I

Late Mornings

It was a pleasant April morning. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the birds chirped happily from their perches on the trees that dotted the sidewalk. The morning commuters passed by, some in a hurry to abide their busy schedules; others marveling in the warm air as they inspected the stalls at the local market. A small blue bus drew to a stop in front of a group of elderly women, who chatted amongst themselves as they prepared to board the vehicle. However, as the doors opened, the ladies were surprised and shocked as a young girl jumped out onto the sidewalk, her soles squeaking on the pavement with the sudden movement. Yelling a quick apology to the offended women, the girl took off down the street in a run, immediately taking a sharp left.

Matsuoka Mizuki was always late. She called it a natural talent; her mother disagreed. However, today was a day she couldn't be late. Her sisters (blessed with the morning bug) had awoken her on time, but she had proceeded to fall asleep while eating her precious breakfast. She had a knack for that: falling asleep. As she maneuvered her slender body around the people on the sidewalk, she hoped her best friend hadn't gone on without her. Despite the fact that both had attended the Enrollment ceremony the previous week, Mizuki had paid absolutely no attention at the tour of the school grounds, and therefore had to rely on said friend to guide her to her classroom.

She entered what she and her friend had dubbed the 'fancy district', the telltale signs of sleek black town cars (and a few limousines) and a decrease in the crowd on the sidewalks assuring her she was in the right place. It would have been just her luck if she had gotten lost on the way to school as well. The imposing pink clock tower that was the signature of Ouran Academy rose from the other elegant and majestic buildings, earning a relieved sigh from Mizuki as she slowed down to a brisk walk. Panting and trying to smooth down her ruffled clothes, she reached the elaborate front gates of the school, where chauffeurs opened the car doors to their young masters, girls clad in pale yellow dresses and boys in sharp blue blazers and black slacks. Mizuki quickly scanned the entrance, and upon finding her friend just inside the gates, clearly impatient, grinned sheepishly and walked over.

"Three more minutes and I would have left," Fujioka Haruhi, dressed in clothes that were clearly too large for her frame – in fact, concealing her frame entirely – pushed up her large glasses with her fingers and started walking towards the building in which they would have their classes. Mizuki shrugged and followed after her, admiring the polished gardens and glittering fountains. It really was a very pompous school. After giving clear and easy to understand instructions to her orientation-deficient friend, Haruhi headed for her first year classroom and Mizuki for her third year one.

After getting lost only once, which was quite a feat for the girl, Mizuki found classroom 3-A. The far too spacious room was mostly filled with students immersed in conversation, but there was no teacher yet, to Mizuki's relief. She chose a desk by the windows, in the back row, and plopped down in the comfortable chair. The clock tower had yet to announce the beginning of classes, so she decided to 'rest her eyes' for a moment, a pleased smile on her face.

Just then, Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi entered the classroom, the shorter of the two with a sheepish smile on his face as his taller counterpart glanced at him disapprovingly. Honey had delayed his arrival at school by eating two entire cakes for breakfast, therefore making his cousin Mori wait for him. This was soon forgotten as the students present in the classroom – mostly the female ones – greeted the two with enthusiasm. After giving a polite nod to the girls, Mori swept the classroom with his eyes, spotting two seats for him and his cousin. Honey greeted his fans with a wide smile and chatted for a few seconds, before following his tall friend to the back row. Mori set down his bag on the desk next to a sleeping student, and Honey set his on his right, glancing at the slumbering body on the corner.

"Eh, Takashi, is that a new student?" Honey questioned, approaching said person. Long, black waves covered the polished desk, as the girl's head lay on her folded arms peacefully. She wore the blue blazer of the male Ouran uniform, but they both noticed her long legs protruding from a black skirt, clad in white knee high socks, confirming that indeed it was a female. The short blond boy poked the girl in the arm, provoking a small disapproving groan.

Mizuki raised her head and stretched in a feline manner, her arms extended over the desk as she blinked several times. She then turned to her right, where two males were observing her. She blinked once more, and noticed the short boy in front of her had his finger still up; so he had been the one to wake her up. She cocked her head to the side, wondering why he had disrupted her nap.

"Hello!" Honey exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. "I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but please call me Honey! This is Morinozuka Takashi, my cousin. He goes by Mori. And this is Usa-chan!" The boy pushed a pink stuffed rabbit in her face. She blinked some more, a bit confused, and slowly backed away from the creature.

"Um… Matsuoka Mizuki. It's nice to meet you," she said in a quiet voice, glancing at the tall boy that sat on the desk next to her, his body turned to her. He didn't say a word, but nodded at her. She looked back at Honey, who still had the same smile on his face. He looked incredibly young, she noted.

"Are you a new student? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yes. I'm a scholarship student," she answered, her fingers absently playing with the hem of her skirt. Both boys looked at her with a bit of admiration and curiosity; it was quite impressive to obtain a scholarship in Ouran, after all.

Before Honey could speak, the teacher arrived as the clock tolled and announced the start of classes. The boy tossed Mizuki another smile and walked over to his desk next to his cousin's. She corresponded with a small smile and turned to the front, intent on focusing on class and not doze off.

She did not succeed.

Despite her great efforts, Mizuki found herself resting her head on her left hand and her eyes closing for a couple of minutes every other hour. Only in Math did she perk up a bit while solving problems with ease. Both Mori and Honey had spent classes taking notes and paying attention, although Mori stole a quick glance or two at his desk neighbor, who had a hard time paying attention. It came off as a bit unusual, as she had to be a dedicated student to have gained entrance at Ouran Academy with a scholarship. However, he shrugged off his thoughts and returned to his notes.

Soon it was lunch period, and Mizuki felt delighted at the prospect of food. She was devastatingly hungry, and quickly retrieved her bento from her bag while her classmates got up to head to the cafeteria – something her previous school lacked. Mori paused on his way out the door as his cousin approached the famished girl. Just as she was about to open her packed lunch, she saw the blond hair on the corner of her eyes, and looked at him.

"Mizu-chan, you have a bento! That's so cool!" he said, clutching his dear Usa-chan and staring at her plain black container. Mizu-chan? "Why don't you join us at the cafeteria and eat it there?"

"Uh, I prefer the quiet…" she said, looking around the now mostly empty classroom. Honey looked slightly dejected, but accepted her decision with a smile and a 'see you later', before heading off with Mori in tow. Mizuki sighed and quickly turned her attention back to the bento. She actually enjoyed eating outside, usually on the courtyards or rooftops, but she had a tendency to take a well-deserved nap after her meals, and therefore being late for classes. She had even once slept through an entire afternoon. After her mother's (half-serious) scolding, she had started having lunch inside the classroom, so as to not repeat the incident.

The afternoon classes were about to start as the two cousins entered their classroom. A few students had already returned, although most were still at the cafeteria. Honey beamed as he spotted what he had already deemed his new friend on her desk – sleeping, again. He skipped over to the corner of the room, giggled and poked her arm, much like he had done in the morning. Again, Mizuki groaned and turned her head the other way, her half-closed eyes watching the cute boy. He had a huge smile on his face (and was that a glint of evilness in his eyes?) and was clutching his Usa-chan, as usual.

"Ne, Mizu-chan, you sleep a lot," he commented, propping himself up on Mori's desk. The tall boy had already occupied his seat, and was going through his notes on the Math lesson, revising the problems they had solved in the morning.

Mizuki gave a slight shrug of her shoulders and finally raised her head. A long, pronounced yawn left her as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. Honey giggled at the endearing action and started rattling off his lunch (cakes) and his friend's shenanigans in the cafeteria. The dark haired girl listened intently, a small smile on her face. The boy was adorable when he talked, using his stuffed bunny to emphasize the parts he considered vital to the story.

"Mizu-chan! You should definitely visit our club today!" Honey exclaimed suddenly, his eyes lighting up with his genius idea. She cocked her head, waiting for him to elaborate. It was already clear to both boys the girl didn't talk that much (although she still talked more than Mori), and usually conveyed her intentions and emotions through her various facial expressions and other gestures (something Mori did not do). Therefore, Honey understood her silent question, and responded. "It's after school! We usually open half an hour after classes end, but you can come along with us!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Honey-kun, I can't today. I have to meet up with my sisters right after school." She gave him an apologetic smile and a half-shrug. The boy deflated, but nodded. "What kind of club is it?"

At her question, Honey immediately perked up again, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. "You'll just have to come tomorrow and see! Right, Takashi?"

She turned to Mori, who had finished reviewing his notes, hoping for some sort of elaboration. "Ah," he answered, his deep voice surprising her a bit. It was the first time she had heard him speak – she liked his voice though, it was somewhat… soothing. She also noticed the corners of his mouth turning up, just a tiny bit. That wasn't suspicious at all. Oh, well. She shrugged and turned to the front as the teacher entered the classroom.

Classes were over for the day, and Honey and Mori had bid her goodbye as she was still stuffing her school paraphernalia in her bag. Mizuki closed it with a satisfied huff, got up, and shot out of the classroom, suddenly remembering why she hadn't been able to join her classmates. Well, her sisters probably expected her to be late anyway.

She arrived in front of the middle school, panting a bit, and searched for the two heads of black hair that were always glued to each other. Soon, she spotted the mischievous creatures she called her siblings flirting with a group of boys. Mizuki cocked one of her eyebrows, a slightly exasperated expression on her face. She started heading towards the girls, and put her hands on both girls' shoulders, which were considerably lower than her own.

"Ume, Kane," she said, eyeing both girls, and completely ignoring the boys in front of them. Two identical faces looked up, grins on their faces. Mizuki sighed and let their shoulders go. The twin girls turned around, each placing a hand on her hip.

"Onee-chan!" they said in a slightly high pitched voice. Matsuoka Umeko and Akane were the worst possible breed of siblings – the mischievous twins kind. Both girls wore their plain uniform with their skirts a bit higher than regulations standard and styled their hair in a fashionable side ponytail – Umeko on the right, Akane on the left. They immediately started chatting up their older sister, trying to annoy her. Meanwhile, the middle school boys watched on in a daze. Their eyes followed the popular Matsuoka twins and the beautiful and graceful creature that was 'onee-chan'. They found themselves wanting to call her that as well.

The three sisters finally left the middle school and started heading for the supermarket, where they were to shop for tonight's dinner. Their mother had insisted Mizuki accompany the younger girls, as she couldn't trust them with such a task. They would probably end up using the money to buy celebrity magazines and make up. Mizuki was not the most responsible older sibling in the world, but was incredibly serious when it came to food.

Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club and its characters/places and certain events belong to Bisco Hatori! However, the plot and original characters belong to me.

Well, here it is! The first chapter - second edition. To those that missed my author's note, I'm rewritting the story - just to fix a few things I wasn't satisfied with. I also decided to introduce another part of Mizuki's life - her sisters! Exciting, right? Anyway, please tell me what you think about this new edition - I was trying to capture Mizuki's character a bit more correctly, although that won't show through until the next few chapters... she's not shy per se, but actually introverted, so only when she becomes more comfortable with everyone else does she become more... expressive? Something like that. I'll try to post the second chapter tomorrow :)

On another note, any of you fans of Kuroko no Basket? I absolutely love the show - and the fanfictions! Haha I'm even pondering on a story of KnB... although this is my priority, of course!