A/N: Good early morning, everyone. I have not had the honor of writing an OHSHC fanfic, and it also has been many, many years since I have posted anything on this site. It's been so long, I don't even remember my (very) old account. Bah! Ah, well, I shall improve on my writings as we go along. I did not realize how hard Haruhi was to write, but do I love writing the twins. Mmmyes. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Hatori-san. I do not and will not profit from this fanfiction. This will be my first and last disclaimer. It will apply to any and all chapters I add to this work of fanfiction.

Chapter One

Ouran University Host Club

Ouran University was a formidable institution, built and designed to shame the greatest of the European castles. With requirements that effortlessly made the elite American colleges' acceptance rates seem high, expectations of the student body to rival the manners of noble gentlemen and ladies, this university produced the greatest of the great educated men and women of the world.

And yet, Haruhi could not find a place to study. She stood inside the third building of her search, just outside the largest library on campus. All of the study rooms were filled.

Ah, but she would not seethe or groan or anything like that.

'College,' she sighed to herself, willing back her patience. Easily finding it, for she had not encountered any…tiring people so far, on this wonderful, sunny afternoon. She had been waiting for this day. Her first day. The freedom that came with pursuing a different career path from…them.

Attending her first three lectures that day had brought on an adrenaline rush. The homework assigned from just that first day could spill from her bag if she tilted it even slightly. Haruhi felt challenged, her brain shifting into overdrive as her eyes sparkled from all of the new information flooding her mind.

She continued down the hall, her brand new boots clicking on the glossy marble floor. The gorgeous blue walls showcased projects done over the spring break by students from the art department, and Haruhi looked up at the sign hanging over the nearest classroom door.

Music Room 1

'Oh,' she blinked up at the sign. She hadn't realized she wandered down to the art wing. Her brown eyes darkened as she tugged at the material of her stylish, light green blouse. The music rooms were perfect to study in, a classmate had told her earlier that day. The university orchestra never stayed later than 3 o'clock. Haruhi checked her phone.

4:02 P.M., the happy, new smartphone read. She sighed down at it, ignoring the missed calls notifications lighting up against the Tokyo night background.

She would have peace today. Readying herself to open the door, Haruhi stopped, and chuckled very quietly to herself. There was no need to prepare for entry. Evidently, she would have to get used to this thing called freedom.

This thing with no devilishly handsome, devilishly acting twins hanging on her all day. No beautiful, over-the-top Japanese-Frenchman throwing himself at her. No stoic, elegant man with the shadow the size of Africa to watch over her. No adorable, sugar-addict to swing himself around her waist. No gorgeous, athletic gentleman to sling her over his shoulder to carry her away.

She pulled open the door, assaulted by the smell of roses and rain. A familiar chorus of, "Good afternoon, Hime," rang through her ears to the center of her brain in a lovely, terrifying realization.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"HARUHIII!" Tamaki leapt forward to catch the considerably pale, considerably unconscious girl as she crumpled to the floor.

"That's just…too much," Honey squeaked, his face also pale.

Mori clenched his jaw, unnerved by Haruhi's scream.

Kyoya put down his notebook.

Hikaru was the first to jump after Tamaki, helping him bring Haruhi to rest on the couch.

Kaoru picked up the papers that had scattered from 'poor, oh poor' Haruhi's bag. His eyes bugged out slightly at the sight of her homework calendar. "No wonder she fainted," he muttered, carefully sliding everything back into her bag, cringing because he felt sure the papers weren't in their original order.

He had warned Tono and Hikaru of this, told them to not encourage her classmate to offer the music rooms as a study hall. She would easily be suckered into a ploy like that. An incredible offer of a secluded, quiet study habitat because, for Haruhi, her study destinations could be called her native habitat.

Kaoru approached the couch the Host Club surrounded, setting down Haruhi's, admittedly heavy, schoolbag at its end. He grabbed Hikaru's arm to steady his brother's shaking hand. Hikaru was, even at eighteen years old, still easily startled when it came to Haruhi.

"She hasn't screamed like that since we joined you for the study-abroad year in Boston," Kyoya told Tamaki with a light smile.

"But that time was actually funny, Kyo-chan." Honey pouted, hugging Usa-chan tightly.

"Ah, well, I am sure looking back on this, several weeks from now, it shall be slightly amusing." Tamaki scratched at the back of his head, tangling his blond locks between his fingers.

Mori stood behind the fine, gold couch, eyeing Haruhi. He knew, for certain, that she would wake up and attempt to slug Tamaki in the face. He supposed he would have to stop her, though he did agree with Kaoru earlier that day. He wondered if he should have been a bit more expressive.

"I tried calling her five times," Hikaru muttered, sighing as he knelt down to tuck a stray lock of soft chocolate brown hair behind Haruhi's ear.

Mori's reaction time was not as quick as Haruhi's when she was pumped full of adrenaline. She tossed Hikaru halfway back to the music room's entrance, then whirled around to snarl at Tamaki. The blond leader of the new Ouran University Host Club let out a girlish shriek, for Haruhi had a look so mean, he believed Kyoya would wither away.

Fortunately for Tamaki, Mori had settled himself comfortably on the couch, then grabbed Haruhi to sit in his lap. Tamaki was almost fit to burst at the sight, but he wouldn't complain at how tightly Mori had wound his arms around the enraged brunette to keep her still.

"Nice toss," Mori hummed quietly in Haruhi's ear, the settling effect he hoped for quickly taking hold. He held onto her, though. She wouldn't be fit to walk around with that much adrenaline in her for a least a half hour.

Haruhi didn't trust herself to speak as Hikaru raised himself off the floor and stretched, shooting her an angry glare. All of the boys, 'Hm, men,' Haruhi pondered with a half-mind to it, were dressed in unbelievable suits. Tamaki in white and gold. Kyoya in deep blue and white. Kaoru and Hikaru in black. Honey in dark purple. She couldn't see Mori, he was holding on so strongly that she couldn't turn to see his suit.

It was just like high school. Only more. If that were possible.

'This is too much.' Haruhi shuddered, noticing Mori tighten his grip ever so slightly. Calming down was the first step, then she was going to bolt for the door and lock herself in Music Room 2 until the Host Club left and she would be free to take the train home. This was not high school, she reassured herself. She most definitely would not partake in any of this crazy nonsense. Rubbing the soft material of her black slacks, she sighed through her nose. She already promised them a month ago that she would reserve Saturday afternoons and nights with them, and finally relented to two Friday nights a month, also.

She was proud of herself for that one. It had originally been dinner every weeknight and a sleepover at the Hitachiin mansion every Saturday night. It felt good to wear them down, especially because she could hardly ever say no to them in high school.

She found her voice a moment later, and hissed at them in English, "You fucking idiots."

"AHH!" Tamaki cried, latching onto Kyoya. "DID YOU HEAR THAT, MOMMY?"

"Hm. Boston rubbed off on you." Kyoya glanced at her disdainfully.

"Haruhi," Mori warned, his tone as sharp as a katana.

Honey stayed several feet away, his eyes on her boots. "Haru-chan, we wanted to surprise you!"

Kaoru and Hikaru gave her two shaky thumbs-up signs, dying and crying in laughter. "That's our Haruhi!"

Tamaki rounded on them, screaming that they shouldn't encourage his "Hime!" to speak in such an awful manner. The twins only shrieked in more wild laughter at the withering stare Haruhi gave the much too excited blond.

"Let go, please," she spoke more politely to Mori. Haruhi really was grateful that he stopped her from tossing Tamaki, too, but she was ready to leave.

He shifted his legs, then relaxed again. "No," he said simply.

Haruhi huffed through her nose again, not that she could blame him. The muscles in her neck were so tight that it hurt. She figured that he could feel it. Hearing Tamaki refer to her like that wasn't really unpleasant, but since they had ended their relationship, she just preferred that he kept silent with such extravagant, adoring nicknames.

She took to staring at Honey, instead. He was watching her carefully. The once small boy had grown. Haruhi had noticed the year before, about a month before they left Boston, that he was eating everything in sight, not just sweets. That was the first indicator, the second being Mori shoving ibuprofen down the boy's throat every morning and night because of the constant look of pain on his face.

Haruhi flinched a little, remembering the one or two growing pains she had endured in early high school, but couldn't imagine the pain Honey felt as he hit the growth spurt he should've had at fourteen, not nineteen.

"Remembering your growing pains," Haruhi said softly when Honey reached out a hand and placed it on her knee.

He smiled widely. "Yeah! I mean, I still have them, but not as bad as the first six months. I'm as tall as you now!" His grin suddenly got cheeky. "You know, our lessons seem to be paying off," he said quietly, with a wink.

Haruhi smiled back, relaxing at Honey's compliment. He was a serious teacher when it came to martial arts. She felt Mori loosen his grip once she fully relaxed into him. Count on Honey to approve her release. She thought it a bit strange that Mori was slower than usual to draw his arms all the way back, but she thought nothing of it once Tamaki stared at her with frightened puppy eyes.

"Ha-Haruhi?"

She stood up, feeling a little chilled. "I'm leaving."

"No!" he wailed, pleading with her to stay, feeling safe that Mori had deemed her calm.

"Goodbye forever." She walked toward the entrance, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"No fun!" the twins whined.

Tamaki despaired in his new corner, the one farthest away from the magnificently bright windows.

Haruhi muttered to herself, stopping at the doors. "Tamaki?"

"No…no more senpai," he murmured depressingly to himself, hunching even more forward into his corner.

'Should've known.' Haruhi sighed. "It's been a year since I stopped calling you that. Get over yourself."

"So blunt!" he cried, peering at her with sad eyes.

"Eh." She blanched, then narrowed her eyes at Hikaru and Kaoru. They each had a hand up on the wall to support themselves as tears poured down their cheeks in fits of uncontrollable giggles.

"So good. So good! She could do stand-up comedy!"

"We ARE comedy, Hikaru. We are as good as gold!"

Mori stared at them with an unreadable expression, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. He was wearing a gunmetal grey suit. She thought it complimented him very well, like the others. Honey quietly walked over to Tamaki to continue his day of calming his overly emotional friends, sighing to Usa-chan. Kyoya only continued his work, staring at his laptop. Haruhi noted the business textbook resting beside the computer.

She turned and walked out the door, hiding the wide grin that hurt her cheeks.

They were truly the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Constructive criticism. Comments, concerns, questions. I'll take it all. Good day everyone!