A/N: Howdy. It's been a long time since I've posted anything on this site since I've been so busy, but I thought maybe a change of pace would be a good way to get back into the swing of things. This is story I've had in mind for a long time, and I just decided that I have nothing to lose if I post it here! I've gone back and forth and back forth with so many details, like characters, story, who's with who, but I feel pretty satisfied with how it is right now, so I figured some of you may like it. So, please, relax, and enjoy.

It was an average day for the Host Club, being a not-so-average day in general, but a regular for the group of handsome and ridiculously unusual, if observed from a "commoner's" point of view, young men. The Lolita, otherwise addressed as Honey, was eating cake, with Morinozuka, properly dubbed, Mori. Hikaru and Kaoru, the "naughty" twins, were abashedly throwing themselves upon one another at a neighboring table, and Haruhi, who was labeled the "natural" type, was chatting with a fellow teenager in a friendly manner.

In the center of the room, with the center of attention, Tamaki Suoh sat across from a flush young woman who had nearly covered her entire face with her hands at the teen's flirtatious words. He had cupped her chin in his hand and spoke freely with a romantic gaze, as though that insignificant adolescent was the only person that mattered.

The main gentleman, though, that she needed to worry about, was standing stiffly out of anyone's way, the glint of his glasses blinding all those who dared to lay an eye upon the Shadow King. He wrote hurriedly in his secretive, black notebook, which seemed so open to view, yet so hidden from sight. Who knows what he was writing. It could've been a listing of items used by customers so that he could charge them extra for sneezing into a tissue, or a note of who was the most frequent in gazing lovingly upon Honey's euphoric expression as he ate, or Hikaru and Kaoru's countenances as they adoringly fawned over each other.

She was sitting within a mixed group of juniors and sophomores, squirming in her skin with her coffee eyes bouncing from wall to wall out of anxiety, or discomfort. While the ladies around her giggled and cooed at their senior, Honey, she looked ready to jump up from her seat and run away. She would've been gone already it seemed, if it had not been for the cup of tea discreetly wobbling in the grip of her right hand.

"Mitsuru-san, why don't you eat some cake with us?"

The brunette turned to the foolish girl who had addressed her and stifled a haughty chortle. Before speaking, she tucked her swept bangs behind her ear and pushed her chest out as if she were a puffed-up bird, showing off its plume.

"I'm afraid such juvenile acts are below me at this age."

Honey, leaping into action, put on his loveable smile, "You can never be too old for cake!"

"But," Mitsuru bit back, "you can be mature enough to refrain from eating such unhealthy foods. Must you encourage such improper dental care? This entire establishment is a ridiculous excuse of a club."

"Excuse me. I see that you are having an issue with our Host Club?"

Kyoya had slid in at the sound of an angered young lady, and scouted out the stiff girl with a tight bun at the top of her head. Her back was as straight as a rod, and she looked prepared to leave Honey where he sat with the fat crocodile tears in his pitiful eyes.

"You are the vice president of this organization, correct?" Mitsuru questioned, setting down her cup, to the horror of the girls surrounding her, "I would suggest you improve upon this club made up of costumed plebeians before inviting someone of my status to drink tea."

The stunning blow to all of the hosts, specifically Tamaki who collapsed in horror, caused a hush throughout the club as Yamasaki Mitsuru stood, condescendingly patting down her yellow uniform dress as though disposing of unseen bacteria contracted by sitting upon the velvet lounge. She began to walk past Kyoya but stopped to scoff at him.

"If you are displeased with our fine establishment, you are free to file a complaint, but insulting our guests and hosts in such a disrespectful manner is entirely uncalled for. I'll have to ask that you refrain from returning unless you are willing to compensate for your rudeness."

"As if I'd want to come back here," Her light chestnut hair bounced in its tight bun as she turned back towards the group of wide-eyed, shocked girls who surrounded a teary eyed Honey, "Thank you for being as kind as to invite me someplace with you all, but I'm afraid I have errands that require my attention. Good day."

The door closed behind Mitsuru's dancing yellow dress with a sense of finality. The girls whom she had left behind kept quiet with a sense of shame and embarrassment; they were essentially the cause of Honey's tears as they had somehow dragged the stiff teen with bronze hair to the Host Club. One of the girls reached down and pet Honey's head with a sad smile.

"Don't mind Yamasaki-san, Honey-chan," she said sweetly, "She's just stressed out with the new workload and all."

A new student…?

"I better go after her," another girl said hurriedly, excusing herself politely before trotting to the door, her pigtails bouncing with each step.

Kyoya looked down at his notebook and scribbled down a side note to look into this Yamasaki Mitsuru. He had never before seen her wandering about and she looked to be around his age. But the strangest aspect was the fact that Kyoya had never heard of the Yamasaki family. The surname was a widely popular one, but none who held it had a particularly wealthy lifestyle.

He proposed in his mind that maybe Mitsuru had earned a scholarship similarly to Haruhi, but the snobbish teen had specifically mentioned her high status. While that didn't rule out the possibility of a scholarship, it raised suspicion of who Yamasaki Mitsuru truly was.

-:-

As soon as the door closed behind her, she strode as quickly as she could to the library downstairs. Anyone passing her could've seen that she was in a hurry, thus stepped out of her way. The classically stern expression on Yamasaki's face was a "Warning" sign for whoever stood in her path.

Close behind strode Hisako Ito, a well-known fan of the host club, with her copper-colored pigtails wiping around as she sped to catch up to the fuming Mitsuru with her dress in her fists.

"Hey, hey!" She called, an annoyed expression stretched across her face.

By the time Hisako was able to catch her friend, they were in a nook hidden away inside the library. Mitsuru was pacing up and down an isle of books.

"You should apologize to Honey-senpai!" Hisako released her skirt finally, smoothing out the unkind wrinkles in the cream cloth, "He didn't do anything to you."

"Maybe," was the vague response from Mitsuru.

"What's up with you? You've been like this since I mentioned the Host Club."

"Like this?" Yamasaki turned and her amber eyes sparkled beneath a layer of coffee brown, "I haven't the slightest idea what you mean."

"Ugh, forget I said anything. Are you going to sit with me at lunch or am I going to have to be all alone?" Hisako crossed her arms across her chest, her cheeks childishly puffed out.

In her mind, Mitsuru knew that it was a ridiculous notion to even consider Hisako one to sit alone during a period of popularity and glee. If the copper-haired minx wasn't worming her way to the host club and offering up a few homemade pastries, she was surrounded by the flock that was her own Gardening club, a group of dainty ladies and gentlemen who pretended they didn't have hired help to tend to their private gardens at home. Mitsuru plastered a fake smile on her face before replying.

"I'll be there. Just give me a moment."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," The Ito girl threw her hands up in a way to show she had surrendered and turned on her heel to leave the library.

When she knew she was alone, Yamasaki slid to the ground with a sly grin. Her hair had loosened, leaving some chestnut locks to frame her cunning expression.

"Besides that Ootori kid, there's little to no obstacles…" She thought aloud, "I'm practically already home free."

-:-

[Suggested soundtrack: Polka Capriccioso for Chamber Orchestra (OHSHC)]

It was only two days later. Haruhi had barely walked into the clubroom when she was bombarded from all sides, Tamaki clutching her shoulders and the twins on either side, grabbing her hands in comical desperation.

"Haruhi!" The blonde prince exclaimed, dramatically shaking her back and forth, "It's a disaster!"

"Let go of me, senpai!" The brunette sighed, "What's the problem?"

The Hitachiin twins put their hands to their faces in an aghast motion before pointing to the center of the room, "See for yourself, Haruhi!"

The girl gave them questioning glances before striding to where Kyoya, Mori and Honey stood, all gathered around in a circle.

"Kyoya-senpai, what's going on?" Haruhi asked, approaching in a cautious manner.

Her walking slowed to a stop when she realized there was nothing to be seen. Honey was atop Mori's shoulders and Kyoya was scribbling away a little harder than usual in his notebook. She noted that the Shadow King was living up to the title today, with a deadly aura seeping out from behind his gleaming glasses.

The dark-haired Ootori son paused in his writing to respond, a horrifyingly calm look on his face, "Look around us, Haruhi."

Raising one brow, the commoner girl looked around with little interest. The room was empty except for a single regal sofa, pushed up against a window for some odd reason.

"What? There's nothing here."

"Exactly," Hikaru began, letting his brother finish with, "That's the problem."

"Why?"

Leaping into the conversation with drama, fat tears running down his face, Tamaki cried out, "All of our things have been stolen!"

"Stolen? Are you sure?" Haruhi questioned.

This was not the first time that the French blonde had believed everything to have gone missing. He prepared some kind of private investigation on the fly, only to realize in the end that they were remodeling the room for a theme and, sadly enough, Tamaki himself had been the one to plan the decoration.

Kyoya readjusted his glasses after peering down at his notebook, "It's true. All of our sweets, tea sets and decorative items are gone."

Haruhi blinked, dumbfounded for a split second before peering around the room with a more keen eye. The beautiful vases and charming curtains had been snatched and torn down, while the tables and chairs had evaporated into thin air. She made her way into the storage room, and peered up at the cupboard, only to be blown away by the lack of sweets. Every cake and treat was gone along with the plates that held them.

"Th-they even stole t-the strawberries!" Honey was traumatized, resting upon Mori's shoulders with a broken heart and a frustrated appetite.

"How did this happen?" Haruhi asked, looking to Kyoya as the twins and Tamaki sobbed amongst themselves, "I thought you locked the door every evening after the Host Club."

"I did. Look there."

The commoner followed the Ootori boy's gaze to the window that the single love seat was nearby. The glass wasn't shattered, but the lock on it was, smashed into two pieces, likely by a blunt object of some sort.

"Why didn't they take the sofa?" The single princess of the club questioned, observing the lounger from all angles.

"Perhaps, they left this single item as a sign! As a message, no, as a threat! To remind us that whoever this villainous person is, they own us!" Tamaki suggested, receiving awed applause from the Hitachiin twins.

"No."

The single word from Mori's mouth sent Tamaki back into a shocked melancholy, and Honey resumed the explanation, "There's some rope wrapped around the legs. They probably used the sofa as an anchor when they climbed in."

Kyoya muttered, "Clever," before circling the solitary shred of evidence, as though the more angles he saw it from, the more information he could gather.

"What do we do? We have no chairs or tables for our guests," said Hikaru, pretending to console Tamaki, who wailed every once in a while, "Who could've done this!"

"Correct. I'm afraid we'll have to postpone club activity until we have caught the perpetrator."

"Should we call the police?" Haru inquired, "They can find whoever did this."

"Perhaps… But, seeing as I am one of the many sons of the Ootori family, with the family staff at my fingertips, I would prefer to catch this thief on my own, with my own terms of punishment."

The black flames pouring from Kyoya's essence sent the rest of the club ducking for cover. The few times that the Shadow King revealed his deadliest aura were fatal moments for those around him.

"So, where should we start investigating, Mommy? It's our job as the owners and workers of this fine establishment to recover what is ours!" Tamaki exclaimed, given a sudden burst of excitement for the idea of justice, as distorted as it was in Kyoya's ominous, baleful eyes.

"First off," the dark lord began, "we need to gather data."

Pointing to Mori, he commanded, "Go to the caretaker rooms and investigate who was on staff last night. You and Honey are to question if they saw anyone."

The solitary senior "hmm"ed in compliance while Honey saluted childishly with a loud, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Next, I want Hikaru and Kaoru to go down to the courtyard and search for tracks; anything to get us on this idiot's trail. Tamaki," Kyoya looked to the blonde vigilante, who looked more like an excited pup, wagging his tail in excitement as he awaited a command, "work on crowd control. Our guests will be here any minute, so if they happen to notice we're missing things; they may go into a panic and call the police."

"This sole duty of mine… I shall perform it with ease and precision!"

"What about me, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked, her mind tingling with something akin to adrenaline.

Kyoya readjusted his glasses before looking down to his notebook, "I'd like you to keep doing what you're doing."

"But I'm not doing anything…"

"Exactly. In your poor neighborhood, someone may result to stealing from a high-class school like Ouran, so just keep a look out for a suddenly wealthy acquaintance or something of the sort."

I'm not sure whether to be insulted or not… Curse these rich people.

"Wait," Haru blinked owlishly, "What are you going to do, senpai?"

"I think," the reflection of hell shined brightly in Kyoya's glasses, causing the very soul of Haruhi to shiver, "I'm going to investigate some students that have been arousing suspicion lately… Possibly even pay them a visit."

Please don't kill them, senpai.

-:-

Haru rubbed her sore shoulders as she entered the supermarket. She dreaded carrying a basket full of groceries, but she'd rather be aching than hungry. The entire club was sent on a wild goose chase and discovered nothing of importance. Hikaru and Kaoru found some tracks, but they were just from the trash bin that the janitors rolled around. Surprisingly, the school had fancy custodians, too. Who knew?

An old man told Mori and Honey that he had been the last one at the school, leaving sharply at eight. Tamaki had barely succeeded at keeping the guests calm by elaborating some random tale that was likely in his mind the truth of events that occurred, leaving the girls who had stopped by dazed and confused as they were turned away.

Once they had met up again, Kyoya had returned from "investigating" with an even angrier aura, ordering the club to move the love seat away from the window for more thorough examination. They obeyed (hence Haruhi's soreness) and circled around the furniture for what felt like hours. The only evidence the Ootori teen could salvage was that there were likely two perpetrators, one to infiltrate the building and break the lock and another to climb up from outside later on.

"Wouldn't we have noticed someone coming in and breaking our window lock?" Haruhi had asked.

Kyoya responded, "This person could've done so before or after the room was opened up yesterday. We'll need to ask around the campus tomorrow. Come early so we can discuss our tactics."

Picking up an apple and examining it for bruises, Haru tried to speed up the pace. If she wanted to get to school early, she would need a good night's sleep. It was actually a little… exciting to have such a case for the Host Club. She wasn't feeding off of the energy like the parasite that was Tamaki, but it definitely was boosting her adrenaline. Certainly, though, she would not want such an event to happen again. Who knows how much money's been completely drained away by the thief.

"Um, ma'am?"

Kyoya unquestionably was getting some sort of pleasure out of this, whether it was healthy or not. Having something (or rather, someone) to release wrath upon was something he always enjoyed.

"Hey!"

Haruhi jolted, the apple falling to her foot and rolling haphazardly to a young lady in the midst of the isle. Whoever she was, she must've been trying to make the brunette move because she had a modest buggy filled with food and other random necessities.

"S-sorry!"

"It's fine."

Reaching down, the stranger grabbed the apple and reached out to hand it to Haru, allowing the shorter teen to get a good look at the girl's face. Her eyes were a typical brown, but sparkled with some kind of fiery ochre around the black pupil. Her hair was either very short or tucked away in her grey beanie.

After a while of Haruhi staring, she finally took the apple with a gratuitous "Thank you." For some reason, it took the young lady a moment to respond, as she returned a curious gaze before carting off with her goods, some fruity hair products catching Haruhi's eye.

"I wish I had that sort of money for good conditioner… Ah, wait, I forgot the groceries!"

-:-

"I can't believe it! They're closed up again; I wonder if something happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe there was an accident?"

"Oh, no way! Tamaki-senpai would never let anything happen to the beloved Host Club!"

The group of sophomores in the midst of the hallway was whining about the shut double doors, with an elegant sign proclaiming the state of the Host Club. Mitsuru stood slightly off to the side, out of sight, with her arms crossed and her eyes glazed over in thought. Her arms were filled with books that were her own, and Hisako's, who stood by the door with comically fat tears in her eyes. If anyone were to see Mitsuru now, they would be shocked at how calm and laid back she seemed at the moment.

"Yamasaki-san, may I have a word with you?"

Instantaneously, her back was stick-straight and she took on an expression of an annoyed and posh teen. Hikaru Hitachiin was heading her way with a worried visage, that which was rare on his carefree and goofy face.

"What is it? I have places to be," Mitsuru glared.

"This'll just take a sec. Kaoru left something at school yesterday and now we can't find it anywhere. I've been asking around and some people said that you stay after school sometimes?"

"That is a completely false observation," The Yamasaki girl deflected, "I leave strictly at four. Whoever you went to for information was quite a fabricator."

"I see, thanks anyways."

"Good-bye."

The brunette turned away from Hikaru and made her way down the steps. Hisako could get her books back in class. As she disappeared, the twin glared at where she once stood. Kyoya had assigned him to get some information out of her about what time she left, but she couldn't even be counted as a suspect anymore, considering she went home at four and all of her classmates testified to that. Hikaru sighed and walked away. Maybe the next suspect would fess up.

-:-

"So, we've ruled out nearly everyone except the custodians themselves?" Kyoya questioned.

The Host Club was gathered together in their empty room, settling to sit on or around the sole couch that was left behind.

"Kaoru and I personally tricked everyone on this list into telling us what time they left school. The only one of them that left a little late was one of the student council members, and that's because he works on upcoming events in homeroom."

Honey put his finger to his chin, "The custodians were all really nice to us when we visited. They even let us test out the trash bin wheels to see if they were really the tracks we found."

"Perhaps there is somewhere we haven't checked?" Tamaki suggested, "Or rather… there was no thief at all and the real culprit is a ghost of some sort…"

"What? There's no way that could've happened," Haruhi sighed.

"Maybe Nekozawa-senpai conjured up some beast to try and kick us out of this room so that the Black Magic Club can rule!" The twins explained with ghastly expressions, causing the blonde King to nearly collapse.

"I'm afraid that's untrue… You can ask Beelzenef."

The president of shadows himself gazed out at the hosts from his hiding place beyond the doors to his club. There was not a single light in the room besides a dying candle, meant for whatever other members were trapped in that club.

"I may, though, have some useful information regarding this… predicament you are in."

"That's right!" Haruhi realized, "Nekozawa-senpai is right next door. Maybe he heard the burglar break the lock!"

"A burglar? No, in fact, it was just a female student."

Hikaru and Kaoru peered at each other questioningly, "A girl?"

"Yes; if I recall, she was wearing a high school uniform."

Kyoya scribbled carefully in his notebook, "Tell me everything. I need even the smallest details on this student."

"Well, I had forgotten my forbidden summoning tools (Tamaki collapsed with a final cry of, 'I knew it!') at the school and those are direly important, thus I returned and found that there was a lady in the Music Room."

"Maybe they were lost?" Honey offered.

Nekozawa, using his hand puppet, gestured a shrug, "I would not know. She left before I could question her motives."

"What did she look like?" Tamaki had recovered and was in full investigation mode, even placing his chin in his hands as though seriously pondering.

"I… couldn't tell. I was hiding in the shadows of the room as she was opening the windows and allowing sunlight in."

"So," Hikaru frowned, "You crept on some innocent girl."

"N-no! That's a falsification!"

Kyoya clicked his pen and the room fell silent, "Thank you, Nekozawa. Now we know that a female high-schooler is an accomplice to the true criminal."

"So what now, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked, sitting atop of Mori's unwavering shoulders.

"Unfortunately, I've come to a halt in my own investigations, seeing as to how I have fewer leads, but now with this information, I will be able to narrow my search. You are all dismissed, if you please," the Demon King's glasses burned with the fire of an unsatisfied Ootori as he gritted out, "I will present with you tomorrow sufficient data for catching this fiend."

The group dispersed in a hurry, hoping to escape the Shadow King's fury, leaving Kyoya to begin the trek to his limo alone. As he traversed the stairs, he heard a pair of voices and stopped.

"Again, I'm so sorry."

"It's no problem, really. I was just wondering if I had misplaced it! Ha-ha, it happens a lot now that I'm getting old."

"Nonsense, you've got plenty of years ahead of you."

Was that…?

"Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow. And don't worry about watering the plants because I'll take care of it."

"You're too kind to an old man like me. Be careful on your way home!"

"I will."

Just as Kyoya had predicted, Yamasaki Mitsuru stepped out into his sights with an oddly thoughtful expression on her face. Unfortunately, the Ootori heir made a slight noise, causing the shorter teen to stiffen and turn to him with a frightened, yet also angry expression.

Mitsuru didn't spare him another moment before charging out the door with an unhappy scowl, leaving Kyoya to wonder…

What was she doing here after four?

-:-

Suspicion took over, and the next day at school, Kyoya was trying to connect the dots at another meeting with the Host Club.

"I know this idea may seem strange to you guys, but maybe," Haruhi sighed, "she just likes flowers?"

Hikaru and Kaoru tittered, "Oh, our sweet little Haruhi, you're the only person who would think that!"

"This school is filled with those with more than enough time and possessions. Why would someone want to waste time here with the flowers that are already being taken care of by our custodians and gardeners?" Tamaki explained.

Kyoya clicked his pen as if in realization, "I recall this girl, Yamasaki Mitsuru, speaking with a custodian. They spoke like they knew each other very well."

"So what?" Haruhi frowned, "That doesn't mean she stole from us."

"You're right," Kyoya smirked in a cruel manner, "But it does mean that we know she was an accomplice. If she's been friends with the gardeners and custodians, then she has an excuse to stay here after hours, thus she had the opportunity to break the lock."

"This is ridiculous; you guys are just going out on a limb! Didn't we already confirm that she leaves promptly at four?"

"Haru-chan's right!" Honey protested, "We don't have enough evidence!"

"Can we at least bring her in for questioning?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked, eager to apprehend someone, their sadistic natures revealing themselves.

"Haruhi and Honey-senpai are right," Kyoya repositioned his glasses with an impatient sigh, "unfortunately, I was so eager to catch this thief that I didn't stop and consider the evidence. We will, without a doubt, question Yamasaki-san, but I don't believe she's the true perpetrator. Since we're bound to catch whoever did this soon, I'll go ahead and order new silverware. Tamaki, you should pick out some new furniture."

"Takashi and I will fix the lock, Kyo-chan!"

Haruhi watched the group as they marched away, and sighed. It seemed so sad that even the great Ootori couldn't catch a simple crook. The way the past few days had been going, she had even started comparing the Shadow King to that crime chaser on television…

"Wait!" Haruhi stepped forth and the group that was marching away scurried back in at the sound of her command, "I think I know how to catch the thief!"

"What's wrong with just questioning Mitsuru?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked, curiously scratching their chins.

"The real criminal may catch on quick and use her as a scapegoat. I've been watching a crime show and they had this really good strategy for catching the bad guy; maybe we can use it?"

"So, what do you suggest, Haruhi?" Kyoya leaned forward a tad, showing his engrossment.

The brunette sat upon the floor of the Host Club's barren room, causing the rest of the club to follow, and began to explain.

-:-

"Mitsuru, did you hear?"

The chestnut-haired teen looked up from her book with a raised brow. Hisako stood before her with a huge grin, her chocolate eyes filled with stars. In her hand was a flyer with elegant print and the scent of roses wafting from each letter.

"The Host Club is reopening tomorrow!" The girl paused to spin in excitement before continuing, "Whatever happened isn't going to stop them from doing what they love! Isn't it great?"

For once, Mitsuru seemed a tad bit on the same level as Hisako, hiding a grin from her friend behind her book.

"Yes," She mumbled, "That is quite… excellent."

-:-

It was 11:04p.m. There was no stopping her now. Peering around the corner, the girl followed the path she had previously taken to the high window on the building across from her. She shuffled through the grass with ease before running her hands along the structure of the outside wall. It felt jagged and rough, but not enough bumps for her to climb it. The rope she had used before had been cut the moment she had finished the robbery. Now, she would have to rely on her own strength.

Backing up, the teen took a deep breath before charging at the wall and, using the momentum she gathered, she was able to run up a portion of the brick, allowing her to grasp the first window sill, her own knuckles nearly white with the strain of holding all of her weight. With a low grunt, the girl pulled herself up until her sneakered foot caught a jutted out ledge for her to rest her arms for a moment.

She would need to somehow catapult herself to the next window, but luckily, she had done this before and knew just what to do.

"Up we go," she mumbled to herself.

Putting all of her strength into her feet, the teen leapt up and grabbed the sill of the second story pane. The process continued smoothly until she had reached the third music room's window. Her sneaker had slipped at the last second and she released a noise of surprise as her arms were abruptly taught with effort and her toes sought the ledge she had once been using. When she was certain she could take a breath, the girl inspected the window.

Just as she had predicted, the hosts hadn't changed out the locks. The room was void of any afterschool stragglers (looking for a little more fun than the Host Club could offer), and so, she released her grip on the window sill and hastily gripped its edges, forcing her nails into the creases and yanking the glass up, until there was a considerate opening. Her sneakers slipped and she shuffled to grab hold of the sill, straining to pull herself up and inside.

When her torso was halfway inside the room, the teen whispered to herself, "Okay, go."

She then placed her hands on the solid tile that covered the music room, balancing her weight there as she pulled in her legs, letting out a measly puff of breath as she performed a slow flip, her legs going in and over one by one.

Infiltration successful. Again.

"Wow… Rich people are so stupid."

The music room was decked out with even more exquisite furnishing, ranging from the purest of white loungers to the reddest of roses freshly pruned just to be replaced by newer ones in the morn. The girl, despite feeling quite alone, kept her guard up, silently making her way to the storage room only to smother a snicker as she saw the shelves full of treats and silverware once again.

Those hosts were complete idiots! With one heist, she had obtained enough to sustain living modestly for a while, and she hadn't expected to go on another for a couple of months, but this club of foolish gentlemen was just asking for it. If she succeeded, which she always did, she would be able to completely wipe the slate with-

An inconsiderable shifting noise caused the girl to perform a 360, glaring at the blank space she presumed the sound had occurred from. Anyone else would've assumed that it was nothing and would continue on their day, but she was much more cautious and cunning. With stealth and agility like a leopard, she made her way to the main area of the music room without a sound. She stood stiffly there for a moment, as if waiting for the sound to occur again, and after at least a minute passed without another interruption, she went back to the pantry.

With one hand, she held open her trusty knapsack, and with the other, she began pillaging the shelves, taking first the silverware. After that, she went for the dishes, carefully stacking them alongside the teacups. The cake platters would have to wait until last, because her guilty pleasure was not selling the cakes, but eating as much as she could before wrapping them up on her final trip and taking them home to save for later. She still had some remains from the last trip, but had run out of her favorite flavor.

The furniture was definitely the hardest part and it took the longest to carry out. She was a strong girl, but sometimes things were too heavy for her, like that stupid love seat she had left behind last time. The dumb thing wouldn't go where she wanted it to so she just used it like a lift for her rope. On any other occasion, she would tie the rope hours or even days beforehand, but this was a special case.

All the new seats and tables were even heavier than before because they were probably made of even more valuable material which was completely fine with the teen. She would just carry it all downstairs and use the trash cans she was borrowing from Sazuki-san to roll it home. Honestly, if she took all of the furniture like she did last time, she wouldn't have any storage space. The dumpster behind her apartment building was rarely used since pretty much no one lived in the crap hole, so she stored all of her large findings there. The girl guessed she would have to break her "3 day" rule and go ahead and try to sell what she had to make more room.

The girl rolled her head as she prepared for a long night of dragging tables and chairs, reaching for the coffee table she had decided to start with. It was at the precise moment that she touched the lovely wooden surface that a lamp flipped on. Against her instinct, the girl froze in fear, not a single thought running through her head. Her mouth was completely agape, like a fish, and her eyes were wide as saucers.

"You must be pretty dumb to fall for a trap like this, huh?" said two voices simultaneously.

Her body felt numb, but her brain slowly started back up to life. You need to leave right now, it said. So, she did. Or at least, she tried to.

Without even checking to see who was mocking her from the entryway, the teen snatched her knapsack and leapt over the furniture to make it to the window. It was still a dimly lit room, but she maneuvered well, not even stumbling once as she scurried to it and reached for the sill to leap out of it, forget the injuries that may occur. But, she met an obstacle. A person, actually.

"A-uh," was the dumbfounded noise that escaped her lips as she looked up to see a towering figure covering her exit.

Then, the lights flipped on fully, nearly blinding the girl, and had it not been for her initial instinct to duck, Takashi Morinozuka would've caught her. He seemed surprised that the girl was able to predict his move, but she didn't let him stay still for a second, elbowing him mercilessly in the gut and growling helplessly when he stood firm. It was a last resort, but she needed to escape and what else could she use but the door at this point?

The teen ran to it, jumping over a stupid love seat, building up momentum to slam her body against the door, but stopped when she saw Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin standing in her way. You need to get past them, said her brain. You're doomed, cried her stomach. Without a second thought, the girl shoved her knee into one of the boys' abdomen, giving herself time to kick the other one to the ground.

"Don't you hurt Hika-chan and Kao-chan!"

Before the 3rd year student could land his kick, the thief was out the double doors, her sneakers making unpleasant noises on the expensive tile of Ouran Academy. Stealth was out the window (Ha-ha.) now that she had been caught; all that mattered now was escaping with what little she had gotten out of this ridiculous failure of a robbery. Her last concern was how she was going to face these foolish hosts tomorrow because they hadn't seemed to know her. Regardless, the first step to anything was getting out.

She felt like her breath was the loudest thing in the entire building as she struggled to recall the exit route she should take. As she rounded a corner, she remembered that she had also broken the locks on all the windows of the Newspaper Club's room because no one really cared about them, so her sneakers made an unfortunately loud skidding noise as she changed her direction to head towards that room.

And even more unfortunately for her, she had completely missed the sly tripwire that sent her sprawling across the floor. Luckily, she only bruised her arm, but unluckily for her, she was now staring at the feet of the hosts that had previously caught her in the music room.

Find another way out, said her brain.

At this point, violence was her friend, but she also needed to woo speed, so she shoved the nearest boy out of her way and ran towards the railing. This was going to hurt her, but it was definitely worth it if she could just get out of this idiotic playground for rich kids. She didn't spare her pursuers another glance before throwing herself over the railing.

She landed close to the wide doors that served as an entryway to the Academy, but she also landed awkwardly on a stair from a higher distance than she would've liked, so she cringed as she attempted to stand and stumbled down the rest of the stairs. She fell to her hands and knees on the ground floor of this accursed, entirely too big academy and released a pained whimper at the feel of her now swollen and twisted ankle.

The lights were off in the rest of the school, but she didn't need a candle to see that there was someone walking towards her. The remaining Host Club members were likely standing guard at different entryways to the academy, and she had just happened to fall right into his trap.

Whoever it was, there were obviously pitying her because they knelt down and she found herself looking into round, brown eyes.

"You-!" They gasped in surprise, obviously not expecting it to be her, the one who blended in perfectly like a chameleon.

She used their shock to her advantage and using both of her hands; she shoved him out of her way, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground. She took this perfect chance to half-limp, half-run to the doors and fling them open, glancing back only once to see the honey eyes of Haruhi Fujioka watching her with confused eyes as she didn't even bother slamming the door behind her but simply ran as fast as she could, her sneakers barely making a noise on the concrete.

"Haruhi!"

The high school girl owlishly blinked up at Tamaki, who knelt down to examine her for injuries.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked worriedly.

Dumbfounded, Haruhi simply shook her head. The rest of the club came quickly due to Haruhi's play walkie-talkies she had brought out from the attic for the occasion, and the twins were prepared to run out the door after the thief.

"I'll get that creep and return that kick tenfold!" Hikaru hissed.

"Yeah, yeah!" Kaoru agreed angrily, "That jerk couldn't have gotten too far!"

"How dare he harm my precious daughter!"

"Don't bother," said Kyoya, "She's long gone by now."

His voice was tense, as he was obviously straining to contain his anger and wrath for the unknown villain who had robbed him of his financial investment.

"She? I thought it was a guy with a girl accomplice," questioned the twins, both shrugging their shoulders in sync.

"Nuh-uh. It was a girl," Honey said from atop of Mori's shoulders, "She was pretty tough, though. She hit Takashi really hard."

Mori made a noise of agreement, causing the Host Club to fall silent.

"Did you get a good look at her face, Haruhi?" Kyoya asked.

"Yeah," said the brunette, finally standing up, "I did."

"So, who was it?" The Hitachiin twins voiced.

Honey hid his sober expression in Mori's hair as he mumbled, "It was Yamasaki-san."

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated and constructive criticism is always considered and taken. The second chapter should be up very soon, and possibly a third, if I'm counting pages correctly. This series may take a while, but I've learned not to stress about things like deadlines, since I'm literally the one who decides when to publish these things. But, please don't think that means I will not write considerable faster if this fic ends up being liked by some of you. If you ask for chapters, you shall receive. Maybe not on time, but at some point. Anyways, I think I've rambled on long enough.