Alright, welcome to extra-long chapter! Sorry, but the length is needed in order to explain a couple… ahem, a lot of things. So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. Ruri and Alice are figments of my imagination, though.

アップルジュース-Apple Juice

~Two months before the present~

Time: 2:58 PM

Place: Computers and Media Class, Hillcrest High School

"Class, you may now pack up your bags." My classmates created a flurry; it was obvious they had spent the last five minutes itching for those words to be said. I closed my windows and shut off my computer. In Computers and Media we were working on a "My Heritage and Culture" project, but for all that fancy wording, it was just another boring assignment. I turned to Ruri, my best friend.

"You know, I did learn something today." She had her back turned to me, putting the last of her folders in her backpack.

"What?"

"If I ever went to Korea, I'd be so lost. In both the physical and cultural sense." Ruri chuckled quietly. "You know it's true, I barely know the language and I don't even attempt to understand the culture or whatever. Not to mention I fail at having any sense of direction" Ruri laughed and started zipping up her backpack.

"Yeah, but do you wanna know where I want to go? Washington, D.C." She put her backpack on and turned around, we shared a smile.

The eighth grade Washington, D.C. trip last year was really where Ruri and I became close. We didn't room together but we were bus partners. Even then, Ruri being Ruri, she almost always looked out the window, but there were times I could crack her walls of introversion, and we delighted in the moments together. After that, we just became closer.

"Yeah, I wish it was a year-long thing." We humored ourselves with a little fantasy of both of us still in the east coast, away from our boring city, discovering new things and experiencing the wonders of traveling. Of course, that was just our minds.

"I wish I could have stayed long enough to see the cherry blossom festival, at least."

"Psh, you can go to Japan for that." I smiled and wondered aloud, "We're such travel-lovers, we should just transfer to a boarding school somewhere."

Before she could answer, the bell rang.

"Finally! I thought that class was going to last forever… Oh! I have to go to the office, see you Ruri!" My mind was all over the place, but if I didn't pay that obligation I owed the school today, I was going to be in deep waters tomorrow.

"See you Alice!"

Time: 3:01 PM

Place: Office, Hillcrest High School

I open the door to see the office lady talking on the phone about something important-sounding, and she acknowledges me by putting her hand up, telling me to wait. I never did like office ladies. Two minutes pass by and all I'm overhearing is a one-sided debate about the best ingredients to put in meatloaf… how important. I think I'm going to do something at least sort-of productive.

So there's this corkboard that the administration uses to religiously tack announcements that no one reads. Being the big rebel I am, I think I'm going to read it.

BIG COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

Found: A blue lunch box, please contact the Lost and Found

Sign up for college classes now! Talk to your counselor

Well, this is interesting. I see now why everyone reads these.

Be cool! Don't do drugs!

Exchange Student Opportunity to Prestigious Academy, contact your counselor

Visit the library t

Whoa, wait a second.

Exchange Student Opportunity to Prestigious Academy, contact your counselor

If this wasn't some sort of sign, what would be?

Time: 3:05 PM

Place: Ms. Keller's Office, Hillcrest High School

"Hello, how can I help you?" was the greeting I received as I walked through the door, so I explained my interest in the exchange student program. "Oh, I see. Well, looking at your records, I wouldn't be surprised if you were chosen, since this is a scholarship opportunity to one of the greatest schools in Japan…"
Japan?

"… Tell you what, I'll set you up with an interviewer, and I'll email you the specifics tonight."

"Wow, that's fast." I was amazed, could this really work that smoothly? She chuckled at my comment,

"Yes, well, I happen to know that the Japanese like their promptness." I had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but I figured that the comment was more for herself anyways. I said my thanks and hurried out.

~Two days later~

Time: 5:00 PM sharp

Place: Café de Dieux

So I spent the last couple of days bringing the subject up to my parents. My dad thought it would be a good experience for me, as long as it was what I really wanted, which it is, and my mom thought it was a good idea, but her motherly instincts kicked in when "I was too young" and "I didn't have anyone to look after me", and finally when I'd "be leaving my mother all alone". I guess she temporarily forgot the fact she bore another child and had a husband. After a lot of persuasion, her opinion was weakened to a "we'll see". Grr, what ever happened to straight answers?

Anyways, I really couldn't believe I was here, in the Café de Dieux, or The Most Expensive Fricken' Café I Have Ever Heard of. It's one of those restaurants where you don't even want to attempt to pronounce the menu items, the simple "Mac and Cheese" is four hundred bucks, and the only thing a person like me (which takes up about 90% of the world) can really afford to eat are the ice cubes that come with the water. This was where my interviewer decided to talk, and it's kind of intimidating.

I double-checked my clothes, a simple skirt and dress shirt, before heading off to the hostess, who directs me to my interviewer. I probably looked fine on the outside, but I thought I was about to have a heart attack. The hostess brought me to the way back of the café, where some private dining rooms are, and then stopped just outside the door.

I'm thinking you have to have a lot of power if you can reserve a private room in The Most Expensive Fricken' Café I have Ever Heard of with a two days notice… or a lot of money.

I opened the door to find a middle-aged Japanese man with dirty blond-brownish hair in a suit. He immediately stood up as I walked in and started walking toward me.

"Ah, you must be Miss Alice Kim," he started speaking in English with only a slight accent, shaking my hand vigorously, "yes, yes, why don't we sit down. I've seen your school records and transcripts, they are both very impressive" He started pulling up a chair for me.

"Oh, no, you really don't have to do that, but thank you Mr…" I realized I didn't even know this guy's name.

"…Suoh, but call me Yuzuru, or it makes me feel like I'm in a business meeting," which we were, "and it's fine, I must, you are my guest". I hesitantly took my seat, this couldn't be real. Then the waiter came in, asking for drinks. Mr. Yuzuru listed off some fancy wine that had to be expensive. The waiter turned to me next.

I looked at the menu, there was no possible way I could pay for any of this.

"Er, I'll just have a glass of water." Mr. Yuzuru's eyes shot up.

"But why? I'm paying, and it's not that expensive. Go on and choose something else to drink, I insist. I am the president of a large company!" Whoa, okay then. I didn't want to offend Mr. Yuzuru, but I don't even know which of the menu items were supposed to be drinks, and I highly doubted a high-class place like this would have Sprite. After about a minute of debating whether or not to just pick some random drink and hope for the best, I looked at the waiter out of desperation.

"Um, do you have apple juice?" It's my favorite childhood drink, and I hoped that it would bring me comfort to have some sort of familiarity. I was overcome with a quiet joy when the waiter nodded questioningly. It was joy that I never knew could come fruit juice. All this time Mr. Yuzuru had been staring at me, and it was starting to feel, for lack of a better word, creepy.

"That's interesting, most students don't pick such a simple thing as apple juice…" I think he was talking to himself. I was kind of offended, though, I liked apple juice. I smiled anyways.

"I guess that makes me a simple person." He looked at me slightly taken aback, as if drawn out of a trance.

"No, no, not at all. Quite the opposite actually…" Okay, I guess I'm being judged on beverage choice today. Before I could respond, he explained.

"You see, Miss Kim, I like to pride myself in having the ability to some-what accurately judge people's characters based on whether or not they take advantage of my wealth and power. I've seen people order things from the most expensive items to water. Now it's easy to see why I would disapprove of those ordering the most expensive items, but those that have ordered water have also shown to be quite fearful of me or have shown to give up their true desires to appear a certain way. You puzzle me to have chosen apple juice…" I was about to explain that it was just a comfort food (drink) to me before he interrupted, "No, don't explain. I'd like to figure it out myself as you attend Ouran. You do remind me of another scholar student at our Academy…"

I'm pretty sure I looked like an idiot with my mouth open and eyes wide. He decided to accept me because I chose apple juice, no questions on my strengths or weaknesses or why I wanted to transfer. I could tell from his character that he wasn't lying, and I could trust him, but this was too good to be true.

"…But there is a slight problem. Ouran is a primarily Japanese-speaking school. We can, of course, modify your schedule to accommodate for your English classes, but unless you can speak Japanese, you are going to have a very hard time, no matter your extensive wits. We do give the option of a full-time translator, but they pay for a pretty price, and are beyond the boundaries of the scholarship fund… and an average person's budget." So basically unless I discovered a mountain made of gold in the next two months, I wasn't even going to be able to understand my lessons. I knew it was too good to be true… Hold on.

"Um, Mr. Yuzuru, I have a best friend who is proficient in the Japanese language. I know for a fact that she is intelligent, despite her grades, but I think she just lacks the drive. Is it possible to…"

"Ah! I see what you are about to ask me. What is her name?"

"Ruri Kato"

"Yes, very Japanese-sounding," I laughed to myself, "I think that can be arranged, I trust you to have strong friends, Miss Kim, and you are someone this Academy needs," I highly doubted that, "but I must make a deal." Uh oh, didn't he know I don't have that much money?

"You must be in the top five of your class every term," I could do that, it'd just be a lot of studying, "and Miss Kato will have to be in the top ten of your class by the end of the schooling year," that was going to be a bit harder, "I'm afraid that if those terms aren't met, the Academy can't uphold your scholarship." Hmm… Well Ruri is so smart, but she just doesn't try because she doesn't have the incentive to try hard. Maybe if staying in Japan was her incentive she would try harder. I knew it would still be tough; our friendship would be filled with her glaring and me nagging…but I also know this is something we both need. We both needed an adventure from our both mentally and physically sheltered and closed-off lives.

"We can do it."

And that's how Ruri and I ended up in Ouran High School.