My newest story, "The Ouran Farm." I haven't decided fully on the pairing, but it will be either KaoXOC or HikaXOC. I'll have a poll later on in the story for my readers to decide.

I stared at the piece of paper, rereading the directions that were written in neat cursive to make sure I was at the right place. Then I looked back up at the school…no, palace…in front of me and gawked. What had Haruhi gotten me into?

~X~

I suppose to start things off, I should introduce myself. Hello, I'm Kurosawa Emi and I am a first year at Nishimori High School. My closest friend Fujiko Haruhi would be in the same grade as me--and same school for that matter--if she hadn't applied for the scholarship at Ouran High School, the school where us common folk envied the students that attended with their glamorous cars and luxurious mansions that could fit our humble homes in one room. Well, everyone coveted except me.

My life was simple; I had above average grades, almost perfect attendance, I played on the volleyball team, a loving older and overprotective brother, a dog named Haku, and a decent paying job at a flower store just a few blocks away from my house and school. The only thing that was missing was my first and dearest friend since grade school, Haruhi.

True, I had other friends, just none that I could go to for comfort when something upset me or talk about random things without being considered mental--just be me. When Haru-chan had told me she would be transferring to Ouran, I was upset to say the least, but I wanted her to be happy. We spent the last few days before that last summer break ended braiding each others' hair and just having fun, not dwelling on the fact that she would be leaving me.

I hadn't talked to her in so long, I thought I was going to go insane. Then it surprised me--as good things usually do--when I received a letter in the mail with my name written on it in Haruhi's neat girlish script. As quickly as I could--which was pretty dang fast--I ran up to my room and threw my books on my desk and opened the envelope.

The letter was from Haru-chan, telling me about her new school and all of its complete insanity. She told me of everything that had happened since she first walked into the school and my mouth dropped when I looked at the picture she sent of what she looked like now. She had cut her hair!--though it was because of a neighbor boy sticking gum in her hair. I had rolled my eyes, I knew that kid was trouble.

There was the Host Club whom she described in great detail and I was fantasizing what each one of them looked like. Even though she never actually said it, from how she gave a long description of this Tamaki character, I knew he had to be someone special to her--just from her writing. I grinned evilly at the thought of playing matchmaker.

However, when I got to the part where Haruhi said that she wanted me to come to Ouran High School--which I had only glimpsed at a few times before--I felt a twinge of anxiety settle in my stomach. Though I knew that I wanted to see her and pushed the apprehension away.

And now that I was standing in front of the massive structure with said note in hand, the butterflies returned full force. My hands were wringing themselves as I slipped through the front gates and made my way through the crowd of students that went to Ouran.

Of coarse I already said that I didn't feel jealous towards the rich and their wealth--and I certainly didn't envy them for having to wear those hideous yellow dresses and stiff suits--but I found myself cringing away from the odious looks they gave me. I had come here straight after my school had let out, so I was still wearing my school's uniform--and I liked personally it.

I practically sprinted into the building, ignoring the looks that the kids were giving me. My fingers clutched the directions paper tighter and tried to even out my nervous breathing. It took me a good twenty minutes to make it up to the third floor and find the third music room. I glanced at the black watch attached to my wrist and the time read four o' six--I was six minutes late.

Before I went in, I checked over my appearance--who wouldn't be self-conscious when meeting six hot, rich guys? Out of nervous habit, I straightened my red and black striped skirt while silently cursing how short it was, then smoothed out the wrinkles in my white, button-down blouse with its full length sleeves rolled up to my elbow. I pulled my solid black socks up where they had slipped down so they came up just above my knees, and I shifted my brown messenger bag over to the other shoulder. My black tie was constricting around my neck from where the teachers at my school said it strictly had to be, so I loosened it to where it hung laxly.

I straightened myself upright and took a deep breath, knocking on the door. There was no answer, so I tapped slightly on it once again, though not daring to say a word. Was this even the right place? My clammy hand gripped the handle and jiggled it to find that it was unlocked, so I dared to push it open and see what was inside the room.

Immediately, I was blinded by a bright light and there was a strong scent of roses that hit my nose. When the rose petals drifted out of my view, I felt more like a deer in headlights and stared fixedly at the sight before me. Six extremely hot guys dressed up in the same male's uniform that I once thought was stark and unattractive before, though I quickly changed my mind about that. They certainly pull off the uniforms, I thought dazedly, still unable to get rid of the slight shock.

Then one of the men stepped forward, a tall blonde with striking violet eyes in the middle with a self-important air about him and I immediately knew who he was. "Princess, what brings you here to the Host Club?" he asked sincerely and took my hand, placing a kiss on it.

I was sure that my face had an "are you insane" look and I resisted the urge to floor him for being so upfront. It was the way these people were and I was obviously on their turf--ha, I sounded like a mobster. Do not hit…do not hit… I chided to myself and my lips turned into a dubious smile.

"I'm here to see a friend, if you wouldn't mind," I said as politely as I could, trying to ignore the fact that this guy still hadn't released my hand.

He bowed deeply and his lips brushed my hand once more--I felt my other hand twinge for a slap. "Of coarse, mademoiselle," he replied right away standing up with a gentleman's stature. "We of the Host Club are here to serve women--just ask of it and we will bend to your every whim," he spoke dramatically, posing in a theatric pose that I could only see in one of Shakespeare's plays.

He…still…isn't…letting…go! my inner thoughts screamed and I coughed to get his attention. "Yah, well, my first whim is for you to please liberate your grip on my hand. It would be greatly appreciated," I deadpanned though there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm laced in my voice. Pretty obvious who I was friends with. Haruhi didn't develop her blunt personality by herself.

A look of shock crossed his features and he instantly let go of my hand to go sulk in a corner. There was a dark aura about him and I felt my eye brow raise in a "you have got to be kidding me" expression. I thought I heard him mutter something like, "…how cruel…just like Haruhi…" under his breath and I rolled my eyes.

Another host stepped up to me and I immediately got the vibe "manipulative" practically rolling off of him. He had dark hair and calculating gray eyes that I felt as if they were looking right through me, determining if I was someone worth his time--an obvious no. "I apologize for his behavior--he tends to be a little straightforward. That is…"

"Souh Tamaki, yes I know. You are Ootori Kyouya if I am not mistaken, correct?" I filled in, ignoring his and a few other surprised looks. They were rich and well-known at this school, not usually by commoners. "I am familiar with all of your names, Haruhi has provided very in depth characterizations for her new friends at the Host Club. Least to say, I was a little worried for her when she said she was going to be attending Ouran, but she has told me of her recent adventures in this…peculiar place, so I'm no longer concerned." Light flashed across Kyouya's glasses as he regarded me a little more carefully.

Tamaki was on his feet in an second, standing before me before I could blink. "You know my precious Haruhi!" he asked with a mixture of surprise and delight in his voice. I nodded, rather unsure of why he was so overjoyed. "This is excellent--wonderful! Now Haruhi will have a female role model in her life and my dream of seeing my dearest daughter in girl clothes will finally come true!" Girl clothes?--he didn't know Haruhi in the least. There was a far away look in his eyes as if he was imagining something and I wanted to get as far away from him as possible--no such luck existed in my life.

I jumped when I suddenly felt two pairs of arms wrap around my shoulders and waist--undoubtedly the devil twins. "Say," one twin asked, breathing against my neck. "How do you know our Haruhi?" the other asked, whispering in my ear. They were obviously smirking from the tones in their voices.

I resisted the urge to shiver from the feeling of it, though my body tensed slightly. I could hear two pleased chuckles and I frowned slightly. "I'm Kurosawa Emi. Haruhi and I have known each other since grade school and were best friends before she decided to go to Ouran," I responded, surprisingly keeping my voice even. Those attached to me didn't seem to like it.

"And besides…" I trailed off, using my small form to my advantage. I slipped out of their grasps, causing them to fall into each other with dull thuds. They looked even more shocked, then glanced at each other with devious smirks placed on their features. Uh-oh. "I must thank you all for watching out for Haruhi, she is like a sister to me," I said thoughtfully, then turned to all of them and bowed deeply. "Domo arigatou."

The shorter blonde that I had yet to speak with, jumped off his cousin's shoulders and skipped over to me. "It was nothing, Emi-chan. Do you know who I am?" he asked cutely, squeezing his small pink bunny closer to him. No matter what everyone else thought, I knew that there was actually a more mature side to this boy.

I nodded and smiled, unable to resist giving him a hug. "Of coarse, you're Hunny! And this must be you're adorable Bun-Bun," I added, giving the senior's small stuffed rabbit a peck on the cheek when he presented it to me. A taller shadow walked over and picked Hunny up, placing him back on his usual perching spot. I looked up and smiled cheerfully at the taller senior. "You're name is Mori, ne?"

He was silent for a second before his cousin tapped him on the shoulder. "Ah," he responded and my smile broadened. Well, at least now I knew everyone in the Host Club my their faces--uh, almost everyone.

A hand on my shoulder spun me around and I came face to face with one of the evil twins. "How about we play a game?" he asked slyly and I cocked my head to the side. Haruhi told me of their games--the little pranksters. I nodded and his grin only became more mischievous as he and his brother spun around a few times then stopped, looking at me expectedly.

"Hika-chan, Kao-chan, that's not fair. Emi-chan only got here, she isn't going to know who is who," Hunny whined and there were agreeing nods throughout the room. Obviously what my friend had said was correct, they loved toying with people.

I smiled fondly up at the short senior and waved him off. "Don't worry, Hunny-senpai. If I get it right, I get it right. If I don't, oh well," I made it sound uninteresting and the twins scowled from their positions. They didn't like to be considered boring.

"How about if you guess wrong, we get to dress you up?" the twin on the left offered and I giggled. Haruhi also told me of their love for controlling people, making deals and never losing. As well as dressing them up like dolls as their prize.

I made it look like a was thinking, placing a finger on my chin and scrunching up my brow. "And what if I win?" I put in with a real smile.

The twin of the right snorted and rolled his eyes. "As if that would happen," he muttered under his breath and the other nudged him in the side. "If you win…" the left twin started, trying to come up with a suitable proposal if they lost. "We will do whatever you want." Wow, they clearly didn't think they would be losing.

I grinned and held out my hand, and shook with the one on the left. "Deal," I said, and they suddenly seemed a little surprised at my confidence--or stupidity. They seemed to go with stupidity as I began studying them, looking for the slightest differences even though I had never laid eyes on them before.

Haruhi had told me of things I could look for if they ever pulled this on me. There was always something distinct about people that made them who they were, even twins. I thought about what each of them had said since I had arrived and small details Haru-chan had wrote.

I looked over the twin on the left; his amber eyes were warm like honey though they shined with a wicked gleam. The other twin, he was standing in a more cocky stature and seemed a little more distant than his brother. I had it.

The concentration on my face slipped and their grins grew into smirks thinking I had given up. Though they looked at me in disbelief as I leaned over to the twin on the left with a childish smile of my own. "You're Kaoru," I whispered in his ear, much like he had done when I first arrived and his face was turning a deep flush of pink. Hikaru looked in surprise at his brother, then at me with curiosity as to what I had done. "Well…" I pressed, the expression on my face beaming.

Slowly, he nodded--there was no way he would even be able to lie right now. "She's right." There were a few gasps through the room--mostly from Hikaru, Tamaki, and Hunny, while Mori looked as stoic as usual and Kyouya looked slightly interested.

"Yay!" I cheered and did a little dance, ignoring the looks I was getting from those in the room. "I win, I win, I win," I sung and slung my arms over the twins shoulders. They were least to say surprised by my sudden physical contact--did they honestly take me for a meek little flower? "Now I have two slaves to do whatever I want!" Both twins paled slightly, not realizing what it was I was capable of coming up with. For all they knew, I was a slave driver--though for the most part I wasn't.

The door opened and everyone turned to look at who came in and my eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh, Haru-chan!" I squealed and let go of my newest victims--funny how the little devil twins went from tormenters to tormented--and rushed over to glomp the girl I knew all too well. "Haruhi, it's been forever since I've seen you!"

The other girl seemed shocked stiff at first until she realized who was hugging her and laughed, returning the gesture. "Emi-chan! I know, I wasn't sure if you were going to come today when I sent you the letter. I was going to call you, but I lost your number," she exclaimed pulling away, scanning me up and down.

"Wow, you've changed!" she muttered and I nodded. True, the last time she seen me my hair had a dyed milk chocolate hue that only reached my shoulders. Since then, though, I decided to get my natural sorrel hair color back--brown with a hint of red--and let it grow out, so it now reached to the middle of my back. I thought it made my hair look silkier.

"And you…" I trailed off, taking another glance at the girl. "Haven't changed a bit! With the exception of your hair," I joked and she laughed, though it was entirely true--poor flat chest Haruhi. She was the same height since I had seen her, too, or she had shrunk, because I was only an inch or two shorter than her now.

I felt eyes staring at me and shivers rolled down my spine--Haruhi seemed to have noticed. She looked around me to see the slightly stunned expressions of the Host Club. "Oh, hey. I guess you guys have already met Emi, ne?" she asked and pulled me a little closer to the staring people. I could practically feel the holes burning into my back now.

There was grumbling from two certain host members, saying something that sounded like, "Sure have." I flinched at the sarcasm dripping from their voices. Obviously I have already made enemies of Haru-chan's new friends.

Haruhi looked curiously, then an all knowing expression came across her face. "Oh, I bet you two tried playing the 'Which is Hikaru Game?' with her, right?" she asked and the twin's faces fell even more. The taller girl giggled and shook her head--I swear that the boy's eyes were about to pop out of their heads watching.

Hunny hopped off of Mori again and attached himself to Haruhi's hip. "They made a bet with Emi-chan that if she could guess who was who, then they would do whatever she wanted her to. And guess what--she could tell them apart, Haru-chan!" the senior exclaimed excitedly, starting to bounce up and down like a wind up toy.

I flashed a grin towards the twins and they didn't look in the least bit pleased. "Of coarse I did, and now they're my servants forever," I said and the two started protesting that wasn't part of the deal. I waved a finger at them with a cunning smile. "Ah-ah, I do believe that Kaoru said, 'We will do whatever you want.' You technically weren't specific on how long the period of servitude would be, henceforth you are to do my bidding," I explained logically and everyone was dumbfounded. Even Kyouya was secretly smirking behind his notebook.

Haruhi laughed out loud at everyone's dumbstruck expression. "What, you think she can be manipulated? How else do you think I was so used to this club's idiocy and running before I came to Ouran? Emi-chan is probably smarter than me," she complimented me and I felt the stares return.

I shook my head, disagreeing with her slightly on one point. "No, you had the book smarts in our group, I have the strategic mind of the operation," she said, tapping her finger on her head. "Remember Kenshi and Atsuo, they were the brawns and the intimidation. I swear, they were like older brothers fighting off all of those boys in middle school," I brought up, not unaware of the curious gaze I was receiving from Tamaki.

Haruhi nodded her head and smiled at the memory. "Yah, I remember those two. I wonder, does Atsuo still have a crush on you?" she asked bluntly and I felt my face heating up fiercely.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the snickers I could hear in the background. "Yeah, but I've had to put him down like fifty times. I swear, the boy doesn't know rejection. He's cute, but not my type. And Kenshi is still sulking that you left him high and dry without letting him take you to the spring dance last year," I said and there was a very loud and distinct gasp from Tamaki.

"A boy was hitting on my daughter, how dare he!" And so began Tamaki's five minute ramble on how he would have to lock Haruhi up in order to keep other boys from getting to his precious daughter. He did seem like an overprotective father type, though I could tell that there was something more than that kind of bond between them.

An evil smirk graced my lips, but I quickly his it with my usual innocent smile. "Yah know, Tamaki-senpai, if you're wanting Haru-chan to be a normal girl, she has to get a boyfriend some time or another," I put in, interrupting his digressing. He looked at me with wide eyes and was about to say something, but I cut him off. "…unless you want her to be a lesbian?"

The King's face paled dramatically and I think he fainted as I heard a thump. Haruhi and I started laughing our heads off, while the other members of the Host Club gave us bothered looks. Then Hikaru made a distasteful noise and looked at me as if I were insane--probably wasn't too far off target there. "And what would you suggest--she go out with you?" he asked disgusted.

A light bulb went off in my head and I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. I strolled casually over behind the older, red-headed twin and smiled wickedly at him. "Hika-kun, why would I do that when there are very more tempting lures in the room?" I asked him yearningly, running my finger over his jaw and down his neck.

Shutters racked through the boy's body and I didn't have to see Hikaru's face to know that it was a deep scarlet color. Kaoru's eyes grew wide watching his brother--as did everyone else's--along with shock at my straightforward flirtatious actions. The older Hitachiin was obviously at a loss of words and I giggled, blowing across his neck one last time before skipping over to wrap my arms around Haruhi.

"I should warn you, Emi can be very coquettish when she wants to be," the taller brunette cautioned, trying to stifle a laugh.

Tamaki charged up to me, pointing an accusing finger. "You are unfit to be the female influence for my daughter. What would become of her if she acted like that, throwing herself at every man that passes?!" the overdramatic idiot began crying out. Seriously, he was just making a fool of himself.

I smirked and tightened my grip on her. "I would say she would actually have a life and not be in her current position of having to dress up as a boy everyday of her life, actually having to flirt with girls in order to pay off a debt. Honestly, it's like you want her to be gay and fall head over heels for another chick," I scolded him and I could have sworn I seen lightning flashing theatrically behind Tamaki as he fell to the floor, once again. Is he just now realizing these things?

"Ya' know, she has a point," Kaoru indicated, ignoring the glaring looks he was receiving from his brother. Hikaru wasn't happy that his brother was agreeing with his new found nemesis--or at least current dislike. Though none of this was helping Tamaki who seemed to be blowing in the wind now--where did the wind come from?

The clock in the corner chimed five and Kyouya looked up from his notebook. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it is time for club to start. Each of you have numerous designations to attend to," he said and once again there was a cold chill that ran down my spine--he was evil.

I sighed and pulled away from Haruhi. "Well, I suppose since you have work to do I should be leaving," I mumbled and straightened my tie. A few girls were already filing into the music room, and I never was comfortable with crowded spaces.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Haruhi asked, giving me another quick hug. Her brown eyes were watching me, practically pleading to save her from the madness.

I grinned and shook my head. "Sorry, but as you have a job to do, so do I. My shift starts in like thirty minutes and it takes a good twenty to walk to the shop from here," I said with an apologetic tone. She nodded understanding and asked me where I was working now. "I'm still working at that old flower shop. Mrs. Yamada is getting ready to retire and I'm the only staff member that she's known long enough to keep the place running before she hands it off to her granddaughter," I explained and headed for the door.

Haruhi gave me a quick wave and said something of a goodbye. "I'll talk to you later, Haru-kun," I said with a wink as I passed a group of girls. They gave me burning glares and I only waved cutely at them--they had no idea.

~X~

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "The Ouran Farm." Please review, it helps me post new chapters faster!!