Sitting on the other end of the table, Sano (nee Ashiya) Mizuki shifted nervously in her seat. This was her first interview after graduating from teacher's college. Izumi had not been very supportive about her decision to be a career woman so quickly; he wanted to start a family quickly, well before they turn 30, or at least enjoy their status as newly-weds. Mizuki sighed at her husband's condition: Should she fail to get this job, she could only try again a year later.
"Sano-san, you're a newly-wed, aren't you?" It was written clearly on her resume.
"...Hai, Suoh-sama." If Mizuki thought that Osaka High was weird, Ouran was wealthy, with a capital W. Come to think about it, she, in her typically careless manner, simply picked the school randomly, without doing some checks on her own. She had difficulty keeping her mouth closed at the extravagant compound of the school; she thought that the place was more like a palace...
Yuzuru frowned. Candidates who spaced out during interviews irritated him. Looking more closely at the resume, he then zeroed in on a minor detail. He looked at the young lady before him.
"Sano-san, it says here that you studied at Osaka High for a while." Mizuki stiffened. "Please, don't remember that it's an all-boys school," prayed the lady.
"From what I remembered, it's an all-boys school." The Suoh empire had business dealings with many companies controlled by Osaka High's board of directors. Mizuki groaned silently. Observing her, Yuzuru chuckled slightly. Somehow, despite her long hair and dress, he could imagine this young lady before him in a suit and short hair, not least because right here in Ouran, there's a student with the same "problem"...
Things clicked quickly. There was now a smile on the superintendent's face.
"Sano-san, you've got the job."
"Really?" Mizuki resisted the urge to hug her new boss.
"But on one condition: you must masquerade as a gentleman."
"What?" Mizuki was sure that she hadn't heard Yuzuru correctly. Wouldn't people normally advise against crossdressing?
"Here in Ouran, we have one student who's like you, in more ways than one. So, I hope that with your little "performance", the school population would be able to accept her as a female student, when the time comes for it."
Mizuki hesistated. Then...
"I'll do it, Yuzuru-sama."
"Good. You start work in three days' time. Surely, you'll need some time to re-adjust and prepare your spouse for the shocks?"
"My husband was my roommate at Osaka High." Yuzuru was right; she did have something in common with Fujioka Haruhi...
Later, back at the Sano apartment...
Sano Izumi was returning home from work. Being a police officer sure was tough, but he knew that he could always rely on support from someone. His high school days were coming back to him now; how he regained his confidence with the help of his room mate...
"I'm back."
"Welcome home," said Mizuki as she stepped up to Izumi. Then...
"Ashiya Mizuki, what have you done to yourself?!?!" Mizuki winced. Izumi always used her maiden surname whenever he wanted to make a point. The lady dragged her husband to the couch. After they've sat down, Mizuki took in a deep breath.
"Anata, here's the deal..." After explaning the situation to her husband, the ex-high-jumper sighed.
"I don't know who is crazier: you, who accepted the deal, your boss, who had the gall to suggest it in the first place, or that girl."
"Anata, you promised," said Mizuki with a slight pout.
"Well, I certainly didn't know that you cutting your hair short and wearing a suit was part of the plan. But..." Looking at her wife, Izumi had to admit: Her look brings back memories.
"It's only for work. On weekends, I'll go back to being your sweet and loving wife."
"Well, just because you're crossdressing doesn't mean that I'm no longer your husband, Sano Mizuki." Izumi gave the lady a light peck on the lips.
"Just be careful, alright?" Mizuki nodded. Her adventure was about to begin...
Three days later...
"Hey, look at that guy!"
"Who's he?"
"I think he's our new sensei."
"He looks..."
Mizuki stifled a grin as she walked through the school compound of Ouran High. As a stroke of luck, she had only one lesson on her first day, taking Class 1-A for English. Being half-American, people promptly assumed that her skills would be better than usual. To make sure that she didn't get lost, the school staff had emailed her a copy of the school map and some pointers on what to expect from the students. Well, those pointers sure didn't include gasps and stares. It was deja vu, to say the least.
"1-A...1-A," she mumbled to herself as she consulted the map. For all its grandeur, the place was also a maze. She hoped that she wouldn't be late...
Over at class 1-A, the students were waiting for their new sensei to come in. The hosts were discussing among themselves...
"I wonder how he looks like," mumbled Hitachiin Hikaru.
"Hikaru, what makes you think that it's going to be a 'he'," replied Kaoru.
"Well, don't tell me we're going to get someone like Haruhi," joked the older twin.
"Leave me out of this," growled Fujioka Haruhi. Of everyone in Ouran, only the Host Club boys (and the chairman/superintendent) know her true identity. The twins, being incorrigible pranksters, had their fun at her expense, most of the time. Also, the day was ending, and she's a little cranky from work. Then, as the new sensei stepped into the classroom, the chatter died down.
Mizuki wrote her name on the board and turned towards her charges, who were by now staring at her, some with their mouths wide open.
"Well, looks like you got it right, Hikaru," wisecracked Haruhi. However, for all her crossdressing, she too thought that Mizuki was a guy, albeit an extremely feminine looking one; the fact that their style were so similar was lost on her. The sensei introduced "himself".
"Konnichiwa. I'm Ashiya Mizuki, your new English Teacher. I hope that we'll have a great time together." Her eyes scanned the students. Almost immediatly, Haruhi caught her eye. There's no mistake that "he" was the student in question.
"Alright, let's begin. Turn to page 67 of the text..."
After the class, the hosts were preparing for their routine trip to the Third Music Room, when they found their sensei standing next to Haruhi's desk.
"Fujioka-kun, could I have a word with you, in private?"
"I.. guess so." The twins looked at their new teacher suspiciously.
"Ashiya-sensei, did Haruhi do something wrong just now," asked the duo in unison.
"No, of course not. It's just that I've something serious to discuss with her."
"Guys, just leave us alone. I need someone to tell Tamaki-senpai that I'll be late," said Haruhi as she pushed the twins out of the classroom and closed the doors.
"Sorry, sensei. They're like that."
"No need to apologise, Fujioka-kun. Take a seat." Mizuki sat on a desk next to Haruhi.
"Haruhi, you're a girl, aren't you?"
"Hai.., although you're the first sensei to notice," replied the girl matter-of-factly. It went better than I thought, mused Mizuki to herself.
"Sensei, how could you tell?" Haruhi, on the other hand, was a little curious.
"Well, your sensei's a woman too, you know," chuckled Mizuki. Haruhi's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. She grabbed the sensei's chest. Mizuki saw the funny side of the whole thing, and didn't blame her for the shock.
"How... Why..."
"The chairman wanted me to prepare the school population. He reasoned that if they had a cross-dressing teacher in the school, they might find it easier to accept a cross-dressing student, namely you."
"Sensei, I've never tried to hide my real sex. Well... It's... kind of complicated for me to explain. Suffice to say that the Host Club is involved in the charade."
"Oh, I heard something about a 'host club' just now. Are those the boys who are helping to keep your identity a secret?" Haruhi nodded.
"Well, perhaps I should pay them a little visit.
"Sensei, you had best be prepared. They're a little weird, to say the least."
"Well, they couldn't be more bizarre than my encounters in high school, right," smiled Mizuki. Her confidence made the younger girl wonder about her sensei.
"This way, then." As Haruhi led the way, she looked at the sensei. This could be the beginning of something totally unexpected, she thought...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!
-Sorry, if anyone finds this "rubbish". Just had to do a crossover after reading Hana Kimi. Mizuki as Haruhi's sensei. More laughs are to come.