Halloween day has finally arrived, the sun no longer visible in the sky as the harvest moon materialized in the starry night.

Team B--Haruhi, Y/n, the Hitachiin twins, and Kazukiyo--we're in the hallway crouching down near a wall. The corridors of Ouran Academy were decorated with jack-o'-lanterns. Haruhi was holding a hook-line that she and Y/n created.

"Hey Kaoru, tell us the story about the Evil Clock Tower Witch." Hikaru imposed, keeping his amber eyes on Kazukiyo with a jeering grin, the targeted boy having his knees up to his chest as he faintly shivered.

"One Halloween many years ago, a girl dressed in a witch costume, fell to her death from the tower." Kaoru imparted in a mysterious undertone.

Kazukiyo shuddered and sweated profusely while directing his gaze to the window in front of him, the clock tower in perfect view.

"And now-" Kaoru continued.

"-whoever sees her ghost on Halloween Night will be cursed forever!" The twins concluded and moved in front of their class representative's face.

"No! Please stop it, you guys!" Kazukiyo cried out, his hands on his cheeks as tears gushed out of his slate-grey eyes.

"Stop it. The point of this tournament is to scare others that are not part of your team. Save that stupid story for someone who walks by or something." Y/n rebuked with her hands on her hips, standing in front of the twins who were up on their feet, their class chairman hiding behind her with his hands over his ears.

"But no one's come yet." The twins shrugged their hand up, turning away from Y/n as they repeatedly lifted one of their legs. "We're tired of waiting around."

It seemed as though Kazukiyo's soul completely gave up on him and started to float away, but Y/n lightly, yet firmly, tapped his head and rotated around to glance down at him with a small, comforting smile. "Look Class-rep, everything is fine." She guaranteed and turned her head to the left to look at Haruhi. "Do you have the book?"

"Oh, yeah." Haruhi comprehended and grabbed the book that she and Y/n attained earlier that day, holding the object up to show Kazukiyo. "Y/n and I borrowed this book from the library: 'Surefire Methods for Coping with Anxiety'."

"Fujioka's..." The dark ash-brown haired male mumbled, his panicked expression changed to a slightly serene description.

"Now let's look through it." Y/n advocated as Haruhi opened the publication, both of them squatting back down in front of Kazukiyo.

Haruhi cleared her throat before reading the following requirements. "'The three cardinal rules for dealing with anxiety are as follows. First--pretend everything's okay. Second: whistle a cheerful little tune. Thirdly: repeat to yourself 'I'm brave'."

"Are you kidding me?! None of those things actually work!" Kazukiyo shouted in alarm, placing his hands on his cheeks as tears spurted out of his eyes once again, standing up while lifting and moving his legs in place. "Call me the Captain of All Cowards--you can scream it from the rooftops, just get me out of here!" He weakly collapsed down onto the floor, his essence abandoning his limp body as before.

"Really? Even if it means Kurakano will think you're a big chicken?" Kaoru disputed, mentioning their vice-chairman who has long brown hair that typically had small buns on either side of her head.

Kazukiyo regained his composure as a mental image of Momoka manifested in his mind. The corners of his lips tugged upwards and formed a small, adoring smile as a faint shade of pink fell upon his cheeks.

"Oooohh." Y/n emitted from her mouth playfully, a companionable smirk establishing on her lips.

"Whoa? Wait a minute. What's going on with you and Kurakano?" Haruhi moderately teased with a closed lipped smile.

Blood rushed up Kazukiyo's face as he was now displaying a flustered shade of red and he trashed his arms around. "No! It's not like that! We're just friends! I've known her since we were little--none of this has anything to do with it!"

The twins moved smoothly in front of their class representative in a crouched position with an eerie grin on their face, making Kazukiyo jolt back. "Fine, fine. We understand."

"Funny how you had told us you didn't want to throw your weight around-" Hikaru began smugly.

"-when the reason you agreed to any of this is because you didn't want to look like a fraidy-cat." Kaoru culminated in the same tone as his brother.

"That's not it," Kazukiyo averted his eyes down to the floor and spoke gingerly, "that's not the reason why I couldn't oppose it. I... It's just..."

"Huh?" The twins let out, now standing in front of the male student along with Y/n and Haruhi.

"Kurakano... Well she had her heart set on this tournament." The class chairman stated subtlety. "I didn't want to let her down so I couldn't say no."

The twins' amber eyes widened. "You mean...?!"

"Oh crap! He's totally pure!"

"He's got a heart of gold, Hikaru!"

"Our powers are nothing against his wholesomeness!" The twins exposed in a chorus, their arms becoming stiff as they squirmed them around.

Once the twins collected oneself, Hikaru conversed. "So, does this mean we have to help him now?"

There was a moment of silence that came across the hallway before a shadow of a figure took shape by the window, catching the attention of the Fujioka siblings.

"Did you see that?" Haruhi quizzed in an unsettled tone. "That creepy shadow just now, outside the window?"

"I-I did." Y/n confessed, sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

Kazukiyo stood up from the floor, his hands over his ears as he moved his legs in place. "Aw come on! Not you too Fujioka's! Knock it off, would ya?!" He halted his movements.

Suddenly, the sound of a hollow object tapped against a hard surface more than once. The group of first years peaked up the staircase that were beside them, witnessing an item that resembled a skull roll down each stair step, making the five high schoolers let out a terrified scream.

The skull ceased once it reached the bottom of the stairs.

"No way. It's a sneak attack from those A-team hacks." Kaoru reckoned with widened eyes, staring down at the prop in slight disturbance.

"Hey! It's not your turn guys! Follow the rules!" Hikaru bellowed and kicked the skull back up the stairs, the prop hitting against either side of the staircase as it journeyed its way back up.

"My skull..."

"What the hell?! Don't kick-"

"Yeah, you show 'em." Kaoru interrupted Y/n as he clapped his hands together, not hearing the low murmur.

"My skull. My skull."

Kaoru discontinued the clapping of his hands as silence absorbed the strained group, none of them moving an inch as a stature revealed itself at the top of the stairs. Unexpectedly, the clock tower chimed loudly, making Y/n flinch.

"Could it be...The Clock Tower Witch?" Kazukiyo examined, nearly on the verge of blacking out.

The figure at the top of the stairs was clothed in a long, white dress and they had long, greasy black hair that was covering their face.

"Why did you kick...," they looked up, making their black hair move and reveal their sickly grey and wrinkly skin, a line of blood coming from the side of their mouth, "my skull...?"

"AHHHHHH!!"

Hikaru and Haruhi ran to the left while Y/n, Kaoru, and Kazukiyo bolted to the right, all of them screaming as they did.

Kazukiyo was sprinting the fastest out of Y/n and Kaoru that he had already opened a door to a random room but immediately screeched in horror, slamming the door closed, and proceeding down the hallway. He soon opened another door, but his reaction was similar to the one when he unlatched the first door.

The auburn haired twin and the brown eyed female managed to keep up with their class chairman, but were still a bit behind him.

"Class-rep, slow down! We can't keep up!" Kaoru notified while panting with Y/n beside him.

The three of them were suddenly shoved into a room which happened to be the science classroom. The doors abruptly closed and from the other side of the door was Nekozawa's maid, Kuretake, and his personal secretary, Kadomatsu. The door was barricaded with a large pile of heavy sacks.

Y/n attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "What the? C'mon! Open up!" She rattled the door handle vigorously.

From the other side of the door, Nekozawa chuckled sinisterly. "My fright strategy was perfection itself." He hummed and glanced over to the side, observing Kyoya who was leaning against the wall with a book in one hand and a flashlight in the other. "Kyoya, you're not joining in on the fun?"

"I am not." He answered simply, keeping his brownish-grey eyes on his book.

Kaoru and Y/n continued to bang their hands on the door as Kazukiyo pulled his knees up to his chest, but they soon renounced their attempts.

The youngest Hitachiin brother slid down the door and sat on the floor. "Damn it. They've locked us in."

The science room was dark and seemed to be abandoned due to no one else being there--the only source of light that was in the room was the moonlight coming through the window.

"I wonder where Haruhi and Hikaru went." Y/n mumbled, glancing down at her shoes.

"I'm sure they're fine." Kaoru assured softly, but it was obvious that he was worried as well. "Just sit down, Y/n." He gently grabbed a hold of her hand and carefully pulled her down to sit next to him, not even detaching his hand from her own.

'Is he going to let go or...?' Y/n thought and looked at Kaoru, who had a worrisome description in his eyes. She knew that he was concerned about his brother, and she would be lying if she said that she was just holding Kaoru's hand to comfort him--she was holding his hand because she, too, was seeking easement from the young man. 'Never mind...' She mildly tightened her hold on Kaoru's hand that was interlaced with her own.

"Are you okay, Class-rep?" Y/n asked softly, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of him.

Kazukiyo didn't respond, he just nuzzled his head in his knees, causing the brown haired female to sigh and lean her head back against the surface of the door.

"It's hopeless." Kaoru began, sparking up a conversation. "There's no one outside. Looks like the A-team got a little overzealous, huh?"

"Which one are you?" Kazukiyo finally spoke up, glancing at the amber eyed twin.

He looked at his class chairman with a friendly smile. "I'm Kaoru. Are you scared?"

"Well not anymore, no." The dark ash-brown haired male showed a small, sheepish smile. "My nerves kind of shut down."

"Man." Kaoru looked straight ahead and placed his elbow on his knee, using the palm of his hand to cradle his cheek--his other hand was still attached Y/n's. "Our plans are completely shot. Such a shame. We even had it all figured out, down to the last detail. We had worked out a plan to frighten Kurakano half to death and then let you come charging to her rescue."

"Wow, you'd do that for me? That's really thoughtful of you. But I don't stand a chance." Kazukiyo pulled his legs closer to his body. "There's someone else she likes." He referred to a certain short, brown haired individual. "While it's true, Fujioka doesn't seem to feel the same way quite yet, I'm positive that it's only a matter of time."

Y/n's eyes widened as she almost chocked on her own saliva. "Uhh, knowing Haruhi personally since we're siblings, I can tell you that it's not gonna happen." Y/n informed awkwardly.

"Why not?" The class representative asked, looking at Y/n.

"It...just won't." Y/n scratched the back of her head with her unoccupied hand, letting out a small chuckle.

"Still, this may sound...weird but I don't want to risk changing anything right now. 'Cause things are perfect." Kazukiyo stated with a small smile, fiddling with his thumbs. "Just being on the committee with her is such an honor. If this is as good as it's going to get, I'm still grateful."

"So in other words, you've cast a spell on the carriage." Kaoru started, leaning his back on the door as he stared up at the ceiling. "And maybe you're right, Class-rep. Keeping things the way they are wouldn't be so bad. I'm sure that's what the boss had in mind when he put a spell on his own carriage. We're like a family to him. He doesn't want that to change."

"Huh?" Kazukiyo let out.

Y/n looked at Kaoru with slight interest, raising an eyebrow. 'Cast a spell on the carriage?'

"Back when we were children, neither the boss nor Hikaru and I had many friends to speak of." Kaoru explained. "Now he just wants to enjoy what he has for as long as he can. I can't blame him."

"Uh sorry but...you've lost me." Kazukiyo commented.

"But still, one of these days, it'll all turn back into that same ol' grubby pumpkin again." Kaoru said, looking downwards.

Y/n stared at him with a softened expression. 'Why does he sound so...sad?'

There was a sudden bang from outside the door, making Y/n slightly jump as her heart practically skyrocketed out of her chest.

"Kaoru! Are you in there? Is Y/n there too?"

The door opened, revealing a worried Hikaru. Y/n's hand was no longer interlocked with Kaoru's as he stood up from the floor.

"Kaoru!"

"Hikaru..."

The two twins pulled one another into a relieved, yet heartwarming embrace.

"Uh, so what happened to Fujioka?" Soga questioned, standing beside Y/n.

The female's eyes widened and quickly looked at Hikaru, who was sweat dropping and was detached from his brother. "Oh yeah, that's right. Kinda lost track."

"Seriously?" Y/n lightly glared, but then closed her eyes and sighed, soon patting Hikaru's shoulder.

They all walked out of the room and into the hallway, witnessing Haruhi running towards them breathlessly.

Haruhi stopped running once she was in front of them, placing her hands on her knees as she gasped for air. "What is wrong with you? I get us out and you go tearing off by yourself?"

Hikaru put his hands up sheepishly with a small, nervous chuckle. "Sorry."

- - - -

The group of five ran into the indoor garden that had a dome over them as the other students in class 1-A stood there.

"There they are!" Renge pointed out with small tears in her eyes.

"We've been so worried about the five of you!" Momoka vocalized with a tone of relief and worry.

"Why did you leave your post in the middle of the tournament?"

"We called off the whole thing to go looking for you."

"Wasn't that you guys trying to scare us?" Kaoru inquired.

"Huh? We didn't do anything." The boy responded.

Suddenly, Renge and Momoka released a frightened shriek, gaining the other's attention.

"What is it?" Haruhi questioned, looking at the two trembling girls.

"Outside by the window-" Momoka began, holding Renge by the hands.

"-there's a dark figure!" Renge's voice shook as she finished the sentence.

Everyone looked up and saw a huge silhouette of a cat puppet.

"AHHHHHH!!"

Y/n could feel her soul leave her body--everyone's essence practically left their body as they all limply swayed down to the ground.

- - - -

A group of 1-A students stood in front of the bulletin board--the group included Haruhi, Y/n, Hikaru, Kaoru, Momoka, and Kazukiyo.

"They sure got us." Haruhi commented as she and the others looked at the cover of the newspaper of them getting terrified.

"Nekozawa is such a jerk." Hikaru huffed.

"How did we not know that was Belzenef?" Kaoru questioned.

"I have no idea." Y/n answered as she scratched her eyebrow.

"I heard." Momoka began with a small smile, glancing at the young man who stood beside her with the corner of her eye. "You're really a fraidy-cat, aren't you Kazukiyo? But you still agreed to the tournament just to be nice?"

"Um, yeah. Sure. That's it." The class representative mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the long, brown haired female.

"I think that's so unbelievably sweet of you." Momoka said, her brown eyes brightening as she smiled at him.

"Would you look at that." Kaoru pointed out with a small smirk as he looked at Kazukiyo and Momoka. "I guess the spell on the carriage can't last forever after all."

"What do you mean?" Hikaru questioned.

Kaoru's smirk was no longer visible on his lips as he thought back to when Haruhi ran towards Hikaru when they exited the science room on Halloween night. "Well, since you ran towards me in that situation, I suppose everything's alright for now."

Hikaru hummed in confusion.

"Nothing, nothing. Just my own private joke." Kaoru dismissed and walked behind Haruhi and Hikaru, placing his hands on either of their shoulders, lightly pushing them forward so they could walk. "Let's get out of here." His hands slowly slipped off of their shoulders and he remained motionless, watching as Haruhi and Hikaru moved further away from him as they conversed with one another.

Y/n noticed this and stayed behind to stand next to him.

'Still. One day Hikaru will realize he wants to take the next step on his own.' Kaoru softly thought realistically in his head. 'When that happens... I don't know what I'll do.'

The wavy haired female sensed Kaoru's apprehension. She gently placed her hand on his arm, making him snap out of whatever he was thinking about.

She smiled at him tenderheartedly, making his amber colored eyes widen for a split second before they softened and the corners of his lips tugged upwards.

'Maybe one day I'll want to take the next step on my own too...'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

😭