Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ouran Highschool Host Club nor any of the characters from it.
CHAPTER ONE:
"The Blonde Beauty – A Female Host"
The young, teenage girl stared up at the giant school standing in front of her as she clutched her books to her chest, the unusually bright, pink colour of the school almost blinding her. She sighed as she glanced through the open doors of the grand, black gate, wondering how she was going to be able to cope in such a big school.
She was standing at the gates of Ouran Academy – a private highschool for the super-rich. At least, that's what the chairman had informed her during her letter of acceptance.
She watched as many students walked past her, whispering to each other as they passed and entered the school. Knowing their stares and whispers were directed at her, she quickly adjusted her uniform – a yellow dress with poufy sleeves and a white collar and red ribbon – along with her golden, dirty blonde hair which she had tied into a high ponytail. She looked down at the piece of paper in her right hand, observing the number that was written on it by the lady at the front office.
She had no idea how she would be able to read it as she took a deep breath, taking her first steps into Ouran Academy, her feet breaking the strange silence as they tapped onto the concrete. She looked back down at the handwriting, trying to figure out what the number said, until she bumped into the back of someone.
She yelped as she stumbled backwards, losing her balance as she tripped over her own horrid, brown shoes. Her butt made contact with the ground as she gave a groan, realising how predictable it was that she had bumped into someone and fell down to the ground on the first day of school.
It was just like all the romance novels that she would read and fantasise over. As she looked up, she wondered if she would bump into her destined love who would end up hating her at first, but then warm up to her and the two would fall in love. Once she glanced at the person in front of her, she quickly realised that maybe she shouldn't believe everything she reads.
First of all, it was a girl disguised as a boy. At least, that's what it looked like.
"Oh, sorry," the 'boy' with scruffy, brown hair said. "Are you alright?"
She tilted her head to the side, noticing the very thick, brown rimmed glass along with his very thin and ugly brown sweater. She noticed that none of the students took a second glance at them as they walked past.
She looked back to the 'boy' in front of her, wondering why he wasn't wearing the appropriate uniform. Maybe he couldn't afford it?
She quickly realised that he was waiting for an answer. "Oh yes, I'm alright," she said with a sweet smile as she stood back up, brushing herself off. She knew that she needed to keep up appearances, especially at a school like this. If she didn't, her step-parents would greatly complain as they wanted their image to be perfect. And that's what she needed to try to be.
"I wasn't paying attention," she continued. "Sorry about that."
The 'boy' nodded as he glanced down at the piece of paper that she held in her hands. "I'm guessing you're new here?"
She gave a nod as she handed him the piece of paper. "I can't read what it says," she replied as he glanced at the words.
The 'boy' looked up from the paper, raising his eyebrow slightly as he listened to her. "Are you a foreigner?" he asked.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked, feeling a little self-conscious of her Japanese.
"There's just a bit of an accent in there. Your pronunciation is good though."
She sighed with relief, glad to know that it wasn't because of her lack of knowledge of the language. "It's French."
He nodded as he gave a smile. "I can pick it up now." He looked back down to the paper and picked out the handwriting. "You're in Class 1-A with me. I'll show you there."
"Thank you. I probably would have gotten lost."
"I got a bit lost on my first day too, it's a little daunting…What's your name, by the way?"
"Renée Rin Marie Hayashi-Bellerose," she said, using her full French name as the two started walking towards the open, giant doors to the school, him stepping inside first as he directed her down the halls.
"Nice name…Fujioka, Haruhi," he replied as he motioned his head over to the right hallway. "Follow me."
She nodded as he led them down the hall and over to the classroom, not knowing how eventful her first day would actually be.
…
"Are there any quiet places around here at Ouran?" Rin asked as the two headed outside to walk in the courtyard, watching all the rich and wealthy kids talking in large groups with their friends, staring at them as they passed.
Haruhi sighed as he looked down at the three text books in his hands. "I've already tried all the libraries at this school," he said. "But they're all filled with people."
"Oh, that's a bit annoying, isn't it?"
Haruhi stopped walking as he watched her continue to walk past, studying her and her attitude compared to the other students. "I never would have picked you for a studying type."
"Well, I'm not really," she said as she turned back around. "I just like some time by myself and escape with a good book and some music."
"So, you don't actually study?" Haruhi asked.
She shook her head. "I would, but I'm not very good at most things. Mostly because I'm not interested in the subject, so I don't bother trying. And don't look at me like that, I know that's not a good attitude."
Haruhi had opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it once she made her comment. He had no idea how she could live her life thinking like that, but he guessed everyone had a different outlook on their lives.
"How did you get into the school?" he asked.
"I paid the entrance fees. Didn't you?"
Haruhi groaned, obviously some negative thoughts running through his mind as he stared blankly at her. Rin noticed something that was very strange about Haruhi and the way he acted. He seemed too…feminine. But not flamboyant. The mannerisms were very much like a girl.
Could he actually be…?
The First Lightbulb Has Turned On…
Rin shook her head, knowing that she shouldn't be judging people by their appearance. If she was wrong, she'd probably never make a new friend ever again, especially if word got out about it.
"So, how do you like the school so far?" he asked, trying to think of something to talk about.
Rin held onto one of her favourite romance novels, which she had read over about ten times, as she jumped onto the beam next to the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, a joyous smile on her face as she giggled as she balanced across it. She forgot about his question as she continued to walk across.
"Have you not done that before?" Haruhi asked, finding it strange how she could find so much enjoyment out of walking across a beam.
She shook her head. "No, it's quite fun actually. I never really got to do much as a child."
Haruhi knew he shouldn't pry into her life, as she wasn't prying into his. He wondered how bad her childhood must have been if she found enjoyment just out of walking across a beam. He looked back down at the textbooks, deciding to quickly change the subject.
"Maybe we should check inside again?" he suggested.
Rin raised her head up as she stared over at Haruhi, tilting her head. "Huh?"
"There could be a room we missed in there."
"Oh," she said as she quickly jumped off the beam, landing right in front of Haruhi who jumped in shock. Her smile reached her eyes as she adjusted her dress and hair. "You just want to study, don't you?"
"I have to do well on my exams."
"Exams are months away. We just started school! Live a little."
Haruhi gave her a blank stare, wondering what she meant, but Rin shook her head with a sigh. "Let's just go inside."
…
As they walked down the quiet hallways of the school, they across a hallway that had literally no students walking down. It seemed almost abandoned.
"Does anyone go down here?" Rin asked.
Haruhi gave a shrug. "I think so, but I've never been down there."
"An even better reason to go down there!" Rin quickly headed down the silent hallway, curious to see what secrets hid behind the door at the end of the hallway. Haruhi, not knowing what else to do, followed behind her.
"Haruhi," she said. "Maybe we should check this room!"
Haruhi caught up to her, looking up at the sign above the door. "The Third Music Room?"
"Well, the other music rooms had music coming from them, obviously. But this one doesn't, it's silent. Maybe this room could be your little study room."
Haruhi looked at the door to the room once more before he shrugged. What's the worst that could happen?
He placed his hands down on the door handle as he slowly pulled them down. He pulled the door towards him as the door inched open slowly, a bright light seeping through and red rose petals flying through the non-existent air. The smell of fresh roses were almost too strong as they filled the hallways, the light slowly starting to fade.
In the middle of the room were six, very attractive, young men with heart melting smiles on their faces that made Rin memorised. How could there be six such gorgeous young men gathered in the same place?
"Welcome," all the boys said in unison, their voices together sounding like a beautiful melody.
Haruhi's eyes widened as he froze in place.
"When we opened the door, we found, the Host Club."
"Starting Today, You are a Host!"
"Those with the wherewithal-first, in social standing, and second, with money – spend their time here, at the private Ouran Academy. As such, Ouran Host Club is where the handsome boys with too much time on their hands entertain and charm the girls who also have too much time on their hands.
It is the school's own personal, elegant playground for the super-rich."
…
"H-Host Club?" Haruhi asked, a shiver going up his spine.
"What is this place?" Rin whispered to herself, the heat rising to her cheeks as the boys continued to stare at them.
"Oh, it's a boy and his girlfriend," a pair of auburn haired twins spoke in unison.
"Oh, we're not-" Rin started.
"We're just friends," Haruhi interrupted, a little embarrassed at the thought.
The auburn haired twins raised their eyebrows, not sure if they believed them or not. But once they noticed how Haruhi was dressed, they quickly realised how wrong they were.
"Our mistake, she's too good to be yours," they said.
Rin blushed as she looked down, but Haruhi looked at them annoyed.
"Hikaru and Kaoru, this visitor is in the same class as you, right?" a boy with glasses asked, addressing the twins with his arms folded.
"She only came today, she's been hanging out with him all day."
"What about the gentleman?"
"Yes, he is, but he isn't very sociable, so we don't know him too well."
The boy with glasses smirked, as if he had figured something out that nobody else seemed to know. "It's impolite to say it like that."
The Second Lightbulb Has Turned On…
"Welcome to Ouran Host Club, Honour Student," he continued.
"What?" a boy with blonde hair asked as he stood right in front of them, his head moving closer to Haruhi's to inspect him. "Then, this exceptionally rare honour student we've heard about, Fujioka Haruhi, is you?"
Haruhi froze in his place as he stopped trying to open the suddenly now locked door. "How do you know my name?" he asked nervously.
"It's just that our school tradition makes it difficult for commoners to get in," the boy with glasses started. "I've been told that unless you possess a rather audacious nerve, you cannot become an honour student here."
"Why…thank you…" Haruhi's mouth twitched.
"Yes! He's saying that you are a hero, Fujioka-kun!" the blonde haired boy announced as he grabbed onto Haruhi's shoulder. "Even though you might be at the head of the class, you are still the poorest person in the whole school."
Haruhi quickly slid away to the left as he tried to escape the blonde haired boy's advancements. But, the boy just followed behind him.
"Maybe you lowly people are looked down upon."
"No, I wouldn't necessarily go that far," Haruhi said as he quickly moved back to his original spot, feeling quite uncomfortable in his presence.
"It doesn't matter, does it? Love live the poor!" He pulled Haruhi close to him. "Welcome to our world of beauty, poor man!"
"I'm sorry, I hate to interrupt, but what is a Host Club?" Rin asked, feeling a little out of the loop.
Everyone's gaze quickly made its way to her, making her feel smaller than she was, even though she was a little taller than Haruhi.
"Oh princess, you must be new here," the blonde said with a heart-warming smile as he made his way over to her.
"Yes, we don't really have these back where I'm from."
"Oh, a foreigner! How delightful!" the boy exclaimed, turning back to the boys with an amazing grin on his face. "And what place would this beautiful princess be from?"
"Paris, France."
The blonde suddenly gasped, looking her up and down which made her feel even more uncomfortable, and gave Haruhi even more reasons for wanting to escape this place.
"Blonde hair…Brown eyes…French background," he muttered under his breath as he moved his face closer, trying to get a better look at her.
"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked.
He went silent for a second or two, before he came up with an idea. "Could you smile for me?"
"If you want a real one, I can't do that on demand. I can give you a fake one though."
He shook his head, needing to know why he seemed to recognise her.
"What would make you laugh then?" he asked with a pout like a little child.
"You could tell me a joke," she suggested.
His face quickly lit back up as the smile made its way back to his face. It was almost like he had been waiting for this chance to tell a joke to someone, but he had never gotten the chance too before.
"Okay princess, how do cows do mathematics?"
Everyone in the room went silence as they awaited the answer. The other boys looked annoyed or unamused, almost as if they already knew what was going to happen.
"They use a cow-culator."
Everyone in the room was dead silent. The boys rolled their eyes, almost in unison at how completely stupid, unfunny and plain unoriginal it was. But, that didn't stop Rin from giggling, breaking the awkward silence.
The boy's face flushed, most likely from embarrassment.
"You found that funny?" Haruhi asked, making Rin shake her head.
"No, it was funny because of everyone's reaction," she said in-between her giggles. She took some deep breaths as she calmed herself down, facing the stares of everyone else in the room.
"What's your name, princess?" the boy asked, regaining his composure.
"Why are you calling me princess? Also, it's Renée Rin Marie Hayashi-Bellerose," she said with a smile, tilting her head to the right.
"Ooh, what an exotic name," the twins said in unison as they looked at each other with a shrug. She didn't know if she should be offended or not by the comment.
The blonde quickly gasped, grabbing hold of her shoulders as he pulled her into a giant, bear hug. She yelped as she tried to escape, but his grip was too strong.
"Uh, boss?" the twin on the right asked.
"You don't normally get this 'touchy' with the guests," the one on the left said.
"She may be cute, but you're acting strange Tama-chan," a small boy said as he held onto a pink bunny plushie.
"It's you Rin-chan! It's been too long!"
"I'm so confused right now," she said as she tried to get out of the bear hug.
He suddenly let her go, making her stumble as a result. "Don't you remember? My name is Tamaki Suou, that young boy from France."
She stared at him, trying to rattle her brain back into her past. She pushed past everything until she found a young boy with the same eyes and smile.
"You're serious?"
He nodded. She smiled as she happily hugged him, but making sure that it wasn't bone crushing. He seemed to like it better as well.
"…I'm so confused," Haruhi muttered, voicing the other boys' thoughts.
Rin realised the hug, turning to Haruhi with a smile.
"We were childhood friends back when we lived in France."
Haruhi still looked confused, but got the idea.
"Anyway, you two can finish your reunion while I go somewhere else," he said.
He started to walk out, but the small boy grabbed hold of him.
"Hey! Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Haru-chan, you're a hero? Amazing!"
"I'm not a hero, I'm just an honour student. And who are you calling 'Haru-chan'?"
The small boy cried from Haruhi's temper as he ran away and over to the tallest boy in the room who held a vacant stare.
"Still, to think that such a fabled erudite student would be gay…" Tamaki muttered to himself.
"Gay?" Haruhi asked.
"What is your preference?"
The very tall boy with black hair turned around, giving a mysterious glance. "The wild type?"
The small boy holding his bunny looked up. "The boy Lolita type?"
The twins linked arms as mischievous smirks appeared on their faces. "The little devil type?"
The boy with glasses smirked as he nodded. "The cool type?"
"I-It's not like that!" Haruhi stuttered out. "We were just looking for a quiet place where I could study."
"Oh please, I'm very interested in this place," Rin said with a smile as she looked around, amazed at how elegant and extravagant the room was.
Haruhi's eyes widened as he stared at her. "You're serious?"
"Or maybe…" Tamaki continued, grabbing hold of Haruhi's chin as he stroked it. "…You'd like to try me? How about it?"
Haruhi stumbled backwards, bumping into something. He turned around in horror and watched as an expensive looking vase fell off the podium in slow motion, shattering to tiny pieces onto the ground.
"Haruhi, what did you do?" she asked as she helped Haruhi regain himself from the initial shock, his mouth still twitching as horrified moans came out of his mouth.
"The Renaissance vase that was to be featured in the school auction!" the twin on the right exclaimed.
"We were going to start the bidding at 8 million yen for that!" the twin on the left announced.
"8 million yen?!" Haruhi screamed. "How many thousand yen is that? How many thousands are in 8 million?" He quickly gave up trying to calculate it as he turned to face the boys. "Um, can I pay you back?"
"Could you even?" the twins asked in unison. "You can't even afford the designated uniform."
"What is that grubby outfit, anyway?" the one on the left asked.
Haruhi's mouth twitched again.
The boy with glasses bent down, picking up one of the shattered pieces with his bare hands. "What will it be, Tamaki?"
"Have you ever heard this saying, Fujioka-kun?" Tamaki asked as he pointed at him, sitting down in a red, leather chair. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do! If you have no money, then pay with your body. Starting today, you are the Host Club's dog!"
Haruhi's whole body started turning white as he became like a stone.
This is too much, Mom, he thought. I've been captured by a ridiculous bunch who call themselves a 'Host Club'.
"Haruhi, are you okay?" Rin asked as she waved her hand in front of his face.
All the other boys circled around him, all of them trying to wake Haruhi of his trance, but nothing worked.
"Poke, poke," the small boy said as he poked Haruhi twice in the shoulder. Haruhi's body turned limp as he fell straight down to the ground.
"So, what should we do now?" Tamaki asked, sitting back down in his chair and staring at Haruhi who had fallen on the ground.
"We wait for him to become conscious," the boy with glasses said, adjusting them back up.
…
The Host Club is now open for business
Rin was seated down on the long red couch in the middle of the room, reading her favourite romance novel as she waited for Haruhi to return back from the store. Hosting hours had started and the room was now filled with girls fanning over the different boys, hearts in their eyes as they gave dreamy sighs.
But, Rin had her headphones in, so she wasn't too bothered by it. As she flipped the page, she wondered how long it would take her to actually finish the book. She already had read it ten times, but yet she still couldn't get enough of the story.
A boy. A girl. The two meet in highschool and through much jealousy, hatred and misunderstandings, the two end up falling in love and having their happily ever after. She probably become obsessed with these stories because she wanted one for herself, but she knew that from her past relationships that happy endings weren't things everybody was lucky to get.
Especially not her.
"Ah, Hayashi-san," a voice said, his voice louder than the classical music from her music player. She took the headphone from her right ear out, keeping the left in as she wondered if the conversation was important enough or not.
Once she looked up, she tried to keep her calm as she took her bookmark and placed it inside her book to make sure she didn't lose her place.
"What do you want?" she asked, trying to be polite as she could.
"Since you're staying here, you should be introduced to the other members."
She sighed as she placed her book down onto her lap, taking her other headphone out and pausing the music.
"The twins over there are called Hikaru and Kaoru. They use their brotherly love to attract the guests."
She looked over to where he was gesturing and saw the two twins sitting down, their faces close to each other as they whispered into each other's ears, making the girls around them squeal with delight.
"Over there is Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. They're cousins, so Mori-senpai does everything for Honey-senpai and the guests love it."
She saw the short blonde boy sitting with the taller boy who happened to be feeding him big slices of cake. She stared in amazement at how young the smaller boy looked and wondered how he could be her senior.
"I guess you know Tamaki pretty well. He's the king of this place, or prince as he calls himself."
She looked to the left and saw him talking to a bunch of girls who swooned and blushed over everything he said. They were eating his words up like pieces of chocolate.
Speaking of chocolate, now Rin wanted some as she glanced over at the piece of chocolate cake Honey-senpai was devouring.
"No need for the introduction Kyoya," she said. "I already know you all too well. I guess you're the manager instead of being a host. Am I correct?"
He smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "You sure do know your facts. Beginner's luck or personal experience?"
"Bit of both…Never knew you were such a comedian. But while we're here, keep your opinions to yourself and please, don't bother me."
She stuck her headphones back in as she played the music again, grabbing her book and moving away, reopening it as she walked and took a seat down on the next available chair she could find.
She felt her headphones slowly being taken out of her ears, making her glance to both her left and right, and then up to see the twins standing behind the couch, looking down at her face.
"What're you reading?" they asked in unison.
"I don't see how that's really any of your business," she replied as she went back to reading her book, putting the headphones back. She felt the couch dip on both sides and she quickly realised they had jumped over and onto the couch.
The one on the right took her headphone out again and gave her a smirk. "Sour mood, huh?" he asked.
She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear, as she quickly looked away from his mesmerising hazel eyes. By looking at them for just that second, she knew she could fall deep into those eyes.
"It's got nothing to do with you guys personally. It's just…" She trailed off as she glanced over at Kyoya who was busy typing on his laptop. "Never mind," she said, looking back down at her book, keeping the right headphone out. "It's nothing."
The twins exchanged looks, both knowing there was something wrong with her. The guests quickly took their attention away though once they questioned the strange girl.
"Hikaru-kun? Kaoru-kun? Who is this?" one of the girls asked.
"Yeah, she didn't even pay!" another said, wondering who she saw.
Rin made sure to keep her head down, not wanting to draw attention to herself. It always brought up bad memories when large crowds stared at her.
"This is Rin," the one on the right said, and assuming since he mostly talked first, he was Hikaru.
"She's new to the school," the one on the left said, so this one must have been Kaoru.
"She's not a guest, she's friends with our errand boy," they spoke in unison.
Rin lifted her head up. "He does have a name. Haruhi Fujioka."
"Don't you mean Fujioka, Haruhi?" the third girl asked, making Rin blush.
"O-Oh, right. I'm still learning the basics," she said as she bent her head back down.
"Aww, she's so cute," one of the girls whispered to her friends.
"The accent's cute too," another whispered. "Is that French?"
Rin gave a nod as she kept her head down.
"Aww, she's adorable," the third girl said, making the twins pout.
"We're here too," they muttered, which made Rin laugh as she went back to reading her book, answering the girl's questions when asked.
…
"So, what's this, then?" Tamaki asked as he held a tin of coffee in his hands, labelled Hescafé.
"Just what it looks like, it's coffee," Haruhi responded as he stood behind the couch, holding a bag of groceries.
"I've never seen this name brand. Is this the kind that's already ground?"
"No, it's instant."
"Instant?" two of Tamaki's guests asked, tilting their heads in unison.
"Oh, commoner's coffee, where you only have to add hot water, right?"
"Ooh, I've heard of this," a girl with long hair said. Most of the girls in the room had now circled around the two couches, each of them wondering what was going on.
"So it's true about poor people not having any free time so they can't even grind their own beans, huh?" another said.
"Commoner's have their wisdom," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up.
"It says that 100g costs 300 yen," Hikaru said.
"That's an incredible price drop," Kaoru said in astonishment.
"I'll go buy something else," Haruhi said, clearly annoyed. "Excuse me for not getting expensive beans."
"No, wait!" Tamaki said, holding his hand up.
Some of the girls gasped as he stood up.
"I'll drink this."
Everyone gasped in shock.
"I'll drink this, all right!"
Both the guests and the hosts applauded as they stared at him in amazement. Haruhi rolled his eyes as Rin closed her book and stood up, walking over to him.
"How are you handling Haruhi?" she asked as she kept her book in her hands.
"I don't know how you handled him for so long," he responded.
Rin shrugged with a smile on her face. "He was more preoccupied with growing up than being a child."
Haruhi glanced at her with widened eyes, wanting to ask many questions, but Tamaki unknowingly interrupted them.
"All right, Haruhi, come over here and make this commoner's coffee."
"You better get going, the prince is calling you," Rin said with a giggle as she went back to reading, heading back to her spot on the twin's chair.
"Oh, Tamaki-sama, you carry the joke too far," a girl with long red hair said, an arrogant tone in her voice as she set down her cup filled with tea. "There's no way that such a lowly person's drink will be to your taste."
"Huh?" Haruhi asked.
"Forgive me," the girl said. "I was talking to myself." She gave him a fake smile.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki called.
…
"So then, he had this terrible dream, and when he bolted up from it…" Hikaru started with a laugh. The twins had been moved to their official area after the incident with the instant coffee, and now each of them were seated on their own chairs.
Two guests sat in front of the twins, Rin sitting off to the side as she continued to read her book, waiting till she could spend some time with Tamaki to catch up on everything the two of them had missed with their time apart.
"Hikaru! Not that story!" Kaoru cried out, tears filling with eyes. "You're awful, telling that story in front of others."
"Kaoru…"
The two girls moved closer to each other as Hikaru grabbed Kaoru's face, moving closer until they could feel each other's breath on their faces.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru. You were just so cute when it happened, I couldn't help myself."
"Hikaru…"
"Waah! What beautiful brotherly love!" the girls squealed, their faces fully red.
"Why are they crying for joy?" Haruhi asked as he walked past. "I don't understand at all."
Rin quickly stood up, deciding to follow Haruhi as he carried a tray with a tea set on it. "I'm not sure. It's a little…strange, don't you think?" Rin asked and Haruhi nodded.
"I'm sorry, I'm late," Honey-senpai said as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, riding on Mori-senpai's back as they walked into the room.
"Honey-kun! Mori-kun!" one of the girls squealed.
"We've been waiting this whole time for you!" another said.
"I'm sorry," Honey-senpai said as Mori-senpai let him down onto the ground. "I was waiting for Takashi to get out of his swordsmanship club, but I drifted off to sleep…And I still seem to be sleepy."
"How cute!" the girls squealed.
"Is that boy really a 3rd-Year?" Haruhi asked as the two stood in the middle of the room, watching as Honey-senpai was squealed over by the girls.
"You wouldn't think so, would you?" Rin asked, and Haruhi shook his head.
"Honey-senpai is a prodigy, despite his appearance," Kyoya said as he walked up behind them, a smirk on his face. "And Mori-senpai's draw is his silent disposition."
"Haru-chan! Rin-chan!" Honey-senpai called as he ran over to them, jumping onto Haruhi's right arm and Rin's left arm as he spun them around. "Haru-chan, want to have some cake with me?"
Haruhi almost fell over as the dizziness took over him, but Rin quickly grabbed hold of him to keep him on his feet.
"No, I don't really like sweets…" Haruhi said, feeling a little nauseous from the spinning.
"Well, I'll let you borrow my bunny, Usa-chan!"
"No, I'm not up for Usa-chan, either."
"You don't like my Usa-chan?" He held out the pink bunny close to their faces, and Rin instantly felt guilty when he pouted. Haruhi blushed as he leaned forward, staring down at the bunny.
"I-It is cute, huh?" he stuttered out, taking Honey-senpai by surprise.
The Third Lightbulb Has Turned On…
"Don't worry, I'll hold Usa-chan for you," Rin said with a smile. Honey-senpai nodded as a huge smile made its way to his face. He chucked the bunny into the air, letting Rin catch it as his smile grew even wider once she held it like a baby.
"Take good care of it, okay?" he yelled as he skipped away, jumping onto one of the girl's laps.
"Our club's policy is to utilise everyone's individual characteristics to respond to the needs of our guests," Kyoya said. "By the way, around here, Tamaki is number-one, the king. His request rate is 70 percent."
"Wow, that high?" Rin asked as she stared over at Tamaki working his genuine charms on the girls.
"What is the world coming to?" Haruhi muttered to himself.
"By the way, with your 8 million yen debt, you are this club's dog until you graduate – oh, pardon me, errand boy. You're free to run away, but my family employs an able private police force of roughly 100."
He quickly adjusted his glasses. "Do you have a passport?"
"If you don't he'll send you out of Japan," Rin murmured, which made Haruhi groan.
"Yeah, be sure to work hard, 'Dasa-oka'-kun," Tamaki said as he breathed onto Haruhi's neck, making him jump in shock as the shiver went up his spine.
Dasa = uncool, lame, unfashionable
"Please don't do that," Haruhi said as he touched his neck.
"You're not going to get any girls, as dishevelled as you look."
"I'm not interested in getting any in the first place."
"What are you talking about? This is important." Tamaki pulled out a red rose. "Becoming a fine man, and pleasing the ladies, is everything."
"It doesn't matter either way, does it?" Haruhi asked. "Men, women, appearances, and such? What's important as a person is what's on the inside, right? I can't understand why this kind of club even exists."
"It's such a cruel thing, isn't it? Once in a while, God creates the perfect person, both inside and out."
"Excuse me?" Rin asked.
"I understand how you must feel, wanting to console yourself like that. Otherwise, you couldn't go on living, huh? But think hard about it. Why do they put museum pieces in museums? Yes, it is the duty of those who were born beautiful to show off beautiful things. Which is the reason why I started this club, for the sake of those who are starved for beauty and work unsparingly, day and night, in the pursuit of beauty."
"When did he become this delusional?" Rin whispered to herself as she hugged Usa-chan closer to her chest, loving how small and cute the plushie was.
"With your looks, they may be needless skills, but as long as I have the opportunity, I shall share a portion of my magnificent expertise with you."
The twins stopped walking as they stopped to watch the show.
"When placing your glass down, be sure to extend your pinky finger first, as a cushion." He did the example down onto the table, making Rin shake her head. "That makes it more difficult to raise a clatter, and easier to clasp it where you have set it. It looks more refined that way, doesn't it? Fine men do not make any uncouth sounds. I also like to look at my reflection in the glass."
"And why am I not surprised?" Rin asked, but Tamaki continued on with his speech. He walked over to Haruhi, his hand in his blazer pocket.
"Also, the most important thing to remember…is how effective looking up at an angle is."
"Oh, I got it!" Haruhi said, slamming his fist down onto his palm.
"Did I strike a chord?"
"Obnoxious."
Tamaki's whole body paled as he gasped, huddling in a corner as the depression set into his being, everything seeming dark around him as the rose petals fell down from the roses placed on the counter.
"Um…Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asked, confused as to what had just happened.
The twins slid over with a laugh, placing their hands on the top of his head.
"You're a hero, all right!" Hikaru said while Kaoru continued to laugh.
"I'm sorry. It really did strike a small chord with me," Haruhi said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Tamaki stood back up, returning back to normal as he turned with a smirk. "I see, I see! Then allow me to share yet another skill with you!"
"He gets over things quickly," Haruhi mumbled.
"He was always like that," Rin commented.
"Sir…" Kaoru started.
"Call me 'King'!" Tamaki exclaimed, wiggling his fingers.
"You can teach the basics of hosting as much as you want…" Kaoru said.
"…But in his case, he hasn't even passed the first, most basic visual test," Hikaru finished. He walked around to the front of Haruhi. "Now, with someone of his type, even if you take off his glasses, his eyes just look that much smaller…" He removed Haruhi's glasses, only for him and Kaoru to stare in shock at the discovery they made.
"Hey, now!" Haruhi exclaimed, moving his hands around to try and see. "I lost my contacts the day of the school's opening ceremony."
Tamaki pushed the twins out of the way as he caught a glance at Haruhi, clicking his fingers as an idea popped into his head.
"Hikaru! Kaoru!" he called.
"Yes, sir!" they said as they saluted, grabbing hold of Haruhi's arms as they dragged him out of the room.
"Kyoya, contact the hair designer!"
Kyoya quickly started dialling the numbers on his cell phone.
"Mori-senpai, to the doctor, to arrange the contact lenses!"
Mori-senpai quickly took off into a run as he headed out the door.
"Tama-chan, what about me?" Honey-senpai asked, his eyes sparkling.
"Honey-senpai…"
"Mm-hmm?"
"Please go have some cake."
Honey-senpai sat down gloomily at the table with Usa-chan by his side, a piece of cake in front of him. "You know what? Everyone else said they were too busy," he pouted.
Rin smiled as she walked over, taking a slice of cake and placing it down on one of the plates of fine china. She pulled up a chair and sat down beside him, grabbing a spare fork.
"I'm not busy, Honey-senpai," she said as she took a bite of her favourite cake, strawberry cake with white icing and strawberries on top.
"Yes!" he cheered as he grabbed his bunny and hugged it tight, taking a big bite of the cake as he grinned.
"Here! Change into this!" she heard the twins say from the other room.
"What? What!"
"Don't ask any questions!"
"No way! All right, I'll change, but you two have to get out!"
"Whoa-oa-oa-oa…" the twins exclaimed as they were kicked out of the changing room, stumbling as they landed on the ground. They looked at each other, the confusion clearly written on their faces.
The Fourth and Fifth Lightbulbs Have Turned On…
…
The sun had started to set as the grand, clock tower read: 5:25
"Um, Senpai?" Haruhi asked from behind the curtain.
"Oh, are you done changing?" Tamaki asked.
The curtain finally opened and revealed Haruhi, wearing the male Ouran uniform, his hair neatly styled and the glasses gone as the contacts took its place.
"I can really keep this uniform?" Haruhi asked.
"How adorable!" Tamaki said, blushing as tears poured down his cheeks. "You almost look like a girl, don't you?"
Complete uniform: 300,000 yen
"Haru-chan, how cute!" Honey-senpai exclaimed.
"If that's how you really look…" Hikaru started.
"…You should have said so sooner," Kaoru finished.
"Might even be able to draw some customers like that," Kyoya said.
"Yes! It's all just as I figured!" Tamaki said.
Bullcrap…
"The errand boy has graduated! Starting today, you are an official member of the Host Club! I will train you to be a first-rate host. If you can get 100 customers to request you, we will forgive your 8 million yen debt."
"A host?" Haruhi asked, in shock.
Tamaki nodded, a smirk on his face as he turned his attention to Rin, who had been sitting all that time on the same chair, reading her book. Tamaki clicked his fingers, pointing over to the twins.
"Yes sir!" they said as they headed over to her. One took the book out of her hands, the other lifting her off the chair and placing her in front of Tamaki.
"Why did you do that? I was in the middle of reading that!" Rin said as she pouted, her eyebrows narrowing at Tamaki and the two twins who just shrugged.
"I have a job for you, Rin-chan," he said with a smile. "You can be our waitress."
"A waitress? Why? What did I do?"
"It would be the perfect way for us to reconnect," he said as he grabbed hold of her shoulder. "Not only as friends, but as father and daughter."
"Excuse me?!"
Rin took the bag that had been handed to her, not knowing what lied inside the bag. All she was told was that it was her new uniform that she would wear while she worked at the Host Club. She took it to the bathroom and opened it, revealing the uniform that she immediately hated.
But, she knew there was no getting out of it. She had agreed to so she could hang around Tamaki a little more.
She put the uniform on as she stared at herself in the mirror. Thanks to Tamaki, she was now stuck wearing a short, black dress with a white apron over the top with frills at the ends. She had on knee-high socks and black buckled shoes, completing the look with a black ribbon tying up her high ponytail.
She closed the bathroom door behind her as she walked down the hallways, hating the attention she was getting from the boys as they stared at her with their jaws open. She wanted to go and hide in the corner as they started whispering to their friends and some girls giving her dirty looks while others stared in awe.
She quickly started running down the halls, needing to get away from their eyes. She opened the doors to the Host Club and closed the door behind her, glaring at Tamaki as she entered. His attention quickly changed from the girl beside him to her, and he smiled as he waved her over.
"Tamaki, are you serious with this?" she asked as she gestured to the dress.
"It was the only one I could find. All the appropriate ones were taken. But, now people can see how cute my darling daughter is!"
"In a short maid outfit. Tamaki, I don't like this kind of attention," she whispered as she held her arms, covering her body as much as she could.
"Ahem," the girl beside him grunted, gaining Tamaki's attention.
"Oh, I'm so sorry princess. We'll discuss this later, Rin-chan, alright?"
Rin sighed as she walked away, quickly heading to the kitchen. She took deep breaths as she grabbed hold of the trays covered in cakes and tea cups, before heading back out to the Host Club.
…
Haruhi is also now open for business
"Haruhi-kun…"
"Haruhi-kun, what hobbies do you have?" a girl with short, brown hair asked.
"Do you do anything special to your skin?" one with long brown hair asked.
"It's terribly pretty," one with medium black hair said.
I-I can't do this… Haruhi thought. I have no idea what I should be doing.
"Haruhi-kun, why did you join this club?" they all asked.
That's right, once I get 100 customers to request me, they'll forgive my 8 million yen debt. I have just the story.
Tamaki peered over the edge of the couch, watching as Haruhi told his story.
"I see, your mother passed away ten years ago, after being sick?" a girl asked. "So, who does the domestic chores?"
"Oh, I do those by myself," Haruhi said. "My mother was good at cooking, and she left me lots of recipes when she was in the hospital. Learning each one of them is fun to do, and on days when they turn out well, my father is delighted, too. Those are the times that I really like."
The hearts above the three girls were visible to everyone as they blushed from Haruhi's sad but beautiful story.
"Um…"
"Tomorrow, could we…"
"…Request you once again?"
"Oh, I would appreciate that," Haruhi said with a smile.
"He's popular, right from the start," Tamaki said.
"A real natural," Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses.
"No help needed," the twins said in unison.
"Tamaki-sama…" the girl beside him with long red hair whined, wanting his attention back.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my princess," Tamaki said, regaining his composure. "I'm just a little concerned about my boy."
Rin placed down the cups of tea onto the table and some sweets for Tamaki's other guests to eat. They thanked her as they took sips from their tea.
"You seem to be keeping an eye on that one quite a bit," she continued, the arrogant tone filling her voice again.
"Today is his first day on the job," Rin informed her as she cleaned the plate off her side of the table. "So he has to keep an eye on him."
"Yes, that's because I'm raising him like he was my own," Tamaki said with a smile. He clicked his fingers. "Haruhi! Come here for a minute."
Haruhi excused himself from his guests as he made his way over to Tamaki. "Yes?" he asked.
"Say hello. This is my regular guest, Princess Ayanokoji."
The girl gave a smirk, loving the attention she was receiving from him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ayanokoji-san," Rin said as she bowed, hoping to make a good impression at the school, regardless of what she might have thought about the girl's character.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Haruhi said with a smile.
Tamaki's face turned red as he grabbed hold of Haruhi and pulled him close, spinning him around in a circle. "That was so cute, Haruhi! The air of bashfulness was good, good, very good!"
"T-Tamaki-sama…" the girl said.
"M-Mori-senpai!" Haruhi shouted.
"I'm not letting you go!" Tamaki said.
"Help!" Haruhi screamed.
Mori-senpai rushed over and grabbed Haruhi as he pulled him out of Tamaki's strong grip, his eyes widening.
The Sixth Lightbulb Has Turned On…
"Mori-senpai, you didn't have to go that far," Tamaki said. "Come on, come back next to Daddy's heart!"
"I don't need two fathers."
"Excuse me Ayanokoji-san," Rin said, taking Ayanokoji's attention away from the scene. "Would you like some more tea?"
"No, thank you. I think I've lost my appetite looking at that," she said as she moved the piece of cake away from her.
Rin tilted her head. "Looking at what?"
"Don't you see? Tamaki hanging around that commoner. Doesn't he knew that he's nothing like us?"
"I'm sure that has nothing to do with your lack of appetite Ayanokoji-san. Maybe it's something else."
Ayanokoji thought for a moment before she nodded.
"It might also have something to do with that dress."
"Oh yes, I don't like it much either. It's a bit short for me…"
"It just screams, boy toy," she said, making Rin go silent.
"Oh, um, well then…Call if you need anything."
She quickly walked off, feeling embarrassed and degraded as she entered the kitchen. Ayanokoji as some of the hosts stared as she walked past, making her shake her head in disgust.
"So Tamaki, who's that young girl working as your maid? Commoner too?"
Tamaki turned back to face her. "Oh no, she's quite wealthy. She's Rin Hayashi-Bellerose, daughter to a well-known cosmetics designer and famous actor. We lived in the same street in France when we were little."
She watched as Rin returned from the kitchen as she headed over to the twins table to clean up the plates, cutlery and any crumbs or spillage.
"We haven't seen each other in years," Tamaki continued. "I thought it'd be good to reconnect after so long."
"Oh really? How interesting," she said as she took a sip of her tea.
…
"Huh? My bag is gone," Haruhi said. "Rin, have you seen it?"
She shook her head. "No, have you seen mine? I'm pretty sure we both left our bags out in the club room though."
Haruhi looked out the window and sighed. "Aw, man…I didn't think there was any bullying at this school, but sure enough…"
"They follow you everywhere," Rin muttered to herself. Haruhi was sure that the bag in the pond was his and quickly stared running down the halls.
She walked behind, searching for her bag at every spot she could, but came up with nothing. She didn't want Haruhi to worry about hers.
"Oh, it's you," Ayanokoji said as she stood in the middle of the hallway. Haruhi stopped running. "How nice for you, to have Tamaki-sama tidy you up. While you're at it, why don't you correct your poor upbringing?"
And then she left. As she ran down the halls, she bumped into Rin's shoulder and almost knocked her over. As she walked up to Haruhi, she placed a hand on his shoulder as she noticed something wrong.
"What was all that about?" she asked.
Haruhi shook his head. "Never mind. You go search for your bag. I'll go get mine."
"Haruhi…"
But he had already started running down the hallway and out the door to the pond.
She sighed as she walked back to the Third Music Room, searching everywhere for her bag that seemed almost impossible to find. The last she needed to look was the kitchen. She opened the door and gasped at what she saw.
The floor, benches, the walls were all covered in flour. There was a single piece of paper lying in the middle of the flour covered table, her bag shoved inside a bowl. She took out bag, emptying everything inside and placing the bag in the sink as she let the water clean off the flour.
"Since you like spending so much time in the kitchen, you won't mind that I've done a little redecorating. Don't try and get close to Tamaki.
Learn your place, boy toy."
Rin scrunched the note up, chucking it across the room in anger as she looked at all the contents of her bag that were now on the floor. She picked up her diary and noticed pages missing, some ripped out and others covered in tea.
She felt like crying, but she held it in, knowing she shouldn't cry over something this trivial. She scrubbed her bag of all the flour, along with her romance books and textbooks.
She looked around the room as she sank down to the floor, not caring at that moment if her 'uniform' got covered with flour. She held her head in her hands, wondering what she was going to do.
It followed her everywhere, just like a curse…
"What happened in here? Did a bomb go off?" a voice asked. She knew it was one of the twins who had entered the kitchen, but she couldn't be bothered lifting her head to find out who.
"The note says it all," she said as she pointed to where she assumed the scrunched up piece of paper was on the ground. She heard him unscrunch it as he read it over. Not only a second later did he scrunch it back up and chuck it in the bin.
"Who does something like this?" he asked.
"I thought you guys loved pulling pranks," she said.
"Harmless ones on the boss, nothing like this. It's not even funny."
She felt him sit down beside her as he tapped her on the shoulder, trying to get her to lift her head up.
"You alright?" he asked.
"I will be, eventually," she replied.
"But what about right now?"
She shook her head. "Of course not."
"Well sulking's not gonna help. We need to clean this up."
She lifted her head. "We?"
"Tamaki would kill me if he knew I let a lady clean up someone else's mess by herself, especially you."
"You wouldn't want your hosting career to end, would you?" she asked, a smile slowly making its way to her face.
"You should smile more often, it looks better on you than a fake one," he said as he got a rag and started scrubbing up one of the benches. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the heat rising to her cheeks.
"Are you going to help me or not?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded and stood up, catching the tea towel he chucked at her.
"Thank you, Hikaru," she said as she gave his arm a hug in gratitude.
"H-How did you know I was Hikaru?" he asked.
"I can just tell."
"Am I interrupting something?" Kaoru asked as he walked into the room.
"Cleaning," she said as she removed her hands off of Hikaru.
Kaoru noticed all of the flour surrounding the room, then back at the two of them. "What happened in here?"
"All will be explained later," Hikaru said as he chucked Kaoru a towel. "Now hurry up and get cleaning."
…
"I see. That must have been terrible, huh?" Ayanokoji asked smugly, taking a sip of tea. "Having your bag fall into the pond all on its own…Although, to make Tamaki-sama go to all the trouble of picking up your grimy bag for you, you really don't know your own place, do you?"
Rin glared from the twin's table, feeling the anger rise in her body. Hikaru poked her twice in the arm, shaking his head at her.
"Tamaki-sama is only paying you any attention because your upbringing was so unusual. And he's only paying attention to Rin because she looks good in a short dress. Don't go getting any ideas as to why he's doting on you or her."
"So what you mean is…you're jealous?" Haruhi asked.
Ayanokoji stood up, making Rin ran forward and stand in front of Haruhi to avoid her lunge. She pushed Rin to the side as she rolled on the ground. She then lunged for Haruhi, but Rin kicked her leg making them both fall to the ground, Haruhi landing on top of Ayanokoji by accident.
The table turned over as she and Rin screamed as the tea cups smashed onto the floor, sending the pieces scattered across the ground. The tea split all over the floor and the rose petals flew off the flower.
"Haruhi-kun…Haruhi-kun suddenly attacked me! Somebody, quick! Deal with this commoner!"
Then, the room fell silent as two pots of water were poured down on top of Haruhi and Ayanokoji, confusing both of them. Rin gasped as she moved away, noticing Mori-senpai holding his hand out for her. She took it, giving him a nod as thanks.
"What are you doing?" Ayanokoji asked.
Tamaki pulled her up to her feet, moving some hair out of her eyes. "Tamaki-sama, Haruhi-kun assaulted me."
"How disgraceful," Tamaki said. "You're the one who threw Haruhi's bag in the pond, aren't you? And the one who covered Rin's bag and the kitchen in flour?"
"How can you say that? Do you have any proof?"
"You really are quite pretty, but you are not fit to be our guest. I know this much – Haruhi is not that kind of man."
"T-Tamaki-sama, you idiot!" she screamed as she ran out of the Host Club, sobbing.
"I'm going to decide your punishment for causing this trouble," he said, addressing Haruhi. "Your quota is increased to 1000 yen!"
1000 yen? Haruhi thought in distress.
"Here," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm expecting much from you, natural rookie." He winked, making Haruhi confused.
"This is the only spare uniform we have," Kyoya said as he held up a red bag. "It's still better than that wet one, though, right?"
"Thank you very much," Haruhi said.
…
"Haruhi, here…" Tamaki said as he opened the curtain to the changing room. "Some towels…"
He stopped though once he noticed Haruhi standing there with his white shirt unbuttoned, a pink singlet underneath. Tamaki, in shock, let the curtain shut as he just stared in front of him.
The Seventh Lightbulb Has Turned On…Finally…
"Haruhi…"
"Yes?"
"You're a girl?"
"Biologically, yes."
She opened the curtain and revealed herself wearing the Ouran girl's uniform, making Tamaki scream out in shock, anger and desperation.
"Senpai, if you all think of me as a boy, then that's okay with me, too. My feeling is…that any awareness of being a boy or a girl falls lower than that of being a person."
"This is quite an interesting development," Kyoya said.
"It sure is," the twins said.
"Still, Senpai, you were kind of cool earlier."
Tamaki gasped, his face quickly turning red as he started sweating.
"Could this possibly be the beginnings of love?"
"Can you see her?" someone whispered.
"She's so cute!"
"Look at her in the maid outfit!"
"Move, I have to see."
Everyone turned towards the slightly opened door, seeing three pairs of eyes staring through. Kyoya glared as he walked over, opening it fully as the three men fell down to the ground in shock.
"Can you help you gentlemen?" he asked, the annoyance clear in his voice though his face remained blank.
The boys looked at each other, blush on their cheeks at the realisation that they'd been caught. "We just wanted to see her," one of them said, pointing over at Rin who quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Kyoya smirked as he left them lying there, walking back over to the Hosts.
"What's your idea, Kyoya?" Tamaki asked.
"The men over there are here to see Hayashi-san," he said. "If they're so eager and interested, they wouldn't mind paying us to see her, now would they?"
Tamaki nodded, catching on. "Good idea," he said. "From now on, the Host Club will be co-ed! Our foreign princess is now an official member of the Host Club?"
"Huh?" Rin asked.
"You three men can come and see her tomorrow at the Host Club. Tell your friends, you won't be disappointed," he said with a smile. The three boys quickly nodded as they ran off with smiles on their faces, yelling at all the boys in the halls about the great news.
"Do I get a say in this at all?" Rin asked.
"You know, being a host, and getting fussed over by girls might not be all that bad. I know! From now on, I'll start using 'ore'," Haruhi said as she laughed.
Rin sighed as she glanced over at the Host members. "I better be getting paid for this…"
Tamaki: Don't get too full of yourself, just because you're popular. If you're going to be a host…
Haruhi: Oh, another customer has requested me.
Tamaki: Don't go taking my customers!
Haruhi: Next time, "The Job of a High School Host".
Tamaki: Ouran Highschool Host Club will be waiting for you.