Disclaimer: We, of Eddie and Alex, do not own any of the characters from Fruits Basket or Ouran. We also don't own the titles to any of the other manga mentioned.

Ouran Host Basket

When the Playstation 2 finally disappeared from the 3rd Music Room, thanks to Kyoya, we all thought that, finally, Tamaki would go back to the historic or cultural attire the Host Club was known for. However, when he stopped listening to the meetings and began reading "commoner comics" instead, any hope of a non-otaku idea flew out the window. I wasn't sure which was worse, Tamaki reading the manga, or the fact that Renge was the one supplying it.

So, when he waltzed in during the meeting, a small stack of manga under one arm, we knew the day had finally come. Renge had broken Tamaki. I wondered, briefly, what manga Tamaki had chosen for his "brilliant idea", as the books under his arm were positioned so that I couldn't see the titles. I could imagine any number of scenarios, from Vampire Knight, Inuyasha, or, heaven help us, Chobits, though the last one was a stretch, even for Tamaki. Still, all of them were currently popular among the teenage population.

"I've created the most wonderful scenario," Tamaki announced, settling onto one of the couches. "Better than the last!" I doubted it, and, from the looks of the other members, I wasn't alone. "We will play the parts of popular characters from the manga Fruits Basket!" I felt some part of my brain explode.

I was familiar with that particular manga, having read most of the series o Nekozawa's sister, Kirimi. The main character, Tohru, befriended the school's idol, "Prince" Yuki, which is how Kirimi got a hold of it. I ran the list of characters through my head, thinking of the possible prank parts they'd coerce me into playing. The feminine looking Ritsu? The secretly female Akito? Or, if only to amuse them, they could simply dress me up as Tohru. I knew that I'd throttle Tamaki, consequences or no consequences, if he tried to pull that one.

"Your Majesty," Kaoru spoke up, circling the couch to lean against Tamaki's right shoulder. "Tell me, why this manga? Surely, there is a part more worthy of you." It didn't take much to hear the laughter in his voice.

"Yes," Hikaru joined in, leaning on Tamaki's other shoulder. "Like a king? An adored king that everyone loves!"

"Ah, but," Tamaki held up the manga in his hands. "There is a perfect part for me!" Who? I wondered. Ayame? Tamaki was certainly flamboyant enough. "I shall play Yuki, the school's idol, but still, a lonely soul," I heard him say. I cursed Renge for her stupid movie and giving the idea of a lonely king to Tamaki's persona.

"I see…" Kyoya muttered. I glanced over at him to find him turning the page in one of the manga. "It's certainly do-able," he finally stated, looking up. I swear I heard Tamaki squeal with delight.

"Excellent. Then, we shall all pick a role suiting to our personalities and style," he grinned and twirled around the room. He stopped in front of me and held out one of the manga. "Haruhi, I know you already read this manga to 'Creamy', so don't worry. I've already got the perfect design in mind for you." (A/N: Yes, Tamaki and his mispronunciation of Kirimi's name. It had to be done.)

A few days later, I walked into the host club's room and was immediately shoved toward my changing area. Whether they didn't want me to see their costumes, or they simply couldn't wait to see me in my costume, I didn't know. I glanced over and saw a blob of bright orange. Mentally, I did a check of all the orange haired girls in Fruits Basket. I knew that they wouldn't be cruel enough to make me play Tohru's deceased mother, and I doubted they wanted my to play Kisa, cute as she may have been. So, as I picked up the wig I wasn't surprised to see pointed orange ears sticking up from the strands of short orange hair. "Kyo," I muttered.

As if to confirm this point, a bracelet of white and reddish-black beads tumbled out of the wig, landing onto the folded cargo pants and black t-shirt. I thought about whom the others might play as I changed into the costume. I thought Kyoya might take up the part of Akito, the seemingly pleasant leader of the Sohmas. It suit his scheming nature, I thought, but it would also give Tamaki even more reason to call him "Mother" from time to time. I could only see Honey as one person, Momiji, both for his love of Usa-chan and his boyish charm. The twins and Mori, I had no idea.

I stepped out from behind the screen, still trying to adjust the wig so that the stupid cat ears would stay upright and centered. Too busy mentally curshing the wig, I didn't noticed the Hitachiin twins until they were right beside him. "Haruhi," they said in unison. "Do you like our outfits?" I blinked as they stepped away and swirled to face me. "Well? What do you think?" they asked.

Hikaru wore a simple gray kimono, usually worn around the house, a pen tucked behind one ear and a newspaper under one arm. His hair, dyed a dark brown, was messy and I could almost see him lounging about, waiting for someone to bring him tea. Beside him, Kaoru was much more colorful, dressed in a red coat the floated just above his ankles and a white wig he had braided over one shoulder. I had to admit, the parts suited the two brothers quite well. Ayame and Shigure, while not inseparable, were still quite close. "Looks good," I told them. They grinned, gave me the thumbs up, and then pulled me to where the others were setting up.

As I had suspected, Honey-senpai hadn't changed much. He sat beside Mori in a powder-blue shirt which plenty of ruffles, and a dark purple hat that was tilted ever so slightly to one side. He held Usa-chan against his chest and was grinning up at Mori. Mori, for his part, looked aloof, but this was nothing new. His dark hair had been bleached white, at least on top. He wore a regal looking white jacket with white fur on the collar. He also wore a few gothic-looking crosses around his neck. I had never seen Mori angry, but I wondered if he would react like Hatsuharu and become "Black Mori".

"Wait until you see Kyoya," Kaoru told me. "I think he picked a good role."

"If only so we can annoy him," Hikaru added. I knew, without looking, that the twins were smirking at each other. Hikaru pointed over to where Kyoya was checking the list of customers for the day. He wore a white lab coat, and knowing his family's work with hospitals, I should have guessed he'd Hatori. He looked up and glared as the twins approached, mischief evident in every movement. His wig covered one eye, which didn't minimize the evil eye he was giving the twins. As he turned to get away from them, I noticed a sea-dragon pin clipped to the lab coat.

"Haruhi!" I heard Tamaki call from behind me. I turned to see him walked toward me, wearing the school uniform from Fruits Basket. The dark shirt and slacks were pressed, the white tie straight and even his shoes were well polished. The silver-gray wig he wore was combed meticulously, adding to his overall look of "Prince" Yuki, a model student. He spun in a slow circle, obviously wanted me to admire his look from every angle. "Isn't it wonderful?" he asked. I shrugged and went to adjust my wig and contacts one last time before the customers showed up. I could almost feel him pouting in the abandoned corner of the room.

I was beginning to think that if Yuki Sohma could hear Tamaki's performane, the boy would have beaten Tamaki senseless by now. "Oh, my sweet princess, if only my curse did not prevent my from embracing you," he said lovingly to his current customer. A chorus of "Poor Tamaki" rang from the surrounding girls. They seemed to enjoy his sorrowful voice as he wished, possibly for the hundredth time that hour, to be like a normal man.

"Haruhu," one of the girls at my side giggled. "Your kitty ears are so cute." I reached up and touched one, making them giggle further. "And you have that same pensive look Kyou gets whenever he thinks about Tohru," another cooed.

"I'm only thinking about you," I answered, lying through my teeth. I had actually been thinking about what to make Dad for dinner when I got home, probably soup as the weather was getting colder. Still, the response was immediate, and the girls all blushed and giggled.

I waited for my next scheduled customer and went around to all the groups, refilling tea and snacks where necessary. Honey hadn't changed his routine much, but the added affect of two rabbit ears sticking out from his head seemed to make him even more in demand. I was wondered where he'd hidden the large, yellow ears until I noticed that his hat was missing. When I located the hat, I stifled a laugh. The purple hat was sitting askew on top or Mori's head, probably placed there by Honey at some point. I had to give Mori credit, he continued to go about his business as though the hat didn't exist at all.

"And how would you get back at me?" I heard Kaoru ask. I looked over to see the Kaoru staring at down at Hikaru in mock anger. The customers simply stared with wide eyes.

"I could simply put you in my next novel," Hikaru said evenly, taking a sip from his tea. Kaoru dropped back onto the couch, and while I couldn't see his face, I knew his eyes were almost comically wide and shining with fake tears.

"You can't!" he cried, clinging to Hikaru's kimono. "Oh, Hikaru, you can't!" It was apparent that the customers knew what kind of novels Shigure was famous for writing, as many girls suddenly began gossiping about how Hikaru should write a novel about Kaoru. I simply shook my head and wandered back through the groups.

"They seem to be enjoying this," Kyoya said as I went to check my customer list. He shoved the locks of hair away from his eyes and checked something off of his clipboard. "And it helps our sales when we allow the customers to bid on these costumes." I should have known he'd figure out a way to profit from Tamaki's madness. As if my thinking about him could summon him from thin air, I was suddenly spun around and felt someone crouched behind me.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Tamaki's face appeared in my peripheral vision, the wig slightly askew and his eyes wide. "Why are you hiding?"

"Kaoru," he said simply. "I think he's gone insane."

"What are you…?" And then I saw it. Kaoru had obviously done some research on his character. He stood, quite proudly, in the center of the room, his wig unbraided and flowing down the back of the overly gaudy wedding dress he wore. I saw Hikaru double over in laughter next to a group of girls too shocked to even gossip.

"Little brother!" Kaoru suddenly cried, turning to spot Tamaki using me as a shield. Tamaki's eyes widened even further and he gave a slight squeak of panic.

"Really, Suoh, you let him choose this part," Kyoya spoke up. "You let a fashion designer's son get his hands on the part of a designer. Good work, Suoh. Very smart."

"Help me!" Tamaki hissed. "Please, Mommy!" I wondered if that was really the way to ask Kyoya to do something, but he simply shrugged and stepped forward, into the path of Kaoru, who was obviously having some trouble with the ruffled dress.

"I think you've had your fun for today, don't you?" he said in a dead-on impression of Hatori. Kaoru took the hint, and although he pouted, made his way toward my dressing screen. He appeared momentarily, dressed in the red coat once more. As he waltzed toward his twin, the girls finally came out of their shock and applauded the impromptu performance. I could tell from the smirk on Kyoya's face, that it had in fact been planned. I hid my own smirk as Tamaki tried to play it off like he'd been in on the plan the entire time.

I could only hope that the combined antics of the twins and Kyoya would be enough to end Tamaki's otaku trend.

Alex/Eddie: Please Review.