Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club itself, the characters and places belong to Bisco Hatori and the song lyrics of "Shiki no Uta" belong to Minmi. The only things I own are the OCs and the plot of this story and I gain nothing from writing it besides the pleasure.

Storm Clouds - Chapter One - Ending of a Simple Life

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I liked to think that I was a normal guy with a simple life.

I didn't know the identities of my birth parents but that was fine; I happily lived with my grandparents in the Koishikawa locality within Bunkyō, Tokyo and I attended the public elementary and middle schools that resided in the neighborhood. I was an average student who made 'B' and 'C' grades with the seldom 'A' and that was fine because I didn't plan on going to a huge college. My dream was a simple one: I'd go to a culinary school and, then, take over my grandparents's store and reopen it as a café one day.

My hobbies were few. Weekday evenings were spent working in my grandparents' store making specialty bento and desserts or serving as a cashier while weekends were spent either bike riding or fishing. I had friends but we only ever hung out during school hours and that was fine.

My life was normal and simple.

Until, my grandparents enrolled me into Ouran Academy. That was the moment my normal life ceased and turned into something a lot more difficult.

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"When dawn breaks again, we'll say our farewells

Our dreams become distant phantoms

The times we were embraced

In the light that chased you

Relying on the warm winds"

I hummed lightly to the lyrics of the song playing on the radio as I fanned myself with a magazine, waiting for the last thirty minutes to pass so I could finally close shop and head home for the evening. Tomorrow was the first day of taking classes at Ouran Academy as a new student. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about actually having to go to the place—honored to be granted access to such a high-class establishment or skeptical of where the tuition money came from. I can still remember how abruptly my grandma had told me, as if it were the plainest thing in the world.

"I've got some good news for you, Shishi-kun." The elderly woman smiled at me, her eyes closing with the action.

I clipped my shaggy bangs back with a large barrette, getting ready to prepare some lunches for the store. "Hmm... Yeah, Granna?"

"You've been admitted to Ouran Academy! Isn't that wonderful?" Her voice was light, conversational as she pulled out some seaweed. "You'll have to go get fitted for a uniform tomorrow morning so you should go to bed early tonight."

"Hmm," I hummed softly, my focus completely on molding the sticky rice into shape. A second later, my eyes blinked in confusion. "What?"

I sighed softly under my breath as the entrance's bell jingled, alerting me that a customer had arrived. I greeted the customer with a droll salutation, not even bothering to remove my feet from the counter. It was a different matter in the early hours of the afternoon but, near closing time, my manners went straight down the drain as fitting the slow flow of patrons that came in. Our store was right near Myōgadani Station and that place was only busy during rush hour, meaning our customer count was only ever high during that time of day, though, there were some that dragged in near closing time for a lunch bento for work or school for the next day.

"Ah~ Arashi-kun!" A voice cooed.

Oh. That's who it was. I pulled my legs from the counter, letting my lips tug into a lazy smile. "How are you, Ranka-san. Aren't you looking ravishing today, hmm?"

Ranka Fujioka, a usual at our store. Ranka-san was a charismatic person that had been coming around our store since I was about ten or eleven. Embarrassingly enough, when I first met her, I developed a tiny crush on her that she eventually found out about and mercilessly teased me about whenever she came in. That is, until she stumbled in during closing time as a "he" instead of a "she." Needless to say, my little crush lessened a bit, though, I couldn't help finding his teasing amusing.

"Oh, why, thank you, Arashi-kun!" He gushed happily with exuberant hand gestures, his long locks shifting with his motions. "I was just out shopping with my adorable and darling Haru-chan!"

A snicker worked its way from my throat as I let my eyes roam around the store before catching sight of a head of brown hair. "That's nice. Never really see you two together."

Ranka's lips pursed together and his arms crossed in mock irritation. "You can say that again! My little Haru-chan is always finding some kind of excuse not to spend time with me and let me dress her up like the cute girl that she is!" His expression turned mischievious within a second. "Arashi-kun, you have such good tastes when it comes to girls—I mean, you did like me at one point! Don't you think my Haru-chan is the most darling thing in the world?"

"Well, Ranka-san, you know you'll be the only twinkle in my eye." I batted my lashes playfully, a grin stretching on my lips. "But, Fujioka-chan is looking very enchanting today."

The object of our conversation walked up then, her expression flat as she placed a few things on the counter. "Please, don't entertain him, Hamasaki-san. The last thing I need to deal with is someone joining in on his antics."

Haruhi Fujioka, Ranka-san's beloved daughter. Surprisingly, despite the fact that I was on good terms with her father, I didn't know the girl that well. We attended the same elementary and middle schools but we were in different classes and the extent to our relationship was limited to her picking up lunches and buying medicine, which was presumably for her father. I typically referred to her as 'Fujioka-chan' as we were only acquaintances and, while Ranka-san didn't mind playful flirting and teasing with him in the vicinity, he was very protective of his daughter—I didn't want to be on the man's bad side.

"You make it sound as if you're stressed." I slowly began to ring up their items. "Something big going on, hmm?"

Ranka-san's eyes lit up and his hands clasped together by his cheek. "Didn't you hear, Arashi-kun? My little Haru-chan passed the entrance exam for Ouran Academy!" He pulled her into a tight hug that had the girl squawking in protest. "I'm so proud of her!"

That...wasn't really surprising. I can still remember few of my friends talking about Haruhi and how she always managed to be a top-scorer on most tests in school—it was a reason why most of my friends had a crush on the girl.

I offered them a nonchalant smile. "That's good. Funny. I'm gonna be going to Ouran myself starting tomorrow."

Father and daughter both stopped to look at me with incredulous stares. Haruhi's eyes narrowed in thought. "Really? But..." She tapped her chin. "I didn't see you at the testing center."

"I know." I bagged their things and leaned back in my seat.

"So..." Ranka-san started, "How did you get in then?"

I shrugged and they both heaved out exasperated sighs at my lack of response. Haruhi blinked as she handed me the money for their items. "The tuition fee is really expensive... Did you guys hit the lottery or something?"

"Hmm, not that I know of."

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought before eventually she shrugged her shoulders, grabbing up their purchases in the process. "Well, at least, I won't be completely alone." She offered me a bright smile. "Say, do you still listen to MAYA?"

I breathed out a laugh whilst pointing to the small radio behind me. "Yeah, she's my favorite. I love this song of hers."

Haruhi made a noise of affirmation before continuing, "I saw a picture of her while we were out shopping today and was reminded of you." She pointed towards my face, causing my eyes to go crossed. "Her eyes are the same color as yours. They really stand out, you know?"

I blinked, rubbing my lip piercing lightly. "So...what, hmm? Think she could be the one who paid for my tuition?"

She shrugged. "Could be. You never know these days."

We shared a laugh before jumping at Ranka-san's sharp clap of hands. He regarded us with a suspicious look, causing me to gulp and Haruhi to groan softly. His painted lips turned up into a devilish grin after a few seconds of tense staring and, before she knew what was happening, Haruhi yelped as she was pulled back into his tight grip. Renka-san fluttered his long lashes at me as he held Haruhi's squirming body to his chest.

"Arashi-kun~" He began, "My precious Haru-chan is going off tomorrow without me! Do you think you could do me, the twinkle of your eye, a big favor?"

My eyebrow cocked. "Hmm?"

"Could you please escort my Haru-chan to Ouran tomorrow?" Ranka-san asked, his tone sugary and pleasant. "I want to be reassured that she's safe on her first day of school and I know I can trust you. Please?"

I opened my mouth to respond but the petite girl beat me to it. "Dad, I don't need an escort for school. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I'm sure Hamasaki-san ca-"

"I'll do it." I cut her off, offering the man a smile. I snickered at Haruhi's splutters and Renka-san's huff of triumph.

"Hamasaki-san, really, I don't need-"

"I can't refuse a request by the twinkle of my eye, Fujioka-chan." I laughed at her loud groan of irritation. "But, if it makes you feel better, I'll give you a castella cake on the house for troubling you, hmm."

The brown-eyed girl's lips pursed, making her favor her father, before she finally relented with a soft sigh and a smile. "Fine but only for the first day. Okay, Hamasaki-san? I don't want to bother you."

"You're no bother, Fujioka-chan." I moved to get her gift of cake, returning in a few moments to hand it to the awaiting hands of Ranka-san. "I hope you two enjoy it. I made it myself."

"Oh~ Arashi-kun's cakes are the best!" The man gushed happily, making my lips pull up in happiness at the praise. "Maybe, I should steal you away and have you bake me sweets for eternity!"

I opened my mouth to say something but, again, Haruhi interrupted me with a dead-panned expression and blunt words. "Hamasaki-san." She frowned at my and her father's snorts of amusement. "Why don't we meet up at the station in the morning? At around seven-thirty?"

"Yeah, yeah." I waved them away, turning off my radio and moving from around the counter. "I'll see you in the morning, Fujioka-chan but now it's time for me to close up."

The girl nodded with a smile while her father pulled me into a tight hug and, after locking up, that was that and we were going our separate ways. It didn't take long to make it to my cozy little house—about fifteen minutes—and, once I entered, I settled myself down in the sitting room with my grandpa who was busy building some sort of boat figurine. He gave me a wide, relaxed smile that I returned.

"Hmm...?" How was the store...?

"It was fine, Grandpa. Not too many customers today but that'll probably change tomorrow, hmm."

"Hmm." I see. "Hmm?" Are you ready for school tomorrow?

"As ready as I'll ever be, Grandpa. Oh, I'm heading out a little early in the morning. I promised Ranka-san I'd walk his daughter to school."

"Hmm?" Ranka-san? You mean that transvestite that flirts with you on a daily basis?

I snorted. "Ranka-san doesn't flirt with me on a daily basis, Grandpa. He's just teasing. You know that, hmm." I leaned my head on an open palm. "Where's Granna, hmm? Is she sleeping?"

His hands paused briefly before they continued their actions. I frowned at the way Grandpa's smile lowered and I let my expression turn somber. Was something wrong? I asked him.

He shook his head. "Hmm." No, your grandma's fine. She's just speaking on the phone with someone. "Hmm." Don't bother her right now.

I cocked an eyebrow as I stared at him but I relented as a yawn forced its way from my lips. Rising to my feet and stretching in the process, I placed a hand on Grandpa's shoulder. "All right, I won't, hmm. I'm gonna head off to bed now, Grandpa."

"Hmm...!" I'm serious, Arashi...! Don't bother her right now...!

"Okay, okay, hmm. No need to get angry, Grandpa." I grumbled as I made my way to my bedroom, more than ready to retire for the night.

I walked by my grandparents' room, intent on passing and minding my own business, but a muffled yelp and exclamation of emotion captured my attention and had me pressing my ear to the door. My brows furrowed as I strained to hear her soft voice.

"...id what you as..."

"...at you care..."

"...ot tell hi..."

"..ine, Ama..."

I could just barely make out her words and I pressed myself closer to the door, hoping to pick up on her conversation. Unfortunately, I didn't hear her hang up the phone or hear her move around so, moments later, I was sprawled on the floor, my face flat on the ground. My grandma's giggles met my ears as I turned over to stare up at her with a lazy smile.

"Just what exactly were you doing, young man?" She asked in amusement and with hands on her hips.

I scrambled to my feet quickly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I just wanted to tell you good night."

She hummed as she scrutinized my face and I rubbed my lip in nervousness. Her probing stare softened as a silence descended over us and my eyes searched above her head, away from her expression. Finally, she let out an amused sigh as she pushed me towards my bedroom.

"Go on to sleep, then, Shishi-kun." She patted my cheek tenderly. "Go on to sleep and stop eavesdropping on private conversations."

My cheeks flushed brightly as I murmured an apology and slinked back to my room in embarrassment. A breath puffed past my lips as the door closed and my eyes landed on the uniform hanging on my closet door. Why did it seem as if things were changing so quickly these days?

"Oh~!" The small elderly woman cooed as she reached up to touch my face. "Look at my little baby, growing up so fast! Why, I remember when you were in pampers! Time has passed so quickly!"

I grimaced slightly in pain as she tugged a little too hard on my cheeks but I still strained to give her a smile regardless as I was used to her actions. "I know, Granna. You say that every time I enter a new year of school, hmm."

She continued her prattle of how much I'd grown and how she should take pictures to remember the moment but I quickly and gently pulled her hands from my tender cheeks, the same smile still etched on my face. "Sorry, Granna, but I gotta get going if I don't want to be late with meeting Fujioka-chan."

She chuckled softly, giving my arm a light pat as I placed a kiss on her forehead in departure. "Yes, yes, go on and get going." She made waving motions with her hands. "I'll see you later. Oh, don't forget. We have to make some more lunch bento for the store so I'll need you back."

My smile softened into a smaller, genuine one as I returned her wave at my place at the door. "I know, hmm."

"Go on, then."

Stepping out into Koishikawa's bright sunlight, I immediately turned my gaze downwards to the elderly man sitting next to the door with his legs dangling off the porch. His bald head was hidden beneath his plaid green flat cap and his lips were tugged into his signature lazy smile as his squinted eyes stared into the distance. I inclined my head at the old man as I made my way to the street and off towards Myōgadani Station.

"Hmm." Bye, Grandpa.

His head nodded slightly in return, a rumbling noise emerging from his chest. "Hmm." Have a good day, Arashi.

That was how my first morning of school began. My grandmother doted on me incessantly while my grandfather regarded me with kind silence. It had been like that since my childhood, during my years in elementary and middle school and, most likely, into adulthood. It was normal, consistent and probably subject to change, though, I hoped not.

I already had enough change in life when my grandmother announced that I was going to Ouran Academy for my last years of school. Not only in the fact that I was going from public school to private school—to Ouran, no less—but in the fact that my grandparents hadn't been too worried about my academics for the longest and, now, they were suddenly showing an interest. There was also the issue with how they even afforded getting me into the school but, even when I asked about it, they'd only give me nonsensical answers (grunts and hums in Grandpa's case) that were designed to divert the topic.

Eventually, I stopped asking.

"Hamasaki-san!"

My eyes squinted as I caught sight of Haruhi's petite form, not clad in Ouran's uniform. I blinked as I took in the boyish clothes and bulky glasses and messy hair but I bit back the question when she gave me a flat look. I laughed a bit nervously at the girl's hard stare, slightly intimidated by it. Was it bad that I was intimidated by this girl whose head barely reached my shoulders?

"I can see the question on your face, Hamasaki-san." She sighed heavily and tiredly as we entered the station and boarded the train. "I'm not wearing the uniform because I couldn't afford it. They're terribly expensive..." She looked me up and down. "You look pretty good, though, Hamasaki-san." She sent me a smile as she adjusted her glasses.

"Thanks, hmm." I returned her smile with one of my own. "Say, Fujioka-chan-"

"Just call me Haruhi... Arashi-san?" She offered with that same quirk of the lips. "Is that okay?"

"All right." I nodded. "Haru-san." I smiled at her slight frown of displeasure. "Why didn't you dress more...?" I waved my hands slightly as I let the question drag out.

"Like a girl? Does it really matter?" She asked rhetorically but she continued nonetheless, "My dad likes to buy me feminine clothes that are more for casual wear. This was the only thing that I could find this morning that was decent enough." She ran a hand through her short hair. "As for this, last night, I found some gum in my hair so I just went ahead and cut it off."

"Hmm." The topic dropped, then, and the rest of the ride descended into cramped silence as more people filtered into the train and the morning rush to school and work began.

There wasn't much to talk about. It was early in the morning. The train was cramped. There was school in a little while—small talk topics were slim and few. Trying to talk to Haruhi wasn't like talking to her father; Ranka-san made it easy to make conversation and lively banter that was always entertaining but Haruhi didn't seem to be like that. She was on the more serious side of things as evinced by her exasperation of my and Ranka-san's lighthearted flirtations. She was straightforward and unflappable and, at this moment in time, too much of a hassle to try and interact with—at least that early in the morning.

I let out a low hum as we stepped from the train, taking in the sights of downtown Bunkyō as we continued on our way to Ouran. A slow breath escaped my lips as we made it onto campus, the castle-like structure that was the academy still finding a way to amaze me, though, I'd previously seen it during my uniform fitting. Haruhi ended up trailing after me to the front office where we picked up our schedules.

"I'm in class 1-B. How about you, hmm?" I questioned as I folded and pocketed the paper.

"Class 1-A." She responded with a tiny smile. "Looks like this is where we go our separate ways."

I hummed softly and an awkward air fell on us once again. I couldn't quite understand what it was about Haruhi that made it hard for me to speak to her. She adjusted her glasses as she stared up at me and I rubbed my lip, missing the familiar presence of my ring as I stared down at her.

"Ah, Arashi-san... Would you like to walk home with me after school?" She questioned as more of the student population began filing in. "You know, so you can report in with my dad." Her lips pulled into a small, amused smile. "He's the...twinkle of your eye, no?"

A sort of barking laugh was surprised from me and, with a more relaxed smile, I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded my head. "Yeah, that sounds okay. We can meet up later. Right here, hmm?"

Her smile turned a bit brighter as we parted and I couldn't help but think I accomplished something. The only problem was that I didn't understand what or how.

Did she get lost...? I couldn't help but think as I leaned against the front office's wall, my eyes scanning over the crowd for Haruhi's messy locks. I wouldn't be surprised about it...

I didn't take Haruhi for the kind of girl to ditch others, not without a sound explanation. I sighed heavily as I rubbed my lip. While I was tempted to just head on—Granna was waiting for me—Ranka-san's image kept popping up in my head, his brown eyes blazing in fury and his fists ready to tear me a new one for abandoning his adorable Haru-chan alone. Ranka-san was a force that wasn't to be reckoned with. One more sigh worked its way from my mouth as removed myself from my spot on the wall and placed my beloved ring back into my lip, which garnered me a few strange looks from passing students.

The first step in the search for Haruhi Fujioka was to locate her last whereabouts. That would be her homeroom, classroom 1-A. It didn't take long to reach it and, when I peeked my head inside, I groaned when I wasn't able to locate any of her three symbols—her nerdy glasses, her disheveled hair or her baggy clothes.

"Excuse me? Can I help you?" A feminine voice piped up and I blinked blankly as I looked around. A girl with auburn hair and bright eyes stared up at me curiously, almost as if I were an anomaly.

You're being sensitive. No one cares about you. My lips pulled up into a nervous smile as I rubbed my lip. "Oh, ah, I was just looking for a friend. Do you know Haruhi Fujioka, hmm?"

The girl's face scrunched up in thought and I couldn't help but about how cute it made her look. To be honest, a lot of the girls in Ouran were attractive, in a delicate sort of way, though, I chalked that up to their sheltered upbringing. Still, they were nice to look at and, being the nice person that I was, I told her that because women liked to be complimented (or so Granna tells me sometimes).

"W-what!?" She stuttered out in shock and I vaguely wondered if I should've kept my words to myself.

Looked like Granna was wrong.

"Ah, sorry." I slowly backed away from the door as the girl stared at me with wide eyes. "I'll just find my friend on my own." And I scurried down one of the hallways, hoping that I'd bump into the Fujioka girl in the process.

No such luck.

It became a game almost, how I would open every door I could find and peek my head into it, searching for her unique visage. I'd been in four libraries, the dining hall, three classrooms, a teacher's lounge and five club rooms and, yet, there was no sight of Haruhi. A portion of my afternoon had been spent searching for the girl and I vowed that after looking in one more room, I'd have to pack it in and leave.

"Music Room 3... Hmm." I muttered softly.

Haruhi didn't quite strike me as a virtuoso but I did vow that after one more room, I was leaving. I shrugged my shoulders mildly and placed my hand on the ornate door handle, pushing it open in one motion. Just like the rest of the innumerable rooms I'd entered, this one was filled with grandiose objects and there was a regal atmosphere permeating throughout the room. My eyes searched around curiously before, finally, they caught sight of the person I'd been searching for.

"Haru-san? What are you doing here, hmm?"

My shoulders tightened as I caught sight of the various occupants surrounding Haruhi, how two redheads had her dangling in their grip, the broken shards of glass on the ground and the pensive relief that Haruhi managed to exude.

"Arashi-san!" She bleated out.

There was only one thing that I could think.

"Haru-san... What did you do, hmm?"

...

It was probably better if I hadn't asked.

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A/N: My newest story, an OHSHC story that starts off rather boring! I'm sorry about that but I was trying to sorta make it into a 'slice-of-life' type story while trying out other things. For one, I was trying to be different in making the main character—he's not a girl, he's not rich, he's not necessarily friends with Haruhi and he's not a scholarship student as I believe Haruhi is the only one. Don't worry, everything regarding how he was able to enter Ouran will be revealed later so don't think I don't have a reason for not explaining it—it will be revealed in time.

I really did try my best in trying something different. You know, like how most stories I read, there's the main character who's rich but is still able to relate to a "commoner's life" and is friends with Haruhi right off the bat. That's fine but I thought it would be interesting if a character really was a "commoner" and isn't really on a best friend basis with Haruhi, meaning he'd have to get to know her just like the rest of the hosts. I was also trying to make him into a sort of opposite to Haruhi—where she's straightforward and ambitious, he's more laid-back and non-ambitious.

I also gave him a Deidara-esque verbal tic because I wanted to make him seem less cultured to the students of Ouran but normal to Haruhi and yet unique from everyone.

I haven't decided on a pairing but, just to let you know, it's not limited to just girls so, I'd like it if you guys could give me pairing ideas or who you'd like to see Arashi, our main character, have relations with lol XD Feedback is appreciated, guys!

Edit - 7/10/2014: The verbal tic was too frequent. Tried to lessen it down so it wasn't as prominent.