AN: Hello! So before we get really into this I just wanted to say: some of the names are spelled differently than they are in the tags and if that bothers you, I'm really sorry. This is just how I learned to spell them. Anyways, I hope to keep this updated regularly, however between work and class (I'm an English major so you can imagine how much writing I do to begin with) it's going to be difficult. However, because I'm so in love with my OC and the idea for this story, I will try my hardest to keep updating it. Just please understand that I really am very busy and I have a lot of other things I need to work on. Oh, and while I do have relationships tagged, this story really isn't going to focus on the romantic relationships. I mean, they obviously play a part in the story, but it's really just about Casey adjusting to life at Ouran and everyone just living their lives. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of "The Exchange".

"But Haru-chan!"

"What do you mean-"

"For an entire semester?"

"Haruhi! I won't allow this!"

The girl stood defenseless in the corner of the back wall of Music Room Number Three as the Host Club swarmed around her demanding for answers. She had her hands up, trying to calm down the main perpetrators, but they weren't giving any signs of relenting. They continued to press her against the wall, still yelling in confusion.

"Uh, Kyoya-senpai! Help, please," she called to the older boy who was casually sitting in his chair, jotting down notes in his infamous black book.

He glanced sideways at her and pushed his glasses up his nose before saying, "And what exactly do you want me to do, Haruhi? They want answers. It's not my fault you waited until the day before you left to tell them about the program."

Haruhi rolled her eyes as Tamaki rounded on Kyoya. "What?! You mean you knew about this and didn't say anything?!"

The Ootori boy simply shrugged his shoulders, closed his book, and turned towards the group. Everyone was staring at him as he said, "Of course I knew, but it wasn't my place to say anything."

"How come you told Kyoya but not me?! I'm your Daddy, I should know these things," Tamaki spun around to yell at Haruhi.

She ignored him however and pushed him out of the way as she stalked over to where Kyoya was sitting. "How could you possibly known about the program? Have you been checking up on me again?"

"Haruhi, stop changing the subject," Hikaru whined.

"Yeah, Kyoya might have known, but he's right: it wasn't his job to tell us. It was yours," Kaoru picked up.

Haruhi sighed.

She'd been putting off telling everyone because she expected this type of reaction and she really just hadn't wanted to deal with it. The guys were always so melodramatic, especially Tamaki and the twins, and she didn't want their attitudes to ruin her excitement for the opportunity she'd been given. She was placed into an exchange student program where she would switch places with a student from America and live with that student's family and go to school where that student went. She didn't know anything about the person she was switching places with, other than their name was Casey, but she knew their father was a partner at an extremely prestigious law firm. Not only would she be attending a top-rate academy, but she would also be staying with one of the best lawyers in America.

"I know I should've told you guys sooner, but I didn't want you guys having this hang over your heads for weeks. I'm sorry."

She looked at all their faces and tried to assess their emotions.

Kyoya seemed indifferent, as always, but he was taking care not to meet her eyes for some reason. Mori was keeping towards the back of the group and staring at her with the same stoic expression he usually wore. His fists were balled at his sides though, which was highly unusual. Honey was crying in earnest, his face buried into Usa-chan's neck and his arms wrapped tightly around the stuffed animal. Tamaki looked like he was somewhere between wanting to rip Haruhi's head off and cry his eyes out; he kept pacing back and forth and muttering to himself. She half expected him to curl up in a corner somewhere like he usually did whenever he was really upset but he didn't. Kaoru looked extremely upset but he wasn't even looking at her, he was watching his brother, who looked absolutely broken. Hikaru's eyes were shinning and threatening tears which he didn't even try to stop.

This was what she had wanted to avoid: all the sudden she felt guilty for wanting to go and that made her mad. It was her decision on whether or not she did it and it didn't affect them, why should she feel guilty?

"Look guys, can't we just enjoy today while it lasts? And I mean, it's not like I'm going to be gone forever, it's just one semester. Plus I have the cell phone the twins gave me, we can text and call each other whenever we want to."

"You're forgetting the time difference," the twins harmonized.

Haruhi inwardly cursed before forcing a smile onto her face and saying, "I don't care what time it is. If I'm not at school or in the law firm, I will answer you guys."

This seemed to brighten everyone slightly and Honey had at least stopped sobbing. They all decided not to open the Host Club that day and just spend time in the room with all of them together. Haruhi could tell the boys were trying to act like it was just another day, but their hearts just weren't in it. She would catch one of them silently staring at her, sometimes with tears in his eyes, before quickly looking away and appropriately laughing or smiling at whatever the others were doing. The atmosphere in the room was somber though they tried their best to make Haruhi's last day with them a fun one. They even specially ordered some "fancy tuna" for dinner and broke into Honey's special supply of premium cakes for dessert with a special imported tea Kyoya picked out.

It was during dessert that Haruhi spoke up and started talking about the program.

"So I'll be trading places with a student from America. They'll be living with my dad and attending Ouran while I live with their family and attend their academy. I don't know much about the student other than their name, but their father is partner to one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, so it's really advantageous for me."

The boys just nodded and picked at their cakes. She inwardly sighed and continued.

"I know I'm already indebted to you guys, hence the reason I'm here, but I have a favor I'd like to ask of you. Would you please look out for Casey? That's the name of the student who will be here in my place. I don't know if they're a boy or a girl, but they're going to be in a completely unfamiliar setting and it always helps to know there are people who will be there for you. And you guys are the closest friends I have, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with this favor. You don't have to, of course, but it would be a great kindness to me and Casey."

She stared at what was left of the sugary treat sitting in front of her, half expecting the boys to start yelling at her again, asking how in the world she thought they would do such a thing after they found out.

But she was surprised when a soft voice spoke up. "Of course we'll do it."

Haruhi's head flew up and she looked in the direction of the voice, surprised to see Hikaru staring at her with such an intense expression.

"Yeah, you're our friend and we'll always do anything you ask of us," Kaoru picked up after a moment.

"Within reason, of course," Kyoya quickly inserted.

The boys all slowly nodded their heads in agreement, but none of them seemed to feel any better. She knew they were going to miss her, and deep down if she were to be completely honest, she was going to miss them a lot too. Those crazy, spoiled, arrogant dorks had dug their way into her heart and she knew there would always be a place for them there. Whether she were five minutes or five thousand miles away, the Host Club held a piece of her and she would carry pieces of them wherever she went.

"So what about the language barrier? Can you even speak English," Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, and what about your scholarship? How does all of that factor into everything," Hikaru added.

Haruhi answered the questions calmly enough, but on the inside she was perking up a bit. They were starting to ask questions about the program, therefore showing their interest. Maybe even a little support?

"Well, regrettably my knowledge of the English language is a bit lacking, but her entire family speaks fluent Japanese and I'll have a translator at school. The scholarship issue was actually pretty simple to work through. All we had to do was get approval from the board members of both academies and since Casey and I are both 'star students' the approvals were easy enough to come by. Do you have any other questions?"

It was silent for a moment, but then a small voice asked, "Are you going to miss us?"

Haruhi turned her attention to Honey, who was staring at her with tears in his big, chocolate brown eyes. It was in moments like these that she completely forgot he was a seventeen year old boy because he looked so small and vulnerable.

She gulped then reached over to take his hand. "Of course I will. You guys may be a serious pain in the neck but it's going to be hard not seeing you every day. I just have to remind myself that this is an amazing opportunity for me, one that I couldn't pass up. But leaving you guys and my dad for a while is the only thing I don't like about this."

At that moment, Tamaki shot up from his chair so fast it fell backwards. Everyone jumped in shock, even Mori's eyes were wide.

With his hands in fists at his sides and his voice shaking he said, "It wasn't fair for you to keep this from us. If we're as close to you as you just said then you should have respected our feelings enough to tell us about it. I'm glad you were able to accept this opportunity, it truly is a wonderful thing for you, but I just wish you would have told us."

With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, not even bothering to excuse himself.

After he left, one by one the other boys quietly said their goodbyes and all walked out of the room until only Kyoya and Haruhi were left sitting at the table. She looked at the usually cool boy and was surprised to find a small amount of concern in his dark eyes. He wasn't looking at her, or really anything in particular. It almost seemed as if he were staring at the air itself, trying to see each individual particle that floated in the space before him.

"Are you alright, Kyoya-senpai?"

In an instant he replaced his "calm, cool, and collected" mask and half smirked at her, tilting his head so that the lights flashed on his glasses.

"Of course. I'm just trying to calculate how much you'll owe us for all the missed time you'll have this semester."

She almost fell out of her chair as she jumped in shock. "What?!"

"You didn't really think this was a good excuse to miss work, did you? We had a deal that you would work for us until you graduated. Now you're missing an entire semester of the Host Club, how do you expect to entertain from half-way around the world in a different time zone?"

"B-but I thought that-"

"Well you thought wrong. When you return we'll work out some sort of payment plan or something, I know you can't pay in cash so I'll have to be creative. Right now I suggest you go home and get some rest because you have a long flight tomorrow."

She sat there still in shock at what he said for a few more moments before sighing and standing to push her chair back under the table. She grabbed her bag from the couch where she'd left it earlier and started for the door, muttering under her breath, "And here I thought you were actually worried about me and the guys for once."

Since her back was to him and she shut the door behind her, she didn't see the look of pain flash across his face or hear him softly whisper, "I never stop," as he took a final sip of tea.

Looking out the window, Casey wished, not for the first time in her life, that clouds were as soft and fluffy as they appeared. She took in the sight of the sun sitting high as its light reflected off the white blanket of condensed water, all swallowed by a seemingly endless blue sky. She was used to the view from an airplane window, but this time it was different. For the first time she felt like a bird, free to fly anywhere she chose with no consequences or people to tell her what was expected of her. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the book in her hand. It wasn't anything special, just a cheap paperback that had been sitting in the airport gift shop, but she thought it would at least last her the plane ride.

The extremely long plane ride. It had already been three hours and she was halfway through her book but less than halfway through her trip.

But then, Japan was halfway across the world.

She thought back on the farewell scene she'd witnessed just hours ago. Both her parents had been there and had managed to stand by each other for an hour without saying anything. Casey had been impressed. Not in a sarcastic or scornful way, she honestly loved her parents and hated when they fought, which seemed to happen whenever they breathed the same air as of late. It was partly because of them that she was currently sitting in the first class seat on a plane bound for Japan where she would stay for an entire semester of school.

She turned her attention back to her book, not wanting to focus on those negative thoughts. Moving forward and leaving the past behind is how she chose to live her life, not focusing on the things that made her sad. She never wanted to waste her energy worrying about things, she wanted to make the most of the opportunities given to her.

"Excuse me ma'am, may I get you anything?"

Casey glanced up at the kind flight attendant and smiled, closing her book yet again.

"No thank you, but could you tell me how much longer the flight will be?"

"We're making excellent time and should arrive in Tokyo in about five hours."

"Thank you," Casey said, opening her book again and rereading the same sentence she'd been trying to read for the past few minutes.

The flight attendant walked away and Casey finally gave up any pretense at finishing the book. She closed it and tucked it into her carryon bag which was sitting in the seat beside her. Then she turned to look out the window again and let her mind wander. She wondered if Danny Boy was alright back in the luggage area. She wondered if her parents were going to be kind to each other in front of their new houseguest. But mostly she wondered what awaited her when she stepped off the plane.

She closed her eyes and tried to shut off her brain for a few hours but it took some time until she was able to slip into a dreamless sleep.

"And here we are, please take your shoes off here."

Casey walked into the small apartment as Ranka held the door open for her. Danny, her nine-year-old Siberian husky, followed her in on his leash. Taking off her shoes and his leash, she took in her new lodgings and smiled at the coziness of it. It was nothing like the huge, state of the art penthouse her family lived in in Atlanta, but the simplicity of it was warm and inviting and she instantly fell in love with it.

"It's wonderful," Casey exclaimed to Ranka as she helped him carry in her suitcases. She brought five and each was almost bursting with clothes, shoes, make up, and toiletries. Danny was roaming around the apartment, sniffing everything he possibly could.

"Your dog seems as excited as you do," Ranka laughed, walking over to pet the energetic animal.

Casey took another look at her host and still couldn't believe what she saw. When she'd gotten off the airplane and saw the huge sign with her name on it held by what looked to be a beautiful woman, she'd thought the woman was a driver Ranka had paid to take her to his home. Never in her dreams did she picture her male host in a pink skirt with matching jacket and a big floppy hat sitting on top of a long, flowing red mane of hair. She had been thoroughly surprised, but she was a nonjudgmental person and as long as Ranka was nice to her she'd return the favor.

And Ranka was an extraordinarily kind and energetic person.

"Well, come with me, dear, and I'll show you to Haruhi's room. Danny can sleep in there with you as long as you promise to wash the sheets at least once a week. I would hate for Haruhi to come home and start questioning why her bed smelled like dog," Ranka babbled happily as he led Casey down a short hallway and into a small, intimate room that was just big enough for a twin sized bed, a small dresser, and a standing mirror placed by a window.

"Now, I'll get the rest of your bags and let you get settled. Then I'll make some tea and you can tell me about yourself," he said, setting one of her suitcases by the window and rushing out of the room in a whirlwind of pink energy.

Casey smiled to herself, silently thanking her guardian angel for ensuring that her host was such an enjoyable one. She sat on the bed and Danny walked over to her and rested his head on her lap, staring up at her with his unusual eyes; one was ice blue and the other was chocolate brown. His tail was wagging and he looked at her as if asking her if she was alright. She laughed and rubbed his head, bending over to kiss him on the nose.

"You don't need to worry about me, Danny Boy, I'm pretty happy right now."

"Well that's good to hear. Now why don't you and Danny join me in the living room for tea?"

Casey looked up at her host and smiled one of the most charming and genuinely sweet smiles the man had ever seen and answered, "Sure, I'll be right there. I just want to change into something a little more comfortable."

He simply nodded and shut the door behind him, shaking his head and laughing to himself. "Such a sweet girl..."

A few minutes later, Casey stepped out of Haruhi's room wearing athletic shorts and a black tank-top with her hair pulled back into a loose pony tail. She took a seat on the floor in front of the small table and accepted the cup of tea Ranka offered. It wasn't the best tasting drink she'd ever had, but she was grateful for the warmth and thoughtfulness that went into it.

"So why did you enter into the program? I know Haruhi did it because she wanted to experience new cultures and when she found out that your family is the one she'd be staying with it just suited her perfectly. She wants to be a lawyer, you see, just like her mother, and she knew about your father's firm so she jumped at the chance. But why did you want to come to Japan?"

Casey set her cup back on the table and smiled softly, "I've always admired Japan and the freedom expressed in its culture. Especially the music, which is extremely important to me. Plus it's just an opportunity to experience something new, and I'm a firm believer in never wasting time because life's too short."

She was careful not to give too many details, she didn't want to burden Ranka with her personal issues. As long as her host was satisfied with her answer, which he seemed to be, then that was the end of that. She didn't need to trouble him with her family problems or her sad feelings, there was no point to it. She just needed to keep her mind off those things and look forward to the exciting next few months, enjoying every second of it she could. Because she knew that, unfortunately, this trip was only temporary and at some point she would have to return home and be stuck there for the rest of her life.

"What are you thinking about?"

Casey jumped and realized she'd been staring down at her tea for the past few seconds and from Ranka's question and expression, she thought she must be frowning. Shaking her head, she laughed and answered, "Nothing really, other than wondering what school will be like tomorrow."

Ranka chuckled. "Oh, I think you'll find it to be quite the experience. Now, your uniform isn't going to arrive until tomorrow between three and four so the school board told me to tell you to just wear normal, appropriate, clothing to school tomorrow and then you'll be able to wear the uniform the rest of your days there."

"Oh, thank you."

"Now, just a bit of advice: I know you're from a high class family yourself and I'm sure you're able to navigate the 'people politics', but just be careful what you say to some of the people there. Ouran Academy has students from some of the most powerful families in Japan and one wrong or misplaced word could mean a world of trouble for you. And I want to make sure you're able to truly enjoy this trip and make friends while you're here."

Casey nodded solemnly. "I understand. Thank you for your advice and your concern, but you needn't worry about me. I've been trained to handle people like them all my life, and I'd like to think I'm a fairly good actress."

They spoke more about each other's interests for a while, but Ranka couldn't stop thinking about that one statement and wondered just exactly who the young woman sitting across from him really was.