As the doors began to open, whispers of astonishment could be heard every where. The entire hall was heavily decorated, jewels and masks on the walls, gorgeous curtains that almost touched the floors and extended to the very top of the windows. There were five tables lined up against one wall with expensive food dishes covering every inch of tabletop, three giant bowls of the finest non-alcoholic beverages, and mints could be found in smaller bowls at each table. The hall was dimly lit and there were candle sets of three extending from the walls like torches. At the far end of the hall there were two large sets of stairs with red carpet rolled down them. The two sets of stairs wound up to meet in the center, creating a large circular stage at the top. On the ground between the two sets of stairs was a small pit in which the orchestra was playing a very soft, slow tune as the guests gathered. The stage was closed off by a large set of deep red curtains like a theater, and standing in the center of the stage was Tamaki. He was dressed in a navy blue dress jacket that had gold fringes with buttons similar to a marching band uniform, but much more formal. He wore a gold mask with blue beads and red, blue, and gold feathers on the sides. In his hand he held a single rose. 'Here we go!' he thought.

"Welcome!" He began, "As promised, the Midnight Masquerade is finally here. Refreshments are on the left wall for your enjoyment and there will be several activities to participate in through the night. I speak for the entire Host Club when I say 'Thank-you for joining us this evening, your attendance is our pleasure.' I'm sure you all are wondering about the main event?"

All the girls waited in suspense, several boys in the audience looked slightly confused.

"At our last major event, the Christmas Party, the lady who danced the best won a kiss on the cheek from our own Haruhi Fujioka, with a slight twist." He laughed. "This year there is also a twist for you lovely ladies, and kind gentlemen. As you can see, the other members are currently in hiding. We will be among you, hidden by our masks, dancing and playing. The lady who can first identify the other five club members, or the most members, before the end of the night wins a date with their favorite member. To prove you have identified each member without giving them away to the rest of our guests, discretely ask if it is the member you think it is. You only get one guess per dance. If you are correct, they will give you a pearl, and each member's pearl is a different color. I know you ladies will do well."

"As for the gentlemen," Tamaki smiled and had to pause as the girls all screamed with giddy joy at the idea, "If each of you could take a number tag and pin it to your jackets to begin, the one who gains the most ladies' hands for a dance, combined with the most compliments on his abilities to do so, will become eligible to enter as a new member of the Host Club."

He put both arms in the air dramatically, bowing as he had when he first announced the Masquerade. This time the girls giggled and cheered and the boys clapped wildly. Being a member of the elite Host Club was an honor at Ouran, only the most handsome and rich were hand selected by Tamaki.

The orchestra began a new song as Tamaki walked down the right set of stairs gracefully. At the bottom he immediately bowed to the first girl he saw and asked for her hand while offering her the rose. She giggled and accepted, and they began to dance. Seeing this as a sign that the game had begun, several boys began requesting girls' hands for the dance. Most of them were accepted, one or two were politely turned down due to their lack of charm. Those few gave up, but one boy that had been rejected stood out from the rest. Tamaki watched him attempt to lure the girl back in while Tamaki danced with his own guest. He could barely hear them, but from what he heard, he was slightly impressed.

"You tell me no, but your smile betrays you." He pressed, now getting on his knee to look up at her while taking hold of one of her hands, "I promise, it'll be fun." He was whispering now, "Just… one… dance." The words were soft and almost seductive; he never broke eye contact through his mask.

"Heh... Oh my, well... Maybe this one." It was obvious she was a shy girl. She smiled, blushing, and followed him. As they began to dance, a big grin spread across his face.

'Who is he?' Tamaki wondered, but continued his dance.


The twins were separated for the sake of the game, and while one would be sipping punch the other would be dancing. Hikaru looked over to see his brother dancing with a girl across the room. She had short black hair, and for a second Hikaru was sure she was a fan of Hunny. He made of a game of trying to guess the different people, but realized it was harder than it seemed. This was especially true because he never cared about other people, and never noticed much about them.

"You won't win the game if you stand around drinking punch all night," a girl laughed as she reached for a glass, "Don't want to be a Host?"

"Just taking a small break." He said, bored.

"You don't sound excited to be here… maybe that means you are already a host!" She beamed, excited.

"Uh…" Hikaru panicked a little, "I just don't see anyone I want to ask yet."

"Oh." She was disappointed, and he smiled smugly. He didn't lie, he just avoided her accusation. "What about that girl?" She pointed to a girl leaning against the wall. The girl was obviously having a terrible time.

"Fine." He made his way through the crowd.

On his way, a girl with a big pink bow walked up to Hikaru and asked him to dance. He looked over the girl's shoulder while dancing to see the other girl he was going to ask was being asked by someone else. He didn't recognize the guy, which didn't surprise him. The boy's hair was brown and messy, in a purposeful way, and about the same length as his. He was wearing black dress pants, which Hikaru could tell weren't name brand, and a black and red jacket with coat tails. The jacket had pins on it and looked more punked out than most of the guests' attire. Hikaru wasn't sure what to make of him. 'I didn't know kids at our school wore that sort of thing, is he a commoner?' He stared as the boy got closer to the girl.

"Youdon't have to be afraid to dance. I'm not perfect at it, and we are all human here." He smiled warmly.
Reaching out for her hand, he tried again, "It'll be worth it. Let's go."
"Okay…" The girl seemed hesitant but took his hand and they began to dance.

'So he is a smooth talker…' Noticing Kaoru head toward the refreshments, he continued dancing with the girl. It was funny how even hidden behind a mask, he could tell it was Kaoru from a mile away. The girl he was dancing with was outgoing and laughed a lot, occasionally asking a question. Her voice seemed very familiar.

"So… are you a twin?" She asked after they were done. "Your height fits and the laughter seems mischievous enough."

"You have to be more specific," He smiled, a bit shocked by her observation, "And only one guess per dance, so you'll have to wait now." He bowed and moved along. She watched him as he walked away; she was probably trying to guess which one he was for when he asked her to dance again.

'I wonder where Haruhi is…' he thought, looking around. Ever since he and Kaoru had talked, she had been on his mind even more. How would he act around her now that it was said out loud like that? He felt his palms start to sweat and tried to focus on fitting into the crowd instead of Haruhi. As he was walking, he noticed Hunny dancing with a girl. After a moment he handed her a pearl form his pocket. Another girl danced with him and received a pearl as well. They were practically lined up.

'That's practically given. The real challenge will be me and Kaoru. Mori is taller than most and easily spotted, although Kyouya could also be a challenge... But Haruhi will be the most difficult of all.' He laughed to himself. He was making sure while he danced and walked around to keep an eye out for her. He had to win that kiss, even if it was on the cheek, especially if it meant irritating Milord.



Haruhi felt heavy in her make-up, heels, mask and giant dress. She did fit in well as far as appearances went, but she couldn't dance as a girl. She had only practiced as a boy. She wasn't quite sure how long she would be able to keep from dancing. She hated having to turn someone down and hurt their feelings, but at the same time she didn't want to give herself away. 'No one's luck is quite like mine…' she sighed.

"Care to dance?" A familiar voice asked, extending his hand.

"I-I don't dance much." She said, a strange feeling to run away came over her.

"Are you saying you will not take this dance?" He asked, bending down to look at her. Through her mask she analyzed him. 'Kyouya! Oh crap!'

"I would love to." She smiled, taking his hand. 'He would expect me to say no, hopefully this throws him off.'

They danced for two or three minutes, and Haruhi kept trying to look down and away from his piercing eyes. The shadow king wasn't stupid, and he was also not bad at dancing. He was practically holding her up, keeping her from her clumsy footwork. He leaned down towards her at the end of the song and whispered, "It wouldn't be interesting to end it just yet." He smiled. A chill went down her spine before she sighed in relief. 'He must be waiting for something.'

"Thank-you for your dance." He said, no longer whispering. He bowed and walked away. Another girl began dancing with him and he handed her a pearl. She must have been a costumer of his to recognize him so quickly. She put the pearl in a tiny bag where two others already existed. 'She got Hunny and Mori, too.' Haruhi noticed. Her hair was up in an extravagant hairdo, topped with a big pink bow. The girl, whose mask was also big with feathers and glitter, looked towards her.

"ZOMG YOU REALLY ARE A CROSSDRE-" shocked by the sudden burst, Haruhi lost balance and fell forward onto the girl.

"W-wha-!?!" Haruhi exclaimed. The girl got up, watching Haruhi closely as she got up as well. Her eyes twinkled as she stared Haruhi down. A few people had stopped to look but continued what they were doing. The girl got close to Haruhi.

"Fujioka Haruhi." She pointed proudly, "Why didn't you tell me you were into that!?" She had little hearts floating around her head.

"Renge!?" Haruhi gulped. She tried to think of a way out of it, "No, no it's me! Remember? You mistook me for Haruhi once before. I'm his cousin from the last party."
"Ah~ No!" Renge clenched her chest assuming the failure position, "I was so sure!"
"Aha, sorry." Haruhi scratched her head nervously.

"How many pearls do you have? Which member do you want a date with?" Renge slammed her with questions, obviously excited by the game.

"Well I don't have any, I wasn't really playing…" she replied.

Renge looked distracted, "Hold that thought." She left to dance with a boy. 'Is that Kaoru… no it's Hikaru.' Haruhi thought. 'She really is an otaku…,'

"Hello, would you allow me this dance?" a boy with messy brown hair and a black mask with red beads extended his hand towards her. The voice was familiar, but he wasn't a host. 'Who is this guy…,' she wondered.
"I don't know, I'm not good at dancing." She replied.

"You don't have to be afraid to dance. I'm not perfect at it, and we are all human here." He smiled warmly.
Reaching out for her hand, he tried again "It'll be worth it. Let's go."
"Okay…" Haruhi said hesitantly, but took his hand and began to dance.