Author's note: Hello there, and welcome to my first ever Ouran fanfic! Before you get started, please make sure to ALWAYS read these little notes! There will be trigger warnings! This story is mostly a heartwarming, fuzzy love and friendship story, but there ARE lots of extremely dark places! Violent death, attempted suicide, rape and abuse are all mentioned at some point or other. For the love of all things holy, DO NOT BYPASS THE TRIGGER WARNINGS if you are prone to depression. I don't want any hateful reviews because of the content!
Ok, rant over. Welcome to Sky's world. She's colorful and twisted and has a foul mouth, but a heart of gold. Follow her as she starts attending the prestigious Ouran Academy! Will she survive meeting the Host Club? Will they mend her broken heart, or will devastation follow in her wake?
I'll be updating as often as I can, so long as the muses stay with me. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no hate. Any reviews are appreciated! If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to PM me!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ouran or the Hosts (Or any other canon characters that may come into play). I own only my OC and related characters. Thanks everyone, please enjoy!
"Demons would sure make high school life more exciting..."
Sky Prentiss continued to mutter to herself as the demons-and-vampires anime played in the background. She tugged at the cuffs of her uniform jacket until they covered her wrists completely and turned back to look in the full-length mirror hanging inside her closet door. Satisfied that her uniform was acceptable, she cast one brief, longing glance at the neatly organized -and mostly black- clothes and boots before closing the door.
"Lame uniform. Lame shoes. Stupid conformity. Damned rich kids' school had better be worth it."
Sky walked into the bathroom, complaining under her breath all the while. Her rainbow-dyed locks were already pulled into a small ponytail, so she smoothed down the black, inch-long portion of her hair before turning to a counter covered with wig stands bearing several different styles and colors of wigs. She grabbed a chestnut-brown, shoulder-length wig and adjusted it over her own colorful locks. She smoothed the long strands, covering the multitude of silver hoops and studs in her ears.
"Ugh, so boring. Oh well, at least I don't have to wear that ugly yellow monstrosity."
She shuddered at the thought of the girls' uniform dress and admitted that the boys' uniform was much more acceptable. At least she could wear trousers. And absolutely NO nasty pastel yellow. That in itself was worth decking herself in the fussy light blue jacket and don't-notice-me-brown wig. And the trousers were black, so that helped. But oh, if only she could at least wear some combat boots. Or even a few chains and her favorite skeleton necklace! Stupid dress code, stupid rules...
Once her wig was situated properly, Sky grabbed her school bag and bounded downstairs, humming to herself. She slid into the kitchen in her socks and hurried to the refrigerator for some orange juice. Despite her anxiety about going to a co-ed school again, she was in a good mood this morning. It was confusing, but she wasn't about to question it. Good moods were scarce on days as taxing as this one.
She finished her juice and stuffed half of a protein bar in her mouth, shoving an extra in her bag. She ran through the kitchen to the foyer and jammed her feet into the shiny black shoes that were the last part of her school uniform. Swallowing the last bit of her protein bar, she pranced out the front door and into the bright morning sunshine.
- Later that day -
Sky looked around her, completely and hopelessly lost. No one had told her that this Ouran Academy place was one giant maze. A fussy, ostentatious, overly-gilded labyrinth filled with spoiled, self-centered brats. All she wanted to do was find a quiet place to hide until her panic attack was over, why did she have to get lost NOW?
She rounded yet another corner and found herself at the end of a long hallway. At least this one was empty! Hoping to find a quiet spot at last, she picked a door at random and listened for a moment. It sounded empty, so she took a deep, shuddering breath and tried the handle.
Success! It opened! But before Sky could take two steps into the brightly-lit room, a young blonde man suddenly appeared before her. He bowed and reached for her hand. A shrill yelp fell from her lips and she jumped back, pulling her hand away and nearly tripping over her own feet.
Her back hit the door and her breath caught in her throat. Trapped! Oh no! Oh God, what do I do now? Before she could so much as blink, a pair of red-headed twins had joined the now-very-confused-looking blonde. He was saying something. At least, his lips were moving. But Sky could hear nothing over the sound of her own pounding heart and the whistling gasps as she fought for breath.
Her eyes darted between the three young men before her as her throat constricted even more. She struggled to force air into her burning lungs, but her panic-stricken body refused to cooperate. Suddenly, her vision went gray and fuzzy around the edges, and then her whole world went black.
- Moments later -
Sky opened her eyes to a squint and rubbed her forehead with a small groan. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright lights. Oh man, too bright. Wait... She sat up quickly and came face-to-face with the blonde again. She squealed and threw herself backward, hitting the back of the sofa. Wait, sofa?
She whipped her head around frantically, but no answers came to her. She was sitting on an ornate, fussy sofa, but she had no idea how she got there. The last thing she remembered was slamming her back against that stupid door. Panic attack! Blonde! Oh balls, I fainted?! She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and looked around a little less hysterically this time.
There were several young men gathered around her, looking confused and just a little concerned. Her eyes darted between them in fear, but no one seemed inclined to attack. Sky pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as she continued to watch the males. No one moved toward her, so she tried to focus on not hyperventilating. It's fine. You're fine. They're not going to attack. Just chill out, damnit. You're fine. It's fine. Calm down, it's fine.
A glass of water was suddenly thrust in front of her, and she yelped. Her eyes followed the hand holding the glass, up the arm it was attached to, and up to a new face. A tall young man with black hair and surprisingly kind gray eyes silently offered the glass to Sky. She blinked and switched her attention back to the glass, reaching for it with slightly trembling hands. She whispered her thanks, and he simply nodded in reply.
As Sky sipped the cold water, she kept her eyes on the blonde, who had started to creep forward again. He looked nearly as terrified as she was, and he stopped well out of her reach. He stared at her, tilting his head to one side like a confused puppy dog.
"Are... Are you alright, miss? You're not going to scream or faint again, are you?"
Sky took another small drink and set the half-empty glass on a nearby table before trying to answer. She glanced up at the blonde, but he was keeping his distance. The others were farther back, and even the one with the kind eyes had stepped back a pace. She swallowed and nodded slightly. Casting her eyes to the floor, she stammered out a reply.
"I'm ok... I'm sorry, I... I, um... I was just... I just... I thought this room was empty. I'm sorry... I didn't... Um... I didn't... I didn't mean to interrupt anything... I'm sorry."
Without warning, the blonde's expression changed to one of extreme concern, and he fell to his knees before Sky. She let out a tiny shriek and tried to move back but was trapped against the back of the sofa. She settled for clenching her hands together and hiding her face against her knees with a quiet whimper.
"There's nothing you need to apologize for, princess. It was surely my own fault for startling you in the first place. I have to admit though, this was the first time my stunning good looks actually dazzled someone so much that they fainted!"
There was a small laugh, and then a quiet, derisive snort, followed quickly by smothered giggles. Sky trembled and raised her head, risking a small peek. The blonde was still kneeling before her, but his attention was on one of the other young men.
Another quiet, dark-haired boy with glasses was shaking his head at the blonde as the red-headed twins snickered behind him. The boy with glasses reached over and pulled the blonde's hair, causing him to squeal and fall over.
"Ow! What was that for, Kyoya?! That hurt!"
"You're frightening the poor girl, Tamaki. And it wasn't your so-called 'stunning good looks' that caused her to faint. You don't notice anything, do you?"
The blonde -Tamaki- looked ready to cry as he stood and brushed the dust off his trousers. He pouted and muttered for a moment before turning back to the one he called Kyoya.
"Wait. Why did you say that? What did I miss?"
Kyoya sighed and nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose before answering with another shake of his head.
"This young lady was obviously in distress before she even opened the door. Your looks didn't startle her, it was you popping up from out of nowhere that scared her. And you two-"
He turned to the twins, who immediately fell silent and looked nervous.
"You only made it worse. You all should know better than to sneak up on people like that. Especially frightened young ladies that you've never met before. Try to show a little more decorum, if you please."
Kyoya turned his attention to the young lady in question. He took a small step towards Sky and spoke quietly to her.
"Please forgive them, miss. They're idiots, but they're harmless, really. Are you alright now?"
Sky risked a glance up at the soft-spoken young man. He kept his distance but looked genuinely concerned. She blinked and took a ragged breath, unclenching her hands.
"I... I'm... I'll be fine, thank you. I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to disrupt anything. I'm really sorry for everything..."
"You didn't disrupt anything, miss, it's quite alright. I'm sure we're all just glad that you're feeling better."
"If, if you're sure... Thank you. I, um... I should probably be going, anyway. Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself..."
She ended on a mutter and set her feet back on the floor. She stood up slowly and smoothed her uniform jacket down, rising to her full height. As she reached up to make sure her hair was alright, a small gasp could be heard.
Sky immediately checked her jacket cuffs, but they were completely covering her wrists. She looked around for the source of the sound and was thoroughly confused when she saw an adorable little blonde boy holding a stuffed pink bunny. Why's there a little kid here? What the hell is going on in this school?
"Oh, hey! You're that new American girl in my class! Wow, you're really tall!"
Oh, that's right. Not a little kid, just that short dude from class. Sky glanced at the boy and shrugged slightly.
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you for a moment. Yeah, today's my first day. Great first impression, huh?"
She tried a small smile and was rewarded with a big grin in return. The little blonde twirled around with his stuffed bunny and jumped up onto the sofa, bouncing up and down. Sky gulped and took a cautious step away, keeping her eyes on the hyper boy. Yikes dude, lay off the caffeine... Wait, what's he saying?
"-ever seen a girl so tall here. Are all American girls so tall, or are you just super special? How come you were so scared when you came in? Did somebody say something mean?"
Holy crap, this kid talks a lot. Seems sweet, though.
"No one said anything. It's just... I, uh... I was just... I was just really overwhelmed, and... And I kind of, um, like... I was sort of, um, having a panic attack... And then I got turned around, and I just wanted a quiet place to hide until it passed, and... And... Well, um... Then I walked in here, and... and... Yeah..."
"Oh no! Poor Prentiss-chan!"
The little blonde's eyes welled with tears, and he looked ready to pounce on Sky. She held her hands up with palms out in a defensive gesture and took another step back. She shook her head slightly, whimpering. To her immense relief, the tall one with the kind eyes put his hand on the little blonde head, speaking for the first time.
"Mitsukuni. She's still scared, don't make it worse by jumping on her."
With that, the little blonde went still. His eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open. He looked so comically shocked, Sky couldn't help the little grin that formed. Her fear diminished drastically, she exhaled slowly and glanced around. Wait a sec, "Prentiss-chan?" What...?
"I'm sorry, maybe I heard wrong. Did you call me Prentiss-chan just then?"
"Yeah, that's your name, right? I thought I heard the teacher call you Prentiss..."
Sky nodded a little and rubbed her eye. Teachers, ugh. So lame.
"Yeah...That's just one of my surnames. My full name is actually Sky Pixie Prentiss-Hoshimura. But mostly everyone just calls me Pixie."
"Your name is really, honestly Sky Pixie?"
One of the twins interjected with a snort. Sky raised an eyebrow in annoyed confusion at the red-heads. She hitched one shoulder up in a shrug.
"My first parents were hippies, what can I say? It's better than their other choice. I was almost named Rainbow Moonflower."
"Don't be mean, Hika-chan. I think your name is super cute, Pixie-chan!"
The little blonde was bouncing on the sofa again, giggling and grinning happily. Sky was impressed with the boy's energy, and briefly wondered if he lived on Pixi Stix and Red Bull. She wondered if the energy would be worth the wicked sugar crash. Ehh, probably not. Oh, well. Wait, what's he saying now? Shit, pay attention!
"-Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but everyone calls me Honey. You can call me Honey too, 'kay Pixie-chan?"
Sky nodded and smiled slightly, then listened silently as the others introduced themselves. God, how am I supposed to remember all these names? Just be nice, be polite, and then get the hell out of here before you start freaking out again. She gave them all a small, polite smile and twisted her hands together.
"It's um... It's a pleasure to meet you all, despite the circumstances. You've been very kind. But, um... I really should be going now. Thank you, and I'm sorry again."
With that, she gave a small bow and took off as swiftly as she dared. She escaped the doorway and bounded down the hallway. After a few false turns, she finally found the front entrance and made her way outside. She breathed a sigh of relief as she squinted against the bright sunshine. The dreaded first day was over at last! Thank God!
-A little while later-
Sky slammed the front door and kicked her shoes off, relishing the loud noises. Then, with a grimace, she picked the shoes up and gently set them in their proper place. She rolled her eyes at her own actions and swiftly climbed the stairs, humming under her breath.
She tugged off the light blue jacket and the long brown wig and cast them aside. She pulled her rainbow locks out of the hair tie and shook her head fiercely, then ran her fingers through her hair, causing the shorter bits to stick up in wild spikes. She quickly exchanged the rest of her school uniform for her own clothing. Swiftly donning some red and black bondage pants, she grabbed the first black shirt her hand touched and threw it on.
Now properly attired, Sky added her favorite skeleton necklace and ran into the bathroom to fix her hair. Feeling more like herself finally, she stuck her tongue out at her reflection. There you are, Pixie. Where've you been all day?
The day had gone surprisingly well, even considering the whole fainting fiasco. She was shocked at how nice that group of boys had been, since everyone else in that stupid bloody school seemed so very stuck up and rude. The two blondes were a little extreme, and the twins seemed like they could be a major handful. But overall, they all seemed much nicer than she would have expected.
Yawning, Sky wandered back downstairs toward the kitchen. She rubbed her eye and thought about her homework as she rifled through the contents of the fridge. At least the lessons at this Academy weren't difficult. If she could just keep from panicking so much, she was sure to pass her classes with flying colors.
She grabbed a soda from the fridge and wandered through the house, sipping and humming to herself. They'd only lived here for a week, but it already seemed so familiar and comfortable. Feels like home already. Weird. But yay, I guess? Better than spending the next however many months feeling out of place.
She made her way back upstairs and shuffled down the hall to her bedroom. Before starting her homework, she hung up her uniform jacket and put the brown wig back on its stand, smoothing the strands. She started her favorite playlist on her computer and grabbed her school bag, finally ready to begin.