Light at the End of the Tunnel

Kyouya Ootori was walking towards the third music room, home of the host club, to begin preparations for the day's cosplay. He stopped at the door, and looked forward, his eyes showing mild confusion. He heard singing. He knew the song well, from one of Tamaki's American obsessions. It was Heartbreak Lullaby from the movie Princess Diaries.

He was frozen in place; he couldn't make himself open the door and interrupt the song. Shaking his head, he forced himself to turn the knob. He opened the door and glanced inside. He saw a girl, no older than Haruhi, with hair the color of chestnuts. Her closed eyes were framed by thick-rimmed black glasses with a flower pattern decorating the sides. Kyouya stared for a half-second more, silently cleared his throat, and walked inside, closing the door behind him and ignoring the girl.

Her eyes once closed snapped open, allowing Kyouya a glimpse into the oceanic orbs. She went silent when she heard the door close. She turned to him, clutching the front of her baby blue jacket, wide eyed. Kyouya heard a whispered 'I'm sorry' before she ran off, out of the room. He was sure he caught a flash of a book, similar to his notebook.

He blinked, slightly confused, but returned to his work.

~Girl's POV~

I didn't know where I was. Well, I did, but I wasn't sure what time period, what building, or what wing I was in. All I knew was that I was inside my favorite anime. I had just met a boy that made my face turn red when I would hear his voice in the episodes. I had just made a fool of myself in front of the Shadow King. I clamped my eyes shut; my face bright red and tears rolling down my cheeks. I was so embarrassed. I just hoped that I wouldn't run into another of the hosts. I kept running. Aimlessly. All I wanted to do was get away from the third music room.

~No POV~

The girl continued to run. She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. The last thing she remembered was standing on her plush purple carpet, singing to her pet rabbit, the only audience she needed. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a boy she knew all too well. His steely grey eyes hidden behind the glare caused by his glasses, his jet-black hair shining with the afternoon sunlight filtering in through the window. After quickly muttering 'I'm sorry' she bolted off, straight through the magnificent wooden doors.

She was in the place she had dreamed about so often, but unlike her dreams, she was extremely hot and bothered. She was afraid because she didn't know how she had gotten there. The immaculate school shouldn't even exist outside her favorite anime. She ran down the illuminated hallways, disgusted by the amount of pink this school seemed to be covered in. She skidded to a halt, clutching her black sketchbook, which eerily resembled Kyouya's notebook, closer to her chest. She was pressing the blue fabric of her jacket closer to her small frame. She shivered, feeling horribly out of place among the yellow frilled dresses, and the baby blue blazers. She looked down on her blue-and-white checked pajama pants and her bright blue hello kitty slippers. She sighed and pressed the sketchbook closer to her. That was all that she had now. Her pajamas and her sketchbook, she had nothing else in this strange world. She clamped her eyes shut and leaned her head against the wooden door. She refused to let people find her crying. Her chestnut colored hair delicately framed her face, paled from the shock of seeing Kyouya Ootori. She opened her watery eyes and pushed forward, quietly opening the door to the second library room.

She was sitting among shelves and shelves of manga. She should be in heaven, but the fact that she was so far from home shattered any dream of happiness in this odd world. She sat quietly, sniffling from time to time, clutching the sketchbook close, and gently opening the cover; the girl pulled a small picture from the black book. "Mommy, I'm all alone here. I know you can still see me from heaven though. Mommy, I need your help. I don't know anyone, I'm all alone, and I don't know how to get home. Please help me mommy. Please." She kept muttering these sentences over and over, a few rebellious tears streaming down her cheeks. She stiffened, feeling a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She knew the voice all too well. She looked up; she looked like a frightened deer, staring into chocolate-colored eyes. The older girl looked for a moment, and her gaze softened. "Come with me, you don't want to sit in this library all alone, do you?" The young girl stared for a moment, and then stood up shakily, only to be taken into a slightly awkward, yet comforting, one-armed grasp by the older teen.

~Girl POV~

I glanced up at Haruhi; she was one of my idols. I took a shaky breath. "My name is Nicole." I muttered, still shaken. Haruhi smiled at me, and introduced herself. I smiled back, and released my sketchbook, concealing the picture of my late mother, with one arm, and wiped my eyes. As Haru-nee lead me towards the host club, I relaxed. More and more, I let myself relax and trust Haru-nee whole-heartedly. "Haruhi-senpai… where are we going?" I let myself sound confused, though I knew exactly where we were going, and I knew that Tamaki was going to terrify me. Or make me laugh out loud; either way. Haruhi sighed, clearly upset with herself for taking me to the host club. "We're going to go see friends of mine; you won't be left alone there." She sighed again, and looked at me apologetically. I just smiled innocently. Tamaki wasn't going to scare me, no one was.

"Haruhi-senpai, would you like to see a picture of my mother? She passed away a few years ago… I trust you enough to let you see it" I grinned at her. Haruhi looked surprised for a moment, and then her face faded into a soft smile "I would love to see a picture of your mother Nicole-san." I smiled like a little child "Please, just call me Nicole!" I smiled and pulled out the picture. In the picture, there was a pretty woman. She had shoulder-length black-brown hair and shining blue eyes. Haruhi smiled gently. "She's beautiful, Nicole." I smiled, "Thanks, Haruhi-senpai!" We stopped in front of two elegant doors; my heart skipped a beat with realization that these are the same doors I was running away from. Haruhi opened the door still with a gentle smile on her face. "Welcome" six voices echoed. I clutched the picture of my mom with my hand, while clinging to my sketchbook with both arms. I slid behind Haruhi, feeling uncomfortable.

Tamaki sprung into action immediately. I squeaked at his close proximity. He gently cupped my small chin in his hand. "Hello there, Princess." He cooed. I screeched "HARUHI-SENPAI SAVE ME FROM THIS MAN!" I ran and buried my face into Haruhi's arm, fake tears running down my cheeks; I knew how to play Tamaki like my flute. Yes, I play the flute. Tamaki froze, looking white as a sheet as I sobbed into Haruhi's sleeve. Hunny came up to me, he was just about my height. "Ne, ne, don't cry! You can see Usa-chan if you want!" he pleaded. I stared at him for a moment, and then smiled. "Thank you, I'd love to hold Usa-chan!" I giggled happily. Tamaki was shocked.

I glanced at Kyouya through my glasses; he had a spark of recognition flash through his steel-colored eyes. I flashed him an odd look, and then turned back to Hunny. Kaoru plucked my sketchbook from my arms, I shrieked when I realized it had left my grasp. "M-My sketchbook!! Give it back!! Now p-please!" The twins were leafing through the pages when the picture of my mom fell out. I dove to catch it. "Ne, it looks like Kyouya-senpai's notebook, doesn't it, Hikaru?" questioned Kaoru. "PLEASE GIVE ME BACK MY SKETCHBOOK!! I HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THERE!" I was ignored by them, and real tears threatened to fall. Suddenly, the black cover was in front of my face, I took it in my hands and looked up. I smiled at Mori. "Thank you so much Mori-senpai! I keep pictures of my mom in here… They're very important." He simply nodded.

Hunny piped up "Why does stranger-chan keep pictures of stranger-chan's mommy in her sketchbook?" I looked at him with a blank stare for a moment. "O-oh…" I dropped my head and started shaking slightly. Luckily, Haru-nee came to my rescue. "Hunny-senpai, Nicole-san doesn't have a mother any more, her mother passed away, much like mine." Almost instantly I was immersed in a host club hug, minus Kyouya, Mori, and Haru-nee, of course. I turned bright red, seeing as I'm extremely shy, especially around guys. My eyes rolled back and I fell limp in the hug, my face so red it would do a pomegranate proud.

Mori immediately pulled me from the embrace, and cradled me in one arm, holding my sketchbook in his other hand. I mumbled, half out of it, "Thanks, Mori-nii" then the world went black.

~No POV~

The host club stared at the unconscious girl, shocked. She had called Mori big brother. Mori's eyes softened as he looked at the girl. He smiled a very small smile and gently placed the girl onto one of the many plush couches. He liked the fact that she called him Mori-nii. He wanted to be her nii-chan. However, he didn't know why. He only knew that he wanted to protect this girl.

~Kyouya POV~

This Nicole person, she's the one who was singing here earlier. His dark eyes froze with determination. He was going to find out who she was. His fingers began flying over his laptop's keyboard, searching. If she was Japanese at all, she would only be a portion. Her tanned skin, however said differently. She appeared to have Native American ancestors. Kyouya sighed; He had dug his own grave by walking in on her singing. He knew it.

~Nicole POV~

My eyes gently returned to focus. I heard people talking, but my head hurt, really badly.

"Tamaki-kun, I think she's waking up" I heard a female voice mutter from somewhere nearby.

"Tamaki?" I whispered I had to be dreaming. Tamaki was a fictional character from the mind of Hatori-sensei. Bisco Hatori, a genius in the world of anime.

I turned onto my side, clutching my aching head. I was greeted by soft pink plush. My bed didn't have any pink pillows… and none of my pillows had little black eyes. I blinked. I realized, that it was Usa-chan; Hunny-senpai's Usa-chan.

"Usa-chan…?" I muttered, confused. My Usa-chan copy wasn't supposed to arrive for another week. I was immediately bombarded by a little ball of sugar.

"Usa-chan wanted to help Nico-chan feel better!" said Hunny. I looked at him, and then vigorously rubbed my eyes. I had to be dreaming, Hunny-senpai was sitting in front of me. Curse my over-active imagination.

I blinked, realizing that Hunny was dressed up as… a tiny Tomu Mamene? A fan vocaloid based off of Kagamine Len. I looked around and saw the twins dressed as Mikuo Hatsune, and Mikuo Zatsune. Haru-nee was… MoKaito? Another fan vocaloid, A Kaito based one. Tamaki was Kaito, funny, I always imagined Tamaki as a blonde Kaito. Mori-nii was Meito, a Meiko based vocaloid. Kyouya was Zeito. Zeito is Kaito's 'Zatsune' or, complete opposite.

I giggled, because they all looked ridiculous as vocaloids. Hunny looked at me. "Does Nico-chan want to dress up, too? We have a really cute costume for Nico-chan!!" I blinked. "Costume, for me?" A pure white wig and white mouse ears were shoved into my arms. Tamaki smiled, "Of course! Zumi Hatsune is the only character cute enough to represent you, Nicole-san."

I blushed; did he just call me cute? I was pushed into the changing room before I could utter a sound. I walked out, with my jacket wrapped around me, tears in my eyes. Loli-shota worshippers would be bowing at my feet during that moment. "A-Ano, Tama-nii? Th-the shirt is a l-little revealing, ne?" my face was crimson red. He picked me up and twirled me, screaming things like 'good' and 'so cute' and 'she called me Tama-nii'. I started to cry because of embarrassment. Mori-nii came to my rescue, though. I smiled. "Thank you, Mori-senpai!" He nodded and set me down. Just in time to let me see the Mikuo duo stealing my sketchbook again. "UWAAANNN! PUT THAT DOWN!!" I yelled running over and trying to reach my beloved sketchbook, tears springing to my eyes again.

I know, I cry too easily.

"Kaoru-senpai! Give it back!" Kaoru seemed dumbstruck. I took this opportunity and jumped up, grabbing my sketchbook, hugging it tightly. While I was hugging my sketchbook, reality hit. I had no place to stay. I sighed, and then walked over to sit with Hunny. I knew Kyouya-senpai would be mad, but I wouldn't eat anything, or drink any tea, so he wouldn't lose money. I was bright red because of being so close to one of my very few crushes. Kaoru Hitachiin. I was aiming way too high for my own good, and that only added to my already apparent sadness at being homeless.

"Nee, why does Nico-chan look sad?" questioned Hunny from Mori's broad shoulders. I looked up at him, and then noticed something shining in the corner. "I'll tell you in a moment, Hunny-senpai. I think I see something…" I stood up and walked over to the squared object. Could it be…? I picked it up, and squealed with joy, causing most of the customers to look at me. I hugged the dark grey object, smiling. I skipped back over to Hunny and Mori. "I found something of mine! How it got here, I'll never know!" I giggled. Setting it on my lap, I opened the screen to my beloved laptop. It was part of me, and I loved it. I let my fingers gently glide over the smooth keys and carefully stroked the touchpad. I sighed. I felt much closer to home with my laptop by my side.

I quickly typed in my password and let it log in. I could feel people watching me as I skimmed through my art folders. I grinned. I opened some of the animations I've done, and started smiling. I turned red as I was going through my picture folder, and quickly erased a certain desktop of a few certain hosts, looking very very sexy. My face flushed crimson. I giggled seeing a picture of my mom and I being silly. I had placed all pictures/drawings of the hosts in a password-protected folder. Quickly snapping my laptop shut, I smiled innocently at the customers, my blue eyes shining. "Ne, do you like my art?" They all squealed, saying how I was almost as cute as Hunny. My eyebrow twitched slightly behind my smile. Almost? Oh well, at least I wasn't being overthrown by Hunny.

I looked at Tamaki, after looking at the clock. The club was supposed to have closed already. I smiled, trying to seem cute and innocent. "Ano, it appears to be past closing, if I'm right… Wouldn't your mamas worry about you all? I don't want you all to get hurt. You're all so pretty, it makes me a little jealous…" I looked down, feigning hurt. Tamaki glanced at the clock and realized that I was right.

A few moments later, all the customers were gone. I smirked at Kyouya, a malicious glint coming from my glasses. The twins looked at one another. "It looks like we now have a Shadow Queen to go with our Shadow King!" they explained. I looked over at them, my eyes showing hurt. "That hurts…" I muttered. Before I could say anything else, I was engulfed in a twin sandwich, my glasses fogged up from my hot face. "E-Eep! A-a-a-a-ano!" I screeched, my face turning bright red.

Mori-nii pulled me from the twins and glared at them. My eyes widened. Mori-nii was acting like a nii-chan. I smiled "Thanks, Mori-nii!" I hugged his neck, and then jumped down out of his grasp. I blinked and realized that the only clothes I had were my pajamas. A large sweatdrop formed on the side of my head.

I glanced around at the hosts. Gently pulling the false mouse ears off of my head, and pulling off the white wig, I looked over at Haruhi. I tightened my fingers around my sketchbook and laptop. "Uh… I just realized… while I'm here… I'm technically homeless…" I admitted looking at my white vocaloid boots.

Tamaki sprang forward. "Do not fret dear princess! You will come and stay with your Tama-nii!" I looked flustered, and started rambling off excuses as to why my staying with Tamaki would be a bad idea. Kyouya calmly stepped in. "Tamaki, I believe it would be best for you to allow Nicole to chose who she stays with. She's a human being, not a lost kitten." I looked at Kyouya gratefully.

"Ano, I'm pretty sure that only Kyouya-senpai will be able to handle my… morning self… Either him or Mori-nii." I was bright red. I wanted to stay with Haru-nee, but I didn't want to scare her with my demon side that seemed to rear its ugly head every morning. Tamaki blinked. "You're like Kyouya in the morning? Wait, how do you know what he is like in the morning?" I grinned. It was time to bring out my inner-Kyouya. Pushing up my glasses, I opened my laptop. "Kyouya Ootori, third son in the Ootori Family, fourth child, due to his older sister Fuyumi Ootori. Father Yoshio Ootori, head of the Ootori businesses. Blood type AB, not a morning person in any way. Often called "The Hypotensious Demon Lord" due to the fact that his temper in the morning can be blamed on low blood pressure. Known as 'Mother' by Tamaki, and 'Shadow King' by multiple others. Vice president, Cool type, and financial advisor of the host club." Grinning, I snapped my laptop shut and pushed my glasses up my nose. Everyone looked shocked. Kyouya especially. "Kyouya-senpai isn't the only one who does research around here." I stated, very simply.

"I will gladly take you in, if you converse with my father first." Kyouya smirked, believing he'd gotten the upper hand again. "I would love to talk to Yoshio-sama. However, I have no proper attire, and I'm afraid the only person in the host club that is close to my size is Hunny-senpai. I'm positive you wouldn't want me wearing men's clothes to speak with your father, Kyouya-senpai."

Kyouya's glasses glinted dangerously, and anyone else would have backed away. "And because I would feel horrible for taking a handout from any of you, I'll gladly work for the host club. I can bake, draw, sing, I'm good with numbers, I'd even be a hostess if you'd like. Or, an errand dog, since Haruhi-senpai is a host now. Think senpai, about the money you'd save on buying CD's if you had live entertainment for the guests, or the male population of the school that could be possible customers with a hostess. You could even sell my artwork, I'd only need a few hundred yen for pencils, and I could earn that myself with a part time job. If necessary, I could take entrance exams and try to become a student. Please senpai?" Glancing over at Haru-nee, I quickly added "I'd even help Haruhi with her debt! I'd never tell her secret either, I'm very dependable. Please senpai???"

Needless to say, Kyouya agreed. The thought of saving money peaked his interest. I would start working at the host club tomorrow, I'll be switching jobs week by week, and this week I'll be entertaining the guests. Next week I had entrance exams, so Kyouya was going to tutor me, and help me out.

The twins insisted that I stay with them for tonight, mainly because their mom is a fashion designer, and she needed a model. Then I was to stay with Kyouya, just until I could afford an apartment near Haru-nee's. The twins told me that their mom would give me enough clothes for a 'suitable wardrobe'. I didn't really care though, free clothes was a great bonus. Tama-nii gave me a bag that I could carry my laptop and sketchbook in. This weekend, Tama-nii was taking the host club and me shopping so I could get everything I needed. I knew it was because he believed the twins would give me a bunch of playboy suits or something.

I had only worn designer clothing for really special occasions, so I was really excited. I would also get to meet Yuzuha Hitachiin!!! I was bouncing in my seat, which was, of course, in between the twins. They looked at me as if I was insane. I grinned. "I'm sorry; it's just, I've only worn designer clothes for Easter or Christmas, and they've all been dresses, so I'm really excited! Also, I really admire you guys and your mom, designing must be hard work! I mean, with all the competition, and such." They looked at me, shocked. "You mean you're a commoner?" they asked in unison. I laughed. "Where I come from, there isn't such a fine line between rich and poor. My family is middle class, meaning we have nice things, but we don't have super amazing things like mansions, limos, house staff, and etcetera." They blinked. "Where exactly do you come from?"

Laughing, I began to explain. "I was born in Charlotte North Carolina, in the USA, but I've lived in Florida for as long as I can remember. I should be much tanner than I am, seeing as I'm almost always outside." I smiled. They were slightly confused; I could see it on their faces. "Oh, that's because Florida is warm all year 'round. I'm able to go to the beach and swim when other people in states farther north are playing in the snow." I giggled, and they looked amazed. "All year 'round??" "Hikaru-senpai, Kaoru-senpai, it's not that amazing. Florida is warm all year because it's close to the equator." They turned pink. "We knew that." They huffed and turned, facing the windows. I sighed as a large sweatdrop formed on the side of my head. I personally thought it was pretty cute, but, I'd never tell them that. I just let them pout for a few seconds. I yawned, and realized just how tired I really was.

My stomach cried out, begging for attention and food. My face flushed red. When was the last time I ate? I stared at the floor, too embarrassed to even try to look at Hikaru and Kaoru. They were staring at me. That only made my face turn brighter and brighter red. "Are you hungry?" they asked in blunt unison. "Uh… y-yeah…" I stuttered nervously. "You should have told us! Where do you want to go?" I was stiff because they had pulled me into a hug. When I was released, I blinked. "U-uh…" I quickly muttered names of restaurants I knew of, and tried to remember which ones had chains in Japan. "How 'bout Wendy's?" I asked, my eyes shining like a little child's. They looked confused. I sighed and quickly opened my laptop. I was swiftly searching for a nearby Wendy's.

I skipped out of the fast food restaurant, carrying my only bag. I turned to see the twins struggling with armfuls of bags containing food that would most likely go to waste. I giggled. They had never been to a fast food restaurant before, so they were obviously excited and mesmerized. I quickly scribbled my name on my bag, and went to help them. "Let me guess, you've never been to a fast food restaurant before, you wanted to learn more about commoners, so you decided to order basically everything on the menu?" I smiled. They nodded excitedly. I rolled my eyes and began to walk towards the limo. "Ne, you aren't gonna brag about this to Tama-nii, are you?" I questioned, already knowing the answer.

They smirked and nodded. I helped place all of the bags of food on the opposite row of seats, only holding the one with my name on it. I smiled sadly; this reminded me of home so much. I laughed at myself and clutched my computer bag a little closer. Quickly loosening my grip on the bag, I scolded myself for falling prey to my nervous habits again. I sighed. "You know, most of your food is going to be cold by the time we get to your house." I murmured, popping a chicken nugget into my mouth. They shared a panicked look, and began eating as much as they could before it went cold. A large sweatdrop flew down the side of my head. I sighed, smiling and finished my own food, crumpling the bag in my hand.

I opened my eyes, and with a shock realized that I had fallen asleep. I played with the sleeves of my jacket, staring at my pajama pants, feeling horribly embarrassed. "Eh, don't worry. We're almost at the house anyways, you weren't asleep too long." Kaoru smiled gently, and my heart skipped a beat. I looked confused, seeing a flash of dark, shiny purple in the pocket of my computer bag.

I reached in and my eyes widened. I clutched the small item, and pulled it out. It was my cell phone. One more of my possessions, one more thing making me a little more complete, one more item that I couldn't live without. All I needed now was my matching purple iPod, and I would be able to be myself again. I grinned, looking through all of my contacts. My brothers, my best friends, my dad, all of them, I still had every text message, every phone call, every picture. I sighed, realizing how far I really truly was from the place I've called home all of my life. I placed my phone back in the pocket of my bag, and smiled. I had one more piece to the puzzle that is Nicole Hanako Davis. Yes, my middle name is Hanako; my mother was obsessed with Japan and Japanese names when I was born. If she had gotten her way, my first name wouldn't be Nicole, it would be Hanako. My dad convinced her to name me Nicole, to save me from future bullying. I loved him so much. My daddy. I have always been called Daddy's Little Princess. I sighed, not wanting to make myself upset.

I smiled; I was slowly regaining my few prized possessions. The only thing I could ever need other than my electronics, were my books. My pets weren't really mine. They belonged to my family, and I knew my dad would take care of them. I wondered what he was doing… my brothers… what crazy antics were they up to now? I smiled. My brothers were crazy… one my age, one only nine years old. I missed them. I took out my phone again. "Ne, Kaoru-senpai… Do you have your cell phone with you?" He looked confused, and took out his phone. I smiled, snatched it away, and typed in the familiar number that went with my purple phone. I handed it back to him after saving myself into his contact list. "Ne, Kaoru-senpai, could you send all of the host's my number? I don't really think it's important, but I would love to hear some of Tamaki's phone calls. He reminds me so much of my brother, only, my brother is a lot more shy in public" I laughed. He smiled, and promised me he would.

I got a call immediately after Kaoru sent Tama-nii my number. I laughed, and answered. He spoke nonstop. Never stopping for a moment, making sure that 'those evil twins' weren't harming me.

I smiled, still thinking of my brother. I imagined him wearing the baby blue blazer of the Ouran male uniform, smiling and holding a white rose, a flower that held a meaning of silence and secrecy. He'd be perfect for the host club, what with his good looks and his shyness that made him all too adorable. Come to think of it, we could work together, if Kyouya-senpai allowed it. It would be perfect.

I grinned, all too happy with my fantasy to realize that the twins were out of the car and disposing of the empty bags from Wendy's.

I was pulled out of my nostalgic fantasy by the twins yelling for me. I raced out of the limo after politely thanking the driver, and stopped behind the twins.

I had no idea what to expect.

I'm going to need help.