The person hummed happily as he approached the link board on his wall. A malicious smirk spread across his face as he uncapped a sharpie, and crossed off Tamaki Suoh's name from his list. One person close to Haruhi was successfully taken away from her, and he didn't even have to kill them. The person didn't want to kill Tamaki, he was actually fond of the idiot Host Club king. However, that doesn't mean he didn't want him to suffer. He was dating Haruhi after all, and the person couldn't allow that. Also, if he did kill Tamaki, Haruhi would mourn and paint him in a good light. Maybe even do the whole "My one true love died and I will never fall in love again." Type of bull shit. He was hoping that her being together with him for five years would make her realize how awful of a pairing they were, but even though Haruhi was intelligent, she was always a dense woman. Now, she could finally be with someone perfect for her.
The person bit the cap of the marker and stared at the other names of the remaining host club members. Now he had to devise a plan to slow down the others. They have been creating a protective circle around her, and even though he thought he could sneak his way in now, it was too risky. They were all smart. If he made his move on Haruhi and succeeded then all of the killings suddenly stopped, and everyone's attention would be on him. Even though it pained him, he had to take it slow, as well as get rid of all the obstacles that would be in his way.
He picked up a blade that was on his desk and began fiddling it with his hands as he stared at each host club member, trying to decide which one to go over next. He needed to strip the heavy armor first, layer by layer until he reached his dear sweet Haruhi in the middle. He couldn't decide though, he already knew how to get rid of one of them with ease. Just something to make them sick, but the others. It was going to be harder. Although, it was obvious who had the most power.
He threw his dagger toward the board, and it pierced through the picture of his next victim dead center. He had gotten really good at his aim. Now he had to come up with a plan. This was not going to be as easy as the others. This victim was smart and collected. He knew how to react in stressful situations, but could he react that way when his life was on the line…or the people he cared about? But oh, what could he do..?
The person popped some gum in his mouth and leaned on the desk, trying to come up with an idea. He picked up a random object, a lighter he had stolen from Seika's house, and began twirling it in his fingers. He needed his next plan to be a big bang. If he failed this one, it would be certain the police would be on his ass, so it had to be perfect. No mistakes were allowed to be made if he wanted to get to his end goal of being with his beloved.
He opened the lighter and began flicking it on and off until he realized something. He stopped and looked at the lighter in his hand, then used his thumb to spark the flame to life. While looking at the bright orange flame an idea came to mind. God, he was such a fucking genius. This would be a perfect way to get rid of a ton of people at once. Now he just had to think of a way to get everyone he needed together all at once. He drummed his fingers along the wood of the desk. He knew someone who could get a trailer or something along the lines of that he could use. He just had to make sure that their name wouldn't be on it so it couldn't be traced back to him. He could steal someone's card, it wouldn't be too hard.
He pulled out one of his many burner phones and dialed the person in question. After a few rings, the person finally answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I think I have an idea of how we can get rid of our next victim."
The person on the other line was silent for a short moment before finally answering, "Who is it?"
The person got up from the desk and walked back to the board, picking the photo off of the board of his next victim. His smirk returned to his face as he stared down at the photo.
"Kyoya Ootori."
…
Haruhi hated to admit it, but she was a mess. It had been three days since she had found out that Tamaki had been cheating on her and she had not left her house. Tamaki had tried contacting her the day after the event, trying to explain to her his side but she wouldn't answer him. The twins, who have been by her side almost every day, said she should just block him. Haruhi was debating if she should, in her heart, she still hoped that this was all just some sick nightmare, but Hikaru wouldn't have it and blocked Tamaki on her phone for her. All the other club members reached out to her, asking how she was. Either the twins or Tamaki had told them what had happened. She didn't respond right away, when she did she just gave them vague answers. The only people she allowed to see her were the twins, mainly because they always forced their way in, but also since Hikaru had just recently lost his partner, he was the only one who could understand the loss she was feeling.
Hikaru has been going out of his way to be there for her. Bringing her food, and fresh clothes, and even though he and Kaoru weren't the best at cleaning, they tried to clean her apartment. She was grateful for them because even though her dad was the one who took care of her during the day, she knew she would just be lying all night in bed if the twins weren't there with her. It seems like those were the only parts of her day that she actually enjoyed.
"I brought soup." Hikaru grinned when Haruhi opened the door and he held up the plastic bag he brought.
She allowed him in and he made his way to the kitchen to put the food down. She then noticed that he was alone.
"Where is Kaoru?" Haruhi asked.
"He's at the meeting with our group for our art project. I was able to get out of it since I'm here with you."
"I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me," Haruhi said as slumped back down on the couch.
Hikaru began rummaging through her cabinets to get bowls and utensils for their food. "It's fine Haruhi, I promise." He reassured her. "Also, if I didn't come over today, would you have even eaten anything since your dad is at work?"
Haruhi just remained silent and that gave Hikaru his answer. He poured Haruhi some tonjiru soup and brought it over to the table. He waved her to come over because he knew she had been sitting in that spot for so many hours each day that her body was beginning to make an indent in the cushions. With a sigh, she got up from the couch and went over to sit at the table. She took the soup into her hands and began stirring it with her spoon as Hikaru sat next to her. She took a few sips of the broth, but it was still hard for her to swallow from the tightening in her throat from the sobs she'd been keeping back.
She looked back up at Hikaru, who was texting on his phone. She couldn't see who from his privacy screen, but assumed it was Kaoru. He seemed to catch her eye and put down his phone.
"How did you do it?" She asked.
He just stared at her blankly. Seeming not to grasp what she was trying to ask. He shifted a bit to lean his arms on the table and began playing around with his phone in his hand. "What do you mean?"
"How did you jump back after Shiori passed?" It was too painful to hold back the tears anymore and Haruhi let them fall. "Tamaki isn't even dead, but I keep mourning him. Even though I hate him, I can't stop crying every time I think about him. About how much we've been together…"
"You're mourning the relationship, not him." Hikaru corrected her. "You guys were together for so long that you two were practically married. I can't imagine being in love with a person for that long only to find out that they were lying all this time."
Hikaru didn't hold any disdain for what Tamaki did. He was still Tamaki's friend, but he wasn't his biggest fan at the moment because of what he did to Haruhi. Both twins had even said they would drop him in an instant if Haruhi wanted them to, but she shouldn't be the one to dictate who they should or shouldn't be friends with. She didn't care, just as long as she didn't need to see Tamaki again.
"As for Shiori," Hikaru continued with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "I guess you can say I'm still not over it. I miss her every day. Miss her smile, her laugh…" Wetness began forming in his eyes from bringing up his late girlfriend. He pressed his lips into a line, seeming to try and hold his emotions back. After a few seconds, he gave Haruhi a sad smile when he trusted himself to be able to speak. "It hasn't gotten easier…but it has gotten more manageable…"
"Hikaru…" Her sobs grew harder and she reached out for him for a hug.
She couldn't believe she even thought that her breaking up with Tamaki was even close to Shiori's death. Tamaki was still alive, even though she didn't plan on seeing him, at least she could. Hikaru wouldn't be able to see Shiori until he passed. The first week she had passed, Haruhi would make sure that Hikaru was taken care of, even if that meant just texting him at night until he went to sleep. Now Hikaru was trying to do the same with her, but here she was being insensitive. Asking him dumb questions like how he got over his girlfriend being murdered. God, she felt like an idiot.
She felt his arms wrap around her waist tightly and heard quiet sniffling. With everything going on, he has been trying to be strong for Haruhi. While at that moment, he was the one who had been suffering the most.
…
Haruhi took the remainder of the week off. She knew that she wouldn't be able to control herself if she saw Tamaki or Megumi. She would either lash out at them in anger or break down when she saw them. She hated feeling this weak over a guy, but it was a guy she pictured herself being with for the rest of her life. The man she gave almost everything to, and he just threw it away as if it meant nothing to him. The twins brought her homework to her every day, and if they were free that afternoon they would hang with her, but a day or two they had some errands to run and couldn't stay long. Those days were the hardest for her. She was starting to heal, but being alone for hours at a time made her thoughts consume her and the vision of her catching Tamaki in bed with another woman would haunt her mind.
She couldn't help but notice how much closer Hikaru and her have gotten since the Monday he came over by himself. It seemed as if they both let their guard down and having their emotions come out made their bond stronger. While he was still following her like a lost puppy, she felt like she was almost doing the same with him. She still was more independent than him, but it felt like she wasn't feeling any type of happiness unless he was there with her. On her first Monday back to school, she didn't go anywhere but her classes. The twins offered to buy her some food at lunch, but she said she would just eat the lunch she brought in the classroom. She didn't want to risk seeing the other host club members today, because wherever they were, Tamaki was most likely with them. The twins understood and said they were going to get their lunches before coming back to eat with her. Haruhi pulled out her bento from her bag and snapped up the lid.
"Do I really have to go to the Halloween party?"
"Yes," Hikaru answered as he opened his drink. "All week you've been cooping yourself at home. You need to get out and do something to distract yourself. Even if it's for a few hours."
"I understand, but do you think a Halloween party, that is being run by the school whose chairman is my ex-boyfriend's father, is the best thing for me to do to start getting out of the house?"
"I know it seems like a big step Haruhi, but we think the party is a good idea." Kaoru tried to assure. "There will be a ton of things to distract you with, so you won't be wallowing in your apartment all night thinking about Tono."
"But won't he be there?" Haruhi began pushing around grains of rice with her chopsticks. "I know it's almost been a week, but I know I still won't be able to face him."
"Don't worry, Kyoya informed us that Tamaki wouldn't attend," Hikaru informed as he reached over and took a piece of chicken from her bento. "He's been out of it since we all caught him in the hotel. Especially after the drug test he took to prove he had been 'drugged' came back negative. I don't think he's even been attending classes now that I think about it."
"And if he does show up for some reason, we'll take you home." Kaoru smiled at her.
"But what about the killer? Isn't having a big social with a madman on the loose a bad idea?"
"Kyoya said the security is going to be extremely tight during the party. No one is allowed to wear a mask or makeup that covers your entire face. The place will be guarded as if the Pope was coming to visit." Hikaru said. "You'll be safe."
Haruhi let out a small hum as she took a bite of some of her food. She didn't want to go, but the twins did have a point. She has been locking herself in her room, refusing to do anything because she feels too depressed. Her father has been begging her to try and get out of the house, even trying to have a girls' day with her over the weekend, but Haruhi refused. She would only leave her house now to go to school and occasionally shop, but for the rest of her time, she would just wallow in her bed. She looked back at the twins, seeing the hope in their eyes that she would go.
She let out a deep sigh. "Fine, I'll go." The twins' faces lit up in huge grins. "But I'll only be there for two hours, three tops. Got that?"
"Yes ma'am." The twins answered her.
"Great, now I have to get a costume too." She grumbled. "Tamaki was always the one who chose what we would be. He always wanted to do a couple costumes every year. It was annoying, but at least I didn't have to find a costume for the Halloween parties he would always drag me to."
"We already got that covered." Hikaru gave her a wink. "Since we plan on being the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera."
"We only thought it would be appropriate that you were Christine." Kaoru finished
Haruhi furrowed her brows at them. Not understanding the costume they had given her. "Christine? Who is that?"
"The female lead in the show." Hikaru gave her a vague answer.
"Don't worry, her costume is not too extravagant. It's just a white dress." Kaoru tried to reassure her. "The worst we'll do is curl your hair and apply some light makeup. Not too much."
"Alright, if it's not too much. I don't want it to feel like I can't breathe from the dress all night."
"You'll be fine. We promise on our lives." Both twins swore confidently.
The sound of the door opening caught the trio's attention and saw Renge walk into the room with Momoka, both holding clipboards.
"Oh, there you three are." Momoka smiled at them. "We are getting everyone costumes for the costume contest that's happening at the party."
"The three of us are going to be Phantom and Christine from The Phantom of the Opera." The twins said as they sandwiched Haruhi between them.
"Ooh, I love that." Momoka smiled as she wrote down their costumes. "You guys will definitely stand out."
"You guys are the only ones other than us and Kurakano's boyfriend who have a sane costume choice," Renge said.
"Really? What are the other choices?" Haruhi asked.
"Let me guess," Hikaru grumbled, "They were trying to dress up as Ghostface."
Momoka gave him a nervous smile, which confirmed his suspicions. "Don't worry, we told them they aren't allowed to dress up in anything Ghostface related. Whoever tries, security will escort them out."
"Or tackle them!" Renge butted in energetically.
"If only necessary." Momoka corrected.
Haruhi bit her lip nervously. She knew that the heightened security was supposed to make her feel better, but she couldn't help but still feel uneasy about the party. The killer has always been able to get through when there was security before, but granted, the last time it was only Tachibana who was there. So, hopefully, with the tight security, there would be no way the killer would be able to get in.
As if he could sense Haruhi's discomfort, Hikaru grabbed ahold of her hand to give it a comforting squeeze. He gave her a small smile and whispered,
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. I promise."
And for some reason, she couldn't help but believe him.
…
For the remained of the week, nothing out of the ordinary happened. It almost seemed like things were back to normal. Only if that were true. Haruhi knew it wouldn't go back to how it was before until the killer was finally caught, but it did feel good that her schedule was almost back to how it was before. Even though Hotta had to go everywhere with her. Since Tamaki and she broke up, the twins had been accompanying her with tasks she used to bring Tamaki with. She first thought they would complain about going shopping with her, but they actually seemed to enjoy it and help her as well by running around the store to try and find what she needed. Hikaru always made sure to spend some time with her after classes, even if it was just sitting in her apartment while she did her homework and he played games or watched videos on his phone. She knew that he was doing this mainly because he was still overprotective of her after Shiori's death, and she would've told him to go home so he wouldn't become so dependent on her, but she needed him here too. As her presence to him was comforting for his loss, it was the same way for her.
The night of the party came, and Hikaru had dropped off the dress for her to wear the night before. Haruhi expected the twins to help her with her hair and makeup, but since they promised to help Momoka and Renge set up the ball, they enlisted Mei to do the job. Mei, who was a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera was more than happy to take the task and once she got the call she rushed over to Haruhi's house with her hair and makeup kit.
"Just finishing the last few touches," Mei said as she applied some setting powder on Haruhi. "Done!" She handed a mirror to Haruhi to look at her finished look.
Haruhi looked at her reflection and was pleased to see that Mei didn't go overboard like she usually did. She just applied some light makeup that bought out the sharp features of her face. The parts that Mei focused on the most were her eyes and lips, saying that those are the two things that men's eyes focus on first on a woman, other than their bodies.
"I love it, Mei. The makeup is not too heavy but looks amazing, and I love what you did with my hair."
"You didn't have enough hair for what I was originally planning," Mei said as she ran her hands through Haruhi's curls to loosen them up. "But I'm really glad about how these turned out. The women at the party are going to be jealous of you from how beautiful you look. You're going to have all the guys' attention on you all night."
"I'm not looking to gain men's attention tonight." Haruhi huffed, tugging at the skirt of the dress. "I don't think I will want any attention from a man for a long while."
"Well, you're smoken hot. So, that's not possible." Mei noticed the glare Haruhi gave her and let out a sigh. "Haruhi, I get that this breakup is hard for you. He was your first love and you guys were together for years. But you can't just dwell on it. That means he wins because you're still thinking about him. Be honest with me, if he asked you to get back together, would you?"
"No, because he cheated…but even though my brain is saying that my heart is saying yes," Haruhi confessed. She looked up, trying not to let the tears fall because she knew if she ruined her makeup Mei would be mad at her. "I hate him, but I still can't help but love him still."
"It's because you're still mourning the relationship with him. That's how I was with my first real boyfriend." Mei said, waving an old postcard to dry the tears welling up in Haruhi's eyes. "It'll take time, but you'll get over him, but you won't get over him if you keep thinking about him and don't try and move on. I'm not saying to get another boyfriend, but try and get with a guy."
"Get with a guy? Like…hook up?"
"If you want to go that far, but just make out or kiss. Hell, even going out to coffee with another guy. You're young, you need to live a little."
"But…what if I'm not good?" Haruhi blushed.
"Haruhi, I swear to God, whatever you did with Tamaki in the bedroom will satisfy any man." Mei waved off her worry. "Men are simple creatures when it comes to sex. You can literally just flutter your lashes at them and they'll explode in their pants. You have nothing to worry about babe. All you have to worry about is your satisfaction. You don't have to have sex, but just try and mingle with some guys to get your mind off your sorry of an excuse of an ex."
"But who would I even 'mingle' with? I don't want to just make out with a stranger. That's weird!"
Mei could tell Haruhi was trying to find any excuse to not do this, but she also knew Mei was right. She needed to get over Tamaki and with how she's been living her life right now, she wouldn't be getting over him any time soon. She knew Mei wouldn't force her, but it still felt weird to go up to a stranger and try and kiss them.
"What about Hikaru?" Mei shrugged. "I bet you he'll be down. It's obvious he still has a thing for you, and it's a plus since he's really hot as well."
"No, Hikaru got over me a long time ago. Kaoru told me around halfway through our time in Boston he began trying to go on dates with other girls. Besides, I doubt Hikaru will want to. He's still getting over Shiori's death."
"Haruhi, just trust me. I believe he'll be fine with it. It'll probably help him get over his loss as well. If you don't want to have sex with him, that's fine. But flirt with him, toy with him. Just for tonight. I can guarantee he'll be into it. Especially with you looking like how you do tonight. But tell him in advance before you start anything that this won't go any further than tonight. So you don't give him false hope."
"...I'll think about it," Haruhi said.
"That's all I ask." She gave Haruhi's shoulders a tight hug before fluffing up her hair again. "Come on, you have a Halloween party to wow."
…
Mei and Haruhi waited for the limo to arrive with the twins and Kasanoda. Once they arrived, all three men were amazed by Haruhi's outfit as Mei proudly presented her to them. She then playfully scolded Kasanoda for staring at another woman than her and his face grew almost as red as his hair. But after her talk with Mei, Haruhi stared up at Hikaru as he complimented Haruhi on how great she looked. He and Kaoru were both dressed as the phantom, as they said. They wore suits and a cloak along with the iconic half mask the phantom wore with their hair slicked back. They looked extraordinarily handsome, but her focus was mainly on Hikaru. Just the way he was looking at her was different, almost as if he was looking at a beautiful work of art. They were best friends so it was obvious that Hikaru would admire her beauty if she looked good, but Kaoru didn't have the same look in his eye.
Maybe Mei was right, maybe trying to at least flirt with him would help her get over Tamaki. As long as Hikaru was ok with it. She just hoped that this wouldn't ruin their relationship. She didn't think she could handle losing him as well.
Once Mei changed into her costume, Red Riding Hood which matched Kasanoda's wolf costume, the group took a picture before heading down to the car to head to the party. While in the car, Mei pulled out a vodka bottle from her small purse like a magician and offered shots to everyone to pregame. Haruhi was hesitant at first, but if she wanted to commit to her plan tonight, she needed some alcohol in her system.
Once the limo arrived at the school, the group took another shot before exiting the car. As he got out, Hikaru immediately looked over at Haruhi with a bright smile.
"Let's link arms while we make our grand entrance."
"What grand entrance?" Haruhi snorted. "I bet barely anyone is going to bat an eye at us."
"I disagree, with you looking like this people will have trouble ripping their eyes off of you. I know I am"
She couldn't help but feel her face heat up a bit. Was he trying to flirt with her as well? But he liked to playfully flirt with people, so maybe she was just overthinking it. But just from the look in his eyes, she could feel that this was different...Did he always look like this at her? She allowed him to loop his arm with hers, and she thought Kaoru was going to do the same on her other side, but Hikaru began walking towards the doors. Just from being outside, she could hear the crowd of people and the music from outside, and it wasn't the usual ballroom music that was usually heard at Ouran parties. It was actual music that people could jump and dance to.
"Just hearing the music I can tell that this party is different. Is this what Renge meant when she said she was planning a 'commoners party?" Haruhi asked.
"I think so." Hikaru chuckled. "From what she told me she's been watching teen high school movies to see what a commoner party looks…"
However, once they went through the doors, Hikaru's sentence trailed off and the smile instantly vanished from his face.
"What the hell?"
Haruhi looked out towards the party and her eyes widened. The room was full of people dressed in black robes and Ghostface masks. How…how could this be? Renge and Momoka said the guards were not going to allow people to dress up as Ghostface. What the hell happened here?
Out in the crowd, Haruhi spotted Momoka as she was one of the only few people who weren't dressed as the killer. She seemed to notice the twins and Haruhi and pushed her way through the crowd to get over to them.
"Kurakano, what the fuck is this!?" Hikaru hissed at her once she was able to escape the crowd. "I thought you said no one would be able to dress up as Ghostface!"
"That's what I sent out." Momoka panicked. "I even reminded the security guards in an email last night to not allow anyone in who did dress up as the killer, but when I got here I was told they got other orders this morning. When I asked who they said it was classified information." She looked at Haruhi with tearful eyes. "I'm so sorry Haruhi. I promise that I didn't plan any of this."
"It's alright Kurakano, I know you wouldn't do something like this." Haruhi tried to comfort her. "Where is Renge?"
"She and Kyoya are trying to figure out what caused all this. We think maybe there was a slight miscommunication."
"I doubt that's the case," Kaoru grumbled. Someone caught the attention of Momoka and she excused herself. Kaoru grabbed Haruhi and Hikaru back towards the group and they huddled around each other.
"What are we going to do?" He asked. "Should we just go home?"
"I think we'll be fine." Mei tried to reassure them. "Someone is probably just pulling a prank and changed the party theme on the flyers without the school's knowledge. I doubt the killer is actually here."
"But maybe he's the one who changed it." Hikaru began to look worried. "He could've hacked into the school's website or something and changed it there so he could sneak in. We know how tech-savvy he is."
"What do you think Fujioka?…Fujioka?" Kasanoda asked, but Haruhi didn't hear him. Her eyes were focused on one of the Ghostface's in the crowd, staring at them.
He tilted his head, the way he always did when he was fascinated with something, and once he seemed to notice who she was he began walking towards her.
She began tugging Hikaru's arm, and he asked her what was wrong before noticing the guy as well coming towards them. Without even thinking, he moved himself in front of her, putting her in the center of the group to make a protective shield around her. She could feel her breathing grow heavy and her body sweat as he grew closer. Her grip on Hikaru's sleeve was so tight that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. She closed her eyes, hoping that he was just some random student who would just walk by them, but once she opened her eyes, she saw the Ghostface mask was face to face with Hikaru.
'God please no…Not again…'