Chapter 1

The world was made of ever-changing rules, and all of them had to be followed. Haruhi Fujioka knew that as long as she toed the line, jumped on cue, kept her head down and stayed alert she would be fine. Her father was careful too, but he was the breadwinner for most of the year, and unfortunately his range of abilities fell in the shady side of the many lines of the law. Depending on what the morning tweets relayed to the Fujiokas' handcells, Haruhi's daddy would stay home and she would sneak food home from her school rations, risking a black mark on her pristine file, or he would done his make-up and silky skirt and head into the red district.

Haruhi knew that she hadn't been caught with food in her pockets because of her teacher's leniency, and for that she was immensely grateful, and tried to help them back in her own way tutoring other students and trying her best to raise the average note of her high school, which would in turn attract more money for teaching resources and, hopefully, less attention from the all-seeking eyes of the Inlaws.

She had barely fallen asleep when they fetched her, a-knocking down her door in the middle of the night and stampeding into their studio flat. A beam of pure white light blinded Haruhi as soon as she opened her eyes, just as it was designed to do, leaving her disconcerted and flailing just as she was supposed to do. She knew that she would not see anything for hours, and that her eyes would sting for weeks to come.

"This is an arrest notice for Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka," announced the Inlaw bot with its soothing stereophonic voice. It was designed to bounce against the walls, covering any other sound, impossible to fix in one spot. Haruhi wrapped herself tightly with the sheet, and covered her head with the pillow. She was unable to do anything except try to protect her brain in case the Inlaws "mistook" her for Ranka. "Mr. Fujioka, you have violated decree 84-2001 section P. You will not be harmed. Release all weapons and put your hands up,"

Silence followed, with only Haruhi's heartbeat in her chest and her breath caught in her throat.

Then her pillow was pulled up and her long hair caught in an iron grip that forced her to stand up.

"Identification Number and name, citizen!" the voice was female, but the strength wasn't.

"207 23 314, Fujioka, Haruhi!"

"Are you related to Ryoji Fujioka?" asked the Inlaw.

"Of course she is related, piece of crap. The file said that he lived with his daughter,"

"Officer Kosaka, by insulting an Inlaw you are breaking ruling number 65,"

"Deal with it. So, tell me, pretty thing, where is your daddy?"

Haruhi felt the grip relax and she stayed up. She felt the cold wind blowing from the open door into the apartment. "I don't know. I have not seen him since last night,"

"Interesting," said officer Kosaka. "If I believed you, I would have to ask you where did he go,"

"I don't know. To work,"

"And where does he work?"

Haruhi bit her tongue. If they were looking for her father because he had committed an infraction, they already knew his approximate location of the past year. They knew perfectly well where he worked. If she admitted to it, she would be acknowledging that she was conscious of his unorthodox activities and that she had not reported him. If she lied, it would be even worse.

"Out in the Red district," she said, deciding that half-truth was the best policy in this case. She tried to look earnest, but she didn't know where to look, so she settled on scared, which wasn't too far from the truth. "We follow the news every day, we try to avoid breaking the law. I'm sure that whatever he did was an accident, that he didn't mean it,"

"Do or not do," said officer Kosaka, releasing her hair. Haruhi heard her tap on a keyboard, probably her handcell's, as she rubbed her aching scalp. "There is no try,"

A pause. Haruhi tried to squat and reach for her slipper boots, but the Inlaw pushed her back in position. She squinted, trying to see something in the darkness beyond primordial flashes and colors.

"Haruhi Fujioka. It says here that you are the first in your class. Huh. Oh, you want to be a lawyer," Officer Kosaka chuckled softly. "That's precious," a soft swoop, the handcell closed, "So, has your father contacted you since the last time you saw him?"

"Yes, ma'am. Today at school he sent me a public tweet,"

"Which says?"

"Just a selfie of him with a famous customer. It's public domain," Haruhi pointed at the table where her handcell lied, waiting. "I would show you, but… my eyes,"

"I'll see for myself," officer Kosaka's footsteps walked across the room and back. Haruhi felt a flash brighter than the others when she set the handcell to her eye level, which unlocked the screen. "Yes, I see," she whistled as she scrolled through the messaging apps – Haruhi knew for a fact that her handcell was cleaner than fresh laundry, that there were no incriminatory texts or pictures or contacts. She had always been very careful. And yet, she could not help but being afraid about what officer Kosaka might find, what she might see – if a law had been passed an hour ago that declared pictures of recent criminals illegal, or if the fact that the daughter of a persecuted man had a handcell constituted a crime. In that moment, she would have given her left hand to check the news and make sure that she was not stepping right into a trap.

"Well, miss Fujioka, it looks like you are not guilty of anything," said officer Kosaka. Haruhi heard her handcell slide into the pocket of the police woman, and regretted its loss, but she guessed that she could get another one easily.

"Thank you," said Haruhi, feeling her fear lift. She would have to contact the headmaster to explain her absence next morning. She suspected that she would still be half-blind, and that she would not be able to attend class. She should use that time to contact her father.

"Inlaw, help miss Fujioka get dressed,"

"Wait, what?"

"You might be innocent, but you are still a minor and I have to get you sorted,"

"But I live here,"

"Not anymore, you don't."

It took Officer Kosaka less than an hour to get Haruhi sorted through a mixture of shameless flirting and blundering at night shift bureaucrats. Haruhi was put in a corner to stare at blank darkness and cringe about her future. She had never seriously considered that she might be put in the system if her father committed an offense – she had always assumed that by the time he started taking risks, she would be old enough to stay at home and fend for herself. She even had a stack of cash cards hidden behind the wall of their closet that would guarantee her sustenance for a whole month in case something happened to her father.

"Is there anyone that you want to contact?" asked Officer Kosaka, coming back into Haruhi's perception sphere with the warm scent of coffee.

Haruhi wanted very badly to contact her headmaster, her neighbors, her landlady and most of all her dad, but she could not burden them with her plight. Everybody was terrified of becoming guilty by association, and although she suspected that they might come, Officer Kosaka had made it abundantly clear that they would not be able to help her beyond lending a sympathetic ear.

"No, thank you very much. If I may… could you please tell me what my father is accused of?"

"You want to be a lawyer and you don't know the decrees?"

"I'm unfamiliar with sections beyond D of the decrees. 84-2001 section P is restricted access. I have never been able to study it properly. I would have told him about it," Haruhi felt her nostrils dilating, her lower lip trembling, and blinked furiously to hold back her tears. She felt Officer Kosaka sitting down next to her.

"If it's of any use, knowing about it would not have helped him one bit. I'm very sorry, but other than that, I cannot tell you exactly what your father is accused of. We are all cogs in the system, and I only got called for the arrest,"

"What do you mean? You don't know why you are looking for my father?" Haruhi turned her blind eyes to her. The effects of the Flash were starting to wear off, she could now perceive blurry grayish forms in the cloud of darkness. "You can't tell me why you are taking me from home?"

"Sorry," said officer Kosaka. "I'm only a junior, level 3,"

Haruhi didn't say anything.

"Look, I'm not going to get grilled for talking about confidential crap to a suspect's daughter, right? What good would it do to me or to you? Besides, I'm as good as it gets for you right now, because I know exactly where they are sending you, and it's where I come from. So I'm going to be able to give you some pointers,"

Haruhi didn't say anything. She kept thinking back to her stack of cash cards, wondering if the landlady would rent out their apartment soon and how much time she had until the new owners found them and took them and spent them. If she could escape the Authorities for even just one hour, she might be able to use that money to finance her search for her father.

"So, you are going to be put in Ouran Orphanage," continued Kosaka, "It is a very tough place, but it is not by any stretch of the imagination the worse that Tokyo has to offer,"

"Isn't it called Crime High?" said Haruhi in a very small voice. She saw her career as a lawyer disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Heh, that's cute. In my days we called it the Crack Lab. Anyway, the infrastructure is sound even if the buildings are quite old –which means that the roof is not going to collapse on your head while you sleep- and they have a solid academic program. Not as good as the one you are currently attending, nor as thorough as you might need for your career – have you considered other options, anyway?- but it will keep you busy for at least six hours every day. You will have four hours of community service, and two hours of clubs or sports or whatever,"

"Or whatever,"

"You can use that time to sleep if you want, although I wouldn't recommend you to spend time in the dormitories alone during the day – there is power in the mass, and there are gangs at Ouran, and God knows what might happen to you if you look like prey. Speaking of which, whatever you do, do not join a gang,"

"I don't want to -"

"Good. Because that shit will follow you for the rest of your life. Ouran Orphanage has a uniform, which is great for you because all the clothes not currently on your body belong to the Authorities now, as do all the other items in the place you formerly knew as home,"

Haruhi covered her eyes with her hands, laid her elbows on her knees and tried very hard not to cry.

"As you do, until you are of age," Officer Kosaka sympathetically pat her between the shoulder blades. "Or if your father is declared innocent, whichever happens first. But being on the run like he is, he cannot be declared anything. It might be better for both of you if he showed up,"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Meh – hold on. You will be a free young woman in a few years, and then you can try and become a lawyer – although you must know that after a stint like this it will be extremely difficult. If your father contacts you, call me. It will show your eagerness to collaborate with the system, which might make your career prospects a little better. Or you might consider other tracks," Officer Kosaka took out her handcell and scrolled through it. "School at Ouran is going to be a breeze for you, advanced as you are. Social life… well… try not to have too much of that while you are there and you will be fine,"

"But you just told me to never be alone,"

"Yes, well. Get close to groups – not gangs- but keep in mind that the people you meet there can never be your friends. Half of them will be like you, just wanting time to go fast so that they can get back in track. But the other half… you wouldn't believe the things they have done. Or that their families have done. The things that they can make you do, if you let them get under your skin. Speaking of which –"

Haruhi felt Officer Kosaka's hand going through her hair, which she had pushed into a ponytail before going to bed, stretching it, and then the unmistakable snip of a pair of scissors. She jumped back from her chair, feeling her nape, suddenly naked and exposed and cold. Her head felt much lighter now.

"What did you do that for? What the hell?!"

Kosaka snickered. "You will thank me later,"

"That was my hair!"

"As I told you moments ago, it is technically the Authorities hair. Don't worry. I will donate it to some wig-making association for cancer patients. The truth is, you looked way too cute. Your good girl looks could hurt you on your first weeks at Ouran – what do you think you are going to be perceived as? Princess hair, bright marks, big eyes. You would immediately become a target. This will buy you some time until that happens. Use it wisely," an Inlaw approached them, its faint golden glow illuminating Haruhi's grey world. He reached out an appendix, holding out an object, and Kosaka took it and immediately turned it over to Haruhi.

"These, however, are yours at the moment. These glasses will protect your eyes while they heal. You will have to wear them for a couple of weeks. Once you are fine, turn them in at the nurse's office and they will return them to us,"

"Thanks, I guess,"

"Well, do you want to see or not? Put the damn things on,"

Haruhi obeyed, and the world immediately shifted into focus. Officer Kosaka was a slim woman, her father's age, with oval glasses, a low ponytail and a permanent frown. She was wearing thin silver gloves and her fire baton was curved across her chest like a bow. Haruhi looked down at her own legs. She was wearing a pair of ancient grey slacks that had belonged to her mother and a dark taupe sweater with permanent tea stains. Her last possessions in this world.

"Can I at least get back my school books before you send me of?" she asked, hoping for the impossible.

Officer Kosaka shook her head. "You will get new ones at Ouran,"

"What about my mother's picture?" Haruhi's mother had died of a burst appendix the night the Authorities had declared that surgeons with even one stain in their school files could not operate. She had bled to death on the slab when an Inlaw had forcibly removed her frantic doctor.

"You will have to access it online, like we all do," said Officer Kosaka, standing up and pulling Haruhi by the elbow. "Off we pop,"

Later that night, curled in a ball in a foreign bed in the foreign land of Ouran, under a perfectly serviceable sheet that was nevertheless this side of chilly, Haruhi steeled her lungs and refused to give in to the impulse of sobbing hard into her pillow, even though officer Kosaka had ensured her that the individual pods where the inmates, "sorry, students," slept were sound-proof and would only open from the inside from lights out till dawn.

Haruhi did not want to feel sorry for herself – that could very easily lead to accepting the situation and to stop looking for a way out. The curved walls of her pod were smooth and cold, and Kosaka had pointed out that there was a small sliding window that could allow a surveyor to look in, just to make sure that she was doing perfectly fine, of course.

She had seen no other "students" when she was led in. According to the late-night nurse, that was because all the charges had been asleep for hours when she arrived. They had given her a dark gray folded uniform that she knew, before even trying it on, that would be two sizes too big, a pair of dark gray slippers to wear inside and five days of clean dark gray underwear. The nurse had examined her eyes with a small light that made Haruhi cringe, and scolded officer Kosaka for using military-grade weaponry on children.

"I'm just following orders – and we didn't know that she was going to be a normal kid. She could have perfectly been one of yours,"

"Just as you were," replied the nurse. Haruhi, still with her Authorities' issued glasses off, did not see her preparing the needle, but she definitely felt the prickle on her head.

"This will keep your pain under control tomorrow. Your might experience spontaneous tears – that is normal after being flashed,"

"But don't let your classmates see them. Or they might think that you miss daddy," added Kosaka.

Haruhi's classmates, the invisible ones, lying in their sleep cocoons until the day came like some kind of larvae. She had heard horrible things about the people and the reasons why many places like Ouran existed, and she had made a point of only believing a fraction of them all her life – after all, a few of her friends had been sent away when the law waxed the wrong way – she refused to believe that they could have become monsters all of sudden.

And yet – after making officer Kosaka leave the room, the night nurse had performed a very thorough search on Haruhi's body – looking for who knows what. If she had to sneak something in she would never hide it in any of those places. The nurse did not excuse herself, but clarified that these examinations were frequent and random, and that she should behave exactly as she had done right now and never resist them.

And in the back of her head, the fear of what might have happened to her father beating like a drum. He had not behaved any differently that night than he had done any other night, there had been nothing in his make-up, laughter or "seeya" that might have been foreboding. Even the photo tweet with that famous cook was normal – dad worked at a high-class red bar, and it attracted a lot of customers from the bored high spheres, seeking thrills that were barely this side of the law. Red bars –and the red district- were only off limits on certain days, and the waving of the law kept the favors received in them ever-changing and varied. "And thank our beloved ancestors for that," dad used to say, "Or I would get so bored, so fast, and then I would become careless and I wouldn't be any good at my job,"

Sweet late mother, what could he possibly have done.

If he was hiding, as officer Kosaka had hypothesized. If nothing terminally bad had happened to him. Or – and this was a thought that Haruhi kicked out of her head immediately, because she had stood on the rock-solid ground of her father's love since she was born – if he had not abandoned her to save his own skin.

Haruhi curled onto herself a little more tightly. The next day she would be able to see more clearly, in every sense. She would examine her options with care, and never lose sight of her new goal –reach her father, safely, and then leave the country for good.