This is an alternate universe (AU) perspective where all of the Host Club is in the same year of school (unlike the anime where they are staggered between the three years of high school) Also, unlike the anime, I have written this so that once they complete their three years of high school, Ouran Academy also serves as a university as it is such a prestigious school.

This story is centered on my OC Asuka Umari, the only child to one of the most powerful families in Japan, heir to the Umari fortune… who has opal eyes that seem almost iridescent and who is also hiding a secret...

Chapter 4

Asuka's POV

Thank god it was Saturday. I awoke to sunlight trickling in through the gap in the curtains and flooding across the bed. "Mmm" I groaned softly as I stretched out in a catlike manner. Saturday meant that I would be able to dress like a girl, disguise myself and go have a little freedom… sure my father wasn't completely impressed with the idea and by that I mean he disliked it IMMENSELY so I could only get away with it when he was away for work and guess what? He announced last night that he was away this weekend on a business trip and was taking my mother along with him. I was alone in the house with just the staff for company and honestly, all I had to do was say I was going out and they didn't argue with me. Katsu was the only one who knew of my 'secret' outings and he had promised never to give me up to my father.

Sliding from bed I stretched again and groaned as my joints all clicked and settled into place. Stifling a yawn I moved about the room and dressed myself in male clothing, stuffing the girly clothing into my backpack so I could change in the car on the way into the city. I gently packed a dark brown wavy wig and a pair of blue contact lenses into the bag along with the clothes and shoes I would need and slung the bag over one shoulder.

Heading downstairs, I stopped in the kitchen to grab a piece of toast, much to the horror of our cook who insisted on making me a proper breakfast and was disappointed when I declined. Toast munched, I slid my cell phone from my pocket and sent a message to Katsu, asking him to pick me up from out front and made my way there myself, sitting down on the steps as I waited.

Ping!

I blinked and took out my phone to see a message from Tamaki that the Host Club were gathering at his house and then going into the city to see a new movie that had just come out. I thought it over a moment before politely declining, making up some excuse about staying home because I felt unwell. To my surprise he bought it and wished me a quick recovery and that they would see me back at school on Monday. Thank. Goodness.

Katsu arrived shortly after and I scrambled into the car. "Morning Katsu" I smiled before pressing the button that raised the divider between the driver's seats and the passenger seats.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Asuka-sama?" Katsu enquired concern clear in his voice as he listened to me shuffle around getting changed.

"Katsu… this is the ONLY time I get to be myself and can be carefree and FEMALE" I emphasized that last part carefully.

"I understand Asuka-sama… but what if you get caught?"

"Doubtful"

"But what if one of your school friends recognizes you?"

"Unlikely…" I pressed the button to bring the divider down "would you think I was me?" I asked.

He looked into the rearview mirror and sighed "I know it's you because I know you but I suppose others may not, especially without the signature hair and eye color"

"Exactly" I grinned and settled back into the seat to slip my shoes on "I am unrecognizable right now… not even my father would know who I am"

"I'm sure that wouldn't be the case Asuka-sama…"

"I am serious Katsu… he passed by me once in the city and didn't even recognize me so I think I am safe"

I had Katsu find a somewhat secluded area to drop me off "come pick me up at around 5 please" I smiled "I must make it back in time for dinner or else Rika-san will worry" not a truer word was spoken. That woman worried about me as if I was her own child… it was kind of adorable at times.

Since Tamaki had already made me aware of where they were going to see this movie, I knew which area to avoid so I didn't accidentally bump into them… not that they would be able to recognize me but still… I didn't want to take any chances, not a single one.

I opted for going into the shopping district and looking at some of the boutiques there, minding my own business until I heard a familiar voice.

"It's a shame Asuka wasn't feeling well today, I think he would've had fun hanging out with us" It was Tamaki!

I kept my back turned to the voice and continued browsing quietly, totally eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Yeah… Zuzu-chan would have loved it! And all the cake!" Honey giggled and I had to bite my lip a little to stop from giggling myself.

"Yes well, illness cannot be helped, especially if one is under stress" was Kyoya's reply and I had to mentally applaud him on coming to my defense with a simple yet realistic answer.

I had to admit to myself that I somehow had them all fooled… for I was not sick! I was right there, under their noses but of course, they didn't know that now did they?

Suddenly I felt someone bump into me and I froze.

"Sorry" oh no… it was Mori… he might be the quiet one but he was also the most perceptive.

Pulling my voice a couple octaves higher than normal, I hurriedly apologized "oh no… my fault entirely, sorry!" bowing my head and turning, getting my ass out of there quickly before anyone might get a good look at me.

Host Club POV

"Huh… that girl sounded oddly like Asuka…" Hikaru blinked, watching the girl scurry out of the store.

"Don't be silly Hikaru, that girl's voice was much higher than Asuka" Kaoru eyed his brother.

"She did look rather familiar though" Kyoya mused, looking up at Mori who nodded in agreement.

"Now now! Don't be silly! My little boy is home, feeling sick!" Tamaki declared "we should bring him a gift to make him feel better!"

"Tamaki you can't just invite yourself over to someone's house… remember how ticked off I was when you all came to mine without asking?" Haruhi interjected and Tamaki blinked.

"Well that was only because you were embarrassed of your commoner housing… Asuka probably lives in a massive house, free from embarrassment" Tamaki stated, before turning pale at the death glare that Haruhi was giving him.

"Haruhi has a point Tamaki… you can't just show up at someone's house" Kyoya nodded "especially when they aren't feeling well… do you wish to catch whatever it is that Asuka is suffering from?"

"I suppose not…"

"Well then! Let's get going or we are gunna miss the film!" the twins cried, each grabbing one of Tamaki's arms and tugging him along.

Asuka's POV

Okay. That had been stupidly close, especially considering I heard what they were saying as I left the store… something about me seemed familiar to them and I was not prepared to take any more chances considering Kyoya was like the clubs elite information gatherer and if he got curious, he might start probing the net and his sources for information and get too close to the truth.

I ducked into the nearest female bathroom and slipped into an empty stall, taking a couple of minutes to regain my composure when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Taking it out I saw a text message from Haruhi 'I hope you feel better soon, we all miss you, the movie is about to start so I might not reply' Okay so that's good, I had around two hours to enjoy myself without getting caught… I text back 'Thank you, I hope I feel better for Monday, enjoy the movie' sliding my phone back into my pocket.

Taking a deep breath I exited the stall, shaking myself a little before heading back out to enjoy my day.

Time swoosh!

I'd spent those two hours of guaranteed safety doing a little shopping to ease my mind, getting myself some new school supplies and enjoying that small slice of alone time that I knew I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I made sure that I was as far away from the movie theatre as I could be when those two hours came to an end.

I checked the time and realized it was only just coming up to 3 and I had two hours or so before Katsu would be returning to pick me up. I chewed my lip a little as I contemplated my situation… I could always call him to come get me early, or I could continue my outing and risk getting caught. I had always been one to move towards danger though and so decided I would stick it out

Host Club POV

Meanwhile….

The movie had just finished and the group was exiting the movie theatre.

"Next time I am not sitting next to Tamaki" Haruhi complained "all he did the entire time was ask me questions about what was going to happen as if I knew" she shook her head.

"Not to mention the amount of girls that kept staring at us" Kaoru smirked.

"Maybe next time we should rent out a screening room so we can watch a movie in peace" Kyoya suggested "I am sure it wouldn't be too expensive"

Maybe not to you… Haruhi thought to herself, shaking her head lightly.

"Hey isn't that the girl from earlier?" Hikaru blinked, tilting his head in the girls' direction.

"Maybe she has a soft spot for Mori" Kaoru grinned brightly

"Yeah Takashi, maybe she likes you, she seemed awfully flustered when you bumped into her earlier" Honey giggled.

Asuka's POV

Oh. Crap.

There they were again! And I could hear everything they were saying. I mean don't get me wrong… Mori was the tall dark and smolderingly handsome type… but then again Kyoya was also the smoldering type with those eyes… but on the other hand they are all pretty hot… get a hold of yourself! I yelled at myself internally. Be casual I told myself as I continued looking at the goods on the stall, praying to every higher power that they would leave.

No such luck.

I was about to turn and move to look at the next stall when I came face to face with the twins who both stared at me for a long moment before speaking.

"Well hello there princess" oh no… they had their charming voices going.

"Uhm… hi" I put on my girly voice, peeking up at them through dark brown bangs, biting my lip softly "can I help you?"

"Yes… we saw you earlier" Hikaru smiled

"And we saw how bashful you were when our friend bumped into you" Kaoru finished.

"Do you have a crush on him?" they both asked, watching me intently.

I stared at them, a blush crossing my cheeks and their smiles widened into grins.

"You ran away so quickly earlier that he didn't get a chance to say hello to you" Kaoru tilted his head "He was so disappointed…"

I looked over to Mori and then back to them "he doesn't seem disappointed… I'm sorry I have to get going… it was nice meeting you" I stepped around them and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

The last words I heard were "definitely something familiar about her…"

Time swoosh!

Monday morning came FAR too quickly for my liking and I was somehow dreading the return to school. The weekend had been too close for comfort and I knew it. I'd confided in Katsu on the ride to school and he'd chastised me about my carelessness. I hadn't argued with him and merely just hung my head in silence as he gave me a ticking off.

"I hope you learned your lesson about being so cocky about things" he said sternly.

"I did… you were right, I'm sorry Katsu… but what do I do? What if they ask questions?"

"Just maintain that you were home, resting in bed… it's all you can really do at this point" Katsu sighed as he turned into the school grounds "you best keep it simple, you don't want to get caught out contradicting yourself"

He was right… keep it simple… I was at home all weekend, on bed rest and didn't leave the house at all. I could manage that. "I can do that…"

I felt the car slow to a stop and I exhaled heavily, shaking myself out a little "thank you Katsu… I will see you at six sharp" I climbed from the car and gave one last look back to Katsu, who bowed his head lightly before driving off. You got this I told myself as I walked across the courtyard and into the building. Tamaki hadn't said anything about a morning session for today when he has called last night to see how I was doing so I went to homeroom and sat at my desk with a sigh.

There obviously wasn't any morning session thankfully because only moments after I had sat down, students began to arrive and take their seats. Homeroom was due to start in about half an hour and I prayed silently that I had just been imagining things on Saturday. The guys came in one by one and took their seats and I felt this odd sensation as if someone was peering over my shoulder.

"So… are you feeling better?" Hikaru's voice whispered into my ear.

"It's a shame you missed the movie…" Kaoru whispered into the other and I got a chill down my spine… they were up to something.

I turned in my seat and looked at them both "yes… thank you I feel much better… as for the movie, I can always catch it another time" I smiled before turning back around.

"You were right…" I barely heard Kaoru say to Hikaru and I swallowed hard.

"Asuka are you okay? You look awfully pale" Kyoya asked, watching me for a moment.

"N-no I'm fine Kyoya, really" I smiled softly.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Are you upsetting my little boy!?" came Tamaki's voice, so loud and jarring it made me wince a little, considering I was sat right beside him.

"No Boss! Just making sure he was feeling better!" they answered together and I sighed, resting my head in my hands as I listened to them bickering behind me.

Time swoosh!

Lunchtime came quicker than I had hoped. I managed to slip away quietly or so I thought. I was sneaking my way along to find somewhere quiet to eat lunch when I was tackled and grabbed up under my arms.

"Target…" Kaoru grinned

"Captured…" Hikaru smirked.

They were taller than me, enough so that they lifted me up and dragged me along, even through my protests. They frog marched me all the way up to Music Room 3 and I was glad there wasn't a lunch time session. The door closed behind us and they marched me over to where the other Host Club members were sitting.

"Thank you Hikaru, Kaoru…" Kyoya smiled as they let go of me and I brushed myself off. "We need to talk Asuka"

"Let me guess, you decided you don't want me in your club anymore?" I mean seriously, that wouldn't surprise me.

"On the contrary… our reason for wanting to talk to you has nothing to do with your club membership" Kyoya's mouth curved into a smirk.

I swallowed hard, that smirk looked… all knowing.

"Oh? Why did you want to talk to me?" I asked, trying to be all cool and calm, my hands stuffed into my pockets so they wouldn't see them shaking.

"Well something interesting came to our attention" Kyoya began, adjusting his glasses.

"Really now?" I was trying so hard to play it cool but I couldn't ignore that feeling of dread bubbling in the pit of my stomach.

"As you know, the physical exam will be happening tomorrow and that means all eyes will be on us… the ladies love physical exam day" his grin broadened and I knew exactly where this was going.

"So?" it came out quieter than I intended.

"The physical exam is done by doctors from my family's hospital, so as you can imagine, I am able to obtain the schedule…"

Oh no.

"I see that you are receiving your physical exam in private…"

It dawned on me. The only people that would know my true gender would be the head of the Ootori family as I was born in one of their hospitals…. He must have been sworn to secrecy… My heart sank into my stomach.

"I…" I lowered my head, trying to come up with some feeble excuse, yet I couldn't find one.

"You could have told us" Kyoya's voice filled my ears, yet he wasn't angry or disappointed… but curious. I still had a way out of this!

"Told you what Kyoya?" I lifted my head to look him dead in the eyes.

"That you are a girl"

Muahaha! so the secret is out! I know I haven't done an Authors Note at the end of a chapter before but I thought now was a PERFECT time! Stay tuned to find out what happens next...