Shika: Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating lately on my other fanfics. My laptop crashed and I'm still getting my old fanfic documents back, so while I wait I'm writing a new one.

Hikaru: Why don't you just get the documents off the backup disk already.

Shika: Because I have a new fanfic idea! Sorry if the first-person is annoying...

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A Rough Exterior

Chapter 1: Hiding in the shell

I was falling. The ground speeding towards me. Just before I became a human pancake I opened my eyes to realize it was a dream. Thank god it was nothing more. I always hated heights, but falling from them was worse.

I pulled off my covers and walked over to my full length mirror, nearly spitting in disgust at my own reflection. I grabbed my school uniform and put it on slowly. I hated it black slacks and powder blue blazer, but it was better than wearing a princess-like yellow dress. I thought it was cute, but it would give everything away. I, Tomo, could not let anyone find out I was a 'softy'.

To tell the truth I didn't like my short, choppy bleached white hair or punk slacker style. It was only to hide the truth no one could no. I absolutely love cute stuff. I dyed my hair so the girl's uniform I longed to wear would look awful, making me beg my father to buy me the boy's uniform. The truth that I come from a family with few girls, where everyone is serious and tough. Cute things are a blasphemy in my house and are looked down upon. I realized this as a young child and decided to hide my fetish by dressing the way I do.

I looked so much like a boy with my short hair that through out my first 2 years of high school and all of this year so far at Ouran Academy, no one even thought I was a girl. In fact, no one even talked to me at all really. My name may be Tomo, but I have no friends. I worked really hard to get to be in class 3-A and for one reason only. The one student in the whole school I longed to know was Mitsukuni Haninozuka. He acted cute openly and was the most adorable thing I had ever seen.

"Excuse me miss Namikawa. If you don't hurry up you'll be late for school." said one of my servants through the door.

I replied my usual way. "Tell my driver to get the limo out front. I'll be down in 5 minutes."

I tyed on my tie and put a thin line of black eyeliner under my grey eyes. They would be so cute with white eyeshadow, but that would give it all away. I inspected my handy work, grabbed my bookbag, and left the safety of my cyan room.

~*~

I walked into class 3-A and sat in my desk. It was close to the window at the back of the room. Sadly, it was across the room from the blonde haired boy I wanted to talk to so much. I took out the books I'd need for the first lesson of the day and leaned back in my chair, inspecting the rest of the class. Mitsukuni was standing at his desk talking to a taller black haired boy we all call Mori. In reality, he's Haninozuka's cousin. Most people know them as Hani and Mori, but I'd rather call them by there real names. Hani was a cute name though...

The small boy must of sensed I was looking at him and he looked back and smiled. I quickly looked away and covered my face with my hair to hide the blush I knew was forming. The bell finally rang as if to save me and the class sat down.

"Good morning class. Today we'll be going over the Shakespear homework from last night. Namikawa-san, can you read your answer for question 1?" Our sensei stated in her flat voice.

I stood up and looked down at my notebook. "The main characters in the page we read of 'A Midsummer Night's dream' were Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius." I stated calmly, sitting down when I was done.

"Good! That's correct Namikawa-san." She said in an annoyingly sugary voice.

She wouldn't call on me for the rest of class, so I put my head down on my desk and did what I always did... Imagined what it would be like when Mitsukuni noticed me and talked to me.

The blonde haired boy looked over at me smiling. "Hello Tomo-chan~! Would you like to eat lunch with me?" Mitsukuni asked.

I nodded and he took my hand over to where he was sitting in the cafeteria. He handed me a plate with cake on it and giggled happily. "Do you like sweets?" He inquired.

"Yes Mitsukuni-kun! I love cake." I said sweetly.

He laughed and stared into my eyes making my heart skip a few beats....

"No! Get a hold of yourslef!" I blurted, shaking my head to remove my latest daydream.

The enire class looked at me in shock and a few of the students laughed at me. I looked at Mitsukuni from under my bangs and saw he was looking over in concern. His cousin just staring blankly as usual. "Namikawa-san, is something wrong or can we continue the lesson?" sensei inquired in her fake voice.

I nodded and ignored the snickering. I only had another half hour of class and then I could retreat to the school roof. I sat through the talk on myths and the math lesson when finally the bell rang to signal class ending for lunch hour. I stood up and began to walk towards the door when I felt someone tug on the back of my blazer. I turn around quickly to see the blonde pixie I adored staring up at me. "Namikawa-chan, are you feeling okay? Do you need to see the nurse?" He asked sweetly.

I stopped the blush trying to show on my cheeks and nodded slightly. "Yeah I'm fine. Just tired, that's all. By the way, call me Tomo." I said quietly, mainly because if I spoke louder I might start to sound like a girl.

He looked back and smiled. "That's good Tomo-chan! Are you going to the cafeteria? Or are you going to eat in the classroom with your friends?" Mitsukuni inquired with no rude intentions at all.

I was almost shocked that he thought I had friends. Everyone knew that no one would be caught dead around me. "No. I bring my own lunch and have no friends to eat with. I usually go to the roof." I stated, slightly embarassed that I was actually saying this.

The boy looked at me sadly and I noticed he was holding his pink bunny plush toy. He held out the toy to me and cocked his head slightly to the side. "If you have no friends, then can Takashi, Usa-chan, and me eat with you?" he asked, trying to be nice.

The bunny was insanely cute and it took every ounce of my self-control not to reach out and grab it, as to hold it close to me. "Only if you want to." I replied.

Mitsukuni ran over to his tall cousin and told him about his plan. The two followed me to the roof while I tried to control myself. This was almost better than any of my daydreams. When we sat down to eat on the roof I waited for the gasps of shock when I pulled out a large light blue bento box and took out some cookies. "Do you want one?" I asked the two boys.

Mori nodded and I gave him one. He wasn't much of a talker. Hani, as they call him, nodded and grinned. "I didn't think you were the kind of boy who liked sweets."

I looked back at him and smiled for the first time in a long time. "There's alot about me no one knows Mitsukuni-san." I said.

"Call me Hani, okay Tomo-chan~."

And for the first time in almost too long, I laughed. My biggest hope had come true, now keeping my identity was the only thing I had to keep in my mind.

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Shika: So what do you think?

Hani: I got a cookie so I like it!

Tomo: Please review so we can make this better.

Shika: WE!? I'm the one writing this!