I didn't get any hints about this mysterious "Host Club" for the rest of the day. I tried to ask Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru about it, but the twins seemed keen on keeping the true nature of their club a surprise. By the time the final bell rang, all I knew was that the club's member list consisted of the creeper twins, Haruhi, Kyoya, and a couple of other mystery men from other classes. When I got up to leave, the twins grabbed me by the arms to "escort" me, claiming I would escape somehow if they didn't.

"I'm not going to run away," I insisted, giving up on physically freeing myself. "Where would I go?"

"You'd figure something out," Hikaru insisted. "You're from New York."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"You've got street smarts," said Kaoru. "You could probably kill a man with your thumb. We've seen that Law and Order show."

"We know the kinds of things you guys are capable of," Hikaru added.

I rolled my eyes, "You're being ridiculous."

Haruhi snorted, "Believe me, it's just getting started…"

It took us a while to arrive at our destination – which, of course, was at the other end of the huge building and up two flights of stairs. The sign above the door read Third Floor Music Room.

I smiled, "So, it's some kind of music club?" I hoped that was the case; I'd fit right in.

"No," the twins answered simply, pushing the door open for me.

My curiosity peaked as I stepped inside, and I jumped a little when another boy appeared beside me. He was tall, with gorgeous blond hair and blue eyes – no, they were more purple than blue, and they glimmered as he handed me a long-stemmed rose.

"Hello, princess," he said, smiling at me. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

I smiled back nervously; it felt so corny, but he was so pretty – the prettiest guy I had ever seen - and I wasn't used to that kind of attention. My heart pounded in my chest, and my brain hummed as I tried to think of a proper response. Something witty, and charming; something that would make a good first impression.

"Oh, that's only Kia," I heard Kyoya say. When I looked, I found him sitting at a nearby table, scribbling something into a notebook. "The exchange student my family is sponsoring this year."

"Yeah, it's only me," I grumbled sarcastically. So much for a witty introduction.

"It doesn't matter if you're only Kia," the blond said, holding his hand over his heart as if he were truly touched. He leaned closer, and looked right into my eyes. His gaze was so intense that it made me feel dizzy. "Even those if humble origins can be beautiful; why, just look at Haruhi."

I looked over at the brunette, noticing that his eyes narrowed at the other's comment. He wasn't… unattractive, but he wasn't exactly my type.

"My family sponsored an exchange student once," someone else added. I looked to my left and noticed no one there. Only when I looked down did I notice a considerably shorter student, smiling up at me with big brown eyes. "He was from Germany, and he was really nice!"

"Aww, you're so cute," I couldn't help but say, smiling as I bent down lower, so we were eye-to-eye. "What's your name?"

"Mitsukuni Haninozuka," he said proudly, holding out a pink, stuffed bunny. "And this is Usa-chan; you can hold her, if you like."

"Sure," I said, accepting the plush toy. I was an only child; the only experience I'd had with younger children was with my friends' siblings. I wasn't quite sure how to act around this younger student; censoring myself wasn't exactly something I was very good at.

He gasped, "Ki-chan – oh, can I call you Ki-chan?"

I nodded, "Sure; I've been called worse."

"Ki-chan, you should come eat cake with me," he insisted. "Please?"

"O-okay…" I answered, unable to say no to such a cute face. When I looked to Kyoya for help, he only gave me an encouraging nod, so I followed the little blond boy to his table. There, I found quite the spread; at least a dozen flavors of cakes. Cupcakes, slices of cake, cakes with strawberries on them, pineapple upside-down cake; if you can name it, it was probably there.

"Oh wow…" I said, staring at the deserts. Were we really going to eat all of them? There were so many… And they all looked so delicious! I considered taking a picture on my phone, to send back to the states; Shin-Li would have gotten a kick out of it.

"Ki-chan," Mitsukuni said, tugging on my sleeve. "I want you to meet my friend, Takashi."

"… Hmm? Oh!" I gasped, snapping out of my cake-induced trance. "Sure."

I almost expected another stuffed animal, but instead Mitsukuni waved to another boy, sitting on a plushy pink sofa nearby. When he stood up and walked over to us, I couldn't fathom how I had missed him when I first walked in; he was about as tall as a house.

I gulped, "That's your friend?"

He nodded, "Yup!"

"Hey," Takashi said, his expression unchanging.

"Takashi, this is Ki-chan," the littler boy said. "She's going to be eating cake with us today. Aren't you excited?"

He looked at me for a moment, and then replied with a simple, "Mhm."

He's the strong silent type, then, I concluded, sitting down with the two of them, the stuffed rabbit placed in my lap. I felt nine years old again as Mitsukuni cut each of us a large slice of cake, and Takashi poured some tea out of a too-cute porcelain teapot. I couldn't help but notice that they served cake and tea to the empty seats as well.

"Are you expecting more people?" I asked. Maybe this was some kind of party?

Mitsukuni nodded, "The other girls should be here any time now."

"Actually, they've already arrived," Kyoya said, appearing out of nowhere at my side, causing me to jump a bit. "If Kia is going to be joining you today, we'll have to add an extra seat to your table; you're both booked solid today."

"But that's alright, isn't it?" the little boy asked. "Ki-chan is a special guest, right?"

He looked at me, the sunlight coming in from the window casting a glare over his glasses that obscured his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."

Before I could ask them what they were talking about, another seat was added to our table, and four girls were added to our group. They all giggled as they sat down; none of them seemed to mind that we had to squeeze a bit to make everyone fit.

"This isn't so bad," Mitsukuni said, looking quite content between two of the girls.

"Not at all!" one of them, a girl with short blond hair, said.

"As long as we get to spend time with the two of you," another said.

"… What sort of club is this, anyway?" I finally asked, when the confusion got to be too much. "Do you guys just sit around and eat cake all afternoon, or what?"

The girls gasped collectively, and I suddenly regretted asking the question.

"You mean you've never heard of the Host Club?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Do you live in a cave or something?"

"She's new," Takashi explained.

"Ohhhhh," they all said, nodding.

"I take it this club is kind of a big deal around here," I said.

The blond girl nodded, "The Host Club is one of the most popular clubs on campus."

"Everyone knows about it," one of her friends said. "Their fame is even starting to spread to other schools in the area."

"But what is it, exactly?" I asked.

"It's a place for young women to spend time with handsome young men," Kyoya explained to me. Had he been standing there the whole time?

"Hey, that's my line," the handsome blond pouted. "You can't go around stealing other people's lines; that's not right!"

"Um… I'm sorry," I said. "I don't believe I caught your name before…"

"Oh, how rude of me," he said, dramatically kneeling before me. I didn't have a chance to say anything before he grabbed my hand and hissed the back of my knuckles. "I am Tamaki Suoh, king of the Host Club, at your service."

And then they squeed. Every girl in the room literally fangirl-squeed. As if I wasn't embarrassed enough already. Guys didn't just go around kissing your hand… Not anymore, at least. It was very flattering, especially from someone as handsome as Tamaki.

"The pleasure's all mine," I said, hoping I didn't look as spaced-out as I sounded.

He must have been satisfied with my response, because he smiled at me as he stood back up. I had to admit, it was really nice to (finally) get some attention from a boy. Back home, I wasn't exactly Miss Popular with the gents; when you go to school with the same people for your entire life, it's harder for them to forget some of your… ah, "stranger moments".

Like when you scream and run away from the clown at your middle school carnival, after you kick that creepy bastard in the shins. Or when someone spikes the punch at your first high school dance, and you end up vomiting in front of the whole school. People tend to remember stuff like that.

That was when it accrued to me that, here at Ouran, I had a chance to start over. I had been there for one day, and already I was in with what seemed to be the "cool crowd". No one at this school knew anything about me. For all intensive purposes, I still had a blank slate, and it was up to me to decide what would be carved on it in the end. I decided that I was going to make my time at Ouran special; I wasn't going to let any opportunities pass me by.

Kyoya cleared his throat, "Tamaki, you have customers to tend to."

"Oh, of course!" he gasped. "I am so sorry, Kia; the rest of the flowers in my garden require my attention. We will have to talk more later."

And with that, he turned on his heels, and practically danced over to his table, where several more girls were waiting. When I looked around, I found that the rest of the boys had a similar setup. Haruhi's table was also full, and he seemed to be helping one of his customers with homework. Nearby, Kyoya sat on a sofa with a girl on each arm, both of whom seemed really, really interested in whatever it was he was saying. Hikaru and Kaoru were…

Well, Hikaru and Kaoru appeared to be locked in a passionate lover's embrace. I did a double take, but sure enough, that's what they were doing.

"Yeah… I don't really get the whole brotherly-love thing, either," the girl next to me whispered. "But a lot of girls seem to like it."

"That's… interesting," I said, watching the scene play out from afar. One twin – it was impossible to tell which – seemed to be crying, while his brother ran his fingers over his hair and whispered into his ear. All of the girls at their table were going nuts for the display of affection.

"I like Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai much better," she continued.

Huh? Oh, right! Honey's probably short for Haninozuka, and then Mori is Takashi's nickname, I thought. I guess that makes sense…

"Hey, wait a second," I said, finally peeling my eyes away from the twincest. That was enough nightmare fuel for one day. "Did you just call Mitsukuni sempai?"

She nodded, "Yeah; I'm only a second year student."

"But that would mean… Wait, that's… but he's so little!"

"A lot of people find it hard to believe," Mitsukuni said, shoving a huge bite of cake into his mouth. "But I'm the oldest member of the Host Club; a third year, just like Takashi."

"Wow…" I mumbled, slumping down in my chair. I had always been a fan of the bizarre, but I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. "I guess I'll just have to get used to it," I said, flopping Usa-chan's ears around.

"Ohhh, does that mean you'll be here more often?" one if the girls asked.

I shrugged, "I guess. Kyoya's my lift home, so I don't think I have much of a choice."

"You could always join another club," another girl said, turning up her nose a bit. "If you don't think the Host Club is good enough for you."

"I didn't mean it like that," I said, glaring at her. I'm sure I looked very menacing, in a yellow creampuff dress with a pink stuffed rabbit in my lap. "Just because I don't understand this place yet doesn't mean I don't like it."

Honey grinned at me, "So you'll come eat cake with me again tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday," Takashi informed him.

"Oh… So you'll come eat cake with me again next week?" he asked, only deterred for a few short seconds.

"Sure," I said. "Why not?"

"Yay~" Honey cheered, clapping his hands. "That makes me happy! And it makes Usa-chan happy, too."

I laughed, "Good; I don't know if I could live with myself if she didn't like me."

The blond girl giggled, "You're kind of funny, Kia-chan."

Her friend nodded, "And your ribbons are very cute."

"Uh… thanks," I said, touching my hair self-consciously. I felt as though I should compliment her back, but… well, at a school where everyone wears the same uniform, there isn't a lot to say about a person's appearance. Thankfully, Mitsukuni jumped in and saved me.

"You all look really pretty today," he said.

"Awwwwwww," the ladies cooed.

"Thank you so much Honey-sempai!"

"You look super cute, too!"

"Yeah! As adorable as ever!"

We passed the rest of the afternoon that way. The girls were rotated every half hour or so – apparently they had to sign up for "appointments" with their preferred host – but I remained at Honey and Mori's table, with Usa-chan in my lap. For the most part, I was quiet; I introduced myself to each new group of girls and answered any questions they asked me. They seemed more interested in the boys, though, but I didn't mind. It was a relaxing way to wind down after a hard day of classes.

At about five thirty, Kyoya informed everyone that the club was closing. After a collective whine from the girls (as well as Tamaki), all of the customers filed out.

"Well," Tamaki said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and flashing me another one of those dazzling smiles. "What do you think of my beautiful world, princess?"

"It's… cool," I said. "But could you knock it off with the princess-business?"

He looked confused, "Don't all girls dream of being a princess?"

"Of course they don't," Haruhi answered.

"Oh…" Tamaki said, suddenly looking quite depressed. I was afraid he would burst into tears at any moment. "I see…"

I gulped, "H-hey, don't get all upset about it. I guess you can call me whatever you want."

"No," he said dramatically. "I could never call you by a name that you despise!"

"I don't despise it," I said. "I just… I donno, I like being Kia, that's all. Fancy nicknames and formalities make me uncomfortable."

"Then so be it," Tamaki said, standing up suddenly. "From this moment on, I shall call you Kia-chan, and you shall address me as Tamaki-sempai."

I laughed, "I can live with that."

"Now that we have that matter straightened out," Kyoya said, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "We need to be leaving."

"So soon?" one of the twins – I made a mental note to start working on a way to tell them apart – questioned.

"You're usually the last one to leave, Kyoya-sempai," his brother said.

He shrugged, "I have a lot of work to do at my house."

"Oh, that's right," said Honey. "Kyo-chan's father is in China on business, right?"

Mori nodded, "Mhm."

"Well, that was kind of rude of him," the first twin said.

"Yeah," the second agreed. "Leaving before his guest even arrived."

"You guys," Haruhi hissed. "It's none of your business."

"What?" they said together. "We're just saying that it seems kind of rude, that's all!"

"I'll admit, it was a bit strange," said Kyoya. His voice sounded a bit more stern than normal, like he really was upset by their prying, but didn't want to show it. "The trip was very last minute. But I am more than capable of handling things on my own."

"And I really don't mind," I added. "I mean, he's a busy dude, I totally get that."

Kyoya snickered, "We'll see you on Monday; come along, Kia, or we'll be late for dinner."

Come along Kia? I thought, wrinkling my nose. What am I, a dog?

"Goodbye Ki-chan!" Honey said, waving frantically.

"G'bye guys," I said. "It was nice meeting all of you."

"The pleasure was all ours," the twins assured me with a playful expression.

After goodbyes were finished, I followed Kyoya out to the car, which was waiting for us outside the front gate. Once again, I was able to call shotgun without a fight, and slid comfortably into the front seat, leaving Kyoya own his own in the back.

"I just don't understand what the fascination is," he said, when I asked him why he never fought me for it.

"Dude, it's… the front seat," I said, unable to come up with a better reason.

"Is that right?" he said sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's right," I said, turning around to stick my tongue out at him. Unfortunately, he had his head buried in his notebook, and didn't see me. "It's like, an honor or something. My friend Kyle decked a guy to get shotgun once."

He looked up at me, confused. "He… decked him? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that term."

I giggled, "Y'know, he punched him in the face. Poor sucker didn't stop bleeding for like an hour."

"I… see…" Kyoya said. Clearly, he didn't know what to think of my story. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Your friends seem like a very… lively bunch."

"Did you facebook creep them, too?" I asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," he said. "I wanted to learn as much about you as I could, so I could make your stay here enjoyable."

"Huh… Well, I like it so far," I assured him. "Your friends are pretty cool. Oh, thanks for letting me chill with you today."

"You're quite welcome," said Kyoya. "I'll be honest with you, as soon as Tamaki found out the exchange student my family was funding happened to be a girl, he insisted I bring you to the Host Club."

I smiled, "Really?"

He nodded, "He was quite insistent."

"Excuse me, Kia-san," the driver said. "But… well, if you wanted to talk to Ootori-san, you should sit in the back."

"Huh? Oh, right!" I said, suddenly realizing that I was giving the windshield a nice view of my rear. I felt my cheats heating up as I crawled back into my seat. I saw Kyoya trying to suppress his laughter in the rearview mirror. I stuck my tongue out at his reflection and dug out my headphones, and he went back to scribbling in his notebook.