"Maria! Come down here this instant! You're going to be late for your first day at Ouran High School!" yelled Mom. At that moment I zoomed down the stairs, still brushing my hair and fiddling with the buttons on my coat, only to be met with an evil grin from my dear older brother, Connor.
"Mom! Maria's trying to get all cutesy for the private school boys!" cried Connor. He smirked.
I glared at him. I hated it when he teased me. I made a point of showing this by sticking my tongue out and grabbing the last piece of toast. I watched as his slow reflexes kicked in as he tried to grab for it, but instead was rewarded with a piece of air.
We hopped in the car and headed to Ouran, where we were greeted by...
Wait. Let's backtrack a bit.
Hi, I'm Maria Stanford. I was born on a cold, wintery night. Wait, no that's too far. Where would be the perfect place to start this story? When did this all start? Oh, wait! I remember now. It started back when I became fascinated with the violin. No, fascinated isn't the right word. I became obsessed.
You see, my Dad used to play the violin. I would watch as his hands assertively took control of the bow, gracefully gliding it across the strings. Before hearing my father play, I had no idea such a beautiful sound could exist, in a world that was quite the contrary.
Connor and I would stay up for hours, listening to the wonderful sound. The violin seemed to be the melody that held the chords of my life together. Then all of a sudden, the sound stopped abruptly.
We were listening to father, like any other night, yet this night was different. We went out to a hotel and our dad ordered room service. He drank tea before he played.
Then, it happened. What was supposed to be a G suspiciously sounded like an A flat, then the only sight that greeted my eyes was my dad collapsing to the ground.
On the tray was a bottle of soda my dad had bought for us. I saw something that looked like a letter within it. I took it out, and read my dad's sloppy hand-writing. It said, "Run." My father knew he was going to die, and scribbled a warning for us.
So we ran. Years later we became musical geniuses, got scholarships to Ouran, and were determined to play beautiful music as a dedication to our deceased father. Or at least that's how the world saw it.
In truth, we played music just to survive. It was a half-hearted attempt to recreate the melody our father often played to hold our lives together. Without it, our carefully sheltered world would fall apart.
When I think of my first day at Ouran, I think of a new beginning. It was rather unusual for a first-year to transfer in the middle of the year. It was even more unusual for this first year to be a commoner. From all the gossip I've heard, apparently the only commoner that went to Ouran besides my brother and I was Haruhi Fujioka.
I quickly discovered that my classes required rigorous attention, and that I would have to study for hours just to keep on top of my studies. At the last period of the day, I was scheduled to go to the band room. I filled out my own registration to join orchestra, and they tried to get me to rent a violin. Hah! I was fully prepared with my own. How dare they try to make me play with any other instrument besides the one my father bought me?
Sadly, no one else saw it that way. They began to think of me as snooty. Me? They're the snotty rich kids and they think I look down upon them. But whatever.
And the worst part was I was pretty sure Connor was off somewhere, having the time of his freaking life.
Out of Maria's POV
Connor's first day was amazing. He instantly clicked with his science teacher, who dubbed him as the class representative. He made friends with all sorts of kids, ranging from the geeks to the Goths, and just about everyone in between. Before he knew it he was receiving party invitations. He also got asked out a lot that day (7 girls and 3 males) and declined them all, because he wasn't really interested in dating at the moment.
He was scheduled to go to orchestra during 4th period, where he instantly knocked over all the music stands, and caused the class to already think of him as a klutz. But it was fine; he understood that not everyone was going to like him.
At the end of the day he scrambled to find Maria, only to discover that she was talking to a tall man in glasses.
"If you ever want to stop by, I, Kyoya Ootori, will be at your service." said the man, while grabbing Maria's hand.
To Connor, it sounded a lot like a second-year student was trying to hit on his younger sister.
"Hey, pal. You do realize she's a first year, right?" said Connor, all of a sudden showing up on the scene.
"You have it all wrong, Connor. He was inviting me to go to a social event his club is hosting. Apparently, all the girls are into it." she quickly explained, hoping Connor wouldn't overreact.
"You can come too, if you'd like. It probably wouldn't be your scene. Unless, of course, you want to join the club?" said Kyoya, further examining him.
Hmmm, he thought, He's fit, attractive, and has auburn hair that is just to die for. He would make us loads of money, and be a complete hit in the host club.
"Sorry, where have my manners gone? I'm Kyoya Ootori. Second-year Ouran student. Otherwise known as the almost-heir of the Ootori fortune." said Kyoya, extending his hand to shake Connor's.
"Hi, I'm Connor. I'm a second year-student. Um, that's it. We Standfords haven't really done shit with our lives." he casted his eyes down, grinning sheepishly.
All of a sudden a loud cry of despair became apparent as a distressed Tamaki ran over to the scene.
"I beg to differ! Your family is filled with musical geniuses! I've heard your father play once, while I still lived in France." said Tamaki, in his usual dramatic voice.
Maria's POV
I slowly found myself remembering a smiling blonde boy, being led into the music center with his mother. This was two years ago, when my father rented that hotel room in France. He played at the music center for fun, not profit. In fact, that was the last time he played in public before he died. I still remember the look of sheer amazement on the boy's face as he rushed over to my father and asked for an autograph. My father was flattered, and I discovered I was smiling. My father's music brought joy to just about everyone.
"I remember you." I found myself saying, "You're Tamaki Suoh. "
"Your father was brilliant. He puts my music to shame." Tamaki commented.
"You play?" I asked.
"Well, a little piano here and there. It's not anything special. Would you like to hear me play sometime?" he offered.
"Sure." I smiled. After a while I finally noticed Kyoya and Connor talking to another person. This person had a girlish figure, yet seemed to have on a male uniform. I was almost certain this person was a girl. I stared for a while, still trying to determine which one it was.
The person swiftly turned around, and introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Haruhi Fujioka." she said with a smile.
"Hi, Haruhi. If you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed up like a boy?" I probed; amazed since this was the first cross-dresser I have ever met.
The atmosphere grew silent. There seemed to be heaviness in the air, pressing on everyone's lungs, preventing them from talking. I thought my speculation was innocent enough, and I honestly didn't see the cause for such a drastic change in otherwise happy spirits.
"How did you know?" was all Tamaki could ask, amazed.
Haruhi then chimed in, saving me from having to explain my deduction process.
"Well, I am a girl, Tamaki. Does it make you unhappy that other people know?" she teased.
"No! Daddy only wants the best for his little girl! He wants the whole world to be proud of who she is!" he said goofily, grasping Haruhi into an uncomfortable hug.
"You're not my Dad!" she found herself yelling.
"Why would Haruhi say such a horrible thing to her Father? Is this some kind of teenage phase?" he asked, nearly falling over from shock.
Haruhi was muttering something under her breath, and Kyoya was smiling, enjoying the display. I gazed at Connor, and he looked confused as always.
"So...you're a girl." he said in relief. Phew! At least I don't have to worry about finding her attractive, He thought.
It seemed like I just met everyone that was worth knowing in the school. Boy was I wrong.
The second day went by just as uneventfully, until it became lunch time. Just when I went to sit at a table by myself, I felt myself being whisked away by two people. I looked up to see a set of twins. They had a devious twinkle in their eyes and a mischievous smirk displayed across their face. Normally, I would think I was about to get stuffed in a locker, but there was something friendly behind those identical faces.
"So you're Maria Standford." they both said simultaneously examining me. I felt like a frog being dissected for a science class. It's as if they knew my whole life story just by one glance.
"It appears you were sitting alone." One of them said.
"We can't have that." said the other.
I heard footsteps and recognized Haruhi's voice behind us.
"I apologize for this. Once Hikaru and Kaoru set their minds to something..." she started.
"Nothing can stop us." the freaky twins finished, together again. By the looks of it, I figured I better get used to them saying things together. It was a given. Before all this, I thought twins only did that on TV.
I could gladly state that my stay at Ouran Academy changed a lot of the ways I viewed the world. Little did I know that these people would grow to be my friends. And how could I have possibly predicted the danger that lie ahead.
"Let me properly introduce myself." said one of the twins, "I'm Hikaru, always at your service." He punctuated his sentence with a kiss to the back of my hand.
"And I'm Kaoru. It's a pleasure to meet you." said the other twin, snaking an arm around my shoulder.
The twins made me uncomfortable but I found them likeable. In a little while I would learn that's how they treated everyone.
"No!" Haruhi suddenly stormed, "The first one is Kaoru. And the second one his Hikaru."
At that the two twins frowned, making a tisk, tisk motion at her. I found this funny and laughed.
"Why do you always ruin the fun?" asked Kaoru.
"Jealous?" Hikaru dared to suggest.
Haruhi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm jealous that I'm not being harassed." she muttered.
Lunch pretty much went by that way, with the twins bombarding me with questions and teasing, and Haruhi always trying to come to my rescue, and then they would bombard her with teasing and questioning. It took only a short lunch period to realize how weird the twins were.
I found that all three of them were reinviting them to their club meeting, just as Kyoya had been doing yesterday. Out of all the excitement, I never thought to ask what this club was.
When I did, Kaoru's or Hikaru's (I'm not sure which one) mouth turned upward into an even wider grin.
"We're a little something I'd like to call the Ouran high school host club." the pumpkin-haired twin responded.
At the end of the day I made a quick stop by my locker to put away my books. Although I noticed a piece of paper taped to the inside of my locker.
Completely ignoring the fact that someone broke into my locker, I grabbed the letter and read it out loud.
Note:
Stay away from the host club! They're dangerous! Stay away!
I immediately laughed at the note, and crumbled it up, and made a big show of throwing it in the garbage can across the hall.
"And the crowd goes wild!" I simulated a sports-announcer. Then I headed down to the abandoned music room.
Out of Maria's P.O.V.
Connor almost left the school to go home then remembered about the event his sister was invited to. He quickly found the music room, this being good considering he was late, and was instantly greeted with rose petals, fancy harp music, and sparkly lighting.
He instantly burst into a coughing fit. He was allergic to roses. The music stopped and his sister came running across the room.
"Take deep breaths! In and out, in and out." she instructed.
When Connor's respiratory system finally went back to normal, he witnessed what was going on around the room. Girls were giving money for these boys.
He initially thought the worst, and Maria's explanation didn't help.
"Girls pay money to be entertained by cute guys! Isn't it great?" she exclaimed.
Connor's eye-twitched and he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Maria asked.
"This is prostitution!" Connor yelled, loud enough for the whole room to hear.
It was then that Honey awoke from his nap, rubbing his eyes. He yawned cutely, causing a bunch of girls to fawn over his adorable nature. He stretched, and almost fell over, putting a hand out to steady himself.
"What's prostitution?" he asked innocently, looking up at Mori.
Mori's eyes temporarily went wide then returned to their normal state. "Nothing."
Kyoya slowly made his way across the room, soon being eye to eye with Connor.
"That's a shame, because we figured you would want to join us." he said in an uninterested tone. But that was just typical Kyoya.
Maria couldn't help but gasp. She wondered if her brother understood the implications of that offer. Being a host would be amazing for anyone. And to think that Connor got a chance to join this wacky brother/sisterhood. So Maria found herself frowning in disdain when her brother said, "No, it's not my thing."
Kyoya dragged them both into the hallway, making sure they were out of earshot. Then he dropped the bomb.
"Maria, I hope you wouldn't mind being a host in his place." he said.
Maria's P.O.V.
Despite my brother's protests, I found myself accepting the offer. My Dad always said to live life to the fullest, and boy, this was me trying. How many people in the world, especially girls, ever got the honor of saying they were a part of a host club? Well, so far only two.
Of course, the school already knew me as Maria, so I would have to change outfits before each club meeting, and create an alternate persona.
"Mario? Nope. Mike? Nah. Mark?" I said to myself in the mirror, while sliding on the pants to my uniform, "Bingo." I smiled, while smoothing down my short wig.
It was two days later that I found myself being officially introduced to the costumers. I sat there with a proud smile as Tamaki introduced me as Mark Cranford.
When I was entertaining my first guest, I went to take a sip of tea. It was then that I saw a note placed on the tray, addressed to Maria.
It couldn't be from a costumer, I thought as I opened the note.
What it said caused me to drop my cup of tea all over my client's shirt.
Note:
Dear Maria,
It does appear that we meet again. You might not remember me. You see, I was in the hotel room that night when your father was poisoned. I had to stay back to watch the labors of my work. Poor little Maria, she wasn't able to save her father. And if you don't figure out who I am in time, you won't be able to save your brother, your friends, or even yourself.
I look forward to seeing your failed efforts in the future. And I can't wait to have you in my grasp, and finally get the chance to kill you like I should have done two years ago. I had an opportunity to do it before, but this way is just ten times more fun.
Good luck Mark-you're going to need it,
Anonymous
I stared in shock at all of the friendly faces of the host club. This person knew my true identity. That only meant...that someone in the Ouran High School Host Club... was a murderer.
All of a sudden everyone was a suspect. I kept that in mind as I sat at the lunch table with the twins and Haruhi the next day.
"Why are you acting so weird today, Maria?" said Hikaru.
"Are you afraid of us now?" asked Kaoru.
"I wouldn't blame her. Your scary people." commented Haruhi. No matter what I did, I couldn't bring myself to hate the loveable trio. Their antics always brought a smile to my face, and their indirect way of asking questions showed that they all cared.
"It seems that Maria has a secret." Hikaru declared.
"A dirty secret." Kaoru suggested.
"Just ignore them. If you're not feeling okay I'll take you to the nurse." Haruhi offered.
"But the nurse can't cure the guilt she feels inside!" said the twins.
I love how they're so convinced I have some deep, dark secret. My life was basically an open book, and this was the first time anything along the lines of this has ever happened to me. An undercover murderer wasn't something I actually saw coming. But other than that, I was just too average to have any secrets.
"What guilt? It's not like she's having an affair!" declared Haruhi.
An invisible light bulb instantly went off in Hikaru's head. If I listened hard enough, I could almost hear the little "ding"!
"You know, I never thought of it that way, Haruhi. Thanks for clearing that up. It's very obvious that Maria has a boyfriend...who plays the cello!" Hikaru started to fantasize.
"But then she met a charming fellow, who plays the viola. They fell in love at first sight, and he whisked her away to a lovely mansion, in Paris!" continued Kaoru.
"Wait, wait, wait! Your story isn't making any sense! If I went all the way to Paris, I wouldn't be back in time. Let's say I went back to his place." I explained to them.
Haruhi looked like she was nearly about to explode when she gasped, "Why do you even encourage them?"
I simply laughed. One thing I've found out in my few short days at Ouran is, sometimes it's just better to go with the crowd.
They both chuckled in delight, and eventually even Haruhi was joining in the fun. By the end of lunch we discovered that I had a childhood friend named Chad, who played the cello. I fell in love with him as we got older, and we went out. Then Brad (whose name rhymes with Chad's), sang me a beautiful Serenade while playing his viola. According to the twins, I plan on secretly marrying Brad, and we're going to run away together, and live in Florida.
Honestly, it would be kind of fun if my life was even half as scandalous as the twins seemed to think. Their imaginations were great, and they should focus all that energy into something constructive. By the end of the day I almost completely forgot about my dilemma.
I was humming a happy tune as I went to my locker to retrieve my other uniform, and my wig. I stuffed it in a bag and practically skipped down an empty hallway. At that point I was pretty sure that the note was some cruel prank being pulled, and that I had nothing to worry about.
Although my opinion changed when about five minutes later some masked dude knocked into me, and pushed into a closet. I was almost certain this was the murderer I was trying to defeat.
I just knew I should have taken those karate classes years ago.
"Hey, person! I don't know what you think you're doing but I kind of have somewhere to go. So if you don't mind..." I started to walk out of the door and was stopped instantly.
"Who are you? Are you the one trying to kill me? Messing with me is one thing, but leave my friends and my brother out of it!" I yelled.
At this the person chuckled, and proceeded to remove their mask. My eyes grew wide in anticipation and what was only mere seconds felt like hours. I first saw a flash of perfect white teeth, then a bit of hair, only two reveal a pair of goofy eyes.
"Tamaki?" I yelled in surprise, "You're the murderer?"
He instantly recoiled at this and looked like he was about to cry.
"Is that how you think of me, as a human being capable of murder? I would expect better than that from you, Maria. In fact, I'm here for quite the opposite reason." he exclaimed, trying to sound valiant.
"And what would that be?" I questioned skeptically.
"I'm here to protect you. Obviously you didn't heed my warning the other day." he answered, referring to the note he stuffed in my locker.
"That was you?" I asked, surprised Tamaki was smart enough to break the code of a lock.
"Yes. If you haven't figured it out yet, you're in danger. I've been sent on a mission to protect you and..." He started, but I interrupted him.
"Mission? What's going on?" I exclaimed, frustrated that I couldn't keep up with everything he was saying.
"We're running out of time, we're expected at the host club. I'll explain everything soon enough." he hastily whispered as we heard footsteps approaching in the hallway. As soon as they disappeared we both came bursting out into the hallway.
He breathed in and out, considering the air was very dirty in the closet.
"Next time we need to have an urgent meeting...remind me to not conduct it in a closet." he said, still wheezing.
As we walked down the hallway I asked, "What exactly was the point of that mask?"
He looked at me as if I just asked a stupid question and it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Wearing a mask is fun!" he exclaimed.
A/N: Yay! first chapter is completed. hope you liked it xD. HI STEPH!