"A Host Club, seriously?" Amandine asked, running a pale hand through her blonde hair. She'd been at the Suoh's second estate for twenty minutes, and already Tamaki was getting to her. Sure she was thrilled to see her cousin again, after all, they hadn't been in contact since she was thirteen and he fourteen, but she was beginning to remember why she had a constant headache those days. It was by some freak miracle she'd been allowed to study at Ouran for the semester. She knew it would have taken an arm and a leg to get Tamaki's witch of a grandmother on board with the idea. "What do you do, go around flattering the girls of the school?"

"Precisely!" Tamaki exclaimed. "And what greater pleasure is there in life than making a young lady feel loved?"

"And they fall for it?" she asked. She'd grown up alongside Tamaki. Both had been only children, and their mothers had insisted they play together. She'd quickly caught on that Tamaki was about as straight as a curly fry early on in middle school. Granted, she figured he could argue he was simply European, but she knew better.

"Of course," Tamaki grinned. "You'll have to come one day after school. The first day's always the best. And then you can meet the others! You'll really like Kyouya, I think. But stay away from those dirty twins. And then there's Haruhi. He's really a girl, but you can't tell anyone."

"Wait, slow down," Amandine said. She'd just gotten into the country that evening, and her knowledge of Japanese was extremely limited. "It sounds like you just said the boy is really a girl."

"Because she is!" Tamaki said.

"Hey, I don't judge," Amandine shrugged.

"I know," he replied. It seemed like he always had to have the last word. But he did know she wasn't judgmental. That's why he'd told her about his… preferences… before anyone else. Only a handful of people really knew; the rest simply speculated. "So how is…?" he tried to ask, but Amandine cut him off.

"I don't know," she said. "She left when you did. My mom and I haven't seen her since."

"Oh," his face fell.

Amandine sighed. She really hated seeing him upset, she always had. And when his mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, he had been inconsolable for months. "I'm sure she's fine, though," she said, placing a hand on Tamaki's shoulder. She smiled, he'd gotten taller. Granted, he'd always been tall for his age, almost everyone in the family was tall. She was the one that got the short gene.

Tamaki nodded. "What about your mother?"

"Never better," she answered. "Misses you like crazy, though. She told me to make sure I tell her everything. Of course I'll omit a few details, even though I'm pretty sure everyone on our side of the family knows by now. So when do I get to meet this Kyouya person?"

"First day of school," Tamaki answered. "You'll meet him, Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi. And maybe Nekozawa-senpai… But be careful around him. He has a cursed cat puppet."

"…A cursed… cat puppet?" Amandine stifled a laugh. "Always the superstitious one." She stifled a yawn. "So are you gonna show me to my room or do I have to find it myself?"

Tamaki shook his head and bowed deeply. "It would be my pleasure to escort you to your residence, my lady." Amandine shook her head, but decided to humor him. She followed him up the stairs and to the right. "You're right across the hall from me," he explained. "So if you need anything, I'm right there." He opened the door and motioned for her to step in.

"Oh my God," Amandine said as she looked around. The room was absolutely breathtaking dark walls and hardwood floors. A wire-framed bed with a red comforter and a cherry desk with a leather chair were all that were in it, but it seemed to be enough. After all, she would only be there for a few months.

"Sorry it's so small, but it's a guest room," Tamaki explained.

Amandine shook her head. "It's perfect." She walked to the middle of the room.

"Well, I should let you sleep. You're probably jet-lagged," he laughed slightly. "I know I was when I first got here. I'll make sure your things are sent up so you can get them put away before school starts next week." He started to close the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will," she assured. Her cousin always had been quite the gentleman. "Night."

"Morning," Tamaki laughed and closed the door. He really was glad to have her there. It was nice having someone else in the empty mansion for once, other than the staff. He hoped she'd like Ouran and his friends, especially Kyouya, though he knew she would definitely be in for the shock of her life.


Rennie ran a hand through her half-inch long hair, examining the room where she was going to be using for the next eighteen weeks or so. It was absolutely beautiful; black stone walls with a large glass door leading out to the balcony facing the west and a four poster bed made up with black sheets, pillows and comforters. There were no decorations anywhere, save for the candles flickering on the walls, each one a different color. Rennie smiled to herself as she savored the beauty and simplicity of her new room.

"Oh Rennie-chan!" A voice spoke from the shadows. She laughed as the figure - her cousin Umehito - moved out from the shadows beside her bed. She was not surprised he had been watching her, as she too was a student of dark magic in her spare time and and could sense his presence. His face moved into the light, and a smile was revealed. "It's so good to see you again, Rennie-chan." He moved to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly.

"I'm glad to see you too, Umehito. It's been too long." Both stood there for a moment enjoying the contact before separating. Nekozawa was not surprised to see how grown up Rennie looked. At seventeen, she had turned into quite the young woman. Her hair, though, was an oddity where ever she went. "How was the trip?"

Rennie groaned as she laid on the bed and patted the spot beside her. "I am never flying anywhere again. The people are rude and snotty, and they can't even tell the difference between a woman with short hair and a man in drag!" Nekozawa laughed as he laid next to her, imagining the scene unfolding. Rennie shot him a look that said don't you even start. Her cousin was kind, but sometimes he reveled too much in other's misfortune, no matter how humorous it may be.

"Who cares about my boring flight? Tell me about this Mori of yours. What's he look like? Is he nice, or a jerk? If he hurts you I am going to KILL him..." Rennie prattled. Umehito waited until her oddly-specific death threat had concluded, then he spoke. "Well, he's tall, has dark hair and is the sweetest and most handsome man I've ever seen. In the public eye he's quiet." He paused for a second. " In bed, he lives up to his Host Club title of the "wild type."

Rennie shot up and stared at him, shocked at what he had just said. "...Oh my God, really Umehito? Really?" Nekozawa looked at her sheepishly, a grin plastered on his face.

"Sorry, Rennie-chan. But you did ask."

Rennie huffed. "I guess so. Anyway, it's really late and I'm tired, so could you go? Besides, now I have to try and get this image of you and a stranger rolling in the sheets out of my head and with you laying there it's really, really hard."

Both of them froze.

And suddenly they broke out into uncontrollable laughter. "That's what she said!" They called in unison. The laughter seemed to last forever, suffocating the two, but finally after several minutes it began to relax to a stray giggle. After catching his breath and wiping a few stray tears away, Nekozawa stood and made his way to the door. "Goodnight Rennie-chan," He called.

"Goodnight, Umehito." Rennie replied. Once the door closed, she smiled to herself and began getting ready to sleep.

She couldn't wait for school to start.


A/N: Hey everyone! It's been a long time. This is a joint story between myself and my good friend Luthien Luinwe, and we're super excited to be writing it! I hope you guys have enjoyed this little beginning, and just to avoid confusion, Amandine is Luthien and I am Rennie. Reviews are always welcome, and this story will be updated quite often, I would think.

Thanks so much!
Nightowl and Luthien