Haruhi Fujioka had never met a ghoul. She lived in a fairly comfortable neighbourhood, went to a prestigious school, and didn't really talk to strangers… or many people, for that matter. She exchanged pleasantries, was civil, and that was about it. She had a goal to reach, and that took precedence over being some sort of socialite. So… Why was she in this sort of situation?

All she wanted to do was find a quiet place to study, the libraries (all four of them) full of chattering students; which meant a lot of wandering around and hoping she could find a room that was both quiet and available for student use. Ouran was a big place, but she had to make her way to the music room she'd heard was "abandoned" in the hopes of saving some of her precious time to study.

If a time machine was ever invented, she was going to go back in time and warn herself. Seriously.

While silent outside, when she opened the door, there was music and chatter, forks and knives scraping against fine china. It looked like some kind of fancy restaurant, some boys going around in suits and aprons, plates and trays balanced effortlessly, and light piano music dancing in the air; courtesy of a blonde boy sitting at a grand piano.

Damn rich people. They could be using this time to study, but here they are. Why did Ouran even have a restaurant up here, anyway?

The music stopped, a discordant note cutting through the atmosphere, and she found a couple of people staring, namely the servers. There was some forced sounding chatter, which was a little jarring in itself, but before she could really think much of it she realised that the young pianist was rushing over towards her.

"Excuse me, sir, but this is a private club," He explained, stopping a little too close but nothing all that invasive, "You need a membership, I'm afraid; so, I have to ask that you leave. My apologies, but rules are rules. Right, Kyoya?"

A thin, black haired boy peered up from where he was sitting on an over-stuffed, ornate couch, his glasses catching the light. If he didn't look like he could be blown away by a strong gust of wind, she might've been scared; in fact, if she were brutally honest with herself, she did feel some minor, instinctual tugging in her gut, but she ignored it.

"Yes. I'm afraid you'll have to leave," The boy – Kyoya – nodded, slowly rising from his seat. His uniform was similar to the other waiters – she supposed that was the most apt description – but not as fitted. His waistcoat was loose and awkwardly cinched in at the waist, his thin thighs swallowed by his trousers, which were only really kept up by his belt. It was… alarming, in all honesty; he looked like some sort of high-fashion concept sketch.

"How do you know I don't have a membership?" She challenged. She didn't want one, obviously, but more to be difficult. They hadn't done anything to check and didn't even know her name – that blond guy was under the impression she was a boy after all, not that she really cared either way. Was it the uniform? It was probably the uniform…

"We make an effort to remember our dear clients in order to form a closer, more personal relationship," The blond explained with a flourish, Kyoya coming over to join the conversation. She wasn't that bothered, really; her gaze shifted over the room and its patrons.

It was a nice place with tasteful decorations, like some expensive restaurant out of a movie, and it seemed like they went all out. As expected of students here, she supposed. There were candles and flowers at every table, the servers carrying on as if she weren't there, despite their initial staring. Meat was popular, it seemed, but she supposed that they could certainly afford it – wait.

The dishes were just meat, no vegetables or side dishes to be seen, and a lot of it looked almost raw. That was enough to put her on edge, even if she thought it was ridiculous; blue meat was supposed to be a delicacy, right? Still, something in her told her to run.

That was when she spotted one girl, sitting on her own, frozen with her fork halfway to her mouth. Nothing was particularly notable about her, accept for something she really couldn't ignore; on said fork was… an eyeball. A human eyeball, she was sure. It stole the oxygen from her lungs, and she had to dig her heels in to stop herself from taking off in a sprint right then and there.

They were ghouls. If she tried to run, being as slow as she was, they would catch up to her in no time. She could be staring at her murderer right that second, the chipper blond might look somewhat flamboyant, but the tailored waistcoat and shirt basically flaunted the fact her was strong; especially compared to the sickly boy next to him.

"Yeah, fine, I… I'll go," She stammered out, and then cursed herself for it. There was a shift in his expression, the cheery smile fading into something darker and a lot toothier, but his eyes. As with all ghouls, his eyes were the thing that scared her the most, black surrounding red and gazing at her like she was his prey.

Because, in that moment, that was exactly what Haruhi Fujioka was.

The worst thing was, they caught the attention of a couple of other servers; two identical boys with ginger hair. They seemed curious, before they broke out into Cheshire cat grins, their eyes turning those same, horrific colours.

Despite how idiotic, how futile, it might have been; she ran.

Her shoes hit the marble floor at such a rate that she actually hurt her feet, and she ran faster than she ever had before. But it was futile. He moved far too fast, and while she just about managed to get down the corridor, it wasn't enough. He tackled her to the ground, looming over her for a second before taking a deep inhale, the groan sounding too similar to something she didn't want to think about.

"You smell delicious, human," He growled, and all she could do was stare into those demonic, glowing eyes as he licked his lips, "There are certain doors you shouldn't open, you know. If you were a ghoul, you might have enjoyed your stay; now, however, I can't let you live. Besides… I'm sure you'll taste heavenly ~"

"Please don't!" She tried to beg, tears in her eyes as a string of drool dropped from the corner of his mouth and onto her cheek. It was all she could do, scared out of her mind and about to be eaten, "Or… If you do… Please don't tell dad I ran away. I don't want him to… To think… Even though he will…"

She was just babbling. Not that she'd be able to talk her way out anyway, being underneath a hungry ghoul, but all she could do was stutter out that one request, screwing her eyes closed and bracing herself for the pain. Hopefully, it'd be quick, but this moment seemed to last a lifetime and… nothing was happening.

She slowly opened her eyes, and a beautiful pair of blue irises greeted her; not the red and black sclera from before. There was something there, some shift in his expression that made him seem almost human, an unidentifiable emotion. It was slow, but unexpected, when he pushed himself to his feet. It didn't look like he knew what was happening himself, his eyes wide and acting as if he was on autopilot, and he just kept looking at her the whole time – right in the eye.

"Boss?"

The inquiry startled her, and the staring match broke. The two twins stood there, eyes red and black and inhuman, but their faces softer; more questioning than anything else. There was a moment of silence, of deliberation, and the blond spoke low and calm.

"I'm not hungry enough right now, not for a delicacy like it will be…" He stated, still looking a little shell-shocked beneath his calm façade, but the twins didn't seem to notice the tense, silent atmosphere.

"Well, boss, maybe we should eat her ourselves -?" One purred, only to be cut off by a loud growl.

"IT'S MINE!" The "boss" bit, snarling and baring his teeth, before that cooler air took over. It was quiet again, for a moment or two, before he turned on his heel and walked back the way he came. He paused for only a moment before disappearing, just enough to give instructions that were obviously for her, "It will come to the club tomorrow, after school. It will not go home. It will not hide. It will do as it's told or be torn to pieces."

She could barely process it over the confusion, not knowing what happened, but the twins merely looked at each other and shrugged. Their eyes returned to their normal – or, not ghoulish – colours, and gave her their own goodbyes.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, human; better do as you're told!"

A/N: I just want to make it clear. Attitudes and personalities change with AUs, and I want to point this out before I get a million reviews saying they're OOC. Tamaki and Kyoya are going to be explored a little later, don't worry. In fact, everything will. Patience is a virtue, after all...

Also, comments help inspire my productivity, so please go ahead! :)