DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club or any of its characters, symbols, etc.


"Forgive me, I haven't properly introduced myself…" Amaya said, turning to face what she presumed to be the rest of the host club.

"My name is Amaya Yamakawa. I'm a childhood friend of Mitsukuni and Takashi's…" she trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"Welcome, Princess Amaya!" the tall blond in the center greeted her quite theatrically, going so far as to kneel before her and kiss her hand.

"Uh… You must be Suoh-san…" she mumbled, her cheeks flushing to a lovely shade of crimson.

"Please, princess, call me Tamaki-san. There's no need to be quite so formal," he tried to encourage her, reaching to cup her face in his hand.

And in that instant, her training took over. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had twisted his hand - and by a chain reaction, the rest of his arm - so quickly that he flipped, landing on his back, twitching slightly.

"Ah! I'm SOOOOO sorry, Tamaki-san! I don't know what came over me! It's just… After a while I guess everything just becomes reflex… Oh gosh, I'm so sorry…" she babbled frantically, helping him up.

"I… I didn't break anything, did I? Dislocate a shoulder? Bruise anything?"

"Only His Majesty's ego!" the twins interjected, snickering maliciously.

"I'm so sorry… You should lie down… Do you want me to get you some ice?"

"No, no… That's quite alright princess… I'll be alright, I assure you!" Tamaki stammered frantically, waving his hands in front of his face, trying not to cringe.

"Okay, if you're sure…" Amaya said doubtfully. Suddenly, both twins were on either side of her, each with an arm around her shoulder.

"Nice job, Amaya-chan!" Hikaru said, grinning devilishly.

"Yea, you're our hero!" Kaoru chimed, mirroring his twin's evil smile.

"W-what did I do?" Amaya stammered, resisting the instinct to elbow them both.

"Took his lordship down a notch, that's what!" Hikaru explained cheerfully.

"Yes, it was truly inspiring. He needs to be humbled a little more often," Kaoru added, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I… I didn't mean to… I guess if you say it's alright…" Amaya muttered, not quite sure what to make of the troublemaking twins. Their uncomfortably close proximity was beginning to become unbearable, and she shot Mori and Honey a helpless look, silently begging either one of them to save her from her red-headed captors.

Evidently, they both understood, for the pair approached the twins and the "captive" Amaya, Mori with a rather murderous look in his eye, causing Hikaru and Kaoru shudder and step back a few paces.

"Ama-chan, let's go eat cake, okay?" Honey offered innocently, though it was clear his intent was to get her away from the rest of the Host Club before they could scare her off.

"Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai, will you be able to receive customers while she's here? " Kyouya said coolly, though it was clear that he was irritated by the sudden appearance of this potential obstacle to the club's revenue. The trio stopped in their tracks, but Amaya, sensing that she was at the center of a potential conflict, spoke up before either of her friends could react.

"I can help serve tea or something while I'm here, Ootori-san. If you're as all-knowing as I've heard, you should know that my position in my family will make it difficult for me to spend time with Mitsukuni and Takashi outside of classes. Surely you can allow us one afternoon to catch up? I assure you I will not be a hindrance," she answered, her voice soft and polite, her expression ominously calm, only her eyes betraying her annoyance with the cool and calculating host. Kyouya glanced from her to Honey to Mori, before finally deciding that it wasn't worth picking a fight over - especially not considering the three friends were all martial arts champions - Amaya had earned the female equivalent of Honey's title.

"Very well. No need to serve tea, you can sit with them as they're entertaining customers. Perhaps your relationship with these two can enhance their act…" he finished thoughtfully, speaking more to himself than to her.

"Thank you," Amaya replied, bowing slightly before turning to Honey, who had been tugging excitedly at her sleeve ever since she said the word "classes".

"Ama-chan! Ama-chan! Does this mean you're transferring here? Did you move back to Tokyo?" he asked, eyes sparkling with joy as if he already knew the answer.

Amaya smiled warmly, practically glowing as she replied, "Yes, Mitsukuni. I'm living here in Tokyo with my brother and his fiancée, and, while it is my duty to protect him at all times, he insists I at least finish high school and talked father into letting me attend Ouran Academy instead of hiring a tutor."

Her smile had waned slightly as she spoke, as if being reminded that she was away from her brother made her uneasy. She glanced up to Mori, and found understanding in his eyes. Perhaps that was why she had always felt closer to him than she did to Honey - they both knew what it meant to be charged with the protection of someone they cared deeply for. Neither of them had ever brought it up, it was more of a silent understanding. Now that she thought about it, much of their friendship was built upon silent understandings.

Honey woke her from her musings.

"Ama-chan, what kind of cake do you want?" he asked cheerfully as he led her to her seat.

"Oh, um, I don't usually have sweets… Why don't you choose for me, Mitsukuni?" Amaya said distractedly. Her brother had insisted she go see her old friends this afternoon after they had finished picking up her class schedule and her books - he had practically dragged her to the Third Music Room before heading home with Masami - but she still felt anxious being away from him.

The rest of the afternoon passed far too slowly for Amaya, who had alternated between twirling a strand of hair around her finger and tapping her foot as she sat listening to the idle chatter, answering the occasional question, her eyes darting from Honey to Mori to the clock to the door and back again. It didn't take long for her friends to notice her quickly fraying nerves.

In between a rotation of customers, Mori placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a knowing look.

"He's okay," he said in his deep, monotone voice, and no two words had ever been quite so soothing to hear. She knew he was right, and that she needed to get used to being away from Kazuhiro for a few hours everyday, at least for the time being. She smiled and nodded.

Time passed a little more quickly after that, and when it was time to leave, Amaya was actually a little sad to go.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all. I'm sorry I won't be able to spend much time with all of you, but I'm afraid I can't stay after school to visit from now on…" she said, truly disappointed that she wouldn't have an opportunity to learn more about Honey and Mori's friends.

"Just because you can't be here doesn't mean you can't spend time with them…" Honey said thoughtfully.

"Oh?"

"Maybe we can all go see Ama-chan's new home this weekend!" Honey said as he turned to face the rest of the host club.

"Honey-sempai, that's brilliant! If Princess Amaya cannot come to the host club, then the host club shall come to her!" Tamaki cheered valiantly, before turning sheepishly to Amaya, remembering his earlier pain and humiliation.

"That is… If that's okay with you, princess…" he mumbled, quite intent upon watching the floor as he poked his index fingers together, bearing a strong resemblance to a child who had just been caught stealing a cookie.

"I'll have to check with my brother - it is his house, after all - but it's fine with me. Just remember to give me a bit of personal space, okay?" she smiled sweetly, tilting her head slightly to the right.

"Yay! Field trip to Amaya-chan's house!" the twins cheered simultaneously.

'What did I just agree to?' Amaya grimaced.

"Don't worry," Haruhi whispered so only she could hear, "You get used to it."

"Thanks, Fujioka-san," Amaya replied under her breath. 'But I'm not so sure if that's a good thing…'


Thank you to all of you who reviewed, rated, favorited, etc. I was a little nervous because this is my first fanfic, but I'm happy it was so well received. I'm open to any constructive criticism you have to offer. Next update will probably be sometime this weekend.