Chapter One

It had been five years. Five years since graduation. Five years since she moved to America. Five years since she last saw the host club. Could it really have been so long? She barely noticed time passing by. She had been so busy with her new school, her new friends, her new home, her new life, that she didn't have the time to reminisce about the past. Besides, if she hadn't realized it had been five years, then they couldn't have possibly noticed either. It wasn't until a fateful day in the streets of Manhattan that Haruhi even thought about the host club.

"He's so...different from what I remember." Haruhi muttered to herself as she briskly walked from her last university class to her Manhattan apartment.

"Hmm?" Jane, Haruhi's best friend and room mate from America, inquired. Jane glanced over to Haruhi with a questioning look.

Suddenly pulled out of her day dream, Haruhi quickly responded, "Hmm? Oh...uh, nothing!" She quickly gave an innocent smile to reassure her best friend.

"You know, you seem to be getting so distant lately. It's like you're physically here, but no one is home. Is everything alright? You know you can tell me anything." Jane frowned to herself. She knew something was up with Haruhi, but she just couldn't get into her head to figure it out. Sometimes she had no idea where Haruhi disappeared to these days. You could always tell when she left too. She always bit her delicate but durable thumb nail and played with her long straight chestnut brown hair. Always subconsciously pulling on it, even now, almost like she wasn't used to it, or like she wanted it gone. Jane couldn't help but be worried about Haruhi; she thought Haruhi might be preoccupied with thoughts of her home country. She knew that Haurhi came over seas from Japan, but she didn't know much about her past life, or even why she came to America in the first place. Haruhi didn't talk about it much so Jane didn't try to pry. Even though it hurt, she knew that Haruhi would tell her about her life when she was ready to. Or rather if she would even be ready to.

"Yeah, yeah! Everything is just fine!" Feigning happiness was easier to do than Haurhi thought. She didn't like lying to Jane, but she didn't know how she would even begin to explain all that had happened. Ever since she ran into Tamaki the other day she couldn't help but think about the host club. Not only that but she couldn't help thinking about the invitation he sent her way. If she decided to return to Japan to visit she would have to deal with everything that she left behind five years earlier including the people and things she missed dearly. She would have to face them and answer the questions she knew she would be able to see lurking behind their eyes; she would have to explain why she decided to leave everything behind so suddenly. She would also have to explain to him why she desired to hastily leave her comfortable life here to visit the place that still continued to haunt her dreams. The very thought itself was simply terrifying.

She couldn't, she couldn't leave him and everything that she had built up here, in her new home. She didn't want to go back to her one and only true home. She didn't want to see them all again, not after what she had done to them, how she hurt them. She remembered the excitement she felt days earlier when she heard that oh-so-familiar voice that sounded like tinkling bells call out her name in astonishment. She remembered the whirlwind of high school memories that flooded her mind as she slowly turned to see his face smiling back at hers. She remembered the feeling she got when she saw his hand extend out to meet hers, how the feeling of his soft hand pulling her into a warm and comforting embrace triggered the automatic pounding of her heart against her chest. (Which of course she accounted to nerves.) And undoubtedly she remembered the twinge of guilt she felt when she saw his sparkling blue eyes laced with hurt and confusion staring into her chocolate ones. It was then she realized she didn't deserve his kindness he freely offered just then.

Haruhi reached into her pocket to feel the sharp corners of the plane ticket Tamaki had given her that day. She sighed into the chilly autumn air. It wasn't just the host club she had abandoned; she hadn't seen her father in five years either. That day when she made her hasty exit to America she only gave her father an hours warning of her departure. All she told him was that she was leaving to America and when questioned about finances she informed him that she was using most, if not all of the money in her bank account she had saved up over the years. Even with the sound of a protesting father nagging at her for the next hour, she fled. She would have to apologize and explain herself to him as well. Haruhi grimaced at the thought. She made a quick prayer on the fly, Mother in heaven, please let father understand. She figured she really should go to see him again, he deserved an explanation, and so did Tamaki. Hell, everyone deserved an explanation for her sudden absence, but maybe at a better time. She didn't feel like she could take the guilt she knew would be eminent if she had to explain to everyone, especially all at once. Maybe just a quick visit to father and a speedy coffee with Tamaki. She figured, what could it hurt? She would just have to trust Tamaki to not invite anyone else. She was sure of her decision now.

"I'm going back to Japan." Haruhi unknowingly blurted aloud. Jane looked over to Haruhi in surprise. A small smile slowly tugged at the corners of her luscious lips. Haruhi quickly twisted her head towards Jane with an expectant look.

Jane's smile quickly grew wider and her eyes suddenly lit up. Finally she had come to a solution for her problems. "I'm so glad for you Haruhi," Jane took her hands into her own and her hazel eyes twinkled as they gazed into Haruhi's, "Just don't forget to tell Chase, okay? You know he really cares for you."

Disclamer: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club!

A/N: This is my first story I've posted and I'd love it if you could rate, review and comment please! :)