Chapter 2 – Grandiloquence and Chandeliers

The building was so ostentatious and pink it confused her to look at it. Either the walls were white and the cherry blossoms surrounding the school made it appear pink, or the more disturbing option was that they really painted a school pink. Never had Tae thought it was possible that a building for learning, even one meant for the rich and elite, would be such an annoyingly pastel color.

Abilio had told her ahead of time Ouran was a school built for both privileged studies and the sheer grandiloquence it give a student. When they had gone to get her uniform, ugly and yellow, and mentioned it was for Ouran the seamstresses eyes visibly widened. To the size of dinner plates. Tae didn't understand it then, but she did now. Grandiloquence was shown in every part of Ouran.

It was also shown in an impressively annoying amount of gardens, fountains, and three story buildings. The size of the whole campus made her balk in the thought of attending, fearing she would get lost. Luckily she had gotten a small tour with other new students. Most of them had been elementary grades, but still. It had helped a lot more than Abilio's awful directions. "Turn left at the third grand chandelier. Not the third regular chandelier, the grand chandelier," was both confusing and concerning. Could a school really have two different types of chandeliers, of which there were probably dozens hanging?

Tae was pulled from deep thoughts about pompous rich people and chandeliers when her younger brother grabbed her shoulders and yanked them away from several main crowds of people. "Stop gawking at it," he whisper shouted in her ear. He wrapped a lanky tan arm around her neck and pulled her closer. Her back bent uncomfortably to accommodate their several inches difference in height. "Just act like you see this every day. And try to be cool."

She narrowed her fog colored eyes at her brother. They had had a sibling relationship since Tae showed up. They teased each other, Abilio insisted she was uncool, and Tae insisted he still loved her. His playful insults and teases were as generic as any twelve year old could become. Butt face, weird-o, and lame-o were the most popular. Others varied from "I know who you liiike~" which he thought was the neighbor though she had never talked that to rude rich boy, to the more advanced, "I won't tell that you spilled paint on the carpet. But only if you take the trash out for two weeks." They loved each other the best way siblings could.

"'Cause you totally didn't notice the extravagance the first time you walked in." The older girl crossed her arms over her ribs in a loose defensive stance. "And I was not gawking. I was simply admiring."

"Yea, whatever, Tae." His darker eyes rolled towards what he probably referred to as grand chandelier number one. "Just try to be cool and don't mention you're my sister until two weeks later. I need to make friends before they find out we're related." Her mouth opened to object at his rudeness, or maybe to threaten him with affection, but he was already pointing down a hallway and releasing her neck. "High school students that way. Remember, you're in class C."

By the time she looked away from the hallway holding the classes she would attend Abilio was walking away. She wasn't sure if he was waving bye to her or hello to his friends from last year. She decided to follow his advice and play it cool by walking down the hall.

She took the time to both admire and hate the schools decorations. Oh sorry, academy. Abilio had said it was Ouran Academy, not high school. Or Ouran Elite Private Academy, as she heard an elementary grade kid refer to it as. She had heard the kid bragging about it to a less privileged friends, and Tae had not so discreetly sent that friend a pitying glance.

As she passed by doors labeled in golden letters and numbers, she thought about her placement in the C class. It was brought to her attention after being accepted, a truly pressurizing journey, that she was in C and Abilio was in B. The classes were organized mostly the same way as social classes in the real world. People with better family history, wealth and grades would be in higher classes. Class A was for the extremely privileged with occasional scholarship students. Class B was still highly ranked, but with less lineage.

When Tae read out loud that she was in class C, there was some confusion. Most siblings in Ouran were in the same class, even if in different grades. Until it was pointed out that Entrance Exam scores and personal intelligence was also a factor. It wasn't a secret in the family that she was no straight A student, though she had never failed a class either, and where the teen lacked as a student she made up for in running and drawing abilities.

To say she was disappointed if not slightly insulted at being in a lower class would be only half a truth. Tae was aware of her intelligence, and though the grades did not reflect her smarts, she didn't blame someone for thinking poorly of them. But she didn't want to explain why she was in C while her brother was in B, and she certainly didn't want people from A or B looking down on her. Even if being in class C was considered lower she was still a part of a highly influential family compared to others outside of Ouran. But she had resigned to being in said class when she turned the knob on a door marked 2-C.

Not many students had shown up yet. Including her there was about eleven out of thirty two. The guys all wore the same blue jackets over a white dress shirt and black slacks. The girls meanwhile were stuck in an awful lemon colored monstrosity with puffs that made each girl appear as if wearing shoulder pads. Ties and loafers for boys, and for girls it was a red string bow thing and black or red shoes.

Tae had made some slight modifications, as was allowed within a certain limit. She wore no socks, and had red flats instead of shined shoes. Her red ribbon wasn't tied and instead rested in her dark umber hair to hold a loose side braid. The dress was also a bit shorter, ending at her knees, due to the longer length of her legs.

As she entered several dark haired heads turned to look. Probably out of habit more than curiosity because once they saw her the attention turned back to their previous activities. Tae ignored the uncomfortable feeling of the dress scratching her ribs as she took a seat at the middle left. There was still ten minutes before class started and so she began her general "I'm alone and don't want to look like a friendless loser," routine. She plugged in her earbuds, English words floating softly into her ears, as she scrolled through a book she had downloaded.

Three and a quarter songs later the first bell rung, low and more like a dong you would hear out of Big Ben. She hadn't even noticed the class filling with more people. For the most part they all had dark hair and dark eyes with fair skin, though with some light hair and eyes colors or dark skin. It relieved her to know she wasn't the only person physically different from the rest. Looking British had gotten her as much attention as being a part of a well-off, lesbian actress and lawyer with multi-racial children family had in her neighborhood. Apparently Rina and Sayumi's odd antics were famous subjects in the news. Tae had been one of those antics. As was Miki, Abilio, and Valencia.

As the teacher began to call roll Tae could see the girl on her left peering from the corner of her eye. "Koizumi Taeko?" Tae's arm raised and lowered it after a confirmation nod from the teacher. Nosy-girl on the left squirmed slightly, continuing with her sideways glances, until Tae met one with her own inquisitive one. Nosy blushed and turned her amber eyes back to the front.

Leaning sideways, Tae lowered her voice to gain the others attention. "Is something wrong?" Her cheeks became a brighter hue of pink as she returned with a quavering voice. "Isn't your mom Koizumi Rina? The actress? I'm a huge fan. You're their adopted daughter, right?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah I am," Tae answered. She had never considered anyone recognizing her when she attended Ouran. While her mother was a fairly large actress she did a lot of horror and suspense movies, not anything she could see the girl besides her watching. "I didn't realize anyone would know who I am."

"Why would think that? Lots of people watch your mother's movies. Mostly guys though. My brother is a huge fan or gory movies so I end up seeing them too. I didn't even think you would attend Ouran after your parents said you would get a private teacher. They never even said you were going to attend Ouran this year! Oh my names Natuksa Keiko by the way, my father is the CEO of a china company. You know, like those pretty glasses and plates and stuff?"

If Abilio has to put up with this every day and Tae had known she would give him a hug. Or tease him less. The girl just keeps talking as Tae thinks this. About her brother and his movie preferences, then her name, and then about whether Tae knows what fancy dinner plates are called. She seems so excited about it so she takes the time to admire the girl's appearance.

Her eyes were like fossilized amber with a dark ring of brown surrounding it. Prominent creases are around her mouth and eyes from where she smiled too much over the years. A little white dot flecks the side of her right eyebrow and she has only one dimple. Her skin is more of a sugar cookie or soft daffodil color that matches the blonde streak amongst the rust hair that falls in a straight line to her biceps. There's a straightness to her nose and her eyes are shaped like almonds.

While Keiko runs her mouth the teacher goes over a syllabus. She briefly catches that the teachers name is Awashima and she won an award for something nine years ago. It seemed like theIstrschool will go on forever a achers name is Awashima and she won a award for something ten years ago ching thar as if wearingI first hour of school would go on forever, but eventually the dong from the clock tower rang and they left for their other classes.

Keiko turned her admiring gaze back towards Tae. "You should join me and my friends during lunch. If you want that is." She looks so hopeful and Tae doesn't have any other friends at this school, so she nods and waves goodbye as she heads to her next class.

Tae had done a lot of research about typical Japanese schools before applying, so she wouldn't seem as secluded as she had been the past few years. Of course it had all ended up being pointless as Ouran didn't operate like other public or private schools. Actually, it didn't even operate like a school. It was just a way for rich children to waste time, hang out with other rich people, and learn how to take over a family business.

While most schools had four classes, then lunch, followed by two afternoon classes and a time allotted to clean the school, Ouran decided it was too much and decided on a different daily schedule. There would be an hour long home room every morning, followed by two more core classes. After lunch, which was an hour and half long so everyone could finish their extravagant meals, students got a thirty minute break and then two more extracurricular classes.

But based on the first person she had talked to and the first hour of school it would a long rest of the door.

"Koizumi-san! Over here!" Tae only faintly heard her last name but ignores it. Because who calls people by their last name? She turns her head to find Keiko, wishing they had a table picked out before they separated. But again she heard her last name with the honorific attached. Thinking she may be crazy Tae continued to check the dining area, until she realized, the Japanese called people by their last name. That was her last name. Someone was calling out for her.

Snapping her head to the sound of the voice she spotted Keiko as well as two other girls waving with slightly frustrated faces. Not wanting to make them wait any longer Tae skipped over and took the seat across from her homeroom friend. Diagonal was a disheveled girl with soft pink hair and beside her a lanky girl wearing thick lensed glasses.

She found out the girl with bubblegum locks was named Kagome Irie, and her uncle had created a guitar company that later spread to all types of instruments. She was loud and her ribbon was tied loosely around her neck. Instead of letting her hair down it was held back with a black skull covered handkerchief and high ponytail. The color of her lips and eyes was almost as colorful as her hair, with her lips being the color of strawberries and her eyes like blue kyanite. Overall the girl was loud and sly, but had made it into the B class because of her good attendance, high grades, and ambition.

The other was Yamaguchi Jubei and she absolutely adored animals. Not that her love for animals was the only thing Tae could pick out from her. But it was probably the biggest. Her father ran a wildlife protection and treatment agency, as well as some zoos for heavily injured animals. Her mother was just as an animal fanatic, as she spent months at a time in Africa to fight against poaching. In some way, all the good ways of course, Jubei looked like an animal. Her eyes her dark and large, with curly brown hair in two pigtails, and her skin was more brown than it was white. She also appeared a bit shy but was a generally warm person.

"Don't you have anything to eat, Koizumi-san?" Keiko took a dainty bite from her own salad, which consisted more of ranch dressing and carrots than it did actual salad. A book sat between some of her fingers and she glanced up periodically to Tae's empty area.

"You know you can just call me Tae, right? I don't mind. And I'm not eating because I hate salad and everything else has fish in it, which I'm allergic to." She curled the white cord of her headphones around her little finger while she looked down at the syllabus for her geography class. Being allergic to fish had always been an inconvenience for her, but in a place where she had no control over the lunches offered it was even more so.

Jubei stared at her incredulously, eyes wide behind her tan glasses."You live in Japan. An island surrounded by water. And you're allergic to fish?"

Tae laughed quietly at Jubie's explanation of an island. "Yea. Kind of ironic."

They talked for a while longer, introducing her to Ouran's many specialties and going over some of the many events Tae could expect. The one that sounded the best for her was the Dance Party in just a few weeks.

"Oh, Irie, are you going straight home today? I designated Tamaki today with Kaemon, but she can't stay after. Would you mind coming instead?" Irie crinkled her nose in thought before shaking her head with a flourish of pink. "Honestly Keiko, I would love to, but am I really the person to ask? You know I prefer the twins. Or no one at all." Irie pursed her candy colored lips at Keiko's pleading glance and merely shook her head harder.

"Who's Tamaki?" Three sets of eyes turned around to stare at Tae in concern.

"Tae, I know you're new...but has no one told you about the Host Club? No one at all?" She was honestly taken aback by all their expressions. Matching looks of shock twisted their faces and there was an uncomfortable silence until try realized tae was not joking. Jubie even looked a bit fearful as she leaned over and whispered at her friend. "If any of their die-hard fan girls heard you say that, you'd be dead meat."

"In case you guys casually skipped over it, I have a total of three friends at this school, which is you three, and a younger brother. And if you guys didn't mention 'them' then my brother obviously didn't. So," Tae said with a calm sarcasm in her voice. "Who's the Host Club." Despite her innocence in the situation she kept her voice low. Jubie didn't make statements like that often, and so she wisely took it serious.

"It's a club after school. These seven guys are there to serve girls, and each of them is completely different from the others. Sometimes they have theme days where they dress up. They even host the Dance Party we told you about on Monday!" Keiko was leaning forward excitedly in her seat with a happy shine in her eyes. While not being, as Juba put it, a die hard fan girl, she regularly attended the Host club, often skipping from Tamaki, to Haruhi, to Hani, until she had chosen her favorite for the week. The front of her dress was almost getting dipped in her salad as she pressed forward to see Tae's expression. Irie didn't like the host club unless they went to see the twins, and Jubie was to shy to even look one of them in the eye let alone be hosted by them, so she often had to go alone or with a more distant friend.

"Haruhi and Tamaki are my favorites. That's the natural and princely type by the way. The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, are the little devils type and Kyoya is the cool type. Hani is the lolita-shota type and his cousin Mori is the wild type. They're both in university now though, so they aren't there as often. I think you would be best for Kyoya, since you're both so calm." Tae sat with her head in her palm, only half listening to Keiko ramble about each member and watched for any trace of wonder in her expression. After a few minutes of rant she stopped, nearly out of breath. "So will you come with me?"

Tae sighed, not wanting to disappoint her friend, but not having the time after school to stay. She would have to compromise. "I can't stay for the whole hour. But I'll come for the first few minutes, that fine?" Keiko considered it for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders and gathering her stuff for class.

"I'll deal," she said simply. When the bell rang to start next period Keiko shot a warm smile at her friend as she walked away. "See you after school, Tae-san!"

Honestly, what had she gotten herself caught in. Keiko was almost bouncing off the wall and giggling until she lost her breath, and other girl's weren't much better. The whole room was abuzz with squealing, blushing faces and Tae was beginning to be concerned for their health. The boy Keiko designated today, Tamaki, was someone she had already met. And she didn't see the fuss then or now.

When Rina and Sayomi were trying get her accepted in Ouran they had talked with Suoh-sama to secure a spot. While there she had seen an eccentric violet eyed boy talking with twins and a black haired boy the same age. It occurred that she had met the host club, or half of it, before she even attended Ouran.

As Keiko led her across what used to be a music room she took in the scene of nearly every high school girl jammed on or around couches to catch the words of a guy. It was red couches with polished coffee tables and steaming tea. There was a feminine guy talking with several girls comfortably. Their table seemed to be the most calm and mature of all of team. Besides one guy with glasses who had only his computer, but he seemed too busy to host anyone.

Another table was completely empty and the last two were surrounded by girls. The one they were headed to seemed larger by a considerable amount and every few seconds a girl would either faint or blush. In the middle of the circle was the blonde boy she remembered seeing before school. In between his fingers was a slim rose and as he held it up to a girl chin his voice was soft and romantic. "It is quite fortune that we have you to remind us what true beauty is after this rose has perished."

Personally Tae was not affected by the simple words, even if they were the words of a true romantic, but it made very girl sigh and blush as f Tamaki had been referring to them. The girl he had been talking to looked to be in a state of eternal bliss. She soon learns that the prince types whole thing was just compliments taken to the extreme with dramatic hand gestures. A few were very emotional, some were deep, some focused more on a girls intelligence than her beauty, but every one made them blush.

She had been standing there for only a few minutes when he saw her and looked visibly taken aback. He had soon gained his composure though and stood with a white tea cup in his hand. "I believe you are new, correct? It is my job as King to welcome you, princess, to the host club. Your name?"

Tae shifted and straightened her shoulders uncomfortably as eyes turned on her. The stares were neither threatening or hateful, but the attention made her feel warm. How did Tamaki do it for so long? "Koizumi Taeko."

His shoulders slumped only slightly from her answer, though she was unsure why. "So you are not an intentional student?"

"Oh, no, I was born in England but moved to Japan a few years ago. I do live here though." No reason to get too in depth, Tae remarked silently. She didn't often explore that part of her memories. Almost everything from ages eleven to thirteen was dangerous I-may-cry-if-I-think-for-too-long ground.

He nodded several times as if in understanding before smiling at her. "It was nice to meet you, Princess. If you come back we might be able to chat about Europe over tea some time." He took his seat in the middle of the couch and began to pour drinks and resume hosting duties.

Keiko turned to her friend with no small amount of surprise in her amber eyes. "Were you just invited to drink tea with Tamaki-sempai?"

"I'm... not entirely sure."

3,990 Words, so a bit longer than first chapter

Not a TamakixOC story, just thought they might get along as they're both from Europe, Tamaki being French-Japanese and Tae being English. Changed the view point from first to third, though there will be first person later on from Tae and different host members. Rate, review, favorite, follow or just do whatever.

Disclaimer: I own the OC's but nothing else.