Hey everyone! This is my first story. I like where it's going, but I want your characters to be in here, too! At the very end of the chapter, I've included an OC form I want you to fill out. You must PM it to me! I won't look at it twice if you send it in a review. Thanks! I hope you enjoy, please R&R!

-CollectYourHearts

I didn't want to go to another goddamn party with rich assholes. They drank their fancy ass wine and showed off their fancy ass children and bragged about their success. I guaranteed my parents were one of the only families at any given elite party who actually worked their asses off to gain their success. But owning bakeries and country clubs across the entire world didn't mean I was going to act the way these pretentious bastards did. To please my mother, however, I always complied with her requests to attend the most extravagant of events.

We exited our limousine and began walking towards the doors of the Suoh mansion while fixing our dresses. Despite having been invited to an innumerable amount of parties held by the most wealthy and powerful families of the country, we had never before attended a party at the Suoh's. I expected a lot from them; one doesn't get their amount of fame and success without good reason, and in this scene, parties were a big part of those reasons.

When we arrived at the doors, the door was opened and a fine maid greeted my mother, stepfather, and younger brother kindly.

"Welcome to the Suoh mansion," she welcomed us. "Please enjoy your experience."

The inside of the massive home was even more impressive than the outside was. The marble floors spread nearly as far as I thought the human eye could see, and the ceilings extended many feet above what was necessary. Red carpets covered the steps which led to long hallways with family photos framed and hung up on the walls. Small intricate designs could be seen on the doors and furniture.

I felt almost out of place in the mansion. There was no way my appearance even compared to the other people. I wore a lilac, strapless dress that extended as far as an inch above my knees. A silver belt-like accessory surrounded my waist, cinching in the dress in a more flattering way. I had recently purchased a black, studded clutch, and my heels were made custom to match it. My light brown hair was put up into an elegant bun with small locks of curly hair framing my childish face. I had enhanced my brown eyes with eyeliner, extending my eyelashes. But the beauty of everyone else seemed effortless.

While my mother and stepfather began talking to Mr. Suoh, I walked up the stairs to glance at the family photos. There were a few people my age at the event, but thus far I was uninterested in the unintelligent teenage girls. The boys, for the most part, humored the girls by complimenting them and talking of their own success. Arranged marriages were common among the wealthy; I was lucky to be tied down by nothing.

The first photo I came across was of an older woman with gray hair and beautiful but serious eyes. Her skin was wrinkled, probably from long years of hard work and stress. I figured she must have been the oldest remaining Suoh with any influence. Next was a photo of Mr. Suoh, whom I recognized immediately. Following this and a few other photos was one of the old woman, Mr. Suoh, and a boy who appeared to be my age. He closely resembled Mr. Suoh, but instead of what I would have expected to be Japanese features, the boy had golden hair and almost violet eyes. Mr. Suoh's son, I supposed? But there hadn't been any pictures of a woman who could have been his mother. He was definitely gorgeous, I noticed, but I didn't give this a second thought as I walked back down to the main room, figuring I had traveled their hallways thoroughly enough.

At age 16, I just wanted to sing, dance, make myself prettier, and watch the television programs of my choice. While I could do some of this, most of my schedule was taken up with events such as these, and I was unable to spend my time relaxing. Heels still hurt my feet, and dresses would always make me feel naked and exposed. I hadn't always been of high status – many of these prestigious families took a special interest in mine because we had come from the bottom up, just as Cicero had in ancient times. We continued to possess the values and customs of commoners, but we were able to indulge in the small luxuries that our new found money gave us. And we were also partly American – I had grown up there most of my life, and I looked more Caucasian than anything else.

After spending a few minutes admiring the paintings and fountain in downstairs and possibly snacking on a few unfamiliar and decadent finger foods, my mother called on me.

"Kaya-chan! I'd like you to meet someone!"

I proceeded towards her, noticing Mr. Suoh close by. He smiled as I walked closer, preparing to introduce himself.

"Wonderful to finally meet you, Suoh-san. My name is Kaya Matsushima," I said plainly, bowing to him. He returned the introduction. He was rather charming, really, for a man of his age. He couldn't have been more than fifty years old. His brown hair was slicked back stylishly, and his suit was crisp at every fold.

"I've heard you'll be attending Ouran Academy as of next week?" he asked me, his eyebrows raising in interest.

"Yes, Suoh-san. It took a while for my family to sort things out after moving into our new home, but I'm finally enrolled and I am looking forward to the new experience." I watched my words carefully, wanting to make a good impression. Naturally, I was sarcastic and out-spoken. I was fun-loving and usually very happy and outward with my feelings, expressing my joy quite often. However, I felt that any kind of similar outward expression would probably be frowned upon in such an establishment.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I'd like to introduce you to my son when he comes around. Ah! Here he is now. Tamaki!"

The boy walked over to us with grace. He wore a dark suit, fitting the mood of the occasion. A black bow tie completed his ensemble at the base of his neck. He stood fairly tall – impressive for someone Japanese. He was probably about six feet tall, which was a nice similarity to the men back home in America. I wondered what other nationalities he possessed. His skin was far too perfect for a man. As he approached, his father and my parents slipped away, discussing what I thought were business plans. His father whispered something in his ear he left.

"Hello, princess! My name is Tamaki Suoh. To whom do I own such a pleasure?" He said to me, grabbing my hand and kissing it. I raised an eyebrow but let the strange gesture go.

"Kaya Matsushima," I stated, unsure of how to act around this boy. "It's very nice to meet you, Suoh—"

"Please, just call me Tamaki."

I smiled, still lacking the ability to form thoughts or actions which I thought were appropriate.

"As long as you call me Kaya."

He smiled back at me, smoothing out his suit.

"I hear that you're attending Ouran next week? That sounds very exciting. Do you know what class you're in?" He asked, seeming to be genuinely interested in my response whether or not he really was. If not, he was quite the actor.

"2-A."

His eyes lit up. "You'll be in the same class and me and my best friend, Kyoya Ohtori! Surely you've met him?"

"Of course. How could one miss out on the pleasure of meeting such an extraordinary family?" My comment made me roll my eyes at myself. I could be completely disgusting, acting just like these people when I was put into a position where it was necessary.

He smiled at me, nodding in agreement. "What would you like to do this evening, Kaya?" He asked. He had obviously been ordered to escort me around. However, I felt as though I didn't need any kind of tour. I was perfectly capable of doing things by myself.

"I'm actually doing quite well on my own, thank you. I appreciate your offer to spend time with me, though. Thank you for trying to make me comfortable." I gave him an apologetic look, noticing that his expression switched from confident to less so in a split second.

"As you wish." And with this, he turned around and walked towards his father.

"Kaya!" I heard my mother call from the direction in which Tamaki walked. I sighed as I began walking towards them. Heels made everything awkward – I wanted to get there quickly, elegantly, and as calmly as possible, but to be quick, the heels were loud, therefore taking away from the other goals I'd had in mind. I needed to be conditioned by rich people more until I felt comfortable. I arrived at my mother's location, where she was still joined by my brother, stepfather, Mr. Suoh, and Tamaki.

"We've got news for you! We've been talking to Mr. Suoh, and—"

She continued rambling mindlessly as I thought to myself. Clearly she was thrilled to be talking to someone of such high status, and I assumed they had made a thrilling business deal. Was Ouran going to sell her baked goods in the cafeteria? Were they planning a field trip to one of our headquarters to learn of career paths in the golfing industry? I nodded as she talked, not completely sure of what she was telling me until she came to a certain point.

"We've decided that the best decision for both of our companies would be to combine!" She yelled excitedly, talking mostly with her hands as she always did.

"That's great, mother. What kind of business deal? Are we exchanging money for percentage of profits?" I asked, mostly because I wanted her to think I cared rather than because I was interested.

"Not exactly," Mr. Suoh chimed in. "We've made a different kind of deal. I know this is extremely uncommon in America, but together, as two families, we've come to the conclusion that a marriage between you and Tamaki would unite the companies in a way that would deem them both unbreakable. We've been discussing this for a long time now."

All of a sudden my heart stopped. I began sweating and could feel my blood pressure rising. How could my mother do such a thing? Even my stepfather, who had my name tattooed on his arm, was willing to put his own financial gain above my personal sanity? I had to force myself to calm down in the presence of such elite people, so I turned around quickly and walked up the stairs of the mansion, down the carpeted hallway, and out into the chill of the April night on one of the Suohs' many fancy balconies. I forced myself to breathe heavily in an effort to regain my rational thinking. I was angry beyond reason; I didn't care how attractive and charming the boy was – there was something about the fact that the marriage was not my choice that made my blood boil. Tamaki would probably be the perfect husband, but even with that as a fact, although there was no way to be sure, I was angry beyond anything I'd ever felt before. I continued formulating my thoughts into comprehensible sentences when the sliding door opened, and Tamaki joined me on the balcony.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, leaning over the railing and looking down at the beautifully tended gardens.

"It has nothing to do with you." I knew it wasn't his choice or fault, but something inside me wanted to punch him square in his perfectly chiseled jaw.

"If I could change it I would," he began. "But my grandmother doesn't accept me as it is. If I tried to oppose her wishes, it would be the end of me – as well as the end of my father."

"Oh," I said, suddenly feeling like shit for acting like I was unhappy with the arrangement. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be acting this way. I'll see you at school on Monday."

And with that, I walked back into the building, down the stairs, and into the limousine where I watched reruns of American programs on the built-in television until my parents returned from inside the mansion. We rode home in complete silence. Once we had arrived at our home, I took it upon myself to say goodnight (cooly, if anything) and walk up to my new bedroom. The furniture and wainscoting were an ivory white, and my walls were painted a light teal. Everything else – curtains, bedding, lampshades – were completely white as well. I liked that it offered a plain place to sleep and enjoy myself while at the same time, the splash of color made it more interesting. My closet was large, and I soon found myself unpacking my clothing to hang up everything old and new. However, having been of an average income family not long before, I lacked the insane amounts of designer clothing that my future peers would have at Ouran. I decided that the next day would be spent by myself, shopping to my heart's delight.

As I moved on to a second box of clothes, I heard a knock at my door. I felt myself becoming angry again, but forced out a weak, "Come in."

The door opened slowly, and my mother entered my room with a concerned look on her face.

"Kaya, are you alright?" she asked me, walking towards my bed and sitting down quietly.

"Well, Mom, right now I'm engaged to a pretty boy. And I know close to nothing about him. I went from living a happy, comfortable life in America to an awkward, bastard-filled life with the inability to make my own important decisions in life. How would you feel about that?" I snapped at her, spilling my feelings without holding back. But I knew she didn't really care.

My mother sighed and began speaking once more. "It will get better in time. You'll learn that this is the best road for both families. In the meantime, I expect you to spend all of your time with Tamaki at school. When you leave the house, he will be escorting you as well. You'll be expected to attend every event that you're invited to, and you will be known everywhere as Tamaki's fiancée. These are the orders of his grandmother."

She looked at me for a moment, waiting for a response. When I said nothing, she got up and opened my door, walking out. She turned around to face me and wore an apologetic smile. I turned towards my closet again, ignoring her, and hoping that I could do something, anything, about my predicament.

The next day, as I was preparing to leave for the mall close to my home, I heard another knock on my door. I got up from my vanity and walked across the carpet, enjoying its softness. I opened the door, and to my surprise, Tamaki was standing outside.

"Hello, Kaya! I'm here to take you shopping today!" He said excitedly, putting an arm up into the air for emphasis. He was wearing a light, navy blue collared shirt with khakis and brown shoes that were borderline dressy. How unnecessary, I thought to myself.

"I need to get dressed first," I said, gesturing to my bathrobe. "You can come in after that."

I didn't think that his grandmother would force him to do absolutely everything with me, but I guess she wanted publicity first. How else would she excite the world? He nodded as I closed the door behind me.

I rushed over to my closet, feeling as though I was being hurried even though I didn't have anything to prove. I ended up choosing some light colored jeans with brown moccasins and a light pink collared shirt without sleeves – the weather was nice today, and I wasn't going to deny the pleasure of it to myself just because I was angry with my current circumstances. I slipped into my clothes, and as I tightened my woven belt, I opened the door again for Tamaki.

"Okay, I'm done," I said, letting him in. "You can sit on the edge of the bed, I guess."

He complied happily, sitting down and placing his calf against his thigh in a crossed-leg manner. "Where would you like to go today, Kaya-hime?" He asked, watching me flit around the room getting ready.

Ignoring the suffix and removing the towel around my head, I answered, "I don't really know. I wanted to check out a few expensive places. I'm not very familiar with the area, to be honest."

I wanted so badly to snap at him every time he asked a question happily, as though there was nothing wrong. Every time though, I managed to convince myself that he wasn't at fault. And he wasn't – but it was hard to remember that when I was unwillingly engaged to him. He didn't respond, and I continued getting ready. I blew my hair dry, flipping my side bangs to my left, and applying weather-appropriate makeup.

"Okay," I told Tamaki, finally finished with my routine. "I'm ready, I guess."

He nodded and lifted himself from the bed, reaching out for my hand. I pretended not to notice it as I got up from the vanity's bench, and I continued out the door of my room down towards the mansion's doors. My mother noticed that I was heading out and shouted a quick "Goodbye!" to Tamaki and me.

Somehow I was going to change this.

OC FORM:

Name:

Gender:

Age (15-18):

Class (1, 2, 3, A-D):

Height:

Weight:

Build (skinny, muscular, curvy, etc.):

Skin type (dark, freckles, pale, etc.):

Eyes:

Hair (length, color, style):

Personality:

Background (family, past events):

Talents:

Hobbies:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Love interest:

Why they go well together:

Idea of a perfect date:

Casual Clothing:

Dressy Clothing:

Anything Else?: