to Kyoya. "You've been acting weird all day." Kaoru said, most uncharacteristically, nothing. If the Shadow King's behavior had changed, Haruhi had not noticed the difference. As if to confirm the twins' claims, Kyoya's composed expression slipped; something had snapped within him.
With notable emotional distress, the raven haired boy snapped back. "Aside from the fact that we are currently sitting in a foreign world having dinner with talking animals without regard for the people who are probably looking for us back in Japan, nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong, Hikaru." Then Kyoya forced his chair out with unnecessary strength, shaking the table, and strode swiftly away from the table.
Haruhi looked to Tamaki, bewildered by Kyoya's sudden outburst and worried about him at the same time. The prince glanced tentatively around the table before he inclined his head very close to Haruhi's and, in the smallest whisper he could manage, explained the situation, additionally, but by accident, giving away the secret, which had already been half ruined do to his loose tongue. Haruhi's face went deathly pale, but sympathy for Kyoya promptly overwhelmed her own discomfort. Then, she glanced over a neighboring table where Ahiru, Fakir, Lillie, Pike, and two others whose names she did not know, but who she had seen with Ahiru before, sat, chatting politely, smiles on their faces. Ahiru met her eyes, giving a small wave. Faking a smile, Haruhi waved back and returned to the dilemma at hand.
Try as she could, the small brunette girl could not shun anxiety from her mind for a single second; she ate little and did not taste her food, talked little and did not listen fully, and panicked internally.
After the desert had been served mostly consumed, a voice sounded over the crowed. Both magic and the room's acoustics enhanced its volume.
"I hope you have all enjoyed dinner and conversation. We will now present awards and, following a special performance from our dance department, the ball will begin." The man on the orchestra stage smiled warmly as applause sounded through the space. "Please give a warm welcome to Mrs. Hippo, who will present the visual arts awards." Not surprisingly, the next figure to appear onstage was, indeed, a hippopotamus. Lavish sapphire tulle cascaded down around her figure. Several fat diamonds rested at her neck and two more lounged at her small, rounded ears. She began speaking as soon as she had reached center stage.
"This semester's visual arts department has been truly incredible, and it is with great honor that I present the following awards to two hard-working, inspired, and talented students of mine. This semester's awards of excellence go to Miss Hermia and Mr. Lysander." Every department cheered, though not quite as loudly as the visual arts department, when the two stepped onto the stage and received their awards.
"I'm glad Lysander got the visual arts award, aren't you Mori?" Honey giggled. Mori tilted his head down to meet Honey's eyes, and with a surprisingly tender face, smiled warmly.
Haruhi observed the two smiling winners. The girl, Hermia, had short red hair and large brown eyes. Pink chiffon hung over her slight figure. Lysander was tall, with blonde hair and deep-set blue eyes. His tie matched Hermia's dress.
After a few moments of applause, the two bowed and took their seats again.
The first man returned to the stage, adjusting his bow tie. "Next, Mr. Estecho will present awards for the music department.
"Good evening," a low voice boomed forth from a small, mousy looking man. "While all of my pupils have worked extremely hard in the past few months, and while each and every one is very talented, I believe that Miss Carmen and Mr. Cantus have earned this semester's awards for achievement."
Drama awards followed, and Ms. Lizard stepped to the stage, claws clicking on the marble.
"Tonight's dramatic awards," she announced in a boisterous, swooping voice, "are presented to my most passionate, heartfelt actors, Miss Beatus and Mr. Tristis." During the applause, a small badger appeared behind Haruhi and tapped the girl's delicate shoulder gently with a filed claw. Haruhi turned. "The ballet recital piece is next," whispered the badger. "While Mr. Cat presents the dance awards, you can get ready back stage." As the badger walked away, Haruhi felt a knot of butterflies form in her stomach, fluttering and aching unpleasantly. She excused herself quietly and caught eye of Ahiru, Lillie, Pike, Fakir, and a white-haired boy, who were also heading backstage. This fact appeased her some but did not completely settle her nerves.
When the Haruhi and the rest arrived backstage, Ahiru, Lillie, Pike, Fakir, and the second boy immediately grabbed their costumes and darted into separately curtained areas, where they changed at an alarming rate and appeared before her again. By then, most of the dance crew stood before her, stretching in their cream costumes. Haruhi noted that her dress almost exactly matched the girls' costumes, save for the train, collar, and flowers, and ornamental keys.
A flustered backstage director appeared before Haruhi and presented her with a pair of off-white point shoes, embroidered with gold thread and laced with crystals.
"These are yours," the director noted.
"Umm, okay," Haruhi replied, accepting the shoes.
The duck like girl appeared next to her. "But Haruhi's never been up on point!" Ahiru exclaimed nervously. While Haruhi certainly had not done anything difficult on point, Mister Cat had, in his lessons, dedicated thirty minutes of their two blocks to teaching her basic exercises on toe shoes. Once, and to the cat's unending delight, she had delivered a passable pirouette on them, closing softly to fifth.
Haruhi, despite this, was none too pleased to put on the shoes; the first week she had worn a similar pair, Haruhi had felt more pain than she suspected she ever would again. Apprehensively, she turned the silky shoes over in her hands.
"Good grief," she murmured.
Quite suddenly, the director's face lit, and he produced a pouch of lamb's-wool from his pocket, handing it to Haruhi, as he answered promptly, "I was instructed to give these to Miss Haruhi by Mister Cat. He sends his luck and says not to worry. She's not going to be up on these… Not without considerable support at least. And the recital is only ten minutes long; she'll survive."
The director's words did not alleviate Haruhi's anxiety nor Ahiru's confusion, but the duck-girl decided not to question.
"Well, we'd better get those on you," Ahiru smiled. "You're so lucky," she sighed, spying the bag of wool. "Mister Cat never lets his classes use any padding in the toes."
"Ahiru, you'd better not try to tie those," Pike cut in. "Or we'll end up having to cut them off of Haruhi's feet." Truthfully, none of the girls knew how to tie point shoes any better than Ahiru did.
"Oh no! Poor Haruhi, losing her feet to Duck's mistake," Lillie chimed dramatically.
"This is more trouble than it's worth," Haruhi muttered.
"Let me tie those," a soft, calming male's voice said. Haruhi looked around and located the source; it was the silver-haired boy. He wore a tailored smile on his lips, and his eyes sparkled.
Duck's eyes widened. "Oh, Mytho, you're going to tie her shoes?" The boy, Mytho, nodded.
"Alright, sit," Pike instructed Haruhi, pulling over a chair.
Haruhi watched as the small, graceful boy wrapped the long, silk ribbons fittingly around her ankles. He then rolled up the ends and tucked them underneath the top wrap carefully, ensuring that they did not peek through. When Mytho had finished, he smiled gently and got to his feet, giving a slight bow. Haruhi thanked him, and, as the boy traveled glided across the floor backstage, she tuned back in to the ceremony. She wondered how Kyoya was.
"And lastly, Mister Cat will present our dance awards." Gracefully, the purring cat waltzed up, grooming his whiskers with a gloved paw.
"As you all know these awards are presented to the most driven, outstanding, and inventive students… The first of my awards goes to a student who has danced under my instruction for twelve years now. Miss Rue, if you would please join me on stage." Time was allowed for cheering and clapping, and when most of the noise had subsided and Rue had taken her seat, Mister Cat proceeded. "Now, this semester, I felt it appropriate to give an award to a student of mine who joined quite late and, regrettably, will depart soon as well. Please honor a student who shows extraordinary theory, dedication, passion, aptitude, and grace, Mr. Kyoya Ootori."
The prince glanced tentatively around the table before he inclined his head very close to Haruhi's and, in the smallest whisper he could manage, explained the situation. "A long time ago, when Kyoya and I first met," Tamaki recalled, "he was passionate about dance. His mother and all the staff (Haruhi assumed Tamaki meant the Ootori family's various maids, butlers, waiters, cooks, gardeners, and governesses) supported him, but when his father found out, Kyoya was severely punished. Kyoya's dad told him dancing was only for girls; sure, he may look strong, cool, and composed, but he took that to heart and he hasn't been the same since. Who knows… Maybe that's why he put up all those walls." Tamaki paused a moment then continued. "I found out he'd joined the dance department when he didn't show up to the music building the first few days of class."
"But senpai, I still don't understand," Haruhi whispered back. "Why's he so upset?" Tamaki leaned over again.
"You've been practicing a routine in ballet class, right?"
"Yeah," the female host answered. "That's for the fall recital though… At least I thought it was."
"Well," Tamaki sighed. "The dance department is performing it tonight; Ms. Lizard asked me to play piano with the orchestra." Haruhi's stomach sank at his words. "The dance instructor chose Kyoya as the male soloist… And you're his dance partner." What had previously been slight nausea progressed swiftly to full on sickness as Haruhi digested his words.
After a considerable deal of applause, a faint looking Kyoya appeared backstage instantaneously disappeared into one of the curtained areas, reappearing in full costume...without glasses. Haruhi wandered over to his side.
"Are you alright, Senpai?" She asked.
"I'm fine," he answered bluntly.
"So you're going to go through with this?" Haruhi knew his answer, but she asked anyway.
Kyoya closed his eyes, inhaled, and released again.
"I agreed to join the dance department, and this is my responsibility as a member." He stared at the wall for a moment then turned looked back, only to find her breathing shallow and uneven, her eyes turned down to the floor. "Relax," he sighed. "You practiced your part with Mister Cat, correct?" Haruhi turned her eyes up to meet Kyoya's.
"Well, yeah…but—"
"I'm not going to drop you if that's what you're worrying about." The raven-haired boy chuckled, a deep, sonorous tone.
"No, I trust you, senpai," she stuttered. "I don't know if I can do this though…" Kyoya smiled… He actually, really smiled. And then he did something even more absurd. Strong, flexible arms encircled the small brunette girl, pulling her into a warm, gentle embrace. Haruhi felt Kyoya's slow, even heartbeat against her cheek, and, after the momentary daze the gesture had left her in, she allowed the rhythm to lull her into peace until her own heart-rate perfectly synchronized with his.
"Curtain, everybody," the backstage director announced. Kyoya released the girl's slight form slowly, Making sure none of the buttons on his costume had caught in her extensions or on her costume.
"Just follow and smile," Kyoya instructed her.
Even as the curtain rose on the dancers, Haruhi remained calm, almost completely divided from reality.
The dance began slowly, with easy steps, an even rhythm, and little movement. However, even as the tempo increased, the steps following in complexity and drama, following was as easy as it had been to begin with. With Kyoya's ever present support, turns became exceedingly easy. In fact, he more lifted her than turned her… At least, she did not feel much pressure on her toes.
As the music approached its finish, Haruhi's heart began to race; their dance ended in a lift. Nervous though she was, Haruhi did not delay in her last step.
The petite dancer's foot left the floor, and the entire room stilled. One moment stretched the span of an hour. Forks became instruments of infinite beauty and grace, people became arrangements of different colored squares, slightly uneven streaks of shade and light.
Astounded by how easily Kyoya had lifted her, Haruhi gave a small smile. The music ended and the lights faded down.
Kyoya lowered the girl gently to the ground, maintaining a hand at her waist until she had righted her balance. Immediately, Haruhi's toes began to throb and ache from having been tightly crammed into the boxes of the slippers.
"You have to wear those for one more minute and then you can take them off," Kyoya reassured her.
Later on, Haruhi realized that she did not remember taking a bow, and this was most likely a result of her adrenaline-shocked system.
Directly after the curtain dropped, Haruhi sank to the floor and began tugging at the ribbons.
"Great… They won't come undone…" She muttered. Tamaki appeared at her side, startling her slightly.
"Please, allow me," the all-too-willing blonde offered.
"Oh, thanks," she smiled. He smiled back, lavender eyes glittering.
"You danced wonderfully," Tamaki complimented.
"Actually, senpai, it was mostly Kyoya." Tamaki finished had finished unlacing her shoes, so he slipped then tenderly off her feet. Haruhi stretched her toes, grateful to be free of the constricting slippers. "He really does love dancing, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Tamaki answered.
Across the stage, Haruhi could see Fakir and Kyoya talking. At first, their conversation started out calm, casual; however, it soon elevated to a heated argument, ending in Kyoya leaving and Fakir swearing under his breath.
"I'll go find Kyoya," Tamaki sighed, jogging after the Shadow King at a brisk pace. Haruhi approached Fakir cautiously.
"I can't believe that bastard. What kind of a person does he think he is?" Fakir growled.
"Umm, Fakir," Haruhi began. "Is everything alright?" The boy's face had contorted into something frightful, anger mixed with jealousy and sadness at the same time.
"Talk to your 'dance partner,'" he spat.
The small brunette's eyebrows furrowed as she played with a mock gold key hanging from the bodice of her dress. "What did senpai say to you that was so bad?" She asked politely.
"I told him he should continue with ballet, but he refused. He said dancing was only for girls," Fakir hissed. Haruhi felt a pain of empathy for both boys, each so similar, yet so different. Haruhi imagined that if Kyoya's father had allowed him to continue dancing, he and Fakir would be identical in personality. "Drosselmeyer can turn him into a puppet for all I care." Though Haruhi wasn't sure who Drosselmeyer was, she could not deny the bitter, lethal loathing in Fakir's voice.
Feeling defensive, Haruhi pleaded Kyoya's case. "He only said that because it's what his father told him when he made Kyoya stop dancing!" She shot back. "He wants to; he loves it. You can see it in his eyes, so please don't think badly of him," she whimpered.
"Whatever," Fakir growled. "It isn't like I care what he does with his life."
Haruhi stomped away, back out into the mass of swirling dresses and laughing voices. Barefoot, she sprinted back to the dorms, threw open the door of Ahiru's room, pulled out her extensions, and burst into tears as she lied down on the bed.
She cried over Fakir's harsh words and she cried from her own exhaustion, but most of all, she cried out of sympathy for Kyoya, whose hurting she could not hope to cure.
This chapter was really fun to write, but I'm very bummed that Haruhi left the party early, because I wanted a walzing scene :( Oh well. I'll have to figure out a way to work one in sometime. Just gives me more motivation to write. Yay 3
Review if you like it. Or if you don't... But please don't crush all my hopes and dreams... Or I would have to cry, and my face isn't pretty when I cry, and it'll probably result in my having wrinkles before I'm twenty. And if I have wrinkles before I'm twenty, I won't ever get a date, so I won't ever get married, which means I'll become depressed, and then the medication I take for my depression will make me sleepy and then I'll fall asleep and have weird nightmares and wake up screaming in the middle of the night, and you will hear it.
So if you don't want me to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, please don't crush ALL my hopes and dreams... You can step on a few...
Sophia